Work with youth--the basis of educational programs aimed at the prevention of HIV infection

During the recent 10 years, 1987-1997, syphilis morbidity was found to increase 60-fold in Omsk Province. In 1997 adolescents constituted 6.0% in the structure of persons who contacted the disease. In this year more than 500 adolescent using drugs were registered in the region. The introduction of drugs by injection was practiced by 9.6% of the adolescents. The program aimed mainly at changing the behavior of young people with orientation on the choice of a healthy mode of life and theirs information about risk factors associated with sex transmitted diseases particularly HIV infection is discussed.     

The use of a method for the quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA for assessing the severity and prognosis of the development of the disease

The informatory role of a new marker of HIV infection, characterizing the content of HIV-1 RNA in the biological fluids of the patient's body, is evaluated. The quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA, carried out in a single assay, was made in the blood of 25 HIV-infected patients. These studies confirmed that the determination of the level of RNA in the plasma (viral load) was a reliable criterion indicating the severity and progress of the disease. The viral load of more than 100,000 copies/ml was a sign prognosticating the future pronounced progress of the disease in spite of moderate clinical manifestations and relatively high values of CD4 cells in the patient's blood at the moment of testing.     

Effect of low-intensity He-Ne laser irradiation on rat mesenteric microcirculation

Changes in microcirculation during low-intensity He-Ne laser irradiation were studied by measurement of blood vessels and lymphangions' diameter in anesthetized rat mesentery using method of videomicroscopy in vivo. We demonstrated that the red coherent light induced a significant increase in contractility of vessels' smooth muscle cells. The flow decreased in the mesenteric microvessels during H2O2-mediated oxidant stress was restored after He-Ne laser irradiation.     

Proliferative activity of blood microvascular endothelium of intestinal mesentery during rat postnatal ontogenesis

The study of mitotic activity of mesenteric microvascular endothelium cells (EC) in 4-, 12-, and 30-day old rats has been carried out using following parameters: number of labeled nuclei per vessel, or per 100 microm of vascular length, or per 1 mm2 of endothelial surface area, as well as shares of labeled EC and of vessels with labeled EC, have been estimated. The highest density of labeled nuclei was revealed in the pericapillary vessels in all rats. Its values were significantly higher in 12-day-old rats and were the lowest in 30-day-old ones.     

Influence of Ca2+ ions on UV-induced damage to mice peritoneal macrophage plasma membranes

It was shown that UV-irradiation caused damage to mice peritoneal macrophage plasma membranes. A decrease in extracellular Ca2+ leads to a decrease of the damaging effect. An increase in extracellular Ca2+ or adding of calcium ionophore A23187 to the medium is accompanied by an increase in a number of damaged cells. These data allow us to suppose that modification of the damaging effect of UV-irradiation by Ca2+ ions can be bound with changing of electric stability of membrane lipid matrix.     

Adhesiveness and antibiotic resistance of the causative agents of salmonella infection in Gomel' region

The adhesive capacity, resistance to antibiotics and biological properties of Salmonella strains of different serogroups, circulating in the Gomel region, were under study. Resistance to antibiotics and changes in biological properties were accompanied by an increased adhesiveness of these strains. A high degree of adhesiveness was noted in S. hadar, a new for Belarus strains.