[Fecal neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is a surrogate marker of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease].

AIM: To evaluate the fecal level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in different behavior of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively included 41 people into the study--30 patients with active IBD and 11 healthy volunteers. The concentration of NGAL in faeces was determined by enzyme immunoassay method. RESULTS: Fecal NGAL level was increased in both UC and CD: in CD--5924.27 ± 2067.6 ng/ml (p < 0.05), in UC--5826.09 ± 891.8 ng/ml (p < 0.05) NGAL levels were higher than in the control group (658.8 ± 237.7 ng/ml). Maximal changes were seen in colonic involvement. NGAL levels increased with the increasing extension of lesion in UC (p < 0.05), while in CD concentration was higher in colitis than in ileitis and ileocolitis (p > 0.05) . NGAL level increased with severity of CD (p < 0.05), in patients with UC difference was not significant. In UC NGAL level was increased with increasing extension of lesions (p < 0.05), in CD this pattern was not marked. Correlation NGAL level with some clinical and laboratory indicators in CD was established. Sensitivity of test in evaluation of exacerbation of IBD was 80%, specificity--90.9%, area under the ROC curve (AUC)--0.9, positive predictive value--96%, negative predictive value--62.5%; positive likelihood ratio--8.8 and negative likelihood ratio--0.22. CONCLUSIONS: The fecal concentration of NGAL significantly increased during IBD. With increasing severity and activity of disease level ofNGAL was increased in CD (p < 0.05). Lipocalin-2 values was higher with the increasing extension of lesions in UC (p < 0.05). There has been established the high diagnostic value of the detection of fecal NGAL as a marker of the active phase of IBD.

[Clinical and diagnostic importance of the evaluation of the Ig proteases activity in children with intestinal dysbacteriosis]. / Kliniko-diagnosticheskoe znachenie otsenki aktivnosti Ig-proteaz u detei s disbakteriozom kishechnika.

The specific activity of serine, metal dependent and thiolic Ig proteases in the coprofiltrates of children with manifestations of intestinal dysbacteriosis was determined by the enzyme immunoassay. 56 children with pronounced symptoms of intestinal disorders (37 children aged up to 1 year and 19 children over 1 year) were examined. A group of 25 clinically healthy children was used as control. Simultaneously with protease activity of coprofiltrates, there was detected the level of Ig-degrading activity of the opportunistic bacteria islolates of different taxonomic groups from feces of children with dysbacteriosis of different severity (as determined by the classical bacteriological method). The evaluation of the Ig-proteolytic activity of fecal supernatants, associated with the presence of serine, metal-dependent and thiolic proteases in the intestine, as well as detection of such proteases in microbial isolates, seems to be highly important for the diagnosis of intestinal disorders in children and is recommended for screening of intestinal dysbacteriosis.

[The spectrum and activity of urinary Ig-proteinases as a marker of chronic pyelonephritis]. / Spektr i aktivnost' Ig-proteinaz mochi kak marker khronicheskoge pielonefrita.

AIM: To study the activity of Ig-splitting proteinases of various classes in the urine in patients with chronic pyelonephritis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical, device and laboratory examinations were made in 50 patients (age 20-60 years). Admission and dynamic measurements were also made of the activity of serin, metal-dependent and thiol Ig-splitting proteinases in the urine. RESULTS: Total proteolytic activity in the urine of the patients was higher than in healthy subjects. Thiol proteinase activity was detected in 98% cases. This activity was 100 times higher in the patients than in healthy subjects. Significant differences were registered in the activity of serin proteinases. After the treatment the level of serin proteinases approached the normal value while thiol proteinase activity decreased significantly (2-fold, on the average) but remained high. If this activity was high, the patients (70%) had 1-2 exacerbations annually, in low activity exacerbations were absent. CONCLUSION: The activity of Ig-splitting proteinases of different classes is an important diagnostic and prognostic laboratory criterion of chronic pyelonephritis and can serve a criterion of treatment efficacy.

[Intestinal microflora and concomitant gastrointestinal diseases in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C]. / Kishechnaia mikroflora i soputstvuiushchie zabolevaniia zheludochno-kishechnogo trakta u bol'nykh khronicheskimi virusnymi gepatitami B and C.

In chronic viral hepatitis B and C the development of intestinal dysbacteriosis and high occurrence of concomitant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract were observed. In cases of increased dysbacteriosis degree and in the presence of concomitant diseases the blood plasma of patients exhibited higher activity in reaction with the of amebocytes lysate obtained from crabs of the genus Limulus. A suggestion was made that the endotoxin of Gram negative intestinal microflora could probably play some role in the development of pathological processes in chronic viral hepatitis B and C.

[Characteristics of antitoxic and antibacterial immune response in nontoxic forms of oropharyngeal diphtheria]. / Pokazateli antitoksicheskogo i antibakterial'nogo immunnogo otveta pri netoksicheskikh formakh difterii rotoglotki.

The enzyme immunoassay system (EIA) for differentiation of antibodies in therapeutic heterogeneous antitoxic serum and antibodies to Corynebacterium diphtheriae toxigenic strains in patients and carriers was developed. The use of EIA permitted the dynamic evaluation of the characteristics of humoral antitoxic and antibacterial immune response in 50 patients with the localized and disseminated forms of stomatopharyngeal diphtheria and 14 "healthy" carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae. As revealed in this study, the symptoms of the disease in patients with disseminated forms of stomatopharyngeal diphtheria developed in the presence of statistically significant low quantitative values of antitoxic and antibacterial antibodies to C. diphtheriae antigens. In the group of patients with the localized forms of the disease the initially low level of antitoxic antibodies was detected with the concentration of antibacterial antibodies remaining unchanged. During the period of convalescence the levels of antitoxic antibodies in both groups reached those of healthy persons. In case of localized forms of the disease the level of antibacterial antibodies decreased as compared with healthy persons, starting from the second week of the disease. The period of convalescence in the disseminated forms was characterized by the low concentration of antibacterial antibodies. Carrier state was formed in the presence of high levels of antitoxic antibodies and significantly low levels of antibacterial ones.

[Functional activity of endotoxin binding factors in chronic viral hepatitis B and C]. / Funktsional'naia aktivnost' faktorov, sviazyvaiushchikh éndotoksin, pri khronicheskikh virusnykh gepatitakh B i C..

The functional state of cell-mediated and humoral antiendotoxin factors in patients with chronic viral hepatitides B and C has been studied. A decreased content of antibodies to glycolipid of chemotype Re and to Escherichia coli O14 with common enterobacterial antigen was shown to occur in these diseases. In addition, a decreased number of neutrophils, eosinophils and thrombocytes has been noted. The conclusion has been made that patients with chronic hepatitides are not protected from the pathogenic action of endotoxin penetrating from the intestines into the systemic blood stream.

[Effects of hemosplenic perfusion on the state of humoral immunity in suppurative-septic complications in emergency abdominal surgery]. / Vliianie gemosplenoperfuzii na sostoianie gumoral'nogo immuniteta pri gnoino-septicheskikh oslozhneniiakh v neotlozhnoi abdominal'noi khirurgii.

Hemosplenoperfusion (HSP) through the donor porcine spleen was used in complex treatment of 75 patients aged from 16 to 75 with pyo-septic complications of diseases and traumas of the abdominal cavity. The influence of HSP on the state of humoral immunity was estimated by the level of antibacterial antibodies to the antigens of E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa, Pr. mirabilis, St. aureus, Bact. fragilis, Bact. bifidum and antiendotoxin antibodies to glycolipid S. Minnesota RE 595, general cortical part of the lipopolysaccharide of Gram-negative bacteria. The use of HPS promoted the resolving of endogenous intoxication, elevation of the strain of humoral antibacterial immunity and is characterized by a reliable increase of the level of antibacterial antibodies in the dynamics of treatment.

[The characteristics of the humoral antibacterial immunity of young children with respiratory organ diseases]. / Osobennosti gumoral'nogo antibakterial'nogo immuniteta u detei rannego vozrasta s zabolevaniiami organov dykhaniia.

The state of antibacterial humoral immunity in young children with acute bronchitis, acute obstructive bronchitis and bronchial asthma at the period of exacerbation has been shown with the use of the enzyme immunoassay. The concentration of antibodies to endotoxin positively correlates with the severity of clinical manifestations of the endogenic intoxication of the body. As the inflammatory process in the bronchial tree increases, the spectrum bacterial agents to which elevated concentrations of specific antibodies can be detected becomes wider, and this finds its maximum reflection in bronchial asthma.

[The role of plasma fibronectin in the pathogenesis of post- aggressive conditions]. / Uchastie plazmennogo fibronektina v patogeneze postagressivnykh sostoianii.

The interrelations of changes in plasma fibronectin (FN) level, hemostatic parameters and RES function were studied in the time course of traumatic or burn disease. A combination of interdependent disorders in the systems studied reflecting features of varying periods of extreme states was established in rat experiments. The analysis of the data obtained has suggested that FN is involved in the pathologic process and participates in the pathogenesis of shock and its complications by interacting with hemostasis and RES as a mediator thus playing an important role in maintaining the level of nonspecific body resistance.

[Biological effects of Gelatinol during artificial circulation]. / Biologicheskie éffekty zhelatinolia pri iskusstvennom krovoobrashchenii.

The levels of plasma fibronectin (FN) were investigated in patients during heart surgery using artificial circulation. Plasma FN levels were assessed by electroimmunoassay (rocket immunoelectrophoresis) and bioassay (aggregation of gelatin-coated microparticles). The application of gelatinol in hemodilution++ composition led to the depletion of bioactive Fn from 140 to 0 micrograms/ml, whereas immunoreactive Fn levels were slightly elevated. The in vitro experiments have shown that gelatinol inhibits the aggregation of gelatinol-coated microparticles and chemiluminiscence of neutrophils, stimulated by gelatin-coated particles. Gelatinol elimination from hemodilution++ composition resulted in the reduction of postoperative mortality and accelerated tissue reparation.

[Effects of fibronectin instillation on reparative regeneration of the corneal tissue (an experimental study)]. / Vliianie instilliatsii fibronektina na reparativnuiu regeneratsiiu rogovichnoi tkani (éksperimental'noe issledovanie).

Comprehensive morphologic studies (including light microscopy, morphometry, autoradiography) of experimental rabbits have revealed a stimulating effect of fibronectin instillations on healing of central penetrating wounds of the cornea. A polypotent mechanism of the stimulating effect of fibronectin instillations during all the stages of the reparative process in the corneal tissue was proved.

[The effect of fibronectin preparations on the chemiluminescence of neutrophils]. / Vliianie preparatov fibronektina na khemiliuminestsentnyi otvet neitrofilov.

Effect of some fibronectin preparations on luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of neutrophils was studied. These fibronectin preparations were obtained after heat denaturation and tryptic digestion. Native fibronectin cause aggregation of gelatin-coated particles and dose-dependent promotion of chemiluminescence of neutrophils, while the rate of these reactions was distinctly decreased if the heat denaturated preparations of fibronectin were used. Structural integrity of fibronectin molecule appears to be responsible for promotion of the neutrophil chemiluminescence.

[Plasma fibronectin in complicated forms of respiratory viral infections in young children]. / Plazmennyi fibronektin pri oslozhnennykh formakh respiratornykh virusnykh infektsii u detei rannego vozrasta.

As many as 89 infants with acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) were examined to establish a decrease of the levels of immunochemical and bioactive fibronectin, seen during the marked clinical manifestations of the disease. Changes in the level of fibronectin in the course of ARVI are reversible in nature, being related to the intensity of the general toxic manifestations. Measurements of bioactive fibronectin are most informative for assessing the degree of intoxication. Profound and long-term reduction of the level of bioactive fibronectin may be seen in grave focal confluent and polysegmental pneumonia.

[A method of determining the concentration of biologically active fibronectin]. / Metod opredeleniia kontsentratsii biologicheski aktivnogo fibronektina.

The suggested method is based on the ability of fibronectin intact molecules to agglutinate gelatin-coated particles. Gelatin-coated particles have been prepared with the use of specially treated Staphylococcus epidermidis cells. The concentration of biologically active fibronectin has been measured using laser nephelometry and agglutination test in microtitre plates. The accuracy of the test is 4 mg/ml (laser nephelometer) and 0.1 mg/ml (agglutination test).

[Quantitative and qualitative changes in the fibronectin level in rheumatoid arthritis]. / Kolichestvennye i kachestvennye izmeneniia fibronektina pri revmatoidnom artrite.

Blood plasma and synovial fluid (SF) of 48 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were studied. Plasma fibronectin (FN) concentration measured by rocket immunoelectrophoresis was found to be almost the same in patients and in healthy donors (348.6 +/- 16.4 micrograms/ml and 354.3 +/- 10.2 micrograms/ml, respectively. The level of SL FN was shown to rise in RA patients up to 1069.7 +/- 157.2 micrograms/ml, whereas in healthy persons and in posttraumatic synovitis it was equal to 420.0 +/- 112.6 micrograms/ml (p less than 0.05). Using cross-immunoelectrophoresis, the heterogeneity of synovial FN was revealed which was determined by complex formation with hyaluronic acid. It was found that both plasma and synovial fluid possessed higher gelatin-binding activity when compared with control samples as studied by the ability to agglutinate gelatinized particles. Direct correlation was shown between disease development rate and bioassayable plasma and synovial fibronectin.

[Effect of exogenous fibronectin on the healing of skin wounds as evidenced by tensiometric data]. / Vliianie ékzogennogo fibronektina na zazhivlenie kozhnykh ran po dannym tenziometrii.

Fibronectin (FN) solution purified from human blood plasma significantly increased the breaking strength of skin wounds in rats, when applied locally and/or intravenously. The best effect (more than 2-fold) was revealed after combined local and i. v. application of FN. Maximum stimulating activity was observed on the 3rd postoperative day, directly indicating the importance of FN for the early phases of wound healing. The data suggest the possibility of using FN preparations for the stimulation of tissue repair processes.

[Complex-formation with hyaluronic acid as a cause of fibronectin heterogeneity in the synovial fluid]. / Kompleksoobrazovanie s gialuronovoi kislotoi kak prichina geterogennosti fibronektina v sinovial'noi zhidkosti.

Heterogeneity of synovial fluid fibronectin was studied by means of Laurell cross-immunoelectrophoresis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, posttraumatic synovitis and other arthropathies. Prior to hyaluronidase treatment all the synovial fluid samples exhibited the fibronectin heterogeneity, which disappeared after the action of hyaluronidase. The data obtained suggest that complexes of fibronectin and hyaluronic acid are responsible for physico-chemical heterogeneity of fibronectin in synovial fluid.

[Interaction of fibronectin with polymorphonuclear leukocytes normally and in anaphylaxis]. / Vzaimodeistvie fibronektina s polimorfno-nuklearnymi leikotsitami v norme i pri anafilaksii.

Fibronectin is known as an opsonic glycoprotein possessing a wide range of specificity. Fibronectin interaction with neutrophils (normal ones and those obtained at peak of anaphylactic shock) was studied. Neutrophils were brought in contact with purified homologous fibronectin previously bound to gelatin-Sepharose granules. The presence of fibronectin-binding proteins on the surface of human and rabbit neutrophils was demonstrated, the binding being strongly dependent on Ca2+ and especially Mg2+ ions. "Anaphylactic" neutrophils, in contrast to normal ones, did not interact with fibronectin, which may be important for the pathogenesis of the immediate type hypersensitivity reactions.