Altered distribution of plasma PAF-AH between HDLs and other lipoproteins in hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus

Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) is a phospholipase A2 associated with lipoproteins that hydrolyzes platelet-activating factor (PAF) and oxidized phospholipids. We have developed an ELISA for PAF-AH that is more sensitive than previous methods, and have quantified HDL-associated and non-HDL-associated PAF-AH in healthy, hyperlipidemic, and diabetic subjects. In healthy subjects, plasma total PAF-AH concentration was positively correlated with PAF-AH activity and with plasma total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) concentrations (all P < 0.01). HDL-associated PAF-AH concentration was correlated positively with plasma apoA-I and HDL cholesterol. Subjects with hyperlipidemia (n = 73) and diabetes mellitus (n = 87) had higher HDL-associated PAF-AH concentrations than did controls (P < 0.01). Non-HDL-associated PAF-AH concentration was lower in diabetic subjects than in controls (P < 0.01). Both hyperlipidemic and diabetic subjects had lower ratios of PAF-AH to apoB (P < 0.01) and higher ratios of PAF-AH to apoA-I (P < 0.01) than did controls. Our results show that the distribution of PAF-AH mass between HDLs and LDLs is determined partly by the concentrations of the lipoproteins and partly by the mass of enzyme per lipoprotein particle, which is disturbed in hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus

Plaster Mask from the Oglakhty Cemetery Grave no. 1/2021: Comprehensive Study Experience

Статья представляет результаты изучения женской погребальной маски из захоронения таштыкской культуры на Оглахтинском грунтовом могильнике 2–3 вв.н.э. Основным в нашей работе был материаловедческий подход к изучению маски и связанных с ней остатков. Исследование предпринято с использованием ряда (комплекса) аналитических методов: оптической и сканирующей электронной микроскопии, 3D‑микротомографии, ИК‑рефлектографии и ИК‑микроспектроскопии, рентгенофлюоресцентного анализа и др. Среди основных пигментов росписи – киноварь и гематит, первая была нанесена по сырому гипсу. В качестве добавки в гипсовую смесь впервые идентифицированы оболочки зерен проса обыкновенного (Panicum miliaceum L.). Отпечатки текстиля у глазниц маски проанализированы с точки зрения вида и структуры оставившей их ткани. «Наглазники» были выполнены из шелка простого прямого переплетения с оснóвным настилом, что подтвердилось и сравнением отпечатков на маске с фрагментами шелковых тканей из оглахтинских погребений. Впервые обнаружены и изучены скопления микроскопических волокон вблизи описанных отпечатковThe paper deals with a study of a death mask from the Tashtyk culture grave at the Oglakhty cemetery, 2nd‑3rd centuries AD, and presents its results. Our main approach was that of material science. The study was undertaken using a series of analytical methods such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 3D microtomography, IR reflectography, IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV luminescence, X‑ray reflectometry. Cinnabar and hematite were identified as the main pigments of the painting; the former was applied on raw plaster, whereas the latter above dry plaster surface. Shells of the grains of common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) turned out to be an additive to the gypsum mixture. Textile imprints near the eye sockets were analyzed to get an insight of the type and structure of the fabric. Clusters of tiny fibers near the textile imprints were noticed and studied for the first time. They are explained as remains of the silk pieces with unhemmed borders, “cought” by liquid plaster in the process of applying it to the person’s face. The fibers could be preserved inside the plaster due to the absence of air and mechanical influence

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Down-slope cascading modulated by day/night variations of solar heating

Sloping sides of natural basins favour the formation of cross-shore temperature gradients (differential coastal heating/cooling), which cause significant littoral-pelagial water exchange. Autumnal denser water cascading along a sloping lake boundary, modulated by day/night variations of solar heating is considered numerically, in order to reveal the development of the cascading process in time, spatial structure of the exchange flows, and diurnal variations of volumetric flow-rate of littoral-pelagial exchange flow, as well as to compare its daily maxima at different depths/cross-sections, with known quasi-steady state predictions under constant buoyancy flux. The development of exchange flows progress through two phases: i) appearance and adjustment to day/night buoyancy flux variations; and ii) quasi-steady exchange, when variations of the flow rate in every next diurnal cycle are more or less the same as the previous day. The duration of the first phase depends on local depth (~1 day for depths of about 10 m, ~2 days for depths 15-25 m, and ~5 days down to 30 m for the considered initial linear vertical temperature stratification). Maximum horizontal exchange takes place in the cross-section where the thermocline meets the slope, and the cold down-slope currents detach from the bottom. The location of this cross-section advances off-shore with time, in accordance with the deepening of the upper mixed layer. The existence of a specific coastal circulation cell, with different water dynamics from those above the main part of the slope, is a characteristic feature of horizontal convective exchange. The mean value of the specific volumetric flow rate of the convective exchange, driven by day/night oscillations in its fully developed quasi-steady phase increases almost linearly with local depth, and is about twice as large as the quasi-steady exchange values, predicted by formula Q=0.0013·d1.37 (Q is measured in m2 s-1, and local depth above the slope d in m), suggesting that the thermal siphon, energized by oscillating day/night buoyancy fluxes, flushes coastal regions twice as efficiently as the cascading, developing under (more or less) uniform external conditions in field observations and laboratory experiments, which lie behind the given formula. Flushing time in the considered case has an order of 10-60 hours for a littoral zone of 6-30 m depth. Application of convective phase diagrams (e.g., Q vs ΔT) is suggested as a convenient way to describe the day/night convective exchange, allowing for visualization of the flow development process, its coherency and the time lag of the development at different depths

Properties of the VT1-0 titanium surface modified by a pulsed ion beam

The physicomechanical properties of the VT1-0 titanium surface modified by a pulsed carbon ion beam at a pulse duration of 80 ns, an energy of 200 keV, a current density of 120 A/cm2, an energy density of 1.92 J/cm2, and various numbers of pulses (four regimes) are studied. Irradiation by the beam leads to hardening of a 1.8-μm-thick surface layer in titanium, a decrease in the hydrogen sorption rate, a decrease in the grain size, and the formation of twins

Hemostasis System and Plasminogen Activity in Retrochorial Hematoma in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

(1) Background: The components of the fibrinolytic system and its main component, plasminogen, play a key role in the first months of pregnancy. The effect of autoantibodies interacting with plasminogen in the formation of retrochorial hematoma is unknown. The aim of our study was to determine the role of plasminogen and IgA, IgM, and IgG, which bind to plasminogen, in retrochorial hematoma. (2) Methods: Prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), partial activated thromboplastin time (aPTT), soluble fibrin-monomer complex (SFMC), D-dimer, plasminogen activity (%Plg), plasminogen concentration (Plg), and the levels of IgG (IgG-Plg), IgM (IgM-Plg), IgA (IgA-Plg) interacting with plasminogen were determined in plasma samples of 57 women with normal pregnancy and 16 with retrochorial hematoma. (3) Results: %Plg in plasma samples from women with retrochorial hematoma was significantly lower than in plasma samples from women with normal pregnancy. The diagnostic significance of %Plg in the ROC analysis was AUC = 0.85. A direct correlation was found between aPTT and the level of autologous IgM interacting with plasminogen. (4) Conclusions: A decrease in the activity of plasminogen in the blood serum of women in the first trimester of pregnancy may indicate disturbances in the hemostasis system and the formation of retrochorial hematoma. According to the results of the study, it is possible to recommend the determination of plasminogen activity in the management of pregnant women in gynecological practice

Average contents of chemical elements in different types of hydrothermal manifestations within 16°38'N hydrothermal field, MAR

An additional ore field in the central part of the MARhas been discovered. Together with previously discovered Logachev (14°45'N) and Ashadze (12°58'N) ore fields, the new ore field constitutes a cluster with preliminarily estimated total ore reserve of >10 Mt, which is comparable with large continental massive sulfide deposits