[The Efficiency of Implementation of Detailed Diary of Examination in Electronic Medical Record in Municipal Polyclinic]

The evaluation was carried out concerning efficiency of implementation of formalized and detailed form of diary of physician examination in the structure of electronic medical record in conditions of municipal polyclinic. The optimal direction of modernization of medical record was established as a formalization and detalization of patterns of of records in electronic form. It is demonstrated that implementation of such a form promotes more qualitative formatting and increases quality of medical care in general including increasing of percentage of positive outcomes of disease.

[Global eradication of poliomyelitis: intralaboratory contamination with wild poliovirus in the implementation of the program for safe laboratory containment of wild-type polioviruses in the Russian Federation]

The paper describes a case of contamination of sewage samples by a wild poliovirus type 1 strain (Mahoney) in one of the virological laboratories of the Russian Federation. It discusses the possible sources and the mechanism of contamination, as well as the problems in the implementation of the program for safe laboratory containments of wild-type polioviruses.

[The preva-lence and pattern of autoimmune thyroid disease in young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus]

This study whose purpose was to examine the prevalence and pattern of autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland (TG) in young patients with type I diabetes mellitus (DM1) involved 288 individuals with DM1 whose age was 5.5 to 30years; the average duration of DM1 was 5.5+4.7 years. In all the patients, thyroid ultrasonography was performed, thyroid antibodies (Abs) [thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Abs) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TG-Abs)] were determined, thyroid function was evaluated by measuring the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free reactions of thyroid hormones were assessed. The detection rates of TPO-Abs and TG-Abs were 22.2 and 20.5%, respectively, which was substantially greater than those in apparently healthy individuals matched by age and gender. The frequency of positive thyroid Abs was significantly higher in females. Age at the moment of examination and the duration of DM1 were not found to have an impact on the detection rate of thyroid Abs. The ultrasound signs of autoimmune thyroid diseases were revealed in 19.1% of the cases. 10.0% of the patients with DM1 were found to have these or those TG dysfunctions the most common of which was subclinical hypothyroidism (6.60%). A comprehensive TG assessment in the young patients with DM1 demonstrated the typical signs of autoimmune thyroid disease in 14.2% of the examinees. In the patients with autoimmune thyroid disease, the thyroid was significantly larger and the levels of TSH, TPO-Abs, and TG-Abs were higher than the patients without autoimmune thyroid disease and those at risk for the latter. The proportion of females was significantly higher among the patients 19 with concomitant autoimmune thyroid disease than that among those without the signs of this condition. It has been concluded that the high incidence of autoimmune thyroid disease in young patients with DM1 permits the authors to recommend a screening for its early detection, which involves the measurement of the serum level of TPO-Abs and TG ultrasonography in all females with first detected DM1.

Comparison of the breakpoint regions of ELE1 and RET genes involved in the generation of RET/PTC3 oncogene in sporadic and in radiation-associated papillary thyroid carcinomas

The RET/PTC3 oncogene is an activated form of the RET protooncogene, which is frequently rearranged in papillary thyroid carcinoma. RET/PTC3 results from a structural rearrangement between the ELE1 and the RET genes, and it has been observed in both sporadic and radiation-associated post-Chernobyl tumors. To understand the molecular basis that predisposes RET and ELE1 genes to be recurrent targets of "illegitimate" recombination, we examined the genomic regions containing the ELE1/RET breakpoints of six sporadic and three post-Chernobyl tumors in two papillary carcinomas of different origins. Our data indicated, in both genes, a clustering of the breakpoints in regions designated ELE1-bcr (1.8 kb) and RET-bcr (1.9 kb). Notably, in all sporadic tumors and in one post-Chernobyl tumor the ELE1/RET recombination corresponded with short sequences of homology (3-7 nt) between the two rearranging genes. In addition, we observed an interesting distribution of the post-Chernobyl breakpoints in ELE1-bcr located within an Alu element, or in between two close Alu elements, and always in A+T-rich regions.

Molecular and biochemical analysis of RET/PTC4, a novel oncogenic rearrangement between RET and ELE1 genes, in a post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid cancer

A post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid cancer, displaying a novel ELE1/RET oncogenic rearrangement with an anomalous fusion transcript, was molecularly characterized. In spite of the presence of a normal breakpoint in exon 5 of the activating ELE1 gene, the sequence of the rearranged genomic DNA showed a previously unreported intra-exonic breakpoint in the RET protooncogene. As a consequence, a cDNA sequence 93 nucleotides larger than the regular one, and with the exon 5 of ELE1 joined to exon 11 instead of exon 12 of RET, is formed. To characterize the product of this new oncogenic ELE1/RET rearrangement, here designated as RET/PTC4, we performed an immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis on cell extracts from NIH3T3 transfectants. The results showed the presence of two isoforms of the chimeric protein, displaying a constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation. As expected, the molecular weight of this protein was higher than that of RET/ PTC3 protein (p80 and p85, instead of p76 and p81). Previous reports, from our and other laboratories, showed that post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas are characterized by a high frequency (about 60%) of RET oncogenic rearrangements (Fugazzola et al., 1995; Klugbauer et al., 1995; Ito et al., 1994). These events predominantly involve ELE1 activating sequence, thus producing RET/PTC3 oncogene (Fugazzola et al., 1995; Klugbauer et al., 1995). Hence, this elevated frequency of RET rearrangements could increase the probability of selecting unusual events as that here described. Alternatively, targeted radiation effects could be responsible for the atypical RET rearrangement producing RET/PTC4 oncogene.

Oncogenic rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene in papillary thyroid carcinomas from children exposed to the Chernobyl nuclear accident

Since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, a striking increase of thyroid carcinoma has been reported in children exposed to radiation in Belarus. Because of its unprecedented scale and its emotional implications, this finding has raised concern and called the attention of the scientific community to this major health problem. Although epidemiologically documented, a direct correlation between thyroid cancer and radiation exposure has not been definitely proven at the molecular level. On the assumption that ionizing radiation could cause specific and common cancer-associated genetic lesions, an analysis of oncogene activation and/or tumor suppressor gene inactivation would help to define radiation-induced thyroid carcinomas. Therefore, we have analyzed by different molecular approaches, including Southern blotting, DNA transfection assay on NIH-3T3 cells, and reverse transcription-PCR analysis, six papillary carcinomas from children living in the region of Belarus at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident to identify tumor-specific gene rearrangements of the proto-oncogenes RET and TRK, previously found activated in a tumor type-specific manner in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Using Southern blot analysis in four cases, we could detect specific rearranged bands indicating an oncogenic activation of RET that in three cases resulted in rearranged sequences provided by the same activating gene. Moreover, the DNA of the last three cases showed a biological activity in transforming NIH-3T3 cells after the DNA-mediated transfection assay, and the respective NIH-3T3 transfectants were found to express the oncogenic fusion transcripts. These results support the possibility that RET oncogenic activation could represent a major genetic lesion associated with thyroid carcinoma in children exposed to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

[Pyruvate and glucose transport through the erythrocyte membranes and the role of spectrin in these processes]

Effect of antibody to peripheral protein spectrin and antibody to integral protein of band 3 on kinetic parameters of pyruvate and glucose transport in the pink erythrocyte ghosts has been studied. It is shown that spectrin structure reorganization induced by the antibody to this protein has different effect on pyruvate and glucose transport parameters. Band 3 protein modification with the help of the antibody to this protein changes pyruvate transport parameters, while glucose transport is not changed. The data obtained show that facilitated diffusion of glucose and anions in the erythrocyte membrane is carried out by different carriers, the action of these carriers essentially depending on the structure state of spectrin.

[Study of microorganism respiration according to the parameters of their delayed fluorescence]

A method for studying microbial respiration of low oxygen concentrations (10(-5)--10(-7) M) is described. The method was used for examining the respiration chain of the bacterium Escherichia coli and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The following constants of the respiration chain for oxygen were calculated using the parameters of delayed bacterial fluorescence: the rate of respiration, the Michaelis constant, the concentration of oxygen critical for respiration. The decrease in the rate of respiration of low oxygen concentrations consists of two phases; this is related to the existence of two different pathways of oxidation in the terminal region of the respiration chain.

[Reduction of respiration and glucose uptake by bacteria after lyophilization]

The techniques of delayed fluorescence and potentiometry were used to study the restoration of respiration and the rate of glucose assimilation by E. coli M-17 rehydrated after lyophilization in various dehydrating media. The activity of respiration and the rate of glucose assimilation decreased after lyophilization, particularly if the cells were freeze-dried without protecting agents. The restoration of respiration and glucose assimilation to the stationary level took 20--60 min after rehydratation. The stationary level was lower than the level of respiration and glucose assimilation before lyophilization. The decrease in respiration and glucose assimilation after lyophilization correlated with the determination of the number of viable cells by the culturing technique only for effective protecting media, viz. sucrose-gelatin and milk. The absence of such a correlation for cells dehydrated in media with low-effective protecting properties is presumed to be due to their synthetic processes being disturbed and genetic damages.