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Presented in the article is a review of the literature, analysing principles of conservative therapy of patients with obliterating diseases of lower limb arteries and most commonly used drugs to treat them, followed by discussing the mechanisms of action and efficacy of such pharmacological agents as pentoxyphyllin, cilostazol, naphthidrofuryl, aktovegin, sulodexide. Described in details are subtle mechanisms of action of sulodexide as an endothelioprotector, its clinical efficacy in intermittent claudication.

Lichens are widely used to assess the atmospheric pollution by heavy metals and radionuclides. However, few studies are available in publications on using lichens to qualitatively assess the atmospheric pollution levels. The paper presents research results applying epiphytic lichens as bio-monitors of quantitative atmospheric contamination with uranium. The observations were conducted during 2.5 years in the natural environment. Two experimental sites were used: one in the vicinity of a uranium contamination source, the other one – at a sufficient distance away to represent the background conditions. Air and lichens were sampled at both sites monthly. Epiphytic lichens Hypogimnia physodes were used as bio-indicators. Lichen samples were taken from various trees at about 1.5 m from the ground. Air was sampled with filters at sampling stations. The uranium content in lichen and air samples as well as isotopic mass ratios 235U/238U were measured by mass-spectrometer technique after uranium pre-extraction. Measured content of uranium were 1.45 mg kg−1 in lichen at 2.09E-04 μg m−3 in air and 0.106 mg kg−1 in lichen at 1.13E-05 μg m−3 in air. The relationship of the uranium content in atmosphere and that in lichens was determined, C AIR = exp ( 1.1 × C LICHEN − 12 ) . The possibility of separate identification of natural and man-made uranium in lichens was demonstrated in principle.

It is known that lichens are used for assessment of atmosphere pollution by heavy metals, radioniclides, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, etc. However there were published in scientific literature only limited data on usage of lichens as bio-indicators of tritium 1,2 , There are presented in the paper the results of lichen application study for assessment of atmospheric pollution by tritium. Both tritium in tissue free water (TFWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) were measured in lichen. Lichen species Hypogimnia physodes was used as a basic bio-indicator. Pieces of lichen were sampled within the distance of 30 km of emission source. Established sampling sites were rectangular in shape with linear dimensions 100 * 100 m. Lichen samples were sampled from various trees: birch tree, aspen tree, pine tree and linden tree at the level of 1.5 m above the ground. Thermal vacuum desorption technique was used to extract TFWT from lichen samples. Pyrolitic oxidation of dried lichen samples by vanadium oxide was used to extract tritium from OBT. Air monitoring stations equipped with active and passive samplers were used to sample HT and HTO from the atmosphere. Liquid scintillation counting was used to measure tritium content in water samples. It was determined that tritium content in lichen samples (both in TFWT and OBT) in vicinity of an emission source is higher than that of tritium content in lichen at distant sampling sites. Variation of tritium activity of TFWT was about 10 times, variation of tritium activity in OBT was about 70 times. It was supposed that tritium content in TFWT was in equilibrium with tritium content in atmosphere at the minute of sampling, while tritium content in OBT was determined by tritium content in atmosphere over longer period of time.

The review analyses the role of serotonin in the development of pathological processes in angiological patients, showing its negative role in aggravating chronic and acute ischaemia of various organs (brain, myocardium, extremities) both at the expense of vasoconstriction and due to an increase in blood platelet aggregation of blood platelets and erythrocytes, followed by analysis of clinical efficacy of naftidrofuryl) - serotonin 5-HT2 receptor antagonist. Results of numerous randomized trials confirmed its efficacy and safety in treatment of angiological patients, being superior to other vasotropic drugs (cilostazol, pentoxyphyllin, nicotinic acid).

Presented in the article are the results of studying antiaggregate activity of acetylsalicylic acid and clopidogrel in a total of 36 patients suffering from various-severity chronic arterial insufficiency of lower limbs on the background of atherosclerosis obliterans. The study was conducted prior to treatment for correct selection of a particular antiplatelet agent. The obtained results showed that clopidogrel was not always more efficient than acetylsalicylic acid, since there is individual sensitivity of each patients to a particular antiplatelet agent. Therefore, an individual approach is necessary to conservative therapy of arterial insufficiency of lower limbs. For some patients it is preferable to administer clopidogrel, for others - acetylsalicylic acid. In a series of cases combined treatment is justified, while some patients having low sensitivity to both acetylsalicylic acid and clopidogrel require careful selection of alternative agents influencing other thrombocyte receptors.

Presented herein are the results of treating a total of sixty patients suffering from atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower limbs with degree IV chronic ischaemia according to the Fontain-Pokrovsky classification and accompanied by pyonecrotic alterations. The patients were subdivided into two clinically matching groups, each comprising 30 subjects. All patients after two-week conservative preparation underwent various reconstructive surgical operations performed on major arteries of the lower limbs. The local preoperative treatment was of two different types, i. e. consisting of Levomecol ointment used in the control group patients and Metrogyl 1% topical gel applied in the study group patients. Sampled before treatment, inoculations of the wound discharge demonstrated predominantly anaerobic flora in all patients, with the number of bacterial strains having dramatically decreased once Metrogyl gel 1% had been used, whereas application of Levomecol did not significantly influence the structure of the microbial profile. Following surgical treatment we had to perform high amputation of the lower limb in 5 patients of the control group, whereas in the study group patients only one patient required amputation at the foot level. Hence, prior to carrying out reconstructive vascular interventions in patients presenting with pyonecrotic lesions of lower extremities it is preferable to perform debridement of the necrotic foci using topical antibacterial agents, one of which may be Metrogyl 1% gel.

The work deals with studying the parameters of autoregulation of the cerebral blood flow in a total of 127 patients subdivided into four groups. Clinical Group I consisted of thirty 45-to-70-year-old male patients (mean age 55.13 +/- 6.44 years) presenting with no signs of systemic atherosclerosis (CAD, chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower extremities, cerebrovascular insufficiency) or any other chronic diseases (chronic cardiac, pulmonary or renal insufficiency, chronic hepatitis, etc.). Clinical Group II comprised 32 patients diagnosed as having varying-degree chronic arterial insufficiency on the background of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower-limb arteries (average age 57.46 +/- 5.15 years). Clinical Group III was composed of 30 patients presenting with different degrees of chronic cerebral ischaemia and having haemodynamically significant unilateral atherosclerotic lesions of the internal carotid artery (mean age 55.39 +/- 6.25 years), with the Control Group enrolling thirty-five 20-to-25-year-old volunteers. The findings of the work showed that the patients with atherosclerosis had significant impairments of the cerebral blood flow autoregulation, whose type and degree appeared to depend upon localization of the lesion. In the patients with peripheral atherosclerosis, a 10-day therapeutic course of intravenous administration of alpha-lipoic acid (Berlithion) at a dose of 600 mg daily could be used to correct disordered autoregulation of the cerebral vessels and may be considered from the position of preoperative preparation of such patients for reconstructive vascular interventions on the aorta and lower-limb arteries. Efficacy of alpha-lipoic acid (Berlithion) on the alterations in the cerebral blood flow autoregulation in patients presenting with haemodynamic stenosis of the internal carotid artery is insignificant, in connection with which such patients require surgical restoration of the patency of the major cerebral arteries.

Chair of Neurology of the Advanced Medical Training Department of the Federal Educational Facility of the Higher Vocational Education Russian State Medical University under the Russian Public Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia. The article deals with the findings obtained in examining and treating a total of eighty-seven patients suffering from atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower-limb arteries with stage IIB and III chronic arterial insufficiency. Studied were impairments of the theological properties of the blood and plasma, erythrocytic deformability and the concentration of malonic dialdehyde in blood at admission to the hospital, upon completion of the course of conservative treatment, and after the reconstructive vascular intervention performed. It was determined that the leading mechanism disturbing oxygen utilization by tissues is a decrease in erythrocytic deformability, which promotes shunting of the arterial blood flow and persists after the surgical vascular reconstruction preformed.

The results of the deposition of tritium oxide (HTO) from atmosphere to Hypogymnia physodes lichens during chamber experiments are presented. For lichens the content of tissue water tritium (TWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) were measuremed. Were shown that lichens mainly absorb HTO from atmosphere during first 24 hours. The ratio TWT/HTO of chamber and the velocity of TWT to OBT conversion in lichens were determined. Was noted that the TWT to OBT conversion velocity for lichens is ten times greater than that for deposition of HTO by vascular plant leafs. There was supposed that TWT to OCT conversion in lichens is occurred through alga as well as fungus component of lichens. The intensive deposition HTO from chamber atmosphere by lichens and high velocity of HTO to OBT conversion show the availability to use lichens for determination of atmosphere pollution by HTO.

1. A method is described for determining oxygen in active boron nitride powders by neutron activation analysis. 2. It is shown that raising the heat treatment temperature from 1300 to 1500°C decreases the oxygen content of boron nitride synthesized at 900°C from boric acid and urea in an ammonia stream by about three quarters; at the same time, the crystal lattice structure of the compound becomes transformed from turbostratic to mesographitic. 3. The hypothesis is advanced that the imperfect structure of boron nitride is caused by oxygen implanted in its crystal lattice. 4. At the drying temperature water-containing boron nitride undergoes hydrolysis, with the formation of various oxygen-containing compounds, including B2O3. 5. Use of neutron activation analysis may in many cases enable a materials (elements) balance sheet to be drawn up.