A blue-purple pigment-producing bacterium isolated from the Vezelka river in the city of Belgorod

The purpose of the present work was to study the properties of a newly isolated bacterium capable of synthesizing blue-purple pigment. An aboriginal bacterium was isolated from the coastal zone of the Vezelka River in the city of Belgorod. Based on chemical and spectrophotometric studies of the crude ethanol extract, the pigment was identified as violacein, and the isolate was assigned to the group of violacein-forming bacteria, which includes bacteria of the genera Chromobacterium, Iodobacter, Janthinobacterium, Duganella, Collimonas, and Massili

Potential Contribution of the Bologna Process to Strengthening Russian International Political Attractiveness

The category of “state power” is becoming increasingly complex and multi-faceted today, no longer being solely based on military or economic strength. Traditional categories of power gradually give place to more subtle forms of influence among which public diplomacy and attractive international image of a nation, which can be created and sustained, among others, via international higher education cooperation promotion. Nowadays, knowledge economy is becoming a tool of international influence for a number of states.In 2013 Russia will be celebrating ten years since it joined the Bologna Process, launched in June 1999 by the Ministers of Education of 29 European countries. The article analyses the potential international political contribution of the Bologna system to the development of Russian soft power tools, such as public diplomacy, Russian language promotion and strengthening the EU-Russia cooperation through the intensification of its cultural and educational component

Soft Power in World Politics: the Bologna Dimension

Through the prism of Russian participation in the Bologna Process, a keynote initiative designed to harmonize the European higher education systems, the article analyzes the international political role of one of the main elements of soft power — higher education. Globalization and the spread of modern computer and communication technologies is steadily weakening the traditional “tools” of countries’ power and influence. Aware of the changing political context, Russia is increasing its attention to and use of various public diplomacy tools, aimed primarily at working with foreign publics. Providing higher education services is one of the most efficient tools of promoting a country’s positive image abroad. Moreover, it also contributes to the development of Russian human capital

Total cardiovascular risk: what do the doctors know?

Aim. To evaluate the knowledge of medical practitioners on total cardiovascular (CVD) risk assessment and ambulatory use of the SCORE instrument. Material and methods. In total, 229 medical practitioners from Russia and CIS countries participated in the anonymous survey: 72 % cardiologists and 26 % therapeutists. Mean age of the respondents was 44,6±11,7 years, with mean duration of working at the current position being 8,9±11,5 years. The survey questionnaire focused on the practical use of the SCORE risk assessment scale. Results. Ninety percent of the responders confirmed using the SCORE scale, 8,3 % were not using it, and 1,7 % did not know about the SCORE instrument. Among the SCORE components, 84 % of the practitioners correctly reported gender, age, blood pressure and total cholesterol; 75 % also correctly reported smoking; 40 % wrongly reported glucose and CVD in family history, while 30 % wrongly mentioned overweight, obesity, and waist circumference. Other risk factors (RFs) were wrongly reported by 6,6 % of the doctors (including education, reported by 3,3 %). Patients with diabetes mellitus and microalbuminuria, with three or more RF, or with total CVD risk >5 % were classified as having high total CVD risk by 80 % of the responders. Patients with confirmed CVD diagnosis were regarded as having high CVD risk by 67 % of the practitioners. Symptom-free patients with a very high level of a single RF were classified as having high CVD risk by 20 % of the responders only. Total CVD risk reduction, as a main goal of arterial hypertension treatment, was reported by 62 % of cardiologists and 58 % of therapeutists. Up to 54 % of the responders had RFs themselves. The interest in educational programmes for doctors, focusing on SCORE use in clinical practice, was very high (90 %). Conclusion. The study demonstrated inadequate knowledge of the practitioners on the methodology of total CVD risk assessment, an important instrument of primary prevention. The doctors attending medical educational programmes showed better levels of knowledge

REDUCTION OF CUMULATIVE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION: THE ROLE OF ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITORS ACCORDING TO THE NEW EUROPEAN RECOMMENDATIONS

Conception of total cardio-vascular risk plays important role in defining tactics of arterial hypertension therapy according to the new European recommendations. Choice of antihypertensive therapy is based on meta-analysis of large clinical studies with hard end points. It is recommended to use five classes of antihypertensive drugs in mono- and combined therapy. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors keep important place in the therapy of arterial hypertension accompanying with risk factors and associated diseases. Enalapril is one of the widely used ACE inhibitors, its efficiency was proved in prospective clinical studies. In high risk patients monotherapy with Enam (enalapril, Dr. Reddy’s) decreases blood pressure and leads to positive metabolic changes. This results in significant risk reduction of cardio-vascular complications.</p

REDUCTION OF CUMULATIVE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION: THE ROLE OF ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITORS ACCORDING TO THE NEW EUROPEAN RECOMMENDATIONS

Conception of total cardio-vascular risk plays important role in defining tactics of arterial hypertension therapy according to the new European recommendations. Choice of antihypertensive therapy is based on meta-analysis of large clinical studies with hard end points. It is recommended to use five classes of antihypertensive drugs in mono- and combined therapy. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors keep important place in the therapy of arterial hypertension accompanying with risk factors and associated diseases. Enalapril is one of the widely used ACE inhibitors, its efficiency was proved in prospective clinical studies. In high risk patients monotherapy with Enam (enalapril, Dr. Reddy’s) decreases blood pressure and leads to positive metabolic changes. This results in significant risk reduction of cardio-vascular complications

A Blue-Purple Pigment-Producing Bacterium Isolated from the Vezelka River in the City of Belgorod

Violacein is a biotechnologically significant secondary metabolite due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and other properties. Isolation, research, and identification of violacein producing strains are of interest for the development of biotechnological processes, in order to enhance the biosynthesis of this compound. The purpose of the present work was to study the properties of a newly isolated bacterium capable of synthesizing blue-purple pigment. An aboriginal bacterium was isolated from the coastal zone of the Vezelka River in the city of Belgorod. Based on chemical and spectrophotometric studies of the crude ethanol extract, the pigment was identified as violacein, and the isolate was assigned to the group of violacein-forming bacteria, which includes bacteria of the genera Chromobacterium, Iodobacter, Janthinobacterium, Duganella, Collimonas, and Massilia. Based on cultural, morphological, tinctorial, physiological, and biochemical properties, as well as analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the new isolated strain was assigned to the genus Janthinobacterium. The isolated strain is capable of suppressing the growth of a number of fungal and bacterial phytopathogens. For representatives of the genus Janthinobacterium, their inhibitory influence on cyanobacteria was shown for the first time

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Biotechnological Potential Assessment of Two Bacterial Strains Isolated from Poultry Farms in Belgorod, Russia

Bacteria, designated as A1.1 and A1.2, were isolated from poultry waste based on the ability to form ammonia on LB nutrient medium. Whole genome sequencing identified the studied strains as Peribacillus frigoritolerans VKM B-3700D (A1.1) and Bacillus subtilis VKM B-3701D (A1.2) with genome sizes of 5462638 and 4158287 bp, respectively. In the genome of B. subtilis VKM B-3701D, gene clusters of secondary metabolites of bacillin, subtilisin, bacilisin, surfactin, bacilliacin, fengycin, sactipeptide, and ratipeptide (spore killing factor) with potential antimicrobial activity were identified. Clusters of coronimine and peninodin production genes were found in P. frigoritolerans VKM B-3700D. Information on coronimine in bacteria is extremely limited. The study of the individual properties of the strains showed that the cultures are capable of biosynthesis of a number of enzymes, including amylases. The B. subtilis VKM V-3701D inhibited the growth of bacterial test cultures and reduced the growth rate of the mold fungus Aspergillus unguis VKM F-1754 by 70% relative to the control. The antimicrobial activity of P. frigoritolerans VKM V-3700D was insignificant. At the same time, a mixture of cultures P. frigoritolerans VKM B-3700D/B. subtilis VKM B-3701D reduced the growth rate of A. unguis VKM F-1754 by 24.5%. It has been shown that strain A1.1 is able to use nitrogen compounds for assimilation processes. It can be assumed that P. frigoritolerans VKM V-3700D belongs to the group of nitrifying or denitrifying microorganisms, which may be important in developing methods for reducing nitrogen load and eutrophication