[Humoral immune response to the retinal S-antigen in premature infants and its role in the development and course of retinopathy of prematurity].

The humoral immune response to the retinal S-antigen was studied in premature babies with active and cicatricle stages of retinopathy of the premature (RP) and in the controls (102 serum test). The presence of antibodies to the S-antigen of classes IgG and IgM was established by the enzyme multiplied analysis and by an authors' developed test-system. A definite specific humoral response to the S-antigen correlated with the nature of the course and prognosis of the disease was found in 71% of cases.

[Features of retinopathy of prematurity, progressing as "plus-disease"].

"Plus-disease" is a particular grave form of retinopathy of premature babies found in 7% of extremely premature and somatically loaded children. The following criteria are indicative of "plus-disease": location of pathological changes in the central zone of eye fundus (zone 1-2), marked vascular activity and hemorrhages in the center and on the periphery of the retina, pupil regidity, iris vasodilatation and fulminant (3 days-3 weeks) progression of the process from initial signs up to signs of extraretinal growth or exudative amotio retinae without forming premature stages typical for retinopathy (torus lines). Upon revealing the first signs of "plus-disease" ophthalmological examinations should be carried out with the interval of 2-3 days.

[Netilmicin in the complex therapy of pneumonia in newborns].

Clinical efficacy of netilmicin was evaluated at 22 newborns (body weight from 1000 to 3600 g, delivery on pregnancy period from 28 to 41 weeks) with pneumonia caused by artificial pulmonary ventilation. Pneumonia was moderate at 13 patients and severe at 9 patients. Microorganisms isolated from tracheobronchial aspirates were mainly (in 19 cases of 22) susceptible to netilmicin.

[Efficiency of detection and preventive treatment of retinopathy in premature neonates].

A total of 580 preterm babies born weighing 540-2500 g at terms less than 35 weeks were examined. The mean incidence of neonatal retinopathy under standard conditions of care in Moscow is 26%. The incidence of disease depends on body weight at birth and term of gestation.

[The efficacy of the eubiotic bifacide when used in the combined antibacterial therapy of newborn infants with infectious-inflammatory diseases].

The efficacies of bifacid and bifidumbacterin were studied comparatively in the correction of intestinal biocenosis in 60 newborns with infectious inflammatory diseases and intestine disfunction treated with massive doses of antibacterial drugs. The study showed that the use of bifidumbacterin was accompanied by significant disturbances in the biocenosis and by development of the intestinal syndrome. The protective action of the drug was observed after a short-term use only of one antibiotic and when the course of the bifidum therapy was continued after discontinuation of the treatment with antibacterial drugs.

[The role of Chlamydia infection in the development of infectious inflammatory diseases in premature newborn infants].

It is highly probable that neonates may be infected with chlamydiae provided their mothers are chlamydia carriers, especially in disease exacerbation before delivery. Parallelism was noted between the intensity of antigen demonstration in the mother and the child. Infection with chlamydiae potentiates secondary infectious inflammatory diseases in premature neonates.

[Rare variants of alpha 1-antitrypsin in families having neonates with deformities].

Alpha 1-antitrypsin rare variants' distribution in a group of 196 families with developmental malformations of newborns was investigated. Significantly increased frequencies of rare variants were noted in groups of probands and their mothers, as compared to the control groups. Preferential transmission of rare alleles from mothers to probands is demonstrated.

[Tetrasomy of the short arm of human chromosome 18: cytogenetics and phenotypic disorders].

Two mentally retarded girls with a small metacentric nonsatellite extrachromosome were examined. Probands were found to share many clinical features: asthenic constitution, microcephalia, low-set malformed ears, high arched palate, long fingers and toes, a wide gap between first and second toes, clinodactyly of the 1st and 5th fingers, scoliosis. The extrachromosome was unequivocally interpreted as an isochromosome for the short arm of chromosome 18.

[Mosaic variant of the translocation form of syndrome 18q-].

A mosaic form of 18q-syndrome is found, apparently due to de novo translocation at the early stages of embryogenesis. About 60 per cent of cells have disbalanced chromosome set as a result of translocation between chromosomes 13 and 18 and the loss of chromosome regions 13q11 and 18q23, the rest 40 per cent of cells being normal. Clinical features of the proposita are supposed to be conditioned mainly by the loss of the chromosome protein 18q23.