COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WHOLE CARTILAGE TISSUE THERMOSTABILITY IN DISEASED PATIENTS VERSUS INJURED PATIENTS

We conducted comparative thermodynamic analysis of femoral cartilages tissue of injured (healthy) patients and patients with congenital hip dislocation. It is shown, that temperature which corresponds to maximum of heat absorption peak of femoral cartilages tissue of diseased patient is on 6.4oC lower than heat absorption peak of femoral cartilages tissue of healthy patient. Heat absorbed during denaturation process in all these cases are close to each other with experimental error accuracy and corresponds to 52±2.6, 51±2.6 and 50±2.5 J/g of dried biomass accordingly. Analysis of the published data makes it possible to assert that the dominant heat absorption stage on DSC curves of tested fresh tissues samples is associated with melting of collagen fibers, hence the thermal stability of the collagen fibers in the patient's tissue is reduced relative to norm.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR TYPING OF BRUCELLA STRAINS CIRCULATING IN GEORGIA

In 2009-2013, 851 cases of brucellosis were registered in Georgia. Most cases of brucellosis were found in eastern Georgia (91.3% of cases). Mainly men were infected with brucellosis (81.0%).The age group with the most frequent cases of brucellosis is 30-59 years (48.5%). Brucellosis is rarely found among children(0-4 years - 2.0%, 5-14 years - 8.0%). Brucellosis cases were linked to professional activity; mainly by farmers (33.0% of those infected) and shepherds (27.0%). Biotyping Brucella by microbiological methods alone has limitations, so molecular typing was implemented in this study to confirm species. Isolates from human blood and ruminant milk or blood were identified by a bacteriological algorithm and confirmed by real-time PCR (Brucella T1, Idaho Technology). Species identity was confirmed using the AMOS conventional PCR assay, which differentiates four human pathogenic species but cannot recognize certain biovars within them. This gap was addressed by using more universal species-specific Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) assays. Real-time PCR was used to confirm 86 Brucella strains (48 human, 38 animal isolates) obtained 2009-2011. AMOS PCR supported the biochemical test results for 53 B. melitensis and four B. abortus strains, but not for 29 suspected B. abortus human and animal isolates. SNP typing of all 86 isolates supported the AMOS PCR results but also confirmed the species of the 29 strains not amplified by AMOS PCR. In 2009-2013 years the prevalence of brucellosis was still high. Nowadays cases of brucellosis are higher in the western part of Georgia than in the 1991-2005 period by a factor of 2.62. Brucellosis continues to be mainly an infection in males, because men are mostly engaged in sheep and cattle care. Combined AMOS PCR and SNP typing in this study provided the first genetic confirmation that both B. abortus and B. melitensis are actively circulating in humans and animals in Georgia.

Extracellular matrix thermostability of breast gland carcinoma

Thermostability of epithelial cell matrix in composition of normal and breast ductal carcinoma tissues at various stages of the disease has been studied in the temperature range 40-90°C with help of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It has been shown that the denaturation process has three stages of transition in both cases. The temperatures corresponding to maxima of these structural transitions (Td) in case of normal and ductal carcinoma tissues equals to 55 , 66,78 C and 48, 55, 60, 85°C, respectively. Denaturation enthalpy (∆Hd) reflects contribution of hydrogen bonds, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in stability of native structures of biomacromolecules; in case of normal tissues, it equals 68,5±6.0 J/g dry biomass and decreases up to 52.5±6.0 J/g dry biomass in stage III of the disease. On the basis of presented and published experimental data, it is affirmed that the dominant transitions with Td around 66 and 60°C in case of norm and carcinoma, accordingly, correspond to denaturation of collagen IV fibers--the main component of microenvironment of duct epithelial cells (ECM)--and weakly expressed transition stages at 55, 78, 85°C correspond to denaturation of cytoplasmatic proteins. It is supposed that the observed significant differences in thermostability, in particular, 6° decrease of the ECM main component collagen, 7° increase of cytoplasmic proteins, and a significant decrease of total ∆Hd in case of ductal carcinoma compared to norm may be used as a new express test together with other existed tests for diagnosis of breast cancer at early stage of disease using some mg quantities of biopsy tissue.

[Ultrastructural study of TNT effect on the callus cells and the cells of intact plants of Yucca gloriosa L]

Intracellular distribution of assimilated 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in callus cells, flower buds and leaves of intact Yucca gloriosa L. plants using electron microscope radioautography. The radiotracer was detected in vacuoles, plastids, mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm. It was found that in dedifferentiated callus cells TNT was incorporated in the vacuoles in greater quantities in comparison with the cells of intact plant. Correspondingly the ultrastructural integrity of the dedifferentiated cells is less damaged.