Cadmium-induced oxidative damage and protective action of fractioned red beet (Beta vulgaris) root juice in chickens

ArticleCadmium (Cd) is one of the most dangerous environmental bioaccumulative pollutants that affects many organs in humans and animals. Present investigation was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of fractioned red beetroot juice on Cd - induced oxidative stress in chickens. The named red beetroot juice fraction (BJF) was received by juice ultrafiltration. Per oral administration of BJF for 10 days followed by dietar y Cd exposure (50 mg kg - 1 of diet) was evaluated in the in vivo experiments in chickens. The prominent increase of Cd concentration in blood plasma, liver and kidney provoked the rise of oxidative processes activity in organs. BJF treatment attenuated the Cd - induced oxidative stress. The changes of oxidative stress markers - the reduction of hepatic and kidney malondialdehyde amount, the increase of glutathionperoxidase level in liver and blood catalase activity indicated the possible antioxidative influenc e of BJF. Chickens exposed to Cd showed no evidence of clinical toxicity, but exhibited some features of adverse action of this heavy metal. The increase of uric acid concentration in blood serum is associated with protein catabolic processes intensified b y Cd affect. Suppressive effect of Cd on the immune response in chickens manifested in alteration of cell and humoral immunity parameters. The data of the most investigated oxidative stress markers, biochemical and immunological indices in Cd - exposed chick ens were almost back to the values, when received BJF per os during 10 days. Administration of fractioned red beetroot juice to Cd - treated chickens prevented the oxidative impact of this heavy metal and provided immunomodulating effect

The role of arginine and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the pathogenesis of Covid-19 complicated by metabolic syndrome

This literature review presents the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO), as well as arginine, the enzyme substrate, in the disease of metabolic syndrome and COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 virus). Metabolic syndrome is a combination of obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension. It has been shown that in elderly people, patients with obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), and patients with COVID-19, endothelial dysfunction (ED) and vascular endothelial activation are detected. ED is the main cause of a number of pathological conditions during the development of COVID-19 and earlier in patients with metabolic syndrome, while a sharp drop in the level of nitric oxide (NO) is detected due to a decrease in the expression and activity of eNO synthase and enzyme depletion, which leads to a violation of the integrity of bloodvessels, that is, to vasoconstrictive, inflammatory and thrombotic conditions, followed by ischemia of organs and edema of tissues. It should be noted that metabolic syndrome, DM2, hypertension and obesity, in particular, are age-related diseases, and it is known that blood glucose levels increase with age, which reduces the bioavailability of NO in endothelial cells. Defects in the metabolism of NO cause dysfunction in the pulmonary blood vessels, the level of NO decreases, which leads to impaired lung function and coagulopathy. The review presents possible mechanisms of these disorders associated with ED, the release of eNO synthase, changes in phosphorylation and regulation of enzyme activity, as well as insulin resistance. A modern view of the role of the polymorphism of the eNO synthase gene in the development of these pathologies is presented. To increase the level of endothelial NO, drugs are offered that regulate the bioavailability of NO. These include arginine, agonist NO – minoxidil, steroid hormones, statins, metformin. However, further research and clinical trials are needed to develop treatment strategies that increase NO levels in the endothelium

Semantic Motivation of Nominative Relatives as a Problem of Modern Lexicograph

The question of the semantic motivation of denominative relatives — significant units in the prepositional function is raised in the article. The influence on the volume and structure of the lexical part of the meaning of denominative relatives and their adverbial homonyms of the same semes inherited from the deriving name is comprehended. Peculiarities of semantization of adverbial and prepositional meanings are considered on the examples of relatives as a result and bypassing. It is proved that the ambiguity of ideas about semantic motivation largely determines the non-systematic fixation of homonymous service and significant units in dictionaries: adverbs are interpreted mainly through only one synonym and do not have a descriptive component in the definition, while prepositions are characterized by more detailed descriptive-synonymous definitions, including at least two partial synonyms. The analysis of dictionary entries and materials of the National Corpus of the Russian allows us to conclude that denominative relatives have a more complexly organized lexical part of the meaning than homonymous adverbs with the same generating base. It has been established that with the expansion of the system of meanings of a service language unit, there is a simplification of the seme composition of each individual meaning

Neuronal nitric oxide synthases in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome

The study of the molecular mechanisms of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its complications are among the most acute problems of modern endocrinology. Functional changes in the expression, activity, and regulatory properties of neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), which catalyzes the formation of the most important secondary mediator, nitric oxide (NO), and its dependent NO/cGMP signaling pathways in the brain, myocardium, and skeletal muscles, play a key role among the molecular causes of MS. In the brain, nNOS is associated with NMDA receptors, the hyperactivation of which in MS leads to excessive stimulation of nNOS and hyperproduction of NO, which leads to NO-induced damage to neurons and disruption of the central regulation of physiological processes and neurodegeneration. In the myocardium with MS, there are changes in the expression and localization of nNOS, as well as its functional interaction with cytoskeletal proteins, which leads to disorders of myocardial contraction and hypertrophy. In skeletal muscles, nNOS controls their contraction, oxidative metabolism, is involved in the regulation of vascular relaxation, and also participates in the regulation of glucose transport. A decrease in the expression and activity of nNOS, as well as dysregulation of its activity in MS, cause disturbances of these processes and make a significant contribution to the development of insulin resistance and deterioration of glucose homeostasis. Thus, nNOS can be considered an important therapeutic target in the treatment of MS and other metabolic disorders, as well as to prevent their complications from the nervous and cardiovascular systems and the musculoskeletal system

Анализ показателей качества технической конопли, линии для ее переработки и однотипной пеньки

It is important to create foreign units alternative, introducing modern domestic technologies and lines in the framework of import substitution for the primary processing of strategic raw materials in the industrial hemp form.(Research purpose) To substantiate the technological scheme of the line for processing industrial hemp into the hemp short, the characteristics of raw materials and low-cost fibers for the primary processing of industrial hemp in the form of tangled mass of incomplete length stems, harvested by a specialized combine.(Materials and methods) Hemp rolls of spring harvesting were processed according to two options: single and double way of raw materials through the line, after which the hemp short quality indicators were determined.(Results and discussion) The authors found out that hemp raw material had broken and tangled stems 36-470 millimeters long, of high separability, with a fiber content of 26-30 percent, but with a small breaking load of 13-17 kilogram-forces. They determined that the fiber yield with a single way was 28-29 percent, with a double way – 23-22 percent. It was shown that a double pass reduced the mass fraction of shives by 3-4 percent in absolute terms and reduced the breaking load by no more than 2 kilogram-force. A low content of defects was revealed: the mass fraction of shives was no more than 7.1 percent, the absence of a “paw”. However, due to the minimum breaking load of the fiber, hemp was assigned to the lower grade.(Conclusions) The authors substantiated the scheme of small-sized and low-cost domestic line for the industrial hemp primary processing. They determined the quality indicators values of the hemp short and its output under various conditions of primary processing. The influence share of the second way through the line on the quality indicators was calculated: fiber yield – 97.3 percent; the breaking load of the twisted ribbon is 42.4 percent; mass fraction of shives – 75.3 percent; the average mass length is 61.2 percent; the weighted average linear density is 99.1 percent.. В рамках импортозамещения для первичной переработки стратегического сырья в виде технической конопли важно создать альтернативу зарубежным агрегатам, внедряя современные отечественные технологии и линии.(Цель исследования) Обосновать технологическую схему линии переработки технической конопли в однотипную пеньку, характеристики сырья и волокна низкой себестоимости для первичной переработки технической конопли в виде спутанной массы стеблей неполной длины, убранной зерноуборочным или специализированным комбайном.(Материалы и методы) Рулоны конопли весенней уборки перерабатывали по двум вариантам: однократный и двукратный пропуск сырья через линию, после чего определяли показатели качества однотипной пеньки.(Результаты и обсуждение) Выяснили, что коноплесырье имеет поломанные и спутанные стебли длиной 36-470 миллиметров, высокой отделяемости, с содержанием волокна 26-30 процентов, но с небольшой разрывной нагрузкой 13-17 килограмм-сил. Определили, что выход волокна при однократном пропуске составил 28-29 процентов, при двукратном – 22-23 процента. Показали, что двукратный пропуск снижает массовую долю костры на 3-4 процента в абсолютном выражении и уменьшает разрывную нагрузку не более чем на 2 килограмм-силы. Выявили низкое содержание пороков: массовая доля костры не более 7,1 процента, отсутствие «лапы». Однако из-за минимального значения разрывной нагрузки волокна пеньку отнесли к низшему сорту. (Выводы) Обосновали схему малогабаритной и малозатратной отечественной линии для первичной переработки технической конопли. Определили значения показателей качества однотипной пеньки и ее выход при различных условиях первичной переработки. Вычислили долю влияния второго пропуска через линию на качественные показатели: выход волокна – 97,3 процента; разрывную нагрузку скрученной ленточки – 42,4 процента; массовую долю костры – 75,3 процента; среднюю массодлину – 61,2 процента; средневзвешенную линейную плотность – 99,1 процента

Use of a neural network in creating a digital assistant for blind and visually impaired people

The experience of ongoing research in image processing clearly demonstrates the huge scope for the development of new neural networks that can help people in a wide range of tasks. The authors chose the direction of work related to helping people who have vision problems. The article considers a convolutional neural network of the Mask R-CNN model for segmenting objects in an image. During the research the authors study a large number of algorithms that can quickly and accurately process images, such as Faster R-CNN, which was the most efficient in 2020. During the analysis, it was revealed that the use of Mask R-N technology can significantly increase the efficiency of performing tasks, since this algorithm is the latest version of the machine learning model. As a result of the study, a neural network was developed that is capable of identifying and distinguishing a large number of objects in an image. The next step is to refine the algorithm and use additional means of interaction with the hardware of the systems to increase the speed of the neural network. In the future, the resulting neural network will be integrated into the Digital Assistant for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons application. This application is guaranteed to improve the daily life of people with disabilities who experience certain inconveniences due to their features, and can become the basis for other, larger projects related, for example, to unmanned devices, as well as services whose work is directly based on image processing

A glucose biosensor based on novel Lutetium bis-phthalocyanine incorporated silica-polyaniline conducting nanobeads

The facile preparation of highly sensitive electrochemical bioprobe based on lutetium 13 phthalocyanine incorporated silica nanoparticles (SiO2(LuPc2)) grafted with Poly(vinyl 14 alcohol-vinyl acetate) itaconic acid (PANI(PVIA)) doped polyaniline conducting nanobeads 15 (SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-CNB) is reported. The preparation of CNB involves two stages (i) 16 pristine synthesis of LuPc2 incorporated SiO2 and PANI(PVIA); (ii) covalent grafting of 17 PANI(PVIA) onto the surface of SiO2(LuPc2). The morphology and other physico-chemical 18 characteristics of CNB were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy images show 19 that the average particle size of SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-CNB was between 180-220 nm. 20 The amperometric measurements showed that the fabricated SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-21 CNB/GOx biosensor exhibited wide linear range (1-16 mM) detection of glucose with a low 22 detection limit of 0.1 mM. SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-CNB/GOx biosensor exhibited high 23 sensitivity (38.53 μA mM−1 cm−2) towards the detection of glucose under optimized 24 conditions. Besides, the real (juice and serum) sample analysis based on a standard addition 25 method and direct detection method showed high precision for measuring glucose at 26 SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-CNB/GOx biosensor. The SiO2(LuPc2)PANI(PVIA)-CNB/GOx 27 biosensor stored under refrigerated condition over a period of 45 days retains ~ 96.4 % 28 glucose response current

АНАЛИЗ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ ЛИНИЙ ДЛЯ ПЕРЕРАБОТКИ МАСЛИЧНОГО ЛЬНА

Oil flax grows in many countries of the world. Fibre production on its basis can significantly increase the profitability of flax-growing farms. At the present stage, taking into account the real possibilities of the national economy, for its effective development  it is necessary to introduce advanced technologies. Cur-rently, processing enterprises may choose among different technological equipment lines to process oil flax into fibre and thus get additional profit. (Research purpose) The determination of a technologically and economical-ly effective line for oil flax processing. (Materials and methods) The main materials for calculation were represent-ed by the indicators of production capacity, the average annual value of fixed as-sets, the amount of money spent on salaries and wages, etc. The main research method is the balance method that allows making a plan in the form of a balance sheet that takes into account the sources of inputs and the requirements for these inputs. (Results and discussions) The authors have considered low-cost lines for oil flax processing into short fibre on the basis of disintegrators of various brands (from domestic and foreign producers), offered characteristics of the fibre obtained in the lines, and analyzed technical and economic indicators of various technologi-cal lines under different conditions, and the payback period of capital expenditures for different oil flax acreages. (Conclusions) The authors have determined that the most effective is the pro-cessing of oil flax from an area of at least 1000 hectares, with a throughput capaci-ty of raw materials of at least 1000 kg/h and a distance of the transportation of straw rolls to a processing site of 50 km. They have also obtained technological and economic data that can be used in the organization of oil flax processing into marketable fibre.Лен масличный произрастает во многих странах мира. Его использование для получения волокна может значительно повысить доходность льносеющего хозяйства. На современном этапе с учетом реальных возможностей отечественной экономики для эффективного развития льноводства необходимо внедрять прогрессивные технологии. В настоящее время у переработчиков есть выбор линии технологического оборудования переработки масличного льна в волокно для получения дополнительной  прибыли.  (Цель исследования) Определить технологически и экономически эффективную линию для переработки масличного льна. (Материалы и методы) Основные материалы для расчета – показатели производственной мощности, среднегодовой стоимости основных производственных фондов, объема денежных средств, направленных на оплату труда. Ведущий метод исследования – балансовый, позволяющий составить план, учитывающий источники ресурсов и потребность в них. (Результаты и обсуждения) Рассмотрели малозатратные  линии для переработки масличного льна в короткое волокно на основе дезинтеграторов различных марок (отечественного и иностранного производства). Сравнили характеристики волокна, получаемого на линиях. Проанализировали  технико-экономические показатели четырех технологических линий при разных условиях эксплуатации, сроки окупаемости капитальных затрат при различных площадях посева масличного льна. (Выводы) Установили, что наиболее эффективна переработка масличного льна с площади не менее 1000 гектаров,  при пропускной способности по сырью не менее 1000 килограмм  в час и при расстоянии перевозки рулонов к месту переработки – 50 километров. Получили технологические и экономические данные, которые можно использовать при организации переработки масличного льна в ликвидное волокно

Probing a Complex of Cytochromecand Cardiolipin by Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy: Implications for the Initial Events in Apoptosis

Oxidation of cardiolipin (CL) by its complex with cytochrome c (cyt c) plays a crucial role in triggering apoptosis. Through a combination of magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy and potentiometric titrations, we show that both the ferric and ferrous forms of the heme group of a CL:cyt c complex exist as multiple conformers at a physiologically relevant pH of 7.4. For the ferric state, these conformers are His/Lys- and His/OH–-ligated. The ferrous state is predominantly high-spin and, most likely, His/–. Interconversion of the ferric and ferrous conformers is described by a single midpoint potential of -80 ± 9 mV vs SHE. These results suggest that CL oxidation in mitochondria could occur by the reaction of molecular oxygen with the ferrous CL:cyt c complex in addition to the well-described reaction of peroxides with the ferric form