Vol 3, No 2 (2003)

In North-West the level of tuberculosis morbidity is lower than in whole Russia. In 2001 this index has constituted 67,0 per 100 thousand of population, among stationary values of the inhabitants it is much lower of all-territory level and makes 48,9 per 100 thousand of population (26 %). Children’s morbidity is the indicator of bacillary strength: in 2001 it has reached 22,8 per 100 thousand of children’s population, that is greater by 27 % than in whole Russia. One of major index, objectively described tuberculosis situation - mortality, increased in region steadily (1999 - 8,5 per 100 thousand of population, 2000 - 9,0, 2001 - 12,8). Medical care efficiency in North-West of Russian Federation remains unsatisfactory: the bacilli elimination stopping in 2001 has arranged 72,6 % (whole Russian Federation - 73,4 %), closing of destructions - 67 %. Personnel problems solution, tuberculosis early detection perfection, tuberculosis monitoring system creation, medical measures quality improvement by an active introduction of developed technologies of drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treatment and different localization tuberculosis surgical treatment adequate application are necessary for successful struggle with tuberculosis in North-West region.

In a bone marrow are found out erythroblastic islands, granulocytic islands, «mixed» erythro-granulocytic islands and erythroblastic islands with adhesive to them lymphocytes and granulocytes. In «crown» of the erythroblastic islands developing cells erythroid lines (from proerythroblasts up to reticulocytes) are found out; «crown» of the granulocytic islands is submitted by all forms of development of cells granulocytic lines; in «crown» erythro-granulocytic islands simultaneous development of cells of both hemopoietic lines is observed. Sometimes «crown» of the erythroblastic islands join individual lymphocytes, neutrophils or eosinophils.

This study presents the data about the restriction polymorphism of group B streptococcal insertion sequences (IS elements). A total of 29 out of 113 strains did not possess any of the IS elements studied. In other strains the number of different IS elements varied from 1 to 3. No strains with 4 different IS elements were discovered. A total of 6, 9, 13 and 38 different DNA restriction patterns, hybridizing with IS1548, IS861, ISSa4 and IS1381 probes, respectively, were found out among the strains tested. It was demonstrated that IS based typing together with serological typing could be effectively used for epidemiological assay.

In rats, after a middle hypobaric hypoxia, amthizol 25 mg/kg i. p. 30 min prior to hypoxia action prevents the decrease of energy potential in the brain, heart and liver, maintains the adenine nucleotides pool in energy consuming and energy synthetising compartments. The activation of both succinate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase plays the important role in energy providing of antihypoxic activity of amthizol. Amthizol posesses a significant antilipolytic effect due to activation and blockade of lipolysis in rats.

Muscle fatigue and recovery was investigated in the Parkinson’s disease patients (PD, n = 42, age 56- 65 years) under general exposure to heating (40 °C, 60 min, off-therapy state), under anti-PD therapy (Nacom, Cyclodol, Bromocriptin; 3-12 months, thermoneutral condition), and under combined effect of anti- PD therapy and heating using electromyographical (EMG) and biomechanical parameters, in comparison with age-matched reference group (n = 12). In heating condition (off-therapy) muscular rigidity has decreased and tolerance to exercise has increased, that was similar to the effect of anti-PD therapy in thermoneutral condition. Combined effect of heating and anti-PD therapy (on-therapy state), according to biomechanical parameters (number of contractions to exhaustion, time of exercise, maximal voluntary contraction, rhythm of contraction) was greater than during isolated application of heating or anti-PD therapy. Thus, heating the organism of PD patients may be recommended to reinforce positive action of anti-PD therapy. Similarly, EMG characteristics during muscle fatigue and recovery may be used as a method for evaluation of functional state of muscle and improved diagnosis of PD.

The present report reviews the current status of knowledge regarding the role of infectious agents and of inflammatory mediators in the development of atherosclerosis. Inflammation in the arterial vessel wall is considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Clinical studies affirm correlation of circulating markers of inflammation with propensity to develop ischemic events. The candidate trigger of inflammatory response is chronic or acute infection. The relationship between infection and atherogenesis is extremely complex. The study results are very contradictory, mainly due to methodological causes. It also appears that the aggregate number of certain pathogens (“pathogen burden”) with which an individual is infected, rather than any individual pathogen, will determine the infection-related propensity to develop atherosclerosis and the infection-related likelihood of a patient’s course.

The unique toxicological features of persistent organic «superecotoxicants» substantially restrict applicability of traditional approaches to assessment of their hazards for ecological systems and human health. Scientific foundations of the new «Concept of individual risk in ecological toxicology» and the methodology for revealing, characterization and identification of remote health consequences of environment pollution with the dioxin-containing chemicals are developed and approved in the Tropical Center of Russian Academy of Sciences. A need of «ecological diagnostics» and «medical ecotoxicology» methodologies integration for the development of «general ecotoxicology» as special field of ecology and of its «tropical ecotoxicology» section, aiming the most appropriate solution of the problem, is based.

In the given article, the technique of constructing the complex indexes of health and unhealth of the population is esteemed. The «unhealth» indicator, having multiplicative structure, is selected for the basis. The levels of «unhealth» indicator are determined depending on distribution of studied population by age, number of cases and degree of sickness. The given technique allows numerically characterize the condition of health of the studied group not only by quantity of cases, but also in a view of quality component. Level of «health» is understood as numerical value complementing a level of «unhealth» up to the greatest possible value, as in case of a separate individual, and cumulatively for the whole investigated group of the population. The indicator of «health» contains two components: the realized heath and potential health. Indicator of «unhealth» also has two components: potential unhealth and death.

The implemented indicators allow to compare separate groups of the population by a number of parameters bound to morbidity and age structure. The example of calculating the «health» and «unhealth» indicators on the basis of real statistical data is given.