[Some aspects of improving the medical and social rehabilitation of the elderly who permanently live in general-type boarding schools.]

The article reflects the age and gender structure of the contingent of elderly people living in a General boarding house. The most common diseases in this category of persons, the presence of a disability group and individual programs for rehabilitation (habilitation) of the disabled person were established. The need for medical care, including medicines, was studied. There is a need to improve measures for medical and social rehabilitation, including in improving the employment of this contingent of people and the development of their leisure time. Examples of positive experience in this area among other regions of the Russian Federation are given.

Cytogenetic features of leukaemias diagnosed in residents of areas contaminated after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

A comparison of chromosomal abnormalities in bone marrow leukaemic cells and of stable and unstable aberrations in lymphocytes of patients with hematological malignancies who live in areas with or without contamination by the Chernobyl nuclear accident has been made using FISH and G-banding. Healthy residents of these areas comprised the control group. No systematic cytogenetic differences of leukaemic cells between patients from contaminated and uncontaminated areas were observed. Lymphocyte aberrations, however, were generally higher in all subjects from contaminated areas. Comparison has been made with specific cytogenetic features of leukaemic cells and a high level of stable aberrations in lymphocytes of patients with secondary leukaemias that had developed after chemo- and/or radio-therapy.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization studies of interphase nuclei for assessing response to therapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

We used two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect BCR/ABL fusion in interphase nuclei in bone marrow of 17 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) before and in the course of interferon therapy. The results of FISH were compared with the data of conventional cytogenetic investigation (G- or Q-banding) of the same specimens. Changes in percentage of Ph-positive nuclei correlated with variations in percentage of Ph-positive metaphases. An overall difference in the classification of patients by conventional cytogenetics and FISH based on the percentage of Ph-positive cells was not observed. This FISH method is reproducible, relatively easy to perform, and reliable for monitoring patients with CML.

Body temperature and thermoregulation during submaximal exercise after 115-day spaceflight.

BACKGROUND: Altered thermoregulation has been reported following spaceflight simulations (bed rest and water immersion) but has never been examined after actual spaceflight. HYPOTHESIS: We tested the null hypothesis that body temperatures and heat loss responses during exercise would be similar before and after spaceflight. METHODS: Two male crewmembers of the 115-d Mir 18 mission performed supine submaximal cycle exercise (20 min at 40% and 20 min at 65% of preflight VO2peak) once at 145-146 d preflight and once at 5 d postflight (R + 5). RESULTS: After flight neither crewmember could complete the exercise protocol, stopping after 28-29 min. The core temperature (Tin, ingestible telemetry pill) at test termination was similar (37.8 degrees C for both subjects) pre- and postflight despite shorter postflight test duration. The slopes of the skin blood flow (laser Doppler)/Tin relationship (subject 1: 396 vs. 214; subject 2: 704 vs. 143% change Perfusion Unit/degree C), and the sweating rate (dew point hygrometry)/Tin relationship (subject 1: 6.3 vs. 2.0; subject 2: 4.6 vs. 0.7 mg.min-1.cm-2.degree C-1), were both reduced postflight without appreciable change in the Tin thresholds for sweating or skin blood flow. CONCLUSION: In this preliminary report for two crewmembers, the sensitivity of the heat loss responses were reduced after long-duration spaceflight, resulting in a faster rate of rise in core temperature.