Biological resources of the Hyssopus l on the south of European Russia and prospects of its introduction

The south of European Russia (geographically - the southern part of the Central Russian Upland) has large biological and plant genetic resources. There is a concept considering the region as the second anthropogenic microgen center of formation of economically valuable plants. In the south of the Central Russian Upland, the genus Hyssopus L. is represented by two species: Hyssopus cretaceus Dubjan. and Hyssopus officinalis L. Accomplished the study of biological resources of species of the genus Hyssopus L. in vivo and in vitr

Immunomodulatory properties of caffeine and caffeine-treated immune cells in depression-like state

Depression is one of the leading global health problems worldwide. A significant increase in prevalence among the working-age population, as well as high comorbidity, partial or complete drug resistance in a third of patients determines the need to develop new approaches to the treatment of depression. Violation of mutual regulation of the main homeostatic systems plays an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. Psycho- and immunopathology are closely interrelated: pathological changes in the functioning of both systems occur simultaneously and are interdependent. This determines the prospects for the treatment of depression based on immunological approaches. Caffeine, a drug known for its psychoneuromodulatory properties, is an adenosine receptor antagonist with a pronounced dose-dependent effect. Adenosine receptors are expressed by both CNS cells and cells of the immune system, which determines its immunomodulatory properties. The similarity of both phenotypes and functions of the cellular elements of the immune and nervous systems, as well as the unidirectional effect of most psychoactive drugs on the central nervous system and the immune system, determines the interest in studying the immunomodulatory properties of caffeine for a targeted effect on the functional activity of immune cells, with a view to their subsequent use as model objects for the normalization of neuroimmune regulatory connections disturbed in a depressive state. Previously, we first demonstrated the possibility of editing depression-like behavior by immune cells precultivated with caffeine and showed the central mechanisms of this effect aimed at stimulating neuroplasticity processes and reducing neuroinflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional phenotype of immune cells in depressive-like animals after in vitro treatment of cells with caffeine, as well as the effects of transplantation of caffeine-precultured immune cells on the parameters of the functional activity of the immune system of syngeneic depressive-like recipients. As a result of the study, it was shown that low concentrations of caffeine increase the spontaneous and mitogen-induced proliferative activity of splenocytes of depression-like male mice (CBA x C57BL/6)F1 in vitro; this changes the spontaneous and mitogen-stimulated production of cytokines TNFa IL-1b, IFNg, IL-2, and IL-10 by these cells. After intravenous administration of the precultured with caffeine depression-like donor’s splenocytes to syngeneic depression-like recipients, stimulation of the humoral immune response was observed in the latter, assessed by an increase in both the relative and absolute number of antibody-forming spleen cells. Stimulation of spontaneous proliferative activity of lymphocytes in splenocyte culture was also registered. The data obtained indicate a positive effect of caffeine in vitro on the immune cell’s functional activity, as well as a positive immunomodulatory effect of the immune cells precultured with caffeine in a depression-like state in vivo

IMMUNE CELLS AS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC AGENT IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION

The immune and neuroendocrine systems play a critical role in maintaining a dynamic homeostasis in normal conditions and at mental maladaptation. Psycho- and immunopathology closely interrelated: pathological changes in the functioning of both systems occur simultaneously and are interdependent. Depression, as a mental disorder, is a major public health concern. The estimations are showing rise of the depression’s incidence in the future. However, currently used therapy of depression doesn’t provide a complete cure. It is known that a violation of neuroimmune interaction is an essential link in the pathogenesis of the disease, having a negative impact on its course, making the clinical picture worse, reducing effectiveness of the therapy, therefore, it’s urgent to search for a new treatment approaches. There are a sufficient amount data on the immune cells and their biologically active products leading role in the pathogenesis of depression. The unidirectional effect of most psychoactive substances on the central nervous system and the immune system confirms intersystem mutual regulation and allows considering the immune cells as model objects for influencing the intersystem functional relationship; so, cells immunotherapy can be the method of choice in the treatment of depressive disorders. We first demonstrated the possibility of animal’s behavior directed regulation by the transplantation of immune cells with definite functional characteristics, including those with functional activity modulated extracorporeally by a psychoactive substance. Based on the previous results we investigated the effect of the in vitro caffeine- treated immune cells on the behavior and immune phenotypes in depressive-like singeneic recipients. Transplantation of caffeine-treated splenocytes from depressive-like donors has been shown to induce depressive-like behavior editing in syngeneic recipients, which was manifested in anhedonia decrease, stimulation of exploratory behavior in the Open Field test and motor activity in the Porsolt forced swimming test. Recipient’s behavioral changes were registered on the background of decreased brain pro- inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IFNγ) and IL-10 increased in some pathogenetically significant for depressive-like state brain structures (hippocampus, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, striatum), which indicates a decrease in neuroinflammation. It was also detected recipient’s immune system functional activity modulation. The cytokines-mediated mechanisms of depressive-like behavior editing by the in vitro caffeine- modulated immune cells are discussed

A comparative study of human endogenous retrovirus <i>HERV-E λ 4-1</i> activation in autoimmune pathology

Considering the presence of immunomodulatory properties of human endogenous retroviruses, namely (i) the ability to activate the innate immune response by HERVs nucleic acids; (ii) the antigenicity of transcriptionally competent endogenous retroviruses envelope protein molecule, which causes polyclonal activation of lymphocytes; (iii) the absence of HERVs expression and protein production in the thymus during the immune tolerance formation, which allows us to consider these proteins as autoantigens or neoantigens, it seemed relevant to investigate the association of replication-competent human endogenous retrovirus HERV-E λ 4-1 with course of some of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The aim of this work was a comparative study of the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-E λ 4-1 activation frequency in blood mononuclear cells in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as in chronic nervous system non-progressive diseases and the degenerative-dystrophic disease of the musculoskeletal system. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by the venous blood centrifugation on Ficoll density gradient of 1.078 g/cm3. Expression of the HERV-E λ 4-1 envelope gene was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. It was found that the HERV-E λ 4-1 envelope gene expression frequency in the chronic non-progressive diseases of nervous system, as well as in degenerative-dystrophic joint disease, is comparable to the expression frequency in conditionally healthy individuals. However, the HERV-E λ 4-1 envelope gene expression frequency in autoimmune diseases significantly exceeded that in conditionally healthy individuals and in non-inflammatory diseases. The maximum values of expression frequency were observed in active multiple sclerosis, significantly higher than in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in the acute stage. Moreover, the expression frequency in the remission stage of multiple sclerosis was significantly lower than in the acute stage of the relapsing-remitted course, as well as in the progredient course. Estimation of HERV-E λ 4-1 envelope gene expression frequency at different severity levels of multiple sclerosis revealed its maximum rates at III and IV-V severity levels, both in relapsing-remitting and progressive course of multiple sclerosis. Thus, activation of the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-E λ 4-1 is associated with the course of autoimmune diseases, namely multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus; it positively correlates with the activity and severity of multiple sclerosis

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR CORRECTION BY THE TRANSPLANTATION OF IN VITRO MODULATED IMMUNE CELLS

Aggression is a serious biomedical problem associated with a high percentage of patients and a lack of selective corrective agents. The most frequent increase in aggressiveness occurs in patients with depressive disorders, schizophrenia, reactive psychoses and adjustment disorders, which are known to be characterized by immunological dysfunction. Antipsychotics are widely used in the correction of psychomotor agitation; the antipsychotic effect of these drugs is manifested in the achievement of a sedative effect. However, like other psychoactive substances, they have a number of side effects that limit their long-term use and determines the need to search for new approaches to the correction of affective disorders. Experimental modeling of aggression is one of the main approaches for studying its pathogenetic mechanisms and searching for new effective therapeutic agents for the treatment. The study of the aggression pathogenetic mechanisms and the search for approaches to therapy within the framework of neuroimmune interaction is currently extremely promising. Currently, there is a large number of clinical and experimental data indicating interrelated changes in the functional activity of the nervous and immune systems during aggression. The leading links in the pathogenetic mechanism of aggression is the violation of the production and mutual regulation of cytokines, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, growth factors, hormones, the effects of which are mediated by the cellular elements of the immune system. Given the immune cells essential role in the pathogenesis of aggression and the psychoactive substances unidirectional effect on the immune and nervous cells, make it possible to consider immune cells as model objects for influencing the intersystem functional relationship in order to edit the aggressive phenotype. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of in vitro neuroleptic-modulated immune cells transplantation on behavioral phenotype and brain cytokines in aggressive syngeneic recipients. Aggressive behavior was formed in active male mice (CBA × C57Bl/6) F1 as a result of the experience of 20- fold victories in inter-male confrontations (distant sensory contact model). Aggressive mice splenocytes were treated in vitro with chlorpromazine and intravenously injected to syngeneic aggressive recipients. It has been demonstrated that modulated in vitro by chlorpromazine splenocytes of aggressive mice after transplantation edit the syngeneic aggressive recipient’s behavior against the background of a decrease in cytokines IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IFNγ and an increase in IL-4 in pathogenetically significant for aggression brain structures. The mechanisms of the aggressive behavior correcting effect of modulated immune cells are discussed

THE FORMATION OF THE STRESS STATE IN THE SURFACE LAYER OF STEELS AFTER GRINDING

Рассмотрено влияние режущих зерен на формирование растягивающих напряжений в поверхностном слое сталей. Определена целесообразность поверхностной обработки сплавов.The influence of the cutting grains on the formation of tensile stresses in the surface layer of steels were investigated in the present article. The appropriateness of surface treatment of alloys were determined

INVESTIGATION OF BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS CYTOKINE-PRODUCTION FUNCTION FROM PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TREATED WITH THE ENDOGENOUS RETROVIRUS HERV-E λ 4-1 CONSERVATIVE REGION SYNTHETIC OLIGOPEPTIDE

Considering to the data of class I human endogenous retrovirus HERV-Е λ 4-1 subgroup association with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease accompanied by neuroinflammation, changes in the neurotransmitters level, progressive neurological dysfunction, as well as the ability of this retrovirus to replicate and to produce proteins with potential immunomodulatory properties, the aim of this work was a comparative study of the blood immune cells cytokine synthesizing function in conventionally healthy individuals and multiple sclerosis patients under the synthetic 17 – amino acid oligopeptide homologous to the hydrophobic transmembrane protein р15Е HERV-Е λ 4-1 conserved region influence. The 40 patients, 17 male persons aged 38.0 (31.0-47.0) years old and 23 female persons aged 39.0 (31.0-50.0) years old with an established diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (G 35, ICD-10), corresponding to the McDonald 2005, modified in 2010 criteria with a continuously progressive disease course and the disease duration of 17.0 (14.0-18.0) years, and 30 conditionally healthy individuals, 12 male persons aged 32.0 (23.0-43.0) years old and 18 female persons aged 36.0 (29.0-46.0) years old were the objects of the study. An open-label, observational, single-center, cohort, controlled, randomized trial was conducted. It was found that the donor’s blood mononuclear cells IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, IFNγ and IL-2 spontaneous production in culture was stimulated, but that of IL-4 and IL-10 did not change under the retroviral oligopeptide influence. At the same time, the spontaneous and mitogenstimulated production of all studied cytokines did not change under the control oligopeptide influence. The PHA-stimulated donor’s blood mononuclear cells cultivation in presence of the retroviral oligopeptide, as compared to the control one, was accompanied by an increase in the IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα release into the culture supernatant. The multiple sclerosis patients were characterized by IL-1β, IL-6 and IFNγ higher content in the mitogen-unstimulated blood mononuclear cells culture supernatant, compared with conditionally healthy individuals, as well as by a higher production of IL-6 and IFNγ in response to PHA stimulation. The retroviral oligopeptide, in contrast to the control one, stimulated the IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα and IFNγ spontaneous production without altering that of IL-4 and IL-10 in multiple sclerosis patients. The obtained results indicate that the synthetic oligopeptide homologous to the conserved region of the hydrophobic transmembrane protein p15E HERV-Е λ 4-1 has the pro-inflammatory properties, which is probably the one of human endogenous retrovirus HERV-Е λ 4-1 pathological abilities realization mechanism in multiple sclerosis

The Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Antithrombin III In The Pathogenesis of the Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an iatrogenic complication of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Its pathogenesis is not clarified yet. In the recent years a number of studies focused on the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and antihtrombin III (AT III) indicators. VEGF is homodimeric, heparin-binding glycoprotein, stimulating vascular permeability. Antithrombin III is protease inhibitor of activated clotting factors. This study aimed at examining the VEGF-A165 and AT III indicators with two OHSS patients. Two methods were used for the determination of the indicators of VEGF-A165 and AT III: ELISA for VEGF and chromogenic assay for ATT III. Kits of R/D Systems and American Diagnostica Inc. were used to estimate VEGF and AT III indicators in serum and plasma. There were higher indicators of VEGF-A165 (180pg/ml) and reduction of AT III indicators (48%) in the patient with a severe form of OHSS than in the control group while these indicators were normal in the patient with a moderate form of OHSS. Our results confirmed some published data concerning the importance of VEGF and AT III in the genesis of OHSS. This study should include a larger group of patients in order tofollow-up statistically and authentically the variations of the indicators of both factors and their importance for OHSS

Hardiness of adolescents with special educational needs: Research results

The relevance of the problem under study is due to the fact that the current worldwide trend shows high dynamics of the increase in the number of children with SEN, which requires that society in general and the education system, in particular, should develop approaches to the socialization and adaptation of people with SEN through strengthening their personal resources. The purpose of the article is to explore the peculiarities of the phenomenology and structure of hardiness of adolescents with SEN in comparison with the conventionally healthy peers. The main method applied in the research of this problem is a comparative study based on the cross-sectional method, which makes it possible to identify the specificity of hardiness of adolescents with SEN. The results of the research: the research revealed the peculiarities of expression and relationship of the components of hardiness of adolescents with SEN in comparison with the conventionally healthy peers. The materials of the article may be useful for educational and social psychologists in devising programs for psychological support and comprehensive psycho-social assistance to families with children with SEN, which will contribute to the successful integration of adolescents with SEN in society. © 2016 Shchipanova et al

Lengths of quasi-commutative pairs of matrices

In this paper we discuss some partial solutions of the length conjecture which describes the length of a generating system for matrix algebras. We consider mainly the algebras generated by two matrices which are quasi-commuting. It is shown that in this case the length function is linearly bounded. We also analyze which particular natural numbers can be realized as the lengths of certain special generating sets and prove that for commuting or product-nilpotent pairs all possible numbers are realizable, however there are non-realizable values between lower and upper bounds for the other quasi-commuting pairs. In conclusion we also present several related open problems