РЕВМАТОЇДНИЙ АРТРИТ – ІСТОРІЯ, СУЧАСНІ ПОГЛЯДИ, ТАКТИКА, РЕЗУЛЬТАТ

The article highlights the historical aspects and current views on rheumatoid arthritis as a multifactorial disease.  New information about the latest methods of investigation and treatment to improve patients′ prognosis is presented.У статті висвітлено історичні аспекти та сучасні погляди на ревматоїдний артрит як мультифакто­ріальне захворювання. Наведено інформацію щодо новітніх методів діагностики та лікування з метою покращення прогнозу для пацієнта

Circadian activity of the Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) in the Danube River

In this study, the movements and behaviour of Wels catfish (Silurus glanis, Linnaeus, 1758) were monitored during the different seasons when the water level in the river changed significantly. Wels catfish was caught on the Danube River, rkm 863, and tagged with an ultrasonic transmitter. Deployed Vemco receivers recorded detections of spatial movement between years 2015 and 2017. Our telemetry data found relatively short movements within a maximum range (~12km), but as a territorial species most of the time it was recorded by the two receivers, close to the Iron Gate dam and location where it was caught. Circadian rhythm showed that in the summer period, nocturnal activity is evident while during winter Wels catfish stayed most of the time at the same depth under the water surface. Wels catfish changed depths during the autumn and spring when more activity was recorded. The last signal received was during the winter 2017, which was period with the low temperatures and ice cover on the Danube River. This research shows the value and importance of installing coded acoustic transmitters in fish and monitoring their movement using a series of autonomous receivers deployed in the Danube River. Research by telemetry can be used to better understand fish behaviour and movements and to help improve large river management measures

Spatial movement of the Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) in the Danube

Wels catfish (Silurus glanis, Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most targeted species for recreational and commercial fishing in the Danube River, even though studies of behavior and movement patterns of Wels catfish in the Danube are rare. Wels catfish was caught downstream of Iron Gate II hydropower dam and tagged with an ultrasonic transmitter (Vemco Ltd, V16TP). Nine autonomous receivers (Vemco Ltd, VR 2W) recorded detections of spatial movement downstream of Iron Gate II dam between Serbia and Romania for almost two years, between the years 2015 and 2017. Our telemetry data found that Wels catfish exhibit relatively short movements within a maximum range (≈ 12 km), but as a territorial species most of the time it was recorded by the two receivers, close to the Iron Gate dam and location where it was caught. The longest displacement from the preferable place under Iron Gate II dam was migration to Romanian ship lock and turbines located in the right arm of the Danube River. Location under the river dam is already recognized as a place of aggregation of the fish and thus preference of predatory catfish is strongly connected with food availability. Our data revealed that dam and ship lock blocked further migration of this fish. The last signal received was during the winter 2017, which was a period with extremely low temperature and ice cover on the Danube River. Considering the fact that the ice displaced whole receiver deployment downstream the dam, we might conclude that the tagged catfish disappeared because of ice movement during the winter season. Results can be used for management ensuring habitat requirements and developing of restoration and conservation strategies

Metformin for treatment of cytopenias in children and young adults with Fanconi anemia

Fanconi anemia (FA), a genetic DNA repair disorder characterized by marrow failure and cancer susceptibility. In FA mice, metformin improves blood counts and delays tumor development. We conducted a single institution study of metformin in nondiabetic patients with FA to determine feasibility and tolerability of metformin treatment and to assess for improvement in blood counts. Fourteen of 15 patients with at least 1 cytopenia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL; platelet count < 100 000 cells/µL; or an absolute neutrophil count < 1000 cells/µL) were eligible to receive metformin for 6 months. Median patient age was 9.4 years (range 6.0-26.5). Thirteen of 14 subjects (93%) tolerated maximal dosing for age; 1 subject had dose reduction for grade 2 gastrointestinal symptoms. No subjects developed hypoglycemia or metabolic acidosis. No subjects had dose interruptions caused by toxicity, and no grade 3 or higher adverse events attributed to metformin were observed. Hematologic response based on modified Myelodysplastic Syndrome International Working Group criteria was observed in 4 of 13 evaluable patients (30.8%; 90% confidence interval, 11.3-57.3). Median time to response was 84.5 days (range 71-128 days). Responses were noted in neutrophils (n = 3), platelets (n = 1), and red blood cells (n = 1). No subjects met criteria for disease progression or relapse during treatment. Correlative studies explored potential mechanisms of metformin activity in FA. Plasma proteomics showed reduction in inflammatory pathways with metformin. Metformin is safe and tolerable in nondiabetic patients with FA and may provide therapeutic benefit. This trial was registered at as #NCT03398824

On Predicting Mössbauer Parameters of Iron-Containing Molecules with Density-Functional Theory

The performance of six frequently used density functional theory (DFT) methods (RPBE, OLYP, TPSS, B3LYP, B3LYP*, and TPSSh) in the prediction of Mössbauer isomer shifts(δ) and quadrupole splittings (ΔEQ) is studied for an extended and diverse set of Fe complexes. In addition to the influence of the applied density functional and the type of the basis set, the effect of the environment of the molecule, approximated with the conducting-like screening solvation model (COSMO) on the computed Mössbauer parameters, is also investigated. For the isomer shifts the COSMO-B3LYP method is found to provide accurate δ values for all 66 investigated complexes, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.05 mm s–1 and a maximum deviation of 0.12 mm s–1. Obtaining accurate ΔEQ values presents a bigger challenge; however, with the selection of an appropriate DFT method, a reasonable agreement can be achieved between experiment and theory. Identifying the various chemical classes of compounds that need different treatment allowed us to construct a recipe for ΔEQ calculations; the application of this approach yields a MAE of 0.12 mm s–1 (7% error) and a maximum deviation of 0.55 mm s–1 (17% error). This accuracy should be sufficient for most chemical problems that concern Fe complexes. Furthermore, the reliability of the DFT approach is verified by extending the investigation to chemically relevant case studies which include geometric isomerism, phase transitions induced by variations of the electronic structure (e.g., spin crossover and inversion of the orbital ground state), and the description of electronically degenerate triplet and quintet states. Finally, the immense and often unexploited potential of utilizing the sign of the ΔEQ in characterizing distortions or in identifying the appropriate electronic state at the assignment of the spectral lines is also shown

Political Economy of Civil Society

This chapter explores the role of civil society in relation to the economy and the polity by focusing on three distinct yet related dimensions: (1) the conceptual history of civil society in relation to political economy; (2) the theory underpinning a political economy of civil society; (3) the implications of a political economy of civil society for policy-making. The main argument is that there is a fundamental difference between ancient and medieval conceptions, which emphasise natural sociability, and modern accounts that accentuate a violent ‘state of nature’. As a result, civil society either reflects the fundamental embeddedness of economic and political processes in social relations or is an artificial construct. The chapter develops a typology of four modern models, provides a theory of the political economy of civil society and outlines a series of policy ideas