Water–Sulfuric Acid foam as a Possible Habitat for Hypothetical Microbial Community in the Cloud Layer of Venus

The data available at the moment suggest that ancient Venus was covered by extensive bodies of water which could harbor life. Later, however, the drastic overheating of the planet made the surface of Venus uninhabitable for Earth-type life forms. Nevertheless, hypothetical Venusian organisms could have gradually adapted to conditions within the cloud layer of Venus—the only niche containing liquid water where the Earth-type extremophiles could survive. Here we hypothesize that the unified internal volume of a microbial community habitat is represented by the heterophase liquid-gas foam structure of Venusian clouds. Such unity of internal space within foam water volume facilitates microbial cells movements and trophic interactions between microorganisms that creates favorable conditions for the effective development of a true microbial community. The stabilization of a foam heterophase structure can be provided by various surfactants including those synthesized by living cells and products released during cell lysis. Such a foam system could harbor a microbial community of different species of (poly)extremophilic microorganisms that are capable of photo-and chemosynthesis and may be closely integrated into aero-geochemical processes including the processes of high-temperature polymer synthesis on the planet’s surface. Different complex nanostructures transferred to the cloud layers by convection flows could further contribute to the stabilization of heterophase liquid-gas foam structure and participate in chemical and photochemical reactions, thus supporting ecosystem stability. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Generalized Chaotic Synchronizationin Coupled Ginzburg-Landau Equations

Generalized synchronization is analyzed in unidirectionally coupled oscillatory systems exhibiting spatiotemporal chaotic behavior described by Ginzburg-Landau equations. Several types of coupling betweenthe systems are analyzed. The largest spatial Lyapunov exponent is proposed as a new characteristic of the state of a distributed system, and its calculation is described for a distributed oscillatory system. Partial generalized synchronization is introduced as a new type of chaotic synchronization in spatially nonuniform distributed systems. The physical mechanisms responsible for the onset of generalized chaotic synchronization in spatially distributed oscillatory systems are elucidated. It is shown that the onset of generalized chaotic synchronization is described by a modified Ginzburg-Landau equation with additional dissipation irrespective of the type of coupling. The effect of noise on the onset of a generalized synchronization regime in coupled distributed systems is analyzed.Comment: 12 page

Применение таргетной терапии и выбор оптимальной последовательности лечения в гетерогенной популяции больных метастатическим раком почки. Результаты ретроспективного исследования

Renal cancer is one of the most rapidly spreading diseases in the world. As you know, a few years ago, overall survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) was disappointing: median overall survival rarely exceeded 13 months, while 5-year survival rate was less than 5 %. Immunotherapy with interferon-alpha and interleukins demonstrated low efficiency. Appearance of targeted therapies for the treatment of mRCC significantly increased the duration and quality of life of patients receiving drug treatment. Nowadays due to this methodology and guided by the results of randomized clinical trials we can choose an optimal sequence of therapy and control the disease in three consecutive lines for about 30 months. In this article we would like to share an experience of the use of targeted therapies in the Saint Petersburg City Clinical Oncology Dispensary in patients with clear-cell mRCC. Рак почки – одно из наиболее активно распространяющихся заболеваний в мире. Как известно, еще несколько лет назад показатели общей выживаемости больных метастатическим почечно-клеточным раком (мПКР) разочаровывали: медиана общей выживаемости редко превышала 13 мес, а 5-летняя выживаемость составляла не более 5 %. Иммунотерапия препаратами группы интерферон альфа и интерлейкинами демонстрировала невысокую эффективность. Появление таргетных препаратов для лечения мПКР существенно увеличило продолжительность и качество жизни пациентов, получающих лекарственное лечение. На сегодняшний день благодаря данной методике и руководствуясь результатами рандомизированных клинических исследований мы можем выбирать оптимальную последовательность терапии и контролировать течение заболевания в 3 последовательных линиях на протяжении около 30 мес. В настоящей статье мы хотели бы поделиться опытом применения таргетных препаратов в Санкт-Петербургском городском клиническом онкологическом диспансере у пациентов со светлоклеточным мПКР.

Оценка эффективности комплексного паллиативного лечения у больных метастатическим светлоклеточным почечно-клеточным раком

Background. Experience with combination treatment, i.e. systemic therapy in combination with palliative surgery, in the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer is very rarely described in world literature.Objective: to evaluate the efficiency of combination treatment in combination with palliative cytoreductive surgery and targeted therapy and to define optimal indications for combination treatment.Subjects and methods. Data on 47 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who received systemic (targeted) therapy in combination or after incomplete cytoreduction (iCR) were analyzed in this retrospective study. The proportion of men and women was 72.3 % and 27.7 %, respectively; their ratio was 2.6:1. All the patients (100%) underwent surgical treatment as nephrectomy or kidney resection for primary tumor. In the patients who had received radical treatment in different periods, the median relapse-free survival was 25.3 (0-187) months; the mean follow-up duration in the study was 33.2 (27.4–39.0) months. Out of the histological characteristics of a primary tumor, its Fuhrman grade was studied. Prior to initiation of mRCC therapy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) prognosis groups were assessed; the patients were divided into good (n = 9 (19.1 %)), interim (n = 28 (59.6 %)), and bad (n = 10 (21.3 %)) prognosis groups. Their total somatic status was separately rated using the ECOG scale: 0, (n = 10 (21.3%)), 1 (n = 24 (51.1 %)), and 2, (n = 13 (27.6 %)). The sites of metastases were as follows: the lung (n = 29), bones (n = 18), adrenals (n = 11), recurrence in the removed kidney bed (n = 10), and liver (n = 10). Multiple organ involvements were detected in 22 (46.8 %) patients. There were more than 5 metastases in one organ in 18 (40.0 %) patients and only 15 (33.3 %) were found to have a single focus in one organ. Whether iCR might be used as a separate line treatment was studied. A comparative analysis was made between 2 groups of patients with mRCC: 1) 20 patients who underwent iCR and 2) 27 patients who received systemic therapy (immunotherapy (n = 12), sorafenib (n = 8), and sunitinib (n = 7)). The control points were estimation of overall survival (OS), optimal indications for iCR in patients with mRCC, and time to progression (TTP) during first- and second-line systemic treatment.Resuts. The median OS duration in Group 1 was longer: 46 months versus 31 months (p = 0.09). TTP was comparable: 9 and 6 months, respectively. Comparison of first-line systemic treatment showed that the median TTP was twice longer (13 and 17 months in the targeted (sorafenib and sunitinib) therapy group than that in the cytokine therapy group (6 months) (p = 0.0174). TTP during second-line therapy was 10 months. Median OS after immunotherapy, sorafenib and sunitinib therapy demonstrated no differences and was 34.2, 36.5, and 39.2 months (р = 0.8). Conclusion. This investigation suggests that the comprehensive approach in effective in treating mRCC. iRC may be used as an individual treatment in a certain patient group. However, survival rates in the examined group of patients can be increased only when targeted drugs are necessarily used in both first- and second-line treatment regimens. In spite of the metastatic pattern of RCC, the treatment algorithm for these patients should estimate the possibilities of using palliative cytoreductive treatment since its use may provide a median TTP of as many as 9 months. Just the same, over 30-month survival rates may be obtained when the latter is used in combination with systemic treatment.Введение. В мировой литературе крайне редко описывается опыт применения комплексного лечения, т. е. системной терапии с паллиативным хирургическим вмешательством, в лечении метастатического рака почки. Цель исследования – оценить эффективность применения комплексного лечения паллиативной циторедуктивной операции с таргетной терапией, а также определить оптимальные показания для проведения комплексного лечения.Материалы и методы. В ретроспективном исследовании проанализированы данные о 47 пациентах с метастатическим почечно-клеточным раком (мПКР), которым проводили системную (таргетную) терапию в сочетании или после проведения неполной циторедукции (нЦР). Доля мужчин составила 72,3 %, женщин – 27,7 %, соотношение 2,6:1. Всем пациентам (100 %) было проведено хирургическое лечение по поводу первичной опухоли в виде нефрэктомии или резекции почки. Медиана безрецидивного периода в группе пациентов, подвергшихся в различные сроки радикальному хирургическому лечению, составила 25,3 (0–187) мес; средний срок наблюдения в исследовании – 33,2 (27,4–39,0) мес. Из гистологических характеристик первичной опухоли изучалась степень дифференцировки по Фурману. Перед началом лечения мПКР проводили оценку групп прогноза по шкале MSKCC (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center), распределение по группам хорошего, промежуточного и плохого прогноза: 9 (19,1 %), 28 (59,6 %), 10 (21,3 %) больных соответственно. Общесоматический статуса оценивали отдельно: 0 по шкале ECOG – 10 (21,3 %), 1–24 (51,1 %) и 2–13 (27,6 %) больных. По локализации метастазов: легкие – 29 больных, кости – 18, надпочечники – 11, рецидив в ложе удаленной почки – 10, печень – 10 пациентов. Мультиорганное поражение выявлено у 22 (46,8 %) больных. У 18 (40,0 %) пациентов количество метастазов превысило 5 в 1 органе, у 15 (33,3 %) выявлен единичный очаг в 1 органе. Изучена возможность применения нЦР в качестве отдельной линии лечения. Проведен сравнительный анализ между 2 группами пациентов с мПКР: 1-я группа (n = 20), в которой пациентам выполнена нЦР, и 2-я группа (n = 27), в которой больные получали системную терапию (12 – иммунотерапию, 8 – сорафениб, 7 – сунитиниб). Контрольными точками были оценка общей выживаемости (ОВ), оптимальных показаний для применения нЦР у пациентов с мПКР, времени до прогрессирования (ВДП) в 1-й и 2-й линиях системного лечения.Результаты. Медиана ОВ была выше в 1-й группе пациентов: 46 мес против 31 мес (р = 0,09). ВДП было сопоставимым: 9 и 6 мес соответственно. При сравнении системного лечения в 1-й линии (р = 0,0174) медиана ВДП в группе таргетной терапии (сорафениб и сунитиниб) была вдвое выше (13 и 17 мес соответственно), чем при терапии цитокинами (6 мес). ВДП во 2-й линии составила 10 мес. Медиана ОВ для иммунотерапии, сорафениба и сунитиниба не продемонстрировала различий и составила 34,2; 36,5 и 39,2 мес соответственно (р = 0,8).Выводы. Проведенное исследование свидетельствует об эффективности применения комплексного подхода в лечении мПКР. Неполная циторедукция может использоваться как отдельный метод лечения у определенной группы пациентов. Однако увеличение показателей выживаемости в исследуемой группе больных возможно только при обязательном использовании в схеме лечения таргетных препаратов как в 1-й, так и во 2-й линии. Несмотря на метастатический характер ПКР, в алгоритме лечения этих больных должна быть проведена оценка возможности использования паллиативного циторедуктивного лечения, так как с его использованием можно получить медиану ВДП до 9 мес. Тем не менее показатели выживаемости более 30 мес возможно получить только в комбинации с системным лечением

Оценка эффективности хирургического удаления метастазов в комбинации с таргетной терапией у больных метастатическим раком почки

Objective. To increase the effectiveness of drug treatment via systemic therapy (ST) in combination with incomplete cytoreductive interventions – incomplete metastasectomy (iME).Materials and methods. Three centers took part in the study. All 147 patients with mRCC received anticancer drug therapy. Part of them (n = 47) underwent surgery (iME) before or together with anticancer treatment, where iME meant complete metastasis excision within one organ with residual tissue in other organs (research group). Control group (n = 100) included patients who received only systemic antitumor treatment. Primary control point was overall survival (OS), secondary – time to progression.Results. Median OS in combined treatment group was 32 months, while in control group – 29 months (p = 0.21). When analyzing surgical stage in combined treatment, OS was statistically more significant in patients with iME before ST (n = 20) than in patients with two parallel treatment schemes: 46 and 31 months, respectively (p = 0.007). When analyzing metastases localization, it was found that iME is effective for metastases to distant lymph nodes and adrenal gland. Adrenalectomy (p = 0.03) and lymphadenectomy (p = 0.04) showed higher results than ST: 17 and 15 months versus 6 month, respectively. IME in patients with poor prognosis did not reveal any advantages: median OS reached 7 months, which was significantly inferior to the favorable prognosis group, where median OS was 25 months (p = 0.03).Conclusion. IME can be used as a part of combined treatment in mRCC patients. It should be considered as the first treatment stage with subsequent ST.Цель исследования – повышение эффективности лекарственного лечения метастатического рака почки за счет рациональной последовательности системной терапии (СТ) и ее комбинации с неполными циторедуктивными (нЦР) вмешательствами.Материалы и методы. В исследовании принимали участие 3 центра. Все 147 больных метастатическим раком почки получали противоопухолевую лекарственную терапию. Части из них (n = 47) дополнительно было выполнено хирургическое лечение в объеме нЦР, т. е. полного радикального иссечения метастаза в пределах 1 органа при наличии резидуальной ткани в других органах (группа исследования). Контрольная группа (n = 100) представлена больными, которым проводили только противоопухолевую СТ. Первичной контрольной точкой была общая выживаемость (ОВ), вторичной – время до прогрессирования.Результаты. Медиана ОВ в группе комбинированного лечения составила 32 мес, в контрольной группе – 29 мес (р = 0,21). При анализе последовательности хирургического этапа в комбинированном лечении ОВ была статистически более значимой у больных с нЦР, предшествовавшей СТ (n = 20), чем у пациентов с параллельным использованием 2 видов лечения: 46 и 31 мес соответственно (р = 0,007). При анализе локализаций метастазов выявлено, что нЦР эффективна при поражении метастатическим раком почки отдаленных лимфатических узлов и надпочечника. Так, при проведении адреналэктомии (р = 0,03) и лимфаденэктомии (р = 0,04) результаты были явно выше, чем при использовании СТ: 17 и 15 мес при нЦР против 6 мес при СТ. Использование нЦР у больных группы плохого прогноза не выявило преимуществ: медиана ОВ достигла 7 мес, значительно уступая группе благоприятного прогноза с медианой ОВ 25 мес (р = 0,03).Заключение. Неполная циторедукция может применяться как опция в комбинации с СТ у больных метастатическим раком почки. При выборе данной тактики нЦР нужно рассматривать как 1‑й этап лечения с последующим использованием СТ

Phenotypic effects of the dwarfing gene Rht-17 in spring durum wheat under two climatic conditions

Alleles of the genes, conferring a dwarfing phenotype, play a crucial role in wheat breeding, as they not only reduce plant height, ensuring their resistance to lodging, but also have a number of positive and negative pleiotropic effects on plant productivity. Durum wheat carries only two subgenomes (A and B), which limits the use of the D-subgenome genes and requires the expansion of the arsenal of dwarfing alleles and the study of their effects on height and agronomically important traits. We studied the effect of the gibberellin-insensitive allele Rht-B1p in the B2F2:3 families, developed by crossing Chris Mutant /#517//LD222 in a field experiment in Moscow and Krasnodar. In our experiments, plants homozygous for Rht-B1p were shorter than those homozygous for the wild-type allele Rht-B1a by 36.3 cm (40 %) in Moscow and 49.5 cm (48 %) in Krasnodar. In the field experiment in Krasnodar, each plant with Rht-B1p had one less internode than any plant with Rht-B1a, which additionally contributed to the decrease in plant height. Grain weight per main spike was lower in plants with Rht-B1p than in plants with Rht-B1a by 12 % in Moscow and by 23 % in Krasnodar due to a decrease in 1000 grain weight in both regions of the field experiment. The number of grains per main spike in plants with Rht-B1p was higher in comparison to that with Rht-B1a by 6.5 % in Moscow due to an increase in spikelet number per main spike and by 11 % in Krasnodar due to an increase in grain number per spikelet. The onset of heading in plants with Rht-B1p in comparison with the plants with the wild-type allele Rht-B1a was 7 days later in Krasnodar. The possibility and prospects for the use of Rht-B1p in the breeding of durum wheat are discussed

Watch me grow integrated (WMG-I): protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a web-based surveillance approach for developmental screening in primary care settings

Introduction The increasing prevalence of developmental disorders in early childhood poses a significant global health burden. Early detection of developmental problems is vital to ensure timely access to early intervention, and universal developmental surveillance is recommended best practice for identifying issues. Despite this, there is currently considerable variation in developmental surveillance and screening between Australian states and territories and low rates of developmental screening uptake by parents. This study aims to evaluate an innovative web-based developmental surveillance programme and a sustainable approach to referral and care pathways, linking primary care general practice (GP) services that fall under federal policy responsibility and state government-funded child health services. Methods and analysis The proposed study describes a longitudinal cluster randomised controlled trial (c-RCT) comparing a â € Watch Me Grow Integrated' (WMG-I) approach for developmental screening, to Surveillance as Usual (SaU) in GPs. Forty practices will be recruited across New South Wales and Queensland, and randomly allocated into either the (1) WMG-I or (2) SaU group. A cohort of 2000 children will be recruited during their 18-month vaccination visit or opportunistic visit to GP. At the end of the c-RCT, a qualitative study using focus groups/interviews will evaluate parent and practitioner views of the WMG-I programme and inform national and state policy recommendations. Ethics and dissemination The South Western Sydney Local Health District (2020/ETH01625), UNSW Sydney (2020/ETH01625) and University of Queensland (2021/HE000667) Human Research Ethics Committees independently reviewed and approved this study. Findings will be reported to the funding bodies, study institutes and partners; families and peer-reviewed conferences/publications