[Silent Myocardial Ischemia as a Result of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy].

AIM: to verify the effect of vegetative nervous system on the silent myocardial ischemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included in this study 56 patients with functional class II-III effort angina (22 men and 34 women, age 45-49 years) with silent myocardial ischemia (SMI). Examination included 24hour blood pressure and ECG monitoring. RESULTS: We revealed the interrelation between elevation of parameters of heart rhythm variability reflecting activity of parasympathetic nervous system and ST segment depression depth during episodes of SMI. Also, а significant interrelationship was found between SMI duration and degree of nocturnal diastolic blood pressure decrease which reflected parasympathetic nervous system activity. CONCLUSION: Silent myocardial ischemia more often occurred at the background of elevated activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Detection of mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan with an antigen-capture ELISA in unprocessed urine of Tanzanian patients with suspected tuberculosis.

A direct antigen-capture ELISA based on the detection of mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan (LAM) in unprocessed urine was evaluated for its usefulness in clinical practice. In Tanzania, 231 patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and 103 healthy volunteers were screened with standard TB tests and with the new LAM-ELISA. Of 132 patients with confirmed pulmonary mycobacterial disease (positive sputum culture), 106 were positive using the LAM-ELISA (sensitivity 80.3%). In comparison, the sensitivity of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) sputum microscopy was 62.1% (82 of 132 confirmed cases). Of the 231 patients, 17 were both culture- and AFB-negative, but had typical radiographic signs of pulmonary mycobacterial infection and did not respond to antibiotic treatment. Of these 17 patients, 13 (76.5%) had positive LAM-ELISA test results. To define the specificity of the assay, urine samples from 103 healthy volunteers were also screened using LAM-ELISA. All but one had an optical density below the cut-off (specificity 99%). Of interest was a significant correlation between level of microscopic density of mycobacteria in sputum and LAM antigen concentration in urine (chi2=8.44). The LAM-ELISA is a field-adapted tool that can improve screening standards in countries with a high incidence of TB.

[Development of a method of polarization fluorescence immunoanalysis of the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid]. / Razrabotka poliarizatsionnogo fliuorestsentnogo immunoanaliza gerbitsida 2,4,5-trikhlorfenoksiuksusnoi kisloty.

Immunoreagents were produced and a polarographic fluorescent immunoassay was developed for estimation of residual content of widely used herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy acetic acid. The procedure is simple, accurate, specific and allowed one to measure 10 preparations within 7 min. The sample volume was 50 microliters and the minimal content of the substance estimated was 0.5 microgram/ml. This procedure may be used in screening quick tests of the herbicide concentration in sewage or in extracts from various sources.

[The immunological properties of the main outer membrane protein of Legionella]. / Immunologicheskie svoistva glavnogo belka vneshnei membrany legionell.

The immunogenic properties of Legionella outer membrane main protein (OMMP) were studied by its effect on the proliferative activity of lymphocytes in guinea pigs. Preliminary immunization with OMMP activated only the specific and nonspecific proliferation of spleen cells. After infection with Legionella, secondary immune response developed in the spleen and lungs of previously immunized animals, in contrast to intact ones, and the nonspecific proliferative activity of lymphocytes in the spleen and lungs of previously immunized animals considerably increased. These results are indicative of the fact that Legionella OMMP, similarly to other Legionella antigens and immunomodulators, may be used for the formation of protective immunity.

[Isolation and primary characteristics of the common species-specific outer membrane protein of Rickettsia prowazekii]. / Vydelenie i pervichnaia kharakteristika obshchevidovogo belka naruzhnoi membrany Rickettsia prowazekii.

Common species-specific protein is isolated for the first time in the chromatographically pure state from the outer membrane of Rickettsia prowazekii, and its amino acid composition is determined. As revealed by chromatofocusing technique, the protein possesses pI 4.18 +/- 0.03. Three basic ninhydrin-positive compounds, differing from usual amino acids, were discovered in the protein hydrolyzate. Data suggesting the subunit structure of the isolated protein are presented.

Studies of the interaction of mitochondrial creatine kinase with the mitochondrial membrane.

In this study we have investigated the binding characteristics of creatine kinase (CK) with mitochondrial membrane. Creatine kinase was found to bind membranes by electrostatic forces. At physiological pH, the interaction seems to be between positively charged groups on the enzyme protein and negatively charged groups on the membrane.

[Interactions between heart mitochondrial creatine kinase and oxidative phosphorylation]. / Vzaimodistvie mezhdu kreatinkinazoi mitokhondrii serdtsa i okislitel'nym fosforilirovaniem.

The conditions for chromatographic separation in Silufol plates of adenine nucleotides, creatinine phosphate, glucose-6-phosphate and Pi have been found. Using this method, it was shown that in the presence of Pi and non-labelled ATP the specific radioactivity of creatine phosphate formed by mitochondrial creatinine kinase via oxidative phosphorylation increases at the same rate as does the specific radioactivity of the surrounding solution of ATP. It is concluded that under the given experimental conditions the ATP formed via oxidative phosphorylation enters the enzyme active center only after it has passed into the solution rather than immediately from the adenine nucleotide carrier.

[Interaction between mitochondrial creatine kinase and mitochondrial membranes]. / Issledovanie vzaimodeistviia mitokhondrial'noi kreatinkinazy s membranami mitokhondrii.

The outer mitochondrial membrane of beef heart was disrupted by hypotonic treatment and the effects of concentration and ionic strength of creatine kinase substrate solutions and some other electrolytes and non-electrolytes on mitochondrial membrane creatine kinase were studied. It was shown that electrostatic forces play an important role in the binding of creatine kinase to the mitochondrial membrane. It was assumed that under physiological conditions mitochondrial creatine kinase may undergo a reversible association - dissociation reaction with the membrane. The changes of pH within the range of 6.0 to 9.5 had no effect on the creatine kinase binding to mitochondrial membrane. Creatine kinase from beef heart mitochondria binds likewise and at the same rate to the rat liver no creatine kinase. The number of binding sites in mg of heart mitochondrial protein is n1 = 0.54 +/- 0.11 nmole, Kd1 = 0.16 +/- 0.04 microM. The number of binding sites in mg of liver mitochondrial protein is n2 = 0.65 +/- +/- 0.03 nmole, Kd2 = 0.29 +/- 0.09 microM. Excessive cytochrome c inhibits the binding of creatine kinase to the beef heart mitochondrial membrane. The results obtained suggest that mitochondrial creatine kinase is apparently bound to the membrane phospholipids.