Occupational exposure and sarcoidosis: a case-control study in three countries.

Background: Preceding studies of environmental and occupational risk factors of sarcoidosis yielded inconsistent findings.

Aims: We aimed to ascertain the occupational risk factors for sarcoidosis in a case-control study.

Methods: A total of 237 sarcoidosis patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis were matched with 474 controls for sex and age (median 49, interquartile range 37; 60 years) recruited from the university hospitals and outpatient centres in Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

[Inflammatory markers in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia].

The following markers of inflammation: enzymatic activity of leukocyte elastase (LE), functional activity of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI), levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in the blood plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). The results confirm the presence of an inflammatory component in the pathogenesis of AD and VD. The high level of CRP may be considered as a marker of VD in the early stages of disease.

[Analysis of ocular prosthetic care on the territory of Russia].

The results of ocular prosthetic help analysis in different regions of the country is presented based on estimation of number of patients who need ocular prostheses; analysis of quality and quantity of produced prostheses in the country; evaluation of demand for glass and plastic prostheses and price determination; study of regulations.

[Effect of complex vaccination against pneumococcal, Haemophilus type b infections and influenza in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Aim: Determination of the effect of complex vaccination with Pneumo-23, Hiberix, Grippol plus on sputum bacterial content 6 months after the vaccination of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with unvaccinated patients.

Materials And Methods: Bacteriological analysis of sputum obtained for 6 months from 80 patients with COPD was carried out. The first group of 31 patients with COPD was immunized simultaneously with Pneumo-23, Hiberix, Grippol plus (mean age--59.

[Levetiracetam (keppra) in the treatment of different epileptic syndromes in adults].

One hundred and thirty-eight patients (76 women and 62 men, aged from 16 to 65 years) with symptomatic partial epilepsy (n=128) and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (n=10) have been studied. All patients received keppra on regiments of monotherapy (n=30) and polytherapy (n=108). The study included evaluation of anamnesis, clinical and neurophysiological examination, routine EEG and/or video-EEG-monitoring, MRI of the brain, assessment of effectiveness, tolerability and quality of life (QUALIE-31, version 1).

[Cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes on autologous blood monocytes in the presence of streptococcal group A antigens in patients with primary erysipelas].

The present work deals with a modification of the cytotoxic test for the determination of the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes in infectious diseases. This modification is based on the use of the suspension of mononuclear blood cells, simultaneously containing effector cells (sensitized lymphocytes) and target cells (autologous monocytes). The cytotoxic effect on monocytes is observed after the preliminary incubation of nonadhering cells (lymphocytes) with the antigen of microorganisms causing the infectious process.

[Biorhythm bases for structuring the human nutritional regimen].

Individual rhythm of physiological function and nutritional regimen were investigated in 194 persons and in 112 of them concordance between the time-periods of emerging requirement for ingestion of food and its actual satisfaction was studied additionally. The rhythm of nutritional requirement is significantly different in representatives of the "morning" and "evening" groups, whereas the satisfaction of this requirement is conditioned by microsocial factors. This implies the need for framing nutritional patterns on the biorhythmological basis.