Search

Abstract Background Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is one of the most common pathologies of the pelvic floor, and it can be found among 40–60% of women who have given birth. Correction of the defect of the DeLancey level II without reconstruction of the apical defect is doomed to failure. Also, in the structure of pelvic floor defects, there is often an incompetency of the perineal body, as a consequence of traumatic delivery. Perineoplasty is considered to be the main method of correction for perineal body incompetency. However, it is worth mentioning that there are no randomized trials, which estimate the influence of simultaneous correction of the perineal body on the effectiveness of transvaginal apical fixation. Methods It is planned to include 310 patients in this trial. Patients who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized into 2 groups: 1st group—patients who will undergo mesh-augmented sacrospinal fixation with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy without perineoplasty, 2nd group—patients who will undergo mesh-augmented sacrospinal fixation with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy and perineoplasty. Patients will be called to an appointment 6, 12, and 24 months after discharge. Discussion The aim of this trial is to evaluate the efficiency and safety of simultaneous perineoplasty on the clinical and anatomical efficacy of mesh-augmented sacrospinal fixation in advanced pelvic organ prolapse repair. Based on previous studies, it was difficult to estimate and comprehend whether colpoperinoplasty actually reduces the risk of prolapse recurrence. Trial registration NCT05422209. Registered on 18 May 2022.

Abstract Searching for missing or wanted people is a crucial task in our society. Previous work on prospective person memory (PPM) has demonstrated that performance on this type of search task is worse relative to standard prospective memory tasks. Importantly, this process may be further affected by the race of the missing person, yet this has never been tested in laboratory settings. To test the effects of race on PPM, a convenience sample consisting primarily of self-identified Caucasian participants was asked to search for either a Caucasian or an Indian target person while judging the orientation of different Caucasian and Indian faces. Although the tasks were otherwise identical, 89% of Caucasian PPM targets were found while only 53% of Indian targets were found. Furthermore, relative to a control group with no PPM requirements, participants were slower and more error-prone when judging Indian faces relative to White faces, particularly if they were searching for an Indian face. We interpret these results as revealing other-race effects in prospective person memory, highlighting race as a critical factor for finding missing people. Importantly, this also emphasizes the need for real-world search efforts to factor in difficulty differences when people monitor for missing/wanted people from their own or different racial backgrounds. For example, media coverage of missing persons cases could perhaps be distributed more equitably by considering whether the missing person is from a racial minority in that region.

Introduction. The active development of construction technologies entails the need to improve the properties of traditional materials, including giving them specific functional characteristics such as photocatalytic activity. One of the promising methods for solving this problem is the introduction of specialized additives into standard building mixes, which include photocatalytic composite materials. Within the framework of this article, the influence of various methods of fiber activation on the surface properties of a photocatalytic composite material created on its basis is considered. Materials and research methods. The effect of pre-activation of basalt (BF), glass (GF) and glass alkali-resistant (GAF) fibers on the surface properties of photocatalytic composite materials (PCM) based on them has been studied. The activation of the fiber surface consisted in thermal (T) and chemical (AA) treatment. The research methodology included: analysis of changes in the concentration of active centers of Brensted acids on the fiber surface before and after activation of their surface, after direct deposition of titanium dioxide on the obtained samples of various types of fibers, followed by an assessment of morphological changes. Results and discussions. The following growth trend has been established for the total number of active centers for PCM: PCM(BF+Т) → PCM(GF+AA) → PCM(BF+AA) → PCM(GAF+AA) →PCM(GF) → PCM(GAF+Т) → PCM(GAF) → PCM(GF+Т) → PCM(BF). According to the results of scanning electron microscopy, it was found that PCM(GF) and PCM(GAF+T) are characterized by a more uniform distribution of titanium dioxide particles over the entire surface of the fiber, creating a film-like appearance, unlike samples of PCM(BF) and PCM(GF), as well as PCM(GAF+AA), on which titanium dioxide particles are unevenly distributed, forming growths or aggregates. The analysis showed that sol-gel deposition of titanium dioxide has a significant effect on the properties of the fiber surface, which may affect the physical and mechanical characteristics of composites and their ability to self-clean, and should be taken into account when developing new functional materials with photocatalytic properties. Conclusion. The results obtained made it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of activation of the fiber surface for subsequent use as a substrate in the composition of photocatalytic composite materials

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune skin disease characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation, primarily driven by the IL-23/IL-17 axis. In addition to immune response, various skin components, including the epidermal barrier and the skin microbiota, have been individually implicated in the disease pathogenesis. Here, we aimed to investigate the interplay between epidermal tight junctions, Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), and CD4 T cell-mediated immune responses. By immunofluorescence analyses of skin biopsies, we observed that claudin-1 distribution was significantly altered in psoriatic patients, which correlated with the localization of Staphylococcus aureus and SEB across skin layers and with disease severity. Furthermore, functional CD4 TCRvβ17 cells were associated with SEB presence in patients skin and positively correlated with psoriasis severity. Notably, in patients with SEB detected in the dermis, CD4 TCRvβ17 IL-17 cells were linked to barrier abnormalities.Unsupervised analysis stratified psoriasis patients into three groups based on SEB presence and location, supporting the previous findings. The patient group with SEB in the dermis exhibited improved responses to biological therapy, including reductions in PASI score, claudin-1 fragmentation, S. aureus and SEB presence, and CD4 TCRvβ17 cell percentages. Our findings emphasize the complex interplay between epidermal barrier distribution, SEB localization, and functional CD4 TCRvβ17 cells in psoriatic skin, highlighting their potential in patient stratification in association with the severity of the disease.

Abstract Background Thromboinflammation is caused by mutual activation of platelets and neutrophils. The site of thromboinflammation is determined by chemoattracting agents release by endothelium, immune cells, and platelets. Impaired neutrophil chemotaxis contributes to the pathogenesis of Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). In this hereditary disorder, neutrophils are known to have aberrant chemoattractant-induced F-actin properties. Here, we aim to determine whether neutrophil chemotaxis could be analyzed using our previously developed ex vivo assay of the neutrophils crawling among the growing thrombi. Methods Adult and pediatric healthy donors, alongside with pediatric patients with SDS, were recruited for the study. Thrombus formation and granulocyte movement in hirudinated whole blood were visualized by fluorescent microscopy in fibrillar collagen-coated parallel-plate flow chambers. Alternatively, fibrinogen, fibronectin, vWF, or single tumor cells immobilized on coverslips were used. A computational model of chemokine distribution in flow chamber with a virtual neutrophil moving in it was used to analyze the observed data. Results The movement of healthy donor neutrophils predominantly occurred in the direction and vicinity of thrombi grown on collagen or around tumor cells. For SDS patients or on coatings other than collagen, the movement was characterized by randomness and significantly reduced velocities. Increase in wall shear rates to 300–500 1/s led to an increase in the proportion of rolling neutrophils. A stochastic algorithm simulating leucocyte chemotaxis movement in the calculated chemoattractant field could reproduce the experimental trajectories of moving neutrophils for 72% of cells. Conclusions In samples from healthy donors, but not SDS patients, neutrophils move in the direction of large, chemoattractant-releasing platelet thrombi growing on collagen.

Abstract Aging, chronic high-fat diet feeding, or housing at thermoneutrality induces brown adipose tissue (BAT) involution, a process characterized by reduction of BAT mass and function with increased lipid droplet size. Single nuclei RNA sequencing of aged mice identifies a specific brown adipocyte population of Ucp1-low cells that are pyroptotic and display a reduction in the longevity gene syntaxin 4 (Stx4a). Similar to aged brown adipocytes, Ucp1-STX4KO mice display loss of brown adipose tissue mass and thermogenic dysfunction concomitant with increased pyroptosis. Restoration of STX4 expression or suppression of pyroptosis activation protects against the decline in both mass and thermogenic activity in the aged and Ucp1-STX4KO mice. Mechanistically, STX4 deficiency reduces oxidative phosphorylation, glucose uptake, and glycolysis leading to reduced ATP levels, a known triggering signal for pyroptosis. Together, these data demonstrate an understanding of rapid brown adipocyte involution and that physiologic aging and thermogenic dysfunction result from pyroptotic signaling activation.

Introduction: One of the frequent causes of re-hospitalization is infectious complications due to previous colonization of patient loci by microorganisms circulating in the hospital environment. In the conditions of real clinical practice among hospital-acquired infections (HAI), it is advisable to distinguish a special group of diseases – infections associated with previous hospitalization (IPAH). Of particular scientific interest is the study of the antibiotic resistance profile of IPAH pathogens in order to determine the further strategy of empirical antibiotic therapy. Materials and Methods: A two-center descriptive study was conducted in Tomsk region. We analyzed 170 cases of IPAH according to the medical records of patients receiving medical care in inpatient settings (form N 003/u) in the period from 2019 to 2023. Identification of microorganisms was carried out by classical bacteriological method. Results and Discussion: Gram-negative bacteria (95.3%) predominated in the etiology of pneumonia associated with prior hospitalization. Among Gram-negative microorganisms, the most frequent were K. pneumoniae, P. aeroginosa and K. oxytoca. Representatives of the families Enterobacteriaceae (48.2%), Staphylococcaceae (28.9%) and Enterococcaceae (10.8%) predominated in the etiology of surgical infection associated with previous hospitalization. In the species structure, the key pathogens were K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and E. coli. IPAH pathogens were characterized by an unfavorable resistance profile. Conclusion: Despite the fact that the etiological structure and antibiotic resistance profile of IPAH are similar to those of classical nosocomial infections, IPAH has important features that should certainly be taken into account when organizing medical care for this cohort of patients.

The development of new convenient tools for the design of multicomponent nucleic acid (NA) complexes is one of the challenges in biomedicine and NA nanotechnology. In this paper, we analyzed the formation of hybrid RNA/DNA concatemers and self-limited complexes by a pair of oligonucleotides using UV melting, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and a gel shift assay. Effects of the size of the linker between duplex-forming segments of the oligonucleotides on complexes’ shape and number of subunits were compared and systematized for RNA/DNA, DNA/DNA, and RNA/RNA assemblies. The data on complex types summarized here as heat maps offer a convenient tool for the design of NA constructs. General rules found for RNA/DNA, DNA/DNA, and RNA/RNA complexes allow not only designing complexes with desired structures but also purposefully transforming their geometry. The A-form of the double helix of the studied RNA/DNA complexes was confirmed by circular dichroism analysis. Moreover, we show for the first time efficient degradation of RNA in hybrid self-limited complexes by RNase H and imidazole. The results open up new prospects for the design of supramolecular complexes as tools for nanotechnology, nanomachinery, and biomedical applications.

The effect of hot rolling on the microstructure, mechanical, and corrosion properties of the magnesium alloy 96 wt% Mg–2.3 wt% Zn–0.7 wt% Ca–1 wt% Mn was studied. After heat treatment, the original plates of an as-cast alloy were rolled from a 7 mm thickness to a 0.2 mm thickness at two temperatures—300 or 400 °C. It has been established that increasing the rolling temperature from 300 to 400 °C increases the fraction of recrystallized grains in the microstructure and after rolling at 400 °C, the microstructure is fully recrystallized. The best strength–ductility balance of the alloy was obtained after rolling at 300 °C, with a high total percentage reduction of 93–97%: the yield stress, the ultimate tensile strength, and the elongation averaged at 285 MPa, 310 MPa, and 5%, respectively. The alloy after rolling, annealed at 400 °C, shows improved ductility but lower strength: the yield stress, the ultimate tensile strength, and the elongation were 200 MPa, 260 MPa, and 17%, respectively. The strong dependence of corrosion resistance on respect to rolling direction is observed, which can be reduced after heat treatment. The as-rolled alloy and the heat-treated alloy had low corrosion rates in Hanks’ solution of 0.54 and 0.19 mm/year, respectively.

Abstract Neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders are correlated with cellular stress. Macroautophagy (autophagy) may represent an important protective pathway to maintain cellular homeostasis and functionality, as it targets cytoplasmic components to lysosomes for degradation and recycling. Given recent evidence that some novel psychiatric treatments, such as the neuroactive steroid (NAS) allopregnanolone (AlloP, brexanolone), may induce autophagy, we stably transfected human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK) cells with a ratiometric fluorescent probe to assay NAS effects on autophagy. We hypothesized that NAS may modulate autophagy in part by the ability of uncharged NAS to readily permeate membranes. Microscopy revealed a weak effect of AlloP on autophagic flux compared with the positive control treatment of Torin1. In high-throughput microplate experiments, we found that autophagy induction was more robust in early passages of HEK cells. Despite limiting studies to early passages for maximum sensitivity, a range of NAS structures failed to reliably induce autophagy or interact with Torin1 or starvation effects. To probe NAS in a system where AlloP effects have been shown previously, we surveyed astrocytes and again saw minimal autophagy induction by AlloP. Combined with other published results, our results suggest that NAS may modulate autophagy in a cell-specific or context-specific manner. Although there is merit to cell lines as a screening tool, future studies may require assaying NAS in cells from brain regions involved in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The relevance of the study is due to the emergence of new forms of media images associated with the coverage of a special military operation conducted by Russia in Ukraine. The study of portraiture can be useful for identifying the criteria for the image of a person in demand by the reader during the revival of traditional values and universal factors of spirituality. The purpose of the research is to study strategies and tactics of portraying a person in emergency situations, especially in war zones, to identify problematic areas of journalistic portraiture at the present stage. The depiction of significant or notable figures of military operations helps the reader in understanding moral and spiritual strategies. In the perspective of the study is the media image of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a prominent and ambiguous figure of the special military operation. The object of the study was media texts about E. Prigozhin published in 2020–2023. By the example of the coverage of one of the key figures of the special military operation (SMO), the means of reproducing the portrait in the media are identified, the role and tasks of the media image are outlined, attempts are made to comprehend the presentation of information through the prism of preserving cultural heritage and values of society. The main research methods are determined based on the goals. The linguistic and cultural analysis revealed the most popular forms of media portraiture, as well as the role of narrative structure, categories of space and time, composition in the perception of the portrait. Content analysis made it possible to analyze the content, keywords and significant semantic fragments in a vast array of media texts. Intent analysis was used to study the intentions and motives of the authors of works that influence media discourse. The novelty of the research is in the study of the socio–psychological and moral aspects of the modern media portrait, since these characteristics increasingly need to be understood from the position of “do no harm”. The results of the study revealed the popular forms of depicting a person in a difficult life situation, showed the necessity and timeliness of depicting the spiritual and moral component of the behavioral characteristics of a media personality, identified the problem areas of the portraiture process in cases when journalists resort to manipulation by creating a portrait in the media. The authors also point to further promising areas of research into the process of media portraiture, which include the need to typologize a media portrait, identifying the relationship between portrait and situational personality characteristics, and the features of positioning value strategies in a rapidly changing world.

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis predominantly damage to the skin of the face, which has a significant negative impact on the quality patients’ lives. The main goal of treatment is to achieve the most complete remission. However, due to the fact that the pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood, the search for new methods of treatment is especially relevant. Combined use pulsed dye laser and ivermectin drug is presented as alternative pathogenetically substantiated method of therapy. The purpose of the study is to characterize immune disorders and the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of rosacea, as well as the possibilities of combination therapy based on literature data. An analysis of literature sources from the MedLine, Pubmed, eLibrary databases for the period from 2002 to 2022 was carried out, using the keywords “ivermectin”, “pulsed dye laser”, “rosacea”, “cytokines”, “ivermectin” , “Pulsed Dye Laser”, “rosacea”, “cytokines”.

Radiation from X-ray pulsars (XRPs) was expected to be strongly linearly polarized owing to a large difference in their ordinary and extraordinary mode opacities. The launch of IXPE allowed us to check this prediction. IXPE observed a dozen X-ray pulsars, discovering pulse-phase dependent variation of the polarization degree (PD) and polarization angle (PA). Although the PD showed rather erratic profiles resembling flux pulse dependence, the PA in most cases showed smooth variations consistent with the rotating vector model (RVM), which can be interpreted as a combined effect of vacuum birefringence and dipole magnetic field structure at a polarization-limiting (adiabatic) radius. Application of the RVM allowed us to determine XRP geometry and to confirm the free precession of the NS in Her X-1. Deviations from RVM in two bright transients led to the discovery of an unpulsed polarized emission likely produced by scattering off the accretion disk wind.

A comparative study of the effect of drawing and rotary forging on the structure, mechanical and corrosion properties of a new biodegradable magnesium alloy Mg–2Zn–2Ga was carried out. The original 6 mm diameter bars obtained by hot extrusion were reduced to the diameters in the range 5.5–3.3 mm by drawing or rotary forging. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and EBSD grain orientation mapping were used to characterize the material microstructure. Tensile testing was performed to determine the mechanical properties. The optimum temperature for rotary forging and annealing after each drawing pass for defect-free bar production was found to be 300 °C. The combination of the highest strength and ductility was achieved in the 4.2 mm diameter drawn bar and is explained by the formation of numerous twin boundaries in the alloy structure. The 3.3 mm diameter bar obtained by drawing as well as the 5.5 mm diameter bar obtained by rotary forging showed a balance between high strength (260–310 MPa) and large elongation (9–12 %). The analysis of the stress-strain curves using Hollomon's equation was conducted. The hydrogen evolution test in Hanks' solution revealed that the drawn bars of diameters 4.2 and 5.2 mm, as well as the rotary forged bar of 5.5 mm possessed 3 times lower corrosion resistance reduced in comparison with the original 6 mm extruded bar. The 3.3 mm diameter drawn bar exhibited the lowest nominal corrosion rate of 0.11 mm/year that offers excellent opportunities for use in medical implants.

Neuropsychiatric complications, in particular cognitive and depressive disorders, are common consequences of ischemic stroke (IS) and complicate the rehabilitation, quality of life, and social adaptation of patients. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) system, sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAMS), and inflammatory processes are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. This study aimed to explore these systems in IS patients, including those with post-stroke cognitive and depressive disorders, within a year after IS. Indices of the HPA axis, inflammatory system, and SAMS were measured in blood serum (cortisol, interleukin-6 (IL-6)), plasma (adrenocorticotropic hormone), and saliva (cortisol, α-amylase). During one year after mild/moderate IS (NIHSS score 5.9 ± 4.3), serum cortisol and salivary α-amylase levels remained elevated in the total cohort. In the group with further cognitive decline, serum and salivary cortisol levels were elevated during the acute period of IS. In the group with poststroke depressive disorder, salivary α-amylase was constantly elevated, while serum IL-6 was minimal during the acute period. The results suggest prolonged hyperactivation of the HPA axis and SAMS after IS. Specifically, post-stroke cognitive impairment was associated with hyperactivation of the HPA axis during the acute IS period, while post-stroke depressive disorder was associated with the chronic inflammatory process and hyperactivation of SAMS during the follow-up period.

Bruchidius marginalis, a seed beetle, is found in various countries, the including the Baltic countries, Balkan peninsula, central, northern, and the western Europe, and Transcaucasian countries. In Russia, the species was previously noted in the south of its European part, Saratov and Kaliningrad regions. Oxytropis pilosa, a South Palearctic species, grows in central Europe, the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, Mongolia, and Asia Minor. It is distributed in the steppe zone, insular steppes, forb and forb-grass steppes, and steppe meadows. A count of damaged O. pilosa seedlings was made and the percentage of fruit infection by seed-eating insects was calculated. The level of infestation in the O. pilosa fruits was 23%, and mass emergence of adults was observed in September. When examining leguminous plants for infection with seed-eating insects, a species of carpophage Bruchidius marginalis was identified, which is the first for the territory of the Republic of Khakassia.

Brain cholesterol metabolic products include neurosteroids and oxysterols, which play important roles in cellular physiology. In neurons, the cholesterol oxidation product, 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24S-HC), is a regulator of signaling and transcription. Here, we examined the behavioral effects of 24S-HC loss, using global and cell-selective genetic deletion of the synthetic enzyme CYP46A1. Mice that are globally deficient in CYP46A1 exhibited hypoactivity at young ages and unexpected increases in conditioned fear memory. Despite strong reductions in hippocampal 24S-HC in mice with selective loss of CYP46A1 in VGLUT1-positive cells, behavioral effects were not recapitulated in these conditional knockout mice. Global knockout produced strong, developmentally dependent transcriptional effects on select cholesterol metabolism genes. These included paradoxical changes in Liver X Receptor targets. Again, conditional knockout was insufficient to recapitulate most changes. Overall, our results highlight the complex effects of 24S-HC in an in vivo setting that are not fully predicted by known mechanisms. The results also demonstrate that the complete inhibition of enzymatic activity may be needed for a detectable, therapeutically relevant impact on gene expression and behavior.

The radiation from accreting X-ray pulsars was expected to be highly polarized, with some estimates for the polarization degree of up to 80%. However, phase-resolved and energy-resolved polarimetry of X-ray pulsars is required in order to test different models and to shed light on the emission processes and the geometry of the emission region. Here we present the first results of the observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar Vela X-1 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Vela X-1 is considered to be the archetypal example of a wind-accreting, high-mass X-ray binary system, consisting of a highly magnetized neutron star accreting matter from its supergiant stellar companion. The spectropolarimetric analysis of the phase-averaged data for Vela X-1 reveals a polarization degree (PD) of 2.3% ± 0.4% at the polarization angle (PA) of −47.°3 ± 5.°4. A low PD is consistent with the results obtained for other X-ray pulsars and is likely related to the inverse temperature structure of the neutron star atmosphere. The energy-resolved analysis shows the PD above 5 keV reaching 6%–10% and a ∼90° difference in the PA compared to the data in the 2–3 keV range. The phase-resolved spectropolarimetric analysis finds a PD in the range 0%–9% with the PA varying between −80° and 40°.

In mountain areas, one of the noticeable results of modern climate change is rapid shift of treelines to subalpine and alpine meadows. Such vegetation shifts is associated with a change in quality of the plant residues entering the soils, which in turn can affect the mineralization activity (basal respiration) and functional diversity of the soil microbial community. Therefore, the study was aimed at assessing the soil microbial (basal respiration and functional diversity) and chemical (C, N, C/N, pH) properties (0-10 cm) along the reserved and grazed forest-meadow transects of the Northwestern Caucasus (Karachay-Cherkess Republic), as well as evaluating an effect of vegetation type and land use on variation of these soil properties. It was found that the C and N contents (for both land usees), pH and basal respiration (reserved slope) significantly increase from forest to meadow soils. In contrary, the microbial functional diversity decreased from forest to meadow soils, which might be due to less diverse organic compounds entering the soil only with grass residues than their combination with forest litter. Two-way ANOVA showed that soil microbial functional diversity, pH, C and N along the studied forest-meadow transects was mostly associated with vegetation type (1439 % of the explained variation), and C/N and basal respiration - with land use (3336 % of the explained variation). Thus, a land use change will have a more significant effect on the mineralization activity of soil microbial community than a treeline shifts.

Currently, the world is constantly increasing the number of people with obesity. As was shown by the Framingham study, obesity is a risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases. The effect of obesity on the structure and function of the heart is manifested in the form of cardiac remodeling, the effect on energy metabolism in the heart and infiltration of both myocardium with lipids, and an increase in the accumulation of adipose tissue in the pericardium, imbalance of adipokines and activation of inflammatory markers. Cardiac remodeling occurs primarily due to thickening of the left ventricle (LV) walls and an increase in the LV myocardium mass. Systolic dysfunction of the heart is less common in obese individuals compared with diastolic dysfunction. However, more modern methods (tissue Doppler, visualization of the deformation of the chambers of the heart strain imaging) reveal a subclinical decrease in systolic function in people with obesity. It is not fully known whether obesity is associated with systolic dysfunction, regardless of other risk factors. In any case, it has been proven that heart failure in people with obesity can develop independently of other risk factors. As an illustration, we give an example when the presence of obesity and concomitant pathology (arterial hypertension, diabetes) led to the development of systolic dysfunction with a decrease in the LV ejection fraction to 35% (fat cardiopathy), which show the potential for the influence of both obesity itself and in combination with concomitant diseases to lead to severe systolic heart failure.

Academic achievements play an important role in an individual’s professional development, and are also considered one of the main characteristics of an education system. Academic achievements are associated with multiple factors, including the social environment of students. In this paper we review the studies that use stochastic actororiented models to examine the effects of social networks on academic achievements. We consider both the results and designs of existing studies and outline potential avenues for future research. We demonstrate that the majority of studies analyze the networks of positive relationships in schools. Only a few studies are based on data from universities. We also conclude that the majority of studies are based on data from western democracies. These findings can be considered as a basis for further empirical analysis.

The adaptation of the Ukrainian economy to the requirements of the European Union requires increasing the effectiveness of the system of making public management decisions regarding the development and assessment of the labor potential of our country. Currently, a unified system of evaluation indicators of the labor potential of Ukraine has not yet been developed. The authors substantiated and systematized the groups of medico-demographic, socio-economic and educational factors that affect the health of the employed population, and suggested the use of the "preserving the health of the employed population" indicator for assessing the labor potential. Accordingly, a mathematical model for evaluating the health of the employed population at the macro level is proposed, which is based on the theory of fuzzy logic. The application of the proposed model will make it possible to increase the efficiency of the system of public management decision-making in the process of developing concepts, strategies, and practical measures for the implementation of policies for the preservation of the health of the employed population, as well as to make timely adjustments during implementation, which should positively reflect on the steady growth of the index human development (HDI).

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by the polyglutamine stretch expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) protein. In HD, dysregulation of multiple cellular processes occurs, resulting in the death of medium spiny neurons of striatum. A line of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ICGi033-A was obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient carrying 77 CAG repeats in the HTT gene. The iPSCs express pluripotency markers, have a normal karyotype, and differentiate into three germ layers: endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm.

The volcanics of the Navysh complex of the Lower Riphean Ai Formation in the Southern Urals are well studied petrochemically and dated by several methods. In 2013 zircons from a trachybasalt porphyrite (sample 2152) gave a concordant SHRIMP date 1752±11 Ma, which was used as a fundamental for the lower boundary of the Riphean with no special arguments against it. The later attempts to repeat this date for the Navysh volcanics were not successful: the collected zircons were either more ancient (> 2500 Ma), or more young (< 500 Ma). From the beginning, the zircons with such ages were regarded as xenogenic or secondary metasomatic, or belonging to paleozoic dykes intruding the Riphean volcanics. However, the clearly expressed mineralogical properties of the Paleozoic zircons and their frequent presence in volcanics, not dykes, led to a conclusion that the zircons and Navysh volcanics, containing them, and exposed within the area of development of the Ai Formation, are polychronous. To support this conclusion, the authors studied in more detail the zircons of the Navysh trachybasalts, developed in the Ai Formation. The main conclusion, obtained from this new data, was that the volcanics attributed to the Navysh complex, form a polychronous system, including both the Lower Riphean (1750 Ma) and Paleozoic (450 Ma) rocks. The zircons of these age groups differ in their mineralogical and geochemical properties supporting the idea that they belong to different primary sources which may be due to repeating plume processes, which partly reanimated – heated and melted-rocks of the previous cycle and/or created new sources of melts.

Mutation in the glucocerebrosidase encoding gene (GBA) is one of the most frequent genetic cause of Parkinson's disease. ICGi034-A induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line obtained by reprogramming peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a patient with heterozygous c.1226A > G (p.N370S) mutation in the GBA gene can be used for studying the fundamental mechanisms of the pathogenesis of GBA-associated Parkinson's disease, and for potential drug screening. The iPSCs express pluripotency markers (NANOG, SSEA4, TRA-1-60, OCT4, SOX2), have a normal karyotype, and are capable of producing derivatives of three germ layers.

The detection and identification of plant diseases is a fundamental task for sustainable crop production. Septoria tritici and Stagonospora nodorum blotch (STB and SNB) are two of the most common diseases of cereal crops that cause significant economic damage. Both pathogens are difficult to identify at early stages of infection. Determining the degree of the disease at a late infection stage is useful for assessing cereal crops before harvesting, as it allows the assessment of potential yield losses. Hyperspectral sensing could allow for automatic recognition of Septoria harmfulness on wheat in field conditions. In this research, we aimed to collect information on the hyperspectral data on wheat plants with different lesion degrees of STB&SNB and to create and train a neural network for the detection of lesions on leaves and ears caused by STB&SNB infection at the late stage of disease development. Spring wheat was artificially infected twice with Septoria pathogens in the stem elongation stage and in the heading stage. Hyperspectral reflections and brightness measurements were collected in the field on wheat leaves and ears on the 37th day after STB and the 30th day after SNB pathogen inoculation using an Ocean Insight “Flame” VIS-NIR hyperspectrometer. Obtained non-imaging data were pre-treated, and the perceptron model neural network (PNN) was created and trained based on a pairwise comparison of datasets for healthy and diseased plants. Both statistical and neural network approaches showed the high quality of the differentiation between healthy and damaged wheat plants by the hyperspectral signature. A comparison of the results of visual recognition and automatic STB&SNB estimation showed that the neural network was equally effective in the quality of the disease definition. The PNN, based on a neuron model of hyperspectral signature with a spectral step of 6 nm and 2000–4000 value datasets, showed a high quality of detection of the STB&SNB severity. There were 0.99 accuracy, 0.94 precision, 0.89 recall and 0.91 F-score metrics of the PNN model after 10,000 learning epochs. The estimation accuracy of diseased/healthy leaves ranged from 88.1 to 97.7% for different datasets. The accuracy of detection of a light and medium degree of disease was lower (38–66%). This method of non-imaging hyperspectral signature classification could be useful for the identification of the STB and SNB lesion degree identification in field conditions for pre-harvesting crop estimation.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from healthy humans may prove an effective tool against pathogen growth, adherence and invasion in intestinal epithelial cells. This study aimed to evaluate the antilisterial properties of LAB isolated from fecal samples of healthy neonates. Forty-five LAB strains were tested for their antimicrobial activity against ten Listeria monocytogenes strains with spot-on-lawn and agar-well diffusion assays, and ten lactobacilli strains were further assessed for their inhibitory effect against adherence and invasion of Caco-2 cells by L. monocytogenes EGDe. Inhibition was estimated in competition, exclusion or displacement assays, where lactobacilli and L. monocytogenes were added to Caco-2 monolayers simultaneously or 1 h apart from each other. Inhibition of L. monocytogenes growth was only displayed with the spot-on-lawn assay; cell-free supernatants of lactobacilli were not effective against the pathogen. Lactobacillus (L.) paragasseri LDD-C1 and L. crispatus LCR-A21 were able to adhere to Caco-2 cells at significantly higher levels than the reference strain L. rhamnosus GG. The adherence of L. monocytogenes to Caco-2 cells was reduced by 20.8% to 62.1% and invasion by 33.5% to 63.1% during competition, which was more effective compared to the exclusion and displacement assays. These findings demonstrate that lactobacilli isolated from neonatal feces could be considered a good candidate against L. monocytogenes.

In this paper, we present a hybrid refractive-diffractive lens that, when paired with a deep neural network-based image reconstruction, produces high-quality, real-world images with minimal artifacts, reaching a PSNR of 28 dB on the test set. Our diffractive element compensates for the off-axis aberrations of a single refractive element and has reduced chromatic aberrations across the visible light spectrum. We also describe our training set augmentation and novel quality criteria called “false edge level” (FEL), which validates that the neural network produces visually appealing images without artifacts under a wide range of ISO and exposure settings. Our quality criteria (FEL) enabled us to include real scene images without a corresponding ground truth in the training process.

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency is associated with muscle weakness. A reduction in the incidence of falls in the elderly following VD supplementation and identification of the VD receptor within muscle cells suggests a direct effect of VD on muscle, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here we systematically searched the literature to identify effects of active VD [1,25(OH)2D3] on skeletal muscle myogenesis in vitro, with no restriction on year of publication. Eligibility was assessed by strict inclusion/exclusion criteria and agreed by two independent investigators. Twelve relevant pa-pers were identified using four different cell types (C2C12, primary mouse satellite cells, primary chick myoblasts, and primary human myoblasts) and a range of myogenic markers (myoD, myogenin, creatine kinase, myosin heavy chain, and myotube size). A clear inhibitory effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on proliferation was reported, while the effects on the different stages of differentiation were less consistent probably due to variation in cell type, time points and doses of 1,25(OH)2D3 used. However, myotube size was consistently increased by 1,25(OH)2D3. Overall, the evidence suggests that 1,25(OH)2D3 inhibits proliferation and promotes differentiation of myoblasts, but future studies should use time courses to gain a clearer understanding.

Aim: to evaluate the impact of tissue-engineered structures (TES) transplantation based on mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) sheets in myocardial infarction on the activation of the epicardial cell pool and vascularization of the damaged zone.Materials and methods. Mesenchymal stromal cells were obtained from samples of subcutaneous fat of Wistar rats and C57Bl/6 mice. Tissue engineering structures were obtained by culturing cell sheets on thermosensitive plates (Nunc Dishes with UpCell Surface). Transplantation of TESs was performed after myocardial infarction modeling in rats by ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery. Transplant cells and damaged zones were assessed using immunofluorescent staining of myocardial cryosections. The impact of MSC secretion products on the migration activity of epicardial cells in vitro was evaluated using the explant culture method.Results. MSCs in TESs after transplantation remain viable and induce activation of the epicardial cell pool and local increase of the damaged zone vascularization. The in vitro experiments showed that the conditioned environment of MSCs stimulates the migratory activity of epicardial cells and initiates the formation of activated Wt1/POD1 precursor cells.Conclusion. TES transplantation on the basis of MSC sheets seems to be a promising approach for effective delivery of viable cells into myocardium to activate the epicardial cellular niche and reparative angiogenesis.

The article discusses the features of the grotesque construction of the first novel by Boris Vian “Turmoil in the Swaths”. It is shown that one of the dominant methods of creating the grotesque space of the work is pastiche in postmodern semantic content. It is proved that already the first novel by Vian is a harbinger of future postmodern reflection. Experimenting with various genre systems, synthesizing them and blurring the boundaries, Vian states the principle of the “pataphysical” world in his main desire – to shock and surprise the reader with unexpected plot twists and actions of the characters, purposefully, throughout the work to destroy the reader’s waiting horizon, involving in the game novel space. The first novel of the writer marks the birth of a special Vian style, which becomes the basis of all his subsequent work.

In late December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 emerged as an outbreak in Wuhan, China that later spread vastly around the world, evolving into a pandemic and one of the worst global health crises in modern history. The causative agent was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although several vaccines were authorized for emergency use, constantly emerging new viral mutants and limited treatment options for COVID-19 drastically highlighted the need for developing an efficient treatment for this disease. One of the most important viral components to target for this purpose is the main protease of the coronavirus (Mpro). This enzyme is an excellent target for a potential drug, as it is essential for viral replication and has no closely related homologues in humans, making its inhibitors unlikely to be toxic. Our review describes a variety of approaches that could be applied in search of potential inhibitors among plant-derived compounds, including virtual in silico screening (a data-driven approach), which could be structure-based or fragment-guided, the classical approach of high-throughput screening, and antiviral activity cell-based assays. We will focus on several classes of compounds reported to be potential inhibitors of Mpro, including phenols and polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids.

The study determined the kinetics of the selective anodic dissolution of the copper-zinc intermetallic compound Cu5Zn8 (gamma-phase) in an acetate buffer solution. Microscopic and X-ray analysis methods demonstrated the selective nature of the corrosive dissolution of Cu5Zn8. The dissolution results in the dezincification of the intermetalic compound and morphological development of its surface accompanied by the formation of the copper phase. A theoretical model of the transition of the electrode surface to the critical state together with the experimental concentration dependencies of the critical potential and critical overvoltage demonstrated that the dissolution of zinc from Cu5Zn8 is most probably limited by the non-stationary diffusion mass-transfer in the solid phase of the intermetallic compound. The study also demonstrated that the phase transformation during the overcritical selective anodic dissolution of the gamma-phase of Cu5Zn8 in an acetate environment accelerates following the growth of the anodic potential and is controlled by the surface diffusion of adatoms towards the three-dimensional nucleus of the copper phase with instantaneous nucleation.

Summary: BIN1, a member of the BAR adaptor protein family, is a significant late-onset Alzheimer disease risk factor. Here, we investigate BIN1 function in the brain using conditional knockout (cKO) models. Loss of neuronal Bin1 expression results in the select impairment of spatial learning and memory. Examination of hippocampal CA1 excitatory synapses reveals a deficit in presynaptic release probability and slower depletion of neurotransmitters during repetitive stimulation, suggesting altered vesicle dynamics in Bin1 cKO mice. Super-resolution and immunoelectron microscopy localizes BIN1 to presynaptic sites in excitatory synapses. Bin1 cKO significantly reduces synapse density and alters presynaptic active zone protein cluster formation. Finally, 3D electron microscopy reconstruction analysis uncovers a significant increase in docked and reserve pools of synaptic vesicles at hippocampal synapses in Bin1 cKO mice. Our results demonstrate a non-redundant role for BIN1 in presynaptic regulation, thus providing significant insights into the fundamental function of BIN1 in synaptic physiology relevant to Alzheimer disease. : BIN1 is a significant risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer disease. BIN1 has a general role in endocytosis and membrane dynamics in non-neuronal cells. De Rossi et al. show that BIN1 localizes to presynaptic terminals and plays an indispensable role in excitatory synaptic transmission by regulating neurotransmitter vesicle dynamics. Keywords: late-onset Alzheimer disease, BIN1, Morris water maze, synaptic physiology, release probability, super-resolution, dSTORM, STED, 3D EM reconstruction, Amphiphysin 2

The problem of filling bone cavities remains relevant in maxillofacial and oral surgery. There is a large selection of osteotropic materials, of various natures, for filling bone defects of different etiologies. The aim of our research was to improve the outcome of surgical treatment in a patient with a complicated mandibular fracture, with the use of a collagenic xenograft during osteosynthesis. In this article, we share our experience of the treatment of a patient with a complicated mandibular angle fracture, in combination with a follicular cyst. The obligate steps of treatment included stabilization of the bone fragments, decreasing the risk of fracture line malposition, using titan mini-plates, and shortening the time of bone regeneration, by filling the bone defect with osteotropic material. This approach allowed us to reduce the rehabilitation period and further prosthetic treatment after 4–5 months, without additional bone grafting manipulations. Thus, the use of collagen osteotropic materials, possessing osteoconductive properties, can improve the treatment of patients with mandibular fractures.

We propose to achieve multichannel information transmission in free space by means of variously polarized beams. The interaction of vortex beams of various orders with the main polarization states is theoretically analyzed. The passage of beams with different polarization states through multi-order diffractive optical elements (DOEs) is simulated numerically. Using the simulation results, tables of code correspondence of diffraction order numbers to the presence of phase vortices in the analyzed beams are constructed, which allow one to determine diffraction orders that carry information about various polarization states. The performed experiment made it possible to study the recognition of the first order cylindrical polarization state formed by a Q-plate converter using a phase DOE. In the experiment, these elements were built into a commercial fiber-optic communication system operating at the near-IR frequencies. After detecting the beam polarization state, beams of the required diffraction orders are efficiently coupled into optical fiber using an additional phase element. The developed optical detection system also provides channel suppression of homogeneously polarized components, which are supposed to be used for transmission of other channels.

Redox moieties, which are present in the molecular backbone of humic substances (HS), govern their antioxidant properties. We hypothesized that a directed modification of the humic backbone via incorporation of redox moieties with known redox properties might provide an efficient tool for tuning up antioxidant properties of HS. In this work, hydroquinonoid and hydronaphthoquinonoid centres were used, which possess very different redox characteristics. They were incorporated into the structure of coal (leonardite) humic acids CHA) and peat fulvic acids (PFA). For this goal, an oxidative copolymerization of phenols was used. The latter was induced via oxidation of hydroquinones and hydroxynapjtaquinones with a use of Fenton’s reagent. The structure of the obtained products was characterized using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. H/D labelling coupled to FT ICR mass spectrometry analysis was applied for identification of the reaction products as a tool for surmising on reaction mechanism. It was shown that covalent -C-C- bond were formed between the incorporated redox centers and aromatic core of HS. The parent humic acids and their naphthoquinonoid derivatives have demonstrated high accepting capacity. At the same time, fulvic acids and their hydroquinonoid derivatives have possessed both high donor and high antioxidant capacities. The kinetic studies have demonstrated that both humic acids and their derivatives showed much slower kinetics of antioxidant reactions as compared to fulvic acids. The obtained results show, firstly, substantial difference in redox and antioxidant properties of the humic and fulvic acids, and, secondly, they can serve as an experimental evidence that directed chemical modification of humic substances can be used to tune and control antioxidant properties of natural HS.

Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidóptera: Crambidae), es una de las plagas de mayor importancia en el Norte Argentino en caña de azúcar y en la región pampeana es la más importante en maíz y sorgo. Es una especie polífaga, con características bioecológicas que podrían generar un limitado flujo génico entre las poblaciones del país, favoreciendo la aparición de biotipos. Por ello, el objetivo del trabajo fue caracterizar la biología y la compatibilidad reproductiva de dos poblaciones recolectadas en Buenos Aires (maíz) y Tucumán (caña de azúcar) en Argentina. Las larvas recolectadas fueron mantenidas en laboratorio bajo condiciones controladas (25 ± 2 ºC, 75% HR, 14:10 L/O). Los parámetros evaluados fueron: duración del huevo, larva y pupa, peso de las pupas, longevidad de los adultos y proporción de sexos, número de espermatóforos, duración de los periodos de preoviposición, oviposición y postoviposición, fertilidad y fecundidad. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en los parámetros biológicos, pero se detectó incompatibilidad precigótica y postcigótica entre las poblaciones. Este resultado demuestra una interrupción del flujo génico, lo que sugiere que las poblaciones de Tucumán y Buenos Aires son, posiblemente, biotipos diferentes. Este estudio constituye el primer registro de aislamiento reproductivo entre poblaciones de D. saccharalis de Argentina utilizando parámetros biológicos y de compatibilidad reproductiva, siendo de utilidad para definir estrategias de manejo y control de las poblaciones de D. saccharalis en Argentina.

Across all kingdoms in the tree of life, calcium (Ca2+) is an essential element used by cells to respond and adapt to constantly changing environments. In multicellular organisms, it plays fundamental roles during fertilization, development and adulthood. The inability of cells to regulate Ca2+ can lead to pathological conditions that ultimately culminate in cell death. One such pathological condition is manifested in Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurological disorder in humans, which is characterized by the aggregation of the protein, α-synuclein. This Review discusses current evidence that implicates Ca2+ in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which Ca2+ signaling contributes to the progression of this disease will be crucial for the development of effective therapies to combat this devastating neurological condition.

Abstract The phenomenological model of sulphate anions effect on the nanodispersed titania synthesis during hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride was studied. It was proposed that both chelating and bridging bidentate complexes formation between sulphate anions and octahedrally coordinated [Ti(OH)h(OH2)6−h](4−h)+ mononers is the determinative factor for anatase phase nucleation.