Evaluation of the immunological effectiveness of the planned vaccinal prophylaxis of diphtheria and tetanus in Sverdlovsk and Sverdlovsk Province

The level and intensity of antitoxic immunity to diphtheria and tetanus in children and adolescents were determined. The presence of tetanus antitoxin in titers exceeding the protective level in 96.3-98.5% of the examined children and adolescents is indicative of a high actual coverage by immunization. Protective titers against diphtheria were lower. There was no essential difference in the levels of protection in children immunized according to the vaccination schedule and in those immunized with some deviations from this schedule. A considerable part of newborns and children aged 3 months had antibodies to diphtheria and tetanus antitoxins. After the third booster immunization changes in antidiphtheria immunity characteristics occurred only in 2.5% of the vaccines and no changes in antitetanus immunity characteristics were observed.     

Liposomes as immunological adjuvants for tetanus vaccine

Finding a new immunological adjuvant has been a challenge all along. The aim of our study is to improve the level of antibodies against tetanus using liposomes as adjuvant. As can be seen from the results of our study, the liposomes are a competitive candidate in this respect.     

Epidemiological and immunological monitoring of tetanus in Georgia (Republic)

During the period of 1961-1990 the regular immunological and epidemiological monitoring of tetanus was carried out. At the prevaccination period (1937-1960) 140 cases of tetanus were registered, 77 patients died (morbidity rate being 0.97-0.11 per 100,000 of the population with mortality rate equal to 55.6%). At the period of mass vaccinal prophylaxis (1960-1990) 56 cases were registered and 27 patients died (the corresponding values: 0.09-0.11 with 48.2% mortality). In 1981-1990 altogether 53,213 vaccinees were examined. 4,864 vaccinees (8.9%) proved to be seronegative and 43,615 vaccinees (81.9%) were found to have protective antibody titers. 4,220 pregnant women were examined; 476 women (11.2%) proved to be seronegative and 3,576 women (84.3%) were found to have protective antibody titers. Timely specific prophylaxis proved to be the only way for decreasing tetanus morbidity.     

Epidemiological features of some acute inflammatory morbid conditions in the neonatal period

In this study, medical records of 231 Prague, Czechoslovakia and 234 Moscow, USSR newborn infants treated for various forms of acute inflammatory diseases acquired in the neonatal period, i.e. during both hospital stay and home nursing period, were reviewed with the aim of assessing the epidemiological characteristics of these morbid conditions. As shown by the analysis of available epidemiological data, most of these inflammatory disease, both in Prague and Moscow, occurred shortly after birth, with a peak at 7 postnatal day, which pointed to hospital stay as a decisive factor in the onset of neonatal inflammation. In Prague, the overall number of inflammation cases diagnosed within the first decade of postnatal days was about three time the number recorded during the second decade; the respective figures for Moscow infants were in both decades identical. Assessed by clinical forms of inflammation, both groups of newborn infants showed concordance for conjunctivitis only (28%), frequencies of other clinical forms varied. In Moscow, the most common form of inflammation, predominant over all other clinical forms especially in the second decade, was pyoderma (29%), followed by conjunctivitis (28%), phlegmon (13%) and gastroenteritis (13%). Cases of gastroenteritis, acquired mostly during the home nursing period, were hospital-unrelated and predominated in the last decade of neonatal life. In the Prague group of infants, cases of catarrhal omphalitis were predominant, accounting for 37% of all diseases; this was due to a local outbreak of epidemic at the time of observation. The frequency of pyoderma, phlegmon and gastroenteritis was here lower than that among the Moscow infants, situation with the inflammation cases classed as "other diseases" was opposite.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Epidemiological and immunological criteria of the effectiveness of immunization with adsorbed DPT vaccine by the old and new schedules

The study revealed that the immunization of children with adsorbed DPT vaccine from the age of 3-4 months, as compared with the immunization of children from the age of 5-6 months, did not lead to an essential increase in the coverage of children with immunization at the period under study (1970-1983) and did not affect the total level of pertussis morbidity, as well as the proportion of children aged up to 1 year in the total number of pertussis cases. Children immunized at an early age produced antibodies in titers, equivalent to the titers in older children, but their immunity against pertussis, in contrast to their immunity against diphtheria and tetanus, was retained for a shorter period. The injection of adsorbed DPT vaccine at the age of 3-4 months was accompanied by a poorly pronounced increase in the content of IgG, the predominant synthesis of IgM and the suppression of the synthesis of IgA. The shift of the start of vaccination to the age of 3-4 months has probably some immunological grounds for diphtheria and tetanus, but it is premature with respect to pertussis.     

A comparative evaluation of the immunological efficacy of ADPT vaccine and ADT-M anatoxin in the immunization of children against diphtheria and tetanus

Comparative study of the immunological effectiveness of adsorbed diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine and adsorbed diphtheria-tetanus toxoid with reduced antigen content (adsorbed DT toxoid R) in the immunization of children, carried out in accordance with the vaccination schedule, was made. Immune response to the injection of adsorbed DPT vaccine was higher than after immunization with adsorbed DT toxoid R, as evidenced by antibody titers. It was probably due to differences in the number of injections constituting the course of immunization: it consisted of 3 injections and 1 booster injection for adsorbed DPT vaccine and 2 injections and 1 booster injection for adsorbed DT toxoid R. Immunization with adsorbed DPT vaccine produced immunity which was retained for a longer period. These results are indicative of the expediency of the primary immunization of children with adsorbed DT toxoid R introduced in three injections in order to ensure more stable and prolonged postvaccinal (mainly antidiphtheria) immunity.     

The immunological reactions of fishes to parasite infection under different temperature conditions

The dependence of immunological reactions of fishes infected with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infusoria was elucidated. The invasion of the parasite results in the activation of the immune system, increased phagocytosis and a growth of the activity of oxydase enzymes. With the increased number and sizes of parasites a decrease of the above parameters below the control values is observed. Changes of the immunological values are most dynamic at high (20-25 degrees) and they are slower at low (10 degrees) temperatures.     

Negatively charged liposomes as immunological adjuvant for tetanus and diphtheria toxoids

The aim of this study is to develop the previous research on tetanus toxoid and improve the level of antibodies against tetanus and diphtheria toxoids using liposomes as adjuvant. The results show that negatively charged liposomes enhance the immune effects of the combination of the two vaccines.     

Microbiological and immunological features of oral candidiasis

Candida albicans(C. albicans) is the major infectious agent of oral candidiasis, and both innate immunity and cell-mediated immune response participate in the control of the fungal infections. The aim of this study was to correlate the clinical forms of oral candidiasis with the number of colony forming units (CFU) of C. albicans in saliva and to characterize T cell response in patients with oral candidiasis. Participants included 75 subjects: 36 with lesions of candidiasis and 39 without lesions of oral candidiasis. A 2-ml sample of saliva was collected from all subjects for microbiological analysis. Cytokine levels were determined by ELISA in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 25 patients with oral candidiasis, after in vitro stimulation with C. albicans antigens. In 48% of patients, no association was observed with denture use. C. albicans was detected in the saliva of 91.7% of patients with oral candidiasis, and there was an association between the number of CFU and the presence of oral lesions. A type Th1 immune response was observed in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with C. albicans antigens. In contrast, IL-5 and IL-10 levels were very low or undetectable. Together, this study shows an association between clinical forms of oral candidiasis and the number of colonies of C. albicans in saliva, and that a systemic immune response characterized by the production of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma is observed in patients with oral candidiasis.     

Ultrastructural features of hormone-producing cardiomyocytes under certain experimental and clinical conditions

Ultrastructural peculiarities of the cardiac hormone secretion (atrial natriiuretic factor) have been studied under certain experimental and clinical conditions. In atrial myocytes of intact dogs degree of the Golgi complex development, where the hormone is formed, amount of endocrinic granules and their qualitative composition vary considerably even in neighbouring cells. These structures reach a very great development in myocytes of the left atrium in persons with mitral stenosis, where certain anomaleously large secretory granules, resembling lyosomes are formed. When the organism is cooled up to 27-28 degrees C and the blood stream is interrupted in the experiment and along the course of a defect correction, amount of the secretory granules in cardiomyocytes decline significantly. The Golgi complex decreases, its cysterns become fragmented, their content is cleared. After warming up to the normal temperature there is no complete restoration of these structures. On the 3d day after the experiment in some cases signs of hypertrophy and elevated functional activity of the secretory structures appear. The ways of synthesis, accumulation and degradation of secretory granules in cardiomyocytes are followed, a classification of their ultrastructural varieties is suggested: forming, young, mature and dissolving forms. Together with the analysis of the Golgi complex, it helps to judge the endocrinic activity of cardiomyocytes.