Geotechnical properties of gullying in Tomsk Oblast

The article deals with causes, conditions and factors of gullying in Tomsk Oblast, the case of site Grodnenskaya. A nuclear-power station was planned to be constructed in Closed Administrative Territorial Unit Seversk, which led to geotechnical investigation of the area to study the geological processes developing there. The investigation included reconnaissance traverse of the area, geological and geomorphic descriptions, and sampling. The area and percentage of the territory affected by the geological processes were estimated. As a result, it was proved that the geological processes of the area are conditioned by surface water activity leading to gullying and river erosion, and by both ground water and surface water activity resulting in bog formation. It appears that gullying is caused not only by natural factors but also by technogenic ones

Effect of Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone, Estradiol and Cortisol on the Quality of Fresh and Cryopreserved Stallion Sperm

The effect of steroid hormones on the quality of fresh and cryopreserve sperm has not been fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, and cortisol on the quality of fresh and cryopreserved stallion sperm. The study was conducted on 40 Equus caballus stallions, including Arab (n=20), Oryol trotting (n=4), Standardbred (n=4), and Soviet Heavy Draft (n=12) breeds. The average age of the experimental animals was 9.9 ± 0.7 years. We determined standard quality indicators in fresh and cryopreserved sperm and the concentration of steroid hormones in the blood plasma of stallions. Results of the study suggested a negative correlation between the level of testosterone with total (r=-0.41; p<0.01) and progressive (r=-0.44; p<0.01) sperm motility in cryopreserved sperm as well as in fresh sperm (r=-0.38; p<0.05 and r=-0.39; p<0.05 correspondingly). While the level of estradiol showed a positive correlation with survival rate in cryopreserved (r=0.35; p<0.05) and in fresh (r=0.33; p<0.05) sperm. Further, the level of cortisol in the blood plasma of stallions did not show any statistically significant correlations with the qualitative characteristics of sperm.  A positive relationship was found between the concentration of dihydrotestosterone with the volume of ejaculate (r=0.37; p<0.05) and the total number of sperm in the ejaculate (r=0.43; p<0.01). Results of the study can be concluded that steroid hormones have different effects on the quality indicators of fresh and cryopreserved sperm of stallions and their concentration in the blood should be considered when selecting stallions for cryopreservation of sperm

Mismatch negativity affects muscle fatigue during repeated contraction trials of different durations

We examined the effect of involuntary attention switching (related to mismatch negativity generation in the oddball paradigm) on fatigue development during trials of different durations. The experiment consisted of two trials, long (40 minutes) and short (15 minutes), and two experimental conditions in each trial: the simple reaction task (deviants-only paradigm) and the stimuli recognition task (oddball paradigm). In each condition, a participant responded to each target acoustic stimulus by squeezing a handgrip dynamometer. We found the significantly lower rates of fatigue development in the short-trial deviants-only paradigm compared to the long trial. The short- and the long-trial oddball paradigms differed significantly from both the short- and the long-trial deviants-only paradigms. The results demonstrated that the fatigue developed differently depending on the expected trial duration. The involuntary activation of attention broke this subconscious regulative mechanism leading to increase of the compression force during the long trial and its decrease during the short

Opisthorchis felineus infection and cholangiocarcinoma in the Russian Federation: a review of medical statistics

Opisthorchis felineus (O. felineus) occurs in Western Siberia and many other parts of the Russian Federation (RF). The true extent of its distribution is not known. Chronic infection may lead to severe hepatobiliary morbidity. According to surgical and experimental reports, long-term infestation might significantly increase the risk for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). To date, no association between O. felineus infection and CCA has been demonstrated. The objective of this study was to review existing health data on the incidence of O. felineus infection and on the incidence of CCA in the RF. We reviewed the official medical statistics on reported O. felineus infection and CCA in 83 political/geographical units of the RF, covering the period January 2011-December 2013. Annual incidence data were obtained from Rospotrebnadzor and from official medical statistics. We calculated the average annual incidence of infection and cancer. The average annual incidence of O. felineus was 24.7±9.0 cases per 100,000 population. The highest incidence was observed in Khanty-Mansiysk district (599.7 cases per 100,000 population per year). In 27 geographical units, no O. felineus cases were reported. The incidence of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers was 4.8±0.2 cases per 100,000 population; the highest rate was reported in Sakha Republic and Tomsk Oblast (14.5 and 9.3 cases per 100,000 population), and the lowest in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (0.9 cases per 100,000 population). O. felineus incidence was not associated with the mean annual incidence of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers (r=0.20, p=0.07). This study documents the importance of opisthorchiasis in certain endemic areas and presents the best available data on associations between O. felineus infection and liver/intrahepatic bile duct cancers in RF. The findings support the need to implement a public health control programme against liver fluke infections and to increase the availability of anthelmintic treatment. Further studies are warranted to assess the contribution of opisthorchiasis to the CCA in RF

Quantitative proteomics of differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cells from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and control identifies potential novel host factors post-influenza A virus infection

Nakayama M, Marchi H, Dmitrieva AM, et al. Quantitative proteomics of differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cells from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and control identifies potential novel host factors post-influenza A virus infection. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2023;13: 957830.**Background** Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) collectively refers to chronic and progressive lung diseases that cause irreversible limitations in airflow. Patients with COPD are at high risk for severe respiratory symptoms upon influenza virus infection. Airway epithelial cells provide the first-line antiviral defense, but whether or not their susceptibility and response to influenza virus infection changes in COPD have not been elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the susceptibility of COPD- and control-derived airway epithelium to the influenza virus and assess protein changes during influenza virus infection by quantitative proteomics. **Materials and methods** The presence of human- and avian-type influenza A virus receptor was assessed in control and COPD lung sections as well as in fully differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial cells (phBECs) by lectin- or antibody-based histochemical staining. PhBECs were from COPD lungs, including cells from moderate- and severe-stage diseases, and from age-, sex-, smoking, and history-matched control lung specimens. Protein profiles pre- and post-influenza virus infectionin vitrowere directly compared using quantitative proteomics, and selected findings were validated by qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. **Results** The human-type influenza receptor was more abundant in human airways than the avian-type influenza receptor, a property that was retainedin vitrowhen differentiating phBECs at the air–liquid interface. Proteomics of phBECs pre- and post-influenza A virus infection with A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) revealed no significant differences between COPD and control phBECs in terms of flu receptor expression, cell type composition, virus replication, or protein profile pre- and post-infection. Independent of health state, a robust antiviral response to influenza virus infection was observed, as well as upregulation of several novel influenza virus-regulated proteins, including PLSCR1, HLA-F, CMTR1, DTX3L, and SHFL. **Conclusion** COPD- and control-derived phBECs did not differ in cell type composition, susceptibility to influenza virus infection, and proteomes pre- and post-infection. Finally, we identified novel influenza A virus-regulated proteins in bronchial epithelial cells that might serve as potential targets to modulate the pathogenicity of infection and acute exacerbations

Coronavirus-Specific Antibody and T Cell Responses Developed after Sputnik V Vaccination in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The clinical course of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shown that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are characterized by a high mortality rate, poor response to standard treatment, and low virus-specific antibody response after recovery and/or vaccination. To date, there are no data on the safety and efficacy of the combined vector vaccine Sputnik V in patients with CLL. Here, we analyzed and compared the magnitudes of the antibody and T cell responses after vaccination with the Sputnik V vaccine among healthy donors and individuals with CLL with different statuses of preexposure to coronavirus. We found that vaccination of the COVID-19–recovered individuals resulted in the boosting of pre-existing immune responses in both healthy donors and CLL patients. However, the COVID-19–naïve CLL patients demonstrated a considerably lower antibody response than the healthy donors, although they developed a robust T cell response. Regardless of the previous infection, the individuals over 70 years old demonstrated a decreased response to vaccination, as did those receiving anti-CD20 therapy. In summary, we showed that Sputnik V, like other vaccines, did not induce a robust antibody response in individuals with CLL; however, it provided for the development of a significant anti-COVID-19 T cell response