Expression of the Evi-1 gene in haemopoietic cells of children with juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia and normal donors

Activation of the Evi-1 gene was first described to be associated with the transformation of murine myeloid leukaemias and has previously been detected in cases of human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in blast crises and in myelodysplastic syndromes. In this study we determined the frequency and the level of Evi-1 expression in juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) and in normal haemopoiesis. Using RT-PCR and Southern blot hybridization mRNA of Evi-1 could be detected in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) mononuclear cells (MNC) of normal donors. In JMML 12/20 patients examined expressed elevated levels of Evi-1 compared to normal controls. In these samples over-expression of the gene was correlated with a higher percentage of blasts (P = 0.02). Expression levels in BFU-E and CFU-GM derived colonies from BM of JMML patients were lower than those in the corresponding MNC samples. Analysis of CD34+ and CD34- cells demonstrated that Evi-1 is primarily expressed in the CD34+ cell population of both JMML and normal donors. These findings suggest that Evi-1 expression is linked to the early stages of haemopoiesis. Studies on the regulation of Evi-1 expression in CD34+ cells will elucidate its function in progenitor cells and clarify its possible role in the pathogenesis of JMML.     

Study of sialated neoglycoconjugates by surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

Neoglycoconjugates based on polyacrylamide and sialic acid with N-acetylneuraminic acid or sialooligosaccharides as side chains were studied by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. It had previously been found that these polymers can effectively inhibit influenza virus adhesion. This study revealed the possibility to evaluate, based on the intensity of SERS signals, the overall availability for interaction and the conformational freedom of sialic acid residues in glycoconjugates. The dependence of these two factors on the structure and density of sialylated side chains was studied. The uniformity of distribution of sialylated side chains in conjugates was shown. Comparison of the results of the SERS spectroscopic study of the conjugates and the data on their inhibitory effect on the adhesion of specific strains of influenza virus allowed the identification of the conjugates for which the availability and conformational freedom of sialic acid are the main factors determining their inhibitory properties. A conclusion was also reached about the predominance of one of the mechanisms (competitive inhibition or steric stabilization) in the inhibitory properties of the specific conjugates.     

Deactivation of titanium during temperature-induced hydrogen absorption–desorption cycling: I. Effects of water, oxygen and nitrogen traces

The cyclic stability of metallic titanium during absorption–desorption runs in continuous flow system has been studied in the presence of variable level of impurities such as H₂O, O₂ and N₂ in argon and helium flows. Hydrogen absorption–desorption cycles performed in vacuo were reproducible with respect to the absorption rates and uptakes, while absorption–desorption cycles carried out in the flows of carrier gases in the thermoprogrammed mode resulted in the gradual decrease of hydrogen uptakes followed by a shift of absorption maxima from 800 K to 1000 K.

Mass-spectral analysis of the main impurities in a flow of gases revealed that during hydrogen absorption–desorption traces of water, oxygen and nitrogen are consumed by titanium. For the samples subjected to several absorption–desorption cycles in the flow of inert gas XRD revealed the formation of nitrogen-containing titanium compounds, while XPS showed surface enrichment in nitrogen, while oxygen concentration was constant. Nitrogen consumed at higher temperatures during the TPD runs provides better inhibition of hydrogen absorption compared to water and oxygen. Final deactivation state of titanium correlates in general with the overall amount of impurities in the stream.

Although deactivation is controlled mostly by the level of toxic impurities in the feed, certain parameters, i.e., hydrogen absorption/desorption rates are dependent on the nature of neutral media—in contrast to helium, noticeable hydrogen desorption occurs even at room temperature in a flow of pure argon.     

Ia. V. Villie as a surgeon

Children during the first few years of their lives, presenting with lymphohypoplastic diathesis were studied for their blood serum content of sodium, potassium, chlorine. Relationship was found of the electrolyte balance to the processes of the lipid peroxidation, activity of the hormonal link of the antioxidant defence system.     

Hemostasis in patients operated on for abdominal hemorrhage. 3. Boundary deviations of hemostasis

The fibrinolytic process in the plasma of patients operated for abdominal haemorrhages have been investigated. The results allowed to conclude that the blockade of fibrinolysis did not effect on the course of the disease. The high level of the inhibitors and of the platelets hypoaggregation can be considered as a cause increased of the recurring gastrointestinal haemorrhages. It was demonstrated that the probability of DIC-syndrome development increased at the aggravation of the patient's state after the operation.     

Primary structure and strand specificity of BstF5I-1 DNA methyltransferase which recognizes 5''-GGATG-3''

1. Ovomucoids were purified from Muscovy duck, domestic duck and domestic goose. 2. Peptide maps of cyanogen bromide-cleaved ovomucoids from Muscovy duck and domestic duck were very similar to one another, but differed from that of goose. 3. Muscovy duck ovomucoid showed the same protease inhibitory pattern as ovomucoid from domestic duck, inhibiting trypsin in the molar ratio of 1:2 and chymotrypsin 1:1. 4. Inhibitory complexes could be detected between chymotrypsin and ovomucoid from both Muscovy and domestic duck, but not from goose, by using non-denaturing gels. 5. No complexes could be detected between DFP-inactivated chymotrypsin and any of the ovomucoids. 6. The results show that of ovomucoid from Muscovy duck more closely resembles that from domestic duck than goose.