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Objective. To study the prognostic value of echocardiographic parameters of early cardiac remodeling in patients with hypertension (HTN) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Design and methods. The study included 59 men with HTN and OSA (with an apnea/hypopnea index > 15 per hour). At baseline, all patients underwent polysomnography and echocardiography with an additional assessment of the global longitudinal strain (GLS). At baseline and at 12-month follow-up, a 6-minute walk test was performed. After 12 months, the clinical course of the disease was assessed. The criteria for an unfavorable course were episodes of hospitalization, the development of acute coronary syndrome, cerebral stroke, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, worsening of chronic heart failure with a transition to a higher NYHA functional class. Results. In groups with favorable and unfavorable clinical course, some baseline echocardiographic parameters differed significantly: interventricular septal thickness (p = 0,037), left ventricular myocardial mass index (LVMI) (p = 0,003), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p < 0.001), GLS (p = 0,019), peak tricuspid regurgitation (p = 0,027), left atrial volume index (p = 0,048). Regression analysis showed that baseline TAPSE and LVMI had predictive value for an unfavorable clinical course. Conclusions. Our results confirm that certain echocardiographic parameters, in particular, LVMI and TAPSE, are predictors of the development and progression of cardiovascular complications in OSA patients.

Aim To evaluate the predictive significance of gene polymorphism in endothelin-1 type 2A receptor, NADPH oxidase, p53 protein, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, caspase 8, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, superoxide dismutase-2, glutathione peroxidase-1, β1-adrenoceptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) genes in evaluating the risk of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) in women without concurrent cardiovascular diseases (CVD).Material and methods This study included 176 women aged 45.0 [42.0; 50.0] years with breast cancer without concurrent CVD who were scheduled for polychemotherapy (PCT) with anthracycline antibiotics. Echocardiography was performed for all patients at baseline and at 12 months after the end of PCT course. Genetic polymorphism was determined with the polymerase chain reaction.Results At 12 months, all patients were in remission of the underlying disease. They were retrospectively included into 2 groups: 1st group, 52 patients with AIC and 2nd group, 124 women without AIC symptoms. The development of AIC was associated with the presence of the p53 protein gene Arg / Arg genotype (odds ratio (OR), 2.972; p=0.001), NOS3 gene T / T genotype (OR, 3.059; p=0.018), NADPH oxidase gene T / T genotype (OR, 2.753; p=0.008), GPX1 gene C / C genotype (OR, 2.345; p=0.007), MMP-3 gene 5A / 5A genotype (OR, 2.753; p=0.008), and ADRB1 gene G / G genotype (OR, 3.271; p=0.043).Conclusion Evaluation of genetic polymorphism in p53 protein (rs1042522), NOS3 (rs1799983), NADPH-oxidase (rs4673), GPX1 (rs1050450), ADRB1 (Arg389Gly, rs1801253), and MMP-3 (rs3025058) genes can be recommended for use prior to starting chemotherapy in women with breast cancer without CVD for assessing the risk of AIC. A maximum risk of cardiotoxicity is associated with the presence of the p53 protein gene Arg / Arg genotype and NOS3 gene T / T genotype.

Important changes regarding the understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure (CHF) marked the beginning of the millennium, and its first decade was called the decade of diastology. Even though numerous studies convincingly proved that deterioration of the left ventricular (LV) filling pressure often precedes impairment of its systolic function and a number of factors affect (especially at the onset) mainly the diastolic function without changing the conditions of blood ejection, modern classifications and approaches to CHF treatment are primarily based on the results of LV ejection fraction (EF) assessment.In recent years, diastolic heart failure (DHF) has been often overlooked and replaced by the ambiguous term “CHF with preserved EF”. However, sometimes authors use the term DHF extensively, since CHF based on myocardial insufficiency develops only via two mechanisms (systolic and / or diastolic dysfunction), and excluding one of the mechanisms allows to identify the underlying one. The term DHF can be used in clinical practice and cannot be replaced by the diagnosis of CHF with preserved EF. CHF with preserved EF is a broader concept which includes a full spectrum of cardiovascular diseases, complicated by the development of CHF without depression of the global LV contractility and requiring differentiated approaches to therapy. In addition, the results of repeated studies on LVEF in many patients may require reclassification of this CHF phenotype, which is established following the analysis of the baseline value of global LV contractility. We join M.R. Zile in the appeal to stop discriminating against the term “DHF” and present the boundaries of its correct application.

Aim. To evaluate the role of polymorphisms in adrenoceptor beta 1 (ADRB1) (Arg389Gly, rs1801253) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (I/D, rs4343) genes in assessing the effectiveness of β-blocker (carvedilol) and ACE inhibitor (enalapril) therapy in women with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) without prior cardiovascular diseases (CVD) during 12-month follow-up.Materials and methods. A total of 82 women (average age 45.0 (42.0; 50.0) years) with AIC and without prior CVD were included in the study. Echocardiography was performed and serum levels of NT-proBNP were determined at baseline and at 12 months after the enrollment. Gene polymorphisms in ADRB1 and ACE genes were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction at baseline.Results. Carriers of the G/G genotype in the ADRB1 gene and G/G genotype in the ACE (I/D, rs4343) gene showed a significant increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a decrease in the size of the left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA), and a fall in the NT-proBNP level. Carriers of other genotypes had further progression of AIC which was manifested through a decrease in LVEF and an increase in the size of LV and LA.Conclusion. Evaluation of gene polymorphisms in ADRB1 (Arg389Gly, rs1801253) and ACE (I/D, rs4343) genes may be recommended before treatment initiation for AIC in women without prior CVD to determine who will benefit from carvedilol and enalapril therapy, as well as to identify a priority group of patients for personalized intensification and optimization of treatment for decreasing development of adverse cardiovascular events.

Unprecedented advances of recent decades in clinical pharmacology, cardiac surgery, arrhythmology, and cardiac pacing have significantly improved the prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, unfortunately, heart failure continues to be associated with high mortality. The solution to this problem consists in simultaneous comprehensive use in clinical practice of all relevant capabilities of continuously improving methods of heart failure treatment proven to be effective in randomized controlled trials (especially when confirmed by the results of studies in real clinical practice), on the one hand, and in development and implementation of innovative approaches to CHF treatment, on the other hand. This is especially relevant for CHF patients with mildly reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, as poor evidence base for the possibility of improving the prognosis in such patients cannot justify inaction and leaving them without hope of a clinical improvement in their condition. The lecture consistently covers the general principles of CHF treatment and a set of measures aimed at inotropic stimulation and unloading (neurohormonal, volumetric, hemodynamic, and immune) of the heart and outlines some promising areas of disease-modifying therapy.

Highlights. Elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 are associated with the initiation and severity of CHF developed after breast cancer therapy with anthracyclines, which may contribute to cardiac remodeling and the progression of systolic dysfunction. Concentrations of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in blood serum serve as predictors of the unfavorable course of anthracycline-induced heart failure.Aim. To assess the role of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and 9 (MMP-9) in the development and course of anthracycline-induced chronic heart failure (CHF) during 24 months of observation.Methods. The study included 114 women 12 months after completion of chemotherapy (CT) for breast cancer and developed CHF. The control group (n = 70) consisted of women (mean age 45.0 [42.0; 50.0] years old) who received doxorubicin as part of chemotherapy, but they did not develop CHF 12 months after completion of chemotherapy. The levels of biomarkers (MMP-2, MMP-9, NT-proBNP) in blood serum were determined using a sandwich immunoassay.Results. Patients with CHF had signs of cardiac remodeling and higher values of NT-proBNP, MMP-2 and MMP-9 (pConclusion. Remodeling of the extracellular matrix may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CHF initiated by drugs of the anthracycline class. Elevated levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the blood serum are associated with an unfavorable course of anthracycline-induced CHF and can be recommended when assessing the risk of an unfavorable course of pathology.

Due to significant advances in instrumentation, many previously specialized techniques have become “routine” in user facilities. However, detailed knowledge held by experts has often not been relayed to general users, so they often rely on entry-level information, basic principles, and comparison with literature results for data analysis. As a result, major errors in the data analysis of multiple surface and material analysis techniques, including in x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), have been appearing in the scientific literature. Representative examples of serious errors in XPS data analysis are shown in this work. We suggest that surface and material analysis, and perhaps even science in general, are in a state of “pre-crisis.” We use two (logistic) models from population biology to suggest that bad analyses self-correct if they remain below a critical number. However, beyond a threshold, the literature can become useless because of the perpetuation of faulty analyses and concomitant loss of its self-correcting ability. XPS is used by scientists in many communities because of the power of the technique and high-quality instrumentation that is commercially available. Those who make new surfaces and materials face unique challenges because of the large number of surface and material analytical techniques that are often needed to characterize their materials. Graduate students and post-docs are often provided with only minimal instruction on using surface and material characterization methods. High fees for instruments may affect both the quality and the quantity of the data people collect. The Prisoner's Dilemma is a model from game theory that describes situations with reward structures that encourage uncooperative behavior and lead to suboptimal outcomes. However, the outcomes of Prisoner's Dilemma are not inevitable—their consequences change if their reward structures change. The current system does not appear to incentivize detailed learning of surface and material characterization techniques and careful material characterization. Prisoner's dilemmas appear to lead to other undesirable consequences in science. The concerns raised in this work suggest that many manuscripts are incompletely reviewed at present. The different stakeholders in this problem, including authors, research advisers, subject matter experts, reviewers, scientists who notice examples of faulty data analysis, editors, journals and publishers, funding agencies, scientific societies, leaders at universities and research centers, and instrument vendors, can improve the current situation. This work provides specific recommendations for each of these stakeholders. For example, we believe that authors are primarily responsible for the correctness of their work, not reviewers or editors; we question the wisdom of listing the names of the editor and reviewers on a paper; we are grateful for the significant contributions that have been made by subject matter experts to produce standards and tutorial information; the high cost of instrument time at some institutions may limit student access and result in suboptimal analyses; staff scientists often need to be better recognized for their intellectual contributions to studies; publishers may wish to allow selective reviewing of specific sections of papers related to material characterization; the reviewing at some open access journals may be inadequate; while it had its shortcomings, the pre-open access model of publishing incentivized the production and publication of high-quality work; audits of the products (scientific papers) of funding agencies may be necessary; collaboration needs to be encouraged to a greater extent at some institutions; and instrument vendors should not suggest to potential customers that surface characterization, e.g., by XPS, is trivial or simple.

The authors analyzed the problem of diuretic resistance (DR) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Most of the symptoms and signs of CHF are associated with hypervolemia and vascular congestion in the systemic and pulmonary circulation. The severity of the latter is the main factor which negatively affects the overall assessment of life satisfaction in patients with CHF. Since the patient, even at the incurable stage of CHF, primarily expects a rapid decrease in the severity of manifestations of decompensation from the prescribed therapy, achieving euvolemia is the essence of its short-term objective. Without diuretics, these immediate effects, according to which most CHF patients judge the qualifications of the doctor, are almost impossible to achieve. Unfortunately, apparently, not a single clinician was able to avoid disappointment in the effectiveness of CHF therapy associated with DR in their practice. As a rule, DR reflects the progressive course of CHF and is often associated with a poor prognosis. The review consistently covers the issues of terminology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and prevention of DR, which aggravates CHF, and discusses measures aimed at restoring sensitivity to diuretics.

Introduction. Currently, most orthopedic traumatologists consider surgical treatment as the method of choice for fractures of the femoral neck. However, despite the constant modernization of the available methods of osteosynthesis, the proportion of unsatisfactory outcomes of surgical intervention and the occurrence of early postoperative complications remains quite high (from 28 to 45%) [1]. One of the main directions for solving the problem of unsatisfactory outcomes of osteosynthesis is the improvement and strict control of measures taken in the postoperative period, including early activation of the patient. Despite the importance of the recovery period, there are still no unified standards for managing patients with hip fractures, and the available treatment protocols contain only a generalized plan for further therapeutic measures that do not take into account the individual characteristics of the patient. We have proposed a method for calculating the optimal load on the limb in the postoperative period. The purpose of this publication is to describe a clinical case of the effective application of the method for determining the optimal range of loads on a limb after surgical treatment of femoral neck fractures.Materials and methods: the study used materials from medical records and instrumental studies of the traumatology department of the TOGBUZ "City Clinical Hospital of Kotovsk", the results of dynamic observation for 12 months in a patient with a transcervical fracture of the femoral neck, for which the method we developed for determining the optimal range was applied. load on the limb after surgical treatment of injury.Results: 12 months after the operation, the patient who used the method for determining the safe load range in the recovery period achieved full functional and anatomical recovery of the operated limb. Full body weight bearing was allowed from the 6th month.Conclusion: the method for determining the safe range of load on the limb after a femoral neck fracture has been tested in practice and led to a positive result, which may indicate its effectiveness.

Aim. To study the prognostic value of high serum concentration of soluble ST2 protein (sST2) in the development of cardiovascular events after endovascular myocardial revascularization and the possibility of using this biomarker as a target for β-blocker therapy in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) with preserved (HFpEF) and mildly reduced (HFmrEF) left ventricular ejection fraction.Materials and methods. The study included 72 patients (aged 57–69 years, 81.94% were men) with class I–III CHF of ischemic etiology with HFpEF and HFmrEF. The patients were admitted to the cardiology department for endovascular myocardial revascularization. Before myocardial revascularization, serum concentrations of sST2 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in all patients were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Doses of β-blockers used in all patients were recalculated into a total daily dose equivalent to metoprolol succinate. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the median equivalent dose of metoprolol succinate (“high” ≥ 100 mg / day and “low” < 100 mg / day).Results. In patients of group 1, the serum concentration of sST2 was 30.7% higher (p < 0.001) than in patients of group 2 (40.26 [34.39; 48.92] ng /ml and 27.9 [23.05; 35.27] ng / ml, respectively), the serum NT-proBNP level in group 1 was 22.8% higher (p = 0.049) than in group 2 (167 [129; 330] ng / ml vs. 129 [125; 147] ng / ml, respectively). In patients receiving an equivalent dose of metoprolol succinate < 100 mg / day, the incidence of cardiovascular events was 34% higher (p = 0.002) than in patients receiving an equivalent dose of metoprolol succinate ≥ 100 mg/day. The ROC analysis showed that serum sST2 level ≥ 34.18 ng / ml (sensitivity 78.0%, specificity 90.0%, area under the curve (AUC) 0.906; p < 0.0001) predicts a high risk of cardiovascular events within one year. However, the serum NT-proBNP level was not an informative predictor of cardiovascular events. Conclusion. It was confirmed that increased sST2 serum concentration has high prognostic value in the development of cardiovascular events within a year after endovascular myocardial revascularization. The possibility of using this biomarker as a target for β-blocker therapy in patients with HFpHF and HFmrEF was substantiated. Aggressive use of β-blockers in the group of patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF and sST2 overexpression is preferable in order to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events.

To evaluate the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and 9 and the gene polymorphisms of MMP-2 (rs243865) and MMP-9 (rs3918242) in the course of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) in women without previous cardiovascular diseases (CVD) during 24-months.A total of 114 women (47.0 [44.0; 52.0] years old) with AIC of NYHA class I-III who received doxorubicin for breast cancer were enrolled.After 24 months patients had breast cancer remission and were divided into 2 groups: group 1 comprised women with adverse course of AIC (n = 54), group 2 comprised those without it (n = 60). Serum levels of MMP-2 were higher by 8% (p = 0.017) MMP9 by 18.4% (p 0.001) in group 1 than in group 2. In group 1 the levels of MMP-2 increased (p 0.001) from 376.8 (329.5; 426.7) to 481.4 (389.8; 518.7) pg/mL, and MMP-9 increased (p 0.001) from 23.6 (21.4; 24.6) to 26.0 (23.3; 27.0) pg/mL at 24 months. In group 2 the both MMP-2 and MMP-9 level decreased at 24 months. Based on ROC-analysis, the levels of MMP2 ≥ 388.2 pg/mL (AUС = 0.64; р = 0.013) and MMP-9 ≥ 21.25 pg/mL (AUС = 0.9; р 0.001) were identified as predictors for adverse course of AIHF. The presence of C/C genotype of MMP2 (OR = 4.76; p = 0.029) and C/C genotype of MMP-9 (OR = 15.2; p 0.0001) were related with adverse course of AIHF and higher levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9.Gene polymorphisms of MMP-2 (rs243865) and MMP-9 (rs3918242) and serum levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in women without previous CVD were associated with adverse course of AIC during 24 months.

The article presents approaches that allow modernizing the system for monitoring the asymmetry of the traction current. The existing systems of technical diagnostics and monitoring of the technical condition of automation and telemetry control devices, which have found wide application on the railways of JSC Russian Railways, do not allow monitoring the condition of adjacent railway transport infrastructure systems that affect the performance of railway automation and telemetry control devices. Besides, information about the condition of the object being diagnosed is sent to the monitoring center, while the operational and repair personnel do not have the necessary information and start working only after receiving information about the malfunction from the dispatcher of the monitoring center. The mobile device, proposed in the article, allows reducing the time necessary for obtaining information about the unserviceable condition of the railroad line. The article presents the analysis of gadgets planned for use in a mobile device, and the concept of the interface of the mobile application for technicians. It is noted that the hardware intended for use in a mobile device must provide protection against unauthorized access to the application, as well as have a high degree of protection against penetration. Besides, the article identifies the areas for further improvement of the traction current asymmetry control system.

The issues of determining and assessing the effectiveness of national economic (macroeconomic) industries’ integration into global value chains (GVC) are of great importance in the context of globalization processes revision. The paper provides the criterion basis for assessing comprehensive national economic (macroeconomic) efficiency of high-tech industries participation in GVCs based on the comparison of indicators of downward (Backward GVC) and upward (Forward GVC) industry links in GVCs and the indicator of revealed comparative advantage in trade (RCA). The author proposes and substantiates the criterion of effective macroeconomic integration — a combination in the dynamics of positive RCA and the excess of positive Forward GVC over Backward GVC. Drawing on the analysis of the Trade in Value Added indicators of the OECD database, the author argues that with such combinations the high-tech industry expands in foreign markets due to the outstripping growth of technological conversions with high added value in its territory, which has a beneficial effect on the growth rate of the national value-added indicator in the gross export of manufacturing industry. This expresses the effectiveness of national economic structural shifts, which indicates an increase in high-tech redistributions on the country territory, aimed at exporting products of manufacturing industries. The study reveals the success of the country 'import substitution’ integration model of high-tech industries into GVCs. The analysis concludes with empirical cases from Kazakhstan pharmaceutical industry and digitalization of chemical global TNCs business flows providing a valid criterion for effective macroeconomic integration in GVCs.

The article presents an observation of the successful treatment of a patient with a fracture of the surgical neck of the right humerus against the background of osteoporotic lesions of the bone skeleton. This patient was initially underwent osteosynthesis with a titanium T-plate and screws, however, 2 weeks later, the metal structure migrated and the cancellous substance of the humerus head was severely destroyed, which made it difficult to carry out repeated resynthesis. We have proposed and tested a new method of osteosynthesis of fractures of the surgical neck of the shoulder using a titanium plate and a cerclage loop. The presented clinical observation demonstrates the feasibility of performing osteosynthesis according to our proposed method in patients with severe osteoporosis, when other methods of osteosynthesis are ineffective, and endoprosthetics of the humerus head is unavailable due to the burdened somatic status of the patient and the inaccessibility of this operation in small hospitals in the country.

Introduction. Bone metastases increase the risk of developing a pathological fracture, spinal cord compression, pain syndrome and require palliative, radiation therapy and oncoortopedic operations. The appearance of these metastases and the above complications is associated with an unfavorable prognosis and negatively affects the quality of life of patients.Objective – to analyze the outcomes of surgical treatment in patients with breast cancer metastases to long and flat bones and to identify an optimal surgical tactics depending on the morphological subtype of the tumor.Materials and methods. Between April 2015 and April 2021, a total of 731 patients with breast cancer and bone metastases were consulted in the departments of the Russian Research Center of Radiology, Ministry of Health of Russia. Two hundred and thirty patients (31.5 %) had indications for orthopedic surgery. This study included 78 patients with breast cancer metastases to long or flat bones. Of them, 50 individuals had metastases to bones only, whereas 28 participants additionally had metastases to other organs. Luminal A and B breast cancer was diagnosed in 27 patients (34.6 %) and 40 patients (51.2 %), respectively. Ten participants (12.8 %) were found to have HER2-positive tumors, whereas one patient (1.3 %) had triplenegative cancer.Results. Eighteen patients with metastatic lesions in long bones have undergone bone grafting; 17 patients had intramedullary internal fixation with osteoplasty; and 1 patient had extramedullary internal fixation with osteoplasty. Forty two patients with metastatic lesions in the flat bones have undergone 39 osteoplasty surgeries of the iliac bone, while 3 patients had osteoplasty surgeries of the sternum. The survival rates of patients with luminal A, luminal B, HER2- positive, and triple-negative breast cancer were as follows: 1-year survival – 95, 84, 87 and 100 %, respectively; 3-year survival – 83, 64, 23 and 0 %, respectively; 5-year survival – 66, 32, 23 and 0 %, respectively. Thirty-one patients were lost to follow-up between month 0 and month 46. Eighteen patients died between month 1 and month 58.Conclusion. Patients with luminal A and B breast cancer and threatened pathologic fracture should undergo intramedullary/extramedullary internal fixation, while for patients who already developed pathologic fracture and their estimated life expectancy does not exceed 1 months, it is recommended to perform bone grafting regardless of the tumor immunohistochemical type. Patients with threatened pathologic fractures demonstrated a more favorable prognosis, better functional status, and higher survival rates than patients with pathologic fractures: 1-year survival was 90 and 87 %, respectively; 3-year survival was 67 and 58 %, respectively, and 5-year survival was 54 and 0 %, respectively. Radiation therapy increases the risk of pathological fractures, but is not a contraindication for orthopedic surgery.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate role of molecular (endothelin-1, soluble Fas-L, NT-proBNP, TNF-α, interleukin-1β,) and genetic factors (NOS3 (rs1799983), EDNRA (C + 70G, rs5335), NADPH oxidase (C242T, rs4673), p53 protein (polymorphic marker-Arg72Pro exon 4, rs1042522), NOS3 (Glu298Asp, rs1799983), Caspase 8 (CASP8, rs3834129 and rs1045485), interleukin-1β gene (Il-1β, rs1143634), TNF-α gene (rs1800629), SOD2 (rs4880), GPX1 (rs1050450) in development of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) in women without cardiovascular diseases. METHODS A total of 176 women with breast cancer and without cardiovascular diseases who received anthracyclines were enrolled in the study. After the 12 months of chemotherapy (CT), all patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 52) comprised patients with AIC, group 2 (n = 124) comprised those without it. RESULTS Based on ROC-analysis, levels of endothelin-1 of ≥9.0 pg/mL (AUC of 0.699), sFas-L of ≥98.3 ng/mL (AUC of 0.990), and NT-proBNP of ≥71.5 pg/mL (AUC of 0.994;) were identified as a cut-off values predicting AIC during 12 months after CT. Whereas, NT-proBNP and sFas-L were more significant predictors than endothelin-1 (p

A thermodynamic analysis into the processes of slag accumulation during interaction of lead and lead-bismuth coolants with gaseous oxidants was carried out. It is shown that the oxidation of lead-containing coolants will lead to the formation of lead oxide, while the formation of bismuth oxide is unlikely. The possibility of selective oxidation of iron, chromium, and nickel to their oxides without the formation of slag from solid lead oxide with a dosed supply of a gaseous oxidizer to lead-containing coolants has been determined by calculation. It was revealed that the formation of solid lead oxide is unlikely when water vapor acts on lead-containing coolants. The calculation showed that it is necessary to extract the formed hydrogen from water vapor to a ratio of 1 : 20 000 or less in order to create conditions for the formation of solid lead oxide. The regularities of the formation of lead oxide during depressurization of a circuit with a lead-containing coolant and their interaction with atmospheric oxygen have been investigated. According to the results of the experiment, the largest amount of solid PbO is formed upon contact with oxygen in a circuit not filled with a coolant and cooled to ambient temperature. Short-term depressurization of the loop in the hot state led to the formation of a smaller mass of PbO, and the presence or absence of a coolant in the loop had an insignificant effect on the mass of the PbO formed. The possibility for the formation of solid PbO during a microleak of a steam generator in the TT-2M stand with a Pb–Bi coolant has been investigated. Under the experimental conditions, it was not possible to obtain solid lead oxide, and the achieved limiting content of dissolved lead oxide turned out to be 550 times less than the saturation concentration.

The superconducting order parameter (SOP) of a triplet superconductor UTe2 was constructed using the topological space group approach, in which, in contrast to phenomenological and topological approaches, the single pair function and phase winding in condensate are different quantities. The connection between them is investigated for the D2h point group and the m′m′m magnetic group. It is shown how a non-unitary pair function of UTe2 can be constructed using one-dimensional real irreducible representations and Ginzburg–Landau phase winding. It is also shown that the total phase winding is non-zero in magnetic symmetry only. Experimental data on the superconducting order parameter of topological superconductors UPt3, Sr2RuO4, LaPt3P, and UTe2 are considered and peculiarities of their nodal structures are connected with the theoretical results of the topological space group approach.

As atomic layer deposition (ALD) emerges as a method to fabricate architectures with atomic precision, emphasis is placed on understanding surface reactions and nucleation mechanisms. ALD of titanium dioxide with TiCl 4 and water has been used to investigate deposition processes in general, but the effect of surface termination on the initial TiO 2 nucleation lacks needed mechanistic insights. This work examines the adsorption of TiCl 4 on Cl-, H-, and -OH terminated Si(100) and Si(111) surfaces to elucidate the general role of different surface structures and defect types in manipulating surface reactivity of growth and non-growth substrates. The surface sites and their role in the initial stages of deposition are examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Density functional theory (DFT) computations of the local functionalized silicon surfaces suggest oxygen-containing defects are primary drivers of selectivity loss on these surfaces.

This study uses differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structural basis for the high thermal stability (melting temperature 97.5 °C) of a FN3-like protein domain from thermophilic bacteria Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (FN3tt). FN3tt adopts a typical FN3 fold with a three-stranded beta sheet packing against a four-stranded beta sheet. We identified three solvent exposed arginine residues (R23, R25 and R72), which stabilize the protein through salt bridge interactions with glutamic acid residues on adjacent strands. Alanine mutation of the three arginine residues reduced melting temperature by up to 22 °C. Crystal structures of the wild type and a thermally destabilized (∆Tm -19.7 °C) triple mutant (R23L/R25T/R72I) were found to be nearly identical, suggesting that the destabilization is due to interactions of the arginine residues. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the salt bridge interactions in the wild type were stable and provided a dynamical explanation for the cooperativity observed between R23 and R25 based on calorimetry measurements. In addition, folding free energy changes computed using free energy perturbation molecular dynamics simulations showed high correlation with melting temperature changes. This work is another example of surface salt bridges contributing to the enhanced thermal stability of thermophilic proteins. The molecular dynamics simulation methods employed in this study may be broadly useful for in silico surface charge engineering of proteins. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The article analyzes the emergence of the so-called red funeral ritual in the 1920s in Soviet Russia as an important component of political everyday life. The first part of the article examines the funeral rituals of representatives of the Bolshevik elite. The second part attempts to characterize the transformation of funeral rites among the “common” population. The analysis undertaken clearly shows the undoubted political and public nature of funeral rituals in early Soviet Russia. Initially, Soviet funeral rituals were powerfully influenced by radical utilitarianism and total nihilistic denial of the religious worldview, intensified by the excesses of the World War, Revolution and Civil War. Nevertheless, nihilism and utilitarianism, the highest expression of which was the idea of cremation, were quickly pushed out by a new funeral ritual, the key elements of which were demonstration and “theatrical ritual” with its music, processions, pretentious speeches and fireworks, in many respects borrowed from military funerals. The main role in the emergence of the red funeral ritual was played by the cult of fallen heroes, which in turn was a guarantee of political immortality of the Bolshevik leaders. As a result, the red funeral became an important element of the alternative Bolshevik culture. The concept of Vladimir Buldakov, who characterized revolutionary funeral rituals as “neo-pagan”, is at least controversial. The attempt to make funerals of the Bolshevik elites a model for mass funerals collided with conservative rituals, especially in the countryside. With regard to the 1920s, at best, we can talk about the emergence of a kind of “the effect of dual faith", a specific symbiosis of red and religious funeral rites. Thus, in the 1920s, the process of a new Soviet ritualism development was far from complete, including the Soviet party and state elites, as evidenced by the fluctuations between party asceticism with its utilitarian attitude to ashes and splendid funerals of leaders.

The modification of polyvinyltrimethylsilane under treatment by direct-current discharge at a reduced pressure has been investigated. Polymer films were placed at the anode and cathode, and filtered atmospheric air was used as a process gas. It has been found that the discharge treatment imparts the property of hydrophilicity to the surface of the samples. The chemical composition of the untreated and modified films was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their morphology was studied by atomic force microscopy. It has been shown that plasma treatment leads to the formation of a layer chemically close to silicon dioxide on the surface and increases the roughness of the surface of polyvinyltrimethylsilane.

Aim. To study approaches to the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) with reduced and mid-range left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) against the background of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Material and methods. The study included 136 patients with CHF and AH. Inclusion criteria for the study: 1) moderate and severe OSA (with an apnea/hypopnea index of more than 15 per hour); 2) II-IV functional class of CHF according to NYHA; 3) the level of brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) ≥125 pg/ml; 3) LVEF Results. In patients with CHF who received valsartan/sacubitril, disease progression was recorded in 28% of cases, while in patients who did not receive therapy with this drug, an unfavorable course of CHF was recorded in 42.8% (p = 0.001). In group 1, the NT-proBNP level significantly (p = 0.034) decreased by 34%, while in group 2, a significant (p = 0.002) increase in biomarker levels was revealed by 35.5%. In the group of patients receiving therapy with valsartan/sacubitril an increase in LVEF (p = 0.007) was revealed by 12.5%. In group 1, an increase in exercise tolerance was achieved in the form of a significant (p = 0.012) increase in the distance of the six-minute walk test by 18.2%, while in group 2, the six-minute walk distance decreased by 19.2% (p = 0.034). In the subgroup of patients receiving CPAP therapy in combination with valsartan/sacubitril therapy (n=8), LVEF increased by 11.6% (p = 0.043), the six-minute walk test distance increased by 29.7% (p = 0.046), and NT-proBNP decreased by 22.5% (p = 0.039), while in the group of patients who received only CPAP therapy (n=19).Conclusion. The most significant slowdown in the rate of progression of CHF in patients with AH associated with OSA, an increase in exercise tolerance, as well as the most pronounced tendency to the reverse development of pathological echocardiographic changes in the myocardium when using valsartan/sacubitrile in drug therapy in combination with effective hardware CPAP therapy.

Aim. To study the relationship of obstructive respiratory disorders during sleep with subclinical development of right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, as well as with the risk of an adverse course of chronic heart failure (CHF) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Materials and methods. The study included 86 men with moderate and severe forms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) (with an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) > 15 per hour). All patients had abdominal obesity and hypertension. Upon inclusion in the study, all patients underwent polysomnography and echocardiography according to the standard protocol with an additional assessment of the fractional area change in the right ventricular myocardium (ΔSRV) and the right ventricular stroke work index (RVSWI). Also, the content of the N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) in the blood serum was determined by enzyme immunoassay analysis. A six-minute walk test (6MWT) was performed after inclusion in the study and after 12 months of follow-up. Depending on the course of CHF during the follow-up, retrospectively, the patients were divided into 2 groups: with an unfavorable ( n = 33) and favorable ( n = 53) prognosis. Results. A significant relationship between AHI and ΔSRV, RVSWI, NT-proBNP, and 6MWT was revealed. Based on the results of one-way correlation analysis, it was found that ΔSRV (odds ratio (OR) 2.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.42–3.24; p = 0.0009), NT-proBNP (OR 1.92; 95% CI 1.32–2.78; p = 0.003), and AHI (OR 3.93; 95% CI 2.87–4.11; p = 0.018) were predictors of an adverse course of CHF. In a multivariate analysis, it was found that AHI was an independent predictor of an adverse course of CHF (OR 3.49; 95% CI 2.17–11.73; p = 0.0008), while the addition of NT-proBNP improved risk stratification of an adverse course of CHF (OR 4.66; 95% CI 3.87–13.11; p < 0.0001). Conclusion . The fractional area change in the right ventricular myocardium (ΔSRV) can be considered as a non-invasive marker for determining the emerging right ventricular dysfunction and predicting adverse cardiovascular events in patients with preserved LVEF and OSAS. Moreover, the combined use of echocardiographic (ΔSRV) and laboratory (NT-proBNP) markers can improve risk stratification of CHF progression.

The reactions of boric acid and 4-fluorophenylboronic acid with H- and Cl-terminated Si(100) surfaces in solution were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies reveal that both molecules react preferentially with Cl-Si(100) and not with H-Si(100) at identical conditions. On Cl-Si(100), the reactions introduce boron onto the surface, forming a Si-O-B structure. The quantification of boron surface coverage demonstrates that the 4-fluorophenylboronic acid leads to ∼2.8 times higher boron coverage compared to that of boric acid on Cl-Si(100). Consistent with these observations, density functional theory studies show that the reaction of boric acid and 4-fluorophenylboronic acid is more favorable with the Cl- versus H-terminated surface and that on Cl-Si(100) the reaction with 4-fluorophenylboronic acid is ∼55.3 kJ/mol more thermodynamically favorable than the reaction with boric acid. The computational studies were also used to demonstrate the propensity of the overall approach to form high-coverage monolayers on these surfaces, with implications for selective-area boron-based monolayer doping.

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis are linked by common pathophysiological mechanisms.Objective. To evaluate the effect of alendronate bisphosphonate on cardiovascular outcomes in comorbid patients with ischemic heart disease (CHD) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) and osteoporosis during a two-year follow-up.Materials and methods. A total of 112 women with comorbid pathology including osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes were examined. The patients' condition was assessed at baseline and prospectively for 24 months with a combined endpoint assessment, including: mortality, readmission for cardiovascular diseases, the development of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, atrial fibrillation. Women were divided into groups: group 1 (n = 59) included patients who received basic therapy for IHD and type 2 diabetes, group 2 (n = 53) included patients who, in addition to basic therapy for coronary artery disease and diabetes Type 2 was prescribed alendronic acid preparation.Results and discussion. According to the results of two-year follow-up, the patients were divided into two subgroups: patients with a favorable (n = 61) and unfavorable course of coronary artery disease (n = 51). At the same time, during prospective observation, the following was assessed: the frequency of hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases, the dynamics of the functional class (FC) of exertional angina, the development of MI, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and mortality. A significant association of alendronate therapy with a favorable course of ischemic heart disease (OR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.18-0.57; p = 0.008), a decrease in the risk of MI (OR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.11-0.87; p = 0.018) and worsening of FC of exertional angina (OR = 0.4; 95% CI = 0.17-0.91; p = 0.014).Conclusion. Long-term (24 months) use of alendronate is an effective and safe method for the treatment of associated cardiovascular pathology, represented by coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, reducing the risk of MI, worsening of FC of exertional angina. These results suggest a more aggressive prescription of alendronate for osteoporotic patients at very high cardiovascular risk.

The authors of the article have analyzed the problem of advanced heart failure (AHF). Despite significant and, it is not an exaggeration to say, revolutionary achievements in clinical pharmacology, cardiac surgery and implantation arrhythmology, the number of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) in many countries is not decreasing, and in some, for example, in Russia, it is increasing. At the same time, unfortunately, often the immediate and longterm results of the so-called optimal therapy of CHF are disappointing for both the patient and the doctor. In 2007, experts from The Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology proposed the term AHF to refer to CHF in which optimal drug therapy, as well as cardiac resynchronization therapy, are not effective, which causes repeated hospitalizations and justifies the need for the advanced treatment methods such as heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support, and/or transition to palliative care. The agreed positions of experts from the established cardiological communities in the Old and New Worlds on the definition, diagnostic criteria and treatment of AHF have been changing over time. Unfortunately, this evolution has not yet arrived at a consensus. The lecture consistently addresses the issues of terminology, diagnosis, prognostic stratification and routing of patients with AHF, as well as short- and long-term strategies for treating these patients.

Controlling thickness and morphology of transition-metal thin films used in magnetic random-access memory fabrication is a major challenge. Thermal dry etching has emerged as a method of choice for...

The paper presents the results of applying the membrane gas separation technique to the recovery of CO2 and its subsequent utilization by converting into ammonium carbamate. One-sided surface modification of homogeneous polyvinyltrimethylsilane (PVTMS) films by treating in low-temperature air plasma for 30 and 60 s has been carried out. The transport and gas separation properties of the modified samples has been investigated, and values for the permeability and diffusion coefficients of CO2, N2, and CH4 have been experimentally obtained. On the basis of the experimental data, the effective coefficients of gas solubility in the modified film have been determined. It has been found that by modification within 30 s, the CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 separation factors are increased by two and three times, respectively, relative to the initial values. To assess the possibility of using the new membranes, mathematical modeling of a single-step membrane process for the separation of biogas components under steady-state and non-steady-state has been carried out. It has been shown that the proposed membrane modification method makes it possible to significantly increase the performance of the membrane unit: for example, the recovery of CH4 under steady-state conditions is increased from 70 to 86%, and the CO2 content in the permeate increases from 68 to 82 mol %. The reaction of ammonium carbamate production from CO2 and ammonia in recycled vegetable oil as a solvent has been successfully conducted using the calculated characteristics of the membrane module based on modified PVTMS.

Magnetic field generation in galaxies turns out to be a significant problem both for cosmic magnetohydrodynamics and mathematical physics. It is based on dynamo mechanism characterising the transition between the energy of medium turbulent motions and the magnetic field energy. The evolution of the field is described with the help of mean field dynamo equations. For galaxies the solutions are commonly found using so-called “no-z” approximation, while the half-thickness of the galactic disc is considered negligible. In nonlinear case mentioned equations admit contrast structure formation, predicted by the singular perturbation theory, describing equations with small parameter at the elder derivative. From astronomical point of view some authors tend to connect such solutions with the spiral structure of the galaxies and the formation of magnetic field reversals (when in different parts of galaxy there are regions with opposite directions of magnetic, divided by a thin transition layer). From numerical point of view finding the solution of two-dimensional system of equations requires large computational resources, for this reason using GPU and parallel calculations turns out to be reasonable. One of the implementation methods is calculating using OpenCL, which allows one to increase the process efficiency several times. OpenCL is a perspective crossplatform standard for development of applications, particularly involving GPU, the efficiency of which is rapidly increasing as the drivers evolve. The present work presents basic theoretical assessments of magnetic field behaviour, which are further confirmed and clarified during the computations. It is shown that the formation of the transition layers is described by fundamentally different mechanisms in radial and azimuthal directions. While radial reversals of the field turn out to be rather stable, all of the azimuthal structures are rapidly blurred due to the nature of the interstellar medium motions. That also indicates the practical impossibility of non-axisymmetric distributions of the field.