[Comparative analysis of static scintigraphy and computerized tomography in assessment of remnant liver volume after advanced hepatic resection]. / Cravnitel'nyi analiz staticheskoi stsintigrafii i komp'iuternoi tomografii v otsenke ob''ema ostatochnoi parenkhimy pri obshirnykh porazheniiakh pecheni.

AIM: To perform a comparative analysis of computerized tomographic volumetry and scintigraphic liver volumetry in assessment of remnant liver volume after advanced hepatic resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Static hepatobiliary scintigraphy and CT volumetry were performed in 45 patients with various liver tumors who underwent advanced hepatectomies (more than three segments). RESULTS: There were no any significant differences in volumetric parameters obtained by CT and scintigraphic volumetry. CONCLUSION: Scintigraphic volumetry data are similar to those of CT volumetry in evaluation of future remnant liver volume. Scintigraphic volumetry may be used as an alternative in assessment of future remnant liver volume after advanced hepatic resections.

[Seronegative celiac disease: A case report].

The paper describes a rare case of celiac disease in the absence of serum anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibodies. A 51-year-old patient has been suffering from diarrheas for 20 years. He has lost 15 kg gradually; weakness progressed; muscle cramps, leg edemas, and signs of dynamic pseudoobstruction appeared. Morphological examination revealed small intestinal mucosal (SIM) villous atrophy (Marsh IIIC stage). IgA anti-tTG and IgG anti-tTG antibodies were 0.086 and 0.178, respectively. The patient was prescribed a gluten-free diet, water electrolyte solutions to correct metabolic disturbances, and prednisolone. During a control examination after 6 months, the patient had no complaints and gained 22 kg, and the SIM villus height was increased. The specific feature of the case is specific negative serological tests for celiac disease.

[Results of the modified Appleby procedure].

AIM: To evaluate safety and efficacy of distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac artery resection (DP-CAR) for pancreatic malignancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical reports of 17 patients who underwent DP-CAR procedure (15 of them with pancreatic malignancy) were retrospectively analyzed. Also we studied 27 publications describing more than 2 cases of DP-CAR. RESULTS: R0- and R1-resection was performed in 14 (82%) and 3 (18%) patients respectively. Postoperative complications ware observed in 11 (65%) cases. Nine of them were successfully treated. Full pain control was achieved in all patients. There were no any ischemic complications. 16 patients received chemotherapy. 2 (11%) patients died in early postoperative period due to aortic dissection in 10 days and fungal sepsis in 44 days after surgery. Median survival was 20 months. Literature review included 27 articles describing 311 operations. Herewith postoperative complications developed in 43% of cases and 90-day postoperative mortality was 4%. Median survival ranged from 9.3 to 26 months. CONCLUSION: DP-CAR is effective and safe procedure in certain patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Efficiency of Cell Therapy in Liver Cirrhosis.

We studied safety and clinical efficacy of transplantation of autologous bone marrow cell in complex therapy of 158 patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. The efficiency of cell therapy was assessed in 12 months after single injection of the cells. The positive response (alleviation of liver cirrhosis or stabilization of the pathological process) was observed in 70% cases. The efficacy of therapy correlated with the severity and etiology of the disease and was maximum in patients with Child-Pugh class A (in 82.5% cases) and class B liver cirrhosis (in 79% cases); in patients with class C liver cirrhosis, the positive response was achieved in 42.5% cases. In 39 patients, ultrasonic examination performed in 3 years after transplantation revealed no focal lesions or ectopic ossification foci.

Pancreas-preserving approach to "paraduodenal pancreatitis" treatment: why, when, and how? Experience of treatment of 62 patients with duodenal dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: The term "paraduodenal pancreatitis" (PP) was proposed as a synonym for duodenal dystrophy (DD) and groove pancreatitis, but it is still unclear what organ PP originates from and how to treat it properly. OBJECTIVE: To assess the results of different types of treatment for PP. METHOD: Prospective analysis of 62 cases of PP (2004-2013) with histopathology of 40 specimens was performed; clinical presentation was assessed and the results of treatment were recorded. RESULTS: Preoperative diagnosis was correct in all the cases except one (1.9%). Patients presented with abdominal pain (100%), weight loss (76%), vomiting (30%), and jaundice (18%). CT, MRI, and endoUS were the most useful diagnostic modalities. Ten patients were treated conservatively, 24 underwent pancreaticoduodenectomies (PD), pancreatico- and cystoenterostomies (8), Nakao procedures (5), duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resections (5), and 10 pancreas-preserving duodenal resections (PPDR) without mortality. Full pain control was achieved after PPRDs in 83%, after PDs in 85%, and after PPPH resections and draining procedures in 18% of cases. Diabetes mellitus developed thrice after PD. CONCLUSIONS: PD is the main surgical option for PP treatment at present; early diagnosis makes PPDR the treatment of choice for PP; efficacy of PPDR for DD treatment provides proof that so-called PP is an entity of duodenal, but not "paraduodenal," origin.

[The distal pancreatic resection with spleen preservation: which collaterals can we rely on?].

The spleen preservation by distal pancreatic resection can be performed either with spleen vessels preservation or with the ligation of the least. The experiment evolved ligation of all gastric arteries but the short gastric arteries in 20 cadaveric organocomplexes, followed by ink perfusion through the left gastric and left gastro-epiploic arteries. The study was amplified with the intraoperative dopplerography of portal arteries of the spleen after crossclamping of the left gastro-epiploic and short gastric arteries. Ten patients after distal pancreatic resection with spleen preservation and splenic vessels ligation had the CT-angiography before and after the surgery. All the conducted studies demonstrated the incapability of short gastric arteries to supply the satisfactory spleen perfusion. The left gastro-epiploic artery proved to be the main source of splenic blood supply after splenic vessels ligation.

[A case of chronic Budd-Chiari syndrome].

The Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare disease associated with occlusion of the hepatic vein by a tumor or a thrombus. It develops due to progressive narrowing or occlusion of the hepatic veins and may occasionally proceed through the chronic disease within months, rarely years as individual recurrences, with pains, enlarged liver, and mild jaundice. These patients generally have partial hepatic vein occlusion. The paper describes a long (more than 20 years) course of the Budd-Chiari syndrome in which only a special angiographic study could verify the presumptive diagnosis and reveal the cause of evolving liver cirrhosis.

AFM capabilities in characterization of particles and surfaces: from angstroms to microns.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM), invented 25 years ago, is now routinely employed as a surface characterization technique. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the most widely used form of SPM, since AFM can be used in ambient conditions with minimal sample preparation. Examples of applications relevant to cosmetics include, but are not limited to, hair and skin roughness measurements and powder particle and nano-emulsion characterization. AFM is well suited for individual particle characterization, especially for measurements of volume, height, size, shape, aspect ratio, and particle surface morphology. Statistical distributions for a large set of particles can be generated through single-particle analysis techniques (i.e., ensemble-like information). AFM is better capable of resolving complex particle-size distributions than dynamic light-scattering (DLS). Single-particle analysis techniques with AFM can be more cost- and time-effective than analyses using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). However, AFM offers resolution that is comparable to or greater than SEM or transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and routinely allows direct measurements of the particle height and volume and produces images easily displayed in a quantified 3D format.

Autologous bone marrow cells in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver.

The data characterizing tolerance and efficiency of autologous bone marrow cells in the treatment of patients with cirrhosis of the liver are presented. Injection of autologous bone marrow cells was not associated with the development of adverse reactions. Cell therapy of patients with compensated cirrhosis arrested asthenic syndrome, reduced cytolysis, increased the level of serum albumin and platelet count. Ultrasonic examination revealed reduction of portal hypertension (the area of the spleen and the portal vein lumen decreased). In patients with decompensated cirrhosis, a positive response presenting as reduction of the disease severity (by 1.9 points) was observed in 48.6% cases. Positive shifts in these patients were associated with a decrease of ALT and AST levels, reduction of laboratory signs of cirrhosis, increase in platelet count, and reduction of the asthenic syndrome. Hence, therapy with autologous bone marrow cells is safe and, according to preliminary results, can be regarded as a new approach to the treatment of patients with cirrhosis of the liver.

[Results of Befnorin clinical trails in healthy volunteers]. / Rezul'taty klinicheskogo ispytaniia preparata benforina na zdorovykh dobrovol'tsakh.

Clinical trails of Befnorin based on the human recombinant TNF-beta elaborated at the Research Design and Technology Institute of Biologically Active Substances, "Vector" State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, were carried out on healthy volunteers in compliance with a decision passed by the Committee of Medical and Immunobiological Preparations, Russia's Health Ministry. Single Befnorin doses of 5-10(4) U, 10(5) U, 5-10(5) U, and 10(6) U were administered as intramuscular injections. Clinical, biochemical and immunological parameters were registered for 7 days after a single dose. The drug had an impact on the below immunity indices: Fc-phagocytosis of monocytes, migration index and migration inhibition index. The dose of 10(5) U was proven to be most effective and safe. Supposedly, the drug can be effective in the treatment of herpetic diseases.

[Results of the use of pumpan preparation in the treatment of severe forms of angina pectoris]. / Rezul'taty primeneniia preparata pumpan v terapii tiazhelykh form stenokardii.

AIM: To assess validity of adjuvant use of pumpan, a homeopathic compound, in patients with unstable angina pectoris and angina of effort (functional class III-IV) receiving conventional treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A direct open controlled trial for 15 months performed initially in hospital, then outpatiently, covered 49 patients with severe angina. Examination of the patients included evaluation of clinical condition and the disease course, lipid metabolism, hemostasis, blood plasma electrolytes, aminotransferases, echo-CG, bicycle exercise, rheoencephalography, ultrasonic dopplerography of head and neck vessels. RESULTS: Pumpan produced a positive effect total nonspecific systemic resistance improved, number of hospitalizations reduced, intracardiac hemodynamics improved in some cases with severe angina. CONCLUSION: Homeopathic compound pumpan can be recommended in the treatment of severe angina to reinforce antianginal effect, improve the disease clinical course, to obtain a hypocoagulative and hypocholesterolemic effect, to normalize intracardiac hemodynamics, to raise myocardial performance and intracoronary reserve as well as nonspecific resistance of the body.

[Immune status of patients with chronic bronchitis and neurocirculatory asthenia]. / Osobennosti immunnogo statusa bol'nykh khronicheskim bronkhitom s priznakami sindroma vegetativnoi distonii.

AIM: To study changes in immune system of patients with various forms of chronic bronchitis (CB) and neurocirculatory asthenia (NCA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Neurological and immunological examinations were made in 84 patients with CB exacerbation and 51 control subjects. RESULTS: It was found that 60% of CB patients had NCA. No negative effects of NCA on immune system in CB patients were registered. Suppression of immune system and secondary immunodeficiency occurred more frequently in CB patients without signs of NCA. 40% of CB patients had vagotonic NCA in which immunological disorders manifested most clearly. CONCLUSION: Vegetative disorders in CB patients do not affect immunological system. Functional testing of autonomic nervous system is suggested for prediction of immune system condition.

Detection and partial characterization of bacteriocin in the methanotrophic bacterium Methylobacter bovis.

The strain Methylobacter bovis 98 was selected among methanotrophic bacteria as one of the most active producers of secretory bacteriocin-like compounds. In the above strain this compound was shown to be a protein with a molecular weight of about 70 kD, relatively thermostable, having a bactericidal effect on closely related organisms. Its properties as a whole are consistent with the accepted definition of bacteriocins, which so far have not been found in this group of microorganisms. A methodical approach that combines electrophoretic separation of secretory proteins and testing their antibacterial activity directly in polyacrylamide gel allowed us for the first time to identify bacteriocin in methanotrophic bacterial culture.

A secretory protein involved in the antagonistic interactions between methanotrophic bacteria.

Antagonistic interactions in mixed culture of methanotrophic bacteria Methylomonas methanica 12 and Methylocystis minimus 33 were investigated. The inhibitory action of Mcs. minimus exometabolites against Mm. methanica grown in liquid medium was found to be specific. Ultrafiltration established that the molecular weight of the substance having inhibitory activity lies within the range 2-10 kD. The activity is protease sensitive and relatively stable to heating. Electrophoretic analysis showed that a protein with molecular weight of approximately 8 kD prevailed in Mcs. minimus culture liquid. When Mm. methanica cells were incubated in culture liquid of Mcs. minimus, the sorption of the 8 kD protein by target cells was observed. This suggests that the inhibitory effect may be associated with the 8 kD protein which has properties similar to known bacteriocins.

[Immobilization of E. coli cells in polyacrylamide-based microporous cryogels]. / Immobilizatsiia kletok E. coli v maloporistye kriogeli na osnove poliakrilamida.

E. coli cells were immobilized in polyacrylamide cryogel by three ways: (1) introduction of cells in the reaction mixture followed by cryopolymerization; (2) the filling of the cryogel pores followed by cell fixation with diluted glutaric dialdehyde (GDA), and (3) the filling of the macropores of the polymeric matrix with modified surface. The ultrastructure of the gels and immobilized cells as well as distribution of attachment of the cells immobilized by different techniques were studied. The first type of immobilization was characterized by the highest quantity of the biomass in the gel (by protein) and by a sharp decrease of the cell viability. The second failed to retain the cells in the pores, and the GDA treatment significantly decreased the viability index. The latter technique was the mildest and completely maintained the viability of the population. However, the biomass content was lower as compared to the first type of immobilization, but could be considerably increased by the GDA treatment.

[Selection of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida cultures with an enhanced resistance to immobilization on polyacrylamide gel]. / Selektivnyi otbor kul'tur Escherichia coli i Pseudomonas putida s povyshennoi ustoichivosti k protsessu immobilizatsii v poliakrilamidnom gele.

Clones of Escherichia coli (A4, A70, G60) and Pseudomonas putida (A70, G30) with an elevated resistance to the process of immobilization in polyacrylamide gel and to the action of monomeric acrylamide were selected from the parent E. coli IBPM B115 and P. putida. The isolated cultures remained resistant to the above actions for a long time. The frequency at which cells with the elevated resistance appeared was comparable with the frequency of bacterial mutations. The plasmid analysis did not reveal the presence of plasmid DNA in the cells of the isolated cultures. The decrease in the viability index of bacterial populations caused by their immobilization in polyacrylamide gel and by the action of monomeric acrylamide did depend on the growth phase. The cells were more resistant to these actions in the stationary phase. The isolated cultures were more resistant as compared to the parent cultures irrespective of the growth phase.