[The role of lipid metabolism and antioxidant system changes in the development of retinal vein occlusion].

PURPOSE: To compare changes in lipid metabolism and antioxidant status in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) with that in patients with a history of ischemic stroke and in patients with no clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 111 patients were enrolled in the study. Group 1 included 80 patients with RVO and grade 2-3 stage II-III essential hypertension, group 2-11 patients with grade 3 stage III essential hypertension, high cardiovascular risk and a history of ischemic stroke. The control group included 20 patients with no clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. All patients underwent a standard ophthalmic examination, fluorescent retinal angiography, lipid metabolism and redox system assessment. RESULTS: The levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and cholinesterase were higher in study groups than in controls regardless the type of RVO. A statistically proven increase in oxidized LDL (oxLDL) was found in patients with complicated hypertension and ischemic RVO. A direct correlation was determined between the level of anti-oxLDL IgG and lipid peroxidation activity (LP) (R = 0.376; p = 0.136) as well as the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (R = 0.529; p = 0.029) and GPx per gram of hemoglobin (R = 0.543; p = 0.024) in patients with branch RVO. Redox system assessment showed a decrease of thiols and an increase of LP metabolites. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that retinal vein occlusions develop under disorders of lipid metabolism similar to those in patients with a history of ischemic stroke. The correlation between the level of anti-oxLDL IgG and LP points to the redox system involvement in the intricate pathogenesis of RVO.

[Pathogenesis of retinal vein occlusions].

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a multifactorial disease and its pathogenesis is still not fully understood. Mechanical, hemodynamic, rheological, coagulation, biochemical, and immunological factors are involved. Two currently prevalent theories of RVO pathogenesis are the mechanical theory and the "coagulopathic" theory. The latter implies an imbalance between thrombogenic factors and antithrombogenic protection. According to some authors, endothelial dysfunction plays a large part in thrombosis development, neoangiogenesis, vascular remodeling, intravascular activation of platelets and leucocytes. In recent studies increasing emphasis is being placed on investigation of immune-mediated mechanisms of vein occlusions. RVO can also be associated with combined hypoxic and free radical tissue damage.

[Characteristic of the complement system in patients with ischemic heart disease with moderate and marked hemolysis after operations with cardiopulmonary bypass].

A study of the complement system in cardiosurgical patients with moderate (40 patients) and marked (18 patients) hemolysis after coronary artery bypass grafting in conditions of cardiopulmonary bypass was carried out. Before and after operation the content of D35+-, D55+-erythrocytes and reticulocytes in blood, free hemoglobin in blood plasma, indicators of the functional state of classical, lectin and alternative pathways of complement activation as well as concentration of its terminal complex in blood serum were analyzed. It was established that development of marked hemolysis was associated with higher (compared with moderate hemolysis) content of terminal complement complex and reticulocytes in blood before operation as well as deficiency of D55+- erythrocytes and low activity of alternative pathway.

[Pathomorphology of experimental pneumocystosis and cytogenesis of the pathogen Pneumocystis carinii]. / Patomorfologiia éksperimental'nogo pnevmotsistoza i tsitogenez vozbuditelia Pneumocystis carinii.

A lung pneumocystosis model has been developed in white non-inbred rats (83 animals). The pathological process develops during 1 month versus 2-3 months in other models. Pathomorphology is in principle similar to human pneumocystosis. Bauer's method appeared to be the simplest and adequate for the detection of mature pneumocysts in the lung sections among many other methods used.

[Study of the specificity of human lysosomal glycolipid hydrolases using synthetic fluorogenic substrates]. / Issledovanie spetsifichnosti lizosomnykh glikolipidgidrolaz cheloveka s pomoshch'iu sinteticheskikh fluorogennykh substratov.

On the basis of o-acylamino-4-methylumbelliferon, a number of beta-galactosides and beta-glucosides have been synthesized. The fluorogenic compounds obtained differ by the length of acyl residues. 6- and 8-hexadecanoylamino-4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-galactopyranosides (6-HMGal and 8-HMGal) are shown to be substrates for human galactocerebroside-beta-D-galactosidase. 6-HMGal analogues with shorter acyl residues, octanoyl (OMGal) and butanoyl (BMGal), were cleaved by another type of beta-galactosidase, GM1-ganglioside-beta-galactosidase. It has been established that 6-hexadecanoylamino-4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (HMGlc) is cleaved by human and animal glucocerebrosidase much slower than its chromogenic analogue (HMGlc). OMGlc did not exceed HNGlc either, though it is cleaved by glucocerebrosidase faster than HMGlc.

[Interaction of the polyene antibiotic nystatin with bivalent copper ions]. / Osobennosti vzaimodeistviia polienovogo antibiotika nistatina s ionami dvukhvalentnoi medi.

Characteristic features of interaction of nystatin with bivalent copper salts in water, methanol and dimethylsulfoxide were studied. It was shown that stable compounds of copper and nystatin at ratios of 1 : 2 and 1 : 4 formed in the above solvents. The antibiotic in these compounds was in an inert, native or activated state. Physicochemical and biological properties of the compounds were investigated.

[Effectiveness of amphoglucamine in experimental candidiasis in sex hormone administration]. / Effektivnost' amfogliukamina pri éksperimental'nom kandidoze na fone vvedeniia polovykh gormonov.

The efficacy of amphoglucamine was tested on male and female albino mice infected intravenously with Candida albicans and treated with testosterone and folliculin in doses of 1 mg and 10 units per mouse respectively. It was shown that 0.25 per cent of the experimental mice treated with testosterone alone survived, while the use of amphoglucamine alone in a dose of 1 mg/kg per os provided the survival of 0.5 per cent of the animals. With the use of the both drugs in combination almost all animals survived. Combined treatment with amphoglucamine and folliculin was not effective: isolation of Candida from all organs persisted, the spleen index changed insignificantly. Under the effect of testosterone the level of the spleen contamination was lower as compared to the control. The use of testosterone for a definite period of time promoted elimination of Candida from the internal organs. No significant difference in the titers of the complement-binding antibodies in the group of the mice treated with both the drugs was observed. It is suggested that the effect of the sex hormones on the fungus infection is associated with changing of the cell protective mechanisms.

[Physicochemical and biological characteristics of mycoheptin components A1 and A2]. / Fiziko-khimicheskaia i biologicheskaia kharakteristika komponentov A1 i A2 mikogeptina.

Mycoheptin, an original antifungal polyenic antibiotic is a complex of several heptaen components. 2 heptaen components designated as mycoheptins A1 and A2 were isolated from the mycoheptin complex with the counter-current distribution technique in a system of methanol-chloroform-forate buffer, pH 8.3 (2:2:1). It was found that component A2 was the main one. Its content in the preparation is at least 80 per cent. The components were studied comparatively with respect to the elemental composition, UV and IR spectra, distribution coefficients in different solvent systems, specific rotation, biological activity and acute toxicity. Both components are original in the subgroup of "nonaromatic" heptaens. Mycoheptin A1 has a lower biological activity and toxicity but its chemotherapeutic efficiency is higher.

[Effect of amphoglucamine on humoral immunity indices]. / Vliianie amfogliukamina na nekotorye pokazateli gumoral'nogo immuniteta.

It was shown that amphoglucamine, a new Soviet polyenic antibiotic had no significant effect on the antibody titers in the reactions of agglutination, complement binding and precipitation, when administered at various periods of immunogenesis of rabbits immunized with killed C. immitis vaccine. No signific and difference in the serum complement titers of the immunized animals was found. The study on the protective properties of the immunized animal sera demonstrated that the antibiotic administered during immunogenesis rather inhibited the preventive properties of the immune sera. Amphoglucamine administered during immunogenesis suppressed intracutaneous allergic reactions to the antigen. The data should be considered in the diagnostic practice, since some times the allergic reactions are the only diagnostic sign.

[Characteristics of a strain of C. albicans resistant to polyene antibiotics]. / Kharakteristika shtamma C. albicans, ustoichivogo k polienovym antibiotikam.

It was found that a resistant strain R2 of C. albicans obtained as a result of passages on media containing increasing concentrations of amphotericin B differed from the initial strain by its lower pathogenicity. Treatment of the infection caused by the resistant strain on modeling of candidiasis in mice was not successful. The decrease in the average life span of the mice infected with the resistant strain R2 and treated with amphotericin B was lower than that in the control animals and such indices of the disease as the levels of the kidney dissemination and the cell vegetation even increased under the effect of amphotericin B. The results of the study suggest that the resistant strain R2 of C. albicans depend on amphotericin B in the host. The data obtained emphasize the necessity of determinining the antibiotic sensitivity of C. albicans strains isolated from patients.