The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome as a cluster of risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus and its individual components in groups of men and women with primary obesity having different types of fat distribution. The study involved 142 men and 185 women with primary alimentary-constitutional obesity. The study participants were divided into 2 groups depending on waist-to-hip ratio value. Standardized criteria were used to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components among the examined men and women. The ratios of the number of participants with lower or upper type of fat distribution in men and women were 28:114 and 84:101, respectively. Hence the frequency of lower type of fat distribution was 19.7% in men and 45.4% in women (p < 0.000). Men with lower type of body fat distribution as compared to upper type were characterized by a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity (1.9 times), hypertriglyceridemia (1.4 times), low HDL-C (1.6 times), and hypertension (2 times). The frequency of metabolic syndrome in men with lower type of fat distribution was lower by 2.7 times than that of men with upper type of fat distribution. Women with lower type of fat distribution as compared to upper type had a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity (1.2 times), hypertriglyceridemia (1.8 times), low HDL-C (1.2-fold), and hypertension (in 1.5 times). The frequency of metabolic syndrome in women with lower type of fat distribution was lower by 1.9 times than that of women with upper type of fat distribution. Both men and women in the groups with lower type of fat distribution were missing such a component of metabolic syndrome as hyperglycemia i.e. they had the minimal risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

In the adrenals of male rats with manifest form of alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus (blood glucose >20 mmol/liter), the content of progesterone was higher by 1.6 times, deoxycorticosterone by 2.5 times, corticosterone by 3.3 times, and 11-dehydrocorticosterone by 1.8 times than in the adrenals of control animals. Increased concentration of corticosterone and 11-dehydrocorticosterone were also found in the serum of rats with alloxan diabetes, but the difference between the experimental and control groups by these parameters was less pronounced compared to parameters in the adrenal glands.

Lysosomotropic composition of dialdehyde dextran and amphotericin B had a greater therapeutic effect in mice with systemic candidiasis compared to free amphotericin B. This composition normalized glucocorticoid function of the adrenal glands and decreased the severity of liver destruction at late terms of granulomatous inflammation.

In the dynamics of the disease development, diuresis and glycosuria increase in alloxan-susceptible rats, while in alloxan-resistant rats the increase in the values of these indices is expressed to a lesser extent, and they begin to decrease by day 8 of the disease. In alloxan-susceptible rats, the mass index of adrenal gland is increased, and that of thymus is decreased and corticosterone concentration in blood, adrenal gland and urine as well as alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activities in liver are increased; in alloxan-resistant rats the values of these indices do not differ from those of rats of the control group

In control rats and animals receiving polyphenol compounds extracted from Alchemilla vulgaris, intense cooling stimulated synthesis of thyroid hormones and promoted their peripheral deiodination. In control rats, the period of recovery after cooling (readaptation period) was characterized by a compensatory reduction in thyroid function. In rats receiving test preparation, this period was characterized by significant activation of thyroid hormone synthesis and by further growth of reserve follicles that appeared during the cooling. Key Words: polyphenol compounds; thyroid gland," morphometry; thyroid hormones; coolingNegative anthropogenic factors of modern life reduce individual and population health capacities, increase the incidence of specific pathology, and contribute to the development of new diseases caused by ecological stress [ 1 ]. Treatment with plant preparations is one of the most efficient ways of increasing body resistance [4][5][6][7]9]. Active components of many phytopreparations are represented by polyphenol compounds (PPC), characterized by a wide spectrum of biological activities and low toxicity [2]. Neurohumoral mechanisms and, in particular the effects of thyroid hormones play an important role in increasing the body resistance to nonspecific stress factors [5].In this study we investigated the effects of PPC extracted from the overground part ofAlchemilla vulgaris on the functional activity of the thyroid gland in rats exposed to extreme cooling. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe PPC preparation from the overground part of Alchemilla vulgaris was prepared in the