Etiology of acute pneumonias in an organized collective

In this work the immune structure of an organized group with respect to acute respiratory infections and the etiological structure of cases of acute pneumonia was studied. The sera taken from 602 persons were tested for the presence of antibodies to 14 infective agents of the viral, bacterial and mycoplasmal nature. The data indicate that all these agents circulate in the group under study with the prevalence of influenza A (H3N2), influenza B and group III parainfluenza viruses. Among etiological agents of acute pneumonia, the combination of Staphylococcus with Mycoplasma pneumoniae and adenovirus was noted. The Legionella etiology of some group cases of acute pneumonia among young persons was established on the basis of the increased titers of L. pneumophila antibodies in the indirect hemagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme immunoassay. The source of this infection was highly dispersed water aerosol, containing the infective agent, in shower baths. This was bacteriologically confirmed by the isolation of three Legionella strains. The study showed that no transfer of Legionella infection in the group through contacts was possible.     

Reactivity of the sleeping human brain: motor and electro-encephalographic correlates of evoked reactions

Human brain reactivity during sleep has been studied. Complex stimuli: auditory stimulus 1 s--interstimulus interval 4 s--verbal instruction to clench one's fist were presented to human subjects at equal 30-second intervals throughout all night's sleep. Conditioned motor and EEG responses were elicited during the second and the third experimental nights by repeating only auditory stimuli at 30- or 15-second intervals respectively. It has been suggested that a short-term memory store functions during sleep for at least 30 s after presenting stimuli.     

Immunological diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumonias]

A complex of immunological cell tests with M. pneumoniae antigen (the lymphocyte blast-cell transformation test, the allergic neutrophil alteration test) was carried out in order to establish the correlation between the results of positive seroconversion and the sepcific immunological reactivity of lymphoid cells in pneumonia patients. Mycoplasmic cutireactive allergen, when used for the accelerated diagnosis of mycoplasmic pneumonia in humans, was shown to be specific and safe. Cuti-allergic tests with mycoplasmic allergen allowed to diagnose mycoplasmic pneumonia at early stages (beginning from days 5--7), which ensures the possibility of indicating etiotropic treatment to patients in due time.     

The development of the epidemic process and the formation of humoral immunity to the hepatitis A virus in adolescent collectives

Additional observation on the formation of humoral immunity to hepatitis A virus has been carried out in 2,375 adolescents aged 15-17 years and belonging to 12 groups at 3 areas of the USSR. This observation has shown that in the presence of a high level of the immune stratum the spread of infection occurs, as a rule, outside the group under observation. Besides, as revealed in this study, the risk of seroconversion and the loss of specific antibodies are, respectively, directly and inversely related to the level of the immune stratum in the group. The level of the immune stratum in a given age group supposedly reflects the intensity of the development of the epidemic process at a definite area.     

The use of the method of principal components for phenogenetic analysis of the integral domestication trait

In the course of long-term experiment on domestication of silver fox, it was necessary to determine the most important behavioral features, selection for which would give domestication effect. The mathematical method of principal components was used for the analysis of 20 fox behavior traits. The combination of the initial traits which reflected the structure of the integral trait, i.e. domesticated type of behavior, was determined. The practical use of this combination seems to more adequately estimate the level of domestication of a given animal, which is indispensable for subsequent effective selection.