[Specific immunologic diagnosis of alcoholic myocardial dystrophy]. / Spetsificheskaia immunologicheskaia diagnostika alkogol'noi miokardiodistrofii.

The paper deals with the results of specific anticardiac antibody determination in 124 patients with alcoholic damage to the myocardium (Stages I-III chronic alcoholism), 36 healthy subjects, and 33 patients with various cardiovascular diseases. It was established that specific antibodies were present in the sera from patients with alcoholic myocardial dystrophy, but absent in healthy subjects and almost completely absent in patients with cardiac diseases of other etiology. This enables the authors to recommend that specific anticardiac antibodies be identified to detect alcoholic myocardial damage. The procedure proposed provides a high diagnostic accuracy (89.2%), has no contraindications, requires no special preparation of the patient for the examination, therefore may be used both in the in- and outpatient settings.

[Ways of improving the anti-alcoholism education at schools]. / Puti sovershenstvovaniia protivoalkogol'nogo prosveshcheniia v shkole.

Antialcoholic propaganda can greatly promote prevention and eradication of alcoholism which are of primary importance for the young generation. The study describes the 3-year experience of an antialcoholic education carried out at school, the forms of this experience being analyzed. The latter involves lectures, talks, organization of parties of questions and answers, etc. It is pointed out that antialcoholic work should be carried out at school with the account of age-specific characteristics of schoolchildren, their inclinations and interests in sports, music, technical subjects.

[Clinical importance of determining DNA antibodies in myocardial infarct and stenocardia]. / Klinicheskoe znachenie opredeleniia antitel k DNK pri infarkte miokarda i stenokardii.

Blood antibodies to DNA were investigated in 65 patients with myocardial infarction, 54 patients with angina pectoris and 19 clinically normal subjects. Antibodies to formalinized DNA could be detected with similar frequencies in both myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, although their titres were different in terms of value and pattern. Antibodies to denatured and especially native DNA were a less common finding, mostly associated with a more aggravated course of the disease. No blood antibodies could be detected in fatal cases of myocardial infarction, and in cardiogenic shock, their titres were small. The measurement of antibodies to DNA can be used for clinical assessment of the disease's course and prognosis.