THE ROLE OF ZONULIN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIVER FIBROSIS IN OBESE ADOLESCENTS.

Objective: The aim: To study the relationship between zonulin level and PNFI (pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis index) in obese adolescents.

Patients And Methods: Material and methods: A total of fifty-nine obese subjects aged 12-17 years and thirteen healthy subjects were included in the study. Clinical, biochemical parameters, including serum zonulin, were examined and abdominal ultrasound examination was performed.

[The pathogenetic aspects of the hyaluronidase activity of Proteus mirabilis].

The hyaluronidase activity of 83 P. mirabilis strains has been studied. The strains isolated from patients with chronic urologic infection possess the highest hyaluronidase activity, while the activity of strains isolated in cases of enteric disturbances and from purulent wound exudate has proved to be considerably lower, the difference between the latter being statistically insignificant.

[The secreted proteolytic enzymes of Proteus mirabilis].

Experiments on white mice, made with the use of genetically linked pair of P. mirabilis differing in the presence of protease activity, have demonstrated the role of this activity in the aggravation of the infectious process, observed only in cases of the parenteral introduction of microorganisms. The damaging action of proteases manifests by decreased antiprotease capacity of the blood and the dissemination of bacteria into organs and tissues with the predominant colonization of the urinary tract.

[The mechanisms of Proteus mirabilis resistance to the bactericidal action of blood serum].

When studying sensitivity of Proteus mirabilis to bactericide effect of blood serum the resistance to alternative way of the complement activation was found in a number of strains. The population of cells with morphologically determinable changes of the surface structures resistant to bactericide effect of the serum is formed as affected by the blood serum of the culture P. mirabilis.

[The characteristics of the initial link in the intestinal lesion by opportunistic Proteus mirabilis bacteria].

Interaction of Proteus mirabilis with the intestine epithelium in white mongrel mice has been studied by means of bacteriological, toxicological and electron microscopic methods. Introduction of the agar culture of bacteria to the intestine lumen has permitted finding its general toxic action on enterocytes and other cell elements of epithelium which was accompanied by a potentiation of the striated margin membrane degradation but caused no destruction of cells. A damaging factor of protei was connected with the thermostable large-molecular fraction of cultural fluid of bacteria and its action was traced at the first hours of the bacterial contact with the mucous surface of thin intestine.

[The characteristics of the contact of proteolytic strains of Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae with enterocytes in vivo].

The relationships of opportunistic P. mirabilis and K. pneumoniae, both having proteolytic properties, with enteric cells in white mice have been studied on a ligated intestinal loop, used as an experimental model, by electron microscopy.

[Psychotherapy in the combined treatment of hypertension patients].

Treatment of two groups of patients with hypertensive disease are analyzed. Patients of group I received routine hypotensive treatment in combination with psychotherapy while patients of group II received only drug treatment. Evaluation of the central and cerebral hemodynamics indicates that rational use of psychotherapy is rather effective in patients with the hypo- and eukinetic types of circulation.

[Serotyping of Proteus using a rapid system].

A rapid method for Proteus serologic typing is suggested, based on Soviet commercial diagnostic adsorbed type sera. The rapid system involves replacing two-staged typing with one-staged, making use of polyvalent sera constructed by uniting 8-9 type sera according to the suggested schemes. O- and H-antigens are types in accordance with special tables.

[The phospholipases of Proteus mirabilis].

The method of screening Proteus for phospholipase activity has been worked out. The study of isolated clones of the same strain, used as an example, has revealed that clones differing in their phospholipase activity also differ in virulence and in some parameters of interaction in the host-parasite system. P.

[A method for determining phospholipases in microorganisms].

A method is suggested for the determination of bacteria phospholipases in dense nutrient medium. The medium contains the egg-yolk solution, buffer pH 9.2, meat extract, calcium chloride and toluidine blue.

[Proteus adhesion to intestinal epithelium].

The adhesive properties of Proteus strains isolated from different sources have been studied under conditions similar to the real interaction of microorganisms with the epithelial cells of intestine. A comparison of the adhesive properties of Proteus and of colon Bacillus has shown that the value of the strong adhesion to the mucosa of Proteus isolated under enterocolitis at the same bulk concentrations of the infectious suspension is 2-3 order less than that of E. coli.

[The effect of subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on the adhesion of enterobacteria].

It is impossible to determine rigidly a net result of the influence of antibiotics on the interaction between parasite and host cells, as many factors participating in this process are not studied. Adhesion of microorganisms is one of the essential mechanisms of the above interaction. Antibiotics with a different mechanism of action in the subinhibitory concentrations affecting viability of microbes either slightly or nowise have been studied for their effect on adhesion on a model of the intestine section of human embryos and experimental animals.

[The isolation of a pure culture of Proteus hauseri from associated bacteria].

A simple method for isolation of P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis pure culture from associations with other microorganisms has been developed.

[Sensitivity of Proteus mirabilis to drugs in the presence of human blood serum].

For rational antibiotic therapy of patients with persisting bacterial infections, the routine determination of antibiotic resistance in the microorganisms may be insufficient. In this case estimation of the total bactericidal activity of the antibacterial drugs and sera against the causative agents is required. It was shown experimentally that in the presence of human blood sera sensitivity of the P.