Retrospective evaluation of blood immunologic parameters in the course of remission of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children

The present study concerns 63 patients with autosomal polycystic kidney disease. In 35 patients the disease was linked to chromosome 16, and in the remaining 28 it was not linked to this chromosome. A comparative clinical analysis of the clinical manifestations of each of the forms was carried out using the objective criteria of age at onset of the initial clinical manifestations of ADPKD, age at onset of the hypertension syndrome, age at onset of the initial chronic renal failure and beginning of haemodialysis. The results show that the clinical manifestations of ADPKD in the patients with the unlinked from are milder and with a better prognosis.     

Insecticidal activity of Bacillus laterosporus

The Bacillus laterosporus strains 921 and 615 were shown to have toxicity for larvae of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex pipiens. The larvicidal activity of B. laterosporus was associated with spores and crystalline inclusions. Purified B. laterosporus 615 crystals were highly toxic for Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi.     

Anthracycline antibiotics non-covalently incorporated into the block copolymer micelles: in vivo evaluation of anti-cancer activity

The chemosensitising effects of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly-(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers (Pluronic) in multidrug-resistant cancer cells has been described recently (Alakhov VY, Moskaleva EY, Batrakova EV, Kabanov AV 1996, Biocon. Chem., 7, 209). This paper presents initial studies on in vivo evaluation of Pluronic copolymers in the treatment of cancer. The anti-tumour activity of epirubicin (EPI) and doxorubicin (DOX), solubilised in micelles of Pluronic L61, P85 and F108, was investigated using murine leukaemia P388 and daunorubicin-sensitive Sp2/0 and -resistant Sp2/0(DNR) myeloma cells grown subcutaneously (s.c.). The study revealed that the lifespan of the animals and inhibition of tumour growth were considerably increased in mice treated with drug/copolymer compositions compared with animals treated with the free drugs. The anti-tumour activity of the drug/copolymer compositions depends on the concentration of the copolymer and its hydrophobicity, as determined by the ratio of the lengths of hydrophilic PEO and hydrophobic PPO segments. The data suggest that higher activity is associated with more hydrophobic copolymers. In particular, a significant increase in lifespan (T/C> 150%) and tumour growth inhibition (> 90%) was observed in animals with Sp2/0 tumours with EPI/P85 and DOX/L61 compositions. The effective doses of these compositions caused inhibition of Sp2/0 tumour growth and complete disappearance of tumour in 33-50% of animals. Future studies will focus on the evaluation of the activity of Pluronic-based compositions against human drug-resistant tumours.     

Determination of steroid hormone receptors in different tissues and neoplasms

PURPOSE: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a known cause of metastatic endophthalmitis. However, the organism has never been described to cause severe infectious keratoconjunctivitis. We report a fulminant case of nosocomial K. pneumoniae conjunctivitis complicated by infectious keratitis and corneal perforation in both eyes. METHODS: An 83-year-old previously healthy Chinese woman, blind in the right eye from rubeotic glaucoma and with bilateral dense cataracts, was admitted for observation after a head injury. While in hospital, she developed purulent bilateral conjunctivitis. Repeated cultures grew K. pneumoniae. This rapidly progressed to severe infectious keratitis and corneal perforation in both eyes, despite intensive antibiotics to which the organism was susceptible. The patient was otherwise well, and investigations did not reveal any source of endogenous sepsis. RESULTS: The patient lost complete vision in both eyes. The left eye turned phthisical, and the right eye was eviscerated for uncontrolled endophthalmitis. CONCLUSION: Although not previously reported, K. pneumoniae can cause devastating keratoconjunctivitis resulting in corneal melt, perforation, and uncontrolled endophthalmitis.     

Complex-radical graft copolymerization of methacrylic acid with vinylic monomers in aqueous medium initiated with the K2S2O8-Na2S2O3 redox system in the presence of Cu2+ ions

Graft copolymerization and block copolymerization of methacrylic acid with vinylic monomers on polycaproamide fiber according to a complex-radical mechanism in the presence of Cu²⁺ ion in aqueous medium was investigated. It was found that the configurational correspondence of the propagation radical and the incorporated molecule of the monomer is the basic condition for the occurrence of graft copolymerization by this mechanism. Hypotheses were advanced concerning the mechanism of graft copolymerization of MAA with AA.