[Distribution of structural polymorphisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme and serotonin receptor 5-HT2A genes among long-livers of North-Western Russia].

In the group of long-livers of the North-West of Russia, I/D polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and C102T polymorphism of serotonin receptor (5-HT2A) gene were studied. No reliable differences in allele frequency of these genes between long-livers and young people were detected. Nevertheless, highly pronounced difference in the A1/A2 allele frequency of 5-HT2A gene between populations of the North-West of Russia, on the one hand, and of the USA, on the other hand, was discovered (i.e. 0.397(A1), 0.603(A2), and 0.615(A1), 0.385(A2), respectively). Differences of this kind between the two populations deserve special consideration, conditioning the necessity of further detailed analysis of other genes of the serotonin system in the populations of other regions of Russia.

[Interrelation between the glycogen content in hepatocytes and their size in normal and cirrhotic rat liver].

The dependence between the size of hepatocytes and glycogen content in them was investigated in normal and cirrhotic liver from fasting rats as well as from rats in 10 and 60 minutes after per os glucose administration. The cytophotometric method used allows glycogen and DNA contents determining in the same cell and its dry mass as well. It has been shown that the dry mass and the glycogen content in hepatocytes from normal and cirrhotic liver are proportional to genes dose. Normal liver hepatocytes of various ploidy classes show distinct correlation between the cell size and the glycogen content. No similar dependence is observed in hepatocytes population from the cirrhotic liver, apparently, because the liver lobule structure is disturbed, and heterogeneity of the hepatocytes microenvironment condition is increased.