[Evaluation of pulmonary hypertension by dopplerography in patients with nonspecific pulmonary diseases].

Doppler echocardiography was used to quantify pulmonary hypertension and phase pattern of right heart systole in 140 patients with nonspecific pulmonary diseases to study hemodynamic characteristics of pulmonary circulation and right heart as well as external respiration. There appeared a relationship between the severity of pulmonary hypertension, bronchial obstruction and arterial hypoxemia. It seems that in nonspecific pulmonary diseases hemodynamic changes arise prior to functional disorders of external respiration.

[A comparative study of carboxylesterase in the white mouse and in the caterpillar of the cotton bollworm Heliothes armigera].

Studies have been made on enzymic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylacetate (p-NPhAc), n-nitrophenylbutyrate (p-NPhBu) and indophenylacetate (IPhAc) by carboxylesterase (CE) from mouse blood plasma and liver as well as from caterpillar of the cotton worm haemolymph, intestine and fat body. Different KM and V max values were obtained for CE from these sources. The highest specific activity of CE from mouse liver and caterpillar intestine and fat body was observed with p-NPhBu.

Interferon system in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and sclerodermia systematica.

In the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and/or sclerodermia systematica usually acid-labile interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was found. Blood leukocytes cannot be considered the source of its production as they spontaneously produce IFN-gamma identified with specific antiserum. Blood leukocytes of tested patients generated in vitro a reduced amount of staphylococcus enterotoxin A-induced IFN-gamma and virus-induced acid-labile IFN-alpha.

[Low-intensity laser treatment of patients with duodenal ulcer and erosive lesions of gastric and duodenal mucosa].

Ninety-eight patients were exposed to low-energy laser irradiation. Of these 52 and 31 had duodenal ulcer in aggravation phase with mucosal erosion and without it, respectively, 15 patients developed isolated erosive lesions of gastroduodenal mucosa. The energy was delivered to the target cites optically using fiber optics endoscope.

Production of alpha-interferon by human leukocytes.

We examined the capacity of human leukocytes to produce alpha-interferon subtypes following viral induction. It was shown that the beta-propiolactone inactivated viral inductor stimulated the production of a complete set of native alpha-interferon subtypes. Acid treatment of native interferon at pH 2.