[The peculiar biochemical properties of the support structures in the human tissues]. / Osobennosti biomekhanicheskikh kachestv opornykh struktur tkanei cheloveka.

This article is focused on the methodological aspects of the evaluation of the elastic and mechanical strength characteristics of the tissues that form the flexible fibrous and osseous human skeleton. The samples of dura mater and spongy bone (ribs) were subjected to the quantitative analysis for the determination of their bioelemental composition. The study has demonstrated that the force needed to brake dura mater or a rib correlates with the content of biological elements in these tissue, as well as with the age and sex of the human subjects serving as teir sources.

[Evaluation of biological properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients with sternum and rib osteomyelitis].

AIM: Study of the role of P. aeruginosa in the development of osteomyelitis of sternum and ribs in cardio-surgery patients, and analysis of the main biological properties of the isolated bacterial strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 132 bacterial cultures were isolated from 83 hospital patients as a result of bacteriological examination during 2007-2013. Wound discharge was the study mate- rial. Sampling, seeding and identification of the isolated cultures was carried out by using the respective test-systems; antibiotic sensitivity was studied by disc-diffusion method. RESULTS: The proportion of P. aeruginosa was 10.6% (n = 14) that is comparable with data on wound infections of general surgery hospitals. A direct and strong correlation (R = 0.846, p = 0.000132) between hemolytic and phospholipase activity was established during evaluation of virulence properties of the isolated-strains. The degree of film-forming ability varied significantly from 0.122 to 1.412 OD; 64.3% ofthe studied cultures were highly film-forming variants. Statistically significant association between biofilm formation and other studied properties was not found. 4 strains produced VIM2-type metallo-betalactamase and had identical RAPD profiles. CONCLUSION: Considering that earlier the similar cultures were not detected and all of them were isolated at a short interval of time, we have made a conclusion, that their short-term circulation is probably associated with introduction, which was the reason for patient infection. P. aeruginosa could be the etio-pathogen of both early and later complications of cardio-surgical interventions.

[The alpha-defensins, peptides and proteins synthesized and liberated by neutrophils under atherosclerosis of different localization].

In recent years, the scientific publications about disorder the scientific publications appeared concerning derangement of content of alpha-defensins in neutrophils of patients with atherosclerosis. The interest increases both to different derangement of protein-synthesizing function of neutrophils and to biological effects caused by defensins and other peptides and proteins taking part in anti-microbial defense of human organism. With purpose to study content of alpha-defensins (1-3) and synthesis and liberation of other proteins and peptides by neutrophils the concentrations of alpha-defensins, lipoprotein (alpha), C-reactive protein, precursor of cerebral natriuretic peptide, coagulation factor VII and von Willebrand factor were determined in supernatants of leukocytal cultures in patients with exertional angina pectoris and atherosclerosis of lower extremities. The evaluation of loading test was implemented in vitro with alpha-tumor necrosis factor in vitro. Simultaneously, serum concentrations of cytokines and pro-atherogenic proteins were analyzed. It is established that in patients with ischemic heart disease derangement of protein-synthesizing function of neutrophils is observed. The derangement is manifested in the form of decrease of synthesis of alpha-defensins, increase of synthesis of lipoprotein (alpha), precursor of cerebral natriuretic peptide, C-reactive protein and von Willebrand factor. The pathogenic role of alpha-tumor necrosis factor is established. The increase of concentration of interleukin-8 in blood serum is revealed.

[Cardiac angiosarcoma].

The paper outlines the authors'case of cardiac angiosarcoma. It provides the gross and microscopic characteristics of this tumor and procedures for its clinical and immunomorphological diagnosis.

[Analysis of pyogenic microflora structure of a cardiac surgery hospital].

AIM: Long-term analysis of structure and resistance level ofpyogenic microflora in cardiac surgery hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from microbiological studies carried out in Perm Regional Hospital No. 2 Institute of Heart from 2002 to 2010 was used. Isolation and identification of cultures was carried out by traditional methods, determination of antibiotic resistance--by disk diffusion method, sensitivity to disinfectants--by serial dilution method. RESULTS: Gram-positive bacteria predominate in the structure of clinical flora--enterococci and staphylococci (aureus--during the first years of observation, coagulase negative staphylococci--later). In 2010 an increase of relative rate of gram-negative bacteria, especially pseudomonas and acinetobacters, as well as Serratia marcescens was noted. Among all microorganism species a constant increase of antibiotic resistance level was noted. Clinical microflora is highly sensitive to the preparation for final disinfection, but at the same time is characterized by the generation of resistance to the current disinfectant. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of structure and properties of clinical microflora allows to introduce correction into antibacterial therapy schemes and epidemic control measures, as well as register the emergence of hospital strains. High level of drug resistance of the flora indicates the practicability of antibiotic rotation.

[High thoracic epidural anesthesia as a component of optimization in the perioperative period in elderly and senile cardiosurgical patients].

The paper presents the results of assessing the methods of standard general anesthesia and combined anesthesia in elderly and senile surgical cardiosurgical patients.

[Correction of ischemic atrioventricular insufficiency as a component of surgical remodeling of post-infarction heart in patients with ischemic dilatation cardiomyiopathy].

Patients with ischemic dilatation cardiomyopathy are most difficult to control symptoms of cardiac insufficiency (CI). Analysis of survival, results of cardiac chamber remodeling, and severity of CI in 192 patients showed that the optimal outcome of the treatment is on the average achieved in case of surgical revascularization combined with correction of ischemic atrioventricular insufficiency.

Effects of resibufogenin in experimental hypertension.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There are two major pathophysiologic processes involved in the development of hypertension: (1) expanded extracellular fluid volume and (2) vasoconstriction. We have developed a model of preeclampsia in the rat, in which excessive volume expansion (VE) plays a role. These animals excrete increased amounts of the bufodienolide, marinobufagenin (MBG), even before their hypertension and proteinuria become established. Furthermore, their hypertension is corrected by administration of resibufogenin (RBG), a compound structurally similar to MBG. METHOD: We studied two models of experimental hypertension in the nonpregnant animal, produced either by deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt administration or by angiotensin infusion. RESULTS: RBG administered to the DOCA-salt rats lowered blood pressure and reduced proteinuria in the VE animals, but had no affect on the rats infused with angiotensin. Furthermore, although the production of superoxide anion in the aortas of both groups of hypertensive rats was increased over control, RBG reduced these levels to normal in the VE (DOCA-salt) animals only. RBG had no effect in the angiotensin-infused rats. The urinary excretion of angiotensinogen did not rise in VE-mediated hypertension, but did increase in the angiotensin-infused rats. CONCLUSIONS: MBG plays an important role in the causation of hypertension in the VE rats, but not in the vasoconstrictive model. RBG is effective only in VE-mediated hypertension.

[Efficacy and safety of a new dosage form of vitaprost (tablets coated with intestinally soluble cover) in patients with prostatic adenoma].

An active substance of the drug vitaprost is a complex of water-soluble biologically active peptides isolated from bovine prostatic gland. The prostatic extract has an organ-tropic action in relation to the prostate: inhibits proliferative activity of the cells leading to suppression of prostatic adenoma development, reduces edema and activity of inflammation in prostatic diseases. The new vitaprost tablets can decrease volume of the prostate (this trend was not significant), relieve infravesical obstruction and irritation, improve quality of life. This is confirmed also by IPSS. Vitaprost tablets coated with intestinally soluble cover are recommended as a component of combined treatment of prostatic adenoma in patients with moderate infravesical obstruction irrespective of the patients' age and concomitant diseases.

[Identification and structural analysis of a glycophospholipid component from the venom of ant Paraponera clavata].

The venom of South American ant Paraponera clavata and its low-molecular-mass fraction were shown to possess insectotoxic and pore-forming activities. A number of glycophospholipid components were isolated from this ant venom by means of gel filtration and reversed-phase chromatography. Some of the compounds cause conductivity fluctuations in lipid bilayer membranes within the ranges 3-25 pS and 200-400 pS at concentrations of 10(-6) to 10(-7) M. N-Acetylglucosamine, a fatty acid, and phosphoric acid residues were found in their structures. A full structure, 3-myristoyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl phosphate, was elucidated for one of the compounds by the use of 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.

[The effect of heterosis on inheritance of quantitative traits in silkworm exposed to electromagnetic irradiation]. / Effekt geterozisa i nasledovanie kolichestvennykh priznakov u tutovogo shelkopriada v usloviiakh élektromagnitnogo oblucheniia.

The effect of heterosis was studied in several quantitative traits of clone breed and interbreed silkworm hybrids exposed to electromagnetic irradiation (lambda = 1.6 cm, power density 700 microW/cm2) during postdiapause embryonic development. The influence of the type of reproduction on the manifestation of irradiation effects in the next generation was also examined. In hybrids, the resistance to low-intensity high-frequency irradiation was higher than in the parental forms. Unlike the latter, the hybrids showed no significant modification of the traits after the exposure to electromagnetic irradiation. In the second generation, the modifying effect of irradiation is retained in the case of parthenogenetic silkworm development but not after mating.

Neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment alters rat intestinal muscle reactivity to some agonists.

The following study is an investigation of the changes in the contractile reactivity of visceral muscles in response to agonists and alterations in metabolic parameters after neonatal rat treatment with monosodium-L-glutamate. This treatment markedly sensitizes ileum and colon preparations to adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) stimulation and also increases the colon activity to acetylcholine (p<0.05). Response to bradykinin remained unchanged, while ileum activity to angiotensin II was characterized by a reduction in the maximal tension (E(max)) and an increase in the EC(50) (p<0.05) value. The responses of nonintestinal muscle preparations from monosodium-glutamate-treated rats to both ATP and bradykinin did not show a significant difference when compared to the controls. This treatment diminished food intake, feces excretion and increased plasma insulin, nonesterified fatty acids and triglyceride concentrations (p<0.001). These results suggest that the changes in intestinal muscle activity, in response to agonists, can be due to metabolic alterations as well as the monosodium glutamate action on enteric neurons and/or smooth muscle receptors.

[Urethral invagination by Solovov's technic in a patient with obliteration of the posterior urethra and a small bladder as a consequence of prostatic cancer]. / Invaginatsiia uretry po Solovovu u bol'nogo s obliteratsiei zadnei uretry i malym mochevym puzyrem vsledstvie raka prostatel'noi zhelezy.

In cases of missed preoperative diagnosis of prostatic cancer and benign hyperplasia, the recovery of unassisted urination in patients who previously have undergone transvesicular adenomectomy is often accompanied by traumatic removal of the tissues. This leads to severe anatomical changes of the cervicourethral segment in the form of postoperative strictures with occasional complete obliteration of the posterior urethra. If endoscopic correction of the posterior urethra fails to produce a persistent therapeutic effect, it is valid to perform urethral invagination into the bladder cervix according to Solovov for restoration of the bladder reservoir function, prevention of its fusion and progression of chronic interstitial cystitis. The case demonstrates successful recovery of the patency of the vesicourethral segment and capacity of the bladder in complete obliteration of the posterior urethra and small urinary bladder.

Structural polymorphism of gramicidin A channels: ion conductivity and spectral studies.

The relation between the various spatial structures of the gramicidin A channels and their ionic conductance has been studied. For this aim, various conformations of the peptide were pre-formed in liposomal bilayer and after subsequent fusion of liposomes with planar lipid bilayer the measured channel conductance was correlated with gramicidin structures established in liposomes. To form the single-stranded pi 6.3 pi 6.3 helix the peptide and lipid were co-dissolved in TFE prior to liposome preparation. THF and other solvents were used to form parallel and antiparallel double helices. Conformation of gramicidin in liposomes made by various phosphatidylcholines was monitored by CD spectroscopy, and computer analysis of the spectra obtained was performed. After fusion of gramicidin containing liposomes with planar bilayer membranes from asolectin, the histograms of single-channel conductance were obtained. The histograms had one or three distinct peaks depending on the liposome preparation. Assignment of the structure of the channel to conductance levels was made by correlation of CD data with conductance histograms. The channel-forming analogue, des(Trp-Leu)2-gramicidin A, has been studied by the same protocol. The channel conductances of gramicidin A and the shortened analogue increase in the following order: antiparallel < parallel < pi 6.3 pi 6.3. Single-channels formed by double helices have higher dispersity of conductance than the pi 6.3 pi 6.3 helical channel. Lifetimes of the double helical and the pi 6.3 pi 6.3 helical channels are very close to each other. The data obtained were compared with theoretically predicted properties of double helices [1].

[Structure-activity study of the basic toxic component of venom from the ant Ectatomma tuberculatum]. / Strukturno-funktsional'noe issledovanie osnovnogo toksicheskogo komponenta iada murav'ia Estatomma tuberculatum.

A toxic principle of the Ectatomma tuberculatum ant venom called ectatomin was isolated. Ectatomin is a protein with molecular weight 7928 Da. Its complete amino acid sequence and spatial structure in aqueous solution were determined by protein chemistry methods and NMR spectroscopy techniques. Ectatomin contains two highly homologous polypeptide chains linked to each other by a disulfide bond. The chains consist of 37 and 34 amino acid residues with an internal disulfide bridge in each. In aqueous solution the molecule forms a bundle of four amphipathic alpha-helices. This toxin in a concentration of 0.05-0.01 mM forms potential dependent nonselective cation channels both in cell and artificial membranes. The channel is dimeric and the mechanism of its formation can be explained in terms of the spatial structure established.

Toxic principle of selva ant venom is a pore-forming protein transformer.

Ectatomin (Ea) is a newly isolated main toxic component of Ectatomma tuberculatum ant venom. Structural and electrophysiological studies were performed with purified Ea. The protein consists of two homologous polypeptide chains (37 and 34 residues) and forms a four alpha-helix bundle in aqueous solution. On insertion into artificial bilayer membranes, two Ea molecules form an ion pore. Our results suggest that the 'inside-out' mechanism of pore formation requires a significant movement of Ea helical parts. The pore formation in the cell membrane might well explain the toxic activity of Ea, not excluding at the same time its intracellular activities.

[Attachment to electric suction pump for automatic regulation of vacuum intensity in the treatment of pleural complications in children]. / Pristavka k électrootsasyvateliu dlia avtomaticheskoi reguliatsii vakuuma v lechenii plevralnykh oslozhnenii u detei.

The authors report on the use of an attachment for automatic regulation of vacuum intensity on a surgical electric sucking pump applied in the treatment of pneumothorax, pyopneumothorax, and pyothorax in children. The suggested attachment causes periodic removal of the exudate and air from the pleural cavity by automatic switching on of the pump and creates favorable conditions for cleansing of the cavity. The attachment of the electric sucking pump is cheap, easy in exploitation, simple in assemblage, and may be used for cleaning the pleural cavity with high precision of the necessary degree of exhaustion.

[Adrenal structure in the fetuses of humans living in the European North]. / Stroenie nadpochechnikov u plodov cheloveka, zhivushchego na evropeiskom Severe.

The adrenals of 194 human fetuses of 17-40 weeks and newborn infants were studied by histological and morphometrical methods. The abortive material was taken at hospitals in the city of Arkhangelsk and regions beyond the Polar circle. The mass of adrenals was found to be reliably less as compared with the norms in middle latitudes, and the rate of increase of this index decreased in the dynamics of pregnancy. The microscopic and stereometric investigations have revealed decreased thickness of the cortex, adaptational and pathological changes of adrenocorticocytes. Little mass of the adrenals was associated in some cases with a premature formation of the cortex zones.