[Genetically Determined and Functional Human Sperm Motility Decrease].

Motility is the most important property of mammalian sperm required for fertilization. Axoneme and axoneme surrounding tail components are the morphological substrate of sperm motility. Quantitative research methods of human spermatozoa motility allowed the definition of the normative parameters for fertile men.

Platelets, acting in part via P-selectin, mediate cytomegalovirus-induced microvascular dysfunction.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects a majority of the population worldwide. It has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, induces microvascular dysfunction, and synergizes with hypercholesterolemia to promote leukocyte and platelet recruitment in venules. Although platelets and platelet-associated P-selectin contribute to cardiovascular disease inflammation, their role in CMV-induced vascular responses is unknown.

P-selectin mediates the microvascular dysfunction associated with persistent cytomegalovirus infection in normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic mice.

Objective:   Cytomegalovirus has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, possibly through the induction of inflammatory processes. P-selectin and L-selectin are adhesion molecules that mediate early microvascular responses to inflammatory stimuli. This study examined the role of these selectins in the microvascular dysfunction that occurs during persistent CMV infection.

[Studies of interaction of intracellular signalling and metabolic pathways under inhibition of mitochondrial aconitase with fluoroacetate].

Mitochondrial aconitase has been shown to be inactivated by a spectrum of substances or critical states. Fluoroacetate (FA) is the most known toxic agent inhibiting aconitase. The biochemistry of toxic action of FA is rather well understood, though no effective therapy has been proposed for the past six decades.

[Stereological analysis of phagocytosing cells].

Various complexes of phagocytes with adsorbed (I) and entrapped (J) particles are formed during phagocytosis. Method of stereological reconstruction is proposed that allows to demonstrate the actual distribution of these complexes on the basis of morphometric analysis of their ultrathin sections. The principle of the method lies on the probability simulation of section distribution for a given distribution of complexes and on the solution of the reverse problem by stepwise determination of the relative quantity of each complex type (from the most complicated to the most simple one, when I = 0 and J = 0).

[Effect of chitosan on the electrophoretic motility of thymocytes].

An increase of contact interaction between macrophages and thymocytes in the presence of polysaccharide chitosan was suggested to be due to the change of surface charge of interacting cells. It was found that incubation of thymocytes in the presence of chitosan leads to the change of their charge in the positive direction. The measurement of electrophoretic mobility of the cells was carried out on " Parmoquant 2" (Carl Zeiss Jena, DDR).

[Acidification kinetics in macrophage phagosomes based on flow cytometric data].

Using flow cytofluorimetry, acidification in macrophages was studied during phagocytosis of yeast cells Candida albicans conjugated with FITC. Two phases of acidification were found: one corresponding presumably to yeast cell absorption on the macrophage surface, and the other one being due to cell incorporation into phagolysosomes. The phases are characterized by pH values of 6.

[Simultaneous measurement of radioactivity of 45Ca and 32P in tissues using a liquid scintillator and gas-discharge counter with a filter].

Optimal conditions are developed for two methods of simultaneous recording of 45Ca and 32P-radiation in the bone and other tissues. Both methods are compared from the standpoint of their efficiency. The calculation method for the 32P hard beta-radiation in the presence of 45Ca in one tissue specimen by the liquid scintillation counter is 5-10 times as efficient as that by the gas-discharge counter with the filter.

[Effect of UV-light on the structure of soluble deoxyribonucleoprotein-200 A].

The effects of UV-light (253,7 nm) on the structure of DNP and its protein and nucleic components were studied. The formation of protein-DNA covalent bonds in DNP-200 A at low ionic strength was confirmed. Under certain irradiation conditions more than 80% of protein may be linked to the DNA; all histone fractions were linked to the same extent and at the same rates.

[Reaction between tetranitromethane and deoxyribonucleoproteins].

A comparative kinetic study has been made of tetranitromethane nitration of tyrosine residues in deoxyribonucleoprotein preparation (DNP) treated with EDTA and/or UV light at lambda=253.7 nm, as well as obtained by enzymatic digestion of nucleosomes. UV-light-induced protein-DNA linkages stabilize the structure of the preparation, whereas the action of chelate agents causes DNP-200 angstrom leads to DNP-100 angstrom transfer.