[Natural course of acute symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms].

Purpose Of The Study: To examine the natural course of acute symptomatic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta.

Patients And Methods: From 1995 to 2005, admitted to our clinic were a total of 29 patients presenting with acute symptomatic aneurysms of the abdominal portion of the aorta (hereinafter referred to as AAA). Any aneurysmal ruptures were excluded based on the findings of an ultrasonographic duplex study and computed tomography.

[Phlebology today and tomorrow. Review of the materials presented at the 15th World Congress of the Phlebologists (IUP)].

In addition to reviewing the traditionally presented printed matter, the article contains the information about the most interesting events including lectures, symposia, round tables and master-classes held within the framework of the 15th World Congress of the International Union of Phlebologists.

[Elimination of major trunk reflux as a basis for surgical management of lower limb varicosity].

The article reviews the available literature data related to the problem of eliminating the blood reflux along the trunks of saphenous veins in lower limb varicosity. The authors have herein classified the literature-proposed interventions depending on the underlying principle, to have also carried out a detailed analysis of the data contained in the available Russian and foreign publications, as well as having considered technical peculiarities concerning different methods of removing veins, i. e.

[Functional flowmetry in determining the indications for reconstructive surgical interventions on the major arteries of the pelvis and lower limbs].

The work was based on the findings of the examination and surgical management of 69 patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower limbs with various degree of chronic arterial insufficiency. The authors analyzed the main causes promoting development of early reocclusion of the bypasses and prostheses following reconstructive surgical operations. They also proved the role of high peripheral vascular resistance and, in particular, diminished functional possibilities of the microcirculatory-bed vessels in the genesis of early reocclusions in patients with chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower limbs.

[The use of magnetic resonance contrast agents for selective digital subtraction angiography and computed tomography with contrast enhancement].

Allergy to iodine-containing contrast agents is the main contraindication for angiographic examinations of patients. This paper reviews the works of Russian and foreign specialists describing an experience gained with the use of magnetic resonance gadolinium-containing agents possessing radioabsorption properties for digital subtraction angiography and CT, angiography. The authors provide a comparative evaluation of the efficacy of the use of magnetic resonance contrast agents with varying gadolinium concentration.

Association between the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and erectile dysfunction in patients with metabolic syndrome.

This study was designed to investigate whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism is associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) in Russian men with metabolic syndrome (MS). A total of 331 men with MS were studied. All patients underwent complex evaluation including the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire.

Efficacy of topiramate (Topamax) in epileptic patients of different ages.

The aim of the present work was to assess the efficacy and tolerance of topiramate (Topamax) in patients of different ages with different types of epilepsy. This agent was used as monotherapy and combined therapy in 114 patients (53 male, 61 female) of the following age groups: early childhood (16), preschool and school age (20), pubertal (16), young (23), adult (38), and elderly (1). Treatment produced complete clinical remission in 48% of patients and decreases in fit frequency by more than 50% in 44% of patients.

Micronized diosmin (Detralex) for vein-related trophic ulcers: European experience.

The paper presents a meta-analysis of 5 large European studies (N - 723) on the micronized diosmin administration to patients with venous trophic ulcers (CEAP class VI). With the use of evidence-based approach, it was shown that micronized diosmin has a statistically significant clinical effect on middle-sized trophic ulcers (5 - 10 cm(2)) that persisted for 6 - 12 months. The study concludes that polyvalent venotonics are an appropriate and valuable addition to complex therapy of complicated chronic venous insufficiency.

[Rheolytic catheter-assisted thrombectomy in a gigantic floating thrombus].

Thrombosis of deep veins of the lower extremities is a serious and frequently occurring disease (with the incidence rate of 160 newly onset cases per 100,000 people annually). A great number of complications are known to develop in case of the ileofemoral thrombosis and a floating pattern of the proximal portion of the thrombus, especially if extending to the vena cava inferior. Appropriate treatment of thromboses of the vena cava inferior should consist in averting dissemination of thrombosis in the proximal direction, preventing pulmonary-artery thromboembolism (PATE), and restoring the patency of the vena cava inferior in order to eliminate the risk of post-thrombotic disease.

[Antioxidant and metabolic therapy of lower limb chronic obliterative arterial disease].

Metabolic therapy is one of several therapeutic strategies that can be used in patients with lower limb chronic obliterative arterial disease (COAD). Tanakan (EGb76) has demonstrated high efficiency and safety in 9 controlled clinical trials and author's clinical series in patients with lower limb COAD. Improvement with significant increase of pain-free walking distance and beneficial safety profile was observed in all cases.

Activity of antioxidant enzymes in the skin during surgical wounds.

Full-thickness skin wounds (460 mm(2)) in rats were associated with increased blood chemiluminescence and neutrophil infiltration of the wound tissue and surrounding skin (recorded by myeloperoxidase activity). Activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase in the skin and wound tissue increased on days 4 and 8. A correlation was revealed between activities of these enzymes and myeloperoxidase activity.

Conformational dynamics of human alpha-fetoprotein-derived heptapeptide LDSYQCT analogs.

Conformational dynamics of a biologically active fragment of alpha-fetoprotein, the heptapeptide LDSYQCT, and its analogs obtained by site-directed substitutions of amino acid residues were studied. The conformational dynamics of the peptide were conservative under the substitutions Y17F, Y17S, and D15E. Substitutions C19A and S16V resulted only in local changes in the dynamic behavior of the peptide.

[Role of homocysteine in the pathogenesis of vascular complications of type 2 diabetes].

The purpose of the investigation was to study the plasma levels of homocysteine (HC) inpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and its association with the development of diabetic angiopathies and some clinical and laboratory parameters. Among 92 patients with DM2, hyperhomocysteinemia (22.6±6.

The use of statistical methods for predicting the status of patients with acute cerebral and coronary ischemia.

The most significant informative clinical laboratory parameters were determined and the exceptional value of cryoglobulin concentrations for predicting the clinical status was demonstrated. The efficiency of the proposed protocol of selective plasmapheresis for patients with atherothrombotic variant of stroke is confirmed, mathematical models describing and predicting the patient status are plotted.

Development of differential sensitivity of CaOv ovarian adenocarcinoma cells to antitumor agents under conditions of hypoxia.

We studied the role of VEGF signal pathway in autocrine regulation of tumor cell growth and survival under conditions of hypoxia. Hypoxia-resistant CaOv/H substrain with high level of VEGF-A secretion was obtained by long-term culturing of CaOv ovarian adenocarcinoma cells with CoCl2 (hypoxia inductor). VEGF-A directly participates in autocrine regulation of CaOv cell growth, including the maintenance of cell growth under conditions of hypoxia or cytostatic treatment.

Effect of endotoxemia on skin antioxidant enzymes under experimental conditions.

Intraperitoneal injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide in a dose of 1 mg/kg was followed by prestimulation of whole blood leukocytes in rats. Activities of peroxide- and lipoperoxide-utilizing antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and catalase increased 1 day after lipopolysaccharide administration, while the content of malonic dialdehyde in the skin remained unchanged.

Effect of routine therapy and selective plasmapheresis on electrical properties of cryoglobulins during ischemic stroke.

The charge properties of cryoglobulins were examined during the first 21 days of ischemic stroke (atherothrombotic and cardioembolic). Routine drug therapy produced no effect on the charge of cryoglobulins. Plasmapheresis significantly modified the electrokinetic parameters of cryoglobulins during atherothrombotic stroke and produced less pronounced effect on these proteins during cardioembolic stroke.

Restoration of gastrocnemius muscle in MDX mice of different age after injury and implantation of xenogenic muscle tissue.

The intensity of regeneration of crossed gastrocnemius muscle was evaluated in two groups of mdx mice of different age 2 weeks after implantation of crushed muscle tissue from newborn rats into the wound defect area. The effect of xenoplasty manifested in increased weight of the damaged muscle. The effect was observed in mice aging 12-16 weeks but not in those aged 40-48-weeks.

Dynamics of activity of monoamine oxidase B and antioxidant defense enzymes in human brain during postnatal ontogeny.

During postnatal development, activity of monoamine oxidase B in human brain structures increases, while activity of Cu,Zn-dependent SOD decreases with compensatory increase in catalase activity and ceruloplasmin content. Under these conditions, the resistance of the pontobulbar structures and thalamus to oxidative stress decreases at the age of 1-12 years and returned to the prenatal level during adolescence. The increase in catalase activity is most pronounced in structures of the forebrain (cortex and neostriatum), cerebellum, and hypothalamus; it is accompanied by ontogenetic increase in oxidative stress resistance, which is maximum at the age of 12-21 years.

Heart rate variability is related to disease activity and smoking in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

We investigated the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and assessed their relationship with disease characteristics. Twenty-three female patients with RA [age 48+/-7 (mean+/-SD) years] free of cardiovascular diseases and 23 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were evaluated. After careful clinical examination, the following parameters were obtained after 24-h Holter recordings: average of all normal-to normal (NN) intervals over the entire 24-h ECG recording (meanNN, ms); the standard deviation for the time between NN complexes (SDNN, ms); the standard deviation of the average NN intervals for each 5-min period (SDANN, ms) and the square root of the mean-squared differences of successive NN intervals (rMSSD, ms).

Protective effect of complex antioxidant preparation containing vitamins and amino acids in rats with burn trauma complicated by endotoxemia.

Burn trauma increased blood chemiluminescence, while lipopolysaccharide in a dose of 1 mg/kg potentiated this effect, activated LPO, and decreased plasma antioxidant activity. In erythrocytes, superoxide dismutase activity increased, while activity of peroxide-utilizing enzymes decreased. Myeloperoxidase content increased in the lungs and epidermis.

Characteristics of the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome and approaches to its treatment in young patients with focal brain damage.

Chronic fatigue is among the manifestations of focal brain lesions. It is most often encountered in multiple sclerosis (MS) and patients with the sequelae of traumatic, inflammatory, and vascular brain damage (encephalopathies). The aim of the present work was to study the mechanisms of formation of this syndrome in 50 patients with focal brain lesions of different origins (in the inactive stage) and to assess the possibility of correcting it using the combined agent Fezam (2 capsules t.

Regeneration of the rat spinal cord after thoracic segmentectomy: growth and restoration of nerve conductors.

The results presented in our previous report (Morfologiya, 127, No. 2 (2005)) provided evidence that consolidation of the spinal cord (SC) after thoracic segmentectomy in rats occurs as a result of the formation of a connective tissue scar, which is quicker when the defect is filled with collagen gel. The present report describes analysis of semithin sections and transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrating that regenerating nerve conductors traverse connective tissue in structures whose organization is identical to that of peripheral nerves.

Effect of nitroglycerine on content of second messengers in myocytes of rat thoracic aorta.

We evaluated the concentration dependence and time dependence of the effect of nitroglycerine on intracellular content of cAMP, cGMP, and free Ca2+. It was shown that after norepinephrine stimulation, nitroglycerine exhibited calcium-blocking activity in lower concentrations (starting from 10(-7) M). Under conditions of experimental nitrate tolerance the dose-dependent effect of nitroglycerine on intracellular cGMP and Ca2+ was less pronounced.