The Biomarker and Therapeutic Potential of Circular Rnas in Schizophrenia

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded, most frequently non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules that play a significant role in gene expression regulation. Circular RNAs can affect microRNA functionality, interact with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), translate proteins by themselves, and directly or indirectly modulate gene expression during different cellular processes. The affected expression of circRNAs, as well as their targets, can trigger a cascade of events in the genetic regulatory network causing pathological conditions. Recent studies have shown that altered circular RNA expression patterns could be used as biomarkers in psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia (SZ); moreover, circular RNAs together with other cell molecules could provide new insight into mechanisms of this disorder. In this review, we focus on the role of circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of SZ and analyze their biomarker and therapeutic potential in this disorder.publishedVersio

The complete mitochondrial genome of the extinct Pleistocene horse (Equus cf. lenensis) from Kotelny Island (New Siberian Islands, Russia) and its phylogenetic assessment

The complete mitochondrial genome from the Pleistocene stallion horse (Equus cf. lenensis) which complete skull was found in 1901 on Kotelny Island (New Siberian Archipelago, Sakha Republic, Russia) is published in this paper. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is 16,584 base pairs (bp) in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes. The overall base composition of the genome in descending order was 32.3% – A, 28.5% – C, 13.4% – G, 25.8% - T without a significant AT bias of 58.2%.publishedVersio

Advantages and disadvantages of different methods for diagnosis of visceral obesity

This analytical review is devoted to the study of visceral obesity as a risk factor for the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. The presented review discusses the evolution of methods for diagnosis of visceral obesity, their advantages and limitation for various ectopic fat depots

Molecular phylogeny of one extinct and two critically endangered Central Asian sturgeon species (genus Pseudoscaphirhynchus) based on their mitochondrial genomes

The enigmatic and poorly studied sturgeon genus Pseudoscaphirhynchus (Scaphirhynchinae: Acipenseridae) comprises three species: the Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeon (Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni (Bogdanow)), dwarf Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeon P. hermanni (Kessler), and Syr Darya shovelnose sturgeon (P. fedtschenkoi (Bogdanow). Two species – P. hermanni and P. kaufmanni – are critically endangered due to the Aral Sea area ecological disaster, caused by massive water use for irrigation to support cotton agriculture, subsequent pesticide pollution and habitat degradation. For another species – P. fedtschenkoi – no sightings have been reported since 1960-s and it is believed to be extinct, both in nature and in captivity. In this study, complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of these three species of Pseudoscaphirhynchus were characterized using Illumina and Sanger sequencing platforms. Phylogenetic analyses showed the significant divergence between Amu Darya and Syr Darya freshwater sturgeons and supported the monophyletic origin of the Pseudoscaphirhynchus species. We confirmed that two sympatric Amu Darya species P. kaufmanni and P. hermanni form a single genetic cluster, which may require further morphological and genetic study to assess possible hybridization, intraspecific variation and taxonomic status and to develop conservation measures to protect these unique fishes.publishedVersio

Outcomes of the multicenter monitoring of the causative agent of invasive listeriosis in the metropolis

Introduction. Invasive listeriosis is a rare disease posing a threat to high-risk groups and often leading to a fatal outcome. Its causative agent is Listeria monocytogenes, a ubiquitous saprophyte that has turned into an important foodborne pathogen with the growing industry of semi-cooked and ready-to-eat products. The aim of the study is the characterization of L. monocytogenes isolates in the Moscow region and identification of possible causes of susceptibility to infection Materials and methods. The multicenter monitoring of L. monocytogenes was conducted in the Moscow metropolitan area, using bacteriological and genomic methods for description of the pathogen, medical history collection and detailed analysis of patient case summaries. Results. In the cohorts of patients with perinatal listeriosis (PL) and meningitis-septicemia (MS), invasive listeriosis had a year-round occurrence with slight upswings in MarchApril and JulyNovember. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the MS group, the minimum age of patients decreased to 31 years and the proportion of deaths increased 1.57-fold compared to 20182019. During the pandemic, an increase in the diversity of L. monocytogenes genotypes was observed, along with changes in the spectrum of pathogen genotypes throughout the pandemic stages. During the monitoring, a total of 73 L. monocytogenes clinical isolates belonging to 24 genotypes were described. Seven genotypes belonged to the first phylogenetic lineage (PLI); 14 genotypes belonged to PLII. The PL cohort had the highest proportion of PLI genotypes (52%). In the MS cohort, the group of men had the widest diversity of genotypes, 6 of which were identical to genotypes of food isolates. In the analysed set of isolates, 12 new profiles of internalin genes were identified and described. The whole genome sequencing detected the presence of plasmids in 9 of 58 genomes of clinical isolates. The comparison of core genomes revealed an epidemic relationship between isolates of the same genotype for ST4, ST21, and ST425. Conclusion. The performed study presents a detailed description of the diversity and virulence of L. monocytogenes circulating in the Moscow metropolitan area, thus providing information for timely diagnosis and treatment of invasive listeriosis

Peculiarities of the transition to the methodological type of university education in different cultures

It was pointed out that there is a need to move from expert to methodological culture in higher professional education. The essence of this way of education is not knowledge about entities, but patterns and tools for knowledge management. The importance of the development of a methodological culture for creating growth areas inside and outside the existing education system and for a fundamental change in the management system of universities is emphasized. The basic models of universities are investigated by the structural method based on the matrix of values of the key cultures of the world. The search for mechanisms of transition to higher methodological education in Russian culture has been carried out. One of the mechanisms of such transformations is the transition to the authentic Russian culture when students select professors and inversed process when professors select students and universities’ leadership by the locals

Assessment of the Competitiveness and economic development policies of the countries of the Former French Empire

A methodology for assessing the competitiveness and policy of economic development of the countries has been developed. As an indicator of competitiveness, the advanced development index is proposed, defined as the ratio of the growth rate of a country's real GDP to the global indicator. To assess the policy of economic development, it is proposed to use an assessment of changes in the advanced development index and the standard deviation of the annual growth rates of real GDP, evaluated for the periods of economic cycles from the beginning of the recovery to the end of the recession, in comparison with the previous period. The second indicator is proposed to be used as an indicator of the sustainability of economic growth and development risk. Such an assessment tool allows four types of economic development policies to be defined including conservative, aggressive, progressive, and regressive ones, when, in comparison with the previous period, the advanced development index and the growth sustainability indicator, respectively, fall or grow in the next period. On the basis of these indicators, an evaluation of the index of the proximity of historical fate is proposed. The developed methodology is applied to the assessment of the economic development of the countries of the former French Empire since 1952. The analysis of the indicators made it possible to reveal that the similarity of the economic development of countries that were previously part of the same empire, the higher, the closer the cultures of these countries, and the further away, the further away from their cultures. At the same time, only those countries achieved advanced development that, after gaining independence, which were able to form their own institutional system, significantly different from the colonial institutions of the metropolis. No signs of the emergence of French civilization, united by a common historical destiny, have been found on the territory of the former French Empire. The obtained scientific result is proof of the need to develop a model of a multipolar world, in which it is necessary to include a provision on the need to form institutions of economic development that are authentic to each culture

The Biomarker and Therapeutic Potential of Circular Rnas in Schizophrenia

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded, most frequently non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules that play a significant role in gene expression regulation. Circular RNAs can affect microRNA functionality, interact with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), translate proteins by themselves, and directly or indirectly modulate gene expression during different cellular processes. The affected expression of circRNAs, as well as their targets, can trigger a cascade of events in the genetic regulatory network causing pathological conditions. Recent studies have shown that altered circular RNA expression patterns could be used as biomarkers in psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia (SZ); moreover, circular RNAs together with other cell molecules could provide new insight into mechanisms of this disorder. In this review, we focus on the role of circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of SZ and analyze their biomarker and therapeutic potential in this disorder

The complete mitochondrial genome of the extinct Pleistocene horse (Equus cf. lenensis) from Kotelny Island (New Siberian Islands, Russia) and its phylogenetic assessment

The complete mitochondrial genome from the Pleistocene stallion horse (Equus cf. lenensis) which complete skull was found in 1901 on Kotelny Island (New Siberian Archipelago, Sakha Republic, Russia) is published in this paper. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is 16,584 base pairs (bp) in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes. The overall base composition of the genome in descending order was 32.3% – A, 28.5% – C, 13.4% – G, 25.8% - T without a significant AT bias of 58.2%