The crucial involvement of retinoid X receptors in DDE neurotoxicity

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is a primary environmental and metabolic degradation product of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). It is one of the most toxic compounds belonging to organochlorines. DDE has never been commercially produced; however, the parent pesticide DDT is still used in some developing countries for disease-vector control of malaria. DDT and DDE remain in the environment because these chemicals are resistant to degradation and bioaccumulate in the food chain. Little is known, however, about DDE toxicity during the early stages of neural development. The results of the present study demonstrate that DDE induced a caspase-3-dependent apoptosis and caused the global DNA hypomethylation in mouse embryonic neuronal cells. This study also provided evidence for DDE-isomer-non-specific alterations of retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)- and retinoid X receptor β (RXRβ)-mediated intracellular signaling, including changes in the levels of the receptor mRNAs and changes in the protein levels of the receptors. DDE-induced stimulation of RXRα and RXRβ was verified using selective antagonist and specific siRNAs. Co-localization of RXRα and RXRβ was demonstrated using confocal microscopy. The apoptotic action of DDE was supported at the cellular level through Hoechst 33342 and calcein AM staining experiments. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the stimulation of RXRα- and RXRβ-mediated intracellular signaling plays an important role in the propagation of DDE-induced apoptosis during early stages of neural development

Повышение эффективности работы оборудования в технологии сульфирования линейных алкилбензолов

В работе выполнен анализ производственных данных за период с октября 2016 г. по февраль 2017 г., представлены результаты расчетов термодинамических параметров побочных реакций, протекающих на стадиях дегидрирования, гидрирования и алкилирования и вносящих существенный вклад в характеристики сырья сульфирования, определены энергии Гиббса, энтальпии для побочных реакций, разработана математическая модель процесса сульфирования, создана компьютерная программа для моделирования процесса сульфирования. Научно-исследовательская работа направлена на установление и изучение закономерностей, которые послужат основой для разработки рекомендаций по изменению технологических параметров процесса сульфирования ЛАБ серным ангидридом для повышения его эффективности в части качества алкилбензолсульфокислотThe analysis of production data for the period from October 2016 to February 2017 is carried out, the results of calculations of the thermodynamic parameters of the side reactions were presented from the stages of dehydrogenation, hydrogenation and alkylation. Gibbs energies and enthalpies for side reactions were found, a mathematical model of the sulfonation process was developed, a computer program for modeling the sulfonation process was created. The research work is aimed at establishing and studying the regularities that will serve as the basis for developing recommendations for changing the technological parameters of the LAB sulfonation process with sulfuric anhydride in order to increase its efficiency

Who Is a Right-Wing Supporter? On the Biographical Experiences of Young Right-Wing Voters in Poland and Germany

This article explores the selected cases of the biographies of right-wing supporters from a larger sample of narrative interviews with young (18-35 years old) people in Poland and Germany. In the existing literature, we can find the socio-economic explanations of the sources of the right-wing turn (related to economic deprivation, precarisation, social exclusion, labor market competition with immigrants and others), as well as cultural explanations connected with new identity politics, symbolic exclusion and divide between society and political elites, the disembedding from previously solid communities, and the fear of new risks related to the inflow of cultural Others. Despite notable exceptions, it is rather uncommon to discuss in this context the actual biographical experiences of right-wing and far-right supporters. In the article, we take a closer look at four biographical cases of people declaring their political support for far right parties. The analysis of the cases leads to the distinction of socio-economic and socio-political pathways to right-wing populist support.This article was prepared within the project PREWORK (“Young Precarious Workers in Poland and Germany: A Comparative Sociological Study on Working and Living Conditions, Social Consciousness and Civic Engagement”) funded by the National Science Center in Poland and the German Research Foundation (DFG), the NCN project number UMO-2014/15/G/HS4/04476, the DFG project number TR1378/1-

Selective mGluR1 Antagonist EMQMCM Inhibits the Kainate-Induced Excitotoxicity in Primary Neuronal Cultures and in the Rat Hippocampus

Abundant evidence suggests that indirect inhibitory modulation of glutamatergic transmission, via metabotropic glutamatergic receptors (mGluR), may induce neuroprotection. The present study was designed to determine whether the selective antagonist of mGluR1 (3-ethyl-2-methyl-quinolin-6-yl)-(4-methoxy-cyclohexyl)-methanone methanesulfonate (EMQMCM), showed neuroprotection against the kainate (KA)-induced excitotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. In in vitro studies on mouse primary cortical and hippocampal neuronal cultures, incubation with KA (150 μM) induced strong degeneration [measured as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) efflux] and apoptosis (measured as caspase-3 activity). EMQMCM (0.1–100 μM) added 30 min to 6 h after KA, significantly attenuated the KA-induced LDH release and prevented the increase in caspase-3 activity in the cultures. Those effects were dose- and time-dependent. In in vivo studies KA (2.5 nmol/1 μl) was unilaterally injected into the rat dorsal CA1 hippocampal region. Degeneration was calculated by counting surviving neurons in the CA pyramidal layer using stereological methods. It was found that EMQMCM (5–10 nmol/1 μl) injected into the dorsal hippocampus 30 min, 1 h, or 3 h (the higher dose only) after KA significantly prevented the KA-induced neuronal degeneration. In vivo microdialysis studies in rat hippocampus showed that EMQMCM (100 μM) significantly increased γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and decreased glutamate release. When perfused simultaneously with KA, EMQMCM substantially increased GABA release and prevented the KA-induced glutamate release. The obtained results indicate that the mGluR1 antagonist, EMQMCM, may exert neuroprotection against excitotoxicity after delayed treatment (30 min to 6 h). The role of enhanced GABAergic transmission in the neuroprotection is postulated

War and politics. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and refugee crisis on the eastern EU border from the perspective of border studies

Since February 24, 2022, we have been witnessing the next stage of what began in the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War: a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. For the first time in the history of the European Union, the intensive armed conflict is now approaching the border of the EU and Schengen Zone. The consequences of war: the refugee crisis, humanitarian aid, and economic problems have affected EU countries both immediately and directly. While keeping in mind the human tragedy and the tragedy of Ukraine, we would like to address a few important questions from the perspective of regional and border scholars. From this perspective, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine is another stage of the new political order in Europe, preceded by the war in Ukraine that started in 2014, the 2015 migration crisis, 2021 Belarus-EU border crisis, which altogether – from the perspective of the border studies – could be described as re-bordering and securitization of borderlands. In this joint editorial, we address four main questions. Firstly, how we can interpret the Russian invasion in the wider, historical context, taking the frontier thesis as an explanatory category developed by Turner (1994). Secondly, the Ukrainian refugee crisis, in the context of the previous Belarusian-EU border crisis, is a multi-layered issue, where religion, gender, geopolitics, and rationales meet. Thirdly, apart from the military and political actions, war and refugee flux could be seen from the perspective of a grassroots movement of aid. Fourthly, the war in Ukraine brings uncertainty and questions about democracy and peace in Western Europe

Inhibition of PIKfyve by YM-201636 Dysregulates Autophagy and Leads to Apoptosis-Independent Neuronal Cell Death

The lipid phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(3,5)P-2), synthesised by PIKfyve, regulates a number of intracellular membrane trafficking pathways. Genetic alteration of the PIKfyve complex, leading to even a mild reduction in PtdIns(3,5)P-2 results in marked neurodegeneration via an uncharacterised mechanism. In the present study we have shown that selectively inhibiting PIKfyve activity, using YM-201636, significantly reduces the survival of primary mouse hippocampal neurons in culture. YM-201636 treatment promoted vacuolation of endolysosomal membranes followed by apoptosis-independent cell death. Many vacuoles contained intravacuolar membranes and inclusions reminiscent of autolysosomes. Accordingly, YM-201636 treatment increased the level of the autophagosomal marker protein LC3-II, an effect that was potentiated by inhibition of lysosomal proteases, suggesting that alterations in autophagy could be a contributing factor to neuronal cell death