Experience with epidemiologic studies of pyocyaneus infections. I. Feasibility of using serotypes and antibiotic resistance as a epidemiologic label for clinical strains]

The authors carried out serological typing of 98 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, isolated from patients of burn department of the Sklifosovsky First Aid Institute in January-July, 1974, and of 215 strains obtained from other sources; their sensitivity to 13 antibiotics was determined. Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures isolated from the patients were typed with O-sera of 10 serological types. The presence of several hospital strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found by means of serological typing; along with these there were revealed cultures of this causative agent sporadically appearing in the department. Sensitivity to some antibiotics could serve as an additional criterion for differentiation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains of the same serological type.     

Cleavage of concatamer-type substrates by restriction endonucleases MVA1 and SSO1I

The interaction of enzymes SsoII (decreases CCNGG) and MvaI (CC decreases A/TGG) with concatemeric DNA duplexes used earlier to study EcoRII (decreases CCA/TGG) TGG was investigated with a view of elucidating the general principles of the restriction endonuclease function. A pattern common for all the three enzymes was observed with DNA duplexes containing AA or TT pairs in the central position of the recognition site. The AA pair blocks or substantially hinders the endonuclease action, whereas the TT pair is either less inhibitory or altogether inert. SsoII, similar to EcoRII was able to processively cleave the concatemeric substrates and to interact with (or to be close to) the hydrogen in the 5th position of the outer dC residue of the recognition site. MvaI was found to differ from EcoRII in the way they recognize and cleave the same nucleotide sequence. The substrate-bound MvaI molecule is incapable of linear diffusion along the DNA. Effective hydrolysis of dU- and m5dC-containing polymers rules out the participation of hydrophobic contacts of the enzyme with the methyl group of the dT residue and with the 5th hydrogen of the outer dC residue of the recognition site in DNA-protein interactions.     

Gene IL6 G(-174)C and gene IL10 G(-1082)A polymorphisms are associated with unfavourable outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome

We investigated the association of gene IL6 G(-174)C polymorphism and gene IL10 G(-1082)A polymorphism with coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Russian population. A total of 1145 patients with CAD diagnose on the basis of clinical studies in cardiological hospitals of Moscow, St -Petersburg, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Stavropol and Rostov-on-Don. Supervision term was 9.10 +/- 5.03 months (the maximum term 18 months). In case of gene IL10 G(-1082)A polymorphism we determined that patients with CAD diagnose and A alleles gene IL10 had unfavorable outcome more often than patients with homozygous G alleles. Survival time from end point from carrier genotype GA and AA is 11.68 +/- 0.67 months against 12.69 +/- 0.65 months from carrier phenotype GG gene IL10 (chi2 = 4.13, p = 0.042). The group studied do not differ significantly with respect to the distributions of gene IL6 G(-174)C alleles and genotypes. However in case combined group studies of gene IL10 G(-1082)A polymorphism and IL6 G(-174)C polymorphism we determined that patients with CAD diagnose and carrier genotype GG gene IL6 and genotype GA and AA gene IL10 had unfavorable outcome more often (survival time 11.01 +/- 1.24 months) than patients with genotype CC and CG gene IL6 and genotype GG gene IL10 (survival time 13.28 +/- 0.83 months) chi2 = 10.23, p = 0.017. The obtained data allows assuming the important role of the IL6 and IL10 genes which are responsible for functioning of inflammation system, in the accelerated formation of failures at the patients who had a coronary syndrome.     

The polymorphisms G(−174)C in IL6 gene and G(−1082)A in IL10 gene are associated with poor outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Association between the rates of poor outcomes in the patient cohort with acute coronary syndrome and polymorphisms G(?174)C in the IL6 gene and G(?1082)A in the IL10 gene were determined. In total, 1145 patients hospitalized for coronary artery disease to cardiological hospitals of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Stavropol, and Rostov-on-Don were examined. The mean observation period was 9.10 ± 5.03 months (maximal, 18 months). Analysis of the survival of the patients with acute coronary syndrome that carried allele A has demonstrated that the presence of IL10 gene polymorphism G(?1082)A is associated with more frequent poor outcomes as compared with GG genotype. The survival time to endpoint for the carriers of GA and AA genotypes was 11.68 ± 0.67 months versus 12.69 ± 0.65 months for the carriers of GG genotype in IL10 gene (χ² = 4.13, p = 0.042). As for the IL6 gene polymorphism G(?174)C, survival rate analysis did not detect any significant association with the risk for poor outcome. However, joint analysis of these polymorphisms in both genes has demonstrated that characteristic of the patients with acute coronary syndrome that carry GG genotype of IL6 gene and GA and AA genotypes of IL10 is a higher rate of poor outcomes (time to endpoint, 11.01 ± 1.24 months) as compared with the carriers of IL6 gene CC and CG genotypes and IL10 gene GG genotype (time to endpoint, 13.28 ± 0.83 months (ξ² = 10.23, p = 0.017). These data suggest that the genes IL6 and IL10, whose products are involved in the control of inflammatory response, play an important role by increasing the probability of poor outcomes in the patients with acute coronary syndrome.     

The role of historical processes in determining tree species richness in the forests of Western Caucasus

To estimate the role of history in variation of tree species richness in the forests of the Western Caucasus we analyzed correlation between their local richness (S--the mean number of species per 300 m2) and size of actual species pool (N--the number of species per 1 ha). If compared communities are differently distant from the point of evolutionary equilibrium one should expect a significant variation in correlation between S and N (determined with the greater sensitivity of N than S in respect of historical factors). The lower value of N/S corresponds to less saturated level of historically determined species richness. A mean N/S ratio in Japana temperate broadleaved forests (Masaki et al., 1999) provided the basis for analysis. The present tree species richness of the forest communities in the 1 ha plots seem essentially determined by the historical processes. The mountain forest communities of Western Caucasus are characterized on the average with lower saturation level of the actual tree species pool in comparison with the Japan temperate broad-leaved forest communities. On the Western Caucasus the middle mountain beech and coniferous-broadleaved communities (400-1600 m a.s.l.) are characterized with the higher saturation level of the actual species pool in comparison with communities located lower and higher. These results confirm published historical reconstructions, according to which the middle mountain forest communities in the Western Caucasus are older than forests located higher or lower. Present low mountain forests of the southern (to Black Sea) and the northern macroslopes of the Western Caucasus are characterized with similar saturation level of the actual species pool. These data agree with the assumption of Dolukhanov (1980) that low mountain zone of the southern macroslope was not a refuge for tree species in Pleistocene.