Experiments on rehabilitation of radioactive metallic waste (RMW) of reactor stainless steels of Siberian chemical plant

Stainless steel pipes, used to cool a reactor plant, have a high cost, and aftertaking a reactor out of service they must be buried together with other radioactivewaste. Therefore, the relevant problem is the rinse of pipes from contamination,followed by returning to operation

Project-based method

Ongoing social and economic changes in the world demand active and creative people from the modern society who will be able to adapt to changing working conditions, perform work efficiently and be good at self-education, self-improvement and self-development. The project-based method, aimed at students’ individual work, envisages rational balance between academic knowledge and pragmatic skills. A teacher can tell students about new sources of information, or guide a student in the right direction for individual searching work, stimulate interest in some problems and using the project-based method, which is expected to resolve one or a number of problems, show how gained knowledge can be used in practiceПроисходящие социально-экономические изменения в мире требуют от современного общества активных, деятельных людей, которые смогут быстро приспосабливаться к изменяющимся условиям труда, эффективно выполнять работу, способных к самообразованию, самовоспитанию, саморазвитию. Метод проектов, ориентированный на самостоятельную деятельность обучающихся, предполагает разумный баланс между академическими знаниями и прагматическими умениями. Учитель может подсказать новые источники информации, а может направить мысль учеников в нужном направлении для самостоятельного поиска, стимулировать интерес к определенным проблемам и через проектную деятельность, предусматривающую решение одной или целого ряда проблем, показать практическое применение полученных знани

Designing technology of English language teaching content based on international component

© 2015, Canadian Center of Science and Education. All rights reserved. This paper aims to develop designing technology of English language teaching content for students at higher education institution in the context of education internationalization. It highlighted the analytical, pre-designing, designing and correction-implementation stages as well as their successive phases to achieve a specific goal, i.e. English language teaching content designing in terms of international component. The materials of this paper are of practical value for teachers of foreign languages in the selecting and structuring the language teaching content in the context of education internationalization

Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant SkQ1 Improves Dermal Wound Healing in Genetically Diabetic Mice

Oxidative stress is widely recognized as an important factor in the delayed wound healing in diabetes. However, the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in this process is unknown. It was assumed that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species are involved in many wound-healing processes in both diabetic humans and animals. We have applied the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant 10-(6′-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenylphosphonium (SkQ1) to explore the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the wound healing of genetically diabetic mice. Healing of full-thickness excisional dermal wounds in diabetic C57BL/KsJ-db−/db− mice was significantly enhanced after long-term (12 weeks) administration of SkQ1. SkQ1 accelerated wound closure and stimulated epithelization, granulation tissue formation, and vascularization. On the 7th day after wounding, SkQ1 treatment increased the number of α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells (myofibroblasts), reduced the number of neutrophils, and increased macrophage infiltration. SkQ1 lowered lipid peroxidation level but did not change the level of the circulatory IL-6 and TNF. SkQ1 pretreatment also stimulated cell migration in a scratch-wound assay in vitro under hyperglycemic condition. Thus, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant normalized both inflammatory and regenerative phases of wound healing in diabetic mice. Our results pointed to nearly all the major steps of wound healing as the target of excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in type II diabetes

Substantiation of approaches to the correction of lipid metabolism disorders and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children with exogenous obesity

BACKGROUND: According to the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of obesity, the plasma level of coenzyme q10 in the correlation relationship with lipid metabolism disorders and functional liver state is of interest to study.AIM: Substantiation of approaches to the correction of lipid metabolism disorders and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children with exogenous obesity based on the content of coenzyme Q10 and its relationship with lipid profile and liver enzymes.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The single-center cross-sectional study enlisted the control (n=32, -1.0≤BMI SD score ≤+2.0) and obese (n=40, BMI SD score>+2.0) groups of children with the mean age of 12 yr. In all children BMI, lipidogram, liver enzymes (ALT and AST), plasma coenzyme Q10 and liver ultrasound examination were assessed.RESULTS: Patients of both groups were comparable (p> 0.05) in age and gender. The level of coenzyme Q10 in the compared groups was comparable (p> 0.05) and did not differ in patients with different degrees of obesity. According to the results of the study of the lipid profile in the obese children, the level of HDL was lower, and the level of LDL was higher than that in control group. The highest value of HDL was obtained in the patients with the 1st degree of obesity and the highest level of triglycerides — in the patients with the 4th degree of obesity. The control group demonstrated moderate correlations between endogenous coenzyme Q10 and total cholesterol (r=0.474, p=0.009) which persists in patients with the first degree of obesity (r = 0.548, p = 0.035). There was no difference in AST in the study groups, however, the main group demonstrated elevated ALT and ALT/AST ratio (p <0.001). The highest ALT and ALT / AST ratio were observed in patients with greatest degree of obesity. Eighteen obese children (45%) had ALT / AST ratio ≥1 (in the control group –one patient (3%) (p <0.001), while fourteen patients showed liver enlargement and structure change according to ultrasound (80%). The control group demonstrated moderate correlations between endogenous coenzyme Q10 and total cholesterol (r=0.474, p=0.009) and between coenzyme Q10 and ALT / AST ratio (r=0.412, p=0.023) . In the obese group there was correlation between AI and ALT / AST (r = 0.436, p = 0.006) and in patients with the 1st degree of obesity — between also coenzyme Q10 and ALT (r = 0.875, p <0.001).CONCLUSION: The disturbances in adequate control of cholesterol by coenzyme Q10 in obese children possibly confirming the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can serve as indication to use coenzyme Q10 in order to correct these complications

Макрофагальный и цитокиновый спектры бронхоальвеолярного смыва при впервые выявленном и рецидивирующем саркоидозе органов дыхания

Goal of the study: to investigate structural and functional specific features of macrophages and cytokine profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage in new and relapsing respiratory sarcoidosis (RS).Materials and methods. The study included comparative light optical and electronic microscopic examinations of macrophages, macrophage formula and cytokine profile of bronchoalveolar lavage in 120 patients suffering from different forms of RS. It was found that in case of new RS mostly macrophages of M1 phenotype were detected in the lavage. They had high level of IL-8, IL-2, IL-1β production and ultrastructural signs of hypersecretion which was especially typical of platycytes. High level of IL-4, IL-5 content is typical of relapsing sarcoidosis: additionally to macrophages of M1 phenotype, there are macrophages of M2 phenotype with ultrastructural signs of phagocytic function which can be used for diagnostics of this form of RS.Цель исследования: изучить структурно-функциональные особенности макрофагов и цитокиновый спектр бронхоальвеолярного лаважа при впервые выявленном и рецидивирующем саркоидозе органов дыхания (СОД).Материалы и методы. Проведено сравнительное светооптическое и электронно-микроскопическое изучение макрофагов, определены макрофагальная формула и цитокиновый спектр бронхоальвеолярного смыва у 120 больных с различными вариантами СОД. Показано, что при впервые выявленном СОД в лаваже определяются преимущественно макрофаги М1-фенотипа. Они отличаются высоким уровнем продукции IL-8, IL-2, IL-1β и ультраструктурными признаками гиперсекреции, что особенно характерно для эпителиоидных клеток. Для рецидивирующего саркоидоза характерно повышенное содержание IL-4, IL-5: помимо макрофагов с М1-фенотипом, появляются макрофаги М2-фенотипа с ультраструктурными признаками фагоцитарной функции, что может быть использовано в диагностике этой формы СОД

Nitric Oxide Signaling Modulates Synaptic Transmission during Early Postnatal Development

Early γ-aminobutyric acid mediated (GABAergic) synaptic transmission and correlated neuronal activity are fundamental to network formation; however, their regulation during early postnatal development is poorly understood. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important retrograde messenger at glutamatergic synapses, and it was recently shown to play an important role also at GABAergic synapses in the adult brain. The subcellular localization and network effect of this signaling pathway during early development are so far unexplored, but its disruption at this early age is known to lead to profound morphological and functional alterations. Here, we provide functional evidence—using whole-cell recording—that NO signaling modulates not only glutamatergic but also GABAergic synaptic transmission in the mouse hippocampus during the early postnatal period. We identified the precise subcellular localization of key elements of the underlying molecular cascade using immunohistochemistry at the light—and electron microscopic levels. As predicted by these morpho-functional data, multineuron calcium imaging in acute slices revealed that this NO-signaling machinery is involved also in the control of synchronous network activity patterns. We suggest that the retrograde NO-signaling system is ideally suited to fulfill a general presynaptic regulatory role and may effectively fine-tune network activity during early postnatal development, while GABAergic transmission is still depolarizing

РАДИОНУКЛИДНАЯ ОЦЕНКА АЛЬВЕОЛЯРНО КАПИЛЛЯРНОЙ ПРОНИЦАЕМОСТИ ДЛЯ ДИФФЕРЕНЦИАЛЬНОЙ ДИАГНОСТИКИ ЛЕГОЧНОГО ИНФИЛЬТРАТА

Summary.Ventilation scintigraphy of the lungs with analysis of alveolar-capillary permeability (ACP) was performed in patients with confirmed diagnoses of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP, n = 40), infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis (IPT, n = 20), distal pulmonary embolism (DPE, n = 11),peripheral lung carcinoma (PLC, n = 17), and in 22 healthy volunteers. ACP values were higher in affected and intact lungs in patients with CAP at 10 and 30 min of the investigation vs those with DPE and were higher at 30 min in the affected lung in patients with CAP compared to patients with IPT. Comparison of ACPs in DPE and IPT patients revealed the ACP reduction in affected and intact lungs of DPE patients at 30 min of the investigation. PLC patients demonstrated the ACP reduction in affected lung compared to contralateral lung. Therefore, ACP gave additional information for differential diagnosis of CAP, IPT, DPE and PLCРезюме. У 88 пациентов с верифицированными диагнозами: внебольничная пневмония (ВП) – 40, инфильтративный туберкулез легких(ИТЛ) – 20, тромбоэмболия дистальных ветвей легочной артерии (ТДВЛА) – 11, периферический рак легких (ПРЛ) – 17, а также у 22 здоровых добровольцев проведена вентиляционная пульмоносцинтиграфия с анализом альвеолярно-капиллярной проницаемости (АКП). При ВП, в отличие от ТДВЛА и ИТЛ, АКП была выше на 10-й и 30-й мин исследования в пораженном и интактном легких по сравнению с ТДВЛА и на 30-й мин исследования – в пораженном легком по сравнению с ИТЛ. Сопоставление значений АКП у больных ТДВЛА и ИТЛ показало снижение АКП на 30-й мин исследования у больных ТДВЛА в пораженном и интактном легких. У пациентов с ПРЛ регистрировалось снижение АКП на стороне поражения по сравнению с контралатеральным легким. Таким образом, оценка АКП позволяет расширить возможности дифференциальной диагностики ВП, ИТЛ, ТДВЛА и ПРЛ

Overexpression of Pax6 results in microphthalmia, retinal dysplasia and defective retinal ganglion cell axon guidance

Background: The transcription factor Pax6 is expressed by many cell types in the developing eye. Eyes do not form in homozygous loss-of-function mouse mutants (Pax6(Sey/Sey)) and are abnormally small in Pax6(Sey/+) mutants. Eyes are also abnormally small in PAX77 mice expressing multiple copies of human PAX6 in addition to endogenous Pax6; protein sequences are identical in the two species. The developmental events that lead to microphthalmia in PAX77 mice are not well-characterised, so it is not clear whether over- and under-expression of Pax6/PAX6 cause microphthalmia through similar mechanisms. Here, we examined the consequences of over-expression for the eye and its axonal connections. Results: Eyes form in PAX77(+/+) embryos but subsequently degenerate. At E12.5, we found no abnormalities in ocular morphology, retinal cell cycle parameters and the incidence of retinal cell death. From E14.5 on, we observed malformations of the optic disc. From E16.5 into postnatal life there is progressively more severe retinal dysplasia and microphthalmia. Analyses of patterns of gene expression indicated that PAX77(+/+) retinae produce a normal range of cell types, including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). At E14.5 and E16.5, quantitative RT-PCR with probes for a range of molecules associated with retinal development showed only one significant change: a slight reduction in levels of mRNA encoding the secreted morphogen Shh at E16.5. At E16.5, tract-tracing with carbocyanine dyes in PAX77(+/+) embryos revealed errors in intraretinal navigation by RGC axons, a decrease in the number of RGC axons reaching the thalamus and an increase in the proportion of ipsilateral projections among those RGC axons that do reach the thalamus. A survey of embryos with different Pax6/PAX6 gene dosage (Pax6(Sey/+), Pax6(+/+), PAX77(+) and PAX77(+/+)) showed that (1) the total number of RGC axons projected by the retina and (2) the proportions that are sorted into the ipsilateral and contralateral optic tracts at the optic chiasm vary differently with gene dosage. Increasing dosage increases the proportion projecting ipsilaterally regardless of the size of the total projection. Conclusion: Pax6 overexpression does not obviously impair the initial formation of the eye and its major cell-types but prevents normal development of the retina from about E14.5, leading eventually to severe retinal degeneration in postnatal life. This sequence is different to that underlying microphthalmia in Pax6(+/-) heterozygotes, which is due primarily to defects in the initial stages of lens formation. Before the onset of severe retinal dysplasia, Pax6 overexpression causes defects of retinal axons, preventing their normal growth and navigation through the optic chiasm

Using C. elegans to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders

Prova tipográfica (uncorrected proof)Neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, intellectual disability (ID), and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) occur in over 2 % of the population, as the result of genetic mutations, environmental factors, or combination of both. In the last years, use of large-scale genomic techniques allowed important advances in the identification of genes/loci associated with these disorders. Nevertheless, following association of novel genes with a given disease, interpretation of findings is often difficult due to lack of information on gene function and effect of a given mutation in the corresponding protein. This brings the need to validate genetic associations from a functional perspective in model systems in a relatively fast but effective manner. In this context, the small nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, presents a good compromise between the simplicity of cell models and the complexity of rodent nervous systems. In this article, we review the features that make C. elegans a good model for the study of neurodevelopmental diseases. We discuss its nervous system architecture and function as well as the molecular basis of behaviors that seem important in the context of different neurodevelopmental disorders. We review methodologies used to assess memory, learning, and social behavior as well as susceptibility to seizures in this organism. We will also discuss technological progresses applied in C. elegans neurobiology research, such as use of microfluidics and optogenetic tools. Finally, we will present some interesting examples of the functional analysis of genes associated with human neurodevelopmental disorders and how we can move from genes to therapies using this simple model organism.The authors would like to acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (PTDC/SAU-GMG/112577/2009). AJR and CB are recipients of FCT fellowships: SFRH/BPD/33611/2009 and SFRH/BPD/74452/2010, respectively