Digital Technologies in Providing Development of Algorithms Surgical Treatment of Supraventricular Arrhythmias

The aim of the study was the development and clinical application of patient selection algorithm for surgical treatment of longlasting persistent atrial fibrillation. The study included 235 patients with acquired heart disease and coronary artery disease, which in the period from 1999 to 2015 performed surgical treatment of long-term persistent atrial fibrillation (RF “MAZE III” procedure) in conjunction with the correction of the underlying heart disease. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the method of operation: the group 1 – 135 patients (76 women and 59 men) who have applied an integrated approach to surgery for atrial fibrillation, including penetrating method of RF effects on atrial myocardium and the study of the function of the sinus node before and after the operation (these patients were operated on from 2008 to 2015). The group 2 – 100 patients (62 women and 38 men) with a “classical” method of monopolar RF “MAZE III”, which the sinus node function was not studied. We used the combined (epi- and endocardial) method of RF "MAZE". This algorithm is decreasing of possible permanent pacemaker postoperatively. The initial sinus node function in these patients, measured using the original method, the basic line of this algorithm was taken. The results showed that use this algorithm for selection of patients allows significantly reduce the possibility of pacemaker implantation in the postoperative perio

Farmland biodiversity and agricultural management on 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions

Farmland is a major land cover type in Europe and Africa and provides habitat for numerous species. The severe decline in farmland biodiversity of the last decades has been attributed to changes in farming practices, and organic and low-input farming are assumed to mitigate detrimental effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity. Since the farm enterprise is the primary unit of agricultural decision making, management-related effects at the field scale need to be assessed at the farm level. Therefore, in this study, data were collected on habitat characteristics, vascular plant, earthworm, spider, and bee communities and on the corresponding agricultural management in 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions. In 15 environmental and agricultural homogeneous regions, 6–20 farms with the same farm type (e.g., arable crops, grassland, or specific permanent crops) were selected. If available, an equal number of organic and non-organic farms were randomly selected. Alternatively, farms were sampled along a gradient of management intensity. For all selected farms, the entire farmed area was mapped, which resulted in total in the mapping of 11 338 units attributed to 194 standardized habitat types, provided together with additional descriptors. On each farm, one site per available habitat type was randomly selected for species diversity investigations. Species were sampled on 2115 sites and identified to the species level by expert taxonomists. Species lists and abundance estimates are provided for each site and sampling date (one date for plants and earthworms, three dates for spiders and bees). In addition, farmers provided information about their management practices in face-to-face interviews following a standardized questionnaire. Farm management indicators for each farm are available (e.g., nitrogen input, pesticide applications, or energy input). Analyses revealed a positive effect of unproductive areas and a negative effect of intensive management on biodiversity. Communities of the four taxonomic groups strongly differed in their response to habitat characteristics, agricultural management, and regional circumstances. The data has potential for further insights into interactions of farmland biodiversity and agricultural management at site, farm, and regional scale

Spiders (araneae) of the ukrainian polesje fauna

The investigation is concerned with the shock waves and application thereof in heat engineering for cleaning slagging surfaces. The objective of the work is to perform theoretical and experimental investigation of the processes of formation and propagation of shock waves and to use them for cleaning heating surfaces. The author has developed the model of gun powder burning in a closed volume and flow of combustion products through the shaft channel accompanied by the shock wave formation. The problem of the interior ballistics has been solved for the first time without application of a bullet or projectile. The developed method has been used as a regular aid for heating surfaces of the PVTM, KVGM, BKZ boiler units of the Ulan-Ude Thermoelectric Plant No. 1 and Barnaul Thermoelectric Plant number 2 for the first time in the national practices. The shock-wave generators have been installed on the existing equipment of thermal power stations. The investigation results can find application in theoretical and practical thermal engineering, shock-wave physicsAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio

Digital Technologies in Providing Development of Algorithms Surgical Treatment of Supraventricular Arrhythmias

The aim of the study was the development and clinical application of patient selection algorithm for surgical treatment of longlasting persistent atrial fibrillation. The study included 235 patients with acquired heart disease and coronary artery disease, which in the period from 1999 to 2015 performed surgical treatment of long-term persistent atrial fibrillation (RF “MAZE III” procedure) in conjunction with the correction of the underlying heart disease. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the method of operation: the group 1 – 135 patients (76 women and 59 men) who have applied an integrated approach to surgery for atrial fibrillation, including penetrating method of RF effects on atrial myocardium and the study of the function of the sinus node before and after the operation (these patients were operated on from 2008 to 2015). The group 2 – 100 patients (62 women and 38 men) with a “classical” method of monopolar RF “MAZE III”, which the sinus node function was not studied. We used the combined (epi- and endocardial) method of RF «MAZE». This algorithm is decreasing of possible permanent pacemaker postoperatively. The initial sinus node function in these patients, measured using the original method, the basic line of this algorithm was taken. The results showed that use this algorithm for selection of patients allows significantly reduce the possibility of pacemaker implantation in the postoperative period

Neurohumoral Markers of Cardiac Autonomic Denervation after Surgical Ablation of Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Although the autonomic nervous system has an evident impact on cardiac electrophysiology and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the conventional technique for treating persistent atrial fibrillation, the specific effects of RFA have been insufficiently studied to date. Here, we investigated whether RFA affects neurohumoral transmitter levels and myocardial 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) uptake. To perform this task, we compared two groups of patients with acquired valvular heart disease: patients who had undergone surgical AF ablation and patients with sinus rhythm. The decrease in norepinephrine (NE) level in the coronary sinus had a direct association with the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (p = 0.02) and a negative correlation with 123I-MIBG uptake defects (p = 0.01). The NE level decreased significantly after the main surgery, both in patients with AF (p = 0.0098) and sinus rhythm (p = 0.0039). Furthermore, the intraoperative difference between the norepinephrine levels in the ascending aorta and coronary sinus (ΔNE) of –400 pg/mL was determined as a cut-off value to evaluate RFA efficacy, as denervation failed in all patients with ΔNE < –400 pg/mL. Hence, ΔNE can be utilized to predict the efficacy of the “MAZE-IV” procedure and to assess the risk of AF recurrence after RFA

АЛЛЕЛЬНЫЙ ПОЛИМОРФИЗМ ГЕНОВ ФАКТОРОВ АНГИОГЕНЕЗА ПРИ ГЕНИТАЛЬНОМ ЭНДОМЕТРИОЗЕ

With the using modern molecular-genetic methods for the study it was shown that the allele C and genotypes GC and CC of the polymorphic variant G-405C of VEGF gene, allele A and genotypes GA and AA of the polymorphic region G-1154A of VEGF gene, allele C and genotypes ТС and СС of polymorphism T-604C of KDR gene as well as allele A and genotypes СА and GА of polymorphism G-735A of Ang2 gene predisposes to the development of genital endometriosis in women.С привлечением современных молекулярно-генетических методов исследования показано, что к развитию генитального эндометриоза у женщин предрасполагает носительство аллеля С и генотипов GC и CC полиморфного варианта G-405C гена VEGF, аллеля А и генотипов GA и АА полиморфного участка G-1154A гена VEGF, аллеля С и генотипов ТС и СС полиморфизма T-604C гена KDR, а также аллеля А и генотипов СА и GА полиморфизма G-735A гена Ang2

New Silica Laser-Optimized Multimode Optical Fibers with Extremely Enlarged 100-μm Core Diameter for Gigabit Onboard and Industrial Networks

We present new type of silica graded index laser-optimized multimode optical fibers (LOMF) with extremely enlarged core diameter up to 100 &mu;m and &ldquo;typical&rdquo; &ldquo;telecommunication&rdquo; cladding diameter 125 &mu;m. This optical fiber was designed for harsh environment Gigabit onboard cable systems and industrial networks. It differs by special optimized graded refractive index profile, providing low differential mode delay (DMD) for selected guided modes. We present some results of tests, performed for manufactured pilot 520 m length of described LOMF 100/125, concerned with its geometry properties as well as key transmission parameters&mdash;attenuation and DMD map

Do Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Mesenchymal Stem Cells Contain Functional Mitochondria?

Extracellular vesicles (EV) derived from stem cells have become an effective complement to the use in cell therapy of stem cells themselves, which has led to an explosion of research into the mechanisms of vesicle formation and their action. There is evidence demonstrating the presence of mitochondrial components in EV, but a definitive conclusion about whether EV contains fully functional mitochondria has not yet been made. In this study, two EV fractions derived from mesenchymal stromal stem cells (MSC) and separated by their size were examined. Flow cytometry revealed the presence of mitochondrial lipid components capable of interacting with mitochondrial dyes MitoTracker Green and 10-nonylacridine orange; however, the EV response to the probe for mitochondrial membrane potential was negative. Detailed analysis revealed components from all mitochondria compartments, including house-keeping mitochondria proteins and DNA as well as energy-related proteins such as membrane-localized proteins of complexes I, IV, and V, and soluble proteins from the Krebs cycle. When assessing the functional activity of mitochondria, high variability in oxygen consumption was noted, which was only partially attributed to mitochondrial respiratory activity. Our findings demonstrate that the EV contain all parts of mitochondria; however, their independent functionality inside EV has not been confirmed, which may be due either to the absence of necessary cofactors and/or the EV formation process and, probably the methodology of obtaining EV

Farmland biodiversity and agricultural management on 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions

Farmland is a major land cover type in Europe and Africa and provides habitat for numerous species. The severe decline in farmland biodiversity of the last decades has been attributed to changes in farming practices, and organic and low-input farming are assumed to mitigate detrimental effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity. Since the farm enterprise is the primary unit of agricultural decision making, management-related effects at the field scale need to be assessed at the farm level. Therefore, in this study, data were collected on habitat characteristics, vascular plant, earthworm, spider, and bee communities and on the corresponding agricultural management in 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions. In 15 environmental and agricultural homogeneous regions, 6–20 farms with the same farm type (e.g., arable crops, grassland, or specific permanent crops) were selected. If available, an equal number of organic and non-organic farms were randomly selected. Alternatively, farms were sampled along a gradient of management intensity. For all selected farms, the entire farmed area was mapped, which resulted in total in the mapping of 11 338 units attributed to 194 standardized habitat types, provided together with additional descriptors. On each farm, one site per available habitat type was randomly selected for species diversity investigations. Species were sampled on 2115 sites and identified to the species level by expert taxonomists. Species lists and abundance estimates are provided for each site and sampling date (one date for plants and earthworms, three dates for spiders and bees). In addition, farmers provided information about their management practices in face-to-face interviews following a standardized questionnaire. Farm management indicators for each farm are available (e.g., nitrogen input, pesticide applications, or energy input). Analyses revealed a positive effect of unproductive areas and a negative effect of intensive management on biodiversity. Communities of the four taxonomic groups strongly differed in their response to habitat characteristics, agricultural management, and regional circumstances. The data has potential for further insights into interactions of farmland biodiversity and agricultural management at site, farm, and regional scale.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu