The role of microRNAs in neural stem cell-supported endothelial morphogenesis

Functional signaling between neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) and brain endothelial cells (ECs) is essential to the coordination of organized responses during initial embryonic development and also during tissue repair, which occurs following brain injury. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying this functional signaling, using primary mouse brain ECs and NSPCs from embryonic mouse brain. EC/NSPC co-culture experiments have revealed that neural progenitors secrete factors supporting angiogenesis, which induce noticeable changes in endothelial morphology. We demonstrate that NSPCs influence the expression of mTOR and TGF-β signaling pathway components implicated in the regulation of angiogenesis. Endothelial morphogenesis, an essential component of vascular development, is a complex process involving gene activation and the upregulation of specific cell signaling pathways. Recently identified small molecules, called microRNAs (miRNAs), regulate the expression of genes and proteins in many tissues, including brain and vasculature. We found that NSPCs induced considerable changes in the expression of at least 24 miRNAs and 13 genes in ECs. Three NSPC-regulated EC miRNAs were identified as the potential primary mediators of this NSPC/EC interaction. We found that the specific inhibition, or overexpression, of miRNAs miR-155, miR-100, and miR-let-7i subsequently altered the expression of major components of the mTOR, TGF-β and IGF-1R signaling pathways in ECs. Overexpression of these miRNAs in ECs suppressed, while inhibition activated, the in vitro formation of capillary-like structures, a process representative of EC morphogenesis. In addition, we demonstrate that inhibition of FGF, VEGF, and TGF-β receptor signaling abolished NSPC-promoted changes in the endothelial miRNA profiles. Our findings demonstrate that NSPCs induce changes in the miRNA expression of ECs, which are capable of activating angiogenesis by modulating distinct cell signaling pathways

Clinical Significance of Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Patients with Invasive Cervical Cancer

The clinical significance of determining sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in patients with invasive cervical cancer was studied. From 2013 to 2014, 30 cervical cancer patients (T1a1NxM0-T1b1NxM0) were treated at the Gynecological Oncology Department of the Cancer Research Institute. The day before surgery, four submucosal injections of 99mTc Al2O3 at a total dose of 80 MBq were made in each quadrant around the cervical tumor. Patients were submitted to preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative SLN detection. The feasibility of preserving the reproductive potential in patients after radical abdominal trachelectomy was assessed. The 3-year, overall, disease-free and metastasis-free survival rates were analyzed. Thirty-four SLNs were detected by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 42 SLNs were identified by intraoperative gamma probe. The sensitivity in detecting SLNs was 100% for intraoperative SLN identification and 80% for SPECT image. The reproductive potential was preserved in 86% of patients. The 3-year overall and metastases-free survival rates were 100%. Recurrence occurred in 8.6% of cases

Использование физического ограничения у взрослых пациентов отделений интенсивной терапии: обзор литературы

ЦЕЛЬ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ: Описать имеющиеся данные о показаниях, осложнениях, реализации и альтернативных стратегиях использования физического сдерживания у взрослых пациентов в отделениях реанимации и интенсивной терапии. МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ: Комплексный обзор, проведенный в базе данных Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, Nursing Database, научной электронной библиотеки eLibrary. Поиск производился по запросам: «физическое ограничение», «фиксирующие устройства в реанимации», «безопасность пациента», «фиксация пациента». РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ: Окончательный выбор состоял из 93 статей, из которых были извлечены показания, осложнения, алгоритмы и альтернативные стратегии. ВЫВОДЫ: Описаны наиболее распространенные практики в отношении физических ограничений в России и за рубежом, отмечена необходимость разработки и внедрения протоколов использования физических ограничений в отделениях интенсивной терапии

Wildlife population changes across eastern europe after the collapse of socialism

When political regimes fall, economic conditions change and wildlife protection can be undermined. Eastern European countries experienced turmoil following the collapse of socialism in the early 1990s, raising the question of how wildlife was affected. We show that the aftermath of the collapse changed the population growth rates of various wildlife taxa. We analyzed populations of moose (Alces alces), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and gray wolf (Canis lupus) in nine countries. Population growth rates changed in 32 out of 49 time series. In the countries that reformed slowly, many species exhibited rapid population declines, and population growth rates changed in 83% of the time series. In contrast, in countries with fast post- socialism reforms, many populations increased rapidly, and growth rates changed in only 48% of time series. Our results suggest that the direction and frequency of the changes were associated with socioeconomic conditions, and that wildlife populations can be greatly affected by socioeconomic upheavals

RESISTANCE TO THE BLAST AGENT AND THE MORPHOBIOLOGICALFEATURES OF GENOTYPES IN THE Oryza sativa L. COLLECTION FROM VARIOUS ECOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS IN CONDITIONS OF КUBAN ZONE OF RICE GROWING

The most common and harmful disease of the agricultural crop rice is a “burn” caused by the fungus Magnoporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr, the causative agent of rice blast. The important direction of modern domestic rice breeding is the development of high-yielding varieties resistant to blast. To solve the problem, it is important to search for sources and donors of resistance to the Krasnodar population of the pathogen among ecotypes of different ecological and geographical origin. Evaluation of the rice collection diversity for resistance to blast was carried out both on a natural background and on an infectious-provocative one. Immunological evaluation and phenotyping were carried out in 2015–2017 on 154 varieties of the Oryza sativa L. species from 7 ecological and geographical cultivation zones. Over the years of research, the range of variation in the intensity of the disease development in varieties was in the range from 1.1 to 77.8 %. The differences in the resistance of rice varieties to the pathogen between ecological groups and countries have been found. Most of the studied samples have shown medium resistance, there were isolated 51 resistant forms. Most often stable forms were found among the germplasm from China, Italy, the Philippines and Korea, and the unstable ones were from African countries, Japan, Primorye and Vietnam. Introduced samples resistant to the disease were identified and adapted to soil and climatic conditions and rice cultivation technologies of the Kuban, they were included in the breeding scheme for developing pathogen-resistant rice varieties with the extension of their genetic basis. The article presents data on the variation of morphological traits and the rate of development of plants of international varieties from 24 countries in the conditions of the south of Russia. The results of the comparison of germplasm of domestic and foreign varieties according to the degree of resistance to the pathogen in conditions of natural infection in the field experiment for five years are presented. As a result of the evaluation of plant resistance to the Krasnodar population of the pathogen, the effective genes for resistance to the pathogen for breeding programs of the south of Russia and the molecular genetic analysis of the rice collection variety were determined: Pi-1, Pi-z, Pi-ta, Pi-z5, Pi-9, Pi-5(t), Pi-t, Pi-19

Damage to the Cardiovascular System in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Infection. Part 2: Correction of Myocardial Systolic Dysfunction

Aim. To study changes in myocardial contractile function when prescribing mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists of spironolactone in patients after coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 with symptoms of chronic heart failure (CHF).Materials and methods. The study included 90 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. The inclusion criteria were: age from 18 to 85 years; the presence of CHF with a preserved or mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The patients were randomized into two groups: group I (n=60) included patients who, for 6 months after discharge from the hospital, in addition to standard drug therapy for CHF, took spironolactone at a dose of 25 mg per day; group II (comparison group; n=30) included patients who received standard drug therapy without additional prescription of spironolactone. The study groups were comparable in age, gender, prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity and severity of CHF; the drug therapy given to the patients had no significant differences. Assessment of LV systolic function, exercise tolerance (six-minute walk test, TSW), quality of life (questionnaire EQ-5D-5L) were performed.Results. When repeated echocardiography was performed after 6 months of treatment, there was a significant improvement in LV systolic function in group I patients. In group I, after 6 months of treatment, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of patients with moderately reduced LVEF (from 30 [50%] to 12 [20%]; p<0.001), and a significant increase in the number of patients with preserved LVEF (from 30 [50%] to 48 [80%], p=0.002). In group II, the number of patients with moderately reduced LVEF did not significantly change. After 6 months of treatment, all patients showed an increase in exercise tolerance. During the test with a six-minute walk, group I patients showed an increase in the index from 316.8±63.5 to 432.9±41.3 meters; group II patients from 337.6±42.7 to 407.6±38.9 meters. The values of the six-minute walking test after 6 months of treatment were significantly higher in group I patients when compared with group II patients. When assessing the quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, it was found that at the time of inclusion of patients in the study, all patients noted the presence of any health problems in one or more components. The average indicator of health status, measured by a 100-point visual analog scale, after 6 months was 71.8±9.2 in patients of group I and was significantly higher than the same indicator in group II – 63.7±9.1. There were no adverse events in the study groups during the entire observation period.Conclusion. A significantly more pronounced improvement in systolic and diastolic left ventricle function, as well as quality of life, was found in the group of CHF patients with preserved or moderately reduced LVEF, who received spironolactone for 6 months after the SARS-CoV-2 infection in addition to standard therapy, compared with patients without aldosterone antagonists

Damage to the Cardiovascular System in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Infection. Part 1: Predictors of the Development of an Unfavorable Prognosis

Aim. To evaluate the effect of sinus tachycardia and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the prognosis of patients with a verified diagnosis of a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2.Material and methods. The study included 1,637 patients with a verified diagnosis of a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2. The average age of the patients was 58.8±16.1 years. More than half of the patients admitted to the hospital had a history of cardiovascular diseases: hypertension was diagnosed in 915 (56%) patients, coronary artery disease – in 563 (34%), chronic heart failure – in 410 (25%). 294 (17.9%) patients suffered from diabetes mellitus. The unfavorable course of new coronavirus infection was assessed by the fact of being in the intensive care unit (ICU), the use of mechanical ventilation and death.Results. An unfavorable course of coronavirus infection was observed in 160 (9.8%) patients. Statistical analysis revealed that 341 (20.8%) patients with COVID-19 were diagnosed with sinus tachycardia, which required the appointment of pulse-reducing therapy. The occurrence of sinus tachycardia in patients with COVID-19 significantly increased the risk of death (odds ratio [OR] 1.248, confidence interval [CI] 1.038-1.499, p=0.018), increased the likelihood of mechanical ventilation use (OR 1.451, CI 1.168-1.803, p<0.001) and stay in the ICU (OR 1.440, CI 1.166-1.778, p<0.001).In 97 (5.9%) patients during hospital stay during echocardiography, a decrease in LVEF of less than 50% was diagnosed. A decrease in myocardial contractile function in patients with COVID-19 with high reliability increased the risk of death (OR 1.744, CI 1.348-2.256, p<0.001), increased the likelihood of using the mechanical ventilation (OR 1.372, CI 1.047-1.797, p=0.022) and stay in the ICU (OR 1.360, CI 1.077-1.716, p=0.010).Conclusion. The appearance of sinus tachycardia and reduced LVEF are in dependent predictors of the unfavorable course of COVID-19 in relation to factors such as death, the use of mechanical ventilation and the stay of patients in the ICU. Early pharmacological correction of cardiovascular lesions should be one of the goals of the management theese patients

Role of nonclostridial anaerobes in recurrent and residual staghorn development and clinical course

The problems of the etiology, pathogenesis and metaphylaxis of staghorn stones are considered to be the ones of the main in the current urology. Although, the different types of urea-splitting microorganisms are known to play the important role in staghorn calculi’s formation, the effect of the nonclostridial anaerobes is still understudied. The bacteriological analysis of urine specimen of 72 patients with staghorn stone was performed. The special mediums for isolating the nonclostridial anaerobes were used in addition to mediums for aerobes and typical anaerobes. In 94.4% cases the bacteria were found in the urine specimens. In 50% urine specimens anaerobes were seen in association with aerobes. The correlation between incidence of aerobe-anaerobes associations and residual stones was found, as well as with the glomerular filtration rates.Вопросы этиологии, патогенеза и метафилактики коралловидного нефролитиаза являются одним из актуальных направлений в современной урологии. Как известно, в образовании коралловидных конкрементов важная роль принадлежит различным видам уреазообразующих микроорганизмов, однако влиянии неклостридиальных анаэробов на патогенез и течение нефролитиаза в настоящее время остается неизученным. Выполнено бактериологическое исследование мочи 72 пациентам с коралловидными конкрементами. В дополнение к питательным средам для аэробных и факультативно-анаэробных бактерий, использовали среды для выделения неклостридиальных анаэробов. В 94,4% случаев выявлена микробная обсемененность мочи. В 50% случаях анаэробы регистрировали в моче в составе аэробно-анаэробных ассоциаций. Выявлена зависимость между частотой обнаружения аэробно-анаэробных ассоциаций и наличием резидуальных конкрементов, а также со скоростью клубочковой фильтрации

Geochemistry of Vein Calcites Hosted in the Troodos Pillow Lavas and Their Implications for the Timing and Physicochemical Environment of Fracturing, Fluid Circulation, and Vein Mineral Growth

Calcite veins hosted in pillow lavas of the Late Cretaceous Troodos suprasubduction zone ophiolite provide insights into the timing and physicochemical environment of postmagmatic fracturing and fluid circulation through oceanic crust. This study presents rare earth element and yttrium (REE+Y) concentrations, δ13C, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, and clumped isotopic (Δ47) compositions of vein calcites in order to investigate their fluid sources, formation temperatures, and precipitation ages. These geochemical data are combined with microtextural analyses. Intersections of 87Sr/86Sr ratios of vein calcites with the Sr isotope seawater curve suggest two distinct calcite veining phases. Major calcite veining within an interval of ~10 Myr after crust formation is characterized by microtextures that point to extensional fracturing related to crack and sealing, host rock brecciation, and advective fluid flow. These vein calcites show REE+Y characteristics, 87Sr/86Sr ratios, and clumped isotopic compositions indicative of precipitation from seawater at <50 °C. Extended fluid residence times intensified fluid‐rock interactions and lowered Y/Ho ratios of some blocky vein calcites, whereas crack and sealing resulted in pristine seawater signatures. Low 87Sr/86Sr ratios of localized high‐temperature blocky vein calcites point to the involvement of hydrothermal fluids. These calcites show Mn‐controlled oscillatory growth zonations that probably developed in a closed system out of equilibrium. Later calcite veining (<75 Ma) may have coincided with rotation and/or uplift of the Troodos ophiolite. Microtextures of these vein calcites indicate fluid diffusion and fracture‐independent crystallization pressure‐driven veining. Their variably modified seawater signatures resulted from diffusion‐related fluid interaction with hydrothermal sediments