Vol 2, No 1 (2002)

The review concerns the mechanisms of the venous return formation and regulation. The main factors, which form the venous return of blood to the heart at rest and in supine position of human and animals in the intact cardiovascular system, are: 1) the residual energy of cardiac contraction; 2) tonic reactions of the vessels, which ensure the optimal correlation between the vascular capacity and the blood circulating vol­ume. The phase changes of the venous flow depend on phase (systolic and diastolic) changes of the right atrial pressure and respiratory (inspiration / expiration) oscillations of the negative intrathoracic pressure. The venous return increases during the atrial diastole and/or inspiration and decreases following atrial sys­tole or expiration. However, there is no linear correlation between the average value of the venous return and average value of the right atrial pressure as well as between the average value of the venous return and the level of negative intrathoracic pressure. The results of our experiments have also revealed the myo­genic and reflectory mechanisms of the stabilization of low right atrial pressure.

This review article presents the analysis of research in the field of anticancer vaccines development. Current investigations carried out in the area described are characterized by a more profound understand­ing of tumor-specific immunity mechanisms as well as of the ways tumors escape cytotoxic immunity response. Besides, this field of science appears to be attractive for specialists in virology since viral etiolo­gy of a wide range of human tumors has been strictly confirmed. The recent 5 years in the development of anti-tumor vaccines can be defined as the stage of overcoming relatively easy empiric approaches with real­ization of the fact that simple autologic anti-tumor vaccination using tumor cells fails to stimulate active immunity because of relatively low specific content of regressive tumor antigens. But in this case induction of autoimmune process seems to be possible. Hence molecular approaches appear to prevail in vaccine design. These approaches are based on identification of tumor antigens T-cell epitopes and construction of peptide and recombinant vaccines with high selectivity in tumor-specific immunity induction. Therefore the article presents a primary database of antigenic peptide epitopes of tumor protein sequences. Immunity formed against them is proved to prevent tumor growth or cause its regression. The article considers out­standing achievements in influenza virus application as a vector for tumor-specific vaccines and manage­ment of oncogenic risk associated with oncoproteins and oncogens used for vaccination, for example, against human papillomavirus and, respectively, against cervix cancer. Use of influenza virus as a vector for vaccination against HIV-infection is currently investigated in the Research Institute of Influenza as a part of international projects.

The review of projects dealing with tumor-specific vaccines development proves that in 2 or 3 years many of the preparations described will be included into conventional Public Health practice.

In 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 19 of whom had chronic course of the disease and 13 had subacute course, we have studied the parameters of cell immunity (percent level of main lym­phoid subsets), humoral immunity (serum level of IgG, IgA and IgM, circulating immune complexes), the capacity of peripheral immunocompetent cells to produce a number of cytokines (IL-1 p, IL-6, IL-10, TNFa). Also in these patients HLA II class molecular typing (DRB1, DQB1 and DQA1 loci) was performed using PCR-SSP method. The comparative analysis of data obtained in both groups revealed that the patients with chronic SLE course show an increased percent level of activated cells (DR+, CD25+) and serum IgA, as compared to those with subacute course. And the latter ones have an increased level of T-cytotoxic cells (CD8+). Also, we have established a marked difference in the frequency of such important immunogenetic markers of autoimmune diseases as HLA-DRB1 *03 and allelic combination HLA-DRB1 *03, DQB1* 0201, DQA1* 0501, which have been observed statistically more frequently in patients with subacute course of SLE, as compared to those with chronic course.

The article is dedicated to new technologies in public health service. More than two-years’ experience is taken into account acquired in this field by the specialists of the Karelian Scientific Medical Center of North-West Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Department of Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics, the Department of Faculty Surgery of Petrozavodsk State University and medical center «Kondopoga». The article gives a summary of the experience in creating the medical information system (IS) “Kondopoga” and experience of other IS creators.

At once we should mention that we have studied both domestic and foreign examples of information systems creation. However the specificity of our public health service and the legal features of today influ­ence the introduction of information technologies so significantly that the main role, certainly, is played by domestic projects. The purpose of this article has been summarizing the separate publications in literature, the assessment of the situation from the point of view of our own experience and forecasts of development of medical information science and new technologies.