The Late Pleistocene history of the Pechora Sea

More reliable reconstructions of the Late Quaternary glacial history of the Pechora Sea have been carried out due to new radiocarbon datings. The bulk of evidence favors the view that complete deglaciation of the Pechora Sea occurred in the middle Valdai epoch, about 35-40 ka. After a short interstadial period with normal marine conditions, sea-level fall gave rise to establishment of continental environments. In the late Valdai, the Novaya Zemlya ice sheet occupied only the northernmost Pechora Sea and did not reach the Pechora Lowland. In the Course of the subsequent Holocene transgression, the shelf was abraded. Modern lithodynamic conditions in the Pechora Sea determine accumulation of sandy-silty deposits

Role of the disorder of activity of proteolytic enzymes and their inhibitors in the development of prostate cancer

The indentification of reliable predictors of behaviour and markers of prostate cancer (CaP) remains a key problem for oncology. The aim of this work was to analyse the disorder of proteolytic processes in prostate secretions of CaP patients. The results show the activation of proteolysis and a dysbalance between proteinases and their inhibitors in Prostate Secretions of CaP patients. The determination of levels kallikrein and angiotensin-converting enzyme in prostration secretions can be employed as a marker in the diagnosis of CaP.Выявление информативных предикторов и маркеров рака предстательной железы (РПЖ) остается центральной проблемой современной онкоурологии. Цель работы - анализ нарушений протеолитических процессов в секрете простаты при раке предстательной железы. Полученные данные свидетельствуют о нарушении баланса между протеиназами и их ингибиторами в секрете простаты при РПЖ. Определение активности калликреина и АПФ может использоваться как маркер РПЖ

Ангиотензинпревращающий фермент – новый прогностический маркер рецидива при терапии рака предстательной железы

Background. Introduction to the clinical practice of new criteria for the diagnosis and monitoring of neoplastic processes in the prostate based on the identification of informative predictors and markers of prostate cancer (PC), especially its aggressive forms, is one of the priority directions of scientific research in oncological urology. The goal – the search of new markers of aggressive forms of PC.Materials and methods. For identification associated with PC progression indicators – potential markers clinically aggressive forms of PC was determined activity kininase II (angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), EC 3.4.15.1) in serum of blood with using as substrate N-(3-(2-furyl) acryloyl)-L-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine (FAPGG). Retrospectively evaluated ACE activity in patients with the development of biochemical recurrence and without after hormone-radiation therapy.Results. It has been shown that the development of PC recurrence is associated with an increase in ACE activity, and the ACE activity starts to grow sooner than noted the development of biochemical recurrence. Joint determination of prostate-specific antigen and the activity of the enzyme after a month of treatment allows to select a group of patients with high risk of biochemical recurrence with sensitivity, specificity of 78.6 % (p < 0.001), respectively 94,6 % (p < 0.001).Conclusions. There is every reason to believe that ACE is a promising predictive marker of clinically aggressive forms of PC. The renin-angiotensin system in PC can be considered as a new therapeutic target for targeted therapy.Введение. Применение в реальной клинической практике новых критериев диагностики и мониторинга неопластических процессов в предстательной железе на основе выявления информативных предикторов и маркеров рака предстательной железы (РПЖ), особенно его агрессивных форм, является одним из приоритетных направлений научных разработок в онкоурологии.Цель исследования – идентифицировать маркеры для прогнозирования агрессивных форм РПЖ.Материалы и методы. Для идентификации ассоциированных с прогрессированием РПЖ показателей – потенциальных маркеров клинически агрессивных форм РПЖ – определяли активность кининазы II (ангиотензинпревращающего фермента (АПФ), КФ 3.4.15.1) с использованием в качестве субстрата N-[3-(2-фурил)-акрилоил]-L-фенилаланил-глицил-глицин (FAPGG) в сыворотке крови. Ретроспективно оценивали активность АПФ у пациентов с наличием и отсутствием биохимического рецидива после гормонолучевой терапии.Результаты. Показано, что развитие рецидива РПЖ ассоциировано с увеличением активности АПФ, причем она начинает расти раньше, чем отмечается развитие биохимического рецидива. Совместное определение простатического специфического антигена и активности АПФ через 1 мес после лечения позволяет выделить группу больных с высоким риском развития биохимического рецидива с чувствительностью 78,6 % (р < 0,001) и специфичностью 94,6 % (р < 0,001).Выводы. Есть все основания полагать, что АПФ является перспективным прогностическим маркером клинически агрессивных форм РПЖ. Ренин-ангиотензиновая система организма при РПЖ может рассматриваться как новая терапевтическая мишень для таргетной терапии

Arctic Ocean fresh water changes over the past 100 years and their causes

Recent observations show dramatic changes of the Arctic atmosphere–ice–ocean system. Here the authors demonstrate, through the analysis of a vast collection of previously unsynthesized observational data, that over the twentieth century the central Arctic Ocean became increasingly saltier with a rate of freshwater loss of 239 ± 270 km3 decade−1. In contrast, long-term (1920–2003) freshwater content (FWC) trends over the Siberian shelf show a general freshening tendency with a rate of 29 ± 50 km3 decade−1. These FWC trends are modulated by strong multidecadal variability with sustained and widespread patterns. Associated with this variability, the FWC record shows two periods in the 1920s–30s and in recent decades when the central Arctic Ocean was saltier, and two periods in the earlier century and in the 1940s–70s when it was fresher. The current analysis of potential causes for the recent central Arctic Ocean salinification suggests that the FWC anomalies generated on Arctic shelves (including anomalies resulting from river discharge inputs) and those caused by net atmospheric precipitation were too small to trigger long-term FWC variations in the central Arctic Ocean; to the contrary, they tend to moderate the observed long-term central-basin FWC changes. Variability of the intermediate Atlantic Water did not have apparent impact on changes of the upper–Arctic Ocean water masses. The authors’ estimates suggest that ice production and sustained draining of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean in response to winds are the key contributors to the salinification of the upper Arctic Ocean over recent decades. Strength of the export of Arctic ice and water controls the supply of Arctic freshwater to subpolar basins while the intensity of the Arctic Ocean FWC anomalies is of less importance. Observational data demonstrate striking coherent long-term variations of the key Arctic climate parameters and strong coupling of long-term changes in the Arctic–North Atlantic climate system. Finally, since the high-latitude freshwater plays a crucial role in establishing and regulating global thermohaline circulation, the long-term variations of the freshwater content discussed here should be considered when assessing climate change and variability

Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX): Towards a holistic understanding of the feedbacks and interactions in the land-Atmosphere-ocean-society continuum in the northern Eurasian region

The northern Eurasian regions and Arctic Ocean will very likely undergo substantial changes during the next decades. The Arctic-boreal natural environments play a crucial role in the global climate via albedo change, carbon sources and sinks as well as atmospheric aerosol production from biogenic volatile organic compounds. Furthermore, it is expected that global trade activities, demographic movement, and use of natural resources will be increasing in the Arctic regions. There is a need for a novel research approach, which not only identifies and tackles the relevant multi-disciplinary research questions, but also is able to make a holistic system analysis of the expected feedbacks. In this paper, we introduce the research agenda of the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX), a multi-scale, multi-disciplinary and international program started in 2012 (https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/peex/). PEEX sets a research approach by which large-scale research topics are investigated from a system perspective and which aims to fill the key gaps in our understanding of the feedbacks and interactions between the land-Atmosphere-Aquatic-society continuum in the northern Eurasian region. We introduce here the state of the art for the key topics in the PEEX research agenda and present the future prospects of the research, which we see relevant in this context

Estimating the Worldwide Extent of Illegal Fishing

Illegal and unreported fishing contributes to overexploitation of fish stocks and is a hindrance to the recovery of fish populations and ecosystems. This study is the first to undertake a world-wide analysis of illegal and unreported fishing. Reviewing the situation in 54 countries and on the high seas, we estimate that lower and upper estimates of the total value of current illegal and unreported fishing losses worldwide are between $10 bn and$23.5 bn annually, representing between 11 and 26 million tonnes. Our data are of sufficient resolution to detect regional differences in the level and trend of illegal fishing over the last 20 years, and we can report a significant correlation between governance and the level of illegal fishing. Developing countries are most at risk from illegal fishing, with total estimated catches in West Africa being 40% higher than reported catches. Such levels of exploitation severely hamper the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. Although there have been some successes in reducing the level of illegal fishing in some areas, these developments are relatively recent and follow growing international focus on the problem. This paper provides the baseline against which successful action to curb illegal fishing can be judged