The ecological cause of the higher accumulation of 90Sr and 137Cs in the food of northern inhabitants

PURPOSE: To quantify S-antigen-specific (S-Ag) T cells in the retina after adoptive transfer, and to evaluate their role in the initiation and progress of destructive ocular inflammation in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). METHODS: Lewis rats were administered 10 x 10(6) S-Ag-specific T cells from the SP35 cell line or 10 x 10(6) concanavalin A-stimulated syngeneic spleen cell lymphoblasts labeled with lipophilic PKH26 fluorescent dye immediately before intravenous inoculation. Labeled cells in each retina were counted at various times from 4 to 120 hours after cell transfer by fluorescence microscopic analysis of each dissociated retina. Recipient eyes were examined within the same period by light and confocal microscope. RESULTS: SP35 T cells showed a biphasic distribution in the retina. The first peak of 160 cells/retina was noted at 24 hours. A steady decline of labeled cells at 48 and 72 hours was followed by a rapid increase at 96 and 120 hours. Concanavalin A-stimulated, control-labeled cell populations showed an identical peak at 24 hours but a persistent decline thereafter; only two or three T cells were present in each retina at 120 hours. Concurrent inoculation of SP35 cells and nonspecific T cell blasts did not produce more SP35 cells than control cells in the retina at any time. Microscopic analysis showed mononuclear cell infiltration of the iris, ciliary body, and aqueous humor at 48 hours, which intensified rapidly and persisted through 120 hours. Retinal inflammation did not begin until 80 hours. Mononuclear cell adherence to vascular endothelium and perivascular macrophage infiltration of the innermost layers progressed to edema, and profound destructive inflammation and loss of retinal stratification were observed at 120 hours. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence of a blood-ocular or blood-retinal barrier to activated T cell blasts. Autologous S-Ag does not provoke a more rapid entry of specific T cells at that site. The data confirm that anterior segment inflammation precedes retinal inflammation, even though S-Ag-specific T cells were present in the retina within a few hours after cell transfer. Because S-Ag is clearly present in the retina, delay in antigen presentation at that site may account for the temporal difference between retinal and anterior segment inflammation.     

In vivo platelet and T-lymphocyte activities during pulmonary tuberculosis

Platelets have been suggested to play a role in the inflammatory response, including defence against bacteria. The aims of this study were to determine in vivo platelet activity during the clinical course of pulmonary tuberculosis and to investigate whether or not there is a correlation between the magnitude of platelet activation and the extent of the pulmonary disease. T-lymphocyte activity was also analysed in the patients. Platelet factor-4 (PF4) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (sIL-2Ralpha) concentrations were used as markers of platelet and T-lymphocyte activation, respectively. Twenty-five patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were studied. Fifteen healthy subjects served as a control group. The levels of both sIL-2Ralpha (3,000+/-1,948 pg x mL(-1)) and PF4 (103.1+/-6.7 IU x mL(-1)) were significantly higher in the patients with tuberculosis than in the control group (984+/-360 pg x mL(-1) and 78.2+/-23.9 IU x mL(-1), respectively) (Mann-Whitney U-test, p<0.001 for both comparisons). The plasma PF4 levels were found to be well correlated with the extent of pulmonary lesions on chest radiography (the Spearman's bivariate correlation analysis, r=0.65, p<0.001). However, sIL-2Ralpha concentrations did not correlate with the extent of disease. In conclusion, it has been suggested that platelet and T-lymphocyte activation occurs during pulmonary tuberculosis. The good correlation between platelet activation and the extent of pulmonary tuberculosis might be ascribed to a pathophysiological role of platelets in pulmonary tuberculosis.     

Total endoprosthesis of the knee joint

The results of conduction of 7 operations endoprosthetics of the knee joint using AGC-system of the "Biomet" concern are adduced. Details of operative procedure are enlightened, clinical cases and immediate results of operation are adduced.     

Use of new instrumental methods in the evaluation of higher cortical functions in the diagnosis of intellectual insufficiency in children

The informative value of comprehensive psychophysiological examinations of children and adolescents who suffered from varying intellectual performance impairments was defined by using the testing computer systems "Rhythmotest", "Mnemotest", "Binatest" which may qualitatively scan cognitive and psychomotor activities in a child. Examinations are listed. The paper gives the indices showing the most significant differences between ill and healthy examinees, which may be the key points in detecting intellectual defect in a patient.     

Growth of Y<Subscript>3</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> films on Si with AlO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> and SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> buffer layers by ion beam sputtering

Amorphous yttrium iron garnet films ranging in thickness from 100 to 600 nm have been produced on single-crystal silicon substrates by sputtering a polycrystalline target with the composition Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ (yttrium iron garnet) by a mixture of argon and oxygen ions. Before film growth, AlO _x or SiO₂ buffer layers up to 0.8 μm in thickness were grown on the Si surface. The heterostructures were crystallized by annealing in air at a temperature of 950°C for 30 min. The properties of the films were studied by magneto-optical techniques, using Kerr effect and ferromagnetic resonance measurements. The Gilbert damping parameter reached 2.8 × 10^–3 and the effective planar magnetic anisotropy field was independent of the nature of the buffer layer. This suggests that the thin-film heterostructures obtained in this study are potentially attractive for use in spin-wave semiconductor devices.     

Influence of the state of interfaces on the magnitude of the magnetoelectric effect in Co (Ni) films on PbZr<Subscript>0.45</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.55</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and GaAs substrates

Co (Ni) films on ceramic lead zirconate titanate (PbZr_0.45Ti_0.55O₃) ferroelectric substrates and single-crystal GaAs piezoelectric substrates are shown to exhibit a giant magnetoelectric response, which reaches 200 V/A at room temperature and mechanical Q of at least 1000. These findings are interpreted in terms of the formation of stable interfaces in thin-film heterostructures owing to good adhesion of dissimilar materials to substrate surfaces after ion beam sputtering/deposition processing. This will allow one to extend the applicability of the magnetoelectric effect at room temperature to commercially available microelectronic materials and integrate related hybrid structures into single-chip signal generation/processing devices.     

Results of treating epithelial dysplasias of the uterine cervix with CO2-laser rays

The problem of the presence of carcinogens in the environment has become of considerable concern to the public, as it has been to the biomedical community for some time. The burden of identifying carcinogenic agents and determining threshold levels, if they exist, falls upon the scientific community. Particular care must be exercised in the design, conduct and analysis of experiments directed toward the identification of carcinogens. The data generated from such tests provides the basis for regulatory decisions by governmental authorities. The advice provided by scientists must be based on sound data. There have been instances, however, and there will be others, in which biological variability and the limits of sensitivity of our tests will give equivocal results. It is the duty of scientists to bring such uncertainties to the attention of the public while working towards the development of more sensitive and precise techniques.