DEGENERATIVE SPINE INJURY ASSOCIATED WITH BACK PAIN: MORPHOGENETIC ASPECTS

Degeneration of the intervertebral disk (IVD) is a pathological process resulting from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors causing structural and functional damage of the IVD and neighboring structures. It is the first stage of degenerative cascade in the vertebral motion segment. Initiation and progression of IVD degenerative processes traditionally involves several factors: inadequate mechanical load, decreased diffusion of nutrients through the arch laminae, and genetic factors playing a significant role in the development  of degenerative changes. Three categories of candidate genes whose coding variants are associated with different forms of degenerative changes in the IVD are identified, a conceptual model of genetic interactions in degenerative disease of the disk is developed. The study  of the role of structural changes in back pain genesis, evaluation of risk factors allow to optimize the tactics of patient care and find new therapeutic solutions preventing disease progression

Discovery of Recent Star Formation in the Extreme Outer Regions of Disk Galaxies

We present deep Halpha images of three nearby late-type spiral galaxies (NGC628, NGC1058 and NGC6946), which reveal the presence of HII regions out to, and beyond, two optical radii (defined by the 25th B-band isophote). The outermost HII regions appear small, faint and isolated, compared to their inner disk counterparts, and are distributed in organized spiral arm structures, likely associated with underlying HI arms and faint stellar arms. The relationship between the azimuthally--averaged Halpha surface brightness (proportional to star formation rate per unit area) and the total gas surface density is observed to steepen considerably at low gas surface densities. We find that this effect is largely driven by a sharp decrease in the covering factor of star formation at large radii, and not by changes in the rate at which stars form locally. An azimuthally--averaged analysis of the gravitational stability of the disk of NGC6946 reveals that while the existence of star formation in the extreme outer disk is consistent with the Toomre-Q instability model, the low rates observed are only compatible with the model when a constant gaseous velocity dispersion is assumed. We suggest that observed behaviour could also be explained by a model in which the star formation rate has an intrinsic dependence on the azimuthally-averaged gas volume density, which decreases rapidly in the outer disk due to the vertical flaring of the gas layer.Comment: 10 pages, 2 embedded postscript files, 3 jpeg images; accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

HI power spectrum of the spiral galaxy NGC628

We have measured the HI power spectrum of the nearly face-on spiral galaxy NGC628 (M74) using a visibility based estimator. The power spectrum is well fitted by a power law $P(U)=AU^{\alpha}$, with $\alpha =- 1.6\pm0.2$ over the length scale $800 {\rm pc} {\rm to} 8 {\rm kpc}$. The slope is found to be independent of the width of the velocity channel. This value of the slope is a little more than one in excess of what has been seen at considerably smaller length scales in the Milky-Way, Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC), Large Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and the dwarf galaxy DDO210. We interpret this difference as indicating a transition from three dimensional turbulence at small scales to two dimensional turbulence in the plane of the galaxy's disk at length scales larger than galaxy's HI scale height. The slope measured here is similar to that found at large scales in the LMC. Our analysis also places an upper limit to the galaxy's scale height at $800\ {\rm pc}$ .Comment: 4 Pages, 2 Figures, 1 Table. Accepted for Publication in MNRAS LETTER

HIP AND BUTTOCKS PAIN SYNDROME — LOOK OF THE INTERNIST

Differential approach to the diagnosis of diseases associated with pain in the hips and buttocks is presented in this lecture

Дорсопатии - новый взглядна проблему диагностики и лечения

The paper shows the newest aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of the most important varieties of dorsopathies: inflammatory spondylopathies and spondylosis.В статье отражены новейшие аспекты диагностики и лечения важнейших разновидностей дорсопатий - воспалительных спондилопатий и спондилеза

The Molecular ISM of Dwarf Galaxies on Kiloparsec Scales: A New Survey for CO in Northern, IRAS-detected Dwarf Galaxies

We present a new survey for CO in dwarf galaxies using the Kitt Peak 12m telescope. We observed the central regions of 121 northern dwarfs with IRAS detections and no known CO emission. We detect CO in 28 of these galaxies and marginally detect another 16, increasing by about 50% the number of such galaxies known to have significant CO emission. The galaxies we detect are comparable in mass to the LMC, although somewhat brighter in CO and fainter in the FIR. Within dwarfs, we find that the CO luminosity, L_CO, is most strongly correlated with the K-band and the far infrared luminosities. There are also strong correlations with the radio continuum and B-band luminosities, and linear diameter. We suggest that L_CO and L_K correlate well because the stellar component of a galaxy dominates the midplane gravitational field and thus sets the pressure of the atomic gas, which controls the formation of H_2 from HI. We compare our sample with more massive galaxies and find that dwarfs and large galaxies obey the same relationship between CO and the 1.4 GHz radio continuum (RC) surface brightness. This relationship is well described by a Schmidt Law with Sigma_RC proportional to Sigma_CO^1.3. Therefore, dwarf galaxies and large spirals exhibit the same relationship between molecular gas and star formation rate (SFR). We find that this result is robust to moderate changes in the RC-to-SFR and CO-to-H_2 conversion factors. Our data appear to be inconsistent with large (order of magnitude) variations in the CO-to-H_2 conversion factor in the star forming molecular gas. [abridged]Comment: 28 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables, ApJ accepte

Дегенеративное поражение позвоночника: представления о болезни, подходы к терапии(собственные данные)

An open-labeled randomized study of the efficacy and safety of Piascledine-300 in combination with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) versus the latter was conducted in 2 matched groups of patients with lower back pain associated with spondylarthrosis. During combined therapy using Piascledine, there was a reduction in the pain syndrome particularly with the longer administration of the drug. The use of Piascledine in spondylarthrosis showed its clinical efficacy in 89,2% of patients: the indices of lumbago substantially reduced and spinal function improved, which was associated with the good tolerability of the drug.Проведено открытое рандомизированное исследование эффективности и безопасности Пиаскледина-300 в комбинации с нестероидными противовоспалительными препаратами (НПВП) в сравнении с НПВП в 2 параллельных группах пациентов с болью в нижней части спины, ассоциированной со спондилоартрозом. На фоне комбинированной терапии с использованием Пиаскледина наблюдалось уменьшение выраженности болевого синдрома, особенно по мере увеличения длительности приема препарата. Применение Пиаскледина при спондилоартрозе показало его клиническую эффективность у 89,2% больных: значительно снизились показатели болевого синдрома в спине, улучшилось функциональное состояние позвоночника, что сочеталось с хорошей переносимостью препарата

The Role of Pressure in GMC Formation II: The H_2 - Pressure Relation

We show that the ratio of molecular to atomic gas in galaxies is determined by hydrostatic pressure and that the relation between the two is nearly linear. The pressure relation is shown to be good over three orders of magnitude for 14 galaxies including dwarfs, HI-rich, and H_2-rich galaxies as well as the Milky Way. The sample spans a factor of five in mean metallicity. The rms scatter of individual points of the relation is only about a factor of two for all the galaxies, though some show much more scatter than others. Using these results, we propose a modified star formation prescription based on pressure determining the degree to which the ISM is molecular. The formulation is different in high and low pressure regimes defined by whether the gas is primarily atomic or primarily molecular. This formulation can be implemented in simulations and provides a more appropriate treatment of the outer regions of spiral galaxies and molecule-poor systems such as dwarf irregulars and damped Lyman-alpha systems.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

GMRT Detection of HI 21 cm-line Absorption from the Peculiar Galaxy in Abell 2125

Using the recently completed Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope, we have detected the HI 21 cm-line absorption from the peculiar galaxy C153 in the galaxy cluster Abell 2125. The HI absorption is at a redshift of 0.2533, with a peak optical depth of 0.36. The full width at half minimum of the absorption line is 100 km/s. The estimated column density of atomic Hydrogen is 0.7e22(Ts/100K) per sq. cm. The HI absorption is redshifted by ~ 400 km/s compared to the [OIII] emission line from this system. We attribute this to an in-falling cold gas, or to an out-flowing ionised gas, or to a combination of both as a consequence of tidal interactions of C153 with either a cluster galaxy or the cluster potential.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, uses jaa.sty (included

Osteoarthritis: management strategies depending on the location of lesions

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease that can be caused by genetic factors, obesity, joint microtrauma, and excessive physical exercises. The key features of OA include gradual loss of articular cartilage, bone tissue remodeling, development of osteophytes, and subchondral sclerosis. The pathogenesis of OA is based on the loss of glycosaminoglycans, collagen disorganization, and inflammation mediated by a cytokine cascade. OA is a complex disease affecting not only cartilage, but also intraarticular and periarticular tissues. Together, these changes compromise joint function and cause chronic pain. Considerable attention has beer recently paid to OA phenotyping in order to introduce a tailored approach into patient management. Phenotypes are applicable to the three most common peripheral OA locations: gonarthrosis, coxarthrosis, and hand OA. An international group of experts of primary care has developed algorithms for OA patient management, including diagnostic criteria, treatment options, and criteria for referring the patient to a specialist (rheumatologist). Current guidelines recommend non-drug therapy, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. There is a growing interest in phytopharmaceuticals, a heterogeneous group of molecules with a high capacity of suppressing inflammation, oxidative stress, and pain, as well as improving joint function. Mucosate® in capsules (DIAMED-pharma, Russia) is one of currently available complex products with phytocompounds. It contains the NEM® complex (natural eggshell membrane), Harpagophytum root extract, glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and manganese sulfate monohydrate