[The specific features of an attitude of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis towards disease].

The attitude of a patient with tuberculosis to his/her disease has not been described in the literature. The purpose of the study was to explore the attitude of a tuberculosis patient towards his/her disease. A hundred Samara dwellers (62 males and 38 females) aged 22 to 56 years who had pulmonary tuberculosis and were receiving a course of inpatient therapy were examined. Of them there were 50 patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis and 50 with fibrocavernous tuberculosis. The duration of the disease was 2 to 5 years. To study the attitude of a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis towards his/her disease, the authors developed a special questionnaire comprising 23 statements, which was based on the respondent's acceptance or denial of certain statements (innovation No. 511 by the Samara Military Medical Institute). Positive and negative replies were statistically processed by the generally recognized procedures. The findings indicated that tuberculosis worsened the relations of a patient with his/her relatives and associates, actually restricted contacts, lowered the social position, living standards, made him/her need for financial support, narrowed the range of interests, and drastically impaired the plans for future life. Patients with tuberculosis commonly develop social phobia. To overcome the latter, it is necessary to make a differential social correction. More than half the patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis and only a third of chronic tuberculosis patients make sure of that they will be able to recover; half the patients want to give up smoking; virtually all patients consider the prescribed treatment to be effective; however, it satisfies just more than the half of them. To improve patient compliance and interaction with medical staff, it is necessary to correct the emotional status and alleviate depressive reactions. The attitude of patients with tuberculosis towards their disease is destructive and it is to be corrected.

[Clinical application of C-reactive protein ("NicoCard"--a new method for traditional test]. / C-reaktivhyi belok v linike ("NikoKard"--novyi metod dlia traditsionnogo tests)

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a unique marker of acute phase response to inflammation. Measurements of CRP in the blood are widely used for diagnosis and monitoring in infections and diseases, for evaluating the activity of inflammation, choice of adequate therapy, control and prediction of disease course. Fulminant course of many diseases dictates the necessity of rapid easily interpreted quantitative non-instrumental test fit for manipulations with whole blood. NicoCard CRP kit manufactured by the Nicomed Firm allows a rapid (2 min) and accurate (quantitative using NicoCard Readers) detection of inflammation and evaluation of its severity, helps differentiate between bacterial and viral infections, choose adequate therapy (antibiotics, steroids, antiinflammatory agents), and monitor the treatment efficacy.

[Nephelometry as optic immunochemical method in the laboratory practice]. / Nefelometriia kak opticheskii immunokhimicheskii metod v laboratornoi praktike.

The authors offer a modification of the nephelometric method for clinical immunology laboratory to be used for measuring proteins (albumin, C3-complement, IgG, IgA, IgM, and alpha 2-macroglobulin) in human biological fluids. The original method making use of only Russian-made reagents and equipment has been used on a full scale for measuring the proteins in the blood serum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and saliva of normal subjects. The sensitivity and specificity of the method depend predominantly on the physicochemical parameters of the study.

[The chronic fatigue syndrome]. / Sindrom khronicheskoi utomliaemosti.

CFIDS (chronic fatigue and immune disfunction syndrome) is also known as CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), CEBV (chronic Epstein-Barr virus), M.E. (myalgic encephalomyelitis), yuppie flu and by other names. It is a complex illness characterized by incapacitating fatigue (experienced as exhaustion and extremely poor stamina), neurological problems and a constellation of symptoms that can resemble many disorders, including; mononucleosis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, AIDS-related complex (ARC) and autoimmune diseases such as lupus. These symptoms tend to wax and wane, but any often severely debilitating and may last for many months or years. All sections of the population (including children) are at risk, but women under 45 seem to be most susceptible. The investigators suggest that CFIDS results from dysfunction of the immune system. The exact nature of this dysfunction is not yet well defined, but it can generally be viewed as an unregulated or overactive state which is responsible for most of the symptoms. There is also evidence of some immune suppression in CFIDS. None of the treatments is consistently satisfactory, but some may be helpful: psychotherapy, physiotherapy, exercise programs, acupunctures, small doses of antidepressants, etc.

[Characteristics of immunologic and neuro-hormonal status in patients with neuroses]. / Osobennosti immunnogo i neirogormonal'nogo statusa bol'nykh nevrozami.

More than 3500 neurotic patients have been examined with emphasis on their immune status and functioning of the sympathoadrenal system (SAS) (determination of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine and L-DOPA excretion in terms of their daily biorhythm). The comparison of the immune and neurohormonal data of neurotic patients indicated an obvious relation between the immune status and the type of SAS functioning. The high-risk group comprises patients with the adrenaline type of SAS functioning and pronounced adrenaline and noradrenaline hypersecretion, SAS hypofunction, and imbalance between the hormone-mediated and immunologic characteristics.

[Effect of sodium selenite on tumor cells in culture]. / Vozdeistvie selenita natriia na opukholevye kletki v kul'ture.

Morphofunctional changes in HeLa cell culture following treatment with various concentrations of selenium ion during 2, 4 and 24 hours are described. Variations in mitotic index, duration of separate mitotic stages and a profile of pathologic mitoses were established. Inhibition of cell entry into the S-phase of mitotic cycle and modifications of RNA and protein synthesis after treatment with 0.1 and 0.25 ppm of the trace element was shown autoradiographically. Increased destruction of cell monolayer following contact with selenium was demonstrated by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It is suggested that selenium exerts a toxic effect on tumor cells although this mechanism is not yet clear.

[Use of a colorimetric method employing rhodamine 6G for determining the free fatty acid content in biological membranes]. / Primenenie kolorimetricheskogo metoda s ispol'zovaniem rodamina 6Zh dlia opredeleniia soderzhaniia svobodnykh zhirnykh kislot v biologicheskikh membranakh.

An improved modification of the Anderson-Chakrabarty method for demonstration of free fatty acids in the membranes of enterocytes, erythrocytes and mitochondrial fractions is described. The method includes the use of rhodamine 6G as a stain.

[Morphologic changes in erythrocytes during exposure of the body to cold]. / Morfologicheskie izmeneniia éritrotsitov pri vozdeistvii kholoda na organizm.

Study of morphology of erythrocytes in residents of the Extreme North of the USSR and in experimental rats after prolonged effect of low temperatures established that the red blood system undergoes considerable rearrangement with the appearance of more marked polymorphism of erythrocytes. Adaptation reactions of the organism are accompanied by juvenation and increased destruction of erythrocytes simultaneously.

[Effect of Vibrio cholerae filtrate on the adenyl cyclase system in vitro]. / Vliianie kholernogo fil'tra na adenilattsiklaznuiu sistemu in vitro.

An in vitro model using homogenates of the rat intestine and liver for studying the V. Cholerae culture filtrate effect on the adenylate cyclase system is proposed. Optimal conditions for the adenylate cyclase functioning have been investigated for this model. It was shown that V. Cholerae filtrate induces a stable activation of adenylate cyclase and does not change the activity of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. It was also established that the activity of phosphodiesterase in the intestinal homogenate is about 2.5 fold higher than that in the liver homogenate. The model may be considered promising for investigation of the mechanism of cholerae toxin action.