[The treatment of pneumonias in influenza using antioxidants]. / O lechenii pnevmonii pri grippe antioksidantami.

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) has been studied in patients with influenza complicated by pneumonia as shown by GPL and MDA serum levels of GPL and MDA. Acute period of the disease was characterized by a sharp rise in LPO products production, especially in seriously ill patients. Administration of alpha-tocopherol promoted a significant decrease of MDA and GPL levels and more apparent clinical response. Dibunol caused minimal changes in the disease clinical pictures and LPO activity.

[Evaluation of 2,5-oligoadenylate synthetase and protein kinase activities in clinical studies of larifan and recombinant interferon alpha in volunteers]. / Otsenka aktivnosti 2,5-oligoadenilatsintetazy i proteinkinazy pri klinicheskikh ispytaniiakh larifana i rekombinantnogo alfa2 - interferona na dobrovol'tsakh.

The activity of the interferon-dependent enzymes: 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and protein kinase was determined in blood specimens of volunteers in the clinical trials on reaferon (recombinant alpha 2-interferon) and larifan (replicate RNA of phage f2). It was shown that the preparations increased the activity of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase in the lymphocytes and protein kinase in the plasma of 60 to 70 per cent of the volunteers. The increase in the 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase activity did not always correlate with the increase in the interferon content in the serum and was sometimes observed in the absence of the interferon. Marked individual variations in the activity of the enzymes were detected in the volunteers before and after administration of the preparations. The plasma kinase activated by reaferon and larifan phosphorylated proteins with molecular weights of 72 and 30 kD and histones. The effect of reaferon and larifan on the lymphocyte protein kinase activity was determined for the first time. There was a decrease in the enzyme activity under the effect of reaferon which increased after its repeated injections. Unlike the effect of larifan, the inhibitory effect of reaferon was transient. Afterwards, it appeared to be accompanied by a significant increase in the activity of protein kinase in 70 per cent of the volunteers. The dynamics of the changes in the activity of the plasma and lymphocyte protein kinases did not coincide.

[Enzyme activity of interferon system in virus diseases]. / Aktivnost' fermentov sistemy interferona pri virusnykh zabolevaniiakh.

The enzymes activities of interferon system at viral infections of different etiology/influenza, parainfluenza, hepatitis B with delta infection and urticaria chronica with respiratory and herpes infection/has been studied and evaluation of the noted changes in the enzymes activity is discussed. It is shown that the same pathological changes in enzymes activities of interferon system were observed at different viral infections.

[Natural killer activity in influenza patients]. / Aktivnost' estestvennykh killerov u bol'nykh grippom.

The activity of natural killers (NK) for K-562 target cells (human myeloleukemia cells) was determined in 20 patients with influenza complicated with pneumonia and in 11 patients with uncomplicated influenza. The influence of the autologous blood serum and recombinant alpha 2-interferon (reaferon) on NK activity was studied in vitro. In uncomplicated influenza, the activity of natural killers in the acute period of the disease was higher, and in patients with influenza complicated by pneumonia lower than in normal subjects. In the convalescent period, the activity of natural killers increased or approached the norm in complicated cases, and the average values showed no significant difference from those in normal subjects. The stimulating effect of the autologous blood serum and reaferon on the activity of natural killers in patients with complicated influenza was demonstrated in vitro.

[Virological studies in fatal outcomes in influenza and its complications in adults during the period of influenza A (H3N2) virus circulation from 1969 to 1983]. / Virusologicheskie issledovaniia pri letal'nykh iskhodakh ot grippa i ego oslozhnenii u vzroslykh v period tsirkuliatsii virusa grippa A (H3N2) s 1969 po 1983 g.

In the period of circulation of influenza A (H3N2) virus, 1969-1983, we examined virologically the autopsy specimens from 69 adults who died of influenza and its complications. Immunofluorescence examinations of organ impressions and infected cultures as well as virus isolations were used for postmortem laboratory diagnosis. Influenza viruses were isolated postmortem in all age groups, predominantly in older subjects (over 60), both in cases of early and late (after 7 days) deaths. The viruses were isolated more frequently from respiratory organs, less so from the blood, parenchymatous organs, cerebral tissue. A decrease in the number of lethal outcomes in adults and in the number of positive virus isolations postmortem was noted with the emergence of an antigenic drift-variant Victoria/75. Simultaneous employment of several laboratory tests verified virologically the diagnosis of influenza in adults postmortem in 85% of the cases.

[Interferon and other immunological indices of influenza patients undergoing different methods of treatment]. / Interferon i drugie immunologicheskie pokazateli u bol'nykh grippom pri raznykh metodakh lecheniia.

The authors review the results of immunological examinations of patients with influenza given adapromine and virazole drugs as well as reflex therapy aimed at increasing general host resistance. Patients with influenza administered reflex therapy among other therapeutic measures developed more intensive increase of serum interferon activity in the acute period of the disease, with its more rapid decline; they had a high level of IgM and more intensive rise of specific antibody (in the HI test) as compared with the control group. In the group of patients treated with adapromine and virazole there was also a more significant increase of IgM level, early and significantly high level of IgG as compared with the patients given symptomatic drugs. No differences in the number of T-lymphocytes were found by the method of spontaneous rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes. Both in treatment with antiviral drugs and using reflex therapy, a more rapid disappearance of influenza antigen from nasal smears was observed than in patients of the control groups.

[Virological and immunological research on patients with influenza and acute respiratory diseases with central nervous system involvement]. / Virusologicheskie i immunologicheskie issledovaniia u bol'nykh grippom i ostrymi respiratornymi zabolevaniiami s porazheniem tsentral'noi nervnoi sistemy.

Virological examinations of the cerebrospinal fluid and nasopharyngeal washings from 96 patients with influenza and other acute respiratory viral diseases and of the autopsy material from 14 patients who had had symptoms of the involvement of the central nervous system permitted isolation of respiratory viruses and detection of viral antigens in the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue. The level of immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal fluid was found to be increased, however, their concentration did not exceed that in the blood serum which only indicates the possibility of their penetration through the hematoencephalic barrier. This factor, as well as the pattern of pathomorphological changes in the brain tissues indicate the toxicoallergic genesis of meningoencephalitis in acute respiratory diseases.

[Comparative evaluation of the therapeutic effectiveness of virazole and remantadine in patients with influenza caused by A(H3N2) and B viruses]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka terapevticheskoi éffektivnosti virazola i remantadina u bol'nykh grippom, vyzvannym virusami A(H3N2) i B.

Therapeutic effectiveness of virazole in treatment of patients with influenza caused by A (H3N2) and B viruses (1980-1984) was demonstrated in 432 patients with the laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of influenza. Provided the treatment started on the 1st day of the disease, the experimental group showed normalization of fever and regression of toxicity symptoms within shorter periods than the controls. However in treatment of patients with influenza caused by A (H3N2) virus virazole showed a less marked therapeutic effect than the Soviet antiinfluenza drug, remantadine.

[Results of combined therapy using levamisole for patients with influenza complicated by pneumonia]. / Rezul'taty kompleksnoi terapii bol'nykh grippom, oslozhennnym pnevmoniei, s ispol'zovaniem levamizola.

The results of combined therapy of patients with influenza complicated with pneumonia using levamisole (decaris) as an interferon inducer are presented. The study group included 39 subjects, the control 35. The group of patients receiving the drug showed in the convalescent period a higher titre of the antiviral activity of serum interferon (1 : 24) than the control group (1 : 17). The antiviral activity of interferon in the blood serum was determined in patients with different degrees of severity of the disease course, and comparative clinical observations in relation to the levels of its antiviral activity and its content in the blood serum were carried out. No rise of interferon content was observed in the protracted course of the disease. In severe forms ending lethally there was a considerable decline of interferon levels (down to 0 units). A rise in its concentration in the blood serum was conducive to a more rapid recovery and favourable outcome of the disease. The drug is recommended for combined therapy of complicated forms of influenza, particularly those with a severe course.

[Trial of polyguacyl safety and tolerance]. / Ispytanie bezvrednosti i perenosimosti poliguatsila.

The results of studies of the antiviral and interferon-inducing activity of the synthetic interferon inducer polyguacyl in white mice as well as the results of the study of safety and tolerance of this drug given to human subjects as aerosol and intranasally are presented. Both modes of administration to mice induced production of endogenous interferon, although after intranasal inoculation high interferon titres in the blood serum of the animals were observed for longer periods of time, whereas after aerosol administration interferon disappeared more rapidly. Significant antiviral protection was achieved only by the intranasal administration of the inducer resulting in 84.0% survival of the animals challenged with the mouse-adapted influenza A/Aichi virus. Clinical trials of polyguacyl in human volunteers demonstrated the safety and good tolerance of this drug given both as aerosol and intranasally.