The perinatal (prenatal and early neonatal) period is a critical stage for hypothalamic programming of sexual differentiation as well as for the development of energy and metabolic homeostasis. We hypothesized that neonatal treatment with antidiabetic drug biguanide metformin would positively modify regulation of growth hormone – IGF-1 – insulin signaling pathway slowing down aging and improving cancer preventive patterns in rodents. To test this hypothesis male and female 129/Sv mice were s.c. injected with metformin (100 mg/kg) at the 3rd, 5th and 7th days after birth. Metformin-treated males consumed less food and water and their body weight was decreased as compared with control mice practically over their entire lifespan. There were no significant differences in age-related dynamics of food and water consumption in females and they were heavier than controls. The fraction of mice with regular estrous cycles decreased with age and demonstrated a tendency to decrease in the females neonatally t...

Tuberculosis remains a common and dangerous chronic bacterial infection worldwide. It is long-established that pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases is mainly promoted by inadequate immune responses to bacterial agents, among them Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a multifaceted process having many different outcomes and complications. Autoimmunity is one of the processes characteristic of tuberculosis; the presence of autoantibodies was documented by a large amount of evidence. The role of autoantibodies in pathogenesis of tuberculosis is not quite clear and widely disputed. They are regarded as: (1) a result of imbalanced immune response being reactive in nature, (2) a critical part of TB pathogenicity, (3) a beginning of autoimmune disease, (4) a protective mechanism helping to eliminate microbes and infected cells, and (5) playing dual role, pathogenic and protective. There is no single autoimmunity-mechanism development in tuberculosis; different pathways may be suggested. It may be excessive cell death and insufficient clearance of dead cells, impaired autophagy, enhanced activation of macrophages and dendritic cells, environmental influences such as vitamin D insufficiency, and genetic polymorphism, both of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host.

Immunotherapy is a promising and rapidly developing method of therapy patients with different oncological pathology. Considering the demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of patients with some solid tumors, as well as low survival rates and the absence of a significant effect in the standard treatment of most patients with glioblastomas, the question of the use of immunotherapy for malignant gliomas of the brain was raised. However, to decision this problem, it is necessary to consider the interaction of the immune system with tumors of this group. The modern view of the interaction of immunity and glioblastoma is presented. Special attention is paid to the mechanisms of tumor escape and suppression of the functional activity of immune system. The current immunotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of patients with glioblastoma are presented. Interaction of glioblastoma with immune system at all the stages of tumor growth is a complex process. While planning the immunotherapy of this pathology its necessary to take into consideration all mechanisms used by the tumor cells to avoid the immune response and suppress it. However, the clinical studies of this type of therapy proved to be less successful than expected. Further detailed studies of immune-resistance and escape of gliobloastoma must contribute to working out more effective immunotherapy tactics.

Periodic 3-hour daily exposition of white rats to hypoxic hypoxia (standard altitude 8250 m) for 10 days have revealed males and females of both very young and extremely old age groups (“young” - 0,5 months old and “old” - 26 months old) to be more sensitive to chronic hypoxic hypoxia than mature middle-aged animals (“mature” - 3 months old). Their increased sensitivity was apparent in body mass dynamic changes, oxygen consumption, peripheral blood hemoglobin concentration, and red blood cells’ count and peroxidase activity. Parallel to these parameters hypophysis-adrenal system functional activity was assessed according to blood eosynophils’ amount, ascorbic acid adrenals’ concentration, hypophysis and adrenals relative masses changes and “resistance index”. Both male and female rats of “young” and “old” age groups demonstrated variability of different parameters however those characteristic of hypophysis-adrenals system functional activity were practically always involved. Granted non-specific universal adaptation reactions like general adaptation syndrome are of special importance during exposure to any chronic influence, the “young” and “old” animals demonstrated insufficient capacity of hypophysis-adrenals system. However “old” female rats were much more resistant to chronic hypoxic impact revealing the lowest level of hypophysis-adrenals system functional activity.