Actin-interacting and flagellar proteins in Leishmania spp.: Bioinformatics predictions to functional assignments in phagosome formation

Several motile processes are responsible for the movement of proteins into and within the flagellar membrane, but little is known about the process by which specific proteins (either actin-associated or not) are targeted to protozoan flagellar membranes. Actin is a major cytoskeleton protein, while polymerization and depolymerization of parasite actin and actin-interacting proteins (AIPs) during both processes of motility and host cell entry might be key events for successful infection. For a better understanding the eukaryotic flagellar dynamics, we have surveyed genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes of pathogenic Leishmania spp. to identify pertinent genes/proteins and to build in silico models to properly address their putative roles in trypanosomatid virulence. In a search for AIPs involved in flagellar activities, we applied computational biology and proteomic tools to infer from the biological meaning of coronins and Arp2/3, two important elements in phagosome formation after parasite phagocytosis by macrophages. Results presented here provide the first report of Leishmania coronin and Arp2/3 as flagellar proteins that also might be involved in phagosome formation through actin polymerization within the flagellar environment. This is an issue worthy of further in vitro examination that remains now as a direct, positive bioinformatics-derived inference to be presented

23-year dynamics (1994−2016) relationships to its health, behavioral characteristics and prevention of cardiovascular diseases among women 25−44 years in Russia /Siberia

Purpose. To determine the 23-year dynamics (1994–2016) of attitudes toward one's health, behavioral characteristics and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in an open population among women 25−44 years old in Russia / Siberia (Novosibirsk). Material and methods. In the framework of the third screening of the MONICA program for the study of trends and control of cardiovascular diseases and the MONICA-psychosocial (MOPSY) subprogram, in 1994 a random representative sample of women aged 25–64 years of age from one from the districts of Novosibirsk (n = 870, the average age is 45.4±0.4 years); in the age group 25−44 years − 284 persons. In 2016 years. in the framework of screening studies on the budgetary issue of NIITPM No. gos. reg. 01201282292, a random representative sample of women aged 25−44 years old in the same district of Novosibirsk (n = 540) was examined. Attitude to their health, behavioral characteristics and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases were studied using the "Knowledge and attitude to their health" scale, validated for the Russian population under the WHO "MONICA" program. The chi-square test (x2) was used to calculate the indices. The criterion of statistical significance was the reliability of the result at p<0.05. Results: The analysis showed that in the open population among women aged 25−44 years, there is a positive dynamics in assessing their health (21% and 50.7%, respectively). But, despite this, 50% of women negatively assess their health and 96% note the probability of getting a serious illness for 5−10 years. Most women believe in the ability of medicine to successfully prevent and treat heart disease, but the proportion of people using health resources for preventive purposes remains extremely low and does not exceed 10%. In the open population among women aged 25−44 years for 23 years there is an increase in stress in the workplace and the trend of growth in changes in marital status. Recorded in the period 1994−2016 gg. changes in the behavior of women associated with health: increased the proportion of people who gave up smoking and regularly doing physical exercises, and improved eating behavior. Conclusion: It was found that among women aged 25−44 years there is a positive dynamics in relation to the prevention of behavioral risk factors for CVD. But despite this, half of women negatively assess their health and use health resources only slightly

Space weather and space anomalies

A large database of anomalies, registered by 220 satellites in different orbits over the period 1971–1994 has been compiled. For the first time, data from 49 Russian Kosmos satellites have been included in a statistical analysis. The database also contains a large set of daily and hourly space weather parameters. A series of statistical analyses made it possible to quantify, for different satellite orbits, space weather conditions on the days characterized by anomaly occurrences. In particular, very intense fluxes (>1000 pfu at energy >10MeV) of solar protons are linked to anomalies registered by satellites in high-altitude (>15 000 km), near-polar (inclination >55_) orbits typical for navigation satellites, such as those used in the GPS network, NAVSTAR, etc. (the rate of anomalies increases by a factor ~20), and to a much smaller extent to anomalies in geostationary orbits, (they increase by a factor ~4). Direct and indirect connections between anomaly occurrence and geomagnetic perturbations are also discussed

Different space weather effects in anomalies of the high and low orbital satellites

Preliminary results of the EU INTAS Project 00810, which aims to improve the methods of safeguarding satellites in the Earth's magnetosphere from the negative effects of the space environment, are presented. Anomaly data from the ‘‘Kosmos’’ series satellites in the period 1971–1999 are combined in one database, together with similar information on other spacecraft. This database contains, beyond the anomaly information, various characteristics of the space weather: geomagnetic activity indices (Ap, AE and Dst), fluxes and fluences of electrons and protons at different energies, high energy cosmic ray variations and other solar, interplanetary and solar wind data. A comparative analysis of the distribution of each of these parameters relative to satellite anomalies was carried out for the total number of anomalies (about 6000 events), and separately for high (~5000 events) and low (about 800 events) altitude orbit satellites. No relation was found between low and high altitude satellite anomalies. Daily numbers of satellite anomalies, averaged by a superposed epoch method around sudden storm commencements and proton event onsets for high (>1500 km) and low (<1500 km) altitude orbits revealed a big difference in a behavior. Satellites were divided on several groups according to the orbital characteristics (altitude and inclination). The relation of satellite anomalies to the environmental parameters was found to be different for various orbits that should be taken into account under developing of the anomaly frequency models. © 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved