The Problem of Water and Sanitation on the Example of India and Russia

Despite the efforts of the United Nations General Assembly to promote sustainability as a vehicle of resource management and tackle social inequalities through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the challenges remain. Therefore, the need to solve the fundamental problem of life “water-energy-food” (henceforth WEF) creates the basis for an integrated approach to eliminating the obstacles that arise on the path of sustainable life evolution on Earth. The WEF concept based on a socio-ecological systemic approach is a platform for the most rational approach to solving complex problems and adapting to climate change. At the same time it contributes to regional economic development. Taking examples from India and Russia, this commentary aims to highlight the challenges of water and sanitation of the world

Желчнокаменная болезнь среди медицинского персонала поликлиники: факторы риска ее развития в разных профессиональных группах

The aim. Identification of risk factors for gallstone disease (GDS) development between different professional groups of polyclinic medical staff. Material and methods. 75 medical staff members were divided into two groups (1st group: 30 doctors; 2nd group: 45 nurses). All of them were interviewed fo r information about profession, gender, age, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), smoking, arterial hypertension (AH), diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypercholesterolemia. In addition, women were interviewed about the number of pregnancies, ostmenopause and taking oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). To assess physical activity, a short international questionnaire on physical activity (IPAQ) was used. To identify the presence of professional burnout (PB) syndrome we applied the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire, adapted by N.Е. Vodopianova for medical staff. At the final stage, the data of abdominal organs ultrasound examination were analyzed based on the materials of medical staff outpatient records. Results. The GSD prevalence among doctors was 33.3%, and 24.4% among nurses. In both groups age, AH, weight, WC and BMI contribute to GSD formation. In the first group of individuals with GSD, the level of total cholesterol (TC) was significantly higher. In the same group extremely high PB, postmenopause (p <0.05) and hypodynamia (p <0.1) were much more common. In the second group, there were more DM cases and pregnancies (p <0.05). Conclusion. The medical staff of the clinic has a high GSD incidence, whose frequency depends not only on classical risk factors prevalence, but is also determined by profession peculiarities, characterized by high psychological stress and lower physical activity of physicians, compared to nurses.Цель исследования. Выявить факторы риска развития желчнокаменной болезни (ЖКБ) среди медицинского персонала поликлиники в разных профессиональных группах. Материалы и методы. В поликлинике было осмотрено и анкетировано 75 медицинских сотрудников поликлиники, которые были разделены на две группы. В 1-ю были включены 30 врачей; во 2-ю - 45 медицинских сестер. Анализу подвергались такие показатели, как профессия, пол, возраст, объем талии (ОТ), индекс массы тела (ИМТ), курение, наличие артериальной гипертензии (АГ), сахарного диабета (СД), гиперхолестеринемии, постменопаузы; у женщин – количество беременностей и прием оральных контрацептивов (ОК). Для оценки физической активности применяли краткий международный опросник по физической активности (IPAQ). Для выявления симптомов профессионального выгорания (ПВ) использовали опросник Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), адаптированный Н.Е. Водопьяновой для медицинских сотрудников. На конечном этапе анализировались данные ультразвукового исследования органов брюшной полости по амбулаторным картам медицинских работников. Результаты. Распространенность ЖКБ среди врачей составила 33,3%, и 24,4% среди медицинских сестер. В обеих группах на формирование ЖКБ влияют возраст, наличие АГ, вес, ОТ, ИМТ. В первой группе лиц с ЖКБ уровень общего холестерина был достоверно выше (ОХ). В этой же группе ПВ крайне высокой степени, постменопауза (p<0,05) и гиподинамия (p<0,1) встречались значительно чаще. В группе медицинских сестер с ЖКБ отмечалось преобладание лиц с СД и большее число беременностей (p<0,05). Заключение. У медицинского персонала поликлиники имеет место высокая распространенность ЖКБ, частота которой зависит не только от распространенности классических факторов риска, но и определяется особенностями профессиональной деятельности, характеризующейся высокой психологической нагрузкой и более низкой физической активностью врачебного персонала, по сравнению с медицинскими сестрами

Biology of archaea from a novel family Cuniculiplasmataceae (Thermoplasmata) ubiquitous in hyperacidic environments

The order Thermoplasmatales (Euryarchaeota) is represented by the most acidophilic organisms known so far that are poorly amenable to cultivation. Earlier culture-independent studies in Iron Mountain (California) pointed at an abundant archaeal group, dubbed ‘G-plasma’. We examined the genomes and physiology of two cultured representatives of a Family Cuniculiplasmataceae, recently isolated from acidic (pH 1–1.5) sites in Spain and UK that are 16S rRNA gene sequence-identical with ‘G-plasma’. Organisms had largest genomes among Thermoplasmatales (1.87–1.94 Mbp), that shared 98.7–98.8% average nucleotide identities between themselves and ‘G-plasma’ and exhibited a high genome conservation even within their genomic islands, despite their remote geographical localisations. Facultatively anaerobic heterotrophs, they possess an ancestral form of A-type terminal oxygen reductase from a distinct parental clade. The lack of complete pathways for biosynthesis of histidine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine and proline pre-determines the reliance on external sources of amino acids and hence the lifestyle of these organisms as scavengers of proteinaceous compounds from surrounding microbial community members. In contrast to earlier metagenomics-based assumptions, isolates were S-layer-deficient, non-motile, non-methylotrophic and devoid of iron-oxidation despite the abundance of methylotrophy substrates and ferrous iron in situ, which underlines the essentiality of experimental validation of bioinformatic predictions

Circulating markers of vascular damage as predictors of cardiovascular events in atherosclerosis and metabolic disorders

The article presents the results of cluster analysis of the contribution of immune inflammation and endothelial dysfunction (ED) markers to the frequency and severity of cardiovascular events (CVE) in cohorts of patients with asymptomatic atherosclerosis (AAS), coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS) during a 3-year prospective observation. Results Circulating markers of ED and immune inflammation, such as ET-1, IL-1β, TNF-α, antibodies to collagen type I and III, and antibodies to chondroitine sulfate (CS) contribute to cardiovascular (CV) manifestation in AAS. In CAD patients ET-1, eNOs, antibodies to collagen, as well as IL-6 and vWf  are the main contributors. In T2DM without clinical manifestation of CAD, the set of markers associated with the adverse events includes ET-1, eNOs, IL-6, anti-C, and anti-HA. In CAD combined with T2DM, the cluster of markers associated with the adverse events includes vWf, TNF-α, eNOs, IL-6, anti-C, anti-HA and CRP. In AAS without MS, the key contributors are ET-1 and vWf, and the presence of anti-C and anti-ChS; in AAS/MS patients, the key markers are IL-1β, TNF-α, anti-C, anti-ChS, anti-HA, and CRP. In CAD without MS, the cluster of markers associated with adverse events includes ET-1, eNOs and anti-HA; in CAD/MS it includes anti-C, ET-1, and IL-6. Conclusion. The obtained results confirm the role of systemic inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis-associated angiopathy in coronary pathology and disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, and also suggest a set of circulating markers as predictors of adverse CVE

Observation of time quasicrystal and its transition to superfluid time crystal

We report experimental realization of a quantum time quasicrystal, and its transformation to a quantum time crystal. We study Bose-Einstein condensation of magnons, associated with coherent spin precession, created in a flexible trap in superfluid $^3$He-B. Under a periodic drive with an oscillating magnetic field, the coherent spin precession is stabilized at a frequency smaller than that of the drive, demonstrating spontaneous breaking of discrete time translation symmetry. The induced precession frequency is incommensurate with the drive, and hence the obtained state is a time quasicrystal. When the drive is turned off, the self-sustained coherent precession lives a macroscopically-long time, now representing a time crystal with broken symmetry with respect to continuous time translations. Additionally, the magnon condensate manifests spin superfluidity, justifying calling the obtained state a time supersolid or a time super-crystal

Archaea dominate the microbial community in an ecosystem with low-to-moderate temperature and extreme acidity

[Background] The current view suggests that in low-temperature acidic environments, archaea are significantly less abundant than bacteria. Thus, this study of the microbiome of Parys Mountain (Anglesey, UK) sheds light on the generality of this current assumption. Parys Mountain is a historically important copper mine and its acid mine drainage (AMD) water streams are characterised by constant moderate temperatures (8–18 °C), extremely low pH (1.7) and high concentrations of soluble iron and other metal cations.[Results] Metagenomic and SSU rRNA amplicon sequencing of DNA from Parys Mountain revealed a significant proportion of archaea affiliated with Euryarchaeota, which accounted for ca. 67% of the community. Within this phylum, potentially new clades of Thermoplasmata were overrepresented (58%), with the most predominant group being “E-plasma”, alongside low-abundant Cuniculiplasmataceae, ‘Ca. Micrarchaeota’ and ‘Terrestrial Miscellaneous Euryarchaeal Group’ (TMEG) archaea, which were phylogenetically close to Methanomassilicoccales and clustered with counterparts from acidic/moderately acidic settings. In the sediment, archaea and Thermoplasmata contributed the highest numbers in V3-V4 amplicon reads, in contrast with the water body community, where Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria outnumbered archaea. Cultivation efforts revealed the abundance of archaeal sequences closely related to Cuniculiplasma divulgatum in an enrichment culture established from the filterable fraction of the water sample. Enrichment cultures with unfiltered samples showed the presence of Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum, C. divulgatum, ‘Ca. Mancarchaeum acidiphilum Mia14’, ‘Ca. Micrarchaeota’-related and diverse minor (< 2%) bacterial metagenomic reads.[Conclusion] Contrary to expectation, our study showed a high abundance of archaea in this extremely acidic mine-impacted environment. Further, archaeal populations were dominated by one particular group, suggesting that they are functionally important. The prevalence of archaea over bacteria in these microbiomes and their spatial distribution patterns represents a novel and important advance in our understanding of acidophile ecology. We also demonstrated a procedure for the specific enrichment of cell wall-deficient members of the archaeal component of this community, although the large fraction of archaeal taxa remained unculturable. Lastly, we identified a separate clustering of globally occurring acidophilic members of TMEG that collectively belong to a distinct order within Thermoplasmata with yet unclear functional roles in the ecosystem.The work of OVG, PNG and SVT was supported by the Royal Society UK-Russia Exchange Grant #IE 160224 (RFBR 16-54-10072 КО project). OVG and PNG acknowledge ERA Net IB2 Project MetaCat through UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Grant BB/M029085/1 and the support of the Centre of Environmental Biotechnology Project funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government. RB and PNG acknowledge the support of the Supercomputing Wales project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the Welsh Government. The work of AAK and IVK was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant # 18-44-04024. MF acknowledges grants PCIN-2014-107 (within ERA NET IB2 grant ERA-IB-14-030—MetaCat), PCIN-2017-078 (within the Marine Biotechnology ERA-NET (ERA-MBT) funded under the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme, 2013-2017, Grant agreement 604814), BIO2014-54494-R and BIO2017-85522-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Thyroid hormones imbalance in patients with functional dyspepsia

© 2018, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved. The article presents the results of our research into the analysis of the thyroid dysfunction role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of functional dyspepsia (FD). It was revealed that 31% of patients with FD had a T3 and/or FT4 level drop at normal or moderately reduced levels of TSH in the blood, which corresponds to the notion of euthyroid pathology syndrome. These changes in the thyroid hormones level were more often found in the postprandial FD case than in the one with epigastric pain syndrome. Besides this, FD patients had a rise in the average level of antithyroid antibodies compared to the healthy controls. A direct relationship was discovered between the degree of FD clinical signs and thyroid system functional disorders. The results obtained allow us to make a conclusion concerning the significance of thyroid hormones imbalance in FD pathogenesis and clinical picture