[there any association of metabolic disturbances with joint destruction and pain?]

Osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes mellitus represent two the most common chronic diseases. They possess many shared epidemiologic traits, have common risk factors, and embody heterogeneous multifactorial pathologies, which develop due to interaction of genetic an environmental factors. In addition, these diseases are often occurring in the same patient. In spite of the differences in clinical manifestation both diseases have similar disturbances of cellular metabolism, primarily associated with ATP production and utilization. The review discusses molecular mechanisms determining pathophysiological processes associated with glucose and lipid metabolism as well as the means aiming to alleviate the disturbances of energy metabolism as a new a therapeutic approach.

[Upcoming value of gene expression analysis in rheumatology]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, which involves disturbance in immune system signaling pathway functions, damage of other tissues, pain and joint destruction. Modern treatment attempts to improve pathophysiological and biochemical mechanisms damaged by the disease. However, due to the RA patient heterogeneity personalized approach to treatment is required; the choice of personalized treatment is complicated by the variability of patient's response to treatment. Gene expression analysis might serve a tool for the disease control and therapy personification for inhibition of inflammation and pain as well as for prevention of joint destruction.

[Development of a test system for detecting Leptospira interrogans using the polymerase chain reaction]

Based on polymerase chain reaction a test-system has been elaborated permitting one to identify the leptospirae of the most common serogroups (Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Javanica, Ballum, Pyrogenes, Pomona, Habdomadis, Sejroe, Tarassovi) of the species Leptospira interrogans. Sensitivity of the technique is 1-10 cells in a sample. The specificity of the system has been shown to depend on the temperature of the primers annealing. The elaborated system exceeds all other systems for leptospiral identification in sensitivity. It is prospective for leptospiral identification in biological liquids aimed at early diagnosis of leptospiroses and in the studies of leptospiral persistence in host organisms in the saprophitic phase of life cycle.

[Use of the polymerase chain reaction to identify Helicobacter pylori in clinical material]

A new system for the detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA, based on the method of directed amplification, has been developed. Primers for specific detection of H. pylori were selected from a nucleotide sequence of 16 S-p RNA. The sequences of the primers had a few nucleotide substitutions as compared with the sequences of closely related microorganisms. An essential condition for the attainment of reaction specificity was the rise of annealing step temperature to 66 degrees C. Sensitivity of the system was in the range of 3 to 30 fg of DNA, or 20 to 100 bacterial cells. Using the proposed system for the detection of H. pylori DNA clinical specimens (stomach biopsy sample, gastric juice and wash-offs of oral cavity), obtained from 49 patients with antral gastritis, were analyzed. The method of H. pylori detection in clinical specimens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) turned out to be more sensitive compared with microbiological tests. By application of PCR H. pylori DNA was detected in subgingival pockets.

[Nonachlazine in solution as an arresting agent in stenocardiac attacks]

Nonachlazine infused in the form of a solution penetrates rapidly the blood and organs. In experiments on cats it was shown that infusion of the drug into the stomach enriches the speed of blood flow and oxyhemoglobin amount in the coronary sinus blood after 2--3 minutes. Heart oxygen consumption increases slightly. Nonachlazine solution is little toxic. As a result of pharmacological research it is recommended for removing angina pectoris attacks in patients irresponsive to nitroglycerin.

[The mechanism of nonachlazine on cardiac activity and blood supply]

Nonachlazine (10 mg/kg intravenously) exerted a two-phase influence on the heart activity. The short phase of the weakening of the heart activity gave place to the intensive increase in the cardiac output and the contractility of the myocardium. An increase in the blood supply and heart activity coincided in time with the accumulation of the quantity of noradrenaline and with increase in the phosphorylase "a" activity. Beta-adrenoblockers prevented the development of the effect in question. It is assumed that the efficacy of nonachlazine during ischemic heart disease was connected with its capacity to activate the adrenergic mechanisms of the glycogenolysis regulation leading to the switching of the myocardial metabolism to the anaerobic route of energy release.

[Experimental data on the toxicity of nonachlazine, a new antianginal agent]

The results obtained by a study of acute and chronic toxicity of nonachlazine--a new original coronary-active agent endowed with antianginal properties are reported. Nonachlazine has been found to have a sufficiently wide range of therapeutic action. With its repeated (for 36 days) oral introduction to rats in an effective dose of 10 mg/kg the drug does not produce any adverse effect on the general condition of the animals, reduces but insignificantly their weight gain, fails to exert any damaging effect on the blood system, does not change biochemical characteristics featuring the function of the liver, nor evokes any pathohistological changes of the internal organs. Nonachlazine has no locally irritating effect on the gastro-intestinal tract and is a compound producing but a slight stress action.

[Nonachlasine--a new drug for treatment of ischemic heart disease]

Data on the pharmacology of a new antianginal drug--Nonachlasine--are presented. Nonachlasine was found to increase the blood flow intensively and for long periods of time, increasing the oxygen reserve of the myocardium, thus increasing the cardiac output and the contractile function of the heart. The prevailing action of Nonachlasine on the blood supply and the function of the myocardium seems to be the result of several mechanisms: decreasing resistance of the coronaries due to the activation of the beta2-adrenergic structures; influence upon the extravascular factors of the regulation of the coronary circulation (changes in the metabolism and cardiac activity due to the excitation of the beta-adrenergic structures). The mechanism of the positive effect of Nonachlasine upon the blood supply and function of the heart is connected with its action on the adrenergic processes. The drug accumulates noradrenaline in the myocardium and increases the activity of phosphorilase-a. This coincides in time with the increased blood supply and contractile capacity of the heart. The beta-adrenoblocking agents prevent these effects. It was postulated that the effect of Nonachlasine in the blood supply and the activity of the heart is connected with its ability to utilize the energy reserve of the myocardium by way of switching over to the anaerobic way.

[Pharmacology of a new anti-angina preparation, nonachlazin]

Data on pharmacology of nonachlazine-a new antianginal preparation effective in the treatment of patients with ischemic heart disease-are presented. The drug tends to greatly improve the blood supply of the heart. Its beneficial action comes from the ability to intensively and protractedly enhance the coronary blood flow, thus increasing the oxygen reserve of the heart with the contractility of the myocardium rising without any substantial changes in the cardiac output and work.