Environmental protection as a form of corporate social responsibility

Against the background of the global crises of humanity, the environmental problem remains at the forefront, which is why environmental responsibility is a necessity for businesses. In order to solve the problem, every possible effort must be made: at the level of each individual, at the family level, at the firm level and of course at the state level. In the article it has been discussed that companies often do the most damage to the environment and therefore must be held accountable. Each company needs to develop an environmental control program, a set of rules, and an analysis to understand what costs can be reduced. The results of the analysis showed that there is a great need to promote environmental responsibility of Russian companies. There are many problems related to the environment and only a combination of factors can help to solve them, as well as uniting the global community to achieve sustainable development goal

Comparative anatomy and development of pectoral and pelvic girdles in hylid anurans

The development of the tetrapod pectoral and pelvic girdles is intimately linked to the proximal segments of the fore- and hindlimbs. Most studies on girdles are osteological and provide little information about soft elements such as muscles and tendons. Moreover, there are few comparative developmental studies. Comparative data gleaned from cleared-and-stained whole mounts and serial histological sections of 10 species of hylid frogs are presented here. Adult skeletal morphology, along with bones, muscles, and connective tissue of both girdles and their association with the proximal portions of the anuran fore- and hindlimbs are described. The data suggest that any similarity could be attributable to the constraints of their ball-and-socket joints, including incorporation of the girdle and stylopodium into a single developmental module. An ancestral state reconstruction of key structures and developmental episodes reveals that several development events occur at similar stages in different species, thereby preventing heterochronic changes. The medial contact of the halves of the pectoral girdle coincides with the emergence of the forelimbs from the branchial chamber and with the total differentiation of the linkage between the axial skeleton and the girdles. The data suggest that morphogenic activity in the anterior dorsal body region is greater than in the posterior one, reflecting the evolutionary sequence of the development of the two girdles in ancient tetrapods. The data also document the profound differences in the anatomy and development of the pectoral and pelvic girdles, supporting the proposal that the pectoral and pelvic girdles are not serially homologous, as was long presumed.Fil: Soliz, Monica Carina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Ponssa, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Abdala, Virginia Sara Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical; Argentin

Designing redder and brighter fluorophores by synergistic tuning of ground and excited states

We strategically modified the GFP core via chemical synthesis to make redder and brighter biomimetic fluorophores. Based on quantum calculations, solvatochromism analysis, and femtosecond Raman, we unveiled the additive effect of tuning the electronic ground and excited states, respectively, to achieve a dramatic emission redshift with a "double-donor-one-acceptor" structure

Environmental protection as a form of corporate social responsibility

Against the background of the global crises of humanity, the environmental problem remains at the forefront, which is why environmental responsibility is a necessity for businesses. In order to solve the problem, every possible effort must be made: at the level of each individual, at the family level, at the firm level and of course at the state level. In the article it has been discussed that companies often do the most damage to the environment and therefore must be held accountable. Each company needs to develop an environmental control program, a set of rules, and an analysis to understand what costs can be reduced. The results of the analysis showed that there is a great need to promote environmental responsibility of Russian companies. There are many problems related to the environment and only a combination of factors can help to solve them, as well as uniting the global community to achieve sustainable development goal

Predictive value of growth differentiation factor-15 in patients with myocardial infarction

Aim. To evaluate the prognostic value of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI).Material and methods. The study included 118 patients under the age of 70 with STand non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, who, in addition to routine examination, were tested for GDF-15 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the first 48 hours from the onset. The statistical significance of the differences in quantitative indicators was assessed by the Student’s t-test for a normal distribution and by the nonparametric U Mann-Whitney test for a non-normal distribution, while in qualitative indicators — by Pearson’s chisquared test. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used as an indicator of strength of relationship between quantitative indicators.Results. The average GDF-15 level in patients with MI was 2,25±1,0 ng/ml. For 6 months of follow-up, 15,25% of patients were rehospitalized for unstable angina or recurrent myocardial infarction. The GDF-15 level in 82,6% of cases was in the third and fourth quartiles (≥2,07 ng/ml). All patients with recurrent MI had GDF-15 levels in the upper quartile (≥2б73 ng/ml). Patients with GDF-15 levels in the upper quartile had a significantly higher risk of rehospitalization (hazard ratio, 3,3 (95% CI, 1,65-6,76), p<0,05) compared with patients with GDF-15 levels in other quartiles. The potential for the combined use of GDF-15 and N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels to assess the risk of readmission has been evaluated. Patients who had both GDF-15 and NT-proBNP levels in the upper quartiles (GDF-15>2,73 ng/ml, NT-proBNP>1418 pg/ml) had 4,8 times higher risk of rehospitalizations for unstable angina or recurrent myocardial infarction.Conclusion. In patients with MI, the determination of the GDF-15 level has prognostic value and may serve as an additional marker of the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events

Levels of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Aim. To study the levels of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI).Material and methods. The study included 74 patients with acute MI. PCSK9 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results. The mean PCSK9 levels were 479,7±15,4 ng/ml. No significant correlation was found between PCSK9 and total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides. In the group of smokers, a significant inverse correlation was found between the levels of PCSK9 and HDL-C (-0,45; p=0,039). In the group of patients with body mass index <25 kg/m2, a significant inverse correlation of PCSK9 levels with total cholesterol (-0,45, p=0,008), HDL-C (-0,42; p=0,029) and LDL-C (-0,47; p=0,003) was found.Conclusion. In patients with MI, a correlation of PCSK9 levels with lipid profile was found in smokers, as well as in patients with a low body mass index

Long-term mortality risk in hospitalized patients with heart failure after myocardial infarction

Aim. Comparative assessment of laboratory and instrumental parameters of patients with heart failure (HF) after myocardial infarction at admission and discharge from the hospital to determine the long-term mortality risk.Material and methods. The clinical outcomes of 117 patients with stage II-III  (Strazhesko-Vasilenko Classification) heart failure (64 men and 53 women) were studied. All patients admitted to the hospital underwent laboratory and instrumental examination. The average follow-up for patients after discharge from the hospital was 3 years (12 to 44 months). The long-term mortality risks of HF patients were compared according to the examination data upon admission and discharge from the hospital.Results. The long-term mortality risk factors of HF patients at admission are the levels of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) (risk 1,08, p=0,001), D-dimer (risk 1,062, p=0,018), urea (risk 1,048, p=0,016), creatinine (risk 1,006, p=0,016), alanine transaminase (risk 1,002, p=0,009). The long-term mortality risk factors of HF patients at discharge are urea (risk 1,141, p=0,001), N-terminal proBNP (risk 1,101, p=0,002), and the number of neutrophils (risk 1,064, p=0,002).Conclusion. There is a difference in risk factors for long-term mortality risk of HF patients at admission and discharge from the hospital