Efficacy of cow's kumiss in the treatment of large intestine dysbacteriosis and its impact on tolerability of antituberculosis agents in patients with respiratory tract tuberculosis]

Dysbacteriosis of the large intestine is one of severe complications of long-term use of antituberculosis agents in the treatment of respiratory tract tuberculosis that results in a significant decrease of tolerability of antituberculosis agents, persistence of tuberculosis intoxication and slower involution of the tuberculosis process in the lungs. When the complex treatment with antituberculosis agents was accompanied by the use of cow's kumiss for correction of the large intestine dysbacteriosis, the intoxication signs disappeared in 12% of the patients in the main group, while in the patients of the control group the level of the intoxication syndrome increased twice. The rate of the tuberculosis lesions regression evident from the lung roentgenograms was 2.7-fold higher in the main group vs. the control (62 and 23% respectively). The indices of the lung functional capacity recovery in the patients of the main group vs. the control were also higher (41 and 33% respectively). Hepatic toxic reactions in the patients not given cow's kumiss for correction of dysbacteriosis were 8 times more frequent vs. the control. The results of the study made it possible to develop recommendations for phthisiologists in the use of cow's kumiss as one of the methods of pathogenetic therapy in complex treatment of patients with respiratory tract tuberculosis in sanatoria.     

Significance of local (regional) microbiological monitoring in the treatment of hospital infections in oncologic patients]

Infection is the main cause of severe complications and death in oncologic patients. The paper presents the results of a 3-year (2002-2004) local (regional) microbiological monitoring of hospital infections that complicated the main disease in patients of a regional oncologic hospital (Moscow region). The 3-year monitoring revealed the leading microorganisms being the etiological agents of the hospital infections. The dynamics of the resistance of the main hospital microflora to the antibiotics used in the hospital within the above mentioned period was studied. The results served as the basis for recommendations on optimization of the antibacterial therapy of oncologic patients with infectious complications under conditions of a regional oncologic hospital.     

Effect of antibiotics on fecal excretion of various products of microbial metabolism of aromatic amino acids

The model experiments on intact albino rats and those exposed to lincomycin, ampicillin and rifampicin showed that intragastric administration of the three antibiotics to the laboratory animals in therapeutic doses for 8 days induced statistically significant changes in the fecal excretion of n-cresol, indole and skatole, microbial metabolites of aromatic amino acids in the gastrointestinal tract of a macroorganism. The results are in favour of using biochemical tests for rapid diagnosis of the intestinal microflora response to antimicrobial agents.     

Study of the ultrastructural and functional expression of the hepatocyte genome under conditions of prolonged depression of protein biosynthesis by cycloheximide. III]

Dynamics of changes in mtRNA synthesis and mitochondria ultrastructure is strictly dependent on the level of inhibition of biosynthesis of cytoplasm proteins and "soluble" proteins of mitochondria by cycloheximide in hepatocytes: 1-6 hrs later a progressive weakening of protein synthesis is accompanied by a drop in mtRNA synthesis and essential destruction of mitochondria; from 12 to 24 hrs a partial restoration of protein biosynthesis induces the processes of the above-mentioned indexes normalization.     

Antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of the monocarbonyl curcumin analogs B2BRBC and C66 in monocrotaline‐induced right ventricular hypertrophy

For 22 days after monocrotaline injection two groups of rats received either of the monocarbonyl curcumin analogs (2E,6E)‐2,6‐bis(2‐bromobenzylidene)cycloxehanone (B2BrBC) and (2E,6E)‐2,6‐bis([2‐tri?uoromethyl]benzylidene)cyclohexanone (C66), and their right ventricle parameters were compared to those from the control and the monocrotaline injected animals. B2BrBC and C66 treatments did not prevent the monocrotaline‐induced right ventricular hypertrophy but attenuated the changes in antioxidant enzyme activities and reduced inflammation. The level of thiol‐based nonenzymatic antioxidants did not change in the function of monocrotaline or curcumin analogs treatment. However, due to its stronger antioxidant properties, only B2BrBC treatment was effective in the reduction of monocrotaline‐associated lipid peroxidation. The obtained results suggest that increasing the levels of antioxidant enzymes may not be sufficient to reduce oxidative stress and chronic inflammation optimally and our current study supports the potential of compounds with more than one beneficial biological activity as a promising treatment against the progression of cardiac hypertrophy.     

Revisiting the use of Iprodione and Trichoderma in the integrated management of onion white rot

The biocontrol properties of Trichoderma species are well documented, but their effectiveness in antagonism of the problematic Sclerotium cepivorum, the causal agent of white rot in Allium species, appears limited with reports of significant control only relating to deliberately-mutated strains of Trichoderma. Our previous studies have indicated the possibility of using selected naturally-occurring strains of the antagonist in the suppression of other diseases; now in vitro and controlled environment in vivo studies have indicated that a degree of control of Onion White Rot is possible, and that the selected antagonist strains can be used in integrated treatments with Iprodione to good effect. The possible value of such treatments is considered in light of other approaches to the suppression of this continuing problem.     

Reaction of rats organ cells to inhibition of protein biosynthesis by sublethal doses of cycloheximide

Time-dependent responses of cellular systems in rat organs and Fe(3+)-transferrin and Cu(2+)-ceruloplasmin pools in blood to the blocking of translation by sublethal doses of cycloheximide (CHI) was studied by EPR spectroscopy and radioisotope techniques. It was shown that, within the early post-CHI-treatment time, the suppression of deoxyribonucleotide and DNA biosynthesis, the activation of catabolic enzymes, the inhibition of electron transfer in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the activation and the following inactivation of cytochrome P-450, and an intensive production of nitrosyl complexes in rat blood and organs occur. In addition, the activation of the synthesis of steroid hormones in adrenal gland was revealed within 1-24 h after cycloheximide injection. In response to these metabolic disturbances, nonspecific compensatory recovery reactions developed, first of all, the "reprograming" of the translation process to produce new protein-synthesizing elements instead of cycloheximide-blocked ones. The activation of protein synthesis promotes the recovery of deoxyribonucleotide and DNA synthesis, the restoration of the redox state of mitochondrial and microsomal electron transport chains in organs as well as an increase of Fe(3+)-transferrin and Cu(2+)-ceruloplasmin pools in rat blood. These metabolic processes result in the full recovery of the functional ability of organs.     

Modern antifungals in therapy of nosocomial mycosis in oncologic patients

Rational position of voriconazole in the treatment of oncologic inpatients was shown and the criteria of its use in the algorithms of the therapy and prophylaxis of nosocomial fungal infections were developed. The clinical trial enrolled 50 patients with oncologic pathologies. The patients were divided into two groups of possible invasive candidiasis risk. The patients of one group were treated with fluconazole (Diflucan) and those of the other group were treated with voriconazole (Vifend). The spectrum of the hospital fungal flora was determined and susceptibility of 310 clinically important opportunistic fungi was investigated. All the isolates of Candida albicans and C.tropicalis were susceptible to amphotericin B, fluconazole and voriconazole and 79 and 50% of the isolates were susceptible to intraconazole respectively. As for the C.krusei isolates, 67% was susceptible to amphotericin B, 50% was susceptible to fluconazole, 100% was susceptible to voriconazole and none of the strains was susceptible to intraconazole. By the clinical efficacy voriconazole was superior to fluconazole and comparable with amphotericin B, while superior to it by the number of the side effects and by the cost of the treatment course. It was concluded that voriconazole should be considered as the main agent in the antifungal therapy of oncologic patients.     

Ecdysterone Modulates Antitumor Activity of Cytostatics and Biosynthesis of Macromolecules in Tumor-Bearing Mice

The influence of therapeutic and half doses of cisplatin and adriamycin combination with the anabolic drug ecdysterone (20-hydroecdison) on development of subcutaneously and intraperitoneally transplanted P388 and L1210 leukemia and metastasizing B16 melanoma was studied. Ecdysterone significantly stimulated the chemotherapeutic effect of low doses of the cytostatics: inhibition of tumor growth, mice survival rate, their lifespan, and the antimetastatic activity index were comparable or better than after therapy with high doses of the antitumor drugs. The influence of high and low doses of cisplatin and its low dose in combination with ecdysterone on the dynamics of protein and DNA biosynthesis in the liver, pancreas, thymus, spleen, and adrenals of tumor-bearing mice were also studied. Although the therapeutic effect of 4 mg/kg cisplatin by activated protein biosynthesis and DNA repair is comparable or better than that of its low dose (2 mg/kg) in combination with ecdysterone, in terms of chemotherapy the combination looks preferable since the therapeutic dose of cisplatin is toxic for the intact tissues.