[Cytokine gene polymorphisms in patients with age-related macular degeneration].

Aim: To establish possible association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cytokine genotype polymorphisms; for that promoter regions of a number of cytokine genes were studied, namely, TNF-A863C, TNF-A308G, TNF-A238G, IL1β-C-31T, IL4-C590T, IL6-C174G, and IL10A-1082G.

Material And Methods: A total of 102 AMD and 100 non-AMD participants in the same age range were examined at the Novosibirsk branch of the Academician S.N.

[Manifestations of immunopathology and validation of immunotherapy of diabetic retinopathy].

Three-year clinical and immunological studies of 378 patients with diabetic retinopathy revealed involvement of the T- and B-immunity systems and the specific features of the local autoimmune response to the retinal S-antigen, which manifest during the early preclinical stage of diabetic retinopathy. The progress of retinopathy is associated with augmenting insufficiency of T-suppressors, inhibition of lymphocyte blastogenesis with phytohemagglutinin, and an increase in the levels of B-lymphocytes, IgM, and circulating immune complexes in the blood. Two abnormalities of autoimmune response of the eye to S-antigen were observed in patients with the proliferative forms: hypersensitivity and insufficiency of the immune response.

[Hormonal-metabolic disorders in children with diabetes mellitus in the preclinical stage of diabetic retinopathy].

A relationship was established between alterations in vessels of the fundus of the eye and diabetes mellitus standing, the character of metabolic disorders, hereditary load with regard to cardiovascular diseases. The risk factors of the development of the preclinical stage of diabetic retinopathy are as follows: hereditary load with regard to cardiovascular diseases, parship, an increase of the content of lactate, a reduction of the content of 2,3-diphosphoglycerophosphate, a rise of the content of glycosylated hemoglobin, high content of cholesterol esters in red blood cell membranes, of free cholesterol and malonic dialdehyde in blood serum, a decline of the level of phospholipids and a rise of cardiolipin content in red blood cell membranes, and increase of blood serum cortisol.

[The immunodiagnosis of diabetic retinopathy].

Detection of antibody to S antigen in the lacrimal fluid is one of the earliest preclinical signs of retinal involvement in diabetes mellitus. The prognostic levels of S antigen in the passive hemagglutination test have been determined: protective levels, 1:16-1:64, promoting a prolonged intactness of the retina; autoallergic (1:128 and higher) and immunodeficient ones (1:16), characteristic of various pathogenetic groups of diabetic retinopathy.