The cluster method in conducting epidemiological research

The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) whose goal is to reduce morbidity and mortality by providing children with immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, and tuberculosis continually faces the problem of documenting immunization coverage rates. Therefore the EPI seeks simple, effective, and inexpensive methods of evaluation which could be implemented in different countries. An example of such a method is a simplified cluster sampling technique of estimation of immunization coverage through the examination of 210 children, selected randomly as 30 groups of 7 children each. In 1978-1984 more than 1000 immunization coverage surveys were performed all over the world, mainly in developing countries. In a modified way this method is also used to collect data on morbidity and mortality of certain EPI target diseases as well as diarrhoeal diseases.     

New data on small mammals in the Kazakh Uplands

Small mammals were studied in the Kazakh Uplands in the spring and fall of 2008. The trapping studies revealed 10 species. Abundances of the animals were low in the four main distinct characteristic biotopes of Bayanaul National Park, but those of biotope dominants were high. In the Kazakh Uplands, rodents and insectivores are clearly restricted to certain biotopes. Biodiversity indices for small mammal communities are low, indicating that the community structure is disturbed.     

Humoral antibodies to the antigens related to the structural protein antigens of the mammary cancer virus (MTV) in breast cancer patients and in healthy donors

Indirect radioimmunoassay and immunoperoxidase studies provided further evidence of human serum reactivity with murine mammary tumor virus (MMTV) structural proteins. Examination of over 400 human sera from breast cancer (BC) patients and controls has shown that the incidence of antibodies which react with MMTV structural proteins was significantly higher in BC patients (50%) than in patients with carcinomas of other organs (3%) or normal women (3%). However, the percentage of subjects immune to MMTV was higher in pregnant women (10%) as compared with normal subjects. All the women with BC of the first clinical stage had antibodies to MMTV. The percentage of immune donors was lower among patients with BC of the later stages (IIa, 90%, IIb, 76%, III, 27%, IV, 0%). Thus, a good agreement has been demonstrated between the first stages of BC and expression of antibodies to MMTV.     

Cell membrane-associated mucins and their adhesion-modulating property.

A class of highly sialylated glycoproteins with very large mucin-like domains that protrude high above the plasma membrane have been shown to strongly reduce cellular adhesion. In normal epithelial cells, where the expression is restricted to the luminal side of the cell, these molecules may prevent inadvertent closing of the lumen as a result of weak, non-specific protein-protein interactions between opposite luminal membranes. In malignant tumors cellular polarization is often lost, which can lead to the entire cell surface being covered by these molecules. The resulting strongly reduced adhesion and immune recognition properties may play an important role during invasion and metastasis.     

Interaction of fibronectin with polymorphonuclear leukocytes normally and in anaphylaxis

Fibronectin is known as an opsonic glycoprotein possessing a wide range of specificity. Fibronectin interaction with neutrophils (normal ones and those obtained at peak of anaphylactic shock) was studied. Neutrophils were brought in contact with purified homologous fibronectin previously bound to gelatin-Sepharose granules. The presence of fibronectin-binding proteins on the surface of human and rabbit neutrophils was demonstrated, the binding being strongly dependent on Ca2+ and especially Mg2+ ions. "Anaphylactic" neutrophils, in contrast to normal ones, did not interact with fibronectin, which may be important for the pathogenesis of the immediate type hypersensitivity reactions.     

Morphofunctional status of the system of mononuclear phagocytes in rats exposed to the embryotoxic effect of cadmium

The experiments have been performed on white non-inbred rats, subjected to intragastric injection of cadmium chloride (7.5 mg/kg) during the whole period of pregnancy. Morphological analysis has been performed on the state of the main links in mononuclear phagocytes system (osseous-medullary precursors, monocytes of blood and alveolar macrophages of lungs), using cytological, cytochemical and electron microscopical (scanning electron microscopy) investigation methods. Changes in the cell enzymatic activity, inhibition of adhesiveness and lesion of the superficial architectonics of blood monocytes and pulmonary macrophages have been revealed against the background of their increased phagocyting activity. This demonstrates certain decrease in nonspecific resistivity of the organism, when the embryotoxic effect is developing.     

Comparative analysis of TB-Biochip, Xpert MTB/RIF, and GenoType MTBDRplus test systems for rapid determination of mutations responsible for drug resistance of M. tuberculosis complex (in sputum from patients in Moscow region)

We studied the frequency of occurrence and combinations of mutations in rpoB, katG, inhA, and oxyR-ahpC genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) DNA isolated from patients of Moscow region. In isoniazid monoresistant MTB isolates, Ser315Thr mutation in the katG gene prevails (15.8%), whereas the most frequent mutations in multidrug-resistant MTB isolates were Ser531Leu in the rpoB gene, Ser315Thr in the katG gene (26.3%), and their combination with C(-15)T in the inhA gene (5.3%). The efficiency of TB-Biochip (OOO Biochip-IMB Russia), Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, United States), and GenoType MTBDRplus (Hain Lifescience, Germany) test systems was analyzed and compared with the efficiency of luminescent microscopy and phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing in BACTEC? MGIT? 960 automated system (Becton, Dickinson and Company, United States). Using Xpert MTB/RIF, TB-Biochip, and GenoType MTBDRplus systems, MTB DNA was detected in sputum from patients in 92, 78, and 49% of all culturepositive cases, respectively. Standard cultural data match the test results of the susceptibility of MTB for Xpert MTB/RIF (rifampicin resistance) and for TB-Biochip and GenoType MTBDRplus (resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid) by 100, 97, and 100%, respectively. Thus, Xpert MTB/RIF system is the most efficient in primary MTB DNA detection, and TB-Biochip is the only one sensitive enough for both MTB DNA detection and determination of MTB multidrug resistance in sputum. Multidrug resistance is considered as resistance to both rifampicin and isoniazid.     

Influence of the hydrological regime in the lower reaches of the Volga delta on natural fish reproduction

This article considers the influence of the hydrological regime in the lower reaches of the Volga delta (based on the example of the Damchiksky site of the Astrakhan Reserve) during high water periods in the low-water year of 2012 and medium-water year of 2013 on the abundance of producers entering for spawning and the density of aggregations of juveniles of roach Rutilus caspicus, vulgaris rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus, and river perch Perca fluviatilis. It is shown that the fish mass spawning in 2013 was more effective and occurred on floodplain spawning areas with the sequential succession of the investigated species, while the fish spawning was observed in eriks and was less effective in 2012. It was revealed that vulgaris rudd shows the highest adaptation to insufficient watering conditions.     

Phenotype characteristic of the ionomycin-resistant CD4+ subset of the peripheral blood T-lymphocytes

The differential sensitivity of peripheral blood (PB) CD4+ T lymphocytes to the calcium ionophore ionomycin was investigated. Effect of ionomycin exerted on T cells was time- and dose-dependent. We have shown that resistant cells belonged to some distinct T cell subsets. The resting naive CD4+CD45RA+ T cells showed a little, if any, resistance to ionomycin treatment. The primed CD4+CD45R0+ memory T cells behaved similarly as did ionomycin-resistant (IR) cells. Although IR CD4+ T cells had a typical "memory" phenotype, some quantitative differences were found in expression of CD11a, CD28, CD29, CD62L and CD243 markers between PB CD4+CD45R0+ T cells and corresponding IR cells.