CLINICAL VALUE OF REGULATORY AUTOANTIBODIES IN DEVELOPMENT OF NEUROINTOXICATION WITH METALLIC MERCURY VAPOURS

We studied the changes in content of the autoantibodies to the antigens from nervous tissue was performed in the employees contacting with, metallic mercury, in the patients with, the mercury intoxication, at the different stages of the pathological process. It was found that small increase of concentrations of the autoantibodies to the protein S-100 in the "practically" healthy employees may be considered, as the protective physiological mechanism.. Influence of the mercury on the employees' organisms promotes the change of autoimmune reactions that are characterized by the increase of content of antibodies to the brain-specific proteins in blood serum.. The decrease of the antibody levels in patients with chronic mercury intoxication, in remote period and the increase of severity of pathological process testifies to the dysregulation in the immune system.. It was determined, that the increase of autoantibodies to MAG was typical only for the patients with chronic mercury intoxication. (CMI), thereby, higher levels of autoantibodies were observed in the patients with more dominated cognitive disorders in comparison with the patients with more dominated asthenic disorders. In healthy employees and the ones of "risk group" concentrations of autoantibodies to MAG were at the level of control. Increased, levels of autoantibodies to MAG testify to the formation of neurodegenerative changes and. are one of the diagnostic criteria

Role of neurotropic antibodies in forming of neurological disorders in employees of chemical production

Using the neurospecific proteins as the markers of different pathological changes in CNS is known to be one of the perspective trends of the modern neurophysiology and medicine. That's why, this work aimed to reveal the change regularities in the antibody (AB) content to the neurospecific proteins in chronic exposure to the neurotoxicants of different chemical nature of employees. 170 workers males have been examined including 79 employees working at the production of vinyl chloride and exposed to vinyl chloride plus dichloroethane, as well as 81 males working at the production of caustic under conditions of the exposure to the metallic mercury vapours including . Measuring the autoantibody concentration to the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MGA) (AT to MAG) in the blood sera was performed using the standard hard-phasic immune-enzymic method by means of the test-system of the Company BUHLMANN (Sweden). As a result of studies it was foud that the increase in the AB concentration has been revealed in the healthy employees with a long-term working period and the persons with the initial manifestations of neurointoxication, working under conditions of the exposure to vinyl chloride and dichloroethane compared with the control group. The study results have allowed to reveal the increase in the AB levels to MAG in the employees with the initial manifestations of neurointoxication compared with the control group. It is worth to be noted that the AB concentration to MAG was significantly found to increase in the patients with chronic mercury intoxication compared to the healthy employees and the persons with the initial manifestations of neurointoxication. Thereto, it should be noted that the mean index values in the patients with CMI in the clinical picture in whom the asthenic disorders prevailed and in the patients with the prevalence of the cognitive disorders were significantly found to differ both between them and relatively to the persons with the initial manifestations of neurointoxication as well as the control group. Moreover, the higher AB levels have been revealed in the patients with the prevalence of the cognitive disorders compared with the patients with the prevalence of the asthenic disorders. The differences revealed in the intensity of the autoimmune responses in the employees induced by the exposure to mercury and vinyl chloride (more expressed in exposure to mercury) may possibly testify the different mechanisms based on the neurointoxication development. Determining the neuronal antibodies may serve not only as the diagnostic tool of the pathological process development in the nervous tissue but it may testify the need of performing the measures of prevention and rehabilitation of the employees exposed to the neurotoxicants

Studies of interrelations between neurotrophic antibodies and individual neurophysiological indices in patients with professional chronic mercury intoxication at the post-exposure period

Disturbances in the nervous system during chronic mercury intoxication (CМI) are accompanied by regular changes in the immune system. Diagnostic use of neurospecific protein markers of various pathological changes in the central nervous system is one of the promising areas of modern neuroimmunology. Prolonged exposure to the mercury vapors may cause disturbances of both CNS neurons and peripheral nerves. At the same time, the neuroimmune relationships underlying the evolving disease are not studied to sufficient grade, especially in the later post-contact period of chronic mercury intoxication. The aim of this work was to identify the relationship between the contents of antibodies to neurotrophic proteins of the nervous tissue, and changes of the neurophysiological indices characterizing the state of central and peripheral pathways in the nervous systems of the patients after chronic mercury intoxication (CMI). Our study immunological study included 30 males in the post-contact period of the CМI, who previously worked in contact with metallic mercury vapors. The clinical patterns of patients were dominated by encephalopathy, the main manifestation of which are mental disorders (more often in the form of organic asthenic disorder, or organic personality disorder with cognitive and emotional-volitional disorders of varying severity). The criteria for inclusion in the study were: verified diagnosis in all patients, written informed consent to participate in the study, a history of the harmful effects of metallic mercury vapor under production conditions. Statistical evaluation was carried out using Statistica for Windows 6.0 software. The levels of neurotrophic antibodies (AT), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), electroneuromyography (ENMG) data were studied in terms of assessing the relationship between changes in specialized structures of the nervous tissue, and the state of the central and peripheral neural pathways in the patients after chronic mercury exposure. The following correlations were found: those between the concentrations of antibodies to endorphin p ф-END) and changes in central conducting structures, as well as between antibodies to proteins S-100, MBP, GFAP, NF-200, VG calcium channel, MAG, p-END, AH-R, Ser-R, M-OR and the speed of axonal impulse conduction within various peripheral neural structures. The interrelations revealed in this study indicate to pathological changes in specialized structures of the nervous tissue, which may be used as diagnostic indicators for clinical course of CМI in the post-contact period

DISORDER STATE AND DYNAMICS OF IMMUNE RESPONSIVENESS IN EMPLOYEES OF CHEMICAL PRODUCTIONS

The state of the immune responsiveness of the employees working at the chemical productions has been analysed in dynamics (after 4 years). This work aimed to assess the changes in the serum content of the IgA, M, G concentrations in the employees in the continuous exposure to the neurotoxicants of different chemical nature. 452 workers males were observed, including 166 employees working at the production of vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride (VC and PVC) exposed to the chlorinated hydrocarbons, in this group there were 57 "practically" healthy workers with a working period 12,2 ± 0,7 years, 31 persons with the early neurointoxication manifestations. 134 employees working at the caustic production under conditions of the exposure to mercury, including 19 workers with a mean working period under harmful conditions - 19,18 ± 1,08 years as well as 16 patients with the first revealed diagnosis of chronic mercury intoxication (CMI); 32 persons with a long lasting period of CMI have been examined. 82 employees working at the production of epichlorohydrin (EpCH) and 70 workers from the production of methanol have been also examined. The control group consisted of 47 males who did not expose to the substances with the neurotoxic effects based on the occupation. The comparative change assessment of the immune responsiveness in the employees exposed to the neurotoxicants of different chemical nature has allowed to reveal the differences in the content of the immunoglobulins in dependence on the exposure factor and the development stage of the pathological process. The more expressed changes in the immunoglobulin disbalance were found to occur in the exposure to the metallic mercury vapours of the workers. The prospective examination of the employees exposed to the neurotoxicants after 4years has clearly demonstrated that the continuous exposure to the production factors may lead to the index change, the increase in the disbalance of the immunoglobulins of different trends and the expression degree dependent on the specific character and the character of the neurotoxicant exposed, which may testify the different mechanisms which are known to be the basis for forming the neurointoxications of different etiology