The role of cytokines in the development of systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized by a variety of comorbid conditions, including both somatic (arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, malignant  neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, obesity, etc.) and mental (depressive disorders, suicide attempts). Against the background  of various chronic diseases of the respiratory system, endocrine, metabolic disorders, the risks of exacerbations of COPD increase.The leading  unifying  mechanism  of these conditions  is systemic subclinical  inflammation. Its excessive activity leads to the loss of the physiological functions of inflammation, which is accompanied  by an imbalance  in the endocrine system and the release of high concentrations of hormones and neurotransmitters. The result of this response is the uncoupling of cytokine mechanisms, which leads to an imbalance in the system of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.The article describes the role of the pro-inflammatory chemokine  IL-8 (interleukin 8), which is responsible for the migration of neutrophils to the site of inflammation. This is how the neutrophilic type of inflammation is formed. IL-4 and IL-10 are considered, which occupy a leading position in the formation of CD4+ type of immunoreactivity, which is observed in bronchial asthma. Attention is focused on the significance of IL-6, because it is an integral component of local and systemic inflammation. An increase in its concentration and, as a result, a potential risk of damage to the respiratory epithelium is the remodeling of the bronchial tree, resulting in a decrease in the elasticity of the epithelium of the respiratory tract. This mechanism leads to the formation of pulmonary emphysema and further potentiation of pathophysiological processes in patients with COPD.Since IL-6 is a cytokine with anti-inflammatory  properties, its molecular activity is achieved by interacting  with a special receptor complex consisting  of two subunits: IL-6R and gp130. The former mediates IL-6 binding, while the latter triggers the JAK/STAT or MAPK signaling  cascade pathways. The result of the reaction of IL-6 with the effector cell directly depends on the type of signaling.The paper describes three mechanisms of signal transduction into the target cell: classical, cluster, and transsignaling.Thus, by studying  the role of cytokines in the systemic inflammatory response, we have shown the cross-talk between adipose tissue and the lungs in obesity, highlighting the main inflammatory mediators, which may indicate new therapeutic targets for preventing pulmonary dysfunction

Exact Casimir-Polder potential between a particle and an ideal metal cylindrical shell and the proximity force approximation

We derive the exact Casimir-Polder potential for a polarizable microparticle inside an ideal metal cylindrical shell using the Green function method. The exact Casimir-Polder potential for a particle outside a shell, obtained recently by using the Hamiltonian approach, is rederived and confirmed. The exact quantum field theoretical result is compared with that obtained using the proximity force approximation and a very good agreement is demonstrated at separations below 0.1$R$, where $R$ is the radius of the cylinder. The developed methods are applicable in the theory of topological defects.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Клинико- эпидемиологические аспекты смешанных клещевых инфекций в эндемичном регионе

Detection of clinico-epidemiological features of the mixed tick-borne infections – tick-borne Lyme disease and a human granulocytic anaplasmosis was the purpose of the conducted research. During the spring – summer period 146 patients with tick-borne borreliosis were surveyed. As a result at 45 (30,82%) patients authentically diagnosed the mixed tick-borne infection. Features of clinical manifestations of a mixed tick-borne infection revealed: catarrhal phenomena (20%), liver defeats (33%), nephros (31, 7%), frequent secondary erythems (20%). Changes in haemogram defined: thrombocytopenia (42,2%), anemia (20%), leukopenia (13,3%).Целью проведенного исследования было выявление клинико-эпидемиологических особенностей смешанных клещевых инфекций – клещевого боррелиоза и гранулоцитарного анаплазмоза человека. В весенне-летний период были обследованы 146 пациентов с клещевым боррелиозом. В результате у 45 (30,82%) пациентов достоверно диагностировали смешанную клещевую инфекцию. Выявлены особенности клинических проявлений микст-инфекции: катаральные явления (20%), поражения печени (33%), почек (31,7%), частые вторичные эритемы (20%). Определены изменения в гемограмме: тромбоцитопения (42,2%), анемия (20%), лейкопения (13,3%)

Relative luminosity measurement of the LHC with the ATLAS forward calorimeter

In this paper it is shown that a measurement of the relative luminosity changes at the LHC may be obtained by analysing the currents drawn from the high voltage power supplies of the electromagnetic section of the forward calorimeter of the ATLAS detector. The method was verified with a reproduction of a small section of the ATLAS forward calorimeter using proton beams of known beam energies and variable intensities at the U-70 accelerator at IHEP in Protvino, Russia. The experimental setup and the data taking during a test beam run in April 2008 are described in detail. A comparison of the measured high voltage currents with reference measurements from beam intensity monitors shows a linear dependence on the beam intensity. The non-linearities are measured to be less than 0.5 % combining statistical and systematic uncertainties.Comment: 16 page

Thermal correction to the Casimir force, radiative heat transfer, and an experiment

The low-temperature asymptotic expressions for the Casimir interaction between two real metals described by Leontovich surface impedance are obtained in the framework of thermal quantum field theory. It is shown that the Casimir entropy computed using the impedance of infrared optics vanishes in the limit of zero temperature. By contrast, the Casimir entropy computed using the impedance of the Drude model attains at zero temperature a positive value which depends on the parameters of a system, i.e., the Nernst heat theorem is violated. Thus, the impedance of infrared optics withstands the thermodynamic test, whereas the impedance of the Drude model does not. We also perform a phenomenological analysis of the thermal Casimir force and of the radiative heat transfer through a vacuum gap between real metal plates. The characterization of a metal by means of the Leontovich impedance of the Drude model is shown to be inconsistent with experiment at separations of a few hundred nanometers. A modification of the impedance of infrared optics is suggested taking into account relaxation processes. The power of radiative heat transfer predicted from this impedance is several times less than previous predictions due to different contributions from the transverse electric evanescent waves. The physical meaning of low frequencies in the Lifshitz formula is discussed. It is concluded that new measurements of radiative heat transfer are required to find out the adequate description of a metal in the theory of electromagnetic fluctuations.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. svjour.cls is used, to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF VR SIMULATOR EFFECTIVENESS AND ALTERNATIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS TRAINING METHODS

The paper analyzes the results of the experiment (conducted at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), the University of Tyumen in collaboration with the Saint Petersburg State University “Digital Technologies in Education” Science and education center from 23.05.2022 to 28.05.2022) comparing teaching English language public presentation skills using a VR simulator in comparison with self-study and exercises with the instructor. The researched teaching methods are compared for effectiveness in teaching various skills of the set (emotional control, speech structuration and contact with the audience).Анализируются результаты эксперимента обучения навыкам публичных выступлений на английском языке с использованием VR-тренажера в сравнении с самообучением и взаимодействием с тренером, проведенного в Школе перспективных исследований Тюменского государственного университета совместно с сотрудниками Научнообразовательного центра «Цифровые технологии в образовании» Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета в период с 23.05.2022 по 28.05.2022. Рассматривается сравнительная эффективность сравниваемых методов обучения для улучшения различных навыков (эмоционального контроля, структурирования речи, контакта с аудиторией)