[Demographic problems and reproductive health of women and children of first year of life]. / Demograficheskie problemy i reproduktivnoe zdorov'e zhenshchin i detei pervogo goda zhizni.

The authors presented comparative evaluation of general demographic situation and reproductive health of women and infants in main mining and industrial districts of Mourmansk region.

Blood concentrations of persistent toxic substances in the indigenous communities of the Russian Arctic.

OBJECTIVES: Investigation was carried out within the framework of the large-scale international project "Persistent Toxic Substances (PTS), Food Security and Indigenous People of the Russian North" under RAIPON/AMAP/GEF aegis. Objectives of the project are to obtain comprehensive information on exposure of indigenous populations to contaminants through food chains (and other sources), and to investigate the possible health effects connected to this exposure. Four regions of Russia are involved in the project: Kola Peninsula (Murmansk oblast), Nenetsk okrug (Pechora river basin), Taimyr Peninsula, Chukotka Peninsula. METHODS: Questionnaire and paired sampling of maternal/cord blood among indigenous women at childbirth (more than 250 persons) as well as among general indigenous population (more than 1,400 persons), additionally breast milk sampling of lactating women (more than 50 persons) in Chukotka was conducted. About 700 blood samples have been analyzed at the Center for Environmental Chemistry, SPA "Typhoon" (Obninsk, Russia), the Regional Center "Monitoring of the Arctic", RCMA (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, NILU (Tromso, Norway) and at INSPQ (Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: On the whole, PTS in human blood of the Russian Arctic natives are similar to those in the coastal areas of Greenland and Canada, and for some POPs such as toxaphenes and mirex, these levels are lower.

[The persistence of the distemper virus in continuous human cells]. / Persistentsiia virusa chumy plotoiadnykh v perevivaemykh kletkakh cheloveka.

Two cultures chronically infected with distemper virus (HEP-2 and L-41) were obtained. The cultures produced a small-plaque cell-associated virus and a virus-specific antigen which was demonstrated by the fluorescence antibody technique in 40%-60% of the cells. The chronically infected cells produced interferon as judged by their resistance to superinfections with heterologous viruses. The virus-carrier state was characterized by temperature sensitivity.

Comparative clinico-morphological investigations of the CNS of monkeys and of the eye teguments of guinea pigs infected with different measles virus strains.

Measles virus strains Edmonston and L-16 have been studied in 10 intracerebrally (i.c.) infected monkeys and in 155 guinea pigs infected into the anterior eye chamber. The strains appeared to differ in pathogenicity for monkeys and guinea pigs. The more pathogenic Edmonston strain caused encephalitis in monkeys, whereas in guinea pigs it caused iridocyclitis, keratoconjunctivitis and follicular conjunctivitis. Strain L-16 was not neurovirulent for monkeys, while in guinea pigs it caused follicular conjunctivitis. Specific pathohistological changes detected in the CNS of monkeys and in the eye teguments of guinea pigs were confirmed by virologic and serologic findings.

[Effectiveness of a combined live mumps-measles vaccine]. / Issledovanie éffektivnosti zhivoi assotsiirovannoi parotitno-korevoi vaktsiny.

The reactogenic and areactogenic properties of a live combined mumps-measles vaccine (MMV) prepared in primary cultures of Japanese quail embryo cells from attenuated strains of mumps (L-3) and measles (L-16) viruses were under study. The observations involved 648 infants varying in ages from 1 to 3 years, seronegative to measles and mumps viruses, without the history of the disease and vaccinations against these infections or contraindications to vaccinations. The infants were vaccinated with 5 batches of MMV with different portions of the mumps and measles components. The vaccinees and controls (placebo injections) were observed for 30 days postvaccination. The live MMV was shown to be a safe, well tolerated preparation with low reactogenicity and a high antigenic activity.

[Use of DEAE-Sephadex A-50 microcarriers for reproduction of the mumps virus]. / Ispol'zovanie mikronositelee DEAE-Sefadeks A-50 dlia reproduktsii virusa parotita.

Reproduction of the vaccine L-3 strains of mumps virus was studied in cultures of continuous Vero cells and in primary cultures of Japanese quail embryos (JQE) growing on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 microcarriers. The Vero cell culture multiplies actively on the microcarrier surface giving more than a 20-fold increase in 8 days. Mumps virus showed a high reproductive capacity in Vero cell culture and in primary JQE cells. Mumps virus-infected Vero cells produce 5-6 pools of virus-containing material with a mean infectious titre 8.2-8.3 lg HAE50/ml. The primary JQE culture infected with mumps virus can yield 2-3 pools of virus-containing material. The intensity of mumps virus replication in the latter directly depends on the multiplicity of infection. Hemadsorption test could be performed in mumps virus-infected cell cultures on microcarriers.

[Reaction of bone marrow colony-forming cells in irradiated mice to phlogogenic factors]. / Reaktsiia kolonieobrazuiushchikh kletok kostnogo mozga obluchennykh myshei na nekotorye flogogennye faktory.

The experiments on irradiated mice (600 and 800 r) demonstrated that under the influence of flogogenic factors the quantity of colonies in the spleen increases and their morphological structures change. It is suggested that under the action of the damaging agent the "hypothetic factor" which causes the pointed changes, is formed in the skin.

[Protective action of vitamins and amino acids against the cytotoxic effect of phosphamide and Acrex]. / Zashchitnoe deistvie nekotorykh vitaminov i aminokislot ot tsitotoksicheskogo éffekta fosfamida i akreksa.

Tests on a culture of embryonal fibroblast cells furnished preliminary data on a possible use of vitamins C, PP, folic acid and methionine in preventing the toxic effects of phosphamide and acrex. An appreciable lowering of the degeneration factor in cultivated cells produced by the cytotoxic action of phosphamide was noted in the presence of vitamin C, methionine, folic acid, choline hydrochloride and vitamin PP and of that exerted by acrex-by adding into the incubation medium of vitamins B1, B2, C, PP, folic acid or methionine. It is advisable that these substances be subjected to a continued investigation in animals with a view of elaborating practical recommendations for their utilization in preventing toxic effects of pesticides on the human organism.