[Effect of ACE inhibitors on the mental status of elderly patients with chronic cardiac insufficiency]

This paper reviews prevalence of chronic cardiac insufficiency and effects of depression and anxiety conditions on its clinical course and prognosis. Clinical and experimental findings are discussed with reference to the role of the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in pathogenesis of chronic cardiac insufficiency, depression, and certain psychic and nervous diseases. Special attention is given to the influence of CAE inhibitors on mental health of elderly subjects.

[Tuberculous IgE antibodies. Part II. Study of its concentrations in different forms of tuberculosis]

Tuberculosis-afflicted lung are infiltrated by two functionally types of lymphocytes, which presumably counteract with each other by producing proinflammatory (type 1) and anti-inflammatory (type 2) cytokines. It is held that irregular sequestration of antigen into different compartments of the lung may lead to preferential activation of T-helper 1 or T-helper 2 lymphocytes. Unlike IgE antibodies, specific tuberculosis IgE antibodies are seen only in tuberculosis infection. The mean values of IgE antibodies in tuberculosis (7.661 +/- 0.849 IU/ml) are significantly greater than those in other pulmonary diseases (1.768 +/- 0.116 IU/ml). Low concentrations of tuberculosis IgE antibodies in persons with a marked hyperergic response to tuberculin (1.808 +/- 0.097 IU/ml) are of importance. Significant concentrations of mycobacterial IgE antibodies are mainly detected in fibrocavernous (14.56 +/- 1.11 IU/ml), infiltrative (10.10 +/- 1.08 IU/ml), peripheral lymph nodal (10.53 +/- 1.09 IU/ml) tuberculosis rather than intrathoracic lymph nodal tuberculosis (4.555 +/- 0.340 IU/ml). There is a particularly considerable increase in specific IgE antibodies in a phase of decay (15.98 +/- 1.64 IU/ml) and infiltration (12.66 +/- 1.08 IU/ml). These groups also show a concurrent rise in tuberculosis IgG antibodies, which nevertheless disagree with the increase of IgE (the correlation coefficient is 0.599).

[Anti-tuberculous IgE antibodies. I. Immunodominant antigens]

It is widely accepted that protection against tuberculosis is provided by the formation of type 1 immune response, which is characterized by the production of IFN-gamma and IL-2. However, type 2 antimycobacterial immune response is also present: specific IgE antibodies that are IL-4 dependent, are usually found in tuberculosis patients. There is elevated production of type 2 cytokines in some cases. Thus, both types of an immune response can simultaneously develop, probably counteracting with each other. It is unknown which of mycobacterial antigens are capable of inducing a preferential type 2 response. To detect these antigens, the authors studied tuberculosis IgE antibodies in the sera of 500 tuberculosis patients by using the ELISA assay with ultrasonic disintegrated M. Tuberculosis H37Rv (sonicate). Antigens recognized by IgE antibodies were found to be localized in the cell wall of mycobacteria. The IgE-response was specific since the sera did not react with the antigens of atypical mycobacteria and other bacterial species.

Endogenous fragment of hemoglobin, neokyotorphin, as cell growth factor

It is shown that neokyotorphin (the alpha-globin fragment 137-141) stimulates proliferation of normal cells (murine embryonic fibroblasts, red bone marrow and spleen cells) and tumor cells (murine melanoma and transformed fibroblasts L929) in the absence or in the presence of fetal bovine serum. In contrast to serum deprivation conditions, the ability to potentiate L929 cell growth in the presence of fetal serum is strongly cell density dependent. The peptide also enhances the viability of L929 cells, murine embryonic fibroblasts and of the primary cultures of murine red bone marrow cells and splenocytes under serum-deprivation conditions for at least 72 h. The results of flow cytometry analysis suggest that the effect of neokyotorphin on survival of L929 cells in serum-free culture medium is due to maintenance of cell proliferation in the absence of growth factors. Along with cell cycle progression the peptide induces reversible reduction of L929 cell size.

[The comparative cultural-biochemical and immunochemical identification of laboratory strains of cultured mycobacteria from leprous patient lesions and from soil]

The paper presents the results of studied of cultural biochemical and immunochemical properties of the cultured mycobacteria isolated from patients with leprous lesions of (M.01, M.011) and the soil (M. lufu) in compared to other well-known mycobacteria and between them. M.01, M.011, and M. lufu differ from other representatives of the genus Mycobacterium, but they are close to each other in their cultural biochemical and immunochemical properties, antigenic composition, and protein spectra. The findings are an additional characteristic of the biological properties of M.01, M.011, and M. lufu.

Peptides comprising the bulk of rat brain extracts: isolation, amino acid sequences and biological activity

Chromatographic separation of rat brain extracts followed by automatic Edman sequencing of the major individual components resulted in identification of 61 endogenous peptides derived from known functional proteins (hemoglobin, myelin basic protein, cytochrome-c oxidase, etc.) or unknown precursors. The results are compared with the data obtained earlier for bovine brain. Although the sequences of bovine and rat hemoglobin contain about 20% of amino acid substitutions, the families of structurally related peptides are very similar in both extracts. Several other proteins also give rise to identical or closely related peptide fragments in the two mammalian species. The outlined similarity extends almost exclusively to the most abundant peptides present in the extracts. The minor components show less overlap. Four hemoglobin-derived peptides isolated from rat brain were shown to be biologically active in tumor cells. Eleven are identical to bioactive peptides from other species. Ten structurally overlap with bioactive peptides from other sources. The data obtained show similar biosynthetic pathways of pool components in different species, the resultant peptides being aimed at fulfilling related functions.

[Detection of antituberculosis antibodies and antigens by enzyme immunoassay in young and preschool children suffering from tuberculosis]

Antituberculosis antibodies and mycobacterial antigens were detected in 74 young and preschool children suffering from tuberculosis by using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). They were found in 75.7% and 68.9% of children, respectively. The highest levels of antibodies were significantly greater in patients with active disseminated processes than in those with active restrictive processes. There were no great differences in the levels of antigens between the patients having different activities of a tuberculosis process. Follow-up indicated that there was a reduction in the levels of antibodies and antigens at 6-month treatment. The use of enzyme EIA in children ill with tuberculosis may serve an additional criterion for diagnosis of tuberculosis, evaluation of its activity and course.

[Examining of humoral immunity on mycobacteria antigens in sarcoidosis]

Antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens H37Rv and reverse strains previously isolated from patients with sarcoidosis with granular isolates were determined in 50 patients with sarcoidosis (including 16 patients isolating granular types) and 56 patients with tuberculosis, by using ELISA and immunoblotting. Serum antibodies from patients with sarcoidosis were ascertained to more commonly react in ELISA with the antigen (ultrasound disintegrant (USDs) obtained from reverse mycobacteria isolated (initially) from patients with sarcoidosis (AGS) than with the USD of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv (AGT) and, on the contrary, serum antibodies from patients with tuberculosis more frequently reacted with the M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The spectrum of serum antibodies from patients with sarcoidosis greatly differed at immunoblotting with AGS and AGT. There was most commonly a reaction with the antigenic determinants 79, 27, 30, and 50 kDa to AGS and that of the determinants 17, 35, 32 kDa to AGT.

[Interaction of Mycobacteria isolated from sarcoidosis patients with antituberculosis antibodies]

In 80% of cases, antituberculosis antibodies from the sera of patients with tuberculosis were ascertained to react in enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with antigens (ultrasound disintegrants (USDs)) of reverse mycobacteria isolated (initially) from patients with sarcoidosis. The USDs of reverse mycobacteria isolated from patients with sarcoidosis reacted in EIA with monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against M. tuberculosis complex antigens (unique and crossover). Both common and distinctive (unique) antigenic determinants were detected via MAb against different mycobacterial types by immunoblotting in the antigenic complexes of M. tuberculosis H37Rv and reverse strains isolated from patients with sarcoidosis.

[Serological and immunochemical properties of carbohydrate-containing fraction from mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv]

Using affinity chromatography on concanavalin A (Con A) sepharose CL 6B, a carbohydrate-containing fraction was derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv sonicate. Surprisingly, the main component of Con A fraction was a protein having a molecular weight of a 30-kD range which is generally absent in the Con A-adsorbed fraction from the culture filtrate. ELISA by means of an antimycobacterial monoclonal antibody panel showed that the 30-kD range of Con A fraction contained antigen 85. It is suggested that the derived components antigen 85 are a glycosylated form of the proteins associated with the mycobacterial cell wall. The Con A fraction, antigen 85 (Department of Virology, Pasteur Institute, Brussels, Belgium), and PPD (Batch RT 45, Stattens Seruminstitute, Denmark) were used for ELISA determination of antimycobacterial antibody titers in the sera of 30 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 28 patients with nonspecific lung diseases (bronchitis and/or asthma, pneumonia), as well as in the sera of 12 healthy volunteers. The sensitivities were 46.42, 57.34, and 72.33% and the specificities were 36.97, 26.73, and 56.75% for Con A fraction, antigen 85, and PPD, respectively. The authors suggest that serodiagnostic properties of Con A fraction are extremely limited.

[Specific antisera to mycobacteria]

Antisera to several Mycobacterium species (M. bovis, M. avium, M. kansasii and M. smegmatis), capable of reacting with homologous antigen diluted not below 1:16000 in the ELISA test, have been obtained. These antisera have been found to cross-react with other Mycobacterium species. Specific antisera to M. bovis, M. avium, M. kansasii and M. smegmatis have been obtained by the multiple exhaustion method on Mycobacterium antigens giving the maximum cross reaction and used for the isolation of antibodies to these Mycobacterium species. In ELISA exhausted antisera produce reactions in the dilution 1:500. Antisera (antibodies) to M. bovis react with the determinant of the antigen with a molecular weight of 25-26 kD, antisera (antibodies) to M. kansasii react with the determinant of the antigen with a molecular weight of 72 kD, those to M. smegmatis react with the determinant of the antigen with a molecular weight of 38 kD and those to M. avium, with the determinant of the antigen with a molecular weight of 16-18 kD.