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The study’s objective is based on the disclosure of the specific comparative nature of the modern Russian legal system to substantiate the theoretical concept of its existence as a unique hybrid legal type as a symbiosis of the three legal traditions: Romano-Germanic, religious and socialist. The methodological basis of the study is the methodological and analytical range of methods presented in the article, known and proven ways and means of research in jurisprudence. To obtain reliable and well-founded conclusions, traditional general scientific and special research methods and descriptions of its results are used, mainly historical, comparative methods, a systematic approach, etc. The study result concluded that the formation of the main properties of the Russian legal system is associated with the goals and objectives that were assigned to it by the state and society in a particular historical period, which is why it is unique. The perception of specificity in implementing the classification of modern legal systems largely determines the justification of the criteria put forward. To determine the ways of further development in the twenty-first century, Russia’s legal system must still rely on its historical legal identity, taking into account the peculiarities of national culture. The novelty of this study is the resolution of a complex problem of theoretical and methodological order, namely: is it worth defining the underlying legal identity of the Russian legal system or is it enough to show its place on the “legal map of the world”, including it in a particular larger legal community?

Several studies have reported an increasing occurrence of poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in Arctic wildlife tissues, raising concerns due to their resistance to degradation. While some research has explored PFAS's physiological effects on birds, their impact on reproductive functions, particularly sperm quality, remains underexplored. This study aims to assess (1) potential association between PFAS concentrations in blood and sperm quality in black-legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ), focusing on the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa, sperm velocity, percentage of sperm motility, and morphology; and (2) examine the association of plasma levels of testosterone, corticosterone, and luteinizing hormone with both PFAS concentrations and sperm quality parameters to assess possible endocrine disrupting pathways. Our findings reveal a positive correlation between the concentration of longer-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA; C11-C14) in blood and the percentage of abnormal sperm in kittiwakes. Additionally, we observed that two other PFAS (i.e., PFOSlin and PFNA), distinct from those associated with sperm abnormalities, were positively correlated with the stress hormone corticosterone. These findings emphasize the potentially harmful substance-specific effects of long-chain PFCAs on seabirds and the need for further research into the impact of pollutants on sperm quality as a potential additional detrimental effect on birds.

Seabirds are often considered sentinel species of marine ecosystems, and their blood and eggs utilized to monitor local environmental contaminations. Most seabirds breeding in the Arctic are migratory and thus are exposed to geographically distinct sources of contamination throughout the year, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Despite the abundance and high toxicity of PFAS, little is known about whether blood concentrations at breeding sites reliably reflect local contamination or exposure in distant wintering areas. We tested this by combining movement tracking data and PFAS analysis (nine compounds) from the blood of prelaying black-legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) nesting in Arctic Norway (Svalbard). PFAS burden before egg laying varied with the latitude of the wintering area and was negatively associated with time upon return of individuals at the Arctic nesting site. Kittiwakes ( n = 64) wintering farther south carried lighter burdens of shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs, C 9 -C 12 ) and heavier burdens of longer chain PFCAs (C 13 -C 14 ) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid compared to those wintering farther north. Thus, blood concentrations prior to egg laying still reflected the uptake during the previous wintering stage, suggesting that migratory seabirds can act as biovectors of PFAS to Arctic nesting sites.

Maternal effects are thought to be essential tools for females to modulate offspring development. The selective deposition of avian maternal hormones could therefore allow females to strategically adjust the phenotype of their offspring to the environmental situation encountered. However, at the time of egg formation, several contaminants are also transferred to the egg, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are ubiquitous organic contaminants with endocrine disrupting properties. It is, however, unknown if they can disrupt maternal hormone deposition. In this study we explored relationships between female PFAS burden and maternal deposition in the eggs of steroids (dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and testosterone), glucocorticoids (corticosterone) and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) in a population of the Arctic-breeding black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Egg yolk hormone levels were unrelated to female hormone plasma levels. Second-laid eggs had significantly lower concentrations of androstenedione than first-laid eggs. Triiodothyronine yolk levels were decreasing with increasing egg mass but increasing with increasing females' body condition. Testosterone was the only transferred yolk hormone correlated to maternal PFAS burden: specifically, we found a positive correlation between testosterone in yolks and circulating maternal perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDcA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) in first-laid eggs. This correlative study provides a first insight into the potential of some long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids to disrupt maternal hormones deposition in eggs and raises the question about the consequences of increased testosterone deposition on the developing embryo., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In birds, maternal transfer is a major exposure route for several contaminants, including poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Little is known, however, about the extent of the transfer of the different PFAS compounds to the eggs, especially for alternative fluorinated compounds. In the present study, we measured legacy and emerging PFAS, including Gen-X, ADONA, and F-53B, in the plasma of prelaying black-legged kittiwake females breeding in Svalbard and the yolk of their eggs. We aimed to (1) describe the contaminant levels and patterns in both females and eggs, and (2) investigate the maternal transfer, that is, biological variables and the relationship between the females and their eggs for each compound. Contamination of both females and eggs were dominated by linPFOS then PFUnA or PFTriA. We notably found 7:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid─a precursor of long-chain carboxylates─in 84% of the egg yolks, and provide the first documented finding of ADONA in wildlife. Emerging compounds were all below the detection limit in female plasma. There was a linear association between females and eggs for most of the PFAS. Analyses of maternal transfer ratios in females and eggs suggest that the transfer is increasing with PFAS carbon chain length, therefore the longest chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were preferentially transferred to the eggs. The mean ∑ PFAS in the second-laid eggs was 73% of that in the first-laid eggs. Additional effort on assessing the outcome of maternal transfers on avian development physiology is essential, especially for PFCAs and emerging fluorinated compounds which are under-represented in experimental studies.

There is a growing concern over a suspected presense of unknown perfluoroaliphatic substances (PFAS) in consumer goods and in the environment. Such unknown substances, possibly with high molecular weight, might be precursors of hazardous or controlled known PFAS. Recent studies confirmed that total organic fluorine (TOF) content often can not be explained by the measured target PFAS. One of the suspected classes of such unknowns are polymers with fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH) residues in a side chain. In this report we suggest hydrolysis of precursors, as a complementary method to account for the unknown PFAS. It was shown here that hydrolysis allows to preserve structural information on the perlfuorinated parts of the precursors, which can be an advantage for the purpose of accurate risk assessment or source identification. A convenient procedure for hydrolysis with 4% sodium hydroxide in water-methanol mixture (1:9) at 60 °C for 16 h was shown to convert model substances - FTOH acrylate, methacrylate and isobutyrate esters as well as FTOH phenylcarbamate to free FTOHs. Analysis of extracts of textile samples with preliminary hydrolysis and without it showed up to 1300-fold higher level of "hidden" FTOHs., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

High levels of organochlorines (OCs) have been measured in arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Lake Ellasjøen on Bjørnøya, Norway (74.30°N, 19.0°E). In a nearby lake, Laksvatn, the OC-levels in arctic char were low. A previous study has shown that char from Ellasjøen had significantly higher levels of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) than char from Lake Laksvatn. Even though there is increasing evidence of the genotoxic effects of OCs, little is known about the effects of OCs on the DNA repair system. The aim of the present study was to determine if the two main DNA DSB repair mechanisms, homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), are affected by the higher OC and DSB level in char from Ellasjøen. This was analysed by comparing the transcript level of 11 genes involved in DNA DSB repair in char liver samples from Ellasjøen (n = 9) with char from Laksvatn (n = 12). Six of the investigated genes were significantly upregulated in char from Ellasjøen. As the expression of DNA DSB repair genes was increased in the contaminant-exposed char, it is likely that the DNA DSB repair capacity is induced in these individuals. This induction was positively correlated with the DNA DSB and negatively correlated with one or several OCs for four of these genes. However, the strongest predictor variable for DNA repair genes was habitat, indicating genetic differences in repair capacity between populations. As char from Ellasjøen still had significantly higher levels of DSBs compared to char from Laksvatn, it is possible that chronic exposure to OCs and continued production of DSB has caused selective pressure within the population for fixation of adaptive alleles. It is also possible that DSB production was exceeding the repair capacity given the prevailing conditions, or that the OC or DSB level was above the threshold value of inhibition of the DNA repair system resulting in the rate of DNA damage exceeding the rate of repair., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

High levels of organochlorine contaminants (OCs) have been found in arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Lake Ellasjøen, Bjørnøya (Norwegian Arctic). The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential genotoxic effect of environmental organochlorine contaminant exposure in arctic char from Ellasjøen compared with arctic char from the low-contaminated Lake Laksvatn nearby. Blood was analyzed using agarose gel electrophoresis and image data analysis to quantify the fraction of total DNA that migrated into the gel (DNA-FTM) as a relative measure of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Analysis by GC-MS of muscle samples showed an average 43 times higher concentration of ΣOCs in arctic char from Ellasjøen (n = 18) compared with Laksvatn char (n = 21). Char from Lake Ellasjøen had a much higher frequency of DSBs, as measured by DNA-FTM, than char from Lake Laksvatn. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regressions show that there was a significant positive relationship between DSBs and levels of organochlorine contaminants in the char. In addition, DSBs were less frequent in reproductively mature char than in immature char. The results suggest that organochlorine contaminants are genotoxic to arctic char. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2405-2413. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC., (© 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.)

Investigation on the sources, discharges and related risks for the environment of the pharmaceutical substance (PhS) diclofenac (DCF) was performed in Lithuania, a country of the Baltic Sea region, for the first time. The investigation only refers to DCF as a PhS for human use; emissions from animal husbandry were not considered. In the first stage of the research, the main sources and pathways of DCF via substance flow analysis were identified within the country. During the second stage, DCF flows along the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in two different cities were measured in order to assess the current levels of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. Furthermore, environmental risk assessment was carried out by taking into account the parameters of consumption data and elimination rate in WWTPs. Then, the assessment of different technical and managerial removal approaches was accomplished in an environmental management model of wastewater containing PhS, based on the framework of environmental systems theory.

Accumulation of Na+ and K+ ions in oocytes of the river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis and their transport across the plasma membrane is realized by two main mechanisms--Na,K-pump and Na,K,Cl-cotransport. At the prespawning period from December to May the intracellular Na+ concentration was observed to increase from 10 to 25 mM and the K+ concentration--from 28 to 45 mM. Results obtained on isolated oocytes with aid of 204Tl radioactive label have shown that contributions of the Na,K-pump and Na,K,Cl-cotransport to potassium accumulations were close until March. In spring, the total K+ inflow almost doubled owing to activation of the Na,K-pump, whereas contribution of Na,K,Cl-cotransport did not change. It seems that an increase of the intracellular content of the main inorganic cations in oocytes resulted in parallel activation of the Na,K-pump and probably of Na/H-exchange. The biological significance of activation of these mechanisms of ion transport at the prespawning period might be due to a necessity of accumulation of Na+ and K+ ions in concentrations optimal for subsequent embryonic development.

Two quantum chemical models have been derived for the prediction of 13C NMR chemical shifts of novel PCB acids obtained from PCBs by catalytic carbonylation. 13C isotropic shielding constants were calculated employing the GIAO (gauge-independent atomic orbital) method with density functional theory (DFT). The best results were obtained by cluster calculations, which took the solvent effects into account properly. In this approach, a solvent molecule (acetone) was attached by a hydrogen bond to every hydrogen atom present in a PCB acid, and the geometry of the molecular cluster was optimized employing the AM1 method. For 158 chemical shifts, the cross-validated standard error was 2.8 ppm and the cross-validated correlation coefficient was 0.94.

A new potential toxaphene congener 3-endo,5-endo-dichloro-7,7-bis-chloromethyl-4-dichloromethyl-tricyclo[2.2.1.0(2,6)]heptane 2 has been isolated from reaction mixture obtained by the chlorination of 2-exo, 10,10-trichlorobornane 1. The X-ray structural analysis of 2 revealed an unusual tricyclic structure, where the two chlorine atoms occupying endo-positions are in close spatial proximity with each other and near to the neighbouring CHCl2 group. Further, it revealed that the symmetry of the molecule is distorted. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 2 have been assigned by means of 1H, 1H double-quantum filtered correlation spectroscopy (DQF COSY), PFG 1H, 13C HMQC (pulsed field gradient heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence), 1H, 13C heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) experiments, and computer aided 1H NMR spectral analysis. The asymmetry of 2 is also discernible on the 1H NMR parameters. In addition, gas chromatographic (GC) properties and electron impact (EI) mass spectrum of 2 has been studied. Ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) method with the basis set 6-31G(d) has been used for the optimization of the equilibrium geometry and calculation of total energy for 2. The optimized geometry is in good agreement with the crystal structure. According to the rotation energy profile calculated at the HF/6-31G(d) level, rotation of the chloromethyl and dichloromethyl groups are highly unlikely at the room temperature.

A growing body of evidence suggests that polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) may be fairly widespread environmental contaminants. This may be cause for concern because exposure to PCNs has been linked to dioxin-like biological responses in a wide variety of species. This study used three in vitro bioassays to characterize the dioxin-like potency of 18 individual PCN congeners and 1 PCN metabolite. The PLHC-1 fish hepatoma cell bioassay was relatively insensitive to PCNs. At the concentrations tested, only 1, 4 di-CN and 2,4-dichloro-1-napthol caused significant induction of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in the PLHC-1 assay. In vitro EROD and luciferase assays using recombinant H4IIE rat hepatoma cells were more responsive to PCNs. Structure-activity relationships were observed both in terms of the degree of chlorination and the positions of chlorine substitutions. Hexa-chlorinated naphthalenes (CNs), exhibiting relative potencies (REPs) around 10(-3) (relative to TCDD), were the most potent congeners tested. Penta-CNs were also rather potent, yielding REPs between 10(-3) and 10(-7). Tetra-, tri-, di-, and mono-CNs were less active. REPs for the active congeners were similar to those for some PCBs. The relative potency estimates reported here contribute to an emerging body of information that will aid determination of the relative contribution of PCNs to the total dioxin-like activity associated with environmental samples.

GC retention times for 67 chlorinated monoterpenes, belonging to the technical pesticide Toxaphene have been measured under the same conditions and relative retention times have been determined. They consisted of 45 chlorinated bornanes, 13 chlorinated bornenes, 8 chlorinated dihydrocamphenes and 1 chlorinated camphene. Useful correlations between structure and retention time were found. Similar changes in structure for different compounds lead to similar changes in retention times. These correlations allow to predict retention times for yet unknown Toxaphene congeners.

Renal lithium transport was studied at different hydration levels in five species of anuran amphibians (Bufo bufo, B. danatensis, B. viridis, Rana ridibunda, and R. temporaria), two species of urodeles (Triturus vulgaris and T. cristatus) and four species of reptiles (lizards Eremias multiocellata, Lacerta vivipara, Trapelus sanguinolentus, and Teratoscincus scincus). Under dehydration conditions, Li+ was reabsorbed in the kidneys of amphibians ans reptiles, but to a lesser degree than in mammalian kidneys: the ratio of lithium clearance (CLi) to glomerular filtration rate (GFR)--fractional lithium excretion--in dehydrated animals was in the range 0.5-0.8. The transition to the hydrated state resulted in a cessation of net renal lithium reabsorption. Under condition of high hydration, all the animals studied, except for urodeles, showed net renal secretion of Li+, i.e., CLi exceeded GFR. The ratio CLi/GFR was 1.2-1.3 in hydrated anurans and 1.7-2.3 in hydrated lizards. In urodeles, this ratio was approximately unity. It is suggested that renal lithium secretion in hydrated amphibians and reptiles reflects fluid secretion in the proximal tubule, which is additional to the glomerular filtration mechanism of fluid delivery to nephron under water loading.

In order to assess the specificity of potassium channels, we examined the K+ transport pathways in the lamprey red blood cells using 86Rb and stable isotope 41K as tracers measured by the mass spectrometric method. Upon replacing 4 mmol/l K+ with 4 mmol/l Rb+ in the incubation medium, the rate coefficient for unidirectional 86Rb influx (Kin) was significantly reduced from 1.48 +/- 0.10 h-1 to 0.82 +/- 0.05 h-1 (P < 0.001). Addition of 1 mmol/l Ba2+ to the incubation medium significantly decreased 86Rb influx in K(+)- (by 53%) and Rb(+)-media (by 26%). Thus, the reduction in the rate coefficient for 86Rb influx in Rb(+)-medium as compared to K(+)-medium was mainly due to the Ba(2+)-sensitive component (0.23 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.78 +/- 0.10 h-1, P < 0.001). The ouabain-sensitive component of 86Rb influx was also higher in K(+)-(Kin = 0.62 +/- 0.05 h-1) than in Rb(+)-medium (Kin = 0.54 +/- 0.05 h-1, P < 0.05). In the presence of 4 mmol/l 41KCl, the average value of the rate coefficient for the total 41K influx was 8.1 +/- 0.5 h-1. The rate coefficient for 41K influx was reduced to 0.82 +/- 0.13 h-1 in the presence of 1 mmol/l Ba2+. Under the conditions of our assays, the rate of 86Rb uptake via potassium channels of the lamprey red cells was only about 11% in K(+)-medium and only about 3% in Rb(+)-medium compared to 41K influx. These data clearly demonstrate a high selectivity of potassium channels for K+ over Rb+, as already reported for some potassium channels in a variety of cells and tissues.

In fully hydrated frogs (R. temporaria) a clearance of endogenous lithium (CLi) coincides with the glomerular filtration rate (CCoEDTA) which is on average 32 ml/kg/hr, i.e. fractional lithium excretion (FELi) is close to unity, and urine to plasma concentration ratios (U/P) of Li+ and 57Co-EDTA are about 1.4. On average, in severely dehydrated frogs CCoEDTA decreases to 6.2 ml/kg/hr, CLi to 2.4 ml/kg/hr, and (U/P)CoEDTA and (U/P)Li rise to 8.4 (max = 15.2) and 3.2 (max = 5.5), respectively. FELi makes about 0.4, i.e. in these animals, rather than in well hydrated ones, a noticeable lithium reabsorption in the kidney-urinary bladder complex is observed. Obtained data are discussed from the point of view that in amphibian kidneys (as in mammalian ones) the lithium clearance may serve as a measure of end-proximal fluid delivery and observed reabsorption of Li+ in the total kidney-urinary bladder complex in fact characterizes the reabsorption of Na+ and H2O in the proximal tubule.

A version of isotope dilution mass spectrometric technique elaborated for measuring endogenous lithium concentrations in human blood plasma and urine (10(-7) M region) and applicable in clinical practice is described. A tracer solution of lithium (LiCl) enriched in 6Li (with abundances 6Li 92%, 7Li 8%) is added to a certain volume of human plasma (0.2-0.4 ml) or urine (0.05-0.1 ml) and dried under an infrared lamp. Thereupon a soluble part extracted from dried plasma with the aid of 0.1 N HCl is dried as well. Dry extracts from plasma and dried samples of urine are processed by 30% H2O2 and subsequently subjected to paper chromatography (with ethanol as a solvent). Such processing of samples is simple and short (about an hour, 3 min of chromatographic process inclusive), achieving a good separation from organic matrix and interfering macroelements. Contamination of sample in processing is about 2-5 pmol; routine control of contamination and account of their influence are accomplished by measuring two different volumes of each sample. Measurements are made with high precision: cyclic repeated scanning of 7Li and 6Li peaks have a standard deviation of 7Li/6Li ratio no more than 0.7%. The method described was used to determine endogenous lithium clearance of hypertensive patients and patients with transplanted kidney.

Unlike mammals with renal reabsorption of lithium (Li+), in freshwater and, particularly, marine teleosts net secretion of this trace element by kidneys was discovered. The ratio of Li+ natural concentration (measured by mass spectrometric isotope dilution technique) in urine to that in blood plasma--(U/P)Li--lies in the range 2-6 in the freshwater species and between 5 and 14 in marine species, i.e. as a rule it is essentially higher than the inulin concentration index (U/P)In. It is supposed that the in vivo observed lithium net secretion in whole kidney reflects and quantitatively estimates Na+ and water secretion in renal proximal tubules of teleosts.

Studies have been made on the content and distribution of Cd, K, Mg, Ca, S and P in organs and cells of mussels and scallops before and after immersion in water containing cadmium chloride. In normal molluscs, the lowest content of Cd was found in the gonads; cadmium content of the hepatopancreas and kidney in the scallop is correspondingly 20 and 40 times higher than in the mussel. After immersion in water with cadmium (250 micrograms/l in summer experiments and 500 micrograms/l in spring ones), cadmium content of the hepatopancreas and kidney of the scallop was found to be also higher than that in the mussel, although the difference is less significant, being dependent on the season of year. The highest accumulation of cadmium (9.760 +/- 790 micrograms/g dry weight) was observed in the scallop kidney in summer period. After immersion in cadmium-containing water, the content of sulphur in the kidney and hepatopancreas increases, positive correlation being observed between the distribution of Cd and S. Exposure to cadmium results in the increase of Ca and Mg content in the gonads of scallops, as well as in the increase in Ca content of the gonads of mussels. Accumulation of cadmium in the gonads is rather small, maximum density of the material being observed histochemically in the gonadal wall. Morphological changes in the gonadal cells of mussels in summer period may be associated with the increase in cellular calcium.

The results of gene pool analysis of three Daghestan isolates for mendelian markers and multifactorial characters are presented. The neurodynamic status of persons with tt and T-phenotypes for sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide is characterized.

Antidepressants-thymoanaleptics chlorimipramine, amitriptyline, imipramine, melitracen potenciated the inhibitory effect of reserpine in a frog (supression of the turning over from the back reflex) stronger than did antidepressants with less marked thymoanaleptic action (Lu-5-003, azaphen, quipazine, desipramine) and also neuroleptics (promazine, stelazine, haloperidol) cholinolytics (atropine and benectyzine) and stimulator--phenamine. The potentiating action of tertiary amines--imipramine, amitriptyline protixen was stronger than that of the corresponding secondary amines (desipramine, norprotixen, nortriptyline). Phenothiazines with the chlorine atom in the second position (chlorprotixen and chlorpromazine) potentiated the effect of reserpine less intensively than did their chlorine-free analogues (protixen, promazine).

In 44 isolated cultures of Gram-negative bacteria, besides commonly known pathogenicity factors, their adhesive activity towards the cells of the buccal epithelium and their interrelations with the representatives of normal microflora which determine natural resistance to colonization have been studied. The artificial adhesion of target cells is accompanied by the inhibition on the natural colonization of epithelial cells by Streptococcus salivarius; it is, therefore, evident that adhesiveness is one of the factors which determine the behavior of microorganisms in cenoses. The circulation of adhesive strains of Gram-negative bacteria has been noted in the burn ward.