Experimental osteoporosis and its correction.

Osteoporosis was modeled in rats by chronic (6 months) treatment with omeprazole or serotonin, and bone tissue status was studied in experimental hepatic fibrosis and during serotonin treatment under conditions of hepatic fibrosis. Serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, albumins, and creatinine and bone tissue levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron were measured. Treatment with mesenchymal stem cells over 6 months reduced the severity of osteoporosis.

[The genes of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases].

The aim of the work was to study polymorphism of atherosclerosis-related genes in patients with different forms of coronary heart disease (CHD) and chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) in comparison with long-living subjects. Analysis included the distribution of genotypes and alleles of functional polymorphisms of lipid metabolism genes, viz. HindIII--polymorphism of lipoproteinase (LPL) gene; HhaI--polymorphism of apoE gene; TaqIB--polymorphism of cholesterol ether transfer protein (CETP) gene; I/D--polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in CHD and CCI patients of different age groups including long livers and those presenting with different clinical variants of CHD and CCI (FC II-III stable angina of effort, acute myocardial infarction, post-infarction cardiosclerosis, acute coronary syndrome) and control subjects. The study revealed potential molecular-genetic markers for primary and secondary prophylaxis of CHD and CCI. It was shown that DD genotypes of ACE gene, H+/+ of LPL gene and E3E4 are associated with an enhanced probability of myocardial infarction (IM) in CHD patients and can be regarded as high risk markers. The DD genotype is associated with an increased risk of recurrent MI, life-threatening post-IM complications and severe cardiac insufficiency as well as peculiar personality and behavioural traits (animosity and type A behaviour)--psychological risk factors of CHD and predictors of delayed application for medical aid. E2 allele of the ApoE gene and H allele of the LPL gene occur much more frequently in CHD patients aged above 90 years (long livers) than in younger subjects; hence, their value as markers of stable ischemic disease. Protective effect in terms of favourable clinical course of CCI and life expectancy is especially pronounced in subjects with a combination of genotypes with E2E3 + H+H-, E2E2 + H+H-, E3E3 + H-H-genes of ApoE and LPL. B2B2 genotype of CETP gene increases the risk of stable CCI and B1B1 genotype of CETP gene enhances predisposition to cardiovascular pathology.

[Preponderance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains of the family Beijing and risk factors of their transmission in the Samara Region].

Current molecular and epidemiological studies could reveal individual families of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. The purpose of the present study was to reveal the spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains of the family Beijing in the Samara Region and to define risk factors for their transmission. This was a cross-sectional populational molecular epidemiological study that showed that the Beijing genotype prevailed among the obtained isolates (66.6%; 586/880) and it was encountered among convicts and young persons (RR 1.3; 95% CI 1.2-1.5 and RR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.3, respectively), which is indicative of active and recent transmission. Multifactorial analysis indicated that male sex (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-1.9), younger age (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.7), homelessness (OR 5.6; 95% CI 1.1-6.3), and prior or current confinement (OR 2.0; 95 CI 1.5-2.7) were substantially associated with the risk of contamination with the strain of the Beijung family. Drug resistance, including multidrug resistance, was twice higher among the strains of this family.

[Analysis of risk factors of the occurrence of drug resistance in patients with tuberculosis from civil and penitentiary sectors in the Samara Region].

The true prevalence rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRT) are unknown for most regions of Russia. This study was conducted in the Samara Region that differs from other regions in the rapid spread of HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the primary and acquired resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) to first-line antituberculous drugs in patients from civil and penitentiary sectors and to reveal risk factors of drug resistance of MBT. Six hundred patients (309 civilians and 291 prisoners who had been bacteriologically diagnosed as having tuberculosis. The authors have established the following:--in new cases, primary drug resistance is as follows: to isoniazid [38.9% (95% CI, 31.3-36.9%)], to rifampicin [25.9% (95% CI, 19.4-33.4%)] and to MDRT [23.0% (95% CI, 16.7-30.3%)];--in prisoners, the primary resistance of MBT was statistically more significant than in civilians;--male sex, in adequate prior or current treatment for tuberculosis for more than 4 weeks, the presence of fibrocavernous tuberculosis and previous prison stay are essential risk factors of the development of resistance of MBT to both any first-line drug and MDRT;--HIV infection is unassociated with resistance.

[ACE gene I/D-polymorphism and hereditary predisposition to myocardial infarction]. / Sviaz' I/D-poliformizma gena angiotenzinprevrashchaiushchego fermenta s nasledstvennoi predraspolozhennost'iu k infarktu miokarda.

The authors compare distribution of genotype frequencies and alleles of I/D of ACE gene polymorphism in patients with various forms of ischemic heart disease (IHD): with acute myocardial infarction (MI), stable effort angina (functional class II-III); in patients with postinfarction cardiosclerosis (PICS). A relationship was found between I/D polymorphism and acute MI. Frequency of DD genotype in MI patients was 0.57, in controls--0.21, p < 0.0001, RR = 4.9. The DD genotype may serve a marker of hereditary predisposition to MI. Genotype DD frequency in the group with acute MI was higher than that with PICS. In acute MI frequency of allele D was 0.76, in PICS--0.51, p < 0.0005. It is suggested that low frequency of genotype DD in the PICS group results from higher lethality of patients with DD genotype in the nearest rehabilitation period. Patients with repeated MI have a significantly higher frequency of genotype DD and complications after MI. Thus, there is a relationship between insertion-deletion polymorphism of ACE gene and myocardial infarction. Deletion DD genotype raises the risk to develop MI and probability of life-threatening complications and repeated MI.

[Connection of HindIII-polymorphism in the lipoprotein lipase gene with myocardial infarct and life span in elderly ischemic heart disease patients]. / Sviaz' HindIII-polimorfizma v gene lipoproteinlipazy s infarktom miokarda i prodolzhitel'nost'iu zhizni u bol'nykh ishemicheskoé bolzn'iu serdtsa pozhilogo i starcheskogo vozrasta.

Allele and genotype frequencies of the HindIII polymorphism of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene were studied in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and stable angina of effort (SAE), including long-lived people (over 90). The polymorphism proved to be associated with MI and with the life span, genotype H+/H+ being predisposing to MI and allele H- being protective. The allele and genotype frequencies of long-lived people differed significantly from the Hardy-Weinberg proportions and from those of SAE patients aged up to 90. An excess of heterozygotes in this group suggests a selective pressure which eliminates homozygotes. Possibly, heterozygotes H+/H- have an adaptive advantage, which provides for their longevity.

[Characteristics of mental disorders in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]. / Osobennosti psikhicheskikh narushenii u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom.

Peculiarities of mental disorders in patients with rheumatic arthritis were studied in 70 patients aged 20-60 years. The most typical mental disorders were: asthenic symptomatology, depressive phenomena with anxiety, fears, ideas of self-accusation, a peculiar variation of the syndrome of dysmorphophobia due to defects of appearance, stable disorders of sleep, psychopathic-like disorders and, quite frequently, manifestations of psycho-organic syndrome.

[Albumin binding capacity and blood lipids during the development of acute myocardial infarct]. / Sviazyvaiushchaia sposobnost' al'bumina i lipidy syvorotki krovi pri razvitii ostrogo infarkta miokarda.

Excellent reproducibility of rapid fluorescent methods for assessment of cholesterol and triglycerides, effective and total concentrations of albumin permits monitoring these parameters over the course of development of acute myocardial infarction. Manifest changes of cholesterol and triglycerides and of albumin binding reserve estimated as the ratio of effective to total albumin concentrations multiplied by 100% were observed in acute myocardial infarction and even in a single anginal attack. Total albumin concentration changed on days 3-4 only in infarction. Time course of the parameters was related to the disease severity.

[Prognosis for ischemic heart disease patients with episodes of painless myocardial ischemia alternating with rare attacks of stenocardia. The correlation between ischemia and ventricular extrasystole]. / Prognoz u bol'nykh ishemicheskoi bolezn'iu serdtsa s épizodami bezbolevoi ishemii miokarda, chereduiushchimisia s redkimi pristupami stenokardii. Sootnoshenie ishemii i zheludochkovoi ékstrasistolii.

Repeated annual 24-hour Holter's ECG monitoring sessions were used as a basis for 4-year follow-up of 108 male coronary patients with episodes of painless myocardial ischemia in the course of their everyday routines, and 144 control patients showing no signs of transient asymptomatic ischemia at 24-hour Holter's ECG monitoring. Four years of follow-up demonstrated no differences between the two groups, compared with respect to the incidence of myocardial infarction and associated mortality as well as aggravations of coronary heart disease, in terms of clinical pattern of the disease, the incidence of acute coronary episodes and survival rates. There were no sudden deaths in either of the groups. Transient painless myocardial ischemic episodes are shown to carry no additional risk of myocardial infarction and sudden death in elderly coronary patients with occasional anginal attacks.

[Combined noninvasive method of studying cardiac contractile function]. / Neinvazivnyi kompleksnyi metod issledovaniia sokratitel'noi funktsii serdtsa.

The method is based on a record of the polycardiogram, the first derived left-ventricular cardiogram (delta LVCG)--the rate apexcardiogram, the pressure phlebogram, and the tetrapolar rheogram and measurement of arterial pressure by an objective method. Logarithmic and linear nomograms were constructed and regression equations were deduced, which made it possible to calculate the pressure of ventricle filling and the pressure in the pulmonary artery by a bloodless method. The possibility of noninvasive determination of the ventricular pumping function and myocardial contractility is demonstrated.