End-to-end convolutional neural network for automatic encoding facial descriptor (N-CNN) in the diagnosis of intrauterine distress

Background. Existing methods for studying intrauterine distress, despite their prevalence, still have their limitations, so studying and assessment of fetal movements during ultrasound diagnostics can become a convenient and affordable additional tool for diagnosing this pathological condition. The aim of the study. To assess the prevalence and diagnostic significance of a known set of fetal facial movements for the timely determination of intrauterine distress. Methods. This prospective single-center study included 225 fetuses of a gestational age from 32 to 40 weeks. The FIGO chart was used as fitting criteria of intrauterine distress. The assessment of facial movements in all fetuses was carried out using the BabyFACS technique, where the action unit (AU) used for the assessment; its coding is carried out in strict accordance with the chart of  motor descriptors (MD). Statistical data processing was carried out using SPSS Statistics 20 (IBM Corp., USA). The Mann – Whitney test was used as the main statistical parameter, where a threshold level of 0.05 was chosen to interpret the p-tests value. Results. Despite the occurrence of AU1, AU2, AU3, AU4 in both groups, these MDs were recorded in the group with confirmed distress (p  =  0.00001). Facial units such as AU9 and AU20 were found only in children with intrauterine distress, which, in the total amount of the MD assessment, can be considered one of the main search signs that specialists should first of all pay attention to. All motor descriptors showed high positive predictive value and diagnostic sensitivity, with the highest results registered for AU9 and AU20. Conclusion. Assessment of facial units during ultrasound diagnostics can be a convenient tool as an additional diagnosis of the development of intrauterine distress and requires further study

Effect of Li2O–Al2O3–GeO2–P2O5 glass crystallization on stability versus molten lithium

Glass and glass-ceramic NASICON-type electrolytes of Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 composition were obtained by melt quenching and glass crystallization, respectively. The stability of the solid electrolytes to molten metallic Li was studied by immersing the samples and holding them at 230 °C for 72 h. Li|glass|Li and Li|glass-ceramics|Li electrochemical cells were assembled and their resistance was measured by impedance spectroscopy at 200 °C for 9 days. It was established that, unlike the glass, the glass-ceramics did not change in its phase composition and molecular structure after the tests. It is shown that Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 glass-ceramics is chemically stable in contact with metallic Li. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 18-73-00099The reported study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation according to the research project No. 18-73-00099 . The authors are grateful to Antonov B.D. and Vovkotrub E.G. The research has been carried out with the equipment of the Shared Access Center “Composition of Compounds” of Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry of the Ural Branch of the RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Diversity and occurrence of methylotrophic yeasts used in genetic engineering

Methylotrophic yeasts have been used as the platform for expression of heterologous proteins since the  1980’s. They are highly productive and allow producing eukaryotic proteins with an acceptable glycosylation level.  The first Pichia pastoris-based system for expression of recombinant protein was developed on the basis of the treeexudate-derived strain obtained in the US southwest. Being distributed free of charge for scientific purposes, this system has become popular around the world. As methylotrophic yeasts were classified in accordance with biomolecular  markers, strains used for production of recombinant protein were reclassified as Komagataella phaffii. Although patent  legislation suggests free access to these yeasts, they have been distributed on a contract basis. Whereas their status  for commercial use is undetermined, the search for alternative stains for expression of recombinant protein continues.  Strains of other species of methylotrophic yeasts have been adapted, among which the genus Ogataearepresentatives prevail. Despite the phylogenetic gap between the genus Ogataeaand the genus Komagataellarepresentatives, it turned out possible to use classic vectors and promoters for expression of recombinant protein in all cases. There  exist expression systems based on other strains of the genus Komagataellaas well as the genus Candida. The potential  of these microorganisms for genetic engineering is far from exhausted. Both improvement of existing expression systems and development of new ones on the basis of strains obtained from nature are advantageous. Historically, strains  obtained on the southwest of the USA were used as expression systems up to 2009. Currently, expression systems  based on strains obtained in Thailand are gaining popularity. Since this group of microorganisms is widely represented  around the world both in nature and in urban environments, it may reasonably be expected that new expression systems for recombinant proteins based on strains obtained in other regions of the globe will appear

Production of subtilisin proteases in bacteria and yeast

In this review, we discuss the progress in the study and modif ication of subtilisin proteases. Despite longstanding applications of microbial proteases and a large number of research papers, the search for new protease genes, the construction of producer strains, and the development of methods for their practical application are still relevant and important, judging by the number of citations of the research articles on proteases and their microbial producers. This enzyme class represents the largest share of the industrial production of proteins worldwide. This situation can explain the high level of interest in these enzymes and points to the high importance of designing domestic technologies for their manufacture. The review covers subtilisin classif ication, the history of their discovery, and subsequent research on the optimization of their properties. An overview of the classes of subtilisin proteases and related enzymes is provided too. There is a discussion about the problems with the search for (and selection of) subtilases from natural strains of various microorganisms, approaches to (and specifics of) their modif ication, as well as the relevant genetic engineering techniques. Details are provided on the methods for expression optimization of industrial subtilases of various strains: the details of the most important parameters of cultivation, i. e., composition of the media, culture duration, and the inf luence of temperature and pH. Also presented are the results of the latest studies on cultivation techniques: submerged and solid-state fermentation. From the literature data reviewed, we can conclude that native enzymes (i. e., those obtained from natural sources) currently hardly have any practical applications because of the decisive advantages of the enzymes modified by genetic engineering and having better properties: e. g., thermal stability, general resistance to detergents and specif ic resistance to various oxidants, high activity in various temperature ranges, independence from metal ions, and stability in the absence of calcium. The vast majority of subtilisin proteases are expressed in producer strains belonging to different species of the genus Bacillus. Meanwhile, there is an effort to adapt the expression of these enzymes to other microbes, in particular species of the yeast Pichia pastoris

Interval approach to processing the noised thermophysical data

The paper deals with application of numerical methods to processing the experimental data on the thermophysical properties of several chemical substances and their compounds (cryolites, rare earth compounds, and alkali halides). The main aim of investigations is in estimating the parameters of dependencies between the heat of fusion and the melting temperature of these chemical substances. The data are corrupted by the measuring errors. Procession is implemented under conditions of uncertainty: there is no any information on probabilistic properties of the corrupting factors, samples of measurements are short, and only approximate functions are known that describes mentioned dependencies. Under such conditions, the standard statistical methods can be applied formally. To obtain guarantied results in parameters estimation, the interval analysis methods and procedures are used. © 2020 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.The work was supported by the RFBR grants, projects nos. 18-01-00410 and 18-03-00785 А

Gender differences in the pharmacological actions of pegylated glucagon-Like peptide-1 on endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenic precursor cells in a combination of metabolic disorders and lung emphysema

In clinical practice, the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is often associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although gender differences in MetS are well documented, little is known about sex-specific differences in the pathogenesis of COPD, especially when combined with MetS. Consequently, it is not clear whether the same treatment regime has comparable efficacy in men and women diagnosed with MetS and COPD. In the present study, using sodium glutamate, lipopolysaccharide, and cigarette smoke extract, we simulated lipid metabolism disorders, obesity, hyperglycemia, and pulmonary emphysema (comorbidity) in male and female C57BL/6 mice. We assessed the gender-specific impact of lipid metabolism disorders and pulmonary emphysema on angiogenic precursor cells (endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, cells of the lumen of the nascent vessel), as well as the biological effects of pegylated glucagon-like peptide 1 (pegGLP-1) in this experimental paradigm. Simulation of MetS/COPD comorbidity caused an accumulation of EPC (CD45−CD31+CD34+), pericytes, and vascular smooth muscle cells in the lungs of female mice. In contrast, the number of cells involved in the angiogenesis decreased in the lungs of male animals. PegGLP-1 had a positive effect on lipids and area under the curve (AUC), obesity, and prevented the development of pulmonary emphysema. The severity of these effects was stronger in males than in females. Furthermore, PegGLP-1 stimulated regeneration of pulmonary endothelium. At the same time, PegGLP-1 administration caused a mobilization of EPC (CD45−CD31+CD34+) into the bloodstream in females and migration of precursors of angiogenesis and vascular smooth muscle cells to the lungs in male animals. Gender differences in stimulatory action of pegGLP-1 on CD31+ endothelial lung cells in vitro were not observed. Based on these findings, we postulated that the cellular mechanism of in vivo regeneration of lung epithelium was at least partly gender-specific. Thus, we concluded that a pegGLP-1-based treatment regime for metabolic disorder and COPD should be further developed primarily for male patients

Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years

Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum aestivum), but very few publications have dealt with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last forty years, including the development of wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation lines with various barley cultivars. A short summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented, with special regard to the detection of wheat– barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric hybrids is discussed, and the production and characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance, sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed introgression lines is given. The exploitation and possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies (transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted chromosomes) are also discussed

Вклад перфузионных йодных карт в диагностику острой тромбоэмболии легочной артерии

Purpose: to study the contribution of perfusion iodine maps to diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and compare pulmonary perfusion defects with the main imaging biomarkers of PE.Materials and methods. 130 patients with suspected acute pulmonary thromboembolism were studied using pulmonary computed tomographic angiography with perfusion iodine map`s analysis. Pulmonary embolism was revealed in 42 cases. There were evaluated: the number and level of vessel occlusion (Qanadli index), number and grades of lung perfusion defects on perfusion iodine maps (perfusion index), signs of right heart failure, changes of lung parenchyma.Results. Analysis of the data showed a strong correlation between the index Qanadli  and perfusion index, rather than signs of right failure. In 3 cases, the segmental and subsegmential pulmonary embolism was revealed form the iodine map’s analysis only.Conclusion. Thus, perfusion iodine maps improve the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism due to characterizing the changes of pulmonary microcirculation. From our data, the iodine maps can be employed as a prognostic tool for further therapy.Цель исследования: оценка роли перфузионных йодных карт в диагностике острой тромбоэмболии легочной артерии (ТЭЛА) и сравнение степени нарушения перфузии с другими признаками и биомаркерами тяжести ТЭЛА.Материал и методы. В ходе работы 130 пациентам с подозрением на острую ТЭЛА была проведена компьютерно-томографическая ангиопульмонография (КТА) с дальнейшей оценкой йодных перфузионных карт, из них ТЭЛА определялась у 42 пациентов. Были оценены: уровень и степень тромботического поражения, размеры камер сердца, характер изменений легочной паренхимы и изменения кровеносного русла на йодных картах.Результаты. Анализ полученных данных показал более сильную корреляционную связь между распространенностью тромботического поражения и нарушением перфузии, чем с признаками декомпенсации правых камер. В 3 случаях ТЭЛА дистальных ветвей определялась только по данным йодных перфузионных карт.Заключение. Йодные карты дополняют диагностическую картину при ТЭЛА, характеризуя микроциркуляторное русло. По предварительным данным, йодные карты могут использоваться в качестве прогностического критерия применяемой лечебной тактики

OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF GLASSES AND GLASS-CERAMICS BASED ON LiGe2(PO4)3

Optical properties of LiGe2(PO4)3 doped by alumina are studied. The observed blue shift of the absorption edge is analyzed taking into account substitution processes in the glass forming structure