[On validity of the term "chronic" rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm]. / O pravomernosti termina "khronicheskii" razryv anevrizmy briushnoi aorty.

Treatment of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms has been analyzed. From 506 patients (265 emergency and 241 elective cases) treated in the department of urent vascular surgery 36 had "chronic disruptions". Validity of this term is discussed. The authors consider the term "repeated disruption" as the most adequate.

[Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis C]. / Laboratornaia diagnostika gepatita C.

Laboratory algorithm for the diagnosis of viral hepatitis C (HVC) is proposed. Blood sera are screened for antiHVC by third-generation EIA and PCR of HVC RNA. Positive result of PCR is diagnostically significant. In case of positive EIA and negative PCR the serum is to be analyzed in immunoblotting. If immunoblotting is not carried out, the diagnosis is made on the basis of estimated values of hepatitis C probability attached to diagnostic EIA kit used in clinical laboratory. When evaluating the positive result, the increase in optic density (OD) of analyzed samples is compared with the cutoff OD. In OD higher than 9 and below 1.5 the probability of disease is 92.6 and 11.8%, respectively. Patients with doubtful results of serological tests are to be regularly checked up for 1 year, with laboratory tests (immunoblotting and PCR) repeated every 3 months. Complex laboratory diagnosis by biochemical and serological methods and PCR should be carried out in groups at a high risk of HVC.

[Laboratory diagnosis in tuberculosis]. / Laboratornaia diagnostika tuberkuleza.

The most reliable signs of tuberculosis infection is detection of M. tuberculosis complex in biological fluids and biopsy specimens from focus of lesions. The sensitivity of laboratory diagnostic methods is different for different biological materials, which dictates the utilization of a complex laboratory approach, including microscopy, bacteriological methods, detection of specific IgG, IgM, IgA, and polymerase chain reaction.

[Reconstructive surgery in injuries of major arteries and veins]. / Rekonstruktivnye operatsii pri raneniiakh magistral'nykh arterii i ven.

Retrospective analysis of surgical treatment for injuries of 408 major arteries and veins in 352 patients in the department of vascular surgery of N.V. Sklifossovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care from 1989 to 1996 is presented. Of 126 cases of prosthetic reconstructions in 72.2% autoveins were used, in 18.3%--synthetic prosthesis, and in 9.5% homologous arterial biologic prosthesis. Good results were obtained in 13.1% of patients, amputations were made in 4.8%. Lethality was 4.0%. Principles of treatment of combined injuries, prophylaxis of syndrome of inclusion and other complications are autlined.

[Proliferative activity of lymphocytes in a culture with phytohemagglutinin and immunity parameters in acute pneumonia]. / Proliferativnaia aktivnost' limfotsitov v kul'ture s fitogemaggliutininom i pokazateli immuniteta pri ostrykh pnevmoniiakh.

Proliferative activity of lymphocytes in a culture was assessed by flow cytometry and lymphocyte blast transformation test (LBTT) with the proliferative pool of cells (S+G2+M) from 150 patients with acute pneumonia, 30 of these with the mild form, 97 with medium-severe, and 27 with grave form; in 43 patients the disease duration was over 30 days (protracted pneumonia). In addition, levels of R.protein, homoreactant, immunoglobulins, complement components, T, B, and active T lymphocytes, phagocytosis, and granulocyte oxidative metabolism were assessed. LBTT values were in inverse relationship with the disease severity. Correlations between the studied immunity parameters were analyzed. The findings indicate that LBTT is an informative method for assessing the immune reactivity and may serve for predicting the disease course and for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary diseases.

[The procedures for using immunological study methods in different diseases]. / Taktika ispol'zovaniia immunologicheskikh metodov issledovaniia pri razlichnykh bolezniakh.

The article deals with the basic principles of application of immunological methods for the diagnosis of the immune system disorders. A two-staged method of laboratory tests for the immune status evaluation was accompanied with a number of immunological methods which differed depending on the proper status of the immune system. The author stresses the clinical significance of the methods of the immune status evaluation and also gives the basic immunological criteria for the immunomodulatory therapy.

Evaluation of the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus cross-infection in a maternity hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the hepatitis B infection risk in a university hospital of obstetrics and gynecology. SETTING: The University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. DESIGN: Staff members were divided into three groups: 73 doctors, 184 medical technicians working in delivery rooms, and 55 medical technicians working with postnatal care. The patients were 63 women, aged 17 to 39 years (mean = 26.11 years), pregnant for the first time and in the first stage of labor. Participants all had a negative history of hepatitis B and no known contact with the hepatitis B virus. RESULTS: The incidence of hepatitis B infections among physicians, technicians, and postnatal care technicians was 1.36%, 3.8%, and 3.6%, respectively. The incidence among patients was 4.76%. The daily infection risk varied between 1% and 17% of all deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: The risks of transmission of the hepatitis B virus to hospital workers in this setting is indeed high enough to make a case for hepatitis B vaccination in susceptible staff members. Even if vaccination of staff members is carried out, hygienic measures to prevent the transmission of bloodborne infection between patients and from patients to staff are of the utmost importance.

[Flow cytofluorimetric analysis of the proliferative activity of lymphocytes in a culture with phytohemagglutinin]. / Protochno-tsitofliuorometricheskii analiz proliferativnoi aktivnosti limfotsitov v kul'ture s fitogemaggliutininom.

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-effected lymphocyte blastogenesis test (LBGT) in culture has been assessed by flow cytofluorometry in 63 normal subjects and in 160 patients suffering from various pulmonary diseases. An algorithm for the estimation of cellular distribution in accordance with the mitotic cycle stages is suggested, and a computer program for the analysis of the results, based on the mitotic cycle stages, has been compiled. The lymphocyte proliferative activities have been estimated with various PHA doses. The findings have been in good correlation with the results of radionuclide studies (3H thymidine label). The described approach to LBGT assessment yields reliable results and may be used in diagnostic studies.

[Sutureless anastomoses in gastrointestinal surgery with and without steady magnetic field (experimental study)]. / Besshovnye anastomozy v khirurgii zheludochno-kishechnogo trakta v usloviiakh postoiannogo magnitnogo polia i bez nego (eksperimental'noe issledovanie).

Experimentally in 52 dogs, sutureless gastro-duodenal and ceco-jejunal side-to-side anastomoses were done by means of devices proposed by N.N. Kanshin for connecting void organs, and the features of accretion of the organ walls under the effect of both simple mechanical compression and that with the help of a steady magnetic field were studied. In both variants the process of anastomosis formation completes at 6-7 days after the operation and natural elimination of the compressing elements occurs at 7-8 days. Morphological examinations of sutureless anastomoses formed under a magnetic field or without it revealed no differences between them. The experimental results demonstrated a number of significant advantages of the sutureless methods of tissue connection over the traditional manual intestinal suture.