QSAR modeling and transmission electron microscopy stereology of altered mitochondrial ultrastructure of white blood cells in patients diagnosed as schizophrenic and treated with antipsychotic drugs.

Treatment of patients diagnosed as schizophrenic with antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) is known to cause occasional unexplained depletion of white blood cells, especially neutrophil granulocytes. It has been known for many years that neuroleptics can interfere with the mitochondrial respiratory chain in vitro. Because there has been a growing interest recently in mitochondrial targeting of drugs, and since a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model that predicts mitochondrial accumulation of neuroleptics has been published, we investigated the effects of neuroleptics on white blood cell mitochondria. Venous blood samples were collected from both patients undergoing treatment with neuroleptics and healthy volunteers. The samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy. The resulting images of white blood cells were analyzed using stereology to compare quantitatively mitochondrial morphology in the patient and control groups. We found that in patients, but not in controls, there was swelling of mitochondria and fragmentation of the mitochondrial cristae. There also were fewer mitochondria in patients than in controls, although due to the swelling of the organelles, the volume density of mitochondria in the two groups was not significantly different. Such changes are typical of a toxic insult. Consequently, it seems plausible that, since schizophrenia is not a disease considered to affect white blood cells per se, these changes probably are due to the medication.     

Microfluorimetric analysis of dynamics of genomic changes in Chinese hamster fibroblasts CHL V-79 RJK with multiple drug resistance

Results of a karyological analysis of cells CHL V-79 RJK selected for their resistance to ethidium bromide (EB) causing multidrug resistance (MDR) (subline Vebr-5) were compared with data from the microfluorimetric determination of the DNA content in individual chromosomes of the karyotype. The analysis was performed at the 11th and 88th passages. Karyotyping of Vebr-5 has shown the presence of an additional genetic material (AGM) in the form of homogenously or differentially stained regions (HSR or DSR, respectively) in two chromosomes (Z1 and Z6, loci 1p29-31 and 1q26, respectively). HSR in Z6, in the site of localization of the mdr gene of the wild type had unstable length and structure, which is characteristic of the morphological markers of the amplification of genes of the mdr family. During the long cultivation of Vebr-5 in the presence of EB (88 passages), the instability of HSR (DSR) in Z6 increased. Results of a microfluorimetric analysis of Vebr-5 at the 11th passage have shown a statistically significant increase of the DNA content not only in chromosomes Z1 and Z6 marked by HSR (DSR), but also in three chromosomes (Z5, Z12, and Z13) that have no visual morphological changes. The corresponding analysis at the 88th passage has also revealed nonrandom changes in the DNA content in four more chromosomes, including an increase in Z14 and a decrease in chromosomes 8, Z7, and Z9. A decrease in the DNA content in chromosomes is considered to be the result of a partial loss of genetic material, while its increase is considered to be the result of its translocation and/or amplification. While the coefficient of the variation of the DNA content changes about 9% for large chromosomes, it amounted to about 26% for the small ones, indicating that small chromosomes to have a greater potential for instability than large chromosomes. The obtained data not only confirm, but also enlarge, the concept of the directions and character of the destabilization of the cell genetic apparatus in the process of neoplastic transformation due to MDR acquisition by these cells.     

Human embryonal prealbumin-1. Chemical and immunochemical characteristics

General chemical and immunochemical characterization of human embryonic prealbumin-1 (EPA-1) isolated from abortive blood is presented. EPA-1 was found to exist as glycosylated and non-glycosylated forms, which are immunochemically identical. Sugar moiety of the glycosylated form contains residues of fucose (3.0%), mannose (3.2%), galactose (7.8%), N-acetylglucosamine (5.4%), N-acetylgalactosamine (1.2%) and N-acetylneuraminic acid. Using methylation studies, types of bonds between the sugar residues were elucidated.     

Metagenomic analysis of taxonomic and functional changes in gut microbiota of patients with the alcohol dependence syndrome

The first metagenomic study of gut microbiota in patients with the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) has been performed in the whole-genome sequencing (“shotgun”) format. Taxonomic analysis revealed changes in the relative abundance of the predominant bacteria associated with inflammatioln (including increased levels of Ruminococcus gnavus and R. torques, and decreased levels of Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia genera). The microbiota of ADS patients was characterized by the presence of opportunistic pathogens rarely detected in metagenomes of healthy individuals from different countries. Comparative analysis of total metabolic potential revealed increased relative abundance of KEGG pathways associated with the response to oxidative stress. ADS patients also had increased levels of two specific groups of genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolism of alcohol, as well as virulence factors. It is possible that gut microbiota of ADS patients demonstrating changes in both taxonomic and functional composition plays a role in modulating the effects of alcohol on the host body     

Surveillance of vivax malaria vectors and civilian patients for malaria high-risk areas in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces near the demilitarized zone,Republic of Korea, 2003–2006

After re-emergence of malaria in 1993, a continued increase in Plasmodium vivax cases was observed from 1993 to 2006 in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces adjacent to the demilitarized zone separating North from South Korea. Annual parasite incidence per 1000 people ranged from 0.33 in 2004 to 0.89 in 2006. While malaria case rates declined (22.6%) in 2004, they increased 75.1% in 2005 and 51.7% in 2006 from the previous years. An initial incorrect diagnosis of 46.8% of malaria cases as common cold resulted in a mean delay of 1.3 days for the detection malarial parasites. Of the total cases, 10.2% from December to May were due to latent intrinsic incubation infections acquired the previous malaria season and the rest of the cases from June to November were either latent or short incubation infections. Overall, the peak anopheline population occurred from July to September, resulting in a similar peak in malaria cases. While malaria cases increased during 2005–2006, anopheline populations, based on trap indices, were not significantly different during 4 years of surveillance. To decrease the malaria patient infective period to mosquitoes, public health centers in Paju and Cheorwon in 2006 prescribed chloroquine + primaquine at days 0–3 after initial malaria diagnosis followed by an additional 11 days of primaquine (early primaquine treatment), rather than chloroquine on days 0–3 and primaquine on days 4–17 (delayed primaquine treatment). A reduction in the malaria parasite incidence during 2007 was recorded for the two locations offering the early primaquine treatment relative to other locations using the delayed primaquine treatment.     

The significance of the mu- and delta-opiate receptors in realizing enkephalin action on the course of hypoxic hypoxia]

New enkephalins analogues have been synthesized. They are characterized by linear, cyclic and branched peptide chain. A relationship has been established between antihypoxic activity of opioid peptides an their interaction with opiate receptors. Compounds efficiently interacting with mu-receptors irrespective of delta-receptors affinity, promote longer survival of mice in hypoxia. The antihypoxic effect of opioids is proportional to their specificity to mu-receptors.     

Effect of tetraethylammonium intracellular microiontophoretic injection on activity of the crayfish stretch receptor

Our investigation of the slow-adapting neurons of the crayfish abdominal receptor organ has revealed that intracellular microiontophoretic injection of tetraethylammonium induces no changes in the receptor potential of the neurons. The results obtained show that tetraethylammonium-sensitive potassium channels are not important for adaptation manifested by primary receptor responses of mechanosensitive neurons.Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 91–94, March–April, 1993.