[Twin studies of myasthenia]. / Bliznetsovye issledovaniia miastenii.

Twin pairs with one or two myasthenic patients were selected from patients with neuromuscular pathology. 18 couples of twins were included in final selection (9 monozygotic and 9 dizygotic pairs). 4 pairs of monozygotic twins were concordant to myasthenia (MA). All dizygotic pairs were discordant to this disease. Matched concordance of monozygotic twins was 44%. Penetration of pathological gene was 61% assuming the hypothesis about monogenic heredity of MA. The coefficient of heredity was 44%. The conclusion was made about important, but not absolute role of hereditary factors in development of MA. It was necessary the presence of combination of both genetic and environmental factors for MA development.

[The characteristics of gastroduodenal pathology in the workers of a plant for plastic construction materials]. / Osobennosti gastroduodenal'noi patologii u rabochikh zavoda stroitel'nykh plastikov.

Out of 162 workers exposed to chemicals in the manufacture of construction plastics an outpatient and inpatient examination revealed gastrointestinal problems in 84.3%, vegetative nervous disorders in 62.6% of the examinees. In a random sample of 47 workers high acid production occurred in 63.3% and erosions, ulcers, cicatrices in the stomach and duodenum in 45.2% of them. No HLA genetic predisposition to duodenal ulcer was reported. Histological findings on gastroduodenal mucosa biopsies were indicative of the dystrophy in the chief and lining cells of the gastric glands, epithelium and stroma with formation of the dark cells. The authors insist on consideration of the above facts in examination and treatment of workers exposed to chemicals at construction plastics plants.

[The distribution of class-I HLA antigens in patients with multiple myeloma]. / Raspredelenie HLA-antigenov I klassa u bol'nykh mnozhestvennoi mielomoi.

HLA antigens class 1 have been investigated in Russian patients with multiple myeloma. Compared to controls, myeloma patients demonstrated more frequent occurrence of antigens A11 and B7. Antigen A11 was more common for males and subjects with early response to treatment. Antigen B7 was more frequent in females with the slow response. These correlations are significant without correction on the number of the antigens studied. Association heterogeneity in males and females, in different therapy responders gives grounds for a differential approach to myeloma pathogenesis, choice of drugs, prognosis of survival.

[Amyloidosis in children with rheumatoid arthritis and the results of its long-term treatment with colchicine]. / Amiloidoz u detei, bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom, i rezul'taty dlitel'nogo ego lecheniia kolkhitsinom.

The authors provide materials of a clinical follow-up of 23 children suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with an outcome of amyloidosis of the internal organs, supported by morphological examination in 13 patients. 10 patients were treated with colchicine in a dose of 1-2 mg/day lasting from 6 months to 2 years and 7 months. The beneficial effect was attained in 7 children. In 3 patients with RA standing over 8 years, the results were negative. Colchicine merits attention as an effective drug for the treatment of secondary amyloidosis in RA patients.

[The role of HLA system in determination of the phenotypic variability of the levels of autoantibodies in healthy persons]. / K voprosu o roli sistemy HLA v determinatsii fenotipicheskoi izmenchivosti urovnei autoantitel u zdorovykh liudei.

Study of the role of HLA system in determination of variability of levels of autoantibodies in healthy persons revealed association between the latter and the HLA antigens A3,10 and B17,35. The possibility of differentiation of human population for the immunological trait described using individual HLA phenotype was postulated.

[Analysis of the distribution of class I HLA-antigens in patients with systemic scleroderma with regard to features of the clinical course of the disease and therapy with D-penicillamine]. / Analiz raspredelenie HLA-antigenov I klassa u bol'nykh sistemnoi sklerodermiei s uchetom osobennostei klinicheskogo techeniia zabolevaniia i terapii D-penicillaminom.

The distribution of HLA-A, B, C antigens has been studied in 40 patients with systemic scleroderma and in 200 healthy individuals (all Russians). An increased frequency of the antigens B35 and Cw4 has been discovered in patients, as compared with control. When analysing different clinical and common parameters, lung affection in the systemic scleroderma patients was found to be associated with the antigen A10 (58.9% versus 21% in control, RR = 5.22, EF = 0.476, Pc = 0.0363), the presence of antinuclear antibodies being associated with the antigen B35 (50% versus 17% in control, RR = 4.8, EF = 0.396, Pc = 0.0354). The association with the antigen B8 most commonly mentioned in the literature was characteristic of the patients with an earlier onset of the disease (under 30 years) and those with the rheumatoid factor. The patients having D-penicillamine-induced complications were found to have an increased frequency of the antigen B8, as compared with the alternative group of patients (2P = 0.0430).

[Analysis of distribution of histocompatibility antigens class I and II in children with rheumatoid arthritis]. / Analiz raspredeleniia antigenov I i II klassov sistemy HLA u detei s revmatoidnym artritom.

The authors studied distribution of antigens HLA A, B, C in 115 children and of antigens HLA DR in 102 children of the Russian nationality with classic or diagnosed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). A rise in the frequency of antigens B21, B27 and DR3 was noted as compared to the control values. Then distribution of HLA-antigens was analysed in separate groups of patients depending on the nature of the clinical course of JRA. It was characteristic of patients of patients depending on the nature of the clinical course of JRA. It was characteristic of patients with mono-oligoarthritis with an polyarticular form of JRA to exhibit a rise in the frequency of antigens B27 and DRW8, with uveitis--of antigens A2, B27 and DRW8, with a high degree of activity of the inflammatory process--B21, with an allergic variant--B21, with an articulovisceral form--B21, DR3 and DR4, with Still's disease--DR3, rheumatoid nodes--DR2 and DR3. Thus, specificity of associations was determined in most of the cases by the nature of JRA clinical course. The authors confirm the number of associations previously described in the literature abroad.

[Characteristics of the phenotypic variability in the levels of DNA autoantibodies in healthy persons]. / Osobennosti fenotipicheskoi izmenchivosti urovnei autoantitel k DNK u zdorovykh liudei.

Peculiarities in the distribution of autoantibody levels to native and denervated DNA have been studied. A considerable distribution of genetic factors to phenotypic variability of the traits in question has been shown. Increased levels of the investigated autoantibodies correlated with HLA-A3, B35, decreased--with HLA-A10, B17.

[Phenotypic variability of the levels of autoantibodies against thyroglobulin and myoglobin in healthy individuals]. / Fenotipicheskaia variabel'nost' urovnei autoantitel k tireoglobulinu i mioglobulinu u zdorovykh liudei.

Regularities of distribution of the levels of autoantibodies to thyroglobulin and myoglobin in healthy tweens were studied by immunoenzyme assay. The expressed variability, the absence of sex dimorphism and complete partypical determination of phenotypic variability of the levels tested were shown.

[The HLA system and Coxsackie B viral myocarditis in adults]. / Sistema HLA i virusnyi Koksaki B miokardit u vzroslykh.

The distribution of HLA antigens A, B and C was studied in 152 normal donors, 53 patients with Coxsackie B virus myocarditis, 35 patients with myocarditis of unknown origin, 16 coronary patients and 14 rheumatic patients with high titres of anti-Coxsackie virus antibodies. Coxsackie virus myocarditis was associated with increased occurrence of HLA antigens A3, B40, Cw2 and A28, the increase being significant (with an adjustment to the number of the tested antigens) for A3 in severe and medium myocarditis, and B40 in patients who had developed myocarditis before age 30. Antigen Cw2 was more common in myocarditis patients with high titres of anti-Coxsackie virus B4 antibodies. The distribution of HLA antigens in coronary patients was similar to that of the controls. Rheumatic patients showed increased incidence of antigen Cw2. It is suggested that carriers of histocompatibility antigen A3 may be predisposed genetically to severe or medium Coxsackie B virus myocarditis.

[Population-demographic and clinico-genetic characteristics of Huntington chorea in one region of Azerbaijan]. / Populiatsionno-demograficheskaia i kliniko-geneticheskaia kharakteristika khorei Gentingtona v odnom iz raionov Azerbaijana.

The data are presented on prevalence and clinical patterns of Huntington disease in Shamkhor region of Azerbaijan, where about 126.8 thousand inhabitants live. Population, demographic and genealogical data show that high prevalence of Huntington disease in that region is determined by the founder effects, reinforced later by extended reproduction of the population. Linkage analysis using the affected sib-pair method failed to reveal a linkage between Huntington's chorea locus and HLA, AB0, MN systems. Significant probability of linkage to Huntington's chorea locus was calculated for Gc marker.