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A small angle X-ray scattering experiment was performed on ferrihydrite nanoparticles produced by bacteriumKlebsiella oxytoca. Structural investigations of ultrasonicated samples of different concentrations of water-dispersed particles were performed. Model calculations and fitting procedures revealed scattering objects of an elongated shape of 6.73±0.16 nm radius of gyration.

Levamisole is an immunomodulatory drug which can trigger development of levamisole-induced multifocal inflammatory leukoencephalopathy (LIMIL) in patients treated for helminthic invasion, aphthous stomatitis, cancer, or cocaine users. LIMIL clinical case in patient 45 years old after single dose of levamisole (taken without any medical prescription) was described. We presented clinical history and clinical picture, MRI and laboratory data and treatment results during 1-year observation. According to similarity of LIMIL with acute disseminating encephalomyelitis or debut of multiple sclerosis and high frequency of levamisole usage in Russia (usually without medical prescription) LIMIL should be included in differential diagnosis in demyelinating disorders and treated according to current clinical recommendation.Левамизол - иммуномодулятор, при использовании которого с целью лечения гельминтных инвазий, афтозных язв и в составе химиотерапии описаны случаи развития острой левамизол-индуцированной воспалительной лейкоэнцефалопатии (ЛИВЛЭ). Представлен клинический случай развития ЛИВЛЭ у пациентки 45 лет, принимавшей левамизол однократно без назначения врача. Приведено описание анамнеза, клинической картины, результатов инструментальных обследований, лечения и наблюдения за больной в течение 1 года после развития ЛИВЛЭ. С учетом схожести картины ЛИВЛЭ с острым рассеянным энцефаломиелитом и дебютом рассеянного склероза, а также высокой частоты самостоятельного употребления препарата необходимо рассматривать ЛИВЛЭ в рамках дифференциального диагноза при демиелинизирующих заболеваниях, уточнять факт приема левамизола при сборе анамнеза, а также проводить диагностику и лечение ЛИВЛЭ согласно существующим рекомендациям.

Many studies concerned the propionic bacteria of human skin report just about Propionibacterium acnes, whereas it is well known that the species diversity include at least three species - P. acnes, P. granulosum and P. avidum. Recently we have used real time PCR method, which allow detecting simultaneously the three species in skin washings of healthy people. At the first step of the study we tried to isolate pure culture of P. acnes. From 7 swabs from healthy skin propionic bacteria one was selected for cultivation, because it contained according to real time PCR only cells of P. acnes. During the cultivation of this isolate in liquid medium probes were collected and again analyzed by real time PCR. All three species of propionic bacteria were detected in each phase of cultivation. In our opinion this fact may be a reason to check the collection strains named P. acnes towards their species “purity”. Antagonism of different propionibacteria against bacteria is well known, however so far nothing have published about their antifungal activity. The strain of Candida albicans was chosen as the test culture. Fungal cells were exposed with cell-free liquid of last stationary phase culture of propionic bacteria. About 59.4 % of alive fungal cells were killed during 2 hours when aliquot of C. albicans was combined with aliquot of bacterial cultural cell-free liquid. Propionic bacteria excreted at least two antifungal components–thermolabile and thermostabile. Small part of activity had molecular mass 3 ÷ 10 kDa, whereas the main part was contained in the fraction less than 3 kDa. Thus a new type of antagonistic activity of propionic bacteria was found out fungicidal activity, which confirm the existence of protective function of skin commensal microbiota.

Recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputa treated with cetyl-pyridinium chloride (CPC) and stored for 20 ± 9 days was significantly higher than that from sputa that were untreated and processed by the N -acetyl- l -cisteine-NaOH method. Addition of CPC is useful for isolation of M. tuberculosis from sputa subjected to long-term storage received from remote areas of the world.

This article is concerned with ergodic theory for transformations which preserve an infinite measure. In the first part we present an overview of the invertible case with a focus on weakly wandering sequences and their applications to number theory as it has developed over the last fifty years. The second part presents a very preliminary investigation into extending weakly wandering sequences to the non-invertible case. This consists primarily of a few examples which illustrate the complexities which arise in the non-invertible case.

In the paper we discuss the problem of description of random fields by means of systems of finite dimensional probability distributions. We present from a unified point of view a survey of the various such systems associated with random fields. Then general system of finite dimensional distributions with a suitable consistency condition is introduced. The properties, relations with other systems, as well as the problems of existence and uniqueness of the corresponding random fields are discussed.

Despite the superiority of high-dose (compared with standard) treatment in multiple myeloma, relapses still occur. We evaluated relapse patterns, salvage treatments employed and outcome in patients given tandem transplants on our total therapy I protocol. We focused on 146 patients (of 231 enrolled) who received tandem autotransplants or =2 months after the second transplant. With a median follow-up of 9 years after enrollment, 31 (21%) patients remain in complete or stable partial remission. Ninety-five (65%) patients received therapy for relapsing myeloma. The median time from the first transplant to relapse was 2.9 years. The median overall survival from relapse was 2.4 years. In one-quarter (23/95) of cases, the postrelapse interval exceeded the interval from the first transplant to relapse. On multivariate analysis, the presence of any cytogenetic abnormalities [P 4 mg/l at relapse (P

In the paper a new approach is proposed to construction of operator algebras generated by multi-valued mappings on a countable set. We present initial results, discuss the connection with known structures, outline further research directions. © 2014 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.

The comparison of the composition of leukocytes of peripheral blood of healthy and Infected swine revealed the quantitative alterations, as well as the appearance of new cells in leukocyte population during African swine fever. It was determined that African swine fever virus induced mass-scale mortality of cells of peripheral blood, especially lymphocytes and neutrophiles. The number of the dead cells reaches 60% of the initial number of all cells at the end of infection. It was also revealed that the appearance of atypical lymphocytes and lymphoblasts was observed during viral Infections. Most of these cells are characterized by the presence of additional nucleus.

The New About Congenital Antimicrobial Defense of Some Epithelial Tissues – Vaginal Mucosa and Hair

The authors studied the pathology of bone marrow (BM) lymphoid cell from pigs infected by African swine fever virus (ASFV) in vitro. Monocytes were shown to be primarily afflicted in unstimulated BM culture. These cells disappeared completely 72 hours after infection. Just 24 hours following ASFV infection, there were atypical lymphocytes amounting to 12% of the general lymphoid population at hour 72 after inoculation.The area and perimeter of minor, middle, and large lymphocytes tended to reduce during both BM cell cultivation and inoculation. Lymphoblasts and monocytes were generally triploid in both the control and test groups, but among them there were diploid, triploid, and tetraploid cells. Cytophotometric assay revealed that the amount of nuclear DNA significantly increased in BM lymphoblasts and monocytes in the early stages of ASFV infection (within 24 hours). This effect was also rather pronounced in the lymphoblasts in the later stages (at hour 72).

Antagonistic activity of Malassezia yeast towards clinically signifi cant yeast species was studied. Ten Malassezia strains exhibited this activity. M. furfur strain exhibited maximum activity and the least sensitivity to “foreign” metabolites. M. globosa proved to be the most sensitive and the least active. M. furfur metabolites exhibited pronounced activity towards 6 Basidiomycetes strains. This effect was signifi cantly higher in comparison with antagonistic activity towards 13 Ascomycetes species. Studies of a complex of M. furfur antagonistic metabolites showed that it has at least two components: thermolabile proteins with molecular weights of 33 and 35 kDa and a thermostable one, proteinase-resistant. In contrast to metabolites of many other yeast species, this substance is more effective against related Basidiomycetes microorganisms (Cryptococcus albicans), while antagonistic proteins are active mainly towards Ascomycetes, such as Candida albicans. It was found that mycocin-like activity of Malassezia is encoded by chromosomes, but not plasmids.

To study physiologic, biochemical as well as antagonistic characteristics of isolated strain of Bacillus pumilus in comparison with known spore-forming bacteria from B. subtilis species.Four strains of Bacillus spp. were used in the study: B. subtilis 3H, B. subtilis 534, B. subtilis 1719, B. pumilus isolated from the environment. The following strains from the collection of Tarasevich State Institute of Standardization and Control for Immunobiologicals were used for determining of antagonistic activity: Staphylococcus xylosus 25, Proteus mirabilis 24a, S. aureus "Nikiforov", S. aureus "Filippov", P. vulgaris 177, Shigella flexneri 337, Escherichia coil O111:H55, S. sonnei 170, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 9022, Candida albicans 690; clinical test-strains of yeast fungi: C. albicans (3 strains), C. haemuloni, C. tropicalis, Rhodotorula spp., Debaryomyces hansenii.Identification of isolated strain on combination of morphologic, tinctorial, cultural and biochemical characteristics showed that studied strain belonged to B. pumilus species. It did not have hemolytic and lecitinase activities, was resistant to several groups of antibiotics and had index of adhesion 1.76 +/- 2.5. In experiments in vivo the strain was non-toxic, non-toxigenic and avirulent. In preparations of isolated DNA, plasmids were not found. B. pumilus had high antagonistic effect against opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria as well as yeast fungi. Comparative assessment of tested strains from Bacillus genus showed that the isolated strain was not inferior than other representatives of spore-forming bacteria on spectrum and intensity of aforementioned characteristics.Low-adhesive, safe, plasmid-less strain of B. pumilus, which have intensive antagonistic properties, could be considered as a candidate for the development of new probiotic drugs for medical or veterinary use.

Production of hydroxyl anions by tissue samples of pylorus mucous membrane obtained from 45 patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers was investigated. The production was estimated using the recently developed method based on measurement of rate of pH change in urea-containing reaction mixture. The rate of [OH-] generation as a result of H. pylori metabolism accounted on pylorus square varied from 0.4 to 1318.9 mcmol [OH-]/min, and in 90.2% of cases it did not exceed 128.1 mcmol [OH-]/min. This rate is comparable to mean rate of [H+] generation in stomach of healthy man--114.2-238.4 mcmol [H+]/min. Obtained results allow to conclude that this bacterium may participate in regulation of stomach acid-base balance.

Variation pulsometry was used to study changes in the activity of cardiac rhythm regulating mechanisms in third-form pupils from a comprehensive school (a control group) and a gymnasium (a study group) under mental stress caused by the performance of mathematical tests. Two types of responses of the studied parameters: sympathetic (in the study group) and parasympathetic (in the control group), which were determined by the richness and intensity of an academic load and by the readiness of both categories of school-children, were identified.

To specify the character of vestibular cochlear disturbances in multiple sclerosis (MS) and mechanisms of their formation, the objective quantitative evaluation of experimental caloric nystagmus using the computer electronystagmographic method and a comparison of hearing impairment with asymmetry of vestibular reactions were conducted in 48 patients with MS. The peculiarities of vestibular disturbance found in the study suggest a predominance of central vestibular syndrome with both subtentorial and supratentorial traits. The influence of the heat stimulus of vestibular analyzer (hot water caloric test) in multiple sclerosis revealed during computer electronystagmography may have diagnostic value.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries in the region faced a dramatic increase in tuberculosis cases and the emergence of drug resistance.To discuss the relevance of the DOTS strategy in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance.Retrospective analysis of one-year treatment outcomes of short-course chemotherapy (SCC) and results of drug susceptibility testing (DST) surveys of six programmes located in the former Soviet Union: Kemerovo prison, Russia; Abkhasia, Georgia; Nagorno-Karabagh, Azerbaijan; Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan; Dashoguz Velayat, Turkmenistan; and South Kazakhstan Oblast, Kazakhstan. Results are reported for new and previously treated smear-positive patients.Treatment outcomes of 3090 patients and DST results of 1383 patients were collected. Treatment success rates ranged between 87% and 61%, in Nagorno-Karabagh and Kemerovo, respectively, and failure rates between 7% and 23%. Any drug resistance ranged between 66% and 31% in the same programmes. MDR rates ranged between 28% in Karakalpakstan and Kemerovo prison and 4% in Nagorno-Karabagh.These results show the limits of SCC in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance. They demonstrate that adapting treatment according to resistance patterns, access to reliable culture, DST and good quality second-line drugs are necessary.

Despite the superiority of high-dose (compared with standard) treatment in multiple myeloma, relapses still occur. We evaluated relapse patterns, salvage treatments employed and outcome in patients given tandem transplants on our total therapy I protocol. We focused on 146 patients (of 231 enrolled) who received tandem autotransplantsor =12 months apart and survivedor =2 months after the second transplant. With a median follow-up of 9 years after enrollment, 31 (21%) patients remain in complete or stable partial remission. Ninety-five (65%) patients received therapy for relapsing myeloma. The median time from the first transplant to relapse was 2.9 years. The median overall survival from relapse was 2.4 years. In one-quarter (23/95) of cases, the postrelapse interval exceeded the interval from the first transplant to relapse. On multivariate analysis, the presence of any cytogenetic abnormalities [P0.001, Hazard Ratio (HR): 3.84] and beta-2 microglobulin levels4 mg/l at relapse (P0.001, HR: 2.87) were significant for poor survival after relapse. The median survival after relapse was 5.1, 1.3 and 0.7 years in patients with none (44%), one (46%) and two (10%) poor-risk factors, respectively. In conclusion, a sizeable fraction of myeloma patients relapsing after tandem autotransplants without poor-risk features enjoyed meaningful survival prolongation when appropriately treated.

The biochemical mechanisms were studied that determine different reactions of yeasts of different genera to two simultaneously imposed stressors, hypoxia and osmotic shock. For Candida lipolytica, these two stressors were antagonistic, which resulted in stimulation of yeast growth by NaCl (in a wide range of concentrations) under microaerobic conditions. The reaction of Malassezia sp. was different: the degree of halotolerance of this microorganism was lower under microaerobic conditions. An intervening reaction pattern was characteristic of Rhodotorula aurantiaca. These differences were found to be determined, above all, by the induction of a salt-resistant respiratory system (oxidase) in Candida lipolytica, which could not be induced in Malassezia sp. In addition, the synthesis of catalase was enhanced in Candida lipolytica, which provided for neutralization of the active forms of oxygen accumulating as a result of inhibition of other protective enzymes by salt.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical gas, which is a product of reaction between molecular oxygen and L-arginine. Great diffusibility of nitric oxide determines its quick three-dimensional distribution around the cell which is a source of nitric oxide. Single electron makes it into very reactive radical, interacting with metals incorporated in enzyme structure, heme, superoxids, oxygen, etc. The synthesis of nitric oxide is catalyzed by enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) which has three isoforms: endothelial nitric oxide synthase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, macrophagal nitric oxide synthase. Due to mechanisms of action NOS enzymes are also classified as constitutive nitric oxide synthase and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Constitutive forms are found in cytosol and membranes, they are dependent on Ca(2+)/calmodulin concentration and are extremely important in the regulation of physiological processes. Inducible forms are synthesized in cells after induction by bacterial endotoxins or cytokines, do not depend on Ca(2+)/calmodulin concentration and are being considered as pathological isoforms. It is thought that nitric oxide synthase catalyses transport of electrons for reactions between molecular oxygen and L-arginine. This consideration based on fact that flavine co-enzymes and hem are found as structural units in nitric oxide synthase. Although all isoforms catalyze the same reactions, every one of them has its own unique structure and localization. These features determine differences of activation pathways as well as specificity of inhibitors. The characteristic features of nitric oxide and functional differences among the nitric oxide synthase isoforms determine its different role in regulation of many physiological and pathophysiological processes.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical gas, which is a product of reaction between molecular oxygen and L-arginine. Great diffusibility of nitric oxide determines its quick three-dimensional distribution around the cell which is a source of nitric oxide. Single electron makes it into very reactive radical, interacting with metals incorporated in enzyme structure, heme, superoxids, oxygen, etc. The synthesis of nitric oxide is catalyzed by enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) which has three isoforms: endothelial nitric oxide synthase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, macrophagal nitric oxide synthase. Due to mechanisms of action NOS enzymes are also classified as constitutive nitric oxide synthase and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Constitutive forms are found in cytosol and membranes, they are dependent on Ca2+/calmodulin concentration and are extremely important in the regulation of physiological processes. Inducible forms are synthesized in cells after induction by bacterial endotoxins or cytokines, do not depend on Ca2+/calmodulin concentration and are being considered as pathological isoforms. It is thought that nitric oxide synthase catalyses transport of electrons for reactions between molecular oxygen and L-arginine. This consideration based on fact that flavine co-enzymes and hem are found as structural units in nitric oxide synthase. Although all isoforms catalyze the same reactions, every one of them has its own unique structure and localization. These features determine differences of activation pathways as well as specificity of inhibitors. The characteristic features of nitric oxide and functional differences among the nitric oxide synthase isoforms determine its different role in regulation of many physiological and pathophysiological processes.

The review deals with some theoretical and applied aspects of the capacity of yeasts for synthesizing toxins. Similarly to antibiotic formation in micellar fungi and actinomycetes and the synthesis of bactericins in prokaryotes, yeast cells also have their mechanism of protection from other microorganisms. The substances, essentially of the same nature, synthesized by yeast are known for more than 30 years as mycocins or killer toxins. They are proteins or glycoproteins, active mainly against yeast microorganisms. Mycocins are not active against bacteria and protozoa exhibiting only fungicidal or fungistatic action. The formation of mycocins may be determined by nucleus or plasmid DNA. In this review information on killer toxins produced by clinically important yeasts of the genera Candida, Cryptococcus and Rhodotorula is systematized.

The basidiomycete yeasts are often isolated from clinical samples. A minimal inhibiting concentrations (MIC) of ten antifungals of different groups--azols, allilamines, polyens etc.--against isolates of Rhodotorula, Cryptococcus [symbol: see text] Trichosporon yeasts genera were estimated. No one of these cultures was sensitive to azoles at concentrations 0-256 mcg/ml. A vitality of cultures after incubation during 10 days with antifungals was investigated. Miramistin was the most potent fungicidal agent against all cultures.

Two stress factors, hypoxia (microaerobic conditions) and a high salt concentration, if applied simultaneously to aerobic microorganisms, display an antagonistic mode of interaction. As a result, the NaCl level that is usually optimal for moderate halophiles (5-6%) becomes optimal for the growth of weak halophiles (Rhodococcus erythropolis and Shewanella sp. CN32); the halotolerant yeast Yarrowia lypolytica acquires halophilic properties (with a growth optimum at a NaCl concentration of 10%), and the growth rate of the extremely halophilic Halobacterium salinarum increases at supraoptimal salt concentrations (25-34%). This phenomenon is apparently due to multiple changes in metabolic reactions. In particular, high salt concentrations suppress respiration and the formation of enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) that protect the cell from toxic oxygen species. Therefore, establishment of microaerobic conditions compensates for the loss of these protective mechanisms and enables cell growth at higher salt concentrations than under aerobic conditions. Of some importance can also be the increase in the intracellular concentrations of osmoprotectants caused by the suppression of their intracellular oxidation. The implications of this phenomenon for the ecophysiology of microorganisms (including oiloxidizing species) and for the classification of weak and moderate halophiles are discussed.

The lipophilic yeast Malassezia spp. from the skin of 32 healthy individuals and 21 patients with atopic dermatitis was isolated and identified. Malassezia sympodialis was shown to be most common in both groups, M. Globosa was less frequently encountered. Moreover, no Malassezia was found in 34 and 53% of cases, respectively. There was a relationship of the skin colonization of Malassezia to the patients' age. Malassezia spp. cultures whose appurtenance was impossible to identified by the Guillot-Gueho method were detected.

The capacity of the lipophilic yeast Malassezia spp. (Pityrosporum spp.) to grown in a synthetic nutritional media has been studied. The modified Dixon's medium was taken as a prototype for preparing the medium containing amino acid, Tween, and an emulsifier as carbon and energy sources. The isolates of M. sympodialis have demonstrated to relatively more rapidly grow in the medium than those of M. globosa.

To study of therapeutic activity of local (natamycine) and systemic (fluconasol) antifungal drugs in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) with mycogenic sensitization and candida carriage.29 patients with severe AD and diagnosed contamination of the skin lesions with yeast fungi have received antifungal treatment with fungicidal drugs in low-dose long-term course.The drugs were effective in 83% of patients: poor effect was in 28%, moderate--in 21% and good--in 34% of cases. 5 (17%) patients did not respond. Mild, moderate and severe AD responded in 87, 36 and 60% of patients, respectively. The highest response was registered in patients without sensitization to yeast fungi (78%) or low sensitization (83%). In high sensitization the effect occurred in 57% of the cases.The authors have developed indications for treatment with antifungal drugs in AD patients with mycogenic sensitization.

Colonization by yeast-like flora and its composition on the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) in comparison with those on the skin of patients with skin diseases of nonatopic etiology and healthy subjects were studied. Inoculations from affected and unaffected sites of the skin were made by the contact method with the use of bacteriological plates with antibiotic-containing solid agar medium. The study revealed that 39% of AD patients, 45% of patients with other skin diseases and 3% of healthy subjects had yeast-like fungi of their skin, Candida spp. (53%) and Rhodotorula spp. (21%) occurring most frequently. In patients with a severe course of AD the tendency towards the preferable colonization of affected sites of the skin was observed: in these cases yeasts occurred 2.5-5 times more frequently than in patients with the mild and moderate course of AD.

The combined effect of 532 nm laser radiation and alpha-particles on survival of Escherichia coli (AB 1157) has been investigated. The sensitivity of cells to alpha-particles was decreased by pre- and post-irradiation with laser.