Detection of mite antigens in house dust in Moscow

The acarological+ study of dust samples from the homes of allergic patients and normal persons in Moscow mite antigens were detected, respectively, in 66.7% and 38.1% of homes. The indirect mast cell degranulation test and the brain gliacyte volume change test in white rats gave similar results. The occurrence of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was approximately twice as great of D. farinae, and the numerical prevalence of the former species over the latter one was 1.3-fold. Dermatophagoides mites occurred in the homes of allergic patients 1.8-2.3 times as frequently as in the homes of normal persons.     

Humoral immunity of persons inoculated with cultured antirabies vaccines according to abridged schedules

The production of virus-neutralizing antibodies in high titers has been found to occur in persons immunized with tissue-culture rabies vaccines, concentrated and non concentrated, intramuscularly in a dose of 1 ml in accordance with reduced immunization schedules.     

Effect of retinoic acid on the aggregation of erythrocytes and leukocytes in the blood

Human and animal blood smear staining with PAPh has revealed mononuclear leukocyte-erythrocyte aggregates. Administration of retinoic acid increased concentration and dimensions of these aggregates and was followed by preferential accumulation of PAPh-negative osmotically unstable erythrocytes. Similar changes were detected in the blood samples of women engaged in the production of retinoic acid. Aggregate concentration showed positive correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and no correlation with prothrombin time.     

Fatty acid composition of Escherichia coli cells and their viability in air

Experiments on E. coli used as a model have revealed that fatty-acid composition is one of the characteristics which determine the viability of bacteria in the air. The viability of microbial cells in the air has been shown to increase with the increase of the pool of cyclopropane acids and the palmitic acid/palmitoleic acid ratio in the cells, irrespective of their genotype and the phase of their growth.     

Mechanism of action of N-acetylglucosaminyl-N-acetylmuramylalanyl-D-isoglutamine on the nonspecific anti-infection resistance of mice

The stimulating influence of glucose-containing muramyldipeptide (GMDP) on the nonspecific resistance of mice was shown to depend on the features of the pathogenesis of the infection. Thus, the intraperitoneal injection of GMDP increased the survival rate of mice infected with Escherichia coli, but had no stimulating effect on the resistance of the animals to Salmonella typhimurium natural infection in whose pathogenesis macrophages played an essential role. Experiments demonstrated that GMDP was capable of enhancing the ingestive function of macrophages, but did not increase their bactericidal activity with respect to this infection.     

Reversible inactivation of soluble liver guanylate cyclase by disulfides

A new amino acid was isolated from the cuticle collagen of $\text{Ascaris lumbricoides}$ and characterized by ultraviolet, mass and nmr spectroscopies and chemical degradation. The results indicate that the compound is an isomer of trityrosine, having an ether linkage. The name “isotrityrosine” is proposed. Its structure suggests that it serves as a crosslink and plays a role in the organization of the collagen structure.     

Stabilization and protection of an enzymatic system, participating in the transformation of beta-carotene into retinal, during its isolation]

The authors studied the effect of dithiothreitol (DTT), carotenoids and protease inhibitors on stabilization and protection of the enzyme catalysing the conversion of beta-carotene into retinal during the enzyme isolation from the rabbit small intestine. The addition of 1 mM DTT into the homogenization mixture increased the activity of the enzyme 5 times compared with control. The additional introduction of 0.7 mg/ml soybean trypsin inhibitor or 2.10(-4) M phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride increased the enzyme activity 2.1 and 1.2 times, respectively. Lutein, beta-carotene and lycopene at a concentration of 10 mg/ml increased the enzyme activity 2.1, 1.9 and 1.6 times respectively. The effects of DTT, lutein and the protease inhibitor depended on their concentrations and was of an independent additive character. The maximum activity of the isolated enzyme exceeded the control without DTT 15 times.     

Thermal stress and physiological strain in the glass bangle industry

A preliminary survey of the few units of the small-scale glass bangle industry in Firozabad, Agra District, Uttar Pradesh, indicated that the workers were exposed to severe degrees of heat stress during various operations in the manufacturing processes. A more detailed study in eight glass bangle units was therefore undertaken to make quantitative estimates of heat stress on exposed workers in the summer season. The thermal data collected confirmed that the heat stress on the workers was severe but measurement of certain physiological indicators revealed relatively low levels of strain amongst the exposed workers. The findings could be attributable to high degrees of acclimatization, but further observations in the field supplemented by studies on simulated exposures of volunteers in a climatic chamber seem to be warranted.