Gadolinium as an Inhibitor of Ionic Currents in Isolated Rat Ventricular Cardiomyocytes.

The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to examine the effect of gadolinium Gd (a non-specific blocker of mechanically gated current I, a component of late current I) on ionic currents in insolated rat ventricular cardiomyocytes alone and in combination with the blockers of L-type calcium currents (I) nifedipine (10 μM) or verapamil (1 μM). In K/K or Cs/Cs media, blockade of I produced no effect on I at negative potentials, but inhibited I at positive ones. In K/K medium, Gd (5 μM) decreased the net persistent current (I) at -45 mV from 198.

[The role of calcium in reaction of the heart for mechanical stress].

The article deals with the role of Ca2+ in four possible mechanisms of cardiac muscle response to mechanical stretch. First, the Ca2+ role is analysed in the changed contractive myocardium function under mechanical stretch. Second, discussed are the direct proofs of redistributing intercellular ions occurring at axial stretch of single cardiomyocytes.

[Antibodies to DNA in the blood of patients with tick-borne encephalitis].

A comparison of relative levels of autoantibodies (Abs) to both native (n) and denatured (d) DNA in the blood of 55 patients with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) was carried out. 31% of patients with TBE was shown to have an increased level Abs to nDNA and 40% of patients demonstrate increased level of Abs to dDNA. The percent of TBE patients with increased concentration of anti-nDNA Abs higher then that in patients with multiple sclerosis (18%) and some other autoimmune diseases (6-18%), but comparable with that for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (38%) and polymyositis (42%).

[Autologous transfusion of UV-irradiated blood in the treatment of occlusive arterial diseases of the lower extremities].

Complex examination of 72 patients with obliterating atherosclerosis and 10 patients with obliterating endarteritis was performed. All the patients were given autotransfusion of UV-irradiated blood as conservative treatment, preoperative preparation and postoperative management. The course of AUVIB was followed by a decrease of the lactic acid level, increase of functional properties of hemoglobin, activation of humoral immunity, change of the blood hemostatic potential to the side of hypocoagulation.