[The role of ultrasonography in diagnosis of cryptorchidism in children].

Complex preoperative ultrasonic investigation of the inguinoscrotal area and abdominal cavity was made in 265 patients with cryptorchidism aged 1 to 14 years. The data of this investigation allowed development of an original technique of differential diagnosis of testicular retention and ectopy. Informative value of ultrasonic investigation in diagnosis of testicular ectopy and retention reached 100%. Examination of 44 children with unpalpable testes diagnosed abdominal cryptorchidism in 42 (65.6%) patients. In 10 (15.6%) patients testicular visualization failed. Testicular aplasia was diagnosed in 12 (18.8%) patients. Assessment of morphofunctional condition of the retained gonade showed that all the children had deficiency of testicular volume and abnormal intratesticular blood circulation.

[Treatment of thermal burns in children]. / Lechenie termicheskikh ochagov u detei.

Observations over 1,386 children aged from 2 days to 14 years who were treated for fresh burns at the department for purulent surgery at the Tver Regional Hospital are analysed. Patients of the younger (up to 3 years) age group prevailed (68%). The burns were superficial in 960 (69.3%) and deep in 426 (30.7%) children. In 175 (12.6%) children more than 10% of the body surface were involved in a deep burn. The authors suggest a complex of therapeutic and tactic measures which made it possible to reduce the total mortality from 7.2 to 0.9% and mortality due to deep burns from 14.5 to 3%.

[The surgical treatment of hypospadias using the CO2 laser]. / Operativnoe lechenie gipospadii s primeneniem uglekislotnogo CO2-lazera.

The paper presents the results of plastic reconstruction of the urethra using local tissues according to Browne, Duplay, Cecil as well as CO2-laser scalpel technique. Altogether 140 patients underwent operations, the majority of whom were boys aged 1.5-13 years (87.1%). The authors employed preoperative correction of reactivity disorders found in the above patients which included stimulation of leukopoiesis, activation of phagocytosis. Good immediate results of CO2-laser procedures are attributed to complete hemostasis achieved at dissection of the flap, sterility of the operative area and thermal factor able to reduce the duration and traumatic damage of the interventions. The authors support two-stage approach to correction of the urethral defect. Uneventful developments after operative establishment of the urethra depend on creation of urine bypass by means of epicystostomy. Longterm results were followed up in 70 patients, of whom 55 had good outcomes and 15 satisfactory. No failures occurred.

[Properties of beta-glucosidase from the cellulolytic fungus Geotrichum candidum 3c]. / Svoistva beta-gliukozidazy iz tselliuloliticheskogo griba Geotrichum candidum 3c.

beta-Glucosidase (beta-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21) splitting p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucosidase was isolated from cellular preparation of the fungus Geotrichum candidum 3c "cellocandine G10x" and purified 38-fold. The enzyme was homogeneous during ultracentrifugation, gel-filtration, isoelectrofocusing and disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel and had a pI of 4.2, sedimentation coefficient of 2.6S and molecular weight of 120 000. The enzyme had maximal activity at pH 5.6, 45 degrees and retained up to 45% of its activity under optimal conditions (pH, t degrees) after 48 hr incubation. beta-Glucosidase did not split disaccharides, e. g. lactose cellobiose, laminaribiose, gentibiose as well as o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactoside, methyl-beta-D-xyloside. The enzyme hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (Km = 0.18 mM) and some plant beta-glucosides, such as phenylethyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside from rose petals and diosgenine tetrasaccharide from deltoid dioscorea (Km = 0.26 mM).

[beta-Glucosidases from fungus Geotrichum candidum]. / beta-Gliukozidazy iz griba Geotrichum candidum

beta-Glucosidases from Geotrichum candidum 3C cellulase preparation were separated from C1 enzymes and beta-1,4-glucanases by means of DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography, gel filtration through P-150 Biogel and chromatography on CM-cellulose, and then were fractionated by isoelectric focusing using carrier ampholites with pH ranges 3-6 and 4-6. beta-Glucosidases with pI 3.8, 4.2, 4.6, 5.1, 5.6 and 6.2 were found in cellulase preparation from G. candidum 3C. Molecular weight of beta-glucosidases with pI 3.8, 4.2, 4.6 and 6.2, isolated under isoelectric focusing, were estimated by means of gel filtration through Sephadex G-200 to be 35000, 123000, 188000 and 223000 respectively. beta-Glucosidases with pI 3.8, 4.6, 5.6 and 6.2 hydrolyzed cellobiose and did not attack p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside; those with pI 4.2 and 5.6 hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and plant glucoside, protodioscin, and did not split cellobiose. All the beta-glucosidases studied did not hydrolyze laminaribose, beta-D-methylsylopyranoside, alder O-methylglucuronoxylane, o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside and p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside. beta-Cellobiase with pI 6.2 hydrolzed lactoses, cellobioses with pI 3.8 and pI 5.6 splited gentiobiose. beta-Glucosidase with pI 4.6 did not attack any substrate studied, except cellobiose.