Migration of Excitation Energy in Furocoumarins.

The migration of excitation energy of a number of psoralen compounds has been studied. For this, the methods of induced absorption spectroscopy, stationary electron spectroscopy, fluorescence and phosphorescence, as well as quantum chemistry were used. A comparative photostability of psoralen was achieved by exposure to a XeCl excilamp irradiation (emission wavelength λem = 308 nm) with parameters Δλ = 5-10 nm, Wpeak = 18 mW/cm2, p = 8.1 J/cm3, f = 200 kHz, pulse duration 1 µs. It was found that the singlet-triplet transition played a major role in the migration of excitation energy into triplet states. Among all tested compounds, substances with an OCH3-group in the structure have the strongest effect on the spectral-luminescent characteristics.

[Immunogenetic examination of families with consanguineous marriages]. / Immunogeneticheskoe obsledovanie semei s blizkorodstvennymi brakami.

14 Uzbek cousin-marriage families have been immunologically examined. 13 persons have been identified, who are probably homozygous in HLA-D region (the results of the reaction in mixed lymphocyte culture). The members of cousin-marriage families, as compared to healthy Russian donors, had lower proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A and decreased indexes of concanavalin A-induced suppression and natural killer activity against K562 targets (in children). At the same time natural killer activity in adults, T- and B-lymphocyte content and IgM, IgG and IgA levels are similar to the respective indexes in Russian donors.

Vaccinia virus persistence in a child against the background of immune deficiency.

A young girl, vaccinated against smallpox 6 years before suffered from a persistent vaccinia virus infection and a congenital skin disease, i.e. epidermolysis bullosa. The virus was isolated from skin lesions at the vaccination site and remote sites and repeatedly from the blood; it was not isolated from bone-marrow specimen, saliva, pharynx or urine. The titre of virus-neutralizing antibodies was low (1:10), immunoglobulins A, M and G were within age-related limits; antibodies against measles and tetanus were at protective levels, skin tests were positive. Staphylococcal antitoxin titre was extremely high. The child's mother, not vaccinated against smallpox, possessed vaccinia--virus-neutralizing antibodies at high titre (over 1:320). Examination of the child did not show any quantitative immune deficiency. Immune deviations were found in the lymphocyte blast-transformation reaction on stimulation with PHA and specific antigen, as well as in the nonspecific-suppression test. The possible genesis of the virus persistence and the role of the virus in the clinical course of the disease are discussed.