[Therapeutic results in patients with endometrial cancer].

The aim of the present study is to analyze the patients with endometrial cancer, treated at Gynecology Clinic of the National Oncology Hospital, Sofia according to the stage of the disease, histological type, differentiation, the peculiarities of the spreading and metastases, the therapeutic methods applied and the obtained results. For the period 2002-2004, 152 women with endometrial cancer were treated at the clinic. Predominate the patients with first stage cancer 117 (77%) and with endometroid adenocarcinoma/adenoacantoma 116 (76.3%), as well as these who were treated with surgery 134 (88.2%), followed by radio, hormonotherapy. Among the surgical procedures the simple total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingoophorectomy was the most frequent applied method - 119 (79.2%) patients, followed by radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingoophorectomy and lymph node dissection 25 (16.7%). At the end of the 3 years study period 118 (77.6%) women are alive and 34 (22.4%) are dead. For 28 (18.5%) patients the reason for the death was the oncological disease and for 6 (3.9%)--other type of disease. Our results demonstrate once again, that therapeutic success of patients with endometrial cancer depends directly of the exact determination of the prognostic factors and administration of complex approach in the treatment of every patient.

A Lactobacillus helveticus plasmid detects restriction fragment length polymorphism in different bacterial species.

A small cryptic Lactobacillus helveticus plasmid, pLBL4, was able to reveal restriction fragment length polymorphism in different bacterial species including Lactobacillus species, Bacillus species, and Escherichia coli when used as a DNA probe. The observed polymorphism was a result of the combined hybridization of several microsatellite sequences. The 6-bp sequence (TTGTTT) was repeated 12 times, seven of which were concentrated within the region between 1791 and 1997 bp of the plasmid sequence. The polymorphic patterns generated with pLBL4 differed from those obtained with M13 DNA in the larger number of bands observed. The results presented here open the possibility of using pLBL4 as a new broad-spectrum polymorphic DNA probe for fingerprint analysis.

A polyphasic approach towards the identification of strains belonging to Lactobacillus acidophilus and related species.

A set of 98 strains belonging to nine species of the Lactobacillus acidophilus rRNA-group have been analysed by SDS-PAGE of cellular proteins, RAPD-PCR and AFLP with fluorescently labeled primers in order to find improved methods for their identification. Strains of the following phenotypically highly similar species were examined: L. acidophilus, L. amylovorus, L. crispatus, L. johnsonii, L. gasseri, L. gallinarum, L. helveticus, L. iners and L. amylolyticus. Although the majority of the species can be differentiated by SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins, the latter technique showed poor discrimination between L. gasseri and L. johnsonii strains and between some strains of L. amylovorus and L. gallinarum. However, this study shows that the RAPD-PCR (using at least 3 different primers followed by numerical analysis of the combined patterns) and AFLP are most suitable genomic fingerprinting techniques for the differentiation of all the species listed above, and that databases for identification can be constructed, particularly when commercially available molecular tool-kits are used. The separate species status of the recently described L. amylolyticus and L. iners was fully confirmed.

Characterization of bacteriocins produced by strains from traditional Bulgarian dairy products.

A result of extensive screening of over 300 strains from the Collection of ELBY Bulgaricum, PLC, thirty six strains were selected as producers of bacteriocins, active closely related lactic acid bacterial species and some food spoilage bacteria. The selected strains belong to L. helveticus, L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, which are rare bacteriocin producers. Nineteen nonidentified producers were characterized by molecular taxonomic approaches--M13 fingerprinting, repetitive PCR, ribotyping and hybridization with species-specific probes, which allowed to affiliate them to the species L. delbrueckii. Several strains were found to harbour plasmids of different size. The estimated activity against food borne pathogens makes the isolated substances perspective as safe food preservatives and the producing strains could be used as components of starters with improved quality.

Comparative genome analysis of Bacillus sphaericus by ribotyping, M13 hybridization, and M13 polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting.

A comparative genome analysis of 15 strains representing the five homology groups of the highly heterogeneous species Bacillus sphaericus was performed by M13 hybridization fingerprinting, M13 polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting, and ribotyping with the whole rrn operon. The computer cluster analyses of the polymorphic patterns, presented in dendrograms, showed that these methods allow the differentiation of the individual strains and some homology groups. Our results confirm the close genetic relatedness of the mosquito pathogenic strains of group IIA and support the idea for differentiation of a separate species. At the same time, we present additional proof of the significant genetic heterogeneity of B. sphaericus and the necessity of reconsideration of its present classification.

[The early detection and screening of endometrial carcinoma by the progesterone test and uterine sonography]. / Ranno otkrivane i skrinirane na endometrialniia kartsinom chrez progesteronoviia mest i uterussonografiiata.

An attempt was made to examine the efficiency of the progesterone test and uterus sonography for ten-years period. The progesterone test was used for 621 patients, most of them from the University Obstetrics and Gynaecological Hospital in the town of Varna. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology as well as at the National Oncological Centre, Gynaecological Clinic--Sofia during the last few years. There have been found out deep knowledge in epidemiology, etiology and the present possibilities for early diagnostics of the endometrial cancer. All patients of a total number of 621 were in the postmenopausal period and received Progesterone as one-time medical administration. In 44 women bleeding occurred, and 31 of them agreed to undergo abrasio probatoria. 354 out of these 621 patients were examined by ultrasound B-picture after about 6 months to 1 year. 31 cases needed to be cleared-out additionally. The abrasio probatoria done later showed full correspondence to the ultrasound images with the exception of 6 cases. In 15 cases was found polyps endometrial, in 9 cases--atypical glandular hyperplasia, in one case--carcinoma in situ and in 6 cases--early endometrial cancer.

[Resistance of the strain Streptomyces hygroscopicus 155 to autogenous and other antibiotics]. / Ustoichivost' shtamma Streptomyces hygroscopicus 155 k sobstvennym i k drugim antibiotikam.

Streptomyces hygroscopicus 155, a strain producing pandavir (nigericin) and azalomycin, was studied with respect to resistance to its own and some other antibiotics i.e. tetracycline, gentamicin, streptomycin, erythromycin, tylosin, thiostreptone, benzylpenicillin, monensin and salinomycin. An inactive variant of the culture was used in the control.

[Metastasis in patients with uterine tube carcinoma]. / Metastazirane pri bolni s kartsinom na matochnata truba.

Lymphogenic, hematogenic and implanted metastases in 10 women with carcinoma of the uterine tube, treated at the gynecological clinic of the National Oncological Center for the period of 1977-1988, were described. The patients were of the age of 44 to 65 years. Lymphogenic metastases were discovered in: iliac lymph nodes (l. n.) in 4 women, inguinal l. n.--in 2 patients, supraclavicular l. n. in 1 woman and paraaortic l. n.--in one woman. Metastases were found on the anterior abdominal wall in 3 patients, but in two cases in ovaries, omentum, liver, lung. They were discovered in other abdominal organs in single cases. Metastases occurred from 5 months to 8 years since the onset of the disease. Eight patients died from 1 to 3 years after establishment of metastases, but 2 women continued treatment for 2 and 3 years respectively.