A structural criterion for the biological compatibility of materials

The principles of searching and selection of the polymeric materials compatible with biological tissues are offered, based on structural features of the hydration shells of biopolymers.     

Synthesis, and conformational and biological study of 2-D-Ala,5-des-Met-enkephalin hydrazide modified at the carboxylic end by poly-N-vinylimidazole

N, N-bis-2-D -Ala,5-des-Met-enkephalin hydrazide of azo-isobutyric acid was synthesized. This was used to obtain polyvinylimidazole derivatives of an enkephalin analog, modified at the carboxylic end by poly-N-vinylimidazole. The effect of modification of tetrapeptide hydrazide on its conformational properties and biological activity in vivo and in vitro was studied.     

Development of a Model for the Role of Mitogens Initiating Repair Hyperplasia in Big Salivary Glands

It was shown in repeated experiments on 132 rats that proliferation in the corneal epithelium was nonspecifically enhanced after sialotomy. This effect appears to be due to the distant action of factors stimulating cell proliferation. The described phenomenon can be used for identification of mitogens formed during regeneration of the salivary glands.     

Stability of bacterial aerosols in static conditions]

The influence of acid exopolysaccharides of some Pseudomonas species on the viability and fractional disperse composition of Salmonella marcescens-9 aerosol under static conditions has been studied. Acid exopolysaccharides have been shown to form membranes around bacteria. These membranes, due to their adsorptive and water-retaining properties, seemingly enhance the viability of bacteria in aerosol, both in the process of its generation and during its suspension in the air under static conditions with different values of relative humidity.     

Intratumor heterogeneity: Nature and biological significance

Intratumor heterogeneity inherent in the majority of human cancers is a major obstacle for a highly efficient diagnosis and successful prognosis and treatment of these diseases. Being a result of clonal diversity within the same tumor, intratumor heterogeneity can be manifested in variability of genetic and epigenetic status, gene and protein expression, morphological structure, and other features of the tumor. It is most likely that the appearance of this diversity is a source for the adaptation of the tumor to changes in microenvironmental conditions and/or a tool for changing its malignant potential. In any case, both processes result in the appearance of cell clones with different undetermined sets of hallmarks. In this review, we describe the heterogeneity of molecular disorders in various human tumors and consider modern viewpoints of its development including genetic and non-genetic factors of heterogeneity origin and the role of cancer stem cells and clonal evolution. We also systematize data on the contribution of tumor diversity to progression of various tumors and the efficiency of their treatment. The main problems are indicated in the diagnosis and therapy of malignant tumors caused by intratumor heterogeneity and possible pathways for their solution. Moreover, we also suggest the key goals whose achievement promises to minimize the problem of intratumor heterogeneity and to identify new prognostic, predictive, and target markers for adequate and effective treatment of cancer.     

Enzymatic and conformational stability of polymeric complexes of alpha-amylase

The enzymatic and conformational stability of Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase and its polymeric complexes in acid media and subsequent renaturation in weakly alkaline media were investigated. The following parameters of alpha-amylase secondary structure were determined from circular dichroism spectra: helical units -25%, beta-structures -9%; beta-turns -13%; disordered conformations -53%. After complexation with polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) the alpha-amylase secondary structure did not change, and the tertiary structure underwent only small local changes. Complexation of alpha-amylase with linear and cross-linked PMAA led to an increase in both enzymatic and conformational stabilities in acid media. Purification of alpha-amylase using a biosorbent resulted in higher acid resistance of the free enzyme and of that in the complex with PMAA. Moreover, the degree of reversibility of the acid inactivation also increased.     

Determination of Salmonella typhimurium antigens in the excreta of children with salmonellosis using the passive hemagglutination reaction

1,390 samples of different excreta obtained from salmonellosis patients have been tested for the presence of S. typhimurium O- and H-antigens. S. typhimurium antigens, detected with the use of antibody diagnostica, have been found to occur more frequently than S. typhimurium cells. Particulate O- and H-antigens capable of agglutinating antibody diagnostica are excreted differently with saliva and urine. Salmonella antigens are best detected in feces in the passive hemagglutination test with the use of antibody diagnostica, but not in the antibody neutralization test. The combination of the passive hemagglutination test, carried out with the use of antibody diagnostica, and bacteriological study considerably enhances the efficiency of diagnosing salmonellosis in children in comparison with bacteriological study alone.     

Permeation of ammonia across bilayer lipid membranes studied by ammonium ion selective microelectrodes.

Ammonium ion and proton concentration profiles near the surface of a planar bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) generated by an ammonium ion gradient across the BLM are studied by means of microelectrodes. If the concentration of the weak base is small compared with the buffer capacity of the medium, the experimental results are well described by the standard physiological model in which the transmembrane transport is assumed to be limited by diffusion across unstirred layers (USLs) adjacent to the membrane at basic pH values (pH > pKa) and by the permeation across the membrane itself at acidic pH values. In a poorly buffered medium, however, these predictions are not fulfilled. A pH gradient that develops within the USL must be taken into account under these conditions. From the concentration distribution of ammonium ions recorded at both sides of the BLM, the membrane permeability for ammonia is determined for BLMs of different lipid composition (48 x 10(-3) cm/s in the case of diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine). A theoretical model of weak electrolyte transport that is based on the knowledge of reaction and diffusion rates is found to describe well the experimental profiles under any conditions. The microelectrode technique can be applied for the study of the membrane permeability of other weak acids or bases, even if no microsensor for the substance under study is available, because with the help of the theoretical model the membrane permeability values can be estimated from pH profiles alone. The accuracy of such measurements is limited, however, because small changes in the equilibrium constants, diffusion coefficients, or concentrations used for computations create a systematic error.