[Invasive streptococcal (group A) infection of soft tissues in a Moscow surgical hospital].

Aim: To study features and risk factors of soft tissue's invasive streptococcal infection in surgical unit's patients: a) emm-types of the most often recovered streptococcus; b) human immune response for streptococcal antigens (streptolysin-O and the group A carbohydrate antigen); c) main patient's conditions that complicate the course of soft tissue's streptococcal infection.

Patients And Methods: 101 surgical unit's patients with soft tissue's infection, which group A streptococcal (GAS) nature, were examined. Emm-types were determined by comparison ofemm gene sequenced part with data of CDC Streptococcus Laboratory.

[Predicting the risk of septic and necrotic complications in femoral amputation stump].

Treatment results of 430 patients with ischemic gangrene of lower limbs were analyzed and major risk factors of postoperative complications considering the femoral amputation stump were outlighted. These are: the high level of artery occlusion, ligature muscle compression in the stump, absence of active drainage and elderly age (more than 80 years), anemia. The intraoperative use of laser Doppler flowmetry gives the possibility to assess the potential viability of muscles at the amputation level.

[Antibody-mediated proteolysis of myelin-associated proteins as a new mechanism of control over demyelinization processes in multiple sclerosis].

Natural antibodies possessing catalytic activity present a new group of biologically active substances that are found in various autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis, myocarditis, multiple sclerosis, and system lupus erythematosus. Presently, an interconnection between the activity of these antibodies and the extent of organic and tissue lesion in autoaggression have been revealed. Clinical use of catalytic antibodies as a diagnostic criterion to evaluate the severity of disease, a prognostic criterion of the risk of invalidization, and as a pathogenetic basis for medicamentous treatment of autoimmune process is a promising directions of study of the role of catalytic antibodies.

[Catalytic autoantibodies as a new molecular instrument in rheumatological practice].

Aim: To compare clinicopathogenetic value of DNA-hydrolizing autoantibodies or DNA-abzymes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Material And Methods: We studied sera from 180 patients with SLE, 180 RA patients and 128 healthy donors matched by age and gender; assessed catalytic and cytotoxic activity of DNA-abzymes in patients with different variants of SLE and RA course.

Results: The highest catalytic and cytotoxic activities of DNA abzymes were observed in SLE patients.

[Effect of gentamycin in combination with prodigiozan on the immunological reactivity of the body].

The effect of gentamicin sulphate and its combination will prodigiozan on antibody formation in experiments and the levels of the immunobiologic reactivity of patients with purulent inflammatory processes was studied with a purpose of developing rational schemes of antibiotic therapy of infectious diseases. A decrease in the titers of the antibodies to Aeromonas and the number of antibody-forming cells in the spleen was noted on repeated administration of gentamicin to albino mice in a dose of 20 mg/kg. This was prevented by the use of prodigiozan in a dose of 500 micrograms/kg once every 4 days.

[Edema of the paws of white mice--test for assessing the activity of E. coli enterotoxins].

The authors studied the paw edema test in mice for detection of the E. coli (strain P-99) enterotoxins activity. This test proved to be simple, sensitive and reproducible; it permitted to determine the activity of thermostable and thermolabile enterotoxins and endotoxin; the mentioned test was particularly useful in testing various preparations of enterotoxins obtained during their extraction and purification.

[The protective and immunodepressive activity of cell fractions of a cholera-like vibrio].

A study was made of the protective and immunodepressive activity of the sytoplasmic fractions of a cholera-like vibrio. Ribosomal fraction proved to possess more marked protective and immunodepressive properties than the soluble cytoplasmic fraction.

[Antigenic structure of non-agglutinating vibrios and bacteria of the genus Aeromonas].

The authors carried out a comparative study of the antigenic structure of nonagglutinating vibrios and the respresentatives of Aeromonas genus. A number of common antigens (some of which were of protein origin) were revealed in the so-called enterotoxins of nonaggultinating vibrios and aeromonas and also in the cytoplasm and ribosomes of these strains. "Enterotoxin" of Aeromona s strain contained the factor of vascular permeability.

[Immunochemical analysis of the cytoplasmic fraction of a cholera-like vibrion].

A soluble cytoplasm and ribosomal fraction which were later subjected to gel-filtration were obtained by disintegration and subsequent differential centrifugation from a cholera-like strain. Immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis in gel showed that the ribosomal fraction contained up to 6 high-molecular antigenic components (including an O-antigen and the antigens identical to those of a cholerogen), and others; its low-molecular components (molecular weight 1.7-10-4 and lower) were inactive in immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis.