Antitubercular activity of lomefloxacin in an experiment

The effect of lomefloxacin was studied on mice with experimental infection due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The antibiotic was administered in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. It was shown that the use of lomefloxacin for a month provided a lower death rate of the animals with progressing acute generalized tuberculosis, a lower level of the lesions in the internal organs and a lower number of the Mycobacterium isolates from them. The efficacy of the treatment depended on the drug dose. When lomefloxacin was used in a dose of 200 mg/kg, the survival rate was much higher and the number of the epithelial unicellular granulomas in the tissue of the lung and spleen was markedly decreased while with the lower dose the indices did not differ from those in the control.     

Human gamma-interferon expression in the mammary gland of transgenic mice

Transgenic mice carrying a hybrid gene consisting of ovine beta-lactoglobulin gene sequences and human gamma-interferon (hIFN-g) cDNA were produced. hIFN-g expression in the mammary gland of two lactating transgenic founder females was found. The concentration of active hIFN-g in the milk was estimated as being ca. 1800 IU/ml. The hIFN-g ability to express in the mammary gland was found in the progeny of transgenic founder male.     

The course and outcome of viral hepatitis B in drug-addicted patients

In this paper, characterization is given of clinical and biochemical features of VH B course against the background of narcomania. Recordable in such patient populations are high percentage of delta hepatitis (14.2%), unusual severity of the intoxication syndrome, protracted course with exacerbations (12.2%) and recurrences (8%), outcome being a chronic hepatitis (14.2%), slower normalization of biochemical indicators, persistently low ratio of AIAT activity in diluted and whole blood sera. The persistence of viral markers in drug addicts discharged from the hospital (68%) is fraught with danger of spreading viral hepatitis of prophylactic measures are not strictly observed.     

Unprecedented competition, fabulous technologies: A whole new ballgame for the energy industry

Technology developments on the horizon promise to transform the electricity industry far from its present shape and structure. But, just as technology has played a critical role in pushing the industry to its present thrust toward competition and vertical de-integration, a sensible technology policy can make a utility or power supplier a winmer tomorrow.     

Traveling wave method for calculation of linewidth, frequencytuning, and stability of semiconductor lasers

The authors present a new traveling wave method for calculating the linewidth, the frequency tuning efficiency, and a mode stability parameter for a general class of laser-diode structures. The method leads to simple semianalytic expressions which allow an easy numerical determination of the three parameters     

Reproductive health of the family as a goal of industrial medicine

Modern demographic situation stressed the problems of human reproductive health associated with industrial medical topics. The article suggests to regard a family (child and two parents) as a unit under study in industrial medicine. This methodic approach should work in scientific programs reviewing influence of industrial ecology and environmental factors on reproductivity. The authors suggest elaboration of universal strategy for ecologic and epidemiologic studies to form a scientific branch "Epidemiology of reproductive health" and to elaborate methods for better health management during the present demographic crisis.     

Effects of antioxidant state on individual susceptibility to silicosis (an experimental study)

The authors proved that animals having higher natural antioxidant activity and lower intensity of lipid peroxidation are more resistant to fibrogenic effects of quartz. The peritoneal macrophages obtained from those animals show higher resistance to quartz exposure "in vitro". Parameters characterizing antioxidant system should be included into a group of indexes describing propensity to silicosis.     

A systematic review of the literature on patient priorities for general practice care. Part 1: Description of the research domain

To make health care more responsive to patient needs, insight into patient priorities is needed. A systematic literature review, using electronic and manual searches, was made of studies on patient priorities with regard to primary health care. Data-extraction was performed by two researchers, followed by systematic analyses of study features. 57 studies were included. The aspects of care and methods used showed a wide variation. Aspects most often included were "informativeness", "humaneness" and "competence/accuracy". Based on an analysis of 19 studies, the following aspects were seen by patients as most important in more than 50% of the studies that included them: "humaneness", "competence/accuracy", "patients' involvement in decisions", "time for care", "other aspects of availability/accessibility", "informativeness", "exploring patients' needs", "other aspects of relation and communication" and "availability of special services".     

Heat denaturation of hemocytocardiotoxin from the venom of the Central Asian cobra

It has been stated that boiled for three hours haemocytocardiotoxin (HT) from cobra poison loses "direct" hemolytic activity and is unable to potentiate a haemolytic effect of phospholipase A. Surface activity of HT does not change. It is shown that in the course of heat denaturation the aggregation of toxin molecules to dimers and trimers takes place and electrophoretic mobility is decreased. The fluorescence of HT tyroxin residues supported the fact of its irreversible heat denaturation.