Search

Antiangiogenic therapy requires to search for molecular markers of angiogenesis in ovarian cancer (OC). The diagnostic and prognostic role of VEGFA in OC is controversial today. The aim of the study was to compare the serum level of VEGF, the cytoplasmic protein content and VEGF transcript in the tumor tissue of primary patients with advanced ovarian cancer and to analyze the relationship between these parameters and the response to standard polychemotherapy using the AP scheme. 82 primary patients with advanced OC were incladed in the study. The control group included 30 healthy women. All patients received adjuvant chemotherapy according to the AP scheme after surgery. The serum VEGF-A level was determined by direct immunoassay analysis "Human VEGF ELISA Kit" ("RayBiotech", USA). Analysis of the VEGF transcript in tumor tissue was performed by PCR-RT using TaqMan® Gene Expression Assay (Thermo Scientific) probes, and for the data normalization the 18S and GAPDH referee genes were used. To calculate the IHC score of cytoplasmic expression of VEGF, immunohistochemical reactions were performed in paired samples of OC patients using antibodies (GeneTex, USA). For the genotyping of patients' DNA, test systems for the analysis of functional polymorphisms of the VEGF-A C12143A, G634C (LLC "Sintol", Moscow) were used. The level of VEGF-A in the serum of patients with OC was increased in comparison with the norm and depended on the response to chemotherapy according to the AP scheme. However, the specificity of this indicator is insufficient for use in prognostic purposes. There are no significant differences in the cytoplasmic expression of VEGF-A, depending on the response to chemotherapy. VEGF mRNA level was increased in 58% of patients. There was no correlation between serum VEGF levels and the transcript in the tumor tissue. Genotyping showed that the combination of genotypes of CC / GG reduces the risk of recurrence by 2.6 times. The results obtained make it possible to question the value of studying the serum level of VEGF for evaluating the sensitivity of patients with OС to anti-angiogenic drugs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: A single-tier immunoassay using the C6 peptide of VlsE (C6) from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bb) has been proposed as a potential alternative to conventional two-tier testing for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease in the United States and Europe., Objective: To evaluate the performance of C6 peptide based multiplex Phosphorescence Analysis (PHOSPHAN) for the serologic confirmation of Lyme borreliosis (LB) in Russian patients., Methods: Serum samples (n = 351) were collected from 146 patients with erythema migrans (EM); samples from 131 of these patients were taken several times prior to treatment and at different stages of recovery. The control group consisted of 197 healthy blood donors and 31 patients with other diseases, all from the same highly endemic region of Russia. All samples were analyzed by PHOSPHAN for IgM and IgG to Bb C6, recombinant OspC and VlsE proteins, and C6 peptides from B. garinii and B. afzelii., Results: IgM and IgG to Bb C6 were identified in 43 and 95 out of 131 patients (32.8 and 72.5%, respectively); seroconversion of IgM antibodies was observed in about half of the patients (51.2%), and of IgG antibodies, in almost all of them (88.4%). Additional detection of OspC-IgM and VlsE-IgM or IgG to C6 from B. garinii or B. afzelii did not contribute significantly to the overall sensitivity of the multiplex immunoassay., Conclusions: The multiplex phosphorescence immunoassay is a promising method for simultaneously revealing the spectrum of antibodies to several Borrelia antigens. Detection of IgM and IgG to Bb C6 in the sera of EM patients provides effective serologic confirmation of LB and, with high probability, indicates an active infection process.

Aim: To study the influence of natural L-asparagine on the efficacy of cytostatic therapy for malignant tumors in experimental investigations., Materials and Methods: Female C57B1/6 mice weighing 18-20 g were selected for the experiments. Lewis' lung carcinoma (LLC) and melanoma B16 cells were used in the study. Animals were inoculated with tumor cells intramuscularly. Solution of L-asparagine in a volume of 0.2 ml per mouse (in appropriate doses) was administered to the animals using gastric probe, daily, for 14 days. Cyclophosphane was administered intraperitoneally in total doses of 180 mg/kg and 90 mg/kg on days 3 and 7 after tumor implantation. The percentage of tumor growth inhibition was calculated and inhibition index and frequency of metastasis were assessed., Results: It has been shown that despite low activity of L-asparagine with regard to primary tumor, the level of metastasis inhibition is rather high (up to 91% depending on experimental model, therapy regimen and follow-up period). The analysis of previously obtained data and our studies indicate that L-asparagine derived from burdock (Arctium lappa) root has not only its own antimetastatic activity but it is also able to increase antimetastatic activity of cyclophosphane partially reducing toxic effect of cyclophosphane on the organism without decreasing its antitumor and antimetastatic activities., Conclusion: L-asparagine derived from burdock (Arctium lappa) root can be effective in the complex anticancer therapy with the use of appropriate chemotherapy doses and regimens.

It was determined that a long-lasting consumption of a finely-growing feed vivarium even in the early postnatal period (60 days) causes certain changes in liver hepatocytes in rats. There takes place nucleous area and cell cytoplasm diminishing, accompanied by a decrease of albumines' synthesis level. In the later postnatal period (120 days) the hepatocytes' nucleus and cytoplasm area drastically increases, which is accompanied by the increase of albumine content in blood up to reference values. During the following period of the natal development (120-180 days) the levels as on the 128th day of the animals' development. In such a case the nucleous area slightly diminishes.

The results of the theoretical studies on the leakage of the optical radiation through a truncated waveguide with a subwavelength-sized exit hole are reported. We develop a self-consistent approach for the description of the fields behavior by taking into account the transformation of the initial wave into all possible modes, which appear due to the influence of the exit aperture. Our approach allows us to evaluate the amplitude reflection coefficient for the initial evanescent wave and to establish its relationship with the impedance of an infinite waveguide and the impedance of the exit aperture coupling a truncated waveguide with a free space. We determine the complex flow through the exit hole and the transmission coefficient to the far-field zone and express them through the reflection coefficient. Special attention in the work is paid to the evaluation of specific dependencies of the reflection and transmission coefficients on the ratio of the aperture radius to the light wavelength, on the dielectric constants of the waveguide core and the surrounding matter, and on the type of the waveguide mode. It is demonstrated that in the case of a metallic matter at the exit of a waveguide there is a strong resonance enhancement in the amplitude of the reflected wave and in the resulting amplitude of the tangential component of the electric field.

The effects of plasmalogenic and acyl structural analogs of the platelet activation factor (PAF) on the superoxide radical production by human blood leukocytes were studied. It was found that 1-O-acyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-O-(1'-alkenyl)-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine stimulates the production of leukocyte superoxide radicals, their activity being comparable with that of PAF. Stimulation of superoxide radical production strongly depends on the structure of the polar heads of PAF analogs. It is supposed that choline-containing plasmalogenic and acyl PAF analogs may act as specific lipid mediators of the neutrophil function.

The pro- and anti-inflammatory activity of new structural analogues of the platelet-activating factor (PAF) was studied. It was found that three PAF analogues inhibit PAF-induced rat paw edema in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-inflammatory activity of one of the PAF analogues upon PAF- or carrageenan-induced inflammation was comparable or in some extent exceeded that of dexamethasone.

Titers of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antigen were measured in 450 subjects aged 40 years and older. The group included patients with lung cancer, cases of non-specific chronic lung pathology and healthy subjects (150 persons in each subset). A significant increase in the level of antibodies to capsid EBV antigen was established in patients with lung cancer and chronic non-specific lung pathology as compared to healthy controls. Parameters of specific immunologic response to Epstein-Barr virus may be recommended as additional criteria for inclusion into the group at risk for lung cancer.

Atmosphere pollution with noxious gaseous trace contaminants exhaled by man in an enclosure was investigated as a function of free volume per man. The parameter was shown to depend on the environmental conditions: with increase in free volume the total level of atmosphere pollution decreased, being proportional to the concentration of gaseous trace contaminants in the exhaled air. Experimental curves of accumulation of gaseous chemicals exhaled by man were built.

Antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus have been detected in sera from 1538 healthy adult persons living in the south of Siberia and Far East. It has been shown that the virus infectivity varied from 77% in Russians of the Yakutsk ASSR to 100% in Orochi and Russians residing in the territory of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Province. Antibody levels to the Epstein-Barr virus for inhabitants of the south regions were higher than those for inhabitants of the north regions.

The effects of platelet activating factor (PAF) and three its antagonists on the transmembrane intracellular potentials and stimulated (0.5 Hz) contraction amplitude (CA) of the left auricle has been studied. PAF (1-5 X 10(-7) M) was added to the standard Tyrode solution or the same perfusing solution with 15 mM K+, and 6 mM Ca++ (t = 30 degrees C, pH = 7,2). PAF induced the straight cardio-depressing action: the CA always was suppressed during 20 min. The electrical activity was depressed in parallel; in the Tyrode the action potential (AP) duration was lowered, but in the atrial depolarized preparations PAF resulted in a decrease of the slow calcium potential (Ca-AP) amplitude from 100% to 20.2 +/- 2.0%. After 20 min PAF-acting the perfusing solutions contained also one of PAF-antagonists. Antagonist U-66985 led to the weakening of the PAF-depressing effects in the myocardium U-66985 is also able to increase electrical and mechanical activity in myocardium depressed by the blood serum from patients with virulent infections.

The effect of various ammonia concentrations in an enclosed atmosphere on man's adrenocortical system was investigated in five experiments on 20 young healthy test subjects. The most pronounced changes in the adrenocortical system developed when the ammonia content was 5 mg/m3.