In Vitro Cytotoxicity Screening as a Criterion for the Rational Selection of Tear Substitutes

A large number of artificial tears are currently available in the pharmaceutical market. Selecting the right drug for the patient remains a challenge for both the doctor and the patient. Comparing the cytotoxicity of artificial tears is one of the criteria for the rational selection of a drug that promotes maximum clinical efficacy and a higher safety profile. It is known that cells grown in vitro retain many metabolic features of the parent host tissues and at the same time lack tissue and organ interrelations and regulatory effects of the nervous and endocrine systems and have very limited compensatory capabilities. These features of cell cultures provide an opportunity to investigate the interaction of chemical agents directly with the cell itself, to identify changes in cellular and subcellular structures that can be masked in whole-organism settings. This study presents the results of assessing the cytotoxicity of tear substitutes, which demonstrate that these drugs can have a cytostatic effect in vitro and differ in their cytotoxic potential. In recent years, the problem of drug therapy of patients with dry eye syndrome has been attracting increasing attention of ophthalmologists, so screening the cytotoxicity of a wide range of tear substitutes using cell culture-based test systems can promote the rational selection of these drugs

A social portrait of the Russian trainer

The purposes of this paper are to survey Russian trainers to create a social portrait of the professional group and to identify features, which could be arranged as a foothold for transforming this group to a new level given the demands of the modern economy. This study integrates the use of quantitative and qualitative social research strategies to obtain, aggregate, and analyze data characterizing the professional group of trainers in the Russian vocational education and training (VET) system. The basic research was provided by questionnaires in all federal districts (as recognized by international law) of the Russian Federation. The quantitative poll of trainers was conducted by representative two-level sampling. A number of tables and charts provide a social portrait of the Russian trainer. The statistical data reveal the current level of trainers’ education as well as their length of service, distribution of vocations, and other significant features. The overall conclusion from these findings indicates that a typical representative of this professional group is a woman of average or slightly advanced age with a family, who has a VET or higher education, has served as a training officer for not less than 10 years, and who has either been recruited as a highly skilled worker or as a specialist. A typical representative feels the need to change something in the life and teaching of the young people that she knows. The research into trainers as a professional group was conducted first because of their uniformity, and secondly, their typicality as a pedagogical group. In many respects, the main characteristics of the social portrait are similar to characteristics of other professional groups in the Russian education system, such as secondary and post-secondary school teachers, and VET teachers. The study is based on one country. It is the first and only survey of its type in the Russian Federation. The paper provides a unique analysis of the situation with trainers in the VET system of the Russian Federation. © 2016 Kopnov et al

Molecular genetic detection and differentiation of <i>Xanthomonas oryzae</i> pv. <i>oryzicola</i>, bacterial leaf streak agents of rice

The genus Xanthomonas comprises phytopathogenic bacteria which infect about 400 host species, including a wide variety of economically important plants. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Fang et al., 1957) Swings et al., 1990 is the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak (BLS) being one of the most destructive bacterial diseases of rice. BLS symptoms are very similar to those of bacterial blight caused by closely related Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. X. o. pv. oryzae and X. o. pv. oryzicola and often occur in rice f ields simultaneously, so separate leaves may show symptoms of both diseases. The quarantine status and high severity of the pathogen require a highly eff icient, fast and precise diagnostic method. We have developed an assay for Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola detection using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and PCR amplicon sequencing. The DNA samples of X. o. pv. oryzae and X. o. pv. oryzicola were obtained from the collection of CIRM-CFBR (France). To evaluate the analytical sensitivity of the assay, a vector construct based on the pAL2-T plasmid was created through the insertion of X. o. pv. oryzicola target fragment (290 bp). Primers and a probe for qPCR were selected for the hpa1 gene site. They allowed identifying all the strains the sequences of which had been loaded in the GenBank NCBI Nucleotide database before November 11, 2021. The SeqX.o.all sequencing primers were selected for the hrp gene cluster sequence, namely for the nucleotide sequence encoding the Hpa1 protein, the sequencing of which allows for eff icient differentiation of X. oryzae species. The analytical specif icity of the system was tested using the DNAs of 53 closely related and accompanying microorganisms and comprised 100 % with no false-positive or false-negative results registered. The system’s analytical sensitivity was not less than 25 copies per PCR reaction. Its eff icacy has been conf irmed using f ive different qPCR detection systems from different manufacturers, so it can be recommended for diagnostic and screening studies