Aneurysm of internal carotid artery, which simulated paratonsillary abscess (clinical case)

This article describes a rare case of paratonsillar abscess imitation among the patients with the aneurysm of ICA. The purpose of the study is to describe the methods of this disease diagnosing using the example of a clinical case, to give a general description of this nosology occurrence frequency, and to recommend a detailed approach to the differential diagnosis among this category of patient

The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the Possibility of its Application in Cyber Games

Artificial intelligence, as a separate field of research, is currently experiencing a boom - new methods of machine learning and hardware are emerging and improving, and the results achieved change the life of society. Machine translation, handwriting recognition, speech recognition are changing our reality. The work of creating unmanned vehicles, voice assistants and other devices using these technologies is in an active process. The article examines the historical context of the artificial intelligence development, it evaluates the possibilities of its introduction into cyber games, as a safe and effective platform for testing new methods of machine learning. The promotion of such projects can increase the reputation of development companies, ensure increased user confidence in other products and, with a competent marketing strategy, cause a significant public resonance among video game fans, providing the developer with economic profit

Modification of the transmission spectrum of the ”semiconductor-dielectric” photonic crystal in an external magnetic field

In this paper, some features of electromagnetic transmission of the waves of ”semiconductor dielectric” periodic Bragg structure with a finite number of periods have been investigated. In the absence of absorption, for a structure with p-type semiconductor layers, we have analyzed the dependences on the external magnetic field of photon spectrum and transmission coefficient spectrum. It has been shown that with an increasing magnetic field, there is a significant narrowing of bandwidth and broadening of band gaps, as well as formation of new band gaps in the resonance region. The boundaries of all forbidden and allowed bands are shifted to higher frequencies with the increase of the angle of radiation incidence

The Integrative Scale as an innovative method to increase the effectiveness of the Program for Providing Certain Categories of Citizens with Necessary Medicines

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Preferential Medicinal Providing is due to the need for rational pharmacotherapy for patients from certain categories of citizens. There are not enough technologies for such an assessment, which requires their creation and implementation.The purpose of the study. To develop the Integrative Scale for Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Program for Providing Certain Categories of Citizens with the Necessary Medicines on the model of the Far Eastern Federal District as an informative way to establish the effectiveness of the preferential segment of medicinal providing, to show the advantages of this Scale compared to other methods and to propose a set of measures to improve the effectiveness of the Program.Materials and methods. The results of the patient survey, compliance of the structure of purchased medicines with the regulatory framework and clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation regulating Preferential Medicinal Providing were analyzed. The structure of the incidence of patients who were initially and repeatedly recognized as disabled.Results. Based on the analysis of compliance with the most important principles of medicinal providing, a technology for evaluating the effectiveness of the Program has been created that allows the participants of the Preferential Medicinal Providing, doctors, Health care organizers, specialists in the field of medicinal procurement, to carry out rational prescribing and purchase of medicines and it is advisable to allocate financial resources taking into account the priority of vital medicines.Conclusion. The Integrative Scale will contribute to improving the clinical and economic efficiency of the Program and will make a significant contribution to improving and maintenance the quality of life of patients receiving pharmacotherapy in the preferential segment, both at the level of the subject of the Russian Federation and at the level of the national system of Preferential Medicinal Providing

The value of information service for the rational use of nootropics in preferential drug provision

The rational prescription of medicines with preferential drugs provision, including nootropics, which are widely used in patients receiving pharmacotherapy under the «Program for Providing Certain Categories of Citizens with Necessary Drugs», is possible only if modern evidence is available.Aim. Conduct information content of the «Database of Clinical Trials of Medicines» for relevant in preferential drugs provision: cerebrolysin there is no international non-proprietary name; piracetam; livestock cortex polypeptides; citicoline and create recommendations on the use of nootropics.Materials and methods. Search and analysis of the results of clinical trials, systematic Reviews and meta-analysis was carried out in the international databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Collaboration, followed by entering into the electronic resource «Database of Clinical Trials of Medicines» for nootropics.Results. Nootropics have a positive effect mainly on the studied «surrogate» outcomes (improving the clinical condition of patients), without significantly affecting clinical outcomes (reducing the number of adverse outcomes and mortality) in severe neurological pathology.Conclusion. Service «Database of Clinical Trials of Drugs» for use by healthcare professionals and recommendations on the use of nootropics can apply for rational drugs prescription in preferential drugs provision

The role of information service in rational pharmacotherapy with thioctic acid in patients in Preferential Medicinal Providing

Rational pharmacotherapy in the Program of Preferential Medicinal Providing can be implemented subject to high-quality information support from healthcare professionals. Thioctic (Alpha-lipoic) Acid preparations are widely used in the preferential segment, their appointment is not always advisable due to the frequent use «off-label», which leads to ineffective treatment and unreasonable economic costs. Aim. Conduct an information search and filling the electronic service «Database of Clinical Trials of Medicines» for medicinal products containing Thioctic (Alpha-lipoic) Acid and provide author’s recommendations for rational pharmacotherapy. Materials and methods. The search and analysis of the results of clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analysis in international and Russian Databases — PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Collaboration, e-Library, «Cyberlininka» for medicines of metabolic action — Thioctic (Alpha-lipoic) Acid with their subsequent introduction into the Information Service «Database of Clinical Trials of Medicines». Results. Thioctic (Alpha-lipoic) Acid has a positive effect in the form of improvement of the clinical condition of patients and indicators of neurological scales in diabetic and alcoholic polyneuropathy without affecting the «hard» endpoints (decrease in the number of fatal complications and mortality). Conclusion. Service «Database of Clinical Trials of Medicines» for use by health care professionals and the author’s recommendations for the use of Thioctic (Alpha-lipoic) Acid can be used for the rational prescription of this medicines in Preferential Medicinal Providing

On the Question of Pedagogical Digital Competence

Educational institutions develop professional training programs for teachers so they could bring technology into the classroom and take the quality of education to a new level. However, despite the measures being adopted, a number of researchers report unsatisfying results. One of the root causes of this situation seems to be the absence of clear understanding of what the notions of digital competence and pedagogical digital competence are supposed to include. This problem is tightly connected with the problem of creating a framework for the development of digital skills of an instructor. On one hand, there is a demand for universal models that would include a wide range of pedagogical digital skills. There is a demand for universal models, which would include the widest possible range of digital competences of a teacher. Among them there are such existing frameworks as DigiCompEdu, ICT CFT, TETCs, which cover numerous aspects of instructors’ work. Meanwhile, there is the lack of models that would structurize the professional practice of a teacher at the micro level of using a digital instrument. There is a necessity for the framework comprising a limited set of primary basic skills which would be universal enough to be applicable to operating any kind of technology. In the article, we propose a version of this type of a framework

EQCM study of redox properties of PEDOT/MnO2 composite films in aqueous electrolytes

Electrochemical behavior of poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene composites with manganese dioxide (PEDOT/MnO2) has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance at various component ratios and in different electrolyte solutions. The electrochemical formation of PEDOT film on the electrode surface and PEDOT/MnO2 composite film during the electrochemical deposition of manganese dioxide into the polymer matrix was gravimetrically monitored. The mass of manganese dioxide deposited into PEDOT at different time of electrodeposition and apparent molar mass values of species involved into mass transfer during redox cycling of PEDOT/MnO2 composites were evaluated. It was found that during the redox cycling of PEDOT/MnO2 composite films with various MnO2 content, the oppositely directed fluxes of counterions (anions and cations) occur, resulting in a change of the slope of linear parts of the Delta f-E plots with changing the mass fraction of MnO2 in the composite film. Rectangular shape of cyclic voltammograms of PEDOT/MnO2 composites with different loadings of manganese dioxide was observed, which is characteristic of the pseudocapacitive behavior of the composite material. Specific capacity values of PEDOT/MnO2 composites obtained from cyclic voltammograms were about 169 F g(-1). The specific capacity, related to the contribution of manganese dioxide component, was about 240 F g(-1)

Structural and Luminescence Properties of Silica-Based Hybrids Containing New Silylated-Diketonato Europium(III) Complex

A new betadiketonate ligand displaying a trimethoxysilyl group as grafting function and a diketone moiety as complexing site (TTA-Si = 4,4,4-trifluoro-2-(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl)-1-3-butanedione (C4H3S)COCH[(CH2)3Si(OCH3)3]COCF3) and its highly luminescent europium(III) complex [Eu(TTA-Si)3] have been synthesized and fully characterized. Luminescent silica-based hybrids have been prepared as well with this new complex grafted on the surface of dense silica nanoparticles (28 (+/-3 nm) or on mesoporous silica particles. The covalent bonding of Eu(TTA-Si)3 inside the core of uniform silica nanoparticles (40 (+/- 5 nm) was also achieved. Luminescence properties are discussed in relation to the europium chemical environment involved in each of the three hybrids. The general methodology proposed allowed high grafting ratios and overcame chelate release and tendency to agglomeration, and it could be applied to any silica matrix (in the core or at the surface, nanosized or not, dense or mesoporous) and therefore numerous applications such as luminescent markers and luminophors could be foreseen

Glioblastoma cellular cross-talk converges on NF-κB to attenuate EGFR inhibitor sensitivity

Funding Information: We thank Dr. David James, Dr. Frederick Lang, Dr. Cameron Brennan, and Dr. Harley Kornblum for GBM-PDX neurospheres. We thank Dr. Karen Arden for continuous support and critical evaluation of the results. We thank Dr. Robert Davis, Dr. German Gomez, Dr. Tiffany Taylor, Dr. Rachel Reed, Dr. Melissa Mcalonis, and Dr. Sora Lee for technical support. In memory of Rosa Lupo. This work was supported by the Defeat GBM Research Collaborative, a subsidiary of the National Brain Tumor Society (F.B.F. and P.S.M.), R01-NS080939 (F.B.F.), the James S. McDonnell Foundation (F.B.F.), the National Cancer Institute (2T32CA009523-29A1) (A.H.T), and 1RO1NS097649-01 (C.C.C.). C.Z. was partially supported by an American-Italian Cancer Foundation post-doctoral research fellowship. F.L. received a Gao Feng Gao Yuan Scholarship Award. T.C.G., A.K.S., P.S.M., W.K.C., and F.B.F. receive salary and additional support from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Zanca et al.In glioblastoma (GBM), heterogeneous expression of amplified and mutated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) presents a substantial challenge for the effective use of EGFR-directed therapeutics. Here we demonstrate that heterogeneous expression of the wild-type receptor and its constitutively active mutant form, EGFRvIII, limits sensitivity to these therapies through an interclonal communication mechanism mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine secreted from EGFRvIII-positive tumor cells. IL-6 activates a NF-κB signaling axis in a paracrine and autocrine manner, leading to bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4)-dependent expression of the prosurvival protein survivin (BIRC5) and attenuation of sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). NF-κB and survivin are coordinately up-regulated in GBM patient tumors, and functional inhibition of either protein or BRD4 in in vitro and in vivo models restores sensitivity to EGFR TKIs. These results provide a rationale for improving anti-EGFR therapeutic efficacy through pharmacological uncoupling of a convergence point of NF-κB-mediated survival that is leveraged by an interclonal circuitry mechanism established by intratumoral mutational heterogeneity.publishersversionPeer reviewe