[Genetic dimorphism in beta-aminoisobutyric acid excretion in patients with atherosclerosis of the coronary artery and in groups at risk for atherosclerosis in the Lithuanian population]. / Issledovanie geneticheskogo dimorfizma v ékskretsii beta-aminoizomaslianoi kisloty u bol'nykh aterosklerozom koronarnykh arterii i v gruppakh ateroskleroznogo riska v litovskoi populiatsii.

Frequency of genetic variants of excretion of beta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIB) in the urea was examined in patients suffering from atherosclerosis of coronary arteries and in risk group for atherosclerosis: children frequently suffering from respiratory viral infection, children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and in adults suffering from IDDM and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. With the aim to determine whether excretion of BAIB could be related with CMV persistence of with proteolytic activity of blood serum the IgG class antibodies against CMV and level of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) in blood serum was tested also. Frequency of high excretors of BAIB was found significantly more often (P < 0.01) in children suffering from virus infection compared to that of population. Frequency distribution of BAIB excretion showed that "high excretors" were found significantly more often in children suffering from atherosclerosis. The difference of BAIB excretion among healthy and diabetics was not defined (P > 0.05). The changes of excretion of BAIB in urea were not related with quantity of alpha 1-PI in blood serum. Investigation reveal a possible relation between high BAIB excretor and latent CMV infection and that this may impact atherogenesis. This leads to a suggestion that children who are often ill with respiratory virus infection may constitute a risk group for coronary atherosclerosis.

[Interrelation of genetic dimorphism of ear wax and the level of apolipoproteins with atherogenesis and longevity in the Lithuanian population]. / Sopriazhennost' geneticheskogo dimorfizma ushnoi sery i urovnia apolipoproteinov s aterogenezom i dolgoletiem v populiatsii Litvy.

Genetic dimorphism of the cerumen was studied in a random sample from the Lithuanian population (N = 253), among the patients with the most atherosclerotic risk, from different age groups (N = 276) and in a cohort of long-living (N = 117). Simultaneously, the levels of apolipoprotein (apo- A-1, B, E) were determined in blood sera of the males-donors, long-living and elderly individuals depending on the phenotypes for ear wax consistency. The prevalence of frequency of the w gene for humid cerumen in children suffering from the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was found as compared with populational sample--0.8293 and 0.6024, respectively (P < 0.002). On the contrary, essential increase in frequency of the d gene responsible for dry cerumen in long living was found as compared with the control--0.5311 and 0.3976, respectively (P < 0.01). An absence of differences in the concentrations of w and d alleles among the patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis and the populational control indicated that the genetic characters under study exerted no marked change in incidence of atherogenesis. However, the ratio apoB/apoA-1 proved higher in the donors with humid ear wax than in those with the dry variant under P < 0.06, which can stimulate this disease. The results of this study support the statement that low level of apoB and especially apoB/apoA-1 may be one of the longevity markers.

[Atherogenesis and serum levels of apolipoprotein E]. / Aterogenez i soderzhanie apolipoproteina E v syvorotke krovi.

Serum apolipoprotein (apo) E levels and their relationship with age were examined in different age groups of healthy individuals of both sexes in a Lithuanian population. The serum concentrations of apo E in patients after coronary bypass were measured and patients suffered from diabetes mellitus were also examined. The mean levels of apo E were found to be higher in healthy males than those in healthy females only in young age. Serum apo E levels were inversely associated with age (P < 0.05). Apo E levels were significantly higher in males over 45 years of age who suffered from coronary atherosclerosis and in males under 45 who had diabetes mellitus (types I and II) than those in healthy individuals (P < 0.05). There was an insignificant difference in apo E levels among healthy and diabetic females (P < 0.05). The findings demonstrated the association of increased apo E levels with atherogenesis.

[Plasma apolipoproteins B and AI in healthy individuals and patients with coronary atherosclerosis in a male population from Lithuania]. / Issledovanie apolipoproteidov B i AI v plazme krovi u zdarovykh i bol'nikh aterosklerozom koronarnykh arterii muzhchin v populiatsii Litvy.

The paper discusses the results from a study into apolipoproteins B (apo-B) and AI (apo-AI) and apoB/apo-AI ratios in the blood of 188 healthy donors and 122 male patients with coronary atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic lesions were coronary angiographically documented. The study was performed (in two age groups of patients: 1) those under 45 years and 2) those over 45 years. A relationship was examined between the levels of apolipoproteins and the lesion of one, two, three or more coronary arteries in the two age groups. The studies indicate that there are various mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in the age groups in question. It is concluded that the younger a patient is, the higher probability that elevated blood apo-B levels are essential in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis is. Determination of plasma apo-B and apo-AI levels and apo-B/apo-AI ratios enables a potential number of diseased coronary arteries to be predicted.

[Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and the blood group in the population of Lithuania]. / Ateroskleroz venechnykh arterii i gruppa krovi v populiatsii Litvy.

Data are reported on the relation between atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and blood group. Examined were 291 patients in whom involvement of the coronary arteries was verified by means of coronarography and aortocoronary shunting. It was established that the group B blood was distinctly more frequent and group O blood was distinctly less frequently observed in male patients under 45 years. In male patients over 45 years of age the blood group apparently influenced advancing of atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary arteries. The obtained data indicate that the A and B blood groups are one of the genetically based factors of risk in the link of atherosclerosis pathogenesis.

[Study of serum levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha macroglobulins in children with glomerulonephritis]. / Issledovanie alpha 1-ingibitora proteinaz i alpha 2-makroglobulina v syvorotke krovi pri glomerulonefrite u detei.

To define the clinico-pathogenetic importance of alpha 1-inhibitor of proteinases and alpha 2-macroglobulin of the blood in children with glomerulonephritis, a study was made of the phenotype of alpha 1-inhibitor of proteinases and its concentration in the blood serum of 156 patients with different clinical forms of glomerulonephritis. Overall 1290 practically healthy children were examined as control. The patients suffering from glomerulonephritis did not demonstrate phenotypes responsible for acute deficiency of alpha 1-inhibitor of proteinases (PISS, PISZ). A relationship was established between the amount of alpha 1-inhibitor of proteinases in the blood serum in children with different clinical forms of glomerulonephritis: the patients with the nephrotic form manifested a significant decrease of the inhibitor concentration in the blood serum, whereas in the hematuric form, a significant rise of it was recorded. All the patients suffering from glomerulonephritis showed a significant increase of the content of alpha 2-macroglobulin, particularly in the nephrotic form, which is likely to be determined by the enhanced output of the given protein and its negligible loss with urine in connection with a high molecular weight.

[Phenotypes of the alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor in septic diseases and leukemia in children]. / Fenotipy al'fa 1-ingibitora proteinaz pri septicheskikh zabolevaniiakhi leikozakh u detei.

Employment of isoelectrofocussing techniques for the determination of proteinase alpha 1-inhibitor (p alpha 1i) phenotypes helped detect original rare phenotypes. Their accurate identification should be performed with a set of standard sera. The findings of studies on the number of p alpha 1i by Mancini's immunoprecipitation test are analyzed, as are the data of phenotype studies by p alpha 1i isoelectrofocussing in children suffering from acute leukemia and sepsis. The findings evidence a drastic increase of p alpha 1i number, parallelled by the emergence of a manifest anode fraction of a common Pi MM phenotype; this may be regarded as a manifestation of a rare Pi MM anode phenotype in phenotyping. The possible reasons of this phenomenon are discussed; the authors emphasize the significance of analyzing rare p alpha 1i phenotypical variants with standard sera.