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Purpose: To assess the progression of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and to study the role of retinal microcirculation in its progression., Material and Methods: In this 2-year prospective study, the rate of POAG progression was determined using perimetry (ROP1) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) by thinning of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) (ROP2) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) (ROP3). The vessel density of parafoveal superficial plexus (VD parafovea) and peripapillary retina (VD ppr) was assessed using OCT angiography, peripheral resistance index (RI), and blood flow velocity in the posterior short ciliary arteries (PSCA) and central retinal artery (CRA) with the use of color Doppler mapping. The predictive properties of each parameter were calculated using the area under receiver operating curve (AUC)., Results: Progression was detected in 9.8% cases by perimetry and in 19.7% cases by OCT. The combination of these two methods increased the detection up to 32.8%. Circulatory parameters - VD parafovea (AUC 0.70±0.07), VD ppr (0.715±0.07), PSCA RI (0.801±0.12), CRA RI (0.798±0.11) - had similar high predictive properties as IOP max (0.79±0.05), corneal hysteresis (0.755±0.07), thickness of inner parafoveal layers (0.728±0.07) and RNFL (0.692±0.06). The study revealed the following correlations: ROP1 with maximum IOP ( p =0.01), ROP2 with blood flow velocity in PSCA ( p =0.01), VD parafovea with corneal hysteresis ( p =0.01), and GCC thickness with ocular perfusion pressure ( p =0.01)., Conclusion: The obtained data demonstrates the importance of combining perimetry with OCT for detecting the progression of glaucoma and indicates its relationship with reduced ocular hemoperfusion.

The review is devoted to axon growth inhibitors in the CNS, including a physiological role of myelin-associated proteins (Nogo-A, MAG, OMgp) and their involvement in the pathogenesis of various diseases (spinal injuries, stroke, neurodegenerations).

Chromosomal and genome abnormalities of 3p are frequent events in many epithelial tumours, including lung cancer. Several critical regions with high frequency of hemi--and homozygous deletions in tumours were detected on 3p and more then 20 different cancer-related genes were identified in 3p21.3 locus. Real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA level of tumour-suppressor genes and candidates in 3p21.3 (RBSP3/CTDSPL, NPRL2/G21, RASSF1A, ITGA9, HYAL1 and HYAL2 in basic types of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)--squamous cell lung cancer (SCC) and lung adenocarcinoma (AC). Significant (from 2 to 100 times) and frequent (from 44 to 100%) mRNA level decrease was shown in NSCLC. Level and frequency of mRNA decrease for all genes depended on histological type of NSCLC. Down-regulation of RASSF1A and ITGA9 was associated significantly with AC progression, the same tendency was found for genes RBSP3/CTDSPL, NPRL2/G21, HYAL1 and HYAL2. On the contrary, down-regulation of all genes in SCC was not associated with clinical stages, tumor cells differentiation and metastases in lymph nodes. Significant decrease of RBSP3/CTDSPL, NPRL2/G21, ITGA9, HYAL1 and HYAL2 mRNA levels (on average, 5-13 times) with high frequency (83-100%) was already shown at the first stage of SCC. Simultaneous decrease of all six genes mRNA level was found in the same tumor samples and was not depended on their localization on 3p21.3 and functions of the proteins. Spearman's correlation coefficient r(s) was from 0.63 to 0.91, P < 0.001. Co-regulation of gene pairs ITGA9 and HYAL2, HYAL1 and HYAL2, which mediate cell-cell adhesion and cell-matrix interaction, was suggested based on the obtained data. It was shown that genetic and epigenetic mechanisms were important for down-regulation of RBSP3/CTDSPL and ITGA9 genes. These results supported the hypothesis on simultaneous inactivation of cluster cancer-related genes in extended 3p21.3 locus during development and progression of lung cancer and other epithelial tumors. Significant and frequent decrease of mRNA level of six genes in SCC could be important for development of specific biomarker sets for early SCC diagnosis and new therapeutic approaches/strategies for NSCLC.

Properties of carboxypeptidases that cleaved arginine and lysine from C-terminus of peptides are considered. Their role in processing, modulation and inactivation of active peptides are discussed. Mechanisms of regulation of carboxypeptidase H activity are considered.

The levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), embryonic prealbumin 1 and 2 (EPA-1 and EPA-2), thermostable alkaline phosphatase of placental type (TSAP), alpha-fetoproteins (AFP), trophoblastic beta-globulin (TBG), chorionic globulins 1 and 2 (CAG-1 and CAG-2) were determined in 36 fetal, 78 definitive, 31 hyperplastic, 38 adenomatous and 49 malignant tissues of the thyroid (control: 100 donor blood sera) using the immunodiffusion method after O. Ouchterlony modified by N. I. Khramkova and G. I. Abelev and the method of counter immunoelectrophoresis after K. Wilms. Oncofetal antigens TSAP, EPA-1, EPA-2 and CEA characteristic for antigenic reversion of thyroid tumors were identified in thyroid tissues. Antigenic reversion was most noticeable in tissues of papillary thyroid cancer. CEA and EPA-1 identification in the patients' blood sera could be applied to serological diagnosis of thyroid cancer.