Microbiological Oxidation of High Viscosity Bitumen in Soil

This paper presents the results of an investigation of microbiological oxidation in the model soil system of high viscosity bitumen from the Bayan-Erkhet deposit (Mongolia) with a high content of heteroelements. It is shown that bitumen, being a mixture of high molecular weight components, has no inhibitory effect on the indigenous soil microflora. Its active growth in the presence of oil products starts without adaptation and lasts for a good part of experiment resulting in 15‒30 fold excess of microorganisms over its reference number. The enzymatic activity of the contaminated soil increases by a factor of 1.5‒2.0, which indicates an assimilation of various hydrocarbon compounds. The weight analysis revealed that the biodegradation of oil products after 180 days of the experiment was 50% of the initial contamination at initial waste oil concentration 50 g/kg (5%). The analysis by IR spectroscopy revealed an accumulation of oxygen-containing compounds which are intermediate products of bio-oxidation of bitumen components. The method of chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed the ability of aboriginal soil microflora to mineralize virtually all hydrocarbons contained in the bitumen under study. Their biodegradation ranges from 18 to 97%. It was shown by the GC-MS method that high-molecular heteroatomic components of bitumen (resins and asphaltenes) also undergo a microbial degradation, since their molecular structure changed after the destruction. Thus, the number of structural units in a hypothetical molecule and that of heteroatoms increased due to the high content of oxygen-containing structures. In addition, the ratio of hydrocarbons (oils), resins, and asphaltenes contained in the sample is also changed

Матриксная металлопротеиназа-9, супероксиддисмутаза и перекисное окисление липидов у недоношенных новорожденных с перинатальной гипоксией

The perinatal hypoxia (PH) in preterm newborns is associated with elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in umbilical cord blood plasma. The severity of PH Apgar scores correlated with SOD (r = –0,40; p = 0,006) and MMP-9 (r = 0,36; p = 0,023). It is assumed that the SOD increase prevents the reactive oxygen species mediated activation of MMP-9, which destroy the collagen of the basement membrane of the bloodbrain barrier.У недоношенных новорожденных перинатальная гипоксия (ПГ) ассоциируется с повышенными уровнями матриксной металлопротеиназы-9 (MMП-9), супероксиддисмутазы (СОД) и тиобарбитурат-реактивных продуктов в плазме пуповинной крови. Тяжесть ПГ по шкале Апгар коррелировала с СОД (r = –0,40; p = 0,006) и ММП-9 (r = 0,36; p = 0,023). Предполагается, что повышение СОД препятствует активации активными формами кислорода ММП-9, разрушающей коллаген базальной мембраны гематоэнцефалического барьера

Факторы риска, критерии и биомаркеры острого повреждения почек в периоперационном периоде

 It is becoming increasingly important to prevent complications of surgical treatment, including perioperative acute kidney injury due to prolongation of life expectancy and age-related multicomorbidity. The objective was to review the recommendations of the expert groups and the studу results on risk factors, criteria and biomarkers of perioperative acute kidney injury.Materials and methods. Reports on search results for the last 15 years as of May 15, 2023 in the eLibrary, PubMed databases for the keywords «acute  kidney injury», «biomarker», «perioperative period». The inclusion of reports in the review and their evaluation are based on the authors consensus.  Results. In the perioperative period, acute kidney injury without a decrease in diuresis and/or an increase in serum creatinine levels up to a certain time  may occur. This condition, which varies in causes and mechanisms of development, is potentially reversible with timely detection and treatment. The  study of both biomarkers that surpass creatinine and diuresis in the timing and accuracy of detecting kidney damage/dysfunction, as well as tools for  a comprehensive assessment and risk stratification of perioperative acute kidney injury, have not yet been completed with evidence-based conclusions.  Conclusion. The strategy of using laboratory biomarkers in combination with the clinical context and risk factors for the prevention, diagnosis and  treatment of subclinical acute kidney injury of various origins, supported by the Acute Disease Quality Initiative (2020), could be implemented  based on additional evidence from future clinical studies.С увеличением продолжительности жизни и связанной с возрастом мультикоморбидностью все большую актуальность приобретает предотвращение осложнений хирургического лечения, в том числе периоперационного острого повреждения почек. Цель – аналитический обзор рекомендаций экспертных групп и результатов исследований по факторам риска, критериям и биомаркерам послеоперационного повреждения почек. Материалы и методы. Публикации за последние 15 лет, полученные поиском на дату 15 мая 2023 г. в базах eLibrary, PubMed по ключевым словам «острое повреждение почек», «биомаркер», «периоперационный период». Включение публикаций в обзор и их оценка основаны на согласованном мнении авторов. Результаты. В периоперационном периоде может иметь место острое почечное повреждение, до определенного времени не проявляющееся снижением диуреза и/или нарастанием уровня креатинина в сыворотке крови. Это варьирующее по причинам и механизмам развития состояние потенциально обратимо при своевременном выявлении и лечении. Изучение биомаркеров, превосходящих уровень креатинина и диурез в сроках и точности выявления повреждения/дисфункции почек, а также инструментов комплексной оценки и стратификации риска послеоперационного повреждения почек пока не завершились доказательными заключениями. Заключение. Поддерживаемая Инициативой по обеспечению качества при острых заболеваниях (2020) стратегия использования лабораторных биомаркеров в сочетании с клиническим контекстом и факторами риска для профилактики, диагностики и лечения субклинического острого почечного повреждения различного генеза может быть реализована на основе дополнительных доказательств будущих клинических исследований

Антитела к рецептор-связывающему домену спайкового белка SARS-COV-2: связь с возрастом, пневмонией, длительностью периода после COVID-19

Despite the rapid accumulation of facts about the humoral immune response in COVID-19, there are still no evidencebased answers to questions about the factors influencing the level and duration of the detection period of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the blood.Objective: To assess the prevalence, clinical and demographic associations of IgG antibodies to RBD of the SARSCoV-2 spike protein at different times after COVID-19.Materials and methods. Residents of the Altai region of Russia, Caucasians aged 20-93 years, who had COVID-19 from May 2020 to February 2021 (n = 314), took part in a onetime observational study. The level of antibodies in the blood was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay 1-14 months after the onset of the clinical manifestation of COVID-19.Results. Anti-RBD IgG antibodies of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were detected in 86.9% of the study participants. The dependence of the antibody titer on the duration of the period after COVID-19 was not revealed. The antibody titer was positively correlated with the complication of COVID-19 pneumonia and the volume of lung tissue lesions. The presence of pneumonia COVID-19 and the volume of lung tissue lesions are positively associated with age. Age positively correlated with antibody titer regardless of the pneumonia COVID-19 in the anamnesis.Conclusion. IgG antibodies to RBD of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are present in most of the COVID-19 patients. The titer of these antibodies in adults depends on age, complications of pneumonia COVID-19, and probably persists up to 14 months after the first symptoms of infection appear.Несмотря на быстрое накопление фактов о гуморальном иммунном ответе при COVID-19, пока нет доказательных ответов на вопросы о факторах, влияющих на уровень и длительность периода обнаружения антител к SARS-CoV-2 в крови.Цель: оценить распространенность наличия, клинические и демографические ассоциации антител IgG к RBD спайкового белка SARS-CoV-2 в разные сроки после COVID-19.Материалы и методы. В одномоментном обсервационном исследовании приняли участие жители Алтайского края России, европеоиды, в возрасте от 20 до 93 лет, переболевшие COVID-19 в период с мая 2020 г. по февраль 2021 г. (n=314). Уровень антител в крови измеряли через 1–14 месяцев от начала клинической манифестации COVID-19 методом иммуноферментного анализа.Результаты. Антитела IgG к RBD спайкового белка SARS-CoV-2 обнаружены у 86,9% участников исследования. Не выявлено зависимости титра антител от давности COVID-19. Титр антител положительно коррелировал с осложнением пневмонией COVID-19 и объемом поражений легочной ткани. Наличие пневмонии COVID-19 и объем поражений легочной ткани положительно связаны с возрастом. Возраст положительно коррелировал с титром антител независимо от наличия пневмонии COVID-19 в анамнезе.Заключение. Антитела IgG к RBD спайкового белка SARS-CoV-2 имеются у большей части переболевших COVID-19. Титр этих антител у взрослых зависит от возраста, осложнения пневмонией COVID-19 и может сохраняться до 14 месяцев после появления первых симптомов инфекции

Vitamin D status in patients with multiple sclerosis: an association with insolation, disease course, and HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphism

Recent systematic reviews and a meta-analysis have shown that there is insufficient evidence on the relationship of multiple sclerosis (MS) to vitamin D supplementationObjective: to assess the relationship of vitamin D status in MS patients to insolation, disease course, and HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphism. Patients and methods. The one-stage study enrolled 90 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (a study group) and 87 volunteers without this disease (a control group). The enrolled were born and live in the Altai Territory of the Russian Federation. The serum level of 25(OH)D was measured by enzyme immunoassay.Results and discussion. 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml was more common in patients with MS than that in the controls. There were no intergroup differences in the time spent in the sun for 6 months before inclusion in the study (p=0.020). The level of 25(OH)D was higher in the high insolation period from April to September than that in the low insolation period from October to March in both patients with MS (p<0.005) and controls (p<0.001). There was no association of 25(OH)D levels with urban and rural residence, gender, age at MS onset, severity of neurological disorders, their progression rate, and MS risk alleles within the HLA-DRB1 gene (03, 13, 15).Conclusion. Vitamin D deficiency is more common in patients with MS than in those without this disease. This is unlikely to be due to the differences in the radiation received from the sun. The final conclusion on the relationship of vitamin D to MS can be made after obtaining the results of a prospective follow-up

Association of BAFF gene polymorphisms with multiple sclerosis progression

The cytokine of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family B-cell activating factor (BAFF) (TNFSF13B) that regulates the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of B cells is assumed to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS).Objective: to analyze the association of BAFF gene polymorphisms (rs1224141, rs9514827) with the progression rate and frequency of MS exacerbations.Patients and methods. A total of 100 Caucasian patients (24 males and 76 females) with relapsing-remitting MS, who were born and lived in the Altai Territory of the Russian Federation, were examined. Genotyping was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction using competitive TaqMan probes. Results and discussion. The annual risk of a>0.75 point disability increase in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was ascertained to be associated with the first remission duration of less than 2 years, with the G/G genotype of BAFF (rs1224141) in males and females, and with the C/C genotype of BAFF (rs9514827) in females. The likelihood of the first remission duration of less than 2 years was increased in female carriers of the G allele of BAFF (rs1224141). There was no association of BAFF gene polymorphisms (rs1224141, rs9514827) with the frequency of MS exacerbations.It seems promising to further study the role of BAFF in the pathogenesis of MS and the effect of this cytokine on the specific features of the course of the disease. The investigation results will be able to predict the efficiency of MS therapy with anti-BAFF drugs and to identify criteria for their individualized use.Conclusion. In patients with MS in the Altai Territory of the Russian Federation, the risk for a high MS progression rate is related to the carriage of BAFF genotypes with rare alleles in homozygous state: G/G polymorphism rs1224141, C/C polymorphism rs9514827 in combination with the female sex. The G allele of BAFF (rs1224141) in women is associated with the risk of the unfavorable prognostic duration of the first MS remission of less than 24 months

Environmental factors and a risk for multiple sclerosis in the Altai Territory

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic dysimmune neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, the risk of which depends on genetic and environmental factors. The Altai Territory of the Russian Federation shows an increase in the prevalence of MS from 15.5 cases per 100,000population in 1984 to 56.1 in 2017.Objective: to identify potential environmental risk factors for MS in the Altai Territory.Patients and methods. A one-stage randomized study using the method of analytical epidemiology covered 200patients with MS and 200 volunteers without this condition, the representatives of European ethnicity, who were born and lived in the Altai Territory. The investigators surveyed the patients, analyzed their medical records, and assessed the relationship of the prevalence of MS to the characteristics of the territories of residence.Results and discussion. The prevalence of MS was 1.8 times higher in cities and towns than in villages (p=0.003), in areas with heavy metal (lead and molybdenum) ore deposits, chemical and oil refineries located within a 5-km radius from the place of residence. The risk of MS is unassociated with measles, rubella, chicken pox, mumps, whooping cough, herpes infection, chronic nasopharyngeal bacterial infections, diabetes mellitus, allergic status, and contact with household, agricultural, metal, and medicinal poisons, organic solvents, and oil products.Conclusion. The identified environmental risk factors can serve as a basis for recommendations for the prevention of MS in persons at high genetic risk for this disease

Antibodies to the Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2 at 4–13 Months after COVID-19

Identification of factors behind the level and duration of persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the blood is assumed to set the direction for studying humoral immunity mechanisms against COVID-19, optimizing the strategy for vaccine use, antibody-based drugs, and epidemiological control of COVID-19. Objective: This study aimed to study the relationship between clinical and demographic characteristics and the level of IgG antibodies to the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein after COVID-19 in the long term. Residents of the Altai Region of Western Siberia of Russia, Caucasians, aged from 27 to 93 years (median 53.0 years), who recovered from COVID-19 between May 2020 and February 2021 (n = 44) took part in this prospective observational study. The titer of IgG antibodies to the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was measured repeatedly in the blood at 4–13 months from the beginning of the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 via the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antibody titer positively correlated with age (p = 0.013) and COVID-19 pneumonia (p = 0.002) at 20–40 and 20–24 weeks from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, respectively. Age was positively associated with antibody titer regardless of history of COVID-19 pneumonia (beta regression coefficient p = 0.009). The antibody titer decreased in 15 (34.1%) patients, increased in 10 (22.7%) patients, and did not change in 19 (43.2%) patients from the baseline to 48–49 weeks from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, with seropositivity persisting in all patients. Age and COVID-19 pneumonia are possibly associated with higher IgG antibodies to the spike protein RBD of SARS-CoV-2 following COVID-19 in the long term. Divergent trends of anti-RBD IgG levels in adults illustrate inter-individual differences at 4–13 months from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms