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Based on the results of 3600 studies using all basic methods of modern radiation diagnosis, the authors show it necessary to develop diagnostic algorithms applicable to certain groups of urological diseases (urolithiasis, inflammatory processes and bulky masses in the kidney). This necessity has recently stemmed from the advent of new technologies of radiation diagnosis and from the expediency of using a certain method at the specific stage of examination. At the same time, the authors underline the importance of using standardized examination programmes (algorithms) in practice, which is also due to the fact that unreasonable use of the whole set of new radiation techniques that are of highly diagnostic value may bear great material costs.

Based on the findings of 206 examinations, the authors advance their opinion of the role of X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. The authors think that if their developed procedure for X-ray computed tomography based on the use of usual air as the only contrast agent by measuring it out in doses and administering into the gastric at CT scanning, which is called pneumoroentgenocomputered tomography (PRCT), is employed, it, preserving all the traditional, already known, advances of XRCT additionally yields highly valuable information on a direct damage to the gastric wall itself. The findings suggest that PRCT is especially effective in intramurally growing gastric cancers, the so-called squamous carcinomas, which are hardly differentiated for diagnosis and which are most common. Noteworthy is the fact that in seemingly unquestionable exophytic gastric cancer, detecting intramural tumorous infiltration adjacent to the exophyte, PRCT thus provides evidence that the exophyte revealed is the peculiar top of an iceberg, whose base shows a significant exophytic gastric carcinoma.

A virus, identified as cowpox virus by its biological properties and the results of the analysis of its DNA, was isolated from a sick 4-year-old child with a clinical picture of pox, though having had no contacts with known natural carriers of the causative agent of this infection. At the same time the isolated virus was found to differ from the reference strain, as well as from other isolates of vaccinia virus by some biological markers (and in particular by the structure of cytoplasmic inclusions of type A) and by the restriction profile of DNA. The Hind III maps indicating the location of restriction sites made it possible to localize the genome differences established in this study. The specific feature of this case was the previous close contact of the child with a mole which was probably the source of infection.

The results of screening more than 23,000 serum samples from persons belonging to risk groups, as well as those not belonging to such groups, in Moscow, Vilnius and Klaipeda are presented. Screening was carried out with the use of an assay system manufactured by the Scientific and Industrial Amalgamation "Antigen" (USSR). In this screening 3 HIV carriers were detected; of these, 2 were foreign students from two African countries.

The stability of two most important components of the EIA test system for diagnosis of HIV infection, an immunosorbent (HIV antigen adsorbed on polystyrene plates) and antispecies peroxidase conjugate, was studied. The possibility to prolong the shelf life of the test system for at least up to 6 months was demonstrated. At the same time, it is proposed to supplement the existing methods of production control with the conjugate thermostability test developed by the authors who believe that this will allow to exclude conjugates with insufficient stability from the test system kit.

The inhibiting effect for herpes and vaccinia viruses of 2'-deoxyuridine derivatives containing the substitute in the position of 5-pyrimidine ring was studied. Anomeric 5-isopropyl-2'-deoxyuridines were shown to produce a marked inhibiting effect in chick embryo fibroblasts infected with herpes virus and to have no effect on vaccinia virus replication, that is, to be specific antiherpetic agents. The alpha-anomer of 5-isopropyl-2'-deoxyuridine showed antiherpetic activity in vitro comparable with that of beta-anomer. Fifty per cent toxic doses and chemotherapeutic indices of the drugs under study were determined in comparison with those of 5-iod-2'-deoxyuridine.

In vivo experiments demonstrated antiherpetic activity of abnormal nucleoside, 5-trimethylsylil-2'-deoxyuridine alpha-anomer. In a model of herpetic encephalitis in cotton rats the preparation, inoculated intraperitoneally and administered orally, reduced the lethality by 25%-30% as compared with the controls, and also was effective in topical treatment of genital herpes in guinea pigs. Low toxicity, clear-cut antiherpetic activity, favourable metabolic properties as compared with known antiherpetic drugs indicate the necessity of further thorough investigation of this preparation.

The presented studies were performed at the WHO Collaboration Center for Smallpox in Moscow in the framework of the WHO monkey pox project. The authors recommend improved methods for rapid detection of orthopoxvirus antigen, namely passive haemagglutination (PHA) using dried stable red blood cells and ELISA in order to provide more rapid and efficient laboratory diagnosis under field conditions. Independent serologic diagnosis of monkey pox by ELISA-adsorption (ELISA-A) was proved of value for epidemiological studies and for detection of inapparent infections. The application range of the latter technique and its limitations were also determined.

The effect of phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) on reproduction of vaccinia virus in chick embryo fibroblast cultures and on the development of vaccinia virus infection in rabbits was studied. In vitro the preparation was tested as a solution, in vivo as a solution and ointment. In rabbits, the preparation was applied epicutaneously and inoculated subcutaneously and intravenously. All these routes were found to be effective. A single application conferred a much lower protective effect than daily administration for 4 days. Poly (I).poly (C) administered subcutaneously was found to be more effective than PAA. The latter in tissue culture exerted a marked inhibiting effect when used in a dose of 100 microgram/ml.

New experimental models of neurological herpes in cotton rats and genital herpes in male guinea pigs have been developed which are more adequate to the corresponding human diseases, and models of ophthalmic herpes in rabbits and guinea pigs have been improved. These models may be used for screening and evaluation of the effectiveness of drugs for herpes. A high activity against herpes of bromovinyldeoxyuridine and acyclovir has been verified, a marked therapeutic effect of Soviet monophosphates ara-A, ara-C, and original silur preparation in some forms of herpes infection has been demonstrated.