Computerized Tomography Score for the Assessment of Multiple Organ Failure and Determining Severity of Pancreatitis: Key Principles for the Assessment of Affected Organs

BACKGROUND: Pancreatitis severity is an important death rate indicator that plays a crucial role in deciding on proper handling of patients at their initial admission, when making a decision on patient’s transfer to the intensive care unit. Many studies point out a direct relation between death rate and the number of affected organs. In view of that, looking for new criteria for assessment of multiple organ failure is still useful in clinical practice. Assessment of multiple organ failure with patients undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit is carried out with the use of various integrated indicators based both on clinical laboratory assessment of patient’s condition, and on data obtained with the help of advanced imaging methods. However, many researchers point out that the facilities of diagnostic radiology, including in particular computerized tomography (CT), are not used to the full extent. AIM: We proposed expanding functionality of abdominal CT examination by means of pancreatitis severity assessment that takes into account changes in the pancreas and in addition enables assessing multiple organ failure with examined patients. We identified the organs and systems whose changes need to be monitored through CT imaging to be able to assess multiple organ failure in the patients with pancreatitis. METHODS: Out of 314 patients, 100 patients were selected diagnosed with pancreatitis confirmed by changes demonstrated by the laboratory test results. Of those, 24 patients (24.0%) revealed presence of multiple organ failure (maximum of 5 organ systems), 46 patients revealed a single organ failure. RESULTS: Development of early organ failure accompanied 82% of cases of severe pancreatitis and considerably aggravated predicted outcome and course of severe AP. Among them, 30 patients had pancreatitis without changes of the vital organs and 70 patients had dysfunctions of the vital organs, suffered from organ or multiple organ failure, and received treatment in the surgery unit and the intensive care unit of the Department of Surgical Conditions of Karaganda Medical University. In view of CT results, we assessed a relation between multiple organ failure and specific failure of a single organ and necrosis and death rate. We analyzed a relation between organ failure and degree of the pancreas necrosis. CONCLUSION: Identified changes enabled us to create a CT score for the assessment of pancreatitis severity that can be used not only for identification but also for the prediction of organ failure at an early stage of pancreatitis with high accuracy as compared against conventional CT systems for the assessment of patients’ condition. It can also be used to differentiate extent organ dysfunction and the number of affected organs

The WW Domain of Neural Protein FE65 Interacts with Proline-rich Motifs in Mena, the Mammalian Homolog of Drosophila Enabled*

The neural protein FE65 contains two types of protein-protein interaction modules: one WW binding domain and two phosphotyrosine binding domains. The carboxyl-terminal phosphotyrosine binding domain of FE65 interacts in vivo with the beta-amyloid precursor protein, which is implicated in Alzheimer disease. To understand the function of this adapter protein, we identified binding partners for the FE65 WW domain. Proline-rich sequences sharing a proline-proline-leucine-proline core motif were recovered by screening expression libraries for ligands of the FE65 WW domain. Five proteins of molecular masses 60, 75, 80, 140, and 200 kDa could be purified from mouse brain lysates by affinity to the FE65 WW domain. We identified two of these five proteins as the 80- and 140-kDa isoforms encoded by Mena, the mammalian homolog of the Drosophila Enabled gene. Using the SPOTs technique of peptide synthesis, we identified the sequences in Mena that interact with the FE65 WW domain and found that they contain the signature proline-proline-leucine-proline motif. Finally, we demonstrated that Mena binds to FE65 in vivo by coimmunoprecipitation assay from COS cell extracts. The specificity of the Mena-FE65 WW domain association was confirmed by competition assays. Further characterization of the FE65-Mena complex may identify a physiological role for these proteins in beta-amyloid precursor protein biogenesis and may help in understanding the mechanism of molecular changes that underlie Alzheimer disease

Utilization of Acoustic Field Energy for Reduction of Dust Discharge in High-Temperature Furnaces

In order to reduce the total dust discharge from high-temperature furnaces, this study advocates the use of the energy of the acoustic field formed in the furnace body with application of acoustic generators of Hartmann whistle type. The paper provides theoretical justification of dust precipitation inside the furnace and develops principles of its implementation. The efficiency of this method is shown by examples of industrial implementation

Immobilization of boron-rich compound on Fe3O4 nanoparticles: Stability and cytotoxicity

Magnetic nanoparticles based on Fe3O4 and their modifications of surface with therapeutic substances are of great interest, especially drug delivery for cancer therapy includes boron-neutron capture therapy. The results of boron-rich compound (carborane borate) attachment to previously aminated by (3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane iron oxide nanoparticles are presented. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (ATR) accessory confirmed change of nanoparticles elemental content after modification and formation of new bond between Fe3O4 and attached molecules. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles average size is 18.9 nm. Phase parameters were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, Fe3O4 nanoparticles magnetic behavior was evaluated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Chemical and colloidal stability was studied using simulated body fluid (phosphate buffer – PBS). Modified nanoparticles have excellent stability in PBS (pH = 7.4), characterized by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Fe3O4 biocompatibility was elucidated in-vitro using cultured mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The obtained results show the increasing of IC50 from 0.110 mg/ml for Fe3O4 to 0.405 mg/ml for Fe3O4-Carborane nanoparticles. Obtained data confirm biocompatibility and stability of synthesized nanoparticles and potential to use them in boron-neutron capture therapy

Ena/VASP proteins have an anti-capping independent function in filopodia formation

Author Posting. © American Society for Cell Biology, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Society for Cell Biology for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Molecular Biology of the Cell 18 (2007): 2579-2591, doi:10.1091/mbc.E06-11-0990.Filopodia have been implicated in a number of diverse cellular processes including growth-cone path finding, wound healing, and metastasis. The Ena/VASP family of proteins has emerged as key to filopodia formation but the exact mechanism for how they function has yet to be fully elucidated. Using cell spreading as a model system in combination with small interfering RNA depletion of Capping Protein, we determined that Ena/VASP proteins have a role beyond anticapping activity in filopodia formation. Analysis of mutant Ena/VASP proteins demonstrated that the entire EVH2 domain was the minimal domain required for filopodia formation. Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching data indicate that Ena/VASP proteins rapidly exchange at the leading edge of lamellipodia, whereas virtually no exchange occurred at filopodial tips. Mutation of the G-actin–binding motif (GAB) partially compromised stabilization of Ena/VASP at filopodia tips. These observations led us to propose a model where the EVH2 domain of Ena/VASP induces and maintains clustering of the barbed ends of actin filaments, which putatively corresponds to a transition from lamellipodial to filopodial localization. Furthermore, the EVH1 domain, together with the GAB motif in the EVH2 domain, helps to maintain Ena/VASP at the growing barbed ends.This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grants GM7542201 to D.A.A., GM58801 to F.B.G., and GM62431 to G.G.B. and by Cell Migration Consortium Grants GM64346 to D.A.A and G.G.B

Structural features of the stream of consciousness of natural bilingual D. Nakirov

The creative person's consciousness, speech ability, the general mechanisms of speech-semantic formation is always reflected in his speech activity (text). The article is described ritm-melodious couplings that represent cognitive structures of a stream of consciousness modern bilingual D. Nakipov

Spatial variability of biogenic elements and organic carbon content in the tributaries of Lake Baikal

The article considers the features of biogenic elements and organic carbon (Corg) content spatial variability in the Lake Baikal tributaries. The role of hydrological conditions and landscape-geochemical features in the chemical elements flow formation is shown. It was found that organic carbon in the river waters is represented mainly by its dissolved form. In the lower reaches of the Selenga, erosion processes and economic activity in the catchment area increase the proportion of suspended forms of organic carbon and mineral phosphorus. In the river delta under the influence of the sedimentation and the intake of organic matter formed during aquatic vegetation decomposition, the content of dissolved Corg increases with a contemporary decrease in its suspended form. As a result of intensification of production and destruction processes in well-heated areas of the delta, a significant decrease in the concentrations of mineral phosphorus and an increase in organic phosphorus occur