The prolonged influence of atmospheric containation of chemical and albumions nature in Angarsk results in a special type of lung diseases which are called “Angarsk” pneumopathology and bronchospasm. Typical symptoms of these diseases are connected with steady hyperreactivity of air ways, distal bronchi obstruction, morphological reorganisation of mucous membrane, development of polyvalent sensibilization and depression of T-suppressor link of immune system.

The present study was conducted to investigate into the probable mechanisms of stress and adaptive response to it in bronchial asthma (BA) by means of evalution of the functional state of betaadrenergic reception by the level of adrenalin-stimulated CAMP and glucocorticoid reception by the number of binding sites-glucocorticoid receptors (GCR) — and dissociation constant in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Adrenal function was evaluated by plasma cortisol level before breakfast. Correlations of those parameters were analysed in exacerbation and in clinical remission. The results of the study showed, that desensitizaition of beta-adrenergic reception (supression of stimulated CAMP) in BA patients may be regarded as an endogenic biochemical inductor of stress, causing an adaptive increase of cortisol production. The latter is accompanied by increased GCR number in exacerbation, which can be one more mechanism of adaptive response to stress in BA patients.

The study has revealed increased bronchial reactivity to acetylcholine in 2/3 of direct relatives of asthmatic patients, in 3/4 of patients with PA and in all BA patients. It was found that 11 OKS plasma levels tended to increase after acetylcholine challenge in direct relatives of BA patients, PA patients and normals, and significantly decreased in BA patients suggesting the inadequacy of their adrenal cortex response to acetylcholine challenge. Inverse correlation was found between glucocorticoid plasma levels and bronchial hyperreactivity. Evidently, glucocorticoid insufficiency plays an important part in bronchial hyperreactivity.

The cell population in BALF of asthmatic patients and 9 subjects free of lung pathology was studied. The percentages of cells in BALF of asthmatics were: alveolar macrophages (AM) — 85,2+1,5 % C — 92,4+1,3 %, lymphocytes — 6,1 ±0,9 C — 5,8±1,2 %, neutrophils — 2,9+0,8 % C — 0,8+0,3 %, eosinophils — 5,8±0,8 % C —0,5±0,1%, mast cells — 0,19+0,1 % C — 0. The significant increase of absolute and relative number of eosinophils was revealed in BALF of asthmatic patients, the number of neutrophils didn’t correlate with eosinophil level.

Acute stage of bronchial asthma is accompanied with AM destruction increase and functional activation of the rest AM population. Proportions of BALF cells in asthmatic patients reflect the character and degree of protective and inflammmatory reactions in lung. Acute bronchial astma is accompanied with bronchiolitis and alveolitis mainly of eosinophilic type.

Expression of type 8 and 17 keratins was assessed immuno-morphologically using commercial kits produced in the Cardiology Centre. The study was done using cryostated slices of the tumors obtained from patients operated on in the Gertzen’s Oncological Institute. Heterogeneicity of the cell contents of squamous cell lung cancer was found. In the morphogenesis of the squamous cell lung carcinoma, despite its differentiation stage, cells with mucinoud and epidermoid differentiation patterns take part. In some adenocarcinomas and small-cell lung carcinomas, besides cell elements, containing mucinoid (8) type of keratin, cells expressing epidermoid (17) type of keratin were also present. The study prompted to conclude that 8 and 17 types of keratins can be used as marker proteins demonstrating mucinoid or epithelial trends of differentiation of the cell elements in different histological entities of lung cancer.

The authors have studied the levels of ascorbate, tocopherol, products of lipid peroxide oxydation in 298 patients with chronic bronchitis, 132 patients with bronchial asthma and 32 patients with preasthma depending on the time of the year, stage of the disease. A high level of lipid peroxydation associated with a deficit of endogenic antioxydants has been discovered and this was an indication for using antioxydants when treating and preventing bronchial and pulmonary abnormality.

Spesific features of haemostatic response were studied in 290 patients with different stages of chronic bronchitis in the course of its evolution. An increase of intravascular blood coagulation following the progress of chronic bronchitis was observed, but defensive anti-coagulative mechanisms were also active. Both the haemostatic impairments and blood fluidity disorders reduced microcirculation, thus facilitating pulmonary hypertension and right heart overload.

In 86 patients suffering from different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis, we performed analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage obtained' from the affected and contralateral lung. We evaluated the cellular contents, spontaneous and stimulated with the killed BCG-culture NST-test with alveolar macrophages, as well as the contents of the dienic conjugates and the activity of some enzymes of antioxidant protection (AOP), i. e., ceruloplasmin, superoxiddismutase, catalase, glutation-peroxidase, glutation-reductase. It has been shown that even in acute limited cases, the whole lung tissue was involved into the infection process. The activation of the AOP system, being increased in parallel with the disease becoming more severe, promoted the inflow of phagocytic cells and intensification of the oxygen-dependent metabolism in them. Severe intoxication and massive release of the bacilli initiated gradual decompensation of the AOP system of intact lung tissue, thus being one of the facts predisposing to bronchoobstruction developing in tuberculosis; patients. The reaction of the AOP system in the vicinity of the inflammatory locus in principle is less differentiated, while its insufficiency contributes into the development of extensive non-specific inflammatory changes of the bronchial mucosa.

In 79 reconvalescents from severe pneumonia, marked hypotransferrinemia and high level of ferritine were observed, making it of no use and effect to administer ferric preparations without strict control for the danger of hemochromatosis. The risk of “iron overload syndrome” is especially high in children to whom blood, red cells or washed red cells were transfused, or in children showing signs of liver affection during pneumonia. A method to normalize red blood, including phytotherapy, hepatic protectors and membrane—stabilizing agents, as well as to decrease the risk of intestinal dysbacteriosis and to skip iron overloading in children, having recovered from severe pneumonia, was proposed.

The effects of inhalations of ultrasonically nebulized water and saline on the bronchial conductivity were studied in 10 asthmatic patients and 9 healthy controls. The results of the study have demonstrated that aerosol of distilled water, irrespective of its temperature (37 C or 21—23 C) caused bronchoconstriction in asthmatic patients, but not in the healthy controls. Aerosol of normal saline caused no reaction in the airways. The mechanism of this effect remaines to be obscure and may be related to the osmoiarity of the solutions inhaled. .

The functional activity of phagocyting cells isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients having chronic bronchitis (CB) was studied by HC — test using a monolayer of washed cells in the presence of autologic plasma, cell — deprived BAL and phagocytes stimulator.

Significant suppression of the functional activity of the BAL cells in patients with CB in comparison to control group was found. Tests done on the periferal blood leucocytes of the healthy donors demonstrated that the inhibitory effect is due to the absence of the non — cellclar BAL of the CB patients and does not disappear upon heating of BAL. The suppression of the reducing activity was observed in the presence of washed BAL cells in the patients with parkedly reduced functional activity and the suprapellet fluid obtained during culturing of the cells. The inhibitory effect was directly proportional to the marked atrophic changes of the bronchial mucosa.

Short data on the biology of cytomegalovirus (CMV), the disease patterns induced by it and the manifestations of CMV infection in primary immunodeficiency syndromes, are presented here. An original approach to the interpretation of the mechanism of generalization of infection and the manifestations of the functional activity of cytomegalic cells are reflected here. An inversed correlation between the degree of lympho-histhiocytic infiltration and the scope of the cytomegalic transformation of the cells has been found. Basing on the differences in the ratio of these components, 6 types of cytomegalic-induced sialoadenitis have been defined. The correlation has been established between the above parametres and the state of immune system, the form of CMV — infection and the age of the children who died. The described effect of the combined lymphoproliferative and erythromyeloid immune responses was attributed to the common stem cell being the precursor of hemopoesis and immunity. CMV — induced respiratory lesions were morphologically characterized.

The article demonstrates the problems with the diagnosis of idiopathic hemosiderosis accompanying pulmonary tuberculosis and the role of the studies of bronchial lavage in verifying the diagnosis