Influence of the substrate-induced strain and irradiation disorder on the Peierls transition in TTF-TCNQ microdomains

The influence of the combined effects of substrate-induced strain, finite size and electron irradiation-induced defects have been studied on individual micron-sized domains of the organic charge transfer compound tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) by temperature-dependent conductivity and current-voltage measurements. The individual domains have been isolated by focused ion beam etching and electrically contacted by focused ion and electron beam induced deposition of metallic contacts. The temperature-dependent conductivity follows a variable range hopping behavior which shows a crossover of the exponent as the Peierls transition is approached. The low temperature behavior is analyzed within the segmented rod model of Fogler, Teber and Shklowskii, as originally developed for a charge-ordered quasi one-dimensional electron crystal. The results are compared with data obtained on as-grown and electron irradiated epitaxial TTF-TCNQ thin films of the two-domain type

SOURCES OF HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT IN COMMON BEAN SEEDS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS) FROM THE VIR COLLECTION

Background. An important trend in modern breeding of common beans is to improve the quality of grain. High protein content in seeds is one of the most important indicators of the nutritional value of beans. Searching for high-protein accessions, identifying sources of high protein content, and using them in the breeding process, while developing new cultivars, still remain relevant. The aims of our research included the identification of variability patterns for protein content in accessions of different origin, characterization of cultivars, and description of their morphological and economic traits.Materials and methods. Presented here are the results of biochemical screening of 166 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of various ecogeographic origin, added to the VIR collection in 2005–2016. Field study of economically valuable traits was carried out according to VIR’s techniques. The protein content in seeds was measured in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at VIR using Kjeldahl method. Mathematical data processing (correlation analysis and single-factor analysis of variance) was performed using Statistica 7.0 software (StatSoft, Inc., USA).Results and conclusions. As a result of the assessment, 12 sources of high protein content in seeds (> 28% annually) were identified and described. The average value of the trait differed depending on the country of origin, genotype and year of study. The correlation analysis failed to find general regularities (strong stable interrelations) between the protein content in seeds and morphological, economically valuable traits. The values of correlation coefficients were unstable over the years of study. Weak links between the protein content and the genotype (r = 0.25) or the year of reproduction (r = 0.24) were identified. Significant relationships between protein content, morphological and economically valuable traits were not found. Seed protein content, according to the results of the single-factor analysis of variance, largely depended on the genetic properties of plants (effect size is 70.1%), and, to a smaller extent, on the year of reproduction (14.5%) and origin (17.5%)

ФАКТОРЫ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ЛЕЧЕНИЯ НЕОПЕРАБЕЛЬНОГО НЕМЕЛКОКЛЕТОЧНОГО РАКА ЛЕГКОГО III СТАДИИ (ОБЗОР ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ)

In this review, the latest data on factors influencing efficiency of the treatment of locally advanced inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are analyzed. Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is a current standard of treatment with the 5-year overall survival rate of 20–30 % and median survival time of 17–28 months. However, only a small proportion of patients (13–35 % by the data from population-based studies) can receive CRT. Radiotherapy is currently progressing towards new approaches, including IMRT and IGRT, showing promising results, however, these approaches are still experimental. Accelerated repopulation of clonogens is biological factor necessitating intensification of both RT and chemotherapy. For RT, accelerated hyperfractionation is an optimal way for that. There is some data evidencing negative role of delays in the radiation treatment to overall efficacy and even survival. Therefore, the optimal approach to the treatment of Stage III NSCLC seems to be early beginning of RT and short overall time for both RT and chemotherapy.В обзоре представлены современные данные об эффективности консервативного лечения неоперабельного местнораспространенного немелкоклеточного рака легкого и факторах, способных на нее влиять. Совместное использование ЛТ и ХТ в настоящее время является общепризнанным подходом с пятилетней выживаемостью 20–30 % и медианой выживаемости от 17 до 28 мес, при этом, по данным метаанализов, только одновременная ХЛТ дает преимущество в выживаемости перед ЛТ. Однако в практике значительная часть больных не получает химиотерапию даже в последовательном режиме. По данным популяционных исследований, радикальное химиолучевое лечение получают 13–35 % больных. Лучевая терапия совершенствуется, опубликованы перспективные данные о результатах использования методов IMRT, IGRT, изотоксической эскалации дозы, но эти подходы остаются экспериментальными. Риск ускоренной репопуляции клоногенов при НМРЛ диктует необходимость интенсификации лечения, сокращение его общего времени. Схемы ускоренного гиперфракционирования представляются наиболее оптимальным путем к достижению этой цели. Данные ряда экспериментальных и клинических исследований также свидетельствуют о негативной роли задержек во времени начала любого лечения, а особенно лучевого. Оптимальной тактикой лечения НМРЛ III стадии представляется раннее начало ЛТ и короткая ее продолжительность

Neoglycolipids Micelle-like Structures as a Basis for Drug Delivery Systems

Targeted drug delivery is one of the most promising tasks of nanomedicine, as this is a real way to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic effects against many diseases. In this regard, the development of new inexpensive highly effective stimulating and non-immunogenic drug delivery systems (DDS) is of great importance. In this work new molecular candidates were proposed and studied for the creation of such systems based on the use of new compounds, neoglycolipids. It is shown that these compounds are capable of self-association in aqueous solutions and can serve as potential carriers of drug compounds with targeted delivery determined by their terminal groups (in particular, glycans). The processes of their associates formation and features of their structure are investigated. The results show that these selforganizing nanoscale systems can be used as a basis for developing new drug delivery systems. Keywords: neoglycolipids, micelle-like structures, small-angle X-ray scattering, molecular dynamics simulatio

EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF DRUG THERAPY FOR OBESITY ON THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IN OVERWEIGHT WOMEN

Objective: to evaluate the impact of orlistat therapy on the clinical manifestations of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in obese patients.Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 50 women aged 45–65 years with Kellgren–Lawrence Stages II–III knee OA and obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2] who were randomized into 2 groups: 1) 25 patients who took Orlistat in a dose of 120 mg (one capsule) thrice daily for 6 months in conjunction with a low-calorie diet and exercise; 2) 25 patients who received only non-drug therapy for obesity (a low-calorie diet and exercise). The investigators assessed anthropometric measures, WOMAC index, and health status using a visual analogue scale.Results and discussion. After 6 months, group 1 had more marked weight loss than group 2: 10.0% (mean 10.5 kg) and 0.8% (mean 1 kg) respectively. Orlistat also provided more pronounced reduction of WOMAC pain scores, functional insufficiency and WOMAC index than non-pharmacological therapy (by 52.2% and 28.8%, р ≤ 0.05, by 51 and 18%, р ≤ 0.05 and by 51 and 19%, p = 0.006 respectively). Moreover, group 1 showed significant improvement of quality of life as compared to group 2 (p < 0.001). The tolerability of Orlistat was good; only two patients reported diarrhea due to dietary errors (fat intake), which required no drug discontinuation.Conclusion. The investigation has demonstrated that body weight loss provided by appropriate medications leads to the regress of clinical manifestations of knee OA in obese patients: pain relief and functional improvement. So drugs contributing to weight los, should be incorporated into treatment regimens for patients with OA and obesity

Manifestation of systemic toxicity in rats after a short-time inhalation of lead oxide nanoparticles

Outbred female rats were exposed to inhalation of lead oxide nanoparticle aerosol produced right then and there at a concentration of 1.30 ± 0.10 mg/m3 during 5 days for 4 h a day in a nose-only setup. A control group of rats were sham-exposed in parallel under similar conditions. Even this short-time exposure of a relatively low level was associated with nanoparticles retention demonstrable by transmission electron microscopy in the lungs and the olfactory brain. Some impairments were found in the organism’s status in the exposed group, some of which might be considered lead-specific toxicological outcomes (in particular, increase in reticulocytes proportion, in δ-aminolevulinic acid (δ-ALA) urine excretion, and the arterial hypertension’s development). © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This work was funded by the budget of the Ekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers

Toxic effects of low-level long-term inhalation exposures of rats to nickel oxide nanoparticles

Rats were exposed to nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NP) inhalation at 0.23 ± 0.01 mg/m3 for 4 h a day 5 times a week for up to 10 months. The rat organism responded to this impact with changes in cytological and some biochemical characteristics of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid along with a paradoxically little pronounced pulmonary pathology associated with a rather low chronic retention of nanoparticles in the lungs. There were various manifestations of systemic toxicity, including damage to the liver and kidneys; a likely allergic syndrome as indicated by some cytological signs; transient stimulation of erythropoiesis; and penetration of nickel into the brain from the nasal mucous membrane along the olfactory pathway. Against a picture of mild to moderate chronic toxicity of nickel, its in vivo genotoxic effect assessed by the degree of DNA fragmentation in nucleated blood cells (the RAPD test) was pronounced, tending to increasing with the length of the exposure period. When rats were given orally, in parallel with the toxic exposure, a set of innocuous substances with differing mechanisms of expected bioprotective action, the genotoxic effect of NiO-NPs was found to be substantially attenuated. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.For modeling chronic intoxication development under low-level but long-term inhalation exposures to NiO nanoparticles, the experiments were carried out on outbred white female rats from our own breeding colony with an initial body weight of 150–220 g, with a minimum of 12 animals in exposed and control groups. Rats were housed in conventional conditions, breathed unfiltered air, and were fed standard balanced food. The experiments were planned and implemented in accordance with the “International guiding principles for biomedical research involving animals” developed by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (1985) and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Ekaterinburg Medical Research Center Medical for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers