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The aim of the research was to investigate the general somatic status and to investigate the influence of dominating part of vegetative nervous system, following the different types of senile cataract formation in human. Thus, the domination а sympathetic nervous system and correlated systemic dystrophic changes of the tissues in patients with cortical cataract have been found for the first time. Moreover, patients with nuclear cataract had the domination of parasympathetic nervous system and another character of dystrophic changes. Therefore, the type of a forming age-related cataract can be offered as an available clinical marker of character of neurodystrophic process occurring in an organism.

Using immunohistochemical methods, the immune reactivity of human lens epithelium and fibers to NSE, S-100 protein, Vim, alpha-SMA and EMA was studied in 10 normal persons and in 25 patients with its age-related cortical and secondary cataract. It was demonstrated that in age-related cortical and secondary cataract lens epithelium and fibers became more reactive to antibodies against NSE, S-100 protein and Vim, but showed no immunopositivity to alpha-SMA and EMA. Thus, the data obtained suggest some common pathogenetic mechanisms of age-related cortical and secondary cataract development with the formation of Adamyuk-Elschnig pearls.

Luminescence microscopy of cryostat sections of lenses and spectrofluorometry were used to study the lens in health and in different types of human age-related cataract. The cortical type of age-related cataract occurs with the considerably increased concentrations of histamine, catecholamines and serotonin. Examination of the bioamine profile of age-related nuclear cataract revealed a significant increase in the level of serotonin and a moderate rise in the concentration of catecholamines. At the same time, the values of histamine did not practically differ from those in the intact lens. Thus, principal differences were found in the bioamine provision of the development of age-related cortical and nuclear cataract, suggesting that it is necessary to elaborate a differential approach to studying the pathogenetic mechanisms and treatments for human age-related cataract depending on its specific type.

The authors suggest a new express-method for assessment of memory and intellect in the late age. This method allows to assess not only disturbed functions but also the intact patterns of mental processes and to conduct a quantitative assessment as well as a qualitative (syndrome) analysis of mental activity changes using a Luria's structural-functional model of the brain. The method was administered to 157 subjects of young (20-30 years), old and very old age (50-90 years). The express method may be used for the detection of age impairment and differential diagnostics of memory and intellect states in different variants of normal aging, assessment of neurocognitive deficit in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive syndrome.

The objective of this investigation was a comparative immunohistochemical study of the crystalline eye lens under normal conditions and in different types of age-associated cataract in man. Control group included the lenses of young men, who died in the accidents and served as lens donors (n = 10, material collected within 1 hr since death). The lens was taken from the patients (age: 60-70 years) during the operation on the occasion of cortical (n = 20) and nuclear (n = 20) cataract. The study has demonstrated phenotype plasticity of lens cells in different types of age-associated cataract. The changes of cell phenotype were shown to depend on cataract type. During the development of cortical age-associated cataract, positive reaction with the monoclonal antibodies against neuron-specific enolase, S-100 protein and vimentin was detected only within the lens cortex. During the formation of nuclear age-associated cataract, positive reaction with the antibodies against alpha-smooth muscle actin, pancytokeratin was found only within the lens nucleus. These data suggest that the differentiated approach to the treatment of different types of age-associated cataract should be worked out.