[Clinical trials of the new skin test Diaskintest for the diagnosis of tuberculosis].

A new reagent for a skin test given the name Diaskintest has been designed for the screening diagnosis of tuberculosis and preclinical and clinical trials conducted. Preclinical trials were carried out on 315 laboratory animals (guinea-pigs, albino mice). The reagent Diaskintest was ascertained to be nontoxic, to have no sensitizing properties, to be safe and specific, and to induce no positive reactions in BCG-vaccinated animals and healthy guinea-pigs.

[Pharmacoeconomic model of the use of rifabutin in new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis].

The formalized procedures to commensurate the results and expenditures were used to make a comprehensive evaluation of the clinical efficiency and economical expediency of purposeful application of rifabutin in new cases of disseminated and destructive pulmonary tuberculosis.

[Efficacy of arbidol in prophylaxis and treatment of acute respiratory viral infections in servicemen].

The authors present the results of study of arbidolum therapeutic-and-prophylactic effectiveness in acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) under conditions of military staff with determination of economic expediency. Coefficient of effectiveness of arbidolum prophylactic use was 25% and efficiency index--1.33.

[Pharmacoeconomic aspects of use of structum in osteoarthrosis].

Aim: To study cost-effect efficiency of structum in patients with knee and hip joint osteoarthrosis (OA) in a multicenter trial.

Material And Methods: The trial enrolled 192 patients with OA. 110 patients had knee joint OA and 82 patients hip joint OA.

[Whitefish: a new mechanism of reproductive isolation].

Taxonoprint (a modification of DNA restrictase analysis) allows to distinguish sympatric species, that do not mate or produce hybrid offspring that are sterile or not viable. It is shown that taxonoprints of whitefish are very similar of identical. Sympatric whitefish are continuing to be separate despite they easily mate in experiments and in nature (up to 30% of individuals in nature are hybrids) and hybrids offspring have some features of heterosis.

Restriction endonuclease analysis of highly repetitive DNA as a phylogenetic tool.

Multiple band patterns of DNA repeats in the 20-500-nucleotide range can be detected by digesting genomic DNA with short-cutting restriction endonucleases, followed by end labeling of the restriction fragments and fractionation in nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. We call such band patterns obtained from genomic DNA "taxonprints" (Fedorov et al. 1992).

[The estimation of the degree of genetic divergence in Bovidae by DNA restrictase analysis].

Restrictase DNA analysis was performed in seven species of Bovidae family--European (Belovezh) bison, Belovezh-Caucasian bison, European-American bison, mountain Caucasian bison, American bison, domestic bull, and domestic sheep. DNA was digested with MspI and TaqI restriction endonucleases. The products obtained were end-labeled and electrophoretically separated in poliacrilamid gel.

[The economic expenses related to bronchial asthma morbidity].

Estimations of the cost of bronchial asthma treatment per 1 patient in Samara Province made up an annual average of 520 dollars and 531 dollars in 1993 and 1994, respectively. 70% of the expenditures were medical, 30% social. It is demonstrated that updated approaches to diagnosis and treatment of asthma unless the patients are noncompliant provided good results at reduced expenses.

[Comparison of repeat DNA sequences in the Erinaceidae mammal family by restriction analysis].

Hedgehog (Erinaceidae) DNA was digested with teh Sau 96 I, Bsp 143 I, Csp 6 I, Taq I, Hinf I, Msp I, Eco 130I, Bcn I, BsuR I restriction endonucleases. The obtained products were end-labeled and electrophoretically separated in polyacrylamide gel. DNA fragments consisting of highly repetitive genomic sequences were detected as a set of bands corresponding to fragments between 30 and 500 bp in length.

[Study of polymorphism and divergence of genomic DNA at the species and population levels (using DNA of domestic sheep and wild rams as an example)].

Genetic divergence in repetitive sequences of nuclear DNA of wild and domestic sheep was studied by general restriction endonuclease mapping (i.e., the taxonoprint method).

Quantitative PCR as a method for monitoring retroviral infection on the gene level.

For monitoring retroviral infection on the gene level, we propose the use of quantitative PCR with two internal standards: one for a fragment of the viral genome and the other for the host cell marker gene. The standards (one for HIV and the other for a human DNA marker gene HLA-DQ alpha) were constructed by PCR-mediated joining of DNA fragments and were found to be effective in quantitative PCR despite rather different structures of amplified fragments in target and standard DNAs. The number of HIV DNA copies was found to be 2-500 per 1000 lymphocytes in blood from HIV-infected patients and up to 5000+ per 1000 cells in chronically infected cell lines.

[Kinetic analysis of interaction of human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase with alkaloids].

The interactions of HIV-I reverse transcriptase with some alkaloids were studied. Among nine compounds tested three--berberine, palmatine and sanguiritrine--inhibited RT. The dependence of the inhibition on the type of template-primer was also demonstrated.

[The detection of provirus in lymphocyte DNA. The monitoring of HIV infection at the genetic level].

The presence of HIV provirus in the cell culture and in the patients' blood was studied by polymerase chain reaction followed by hybridization in solution. It was shown that: (i) the hybridized product could be detected both by gel electrophoresis and by binding on hydroxyapatite; (ii) the detection level achieved was no more than 10 infected lymphocytes per million; (iii) the hybridization signal and sensitivity of detection could be enhanced by the transcription of PCR product by the phage T7 RNA polymerase. The observed lack of complete correlation between the amount of provirus and of the p24 antigen in the patients' blood possibly reflects the peculiarities of HIV infection.