The military medical aspects of HIV infection

During 1988-89 the medical department of the S. M. Kirov hospital diagnosed 50 HIV-infected military personnel who had contracted the disease in Africa. Among 270,000 prisoners from 17 countries the rate of HIV infection ranged from 11% to 26%. Among US Army recruits the rate of HIV seropositivity was found to be 1.5%. Among Navy soldiers the rate was 0.24%. During 1985-87, in the navies of different countries, 2051 men had contracted HIV infection, most of whom had no idea about transmission and prevention. At the Kirov military hospital during 1988-89 a comparison of HIV infection rate was made involving 545 people. Among foreigners the rate was 17.2 times higher than among citizens. In a massive screening experiment involving 47,447 people in Kalmykia a rate of 2.9% was found among local citizens compared to 1.9% among foreigners. Diagnosis relies on various antibody tests, of which the Welcozyme test system has yielded only a 2.3% rate of false positive results. In 1989 the immunological status of 73 false positive results from 20 HIV-infected people was examined. These investigations revealed that the absolute amount of T-4 cells, the index of differentiation of T-4/T-8, and the functional activity of lymphocytes diminished in the infected people, while a slight increase of T-8 count did occur. The study of the blood lymphocytes showed that in the infected people the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial isoforms of malate dehydrogenase decreased somewhat, while the activity of succinate dehydrogenase and especially of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase increased. In persons infected with HIV, the T- suppressor cell count increased and T-helper cell count decreased, which leads to the decrease of the functional indices of the immune system. Military health services are obliged to inform the servicemen about AIDs for health protection and the spouses of those infected with HIV should also be notified.     

Marker proteins in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with grave craniocerebral injury

The permeability of the blood-brain barrier for the cerebrospinal fluid marker proteins has been assessed in patients with grave craniocerebral injuries. The content of albumin and alpha 2-macroglobulin in the survivors decreased with time and by day 7 after the injury was virtually normal. In patients who died the content of these proteins was reliably increased starting from day 1. By day 7 the content of albumin in the cerebrospinal fluid approached the norm in this group, whereas the content of alpha 2-macroglobulin remained increased. The level of IgG surpassed the normal value on day 1 only in the patients who died, and later it did not differ from the norm in both groups.     

Up-to-date approach to the treatment of rectal cancer

During the last 15 years 2404 radical operations of various types were carried out for cancer of the rectum. The rate of postoperative complications made up 28.3% and mortality--2.9%. The tendency to increase of locally spread forms of cancer up to 96.2% with metastases to regional lymph nodes up to--52.3% was detected. The use of adequate chemotherapy, updated suturing devices and new variants of radical operations, combined and extended ones in particular havw much contributed to carrying out radical interventions with complete restoration of bowel continuity in 70% of patients. 5 year survival rate of patients after sphincter saving plastics and restorative procedures made up 60.2-65.3%, after extirpations with colostomy--54.2%. Promising results of improvement the indices of 5 year survival were obtained when preoperative irradiation in regime of multifractioning SOD 45-55 Gy was used together with administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-7.5 g).     

The regional morphological characteristics of the endothelium of the human thoracic aorta in perfusion fixation

The ultramicroscopic organization and the endotheliocyte surface relief in ventral portions of the thoracic part of human aorta and in zones of division of blood flow were studied under conditions of early post mortem examinations and perfusion fixation of corpses of 14 humans dead from accidental causes. Zones of entrance into the intercostal aortas are compared with the straight portions of the aorta and are found to be characterized, as compared with the latters, by polymorphism of the endothelium, higher adhesiveness of its surface to blood elements, as well as by the presence of intravitally de-endothelialized portions localized on the ridge of the intimal valve.     

Clinico-audiological characteristics of secretory otitis media in children

At the 1995 status review of the Healthy People 2000 nutrition objectives, progress was reported in several areas. These include dietary fat consumption, calcium intake, use of nutrition label information, incidence of coronary and stroke mortalities and blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, a lack of progress was reported in the incidence of overweight in both men and women. Physicians can help their older patients achieve better health by providing assessments for under- or over-nutrition and education in age-appropriate dietary practices.     

The immunological and biochemical reactions of the cerebrospinal fluid in victims of blast injuries of the skull and brain

An analysis of immunobiochemical indices of the cerebrospinal fluid has shown possibilities to establish objective mechanisms of injuries of the brain by explosions. Biochemical manifestations of the cytolysis syndrome can be taken as symptoms of primary injury of the brain under conditions of burst polytrauma since increased activity of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial enzymes in the liquor is directly proportional to the brain trauma degree. The primary injury of the brain is characterized by a specific immune response: increased concentration of IgG, IgA in the liquor with the increased circulation of immune complexes.     

The effect of 1,4-benzodiazepine derivatives on 35S-tert-butylbicyclophosphorothionate binding in the brain of inbred mice with differing emotional stress reactions]

The effect of alprazolam, cinazepam, and hydazepam on the binding of 35S-tert-butylbicyclophosphorothionate with the brain membranes of inbred Balb/c and C57B1/6 mice with a different type of emotional-stress reaction was studied. The displacement curve of 35S-TBPS bound with alprazolam and cinazepam was two-phase in character with different degree of inhibition in the nanomolar and micromolar areas. Hydazepam displaced the bound radioligand only in micromolar concentrations. Displacement of the bound radioligand in the brain membranes began with lower concentrations of the used benzodiazepins in Balb/c animals than in C57B1/6 animals. The emotional-stress effect led to shift of the displacement curves of the bound 35S-TBPS in the direction of higher acting concentrations of the benzodiazepins in the brain membranes of mice of both lines.