[The role of expired air moisture condensate in assessment of pulmonary inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

AIM: To study biochemical composition of expired air condensate (EAC) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in relation to a phase and severity of the disease and its treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: EAC was investigated in 18 COPD patients and 9 healthy subjects. Basic broncholytic therapy with ipratropium bromide was combined with beclomethasone and fenspiride in 11 and 7 patients, respectively. The condensate was lyophilised, the residue was solved and analysed on the biochemical analyzer Casis (Beringer Manheim, Rosch). EAC was examined for albumin, C-reactive protein, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase (AP), lactate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total calcium, magnesium. RESULTS: Compared to healthy subjects, COPD patients' EAC contains significantly higher levels of albumin, C-reactive protein, calcium, bilirubin and more active AP. Quantitative composition of EAC depends on COPD phase and severity. A negative correlation exists between FEV+AEA-1 and albumin concentration, FEV+AEA-1 and CRP concentration. The anti-inflammatory therapy decreases EAC content of both protein and lipid metabolism products, enzyme activity reflecting attenuation of oxidant and inflammatory processes, stabilization of cell membranes in the respiratory zone. CONCLUSION: EAC composition reflects metabolic processes in the lungs and can be used for assessment of airway affection, activity of the inflammatory process and COPD treatment efficacy.

Effect of hyperlipoproteinemia on functional activity of peritoneal macrophages during tumor growth.

The role of hypercholesterolemia as a factor modulating functional activity of macrophages during the growth of syngeneic transplanted 22a hepatoma in mice was studied. Starting from day 21 after inoculation of tumor cells we observed the development of hyperlipoproteinemia paralleled by an increase in macrophage activity parameters. The total serum cholesterol content and production of nitroxide anions by macrophages were in positive correlation on days 14-35 of tumor growth. We hypothesized that the development of hypercholesterolemia at the late stages of some tumor growth is a factor stimulating production of nitrites and 5'-nucleotidase activity.

Effect of metabolic factors on apoptosis in thymocytes during tumor growth.

Intensive apoptotic death of thymocytes is a possible mechanism of thymus involution during tumor growth. We studied the role of hypercholesterolemia and lactate acidosis in the induction of increased sensitivity of thymocytes to apoptosis during growth of transplanted hepatoma 22a in mice. Spontaneous apoptosis in thymocytes during tumor growth in mice was studied in vitro by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining and diphenylamine test. Plasma levels of lactate, total cholesterol, alpha-cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. A positive correlation was found between intensification of apoptosis (diphenylamine test) and increased concentration of total plasma cholesterol on days 21 and 28 after inoculation of tumor cells. Plasma lactate content did not increase at this term. We hypothesize that hypercholesterolemia accompanying tumor growth acts as a factor increasing thymocyte sensitivity to apoptosis.

[Kallikrein-kinin indices and biological composition of exhaled condensate in acute bronchitis patients with varying disease course]. / Pokazateli kallikrein-kininovoi sistemy krovi i biokhimicheskii sostav kondensata vlagi vydykhaemogo vozdukha u bol'nykh ostrym bronkhitom s razlichnymi variantami techeniia.

Parameters of blood kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) and biochemical composition of humor condensated from the exhaled air have been evaluated in 87 patients with acute bronchitis (36 cases with lingering course and 31 with recurrent). The progression of acute bronchitis is associated with elevated blood concentrations of acute-phase proteins, KKS activation in the blood and high serotonin and lactic acid content in the humor condensated from the exhaled air. Lingering and recurrent course of the disease are characterized by more pronounced reduction in inhibitory activity of kallikrein, in activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme and emergence of noradrenalin in high concentration.

[Bronchial nonspecific reactivity in patients with bronchial asthma and in the preasthmatic state and its alteration under the influence of acupuncture]. / Nespetsificheskaia reaktivnost' bronkhov u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi i v sostoianii predastmy i ee izmenenie pod vliianiem akupunktury.

The development of nonspecific bronchial hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity in bronchial asthma and effectiveness of its correction with acupuncture were investigated in 152 patients with asthma and preasthma. 94 of them were subjected to acupuncture. The authors employed a complex of diagnostic methods with determination of 241 parameters processed later with the use of systemic modelling. Bronchial hypersensitivity as indicated by the response to acetylcholine was related to impaired coordination of bronchomotor tone regulating systems: parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, eosinophilic and monocytic bronchial inflammation, glucocorticoid homeostatic alterations. The corrective role of acupuncture consists in reduction of nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity, normalization of blood acetylcholine, resensitization of cell beta-adrenergic receptors, elevation of mean concentrations of 11-OCS and T-lymphocytes.

[Hospital respiratory infections in children]. / Gospitalnye respiratornye infektsii u detei.

Acute respiratory superinfections (ARS) induced by secondary nosocomial respiratory pathogens and characterized by the subsequent generalization of the process have been reported as one of the main contributions to pediatric inpatient mortality. The recurrent infections were observed in all types of hospitals; they might be induced by the whole group of respiratory pathogens, but adeno-, coronaviral and pneumococcal ones are predominating. The ARS clinical picture showed various patterns determined both by the etiology of basic and recurrent infection and by a child's immunity. There was a correlation between the severity of ARS and the level of specific immunoglobulins, especially of secretory origin.

[The effect of exercise on the content of biogenic amines and acetylcholine of the blood in bronchial asthma patients]. / Vliianie fizicheskoi nagruzki na soderzhanie biogennykh aminov i atsetilkholina v krovi u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

The content of acetylcholine, histamine and the total amount of catecholamines were measured in blood of 33 patients with bronchial asthma, in 6 patients with preasthma and in 10 practically normal subjects before and after the use of graded exercise (bicycle ergometry). Subgroups of the patients with asthma of effort were singled out. In such patients, exercises resulted in a significant rise of histamine (p less than 0.05) or acetylcholine level (p less than 0.05). Histaminemia was mostly accompanied by an immediate obstructive response of the bronchi to exercise in the distal parts. In patients with a high acetylcholine content, obstruction of the large bronchi was mainly observed, with a slightly delayed response to exercise.

[Biologically active substance levels in exhaled air from patients with pre-asthma and bronchial asthma]. / Soderzhanie biologicheski aktivnykh veshchestv v kondensate vydykhaemogovozdukha u bo'lnykh predastmoi bronkhia'lnoi.

Acetylcholine, serotonin, and histamine levels have been measured in exhaled air humor condensate in 65 patients aged 18 to 60, 44 ones with bronchial asthma and 21 with preasthma. Nonuniform release of biogenic amines and acetylcholine in pulmonologic patients depended on the severity of the inflammatory process in the bronchi, hypoxemia, bronchial obstruction, and reactivity of the bronchi examined during cold air breathing.

[Blood acetylcholine level in patients with nonspecific lung diseases]. / Soderzhanie atsetilkholina v krovi u Bol'nykh nespetsificheskimi zabolevaniiami legkikh.

Using different methodological approaches to acetylcholine studies the authors could obtain information about the content of the neurotransmitter in the blood of 150 patients and in the pulmonary tissue of 32 experimental animals with acute and chronic bronchopulmonary diseases.

[Biologically active substances of lung tissue in rabbits in an inflammatory bronchopulmonary process]. / Biologicheski aktivnye veshchestva legochnoi tkani pri vospalitel'nom bronkholegochnom protsesse u krolikov.

The paper is concerned with metabolic reconstitution in a pathologically changed lung tissue in rabbits with acute and chronic bronchopulmonary inflammation. Acute bronchopulmonary inflammation is associated with a drastic increase of the adrenaline, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, histamine and serotonin content in the abnormal lung tissue. The concentration of these substances in the blood outflowing from the lungs is also increased. The intensity of changes in the content of the biologically active substances correlated with the pattern of the developing pathological process. In lingering and chronic bronchopulmonary inflammation, the changes in the content of the biologically active substances were of undulatory character which was consequent on repeated exacerbations.