Adsorption-rheological properties of blood serum in lung cancer patients.

The aim and objectives of the study were to investigate the state of adsorption-rheological properties of blood (ARPB) in patients with different clinical course of lung cancer (LC), the detection of violations of surface-active, viscoelastic and relaxation properties of blood serum, their association with tumor markers, the evaluation of the prognostic value of initial indexes in the development of complications from radiochemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 115 patients with LC at the age from 24 to 80 years (average age 58 years), among whom there were 78% men and 22% women. The parameters of surface (interfacial) viscosity, elasticity, viscoelasticity module, tension and relaxation of blood serum were studied by the oscillating drop method using a computer tensiometer "PAT2-Sinterface", and its volumetric viscosity was investigated using a Low-Shear-30 rotational viscometer. ARPB parameters were also studied in a control group composed from 50 healthy donors. RESULTS: Increased levels of volumetrical viscosity, surface tension, surface elasticity and the relaxation time of the blood are typical for patients with LC and depended on the localization of the tumor, its histological variant, differentiation grade, severity of the course of the disease, the number of metastases in the lymph nodes, distant organs and skeleton, involvement of the pleura and ribs, the development of compression pulmonary syndrome, metastasis into the spine, adrenals, brain, and pancreas. The surface-active, viscoelastic and relaxation properties of the blood correlated with the levels of tumor markers (TGFß1, VEGF, C-reactive protein, α2-macroglobulin). CONCLUSIONS: Integral changes of ARPB observed in every fifth patient with LC are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, have predictive value in relation to the clinical course of disease (volumetric viscosity) and the development of complications from radiochemotherapy (surface viscosity).

Russian measurements of neutron energy spectra on the Mir orbital station.

Results of the experiments on neutron energy spectra measurements within broad energy range from 5 x 10(-7) to 2 x 10(2) MeV aboard the Mir orbital station and equivalent neutron dose estimation are presented. Four measurement techniques were used during the experiments. The shape of spectra and their absolute values are in good agreement. According to those experiments, an equivalent neutron dose depends upon effective shielding thickness and spacecraft mass. The neutron dose mentioned is comparable with that of ionizing radiation. Neutron flux levels measured aboard the Mir station have shown that a neutron spectrometer involving broad energy range will be used within the radiation monitoring systems in manned space flights.

Recent results of the joint ESA-DARA/IBMP experiments Biokosmos "Seeds".

Comparison of experimental data obtained from short (SDEF) and long duration exposure flights (LDEF) have recently led to results which will be significant for longer and/or repeated sojourn of man in space. Under orbital conditions biological stress and damage are induced in test subjects by cosmic radiation, especially the high energetic, densely ionizing component of heavy ions. Plant seeds were successful model systems for a biotest in studying the physiological damages and mutagenic effect caused by ionizing cosmic radiation in particular stem cells. Dosimetrically, the subdivision into charge- and Let-groups reveals the contribution of the intermediate group (LET = 350-1000 MeV/cm) due to the medium heavy ions (Z = 6-10). Their relative contribution increases with the lower inclination of the orbit of LDEF-1; on the other hand, the total fluence becomes higher with longer duration of the flight. The observed endpoints of the biological radiation damage hint at a correlation with particle dose rate rather than with the dose; additionally, data on shielding effects inside and outside the space craft and its exposure were gained from the different SDEF- and LDEF-missions.

Cosmic ray LET spectra and doses on board Cosmos-2044 biosatellite.

Results of the experiments on board Cosmos-2044 (Biosatellite 9) are presented. Various nuclear track detectors (NTD) (dielectric, AgCl-based, nuclear emulsions) were used to obtain the LET spectra inside and outside the satellite. The spectra from the different NTDs have proved to be in general agreement. The results of LET spectra calculations using two different models are also presented. The resultant LET distributions are used to calculate the absorbed and equivalent doses and the orbit-averaged quality factors (QF) of the cosmic rays (CR). Absorbed dose rates inside (approximately 20 g cm-2 shielding) and outside (1 g cm-2) the spacecraft, omitting electrons, were found to be 4.8 and 8.6 mrad d-1, respectively, while the corresponding equivalent doses were 8.8 and 19.7 mrem d-1. The effects of the flight parameters on the total fluence of, and on the dose from, the CR particles are analyzed. Integral dose distributions of the detected particles are also determined. The LET values which separate absorbed and equivalent doses into 50% intervals are estimated. The CR-39 dielectric NTD is shown to detect 20-30% of the absorbed dose and 60-70% of the equivalent dose in the Cosmos-2044 orbit. The influence of solar activity phase on the magnitude of CR flux is discussed.

The study of the cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs on human lung tumors transplanted to mice by use of diffusion chambers.

The effect of chemotherapeutic drugs (adriamycin, rubomycin, nitrosomethylurea, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate) on the proliferative activity of cells of 19 human lung cancer (adenocarcinoma--8, squamous cell carcinoma--10 and small cell cancer--1) transplanted to mice in diffusion chambers was studied. Rubomycin and adriamycin showed highest activity while methotrexate was least effective. The cyclophosphamide, vincristine and nitrosomethylurea had the moderate and similar activity. The tumors of different histological types hade close sensitivity to the tested drugs. The 3H-thymidine incorporation inhibitory effect of drugs differed for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma probably reflecting certain differences in cellular mechanisms of drug action in lung cancers of different histological types. The data on the cytotoxic activity of anticancer drugs against lung tumors were closed to known efficacy of these drugs in treatment of patients with lung cancer. The high activity of rubomycin in human lung tumors allow to hope for its high activity in patients. The results suggested that human lung tumors in diffusion chambers may be used in preclinical tests of antitumor drug activity against lung tumors.