Epithalamin effects on carbohydrate metabolism and cardiovascular system in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Epithelamine made in Russia (Samson, St. Petersburg) was tried for effects on carbohydrate metabolism and cardiovascular system in 33 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Adjuvant use of epithelamine in combined treatment of NIDDM promoted a stable compensation of carbohydrate metabolism, lowering of glycosylated hemoglobin, immunoreactive insulin. There was also a moderate hypotensive effect and improvement of left ventricular diastolic function.     

Effect of thymic polypeptide factor on the cyclic nucleotide system of immunocompetent cells

Thyramine, a polypeptide factor from thymus, at wide range of concentrations increased the cAMP content in rat thymocytes. Increase in the cAMP content was less distinct in spleen lymphoid cells. Thyramine decreased the cGMP content in thymocytes; minimal nucleotide level was found within 15 min of incubation. The data obtained suggest that the rate of lymphocyte maturation is important for response of the cells to the effect of immunoregulating agents.     

Identification of a novel endogenous memory facilitating cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine in rat brain

Using high-performance liquid chromatography, gas-chromatography and chromato-mass spectrometry methods a novel endogenous cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine was identified in rat brain. Its content according to gas chromatography is 2.8 +/- 0.3 nmol/g wet brain. Synthetic cyclo-prolylglycine has demonstrated antiamnesic activity in the passive avoidance test in rats at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg i.p. Cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine seems to be a memory facilitating substance and its presence in rat brain suggests the existence of a new mechanism of memory regulation.     

Structural principles of the broad substrate specificity of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris carboxypeptidase T--role of amino acid residues at positions 260 and 262

An influence of residues at positions 260 and 262 on a broad substrate specificity of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris carboxypeptidase T (CPT) has been studied by means of site-directed mutagenesis. The structure of the S1'-site of CPT is similar to those of pancreatic carboxypeptidases A (CPA) and B (CPB); however, the enzyme is capable of cleaving off C-terminal hydrophobic (like CPA), C-terminal positively charged (like CPB), and negatively charged residues. The spatial alteration of the S1' site hydrophobic area in CPT by an insertion of one residue in the active site loop with Tyr255 by analogy with CPA and CPB did not change the enzyme specificity. The introduction of Ile262 (CPT D260G/T262I) led to a statistically significant reduction in activity towards charged substrates. The removal of a negative (CPT D260G) and placement of a positive charge (CPT D260G/T262K and CPT D260G/T262R) in the S1' site shifted the specificity of the variants towards substrates with C-terminal Glu. The selectivity profile was 64:1.7:1 for wild-type CPT, 815:115:1 for CPT D260G, 3270:1060:1 for CPT D260G/T262K and 1:2.4:0 for CPT D260G/T262R for substrates with C-terminal Leu, Glu and Arg, respectively. The obtained results confirm the important role of the amino acid residues at positions 260 and 262 in determination of the CPT substrate specificity.     

Rotation sensors on the basis of a semiconductor optical amplifier

The results of studies of semiconductor optical amplifiers, semiconductor ring lasers, and rotation sensors that are manufactured on their basis are presented. The lengths of the resonators of semiconductor ring lasers were varied from 3 to 800 m, and the linewidth of laser radiation changed from 30 MHz to 3 kHz. The possibility of creating a rotation sensor with a scale coefficient of 900 kHz/deg/s and a minimally detectable rotational velocity of 1 deg/s on the basis of semiconductor optical amplifiers is shown.     

Changes in neurotransmitters in multiple sclerosis

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the route of administration of 5-FU with the greatest pharmacological advantage in a rat model using non-invasive in vivo 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. METHODS: 5-FU (50 mg/kg) was administered to anesthetized Wistar rats cannulated into the hepatic artery, portal vein or tail vein and 11 NMR spectra were acquired from the liver region to 60.5 min every 5.5 min. RESULTS: With systemic i.v. (tail vein) infusion, the 19F-NMR signal for 5-FU from the liver region peaked in the first spectrum (0-5.5 min), and then gradually decreased. The signal for the 5-FU catabolite alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL) gradually increased to the sixth spectrum (0-33.0 min) and then plateaued. Following portal vein infusion the intensity of the first 5-FU spectrum was twice as high as that following i.v. infusion, but the intensity decreased and the FBAL signal increased gradually in the sixth spectrum as systemic i.v. infusion. In contrast, the intensity of the 5-FU signal following hepatic artery infusion was the same as that following portal vein infusion in the first spectrum, and maintained a strong intensity to the final spectrum (60.5 min). The FBAL signal was detected from the second spectrum following hepatic artery infusion, but its intensity was significantly weaker than that following i.v. or portal vein infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic arterial infusion resulted in the active form of 5-FU being present for a longer time and its degradation in the liver being suppressed compared with the results following portal vein infusion. This catabolic advantage of hepatic arterial infusion could lead to a more potent anti-tumor activity against liver metastases, but could also lead to significant host toxicity including biliary toxicity. We recommend that the dose/schedule of 5-FU administered via the hepatic artery should be adjusted carefully.     

Evaluation of the functional and clinical qualities of the new GSG-2 dual-sensor gamma-topograph

A double-sensor gamma-topograph model GSG-2 has been constructed to realize colour shade lining and black-and-white photographic registration of images reflecting spatial distribution of radioactive isotopes introduced to patients for diagnostic purposes. On the ground of trial tests the valuation of functional and clinical qualities of the device is given.