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The narcotization level of the country is sufficiently high. According to some expert evaluations, the number of drug users varies between 2-4 million persons. Of these, about 100,000 are registered in narcotics service of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and about 250,000 are registered in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The main annual increase in drug users is given by unemployed young people and students (more than 15% of them are minors). An important task standing at present before the specialists of the service responsible for the prophylaxis of HIV infection is the steady spread of information among executive and legislative authorities, as well as the preparation of public opinion, on the necessity for the state to choose and accept the optimum variant of the strategy for the prophylaxis of HIV infection among drug users.

The number of users of intravenous drugs (UID), altogether from 35,000 to 25,000 persons, was determined by the method of coefficients. The analysis of 130 anonymous questionnaires, including 75 street questionnaires (61%) and 51 questionnaires (39%) distributed among UID in narcological and infectious hospitals showed that out of 130 respondents 60% underwent hospital treatment. The study revealed that most of the questioned users used crudely made opiates, 48 (37%) out of 130 persons made injections with used syringes and needles (in younger age groups the proportion of such UID amounted to 63%). 70% of the respondents used individual injection instruments (in a group of persons older than 25 years they amounted to 90%). The conclusion was made on the necessity of introducing a school program on the healthy mode of life and information programs on the prevention of the spread of infection among UID with due regard to different age groups, as well as training outreach workers for disseminating information on the prophylaxis of HIV infection among UID.

A study was made of the immunological mechanisms implicated in the evolution of diabetic microangiopathy. For this purpose in 270 patients with type I and II diabetes mellitus, the concentration of IgA, IgM and IgG was measured and compared with morphological alterations in skin biopsy specimens. The control group was made up of 30 normal persons (donors). The sections were stained with conventional methods, which made it possible to reveal by light microscopy the correlation between the intensity of diabetic microangiopathy and the rise of the IgG level.