Novel merwinite/akermanite ceramics: in vitro bioactivity

The ceramics in the system CaO – MgO – SiO2 has recently received a great deal of attention because they exhibit good in vitro bioactivity and have potential use as bone implants. Biphasic calcium-magnesium-silicate ceramics was prepared by a sol-gel method. The dried gel with chemical composition 3CaO.MgO.2SiO2 was thermally treated at 1300°C for 2 h. The structural behavior of the synthesized ceramics was examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Merwinite, as the main crystalline phase, and akermanite, as the minor phase, were identified. The in vitro bioactivity of the synthesized ceramic samples was recorded in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) for different times of soaking. The apatite formation on the surface of the immersed samples was detected by FTIR, SEM and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The ion concentrations in the SBF solutions after the in vitro test were evaluated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). On the basis of the results obtained, the ability of the biphasic ceramics to deposit apatite layer was found. The peculiarities of the formation of apatite layer depending on the phase composition were analyzed and discussed

INFLUENCE OF RENAL DYSFUNCTION ON THE LEVEL OF SERUM ANGIOPOIETIN-LIKE PROTEINS AND ANTI-PHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a frequent background for the development of renal pathology. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is determined in more than 30% of patients with RA. Along with inflammation and other factors in the progression of the underlying disease, the development of renal damage in RA is facilitated by the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS).The aim of this study is to assess the relationship of serum concentrations of angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL) and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) with the development of renal dysfunction in patients with RA.We examined 158 patients with RA (91.8% – women and 8.2% – men) aged 21 to 80 years old and an average duration of the disease – 9 (4-15) years. The majority of patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and for antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide, with an advanced clinical stage and moderate activity (3.2 < DAS28 ≤ 5.1) of the pathological process.The ELISA test was used for the quantitative determination of angiopoietin-like protein type 3 and type 4 and antibodies to phospholipids (aРL-IgG/IgM) for total detection of antibodies to cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylic acid and a complex of negatively charged phospholipid and β2-glycoprotein-I.More than half of the examined RA patients had the calculated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ranging from 89 to 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (allocation by CKD stages: C1 – 21.5%; C2 – 58.9%; C3 – 19.6%). Signs of MetS (a combination of increased blood pressure, increased triglyceride levels and carbohydrate metabolism disorders against the background of central obesity) were diagnosed in 68 (43%) RA patients. Multivariable analysis of variance was performed to compare the studied parameters (ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, aPL) depending on eGFR in groups of RA patients without signs of metabolic syndrome and RA patients with MetS. Significant differences in the level of ANGPTL3 (F = 8.86, p = 0.0034) and ANGPTL4 (F = 29.6, p < 0.001), but not aPL (p > 0,05) were found between RA patients with varying degrees of severity of metabolic disorders.Multivariable analysis of variance showed a significant increase in ANGPTL4 in the blood serum of RA patients with reduced eGFR (< 89 ml/min) (F = 18.5, p < 0.001) and pronounced metabolic changes (F = 24.2, p < 0.001). Thus, only two factors (renal dysfunction and the presence of MetS) had a direct effect on the ANGPTL4 content in RA patients, which could describe the variability of this sign in more than 30% of cases. The squared multiple correlation coefficient (R2 ) in this model was 0.33. ANGPTL type 4 should be considered as a key factor linking the development of renal dysfunction and metabolic changes caused by rheumatoid inflammation

Сонографические показатели диафрагмы и их корреляции со спирометрическими данными у здоровых лиц: проспективное клиническое исследование

ЦЕЛЬ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ: Выявить корреляционные взаимосвязи сонографических показателей функционирования диафрагмы со спирометрическими данными у здоровых лиц. МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ: На базе ФГБУ «НМИЦ им. В.А. Алмазова» у 50 здоровых добровольцев (женщин — 30) оценили структурное (толщину) и функциональное (индекс утолщения и экскурсию) состояние диафрагмы с помощью ультразвукового исследования, а также спирометрические характеристики аппарата внешнего дыхания с помощью аппарата искусственной вентиляции легких. После чего провели статистическую обработку и корреляционный анализ. РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ: Толщину диафрагмы (слева и справа) и ее экскурсию (справа) удалось оценить у всех испытуемых; экскурсию диафрагмы слева — только у 20 % испытуемых. Спирометрию выполнили у всех испытуемых. Полученные данные согласуются с литературными. В частности, ультразвуковые и спирометрические показатели для здоровых лиц находились в рамках референтных значений. Сила инспираторных мышц также оказалась сопоставимой с литературными данными. Корреляционный анализ не выявил статистически значимых взаимосвязей между изученными ультразвуковыми и спирометрическими параметрами. Также не было выявлено взаимосвязи между возрастом и ультразвуковыми показателями диафрагмы. Найдены слабые статистически значимые связи между структурно-функциональным состоянием диафрагмы и антропометрическими характеристиками обследованных: массой тела и индексом массы тела. ВЫВОДЫ: Ультразвуковые показатели работы диафрагмы не коррелируют или плохо коррелируют со спирометрическими. У здоровых лиц нет оснований использовать ультразвуковое исследование диафрагмы, так как оно практически не дает дополнительной информации о состоянии аппарата внешнего дыхания

Peculiarities of immunological manifestations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the presence of chronic infection with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> variant encoding cytotoxin-associated gene A

The study aimed to evaluate the association between cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody seropositivity and chronic Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examined 92 women with moderate RA activity. Serum antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (antiCCP), antibodies to H. pylori (anti-H. pylori-IgG), and total antibodies to H. pylori CagA antigen (antiCagA) were determined by enzyme immunoassay; the presence of anti-CagA-IgG positivity was confirmed by immunoblot. 68.5% of RA patients were positive for anti-H. pylori-IgG, and 44.4% of patients in this group were positive for anti-CagA-IgG. All the study participants were divided into three groups: I – H. pylori seronegative (H. pylori- ); II – H. pylori positive, CagA negative (H. pylori+/CagA- ); III – H. pylori positive and CagA positive (CagA+). The anti-CCP values in RA patients with CagA+ (group III) were significantly higher not only in comparison with patients seronegative for H. pylori (p &lt; 0.001), but also in comparison with patients from group II (H. pylori+/CagA- ) (p = 0.041). A study of the influence of the RA activity, the presence of RF and H. pylori on anti-CCP content demonstrated a small proportion of anti-CCP variability (R2 = 0.09), with a high contribution of H. pylori (beta = 0.25). The addition of the CagA(+) index (beta = 0.503) to the presented model allowed us to describe the variability of anti-CCP in almost 30% of cases (R2 = 0.29). In the group of RA patients with anti-CCP values exceeding the established threshold value of 20 U/mL (normal index), there was an increase in the proportion of patients infected with H. pylori (p &lt; 0.001), but not the proportion of CagA-positive patients (p = 0.06). When the threshold level was increased to 60 U/mL (three times the upper limit of normal) in patients with significantly high anti-CCP, the association with positivity for CagA became significant (p = 0.005). CagA is highly immunogenic and is capable of inducing an inflammatory response in the host that goes beyond the effect of H. pylori itself. Additional experimental studies are needed to investigate possible clinical and laboratory associations that may influence the treatment tactics of CagA+ patients with RA who are seropositive for anti-citrullinated antibodies, as well as to evaluate the possible effects of therapeutic intervention aimed at the eradication of H. pylori in this group

Multi-spin strings on AdS(5)xT(1,1) and operators of N=1 superconformal theory

We study rotating strings with multiple spins in the background of $AdS_5\times T^{1,1}$, which is dual to a $\mathcal{N}=1$ superconformal field theory with global symmetry $SU(2)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$ via the AdS/CFT correspondence. We analyse the limiting behaviour of macroscopic strings and discuss the identification of the dual operators and how their anomalous dimensions should behave as the global charges vary. A class of string solutions we find are dual to operators in SU(2) subsector, and our result implies that the one-loop planar dilatation operator restricted to the SU(2) subsector should be equivalent to the hamiltonian of the integrable Heisenberg spin chain.Comment: 8 pages, revtex4, twocolum

ОПЫТ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ДВУХЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКОЙ КОМПЬЮТЕРНОЙ ТОМОГРАФИИ У ПАЦИЕНТА С МОЧЕКАМЕННОЙ БОЛЕЗНЬЮ

We presented a clinical case of dual-energy computed tomography in a patient with urolithiasis. Was performed a complex evaluation of the specific parameters obtained in dual-energy computed tomography: dual-energy ratio, dual-energy difference, dual-energy index, Z effective and the chemical composition of the urinary stone in a patient in vivo to determine the tactics of surgical treatment and metaphylaxis.Представлено клиническое наблюдение применения двухэнергетической компьютерной томографии (ДЭКТ) у пациента с мочекаменной болезнью. Проведена комплексная оценка специфических показателей, полученных при ДЭКТ: двухэнергетическое отношение, двухэнергетическая разность, двухэнергетический индекс, эффективный атомный номер (Zeff), а также определен физико-химический состав мочевого камня у пациента в предоперационном периоде для выбора оптимального хирургического пособия и метафилактики