Postvaccinal immunity to polio-viruses of children with chronic renal pathology

41 children with chronic renal diseases (with different forms of chronic glomerulonephritis or chronic renal failure) previously vaccinated with 5 to 9 doses of oral poliovaccine (OPV) were examined. Analysis of immunity to polioviruses revealed insufficient serologic protection against all three types of polioviruses compared with general population. Algorithm of yearly serologic examination as well as a schedule of additional vaccination against poliomyelitis depending on chronic renal pathology were developed.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the mycoplasma isolated from the Javanese macaque (M. fascicularis)

The nucleotide sequence of the fragment of 16S-aRNA of mycoplasma was determined. The fragment was identified using the PCR method in the urogenital scrape of the Javanese macaque (M. fascicularis). The sequenced fragment of mycoplasma of M. fascicularis was compared to well-known sequences of mycoplasma of mammals. The results of our comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the sequenced DNA fragment revealed that the mycoplasma belonged to the M. primatum species and fell within the same cluster as M. hominis. The mycoplasma M. primatum was for the first time observed in the monkeys M. fascicularis. The pathogenicity of the mycoplasma species with respect to monkeys is being studied.     

Biogeochemical processes in the algal-bacterial mats of the Urinskii alkaline hot spring

The structure and production characteristics of microbial communities from the Urinskii alkaline hot spring (Buryat Republic, Russia) have been investigated. A distinctive characteristic of this hot spring is the lack of sulfide in the issuing water. The water temperature near the spring vents ranged from 69 to 38.5°C and pH values ranged from 8.8 to 9.2. The total mineralization of water was less than 0.1 g/liter. Temperature has a profound effect on the species composition and biogeochemical processes occurring in the algal-bacterial mats of the Urinskii hot spring. The maximum diversity of the phototrophic community was observed at the temperatures 40 and 46°C. A total of 12 species of cyanobacteria, 4 species of diatoms, and one species of thermophilic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria, Chloroflexus aurantiacus, have been isolated from mat samples. At temperatures above 40°C, the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium laminosum was predominant; its cell number and biomass concentration comprised 95.1 and 63.9%, respectively. At lower temperatures, the biomass concentrations of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limosa and diatoms increased (50.2 and 36.4%, respectively). The cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus, which is normally found in neutral or slightly acidic hydrothermal systems, was detected in microbial communities. As the diatom concentration increases, so does the dry matter concentration in mats, while the content of organic matter decreases. The concentrations of proteins and carbohydrates reached their maximum levels at 45–50°C. The maximum average rate of oxygenic photosynthesis [2.1 g C/(m² day)], chlorophyll a content (343.4 mg/m²), and cell number of phototrophic microorganisms were observed at temperatures from 45 to 50°C. The peak mass of bacterial mats (56.75 g/m²) occurred at a temperature of 65–60°C. The maximum biomass concentration of phototrophs (414.63 × 10^?6 g/ml) and the peak rate of anoxygenic photosynthesis [0.42 g C/(m² day)] were observed at a temperature of 35–40°C.     

Influence of a natural and a synthetic inhibitor of factor XIIIa on fibrin clot rheology

We investigated the origins of greater clot rigidity associated with FXIIIa-dependent cross-linking. Fibrin clots were examined in which cross-linking was controlled through the use of two inhibitors: a highly specific active-center-directed synthetic inhibitor of FXIIIa, 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-diphenyl-2[2(oxopropyl)thio]imidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate, and a patient-derived immunoglobulin directed mainly against the thrombin-activated catalytic A subunits of thrombin-activated FXIII. Cross-linked fibrin chains were identified and quantified by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunostaining with antibodies specific for the alpha- and gamma-chains of fibrin. Gamma-dimers, gamma-multimers, alpha(n)-polymers, and alpha(p)gamma(q)-hybrids were detected. The synthetic inhibitor was highly effective in preventing the production of all cross-linked species. In contrast, the autoimmune antibody of the patient caused primarily an inhibition of alpha-chain cross-linking. Clot rigidities (storage moduli, G') were measured with a cone and plate rheometer and correlated with the distributions of the various cross-linked species found in the clots. Our findings indicate that the FXIIIa-induced dimeric cross-linking of gamma-chains by itself is not sufficient to stiffen the fibrin networks. Instead, the augmentation of clot rigidity was more strongly correlated with the formation of gamma-multimers, alpha(n)-polymers, and alpha(p)gamma(q)-hybrid cross-links. A mechanism is proposed to explain how these cross-linked species may enhance clot rigidity.     

The phylogenetic potential of entire 26S rDNA sequences in plants

18S ribosomal RNA genes are the most widely used nuclear sequences for phylogeny reconstruction at higher taxonomic levels in plants. However, due to a conservative rate of evolution, 18S rDNA alone sometimes provides too few phylogenetically informative characters to resolve relationships adequately. Previous studies using partial sequences have suggested the potential of 26S or large-subunit (LSU) rDNA for phylogeny retrieval at taxonomic levels comparable to those investigated with 18S rDNA. Here we explore the patterns of molecular evolution of entire 26S rDNA sequences and their impact on phylogeny retrieval. We present a protocol for PCR amplification and sequencing of entire (approximately 3.4 kb) 26S rDNA sequences as single amplicons, as well as primers that can be used for amplification and sequencing. These primers proved useful in angiosperms and Gnetales and likely have broader applicability. With these protocols and primers, entire 26S rDNA sequences were generated for a diverse array of 15 seed plants, including basal eudicots, monocots, and higher eudicots, plus two representatives of Gnetales. Comparisons of sequence dissimilarity indicate that expansion segments (or divergence domains) evolve 6.4 to 10.2 times as fast as conserved core regions of 26S rDNA sequences in plants. Additional comparisons indicate that 26S rDNA evolves 1.6 to 2.2 times as fast as and provides 3.3 times as many phylogenetically informative characters as 18S rDNA; compared to the chloroplast gene rbcL, 26S rDNA evolves at 0.44 to 1.0 times its rate and provides 2.0 times as many phylogenetically informative characters. Expansion segment sequences analyzed here evolve 1.2 to 3.0 times faster than rbcL, providing 1.5 times the number of informative characters. Plant expansion segments have a pattern of evolution distinct from that found in animals, exhibiting less cryptic sequence simplicity, a lower frequency of insertion and deletion, and greater phylogenetic potential.      

Synemin and vimentin are components of intermediate filaments in avian erythrocytes

Synemin, a high-molecular-weight protein associated with intermediate filaments in muscle, and vimentin, an intermediate-filament subunit found in many different cell types, have been identified by immunologic and electrophoretic criteria as components of intermediate filaments in mature avian erythrocytes. Desmin, the predominant subunit of intermediate filaments in muscle, has not been detected in these cells. Two dimensional immunoautoradiography of proteolytic fragments of synemin and vimentin demonstates that the erythrocyte proteins are highly homologous, if not identical, to their muscle counterparts. Double immunoflurorescence reaveals that erythrocyte synemin and vimentin co-localize in a cytoplasmic network of sinuous filaments that extends from the nucleus to the plasma membrane and resists aggregation by colcemid. Erythrocytes that are attached to glass cover slips can be sonicated to remove nuclei and nonadherent regions of the plasma membrane; this leaves elliptical patches of adherent membrane that retain mats of vimentin- and synemin-containing intermediate filaments, as seen by immunofluorescence and rotary shadowing. Similarly, mechanical enucleation of erythrocyte ghosts in suspension allows isolation of plasma membranes that retain a significant fraction of the synemin and vimentin, as assayed by electrophoresis, and intermediate filaments, as seen in thin sections. Both synemin and vimentin remain insoluble along with spectrin and actin, in solutions containing nonionic detergent and high salt. However, brief exposure of isolated membrane to distilled water releases the synemin and vimentin together in nearly pure form, before the release of significant amounts of spectrin and actin. These data suggest that avian erythrocyte intermeditate filaments are somehow anchored to the plasma membrane; erythrocytes may thus provide a simple system for the study of intermediate filaments and their mode of interaction with membranes. In addition, these data, in conjunction with previous data from muscle, indicate that synemin is capable of associating with either desmin or vimentin and may thus perform a special role in the structure or function of intermediate filaments in erythrocytes as well as muscle.     

The psychophysiological testing of temperament]

A comparison was carried out of the dynamics of the activation focus of the human cerebral cortex with the data of psychological testing by the ergic parameter of the "Questionnaire for estimation of temperament structure". It is shown that the right hemisphere in the subjects conditionally attributed to the sting type ("highergice") is much more involved involving verbal tasks than in "week" types. In subjects conditionally attributed to the "week" type, at fulfillment of verbal tasks inert predominance of the left hemisphere activation is noted.