Underestimation of infant mortality rates in one republic of the former Soviet Union.

Objectives: Kazakhstan's live-birth definition--that dates from the former Soviet Union (FSU) era--differs from that used by the World Health Organization (WHO). We studied the impacts of both live-birth definitions on the computations of the infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal and child health (MCH) planning in Zhambyl Oblast, Kazakhstan.

Methods: We interviewed caregivers and abstracted medical records to obtain birth weight and age-at-death information on infant deaths in Zhambyl Oblast from November 1, 1996, through October 31, 1997.

[Quality of life and characteristics of the external respiration function in patients with bronchial asthma].

Aim: To investigate correlations between quality of life, bronchial obstruction, nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity (NSBH) and response of these parameters to treatment with inhalation steroids in patients with bronchial asthma (BA).

Material And Methods: The study included 67 BA patients (47 women and 20 men) aged 18 to 62 years (mean age 43 years). 59 of them had the diagnosis of atopic BA, 8 had bacterial BA.

[Epifamine efficacy in aspirin bronchial asthma].

Nine patients with moderate and severe aspirin bronchial asthma (ABA) received epifamine (a course dose 400 mg) in addition to continuous antiasthmatic therapy. Matched 12 ABA patients received placebo. Epifamine was found to improve the patients' clinical condition, response of distal bronchi to berotek; to promote achievement of long remission and increased production of melatonin.

[Role of biological defects in formation and development of bronchial asthma and potentialities of premorbid diagnosis].

The paper considers bronchial asthma as a polygenic disease. It presents some data available in the literature on the role of genetic disorders in the development of atopic states and the authors' own findings of various biological defects detected in apparently healthy blood relatives of patients with bronchial asthma. It is concluded that premorbid diagnosis is of importance in high risk persons.

[Influence of berotec inhalations on pulmonary gas exchange in patients with bronchial asthma].

Aim: To determine mechanisms inducing changes in lung gas exchange after berotec inhalation in patients with bronchial asthma (BA).

Materials And Methods: A study was made of external respiration function including estimation of lung transfer factor (TLCO sbh.) and its components--transfer coefficient (KCO), membrane diffusion capacity (DM), pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc)--by the single breath holding method on CO in 14 healthy persons and 39 patients with BA before and after berotec inhalation.

[Peculiarities of cell reception in bronchial asthma patients with bronchial hyperreactivity to hyperosmolar provocation].

Aim: To investigate characteristics of the cell receptor systems in bronchial asthma (BA) patients with bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) induced by hyperosmolar provocation.

Materials And Methods: 15 patients with BA, in most cases atopic, in remission were studied. The bronchoprovocative test (BPT) with ultrasonically nebulized 3.

[The efficacy of the magnesium sulfate aerosol treatment of bronchial asthma patients].

Action of magnesium sulphate (MS) aerosol (solution osmolality 260 mmol/l, pH 6.6) on bronchial sensitivity and reactivity to acetylcholine(AC) and graded exercise as well as bronchial permeability assessed by general plethysmography and pneumotaxography were studied in 49 patients with mild and moderate bronchial asthma. It is shown that when compared to placebo, MS inhalations conducted in the time of attenuating asthma exacerbation improved immediate and long-term responses in atopic and effort asthma.

[Magnesium sulfate in management of bronchial asthma].

The effect of magnesium sulfate aerosol (osmolality of the solution 260 mmol/l, pH 6.6) on bronchial sensitivity and reactivity to acetylcholine (AC) and graded exercise as well as bronchial permeability measured by general plethysmography and pneumotaxography were evaluated in 49 patients with mild and moderate bronchial asthma (BA). When compared to placebo, magnesium sulfate (MS) inhalations performed at the stage of attenuating exacerbation, improved immediate and long-term response of patients with atopic and effort BA.

[The correction of biological defects in bronchial asthma patients by the methods of Chinese medicine].

42 patients with bronchial asthma underwent combined treatment according to 8 methods of classical Chinese medicine. Partial and complete immediate and long-term responses were achieved in 81% of the patients with asthma diagnosed by Chinese criteria as cold and mixed. Satisfactory results were recorded in 19% of hot bronchial asthma cases.

[An analysis of the acupuncture treatment results in bronchial asthma patients].

Treatment effects reached in 94 patients with bronchial asthma demonstrate that neurogenic, humoral and bioenergetic responses to acupuncture proceed according to adaptation laws and result in reduction of bronchial hyperreactivity. Eosinophilic inflammation in the bronchi diminishes acupuncture efficacy.

[Bronchial reactivity characteristics in EEG variants in bronchial asthma patients].

The authors' investigations show that those asthmatics who have EEG-recorded lowered convulsion threshold of the cortical neurones exhibit higher hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity of the bronchi than those in patients with intact cortical-subcortical relationships. The interaction of the above parameters demonstrates stable relations between bronchial reactivity and bioelectrical cerebral activity.

[The therapeutic potentials of Ditec in bronchial asthma patients].

Ditec effects on clinicofunctional status were investigated in 15 patients with mild and moderate atopic bronchial asthma (ABA) aged 20-50 (5 males and 10 females). A single ditec dose had a broncholytic effect along the entire bronchial tree and reduced sensitivity to acetylcholine. Magnesium sulfate (a single dose 3 mmol Mg2+, pH 6.

[Bronchial nonspecific reactivity in patients with bronchial asthma and in the preasthmatic state and its alteration under the influence of acupuncture].

The development of nonspecific bronchial hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity in bronchial asthma and effectiveness of its correction with acupuncture were investigated in 152 patients with asthma and preasthma. 94 of them were subjected to acupuncture. The authors employed a complex of diagnostic methods with determination of 241 parameters processed later with the use of systemic modelling.

[The role of disorders in the homeostasis of divalent cations in the pathogenesis and clinical picture of bronchial asthma].

Mg and Ca concentrations in the serum, red cells, lymphocytes and 24-h urine were examined in 13 preasthma (PA) patients, 26 atopic asthma patients and 23 bacterial asthma (BA) patients. The patients' age ranged from 15 to 65 years. The measurements were made on AAC-508 absorption spectrophotometer (Hitachi, Japan) and Microlyte selective ionometer (Kone, Finland).

[Role of magnesium and calcium ions in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma].

Nuclear absorption spectrophotometry (ACC-508, Hitachi, Japan) and selective ionometry (Microlyte, Kone, Finland) were used to measure Mg and Ca concentrations in the serum, red cells, lymphocytes and 24-h urine of 26 patients with atopic and 23 patients with bacterial bronchial asthma (BA) aged 15-65. Irrespective of BA variant, phase, severity and bronchial obstruction, the blood of the examinees contained insufficient quantities of Mg and excessive ones of Ca. 24-h urinary excretion of Mg was subnormal.

[Pulmonary diffusing capacity in patients with chronic renal failure treated by hemodialysis].

Forty-eight patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) receiving hemodialysis (24 males and 24 females) aged 17-62 underwent bicycle exercise to measure diffuse capacity of the lungs (DCL) before and after the test. DCL components (membraneous and blood volume in pulmonary capillaries, Vc) were defined in 33 out of 48 patients. DCL appeared to reduce significantly (up to 65 +/- 2%) at the expense of Vc fall to 51 +/- 4.

[Acupuncture therapy in the treatment of patients with bronchial asthma].

Erythron membrane impairment was investigated using membrane -active drugs (obsidan, delagil, morphium, ethanol) to specify indications to acupuncture in bronchial asthma (BA). The patients were studied during the treatment and followed up for a year. It was found that both immediate and long-term results of acupuncture were related to patterns of the membrane impairment.

[The therapeutic potentials of magnesium sulfate in bronchial asthma].

Twelve patients with preasthma (PA) and 27 bronchial asthma (BA) patients were examined for the effect of magnesium sulphate aerosol on bronchial sensitivity and reactivity to acetylcholine (ACC) and graded physical exercise (GPE) as well as on bronchial patency recorded by general plethysmography and pneumotachography. Inhalation of the drug was established to exert no bronchodilatory action but reduced, as compared with placebo, nonspecific hyperreactivity of the bronchial tree and blocked the ACC induced increment of histamine in the exhaled air condensate. The data obtained allow bronchial smooth muscles and mast cells to be regarded as targets for magnesium sulphate.

[The results of the dynamic observation of bronchial hyperreactivity in risk-group subjects and in bronchial asthma patients. Some corrective procedures].

The following bronchial provocation tests were carried out: 310 with acetylcholine, 216 with submaximal physical exercise, 246 with cold air inhalation, and 103 with aspirin in healthy subjects, relatives of bronchial asthma patients, in patients with preasthma and asthma in a stage of exacerbation abatement or remission. Based on the data obtained the authors show nonspecific hyperreactivity of the bronchi in healthy relatives of bronchial asthma patients, heterogeneity and a high incidence of responses to acetylcholine, cold air and physical exercise, augmentation of the reaction intensity to different stimuli in all asthma patients. The follow-up of bronchial hyperreactivity discovered its progression in the absence of the treatment and the lowering of its intensity as a result of the treatment with calcium antagonists, magnesium sulfate, punctate massage, sublaminal physical exercise, ultraviolet radiation of autologous blood, specific desensitization with aspirin.

[Effects of magnesium sulfate aerosol on indices of external respiration in patients with bronchial asthma].

Plethysmography and pneumotachography were applied to measure bronchial permeability, and reactivity of the bronchi in 10 patients with pre-asthma and 17 with asthma upon administration of magnesium sulfate aerosol (solution osmolality 260 mmol/l, pH-6.6). Though the drug inhalation did not induce bronchial dilatation, it diminished both hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity of the bronchial tree to acetylcholine.