Understanding of Active and Passive Constructions in 7- to 10-Year-Old Russian-Speaking Children: Reliance on Inflections or Word Order

Background. The background of the present study includes analysis of the understanding of active and passive grammatical constructions (GCs) in Russianspeaking aphasic patients and in children aged 3, 4 and 5 years (Akhutina, 1989; Akhutina, Velichkovskiy, & Kempe, 1988). Data regarding the reorganization of the children’s strategies are further compared to GC understanding in children speaking different languages, and their interpretations. Objective. To analyze the variable mechanisms of understanding of reversible GCs in primary-school-age children, namely, to reveal individual differences in reliance on word order or case endings. Design. Ninety-three first-graders, 93 second-graders, and 63 third-graders underwent a neuropsychological assessment and computer-based sentence-topicture test of their understanding of reversible GCs of active/passive voice with direct/reverse word order. The “productivity” of understanding GCs (percent of correct responses) was analyzed through cluster analysis. Results. The cluster analysis divided the children into four clusters. Cluster 1 consisted of eight children with low productivity, who were excluded from further analysis. Cluster 2 was characterized by low productivity in passive direct constructions (Group 1); Cluster 3 comprised children who had low productivity in passive reverse sentences (Group 2). Cluster 4 included children with good understanding of all GCs (Group 3). Between-group differences in productivity and time of correct responses in GCs, as well as neuropsychological indexes, were revealed. Conclusion. The results are consistent with the following hypotheses: (a) Group 1 relies on the rule “The first noun is the agent”, whereas the other two groups use morphological marking; (b) Group 1 is the weakest neuropsychologically, and syntactic understanding processes involve a more diffuse activation of the brain in this group, compared to more successful children; (c) changes in response times from the first to the second grade are under the influence of cerebral changes induced by reading acquisition

FIRST REPORT ON TRUFFLE-INHABITING FUNGI AND METAGENOMIC COMMUNITIES OF TUBER AESTIVUM COLLECTED IN RUSSIA

Truffles are one of the least studied groups of fungi in terms of their biological and biotechnological aspects. This study aimed to isolate truffle-inhabiting fungi and assess the metagenomic communities of the most common Russian summer truffle, Tuber aestivum. This study is the first to characterize the biodiversity of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms living in the truffle T. aestivum using molecular analysis and sequencing. Plant pathogens involved in a symbiotic relationship with truffles were identified by sequencing the hypervariable fragments of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. In addition, some strains of fungal symbionts and likely pathogens were isolated and recognized for the first time from the truffles. This study also compared and characterized the general diversity and distribution of microbial taxa of T. aestivum collected in Russia and Europe. The results revealed that the Russian and European truffle study materials demonstrated high similarity. In addition to the truffles, representatives of bacteria, fungi, and protists were found in the fruiting bodies. Many of these prokaryotic and eukaryotic species inhabiting truffles might influence them, help them form mycorrhizae with trees, and regulate biological processes. Thus, truffles are interesting and promising sources for modern biotechnological and agricultural studies

Screening, identification, and antibiotic activity of secondary metabolites of Penicillium sp. LPB2019K3-2 isolated from endemic amphipods of Lake Baikal

This study aimed to assess the influence of nutrient media content on the production of antibiotics and the ability of water fungi isolated from lake Baikal to synthesize novel natural products. Interest in this topic stems from the high demand for new drugs, and studies are carried out via the screening of new natural products with biological activity produced by unstudied or extremophilic microorganisms. For this study, a strain of Penicillium sp. was isolated from endemic Baikal phytophagous amphipod species. Here, we identified natural products using the following classical assays: biotechnological cultivation, MALDI identification of the strain, natural product extraction, antimicrobial activity determination, and modern methods such as HPLC-MS for the dereplication and description of natural products. It was found that many detected metabolites were not included in the most extensive database. Most of the identified metabolites were characterized by their biological activity and demonstrated antibiotic activity against model Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The isolated strain of water fungus produced penicolinate B, meleagrin A, austinoneol A, andrastin A, and other natural products. Additionally, we show that the synthesis of low-molecular-weight natural products depends on the composition of the microbiological nutrient media used for cultivation. Thus, although the golden age of antibiotics ended many years ago and microscopic fungi are well studied producers of known antibiotics, the water fungi of the Lake Baikal ecosystem possess great potential in the search for new natural products for the development of new drugs. These natural products can become new pharmaceuticals and can be used in therapy to treat new diseases such as SARS, MERS, H5N1, etc

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-M suppresses systemic lupus erythematosus

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-M suppresses Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated activation of innate immunity during infection. A similar role was hypothesised for IRAK-M in autoimmunity

Myocarditis in Children: Clinical Overview, Diagnosis and Treatment

The lecture presents modern views on the problem of myocarditis in pediatrics. Current ideas about the definition, prevalence, etiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory myocardial lesions in children are presented. Features of clinical manifestations of the disease in patients of different age groups, difficulties of diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis and its complications are disclosed in accordance with federal clinical recommendations. Special attention is paid to diagnostic approaches adjusted with the European society of cardiologists, including first and second level techniques, determination of indications for their implementation and diagnostic capabilities, as well as differential diagnosis of myocarditis with other cardiological diseases. Issues of heart failure treatment in myocarditis and indications for heart transplantation for patients under 18 years of age were also discussed. The lecture has illustrated clinical examples that clearly demonstrate the diversity of the clinical picture and the ambiguity of myocarditis prognosis in children and teenagers

Миокардиты у детей: клиническая картина, диагностика и лечение

The lecture presents modern views on the problem of myocarditis in pediatrics. Current ideas about the definition, prevalence, etiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory myocardial lesions in children are presented. Features of clinical manifestations of the disease in patients of different age groups, difficulties of diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis and its complications are disclosed in accordance with federal clinical recommendations. Special attention is paid to diagnostic approaches adjusted with the European society of cardiologists, including first and second level techniques, determination of indications for their implementation and diagnostic capabilities, as well as differential diagnosis of myocarditis with other cardiological diseases. Issues of heart failure treatment in myocarditis and indications for heart transplantation for patients under 18 years of age were also discussed. The lecture has illustrated clinical examples that clearly demonstrate the diversity of the clinical picture and the ambiguity of myocarditis prognosis in children and teenagers.В лекции представлены современные взгляды на проблему миокардитов в детском возрасте. Приведены актуальные сведения о распространенности, этиологии и патогенезе воспалительных поражений миокарда у детей. В соответствии с федеральными клиническими рекомендациями раскрыты особенности проявления симптомов заболевания у пациентов разных возрастных групп, трудности диагностики и лечения миокардита и его осложнений. Особое внимание уделено согласованным Европейским обществом кардиологов диагностическим подходам, в том числе методикам первого и второго уровня, определению показаний к их проведению и диагностическим возможностям, а также дифференциальному диагнозу миокардитов с другими кардиологическими заболеваниями. Обсуждаются вопросы лечения сердечной недостаточности при миокардитах и показания к проведению трансплантации сердца лицам в возрасте до 18 лет. Лекция проиллюстрирована результатами собственных наблюдений, наглядно демонстрирующими разнообразие клинической картины и неоднозначность прогноза миокардита у детей и подростков

Heart Transplantation as a Treatment Method for Refractory Heart Failure due to Post-myocarditis Dilated Cardiomyopathy: a Clinical Case

Background. Implementation of mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation technologies in paediatric clinical practice is changing approaches of diagnostics and treatment of heart failure (HF) in children. The experience of carrying out such operations in Russian Federation is extremely limited until recently due to absence of legal mechanisms of people declaration of intention recording about postmortal use of organs for transplantation.Clinical Case Description. The rare clinical case of drug-refractory (cardiotonic agents and cardioverter defibrillator implantation) chronic cardiac failure caused by post-myocarditis dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which demanded heart transplantation. Postoperative course, specific and non-specific complications, diagnostics and correction approaches are described.Conclusion. In the absence of proper analysis of non-specific slight symptoms myocarditis can progress to DCM and be complicated by development of refractory HF. The only method of sustaining child’s life in such case is heart transplantation which is connected with high risk of numerous and life-threatening complications

Chitin Cryogels Prepared by Regeneration from Phosphoric Acid Solutions

Cryogelation is a developing technique for the production of polysaccharide materials for biomedical applications. The formation of a macroporous structure during the freeze-drying of polysaccharide solutions creates biomaterials suitable for tissue engineering. Due to its availability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity, chitin is a promising natural polysaccharide for the production of porous materials for tissue engineering; however, its use is limited due to the difficulty of dissolving it. This work describes the preparation of cryogels using phosphoric acid as the solvent. Compared to typical chitin solvents phosphoric acid can be easily removed from the product and recovered. The effects of chitin dissolution conditions on the structure and properties of cryogels were studied. Lightweight (ρ 0.025–0.059 g/cm3), highly porous (96–98%) chitin cryogels with various heterogeneous morphology were produced at a dissolution temperature of 20 ± 3 °C, a chitin concentration of 3–15%, and a dissolution time of 6–25 h. The crystallinity of the chitin and chitin cryogels was evaluated by 13C CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Using FTIR spectroscopy, no phosphoric acid esters were found in the chitin cryogels. The cryogels had compressive modulus E values from 118–345 kPa and specific surface areas of 0.3–0.7 m2/g. The results indicate that chitin cryogels can be promising biomaterials for tissue engineering