“Microbiological aging” by Mechnikov. How to interpret these ideas today?

Mechnikov’s hypothesis that the key to prolongation of life lies in the introduction of useful microflora to the gut was not proved. Any microflora needs nutrition and perceives the human body only as a nutrient substrate. Destruction of the basement membranes, that delimit the epithelium contacting with aggressive microbiological environment from the deeper parts of the body, can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases and aging of the skin as a consequence of invasion of microorganisms. At the ultrastructural level this has been shown by the example of prostatitis and skin aging changes. Coupled with the penetration of germs, a flux of immune cells may cause autoimmune reactions due to abrupt changes in the molecular design during intermembrane transport. Thus, the physiological process of macroorganism aging can be viewed as a consequence of its microbiological destruction.     

Effect of Panavir on influenza A virus reproduction]

Mitogenic properties of panavir, as well as its effect on the grippe virus reproduction in cell systems in vitro and the effect on the survival of mice with the experimental grippe infection were studied. It was shown that panavir had no cytotoxic action whereas it was characterized by pronounced mitogenic activity and subsequently could be considered as a perspective immunomodulator. Under in vitro conditions with the use of relatively high doses for the cell contamination with the grippe virus, panavir lowered the virus production in the cell systems. When the contaminating doses were low, panavir inhibited the virus production detected at the early stages of the infection. In the in vivo studies on mice with the experimental grippe infection panavir showed antigrippe activity against both the romantadine resistant and the remantadine nonresistant populations of the grippe A virus.     

Role of anaerobic streptococci in human pathology. Report I. Etiological significance of anaerobic streptococci in chronic tonsillitis]

The authors describe a method of isolation of anaerobic streptococci from the blood. A high seeding efficiency of anaerobic streptococci from the depth of the tonsils (75.1%) and from their surface (59.7%) and also from the blood (36%) pointed to the leading role of these microbes in the etiopathogenesis of chronic tonsillitis. In healthy individuals anaerobic streptococci are revealed (by culture method) on the surface of the tonsils but rarely (6%). Str. micros are the most incident in chronic tonsillitis (in 85.3% of cases-from the depth of the tonsils and in 77.5%-from the surface), whereas Str. anaerobius and Str. intermedius occur in individual cases only (8.4-7.5% and 6.3-15%, respectively). Pure culture of Str. micros was found in 36% of cases. Pathogenetic scheme of development of bacteriemia in chronic tonsillitis and rheumatism is presented. The isolated cultures were found to be resistant to the widely-used antibiotics.     

Characteristics of the immune response of inoculated and intact animals to the administration of toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium tetani

In experiments on guinea pigs the immune reactions of the animals immunized and not immunized against tetanus in response to the injection of C. tetani spores were studied. In the immunized animals an increase in the production of tetanus antitoxin, the development of delayed hypersensitivity and the activation of the mechanisms of cell-mediated immunity were observed. The nonimmunized animals showed specific changes in the T-system of immunity without the appearance of the clinical symptoms of tetanus, which is, probably, one of the mechanisms of natural immunity.     

Guinea pig resistance to infection by the spores of the tetanus causative agent at various levels of tetanus antitoxin and delayed hypersensitivity

Comparative experimental investigations on guinea pigs immunized against tetanus, carried out with the use of different methods for the determination of immunity to tetanus, have demonstrated the existence of a relationship between the results of the tests used in these investigations (the neutralization test, the passive hemagglutination test and the allergic skin test) and the resistance of the animals to challenge with C. tetani spores in Dcl and Dlm50. The mechanisms of not only humoral, but also cell-mediated immunity play an important role in protection from tetanus infection. The possibility of using, on principle, the allergic skin test with tetanin for the evaluation of immunity to tetanus in individual patients with the aim of differential approach to protection against tetanus in traumas has been shown.     

Chirality Driven Twisting as a Driving Force of Primitive Folding in Binary Mixtures

Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres - The N-trifluoroacetylated α-aminoalcohols (TFAAAs) are able to form quasi-one-dimensional supramolecular fibers (strings) when chirally pure, and...     

Spontaneous Resolution and Super-coiling in Xerogels of the Products of Photo-Induced Formose Reaction

This work addresses the supramolecular self-organization in the xerogels of formose reaction products. The UV-induced formose reaction was held in over-saturated formaldehyde solutions at 70^°C without a catalyst. The solutions of the obtained carbohydrates were dried on a glass slide, and the obtained xerogels demonstrated a prominent optical activity, while the initial solutions were optically inactive. The xerogels contained highly elongated crystalline elements of a helical structure as well as the isometric ones. Thus xerogel formation was accompanied by a spontaneous resolution of enantiomers and separation of different-shaped supramolecular structures. The thick helices were twisted of thinner ones, while the latter were twisted of elementary structures having a diameter much smaller than 400 nm. Similar structural hierarchy is typical of biological macromolecules (DNA, proteins, and cellulose). Summarizing the obtained results, we proposed a hypothetical mechanism explaining the amplification of the initial enantiomeric excess, as well as chiral and chemical purification of the substances which were essential for the evolution of Life to start.

     

Structure formation in low-concentrated solutions of cholesterol and ergosterol

The conformational behavior of biologically important chiral molecules of cholesterol and ergosterol was studied via the method of molecular dynamics. The formation of strings and their absence was experimentally observed in methanol solutions of cholesterol and ergosterol, respectively. It was shown that the intermolecular dynamics of the molecule significantly affects the possibility of structure formation. We proposed an alternative explanation of the functional significance of cholesterol, which is apparently associated with the formation of commutation structures outside the membrane, and the biological feasibility of the presence of ergosterol in the non-commuting cells of fungi and cholesterol in the commuting cells of macroorganisms.     

Comparative study of resistance to tetanus and indices of the passive hemagglutination reaction in experimental animals

The article presents the results of the study of resistance to tetanus in 450 guinea pigs immunized against tetanus in a single injection and having antitoxin titers in their blood, as determined in the passive hemagglutination test, from less than or equal to 0.01 IU/ml to 1.6 IU/ml and more. The degree of protection in the immunized animals was determined by their challenge with Clostridium tetani spores in DCL and LD50.     

L,D-Polydeoxyribonucleotides to provide an essential inhibitory effect on DNA polymerase β of human myeloid leukemia HL60 cells

The inhibitory effect of D and L-polynucleotides of a given length (40-50n) on the catalytic activity of DNA polymerase β isolated from chromatin cells of acute myeloid leukemia HL-60 was evaluated. The synthesized L enantiomer was found to have a higher inhibitory activity than the synthesized and isolated D enantiomers of polynucleotides. The work also proposes a biophysical model that describes this effect.