The intermittent and prolonged maternal separation affects behavioral reactions in rat pups.

The work was designed to reveal the effect of maternal deprivation on the behavioral reactions of rat pups during the intermittent and prolonged maternal separation. Research was conducted on 126 white rat pups of both sexes received from 26 mothers at the 1st, 15th, 21st, and 60th days after birth. All animals were divided into three main groups: the first group included 42 litters submitted to intermittent maternal deprivation (IMD). The second group included 28 litters submitted to prolonged maternal deprivation (PMD) and 56 litters served as the control group. Animals were housed in a room with a controlled temperature, humidity, 12 h light/dark cycle, having free access to the food and water. The received results testify to essential influence of maternal deprivation on the normal functioning of CNS, revealed in the alterations of behaviors in rats suffering from maternal deprivation. Thus, early maternal separation in rat pups may serve to be the stressful stimulus for CNS and alter it function, which produces the behavioural disorders among them.

[Procalcitonin - marker of severe infection and sepsis].

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), severe infection and sepsis are the problems of present interest in contemporary medicine. The specificity and sensitivity of widespread clinical and laboratory parameters are insufficient for diagnosing these diseases. A new marker for diagnosing of infective etiology of SIRS, severe infection and sepsis which allows early diagnosis and begin specific treatment is procalcitonin (PCT). In severe viral infections or inflammatory reaction of non-infective origin the level of PCT does not elevate or increases moderately. The level of PCT correlates with the severity of SIRS: the more severe the SIRS, the higher the level of PCT. The monitoring of PCT allows a rapid diagnosis of infective complications in patients after severe injuries or operations, in acute respiratory distress syndrome. PCT is considered as a marker of severe bacterial and parasitic infection. However, PCT should not be considered as the only marker we can rely upon in diagnosing of sepsis. The levels of PCT correlate with levels of TNF and IL-6. But the pathophysiological role of PCT in sepsis is not definitely clear yet. The indexes of PCT are most valuable for evaluating treatment efficiency and prognosis.

[Parallels in clinical, laboratory and instrumental data between systemic lupus erythematosus and infectious endocarditis in children].

The aim of the study was the comparison of clinical, laboratory end instrumental data between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) end infectious endocarditis (IE) for analysis of similar and different features. Clinical, laboratory and instrumental data were analysed and compared for 96 SLE and 23 IE patients. SLE and IE have the following common features: fever, pleurisy, pericarditis, myocarditis hemorrhagic vasculitis, renal disorders, anaemia, concentrations of circulating immune complex (CIC), IgM. Characteristic of SLE were skin erythema, alopecia, cerebrovasculitis, lymhadenopathy, pneumonitis, frequent articular lesions, pancytopenia, high IgG levels, and antibodies to DNA. After echocardiographic investigations a rare revelation of the damage of endocardium, and the lack of destruction of the valve were detected. IE was characterized by thromboembolic complications, splenomegaly, pneumonia, high IgM levels, high incidence rate of RF, positive hemoculture. By echocardiographic studies bacterial vegetations end valvular pathology were detected. These data gives us the possibility for early differential diagnostics of these two diseases.