Antibacterial Polyacrylamide and Dextran-Graft-Polyacrylamide Hydrogels for the Treatment of Open Wounds

Background. Open wound treatment requires a use of bandage material to prevent the development of pathogenic microflora and to provide the necessary conditions for tissue regeneration. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of polyacrylamide (PAA) and dextran-graft-polyacrylamide (D-PAA) hydrogels loaded with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), antibiotics, and photosensitizers for the treatment of bacterial infection of open wounds. Materials and Methods. PAA and D-PAA hydrogels with AgNPs, methylene blue (0.001%) without (MB) and with red light irradiation (660 nm) (MB+L), chlorhexidine (0.05%) and cefuroxime (0.1%) were used. There were tested in vitro and in vivo (a rat model) antibacterial activities against wild-type Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains obtained from the wound. Clinical investigations were performed in patients with chronic venous ulcers of the lower extremities with no response to traditional treatments. Results. S. aureus, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae strains were sensitive to PAA and D-PAA hydrogels with AgNPs, chlorhexidine, and cefuroxime. Antibiotic-resistant E. coli was not inhibited by the hydrogels with cefuroxime. This strain was less sensitive to chlorhexidine and MB+L. There were no differences between unloaded PAA and D-PAA hydrogels; the antibacterial properties of the dressing were determined by an antibacterial component loaded into the hydrogel. The use of unloaded D-PAA hydrogels in vivo helped reduce the size of the wound by 28.6% and 42.8% three and five days after wound modeling, respectively. Similar results were obtained for D-PAA hydrogels loaded with cefuroxime, chlorhexidine, and MB+L. D-PAA hydrogel with AgNPs reduced wound size by 50% and 62.5% three and five days after wound induction, respectively, demonstrated greater antibacterial activity and was selected for clinical investigations. In a patient, 14 days after bandage application, the fibrin membrane disappeared, the ulcers were covered with pink granulations, marginal epithelialization appeared. Conclusions. PAA and D-PAA hydrogels can be loaded with the antibacterial compounds of various types. The type of polymer does not affect the antibacterial properties of the final hydrogels. The hydrogels with chlorhexidine and MB+L can be potentially used to treat bacterial contamination of wounds and ulcers. Nevertheless, their disadvantage is the inability to absorb or precipitate tissue breakdown products that interfere with normal regeneration and inflammation. D-PAA/AgNPs are the best option for treating ulcers due to the ability to control the properties of the hydrogels and nanoparticles, as well as multiple mechanisms of antibacterial action

Features of Management Decisions by the Head of an Educational Institution, Their Assessment in the Conditions of Crisis

The innovative and socio-economic preconditions of the state growth process make it urgent to develop education and modernise education management, to improve the competence of administrators at all levels and to model the mechanisms of human interaction, psychology and educational philosophy. The purpose of the study is to examine the characteristics and conditions of management decisions determined by the head of an educational institution, his competence to make and implement them in a crisis situation to achieve high results. An urgent need for management decisions may arise due to external or internal circumstances. It is a kind of response to indirect influences, which aims at solving a particular problem and getting as close to the goal as possible. The practical significance lies in finding the best methods and forms of managerial decision-making that will help the rational implementation of the educational process at school in crisis

Stadialne formy popełnienia czynu zabronionego w prawie karnym Ukrainy

The  person  who  commits  a forbidden  act  is  not  always  capable  of  finishing  it.  The  act  can  be  stopped  both  by  some  objective  circumstances  and  by  the  decision  of  the  offence  subject.  Art.  13  of  the  Criminal  Code  of  Ukraine  distinguishes  three  stages  of  perpetration  of  an  offence:  1)  preparation  of  offence;  2)  attempt  to  commit  an  offence;  3)  commission  of  an offence.                                               All  these  stages  differ  as  far  as  the  character  of  the  act  and  the  degree  of  fulfilling  the  perpetrator’s intent  are  concerned.  The  first  two  stages  are  types  of  inchoate  offences.  All  the  three  stages  need  not  be  present  in  the  perpetration  of  a given  offence.  An  offence  can  be  committed  without  the  presence  of  the  stages  of  preparation  and/or  attempt.                                             When  the  Criminal  Code  of  Ukraine  was  accepted  in  2001  the  institution  of  the  stages  of  an  offence  was  significantly  modified:  1)  for  the  first  time  the  definition  of  a committed  offence  was  introduced;  2)  for  the  first  time  preparation  of  an  offence  and  attempt  to  commit  an  offence  were  defined as  types  of  not  fully  committed  offence;  3)  the  law  described  the  types  of  attempts  to  commit  an  offence;  4)  the  list  of  types  of  perpetration  of  an  offence  was  extended;  5)  special  rules  of  punishment  for  inchoate  offences  were  introduced.                                                   The  special  features  of  inchoate  offences  are  constituted  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  fulfilment  of  those  elements  of  an  offence  which  art  described  in  the  Special  Part  of  the  Criminal  Code  of  Ukraine:  there  is  no  full  execution  of  the  objective  side  or  the  lack  of  socially  dangerous  consequences;  seen  from  the  subjective  side  preparation  and  attempt  are  characterised  by  the  direct  intent  only.n  offence.Artykuł nie zawiera abstraktu w języku polski

Вплив N-ацетилцистеїну на рухову активність геміпаркінсо-нічних щурів, викликану ін’єкцією агоніста дофамінових рецепторів

The muscle contraction during labor activity is accompanied by motor and postural disorders as a results of their fatigue or chronic pain. It is known, that in the process of muscle fatigue development the metabolism is disturbed, products of incomplete oxidation of oxygen – peroxide, free radicals, oxygen ions – are formed. The cells protection from such damage is provided by the antioxidant system. In the field of sport physiology, in the study of muscle fatigue, exogenous antioxidant such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is widely used, which accelerates the muscles recovery process after their fatigue. The aim of this study was to detect the preventive effect of a previous injection of NAC on the development of muscle fatigue in a non-anesthetized animal with experimental hemiparkinsonism during prolonged circulatory movements induced by the injection of apomorphine (AM).The studies were conducted on the Wistar-Kyoto line rats, which caused a one-sided destruction of the dopaminergic (DA) upright system of the brain by injection of 8 μg 6-hydroxidophan dissolved in 4 μl of physiological solution with the addition of 0,1 % of ascorbic acid, which inhibits the oxidation of neurotoxin.Animals behavioral reactions to the dopaminomimetics injection were an indirect test for the DA-neurons degeneration level in the middle brain. After seven days of 6-hydroxidophanum administration, the animals were divided into the groups: 1 control animals, which caused intense circulatory movements by injection of apomorphine (0,5 mg / kg) (n = 6); 2–rats, which were injected 0.5 ml of physiological solution (n = 6) one hour prior to the injection of AM; 3–animals that were injected with an N-acetylcysteine solution (150 mg / kg) (n = 6) an hour before the injection of AM.By comparing behavioral tests in rats in three groups, it can be assumed that the decrease in the number of rotation in the control group rats and the animals with the prior injection of the physiological solution was not due to the finish of the apomorphine action, but due to the development of muscle fatigue during prolonged circulatory movements. At the same time, in the rats of the third group, after the application of NAC, there was no decrease in the average number of rotation. This may indicate the activation of the antioxidant defense activity in response to prolonged muscular activity, and the NAC can be considered as a powerful activator of protective mechanisms which reduce the fatigue of skeletal muscle.Мета роботи – виявити профілактичний ефект попередньої ін’єкції N-АЦ на розвиток м’язової втоми в неанестезованої тварини з експериментальним геміпаркінсонізмом під час тривалих циркуляторних рухів, викликаних ін’єкцією апоморфіну (АМ).Дослідження проводили на щурах лінії Вістар-Кіото, у яких викликали однобічне руйнування дофамінергічної (ДА) висхідної системи мозку за допомогою ін’єкції 8 мкг 6-гідроксидофаміну, розчиненого в 4 мкл фізіологічного розчину з додатком 0,1 % аскорбінової кислоти, яка гальмує окислення нейротоксину. Поведінкові реакції тварин на ін’єкцію дофаміноміметика апоморфіну були непрямим тестом на ступінь дегенерації ДА-нейронів середнього мозку. Через сім днів після введення 6-гідроксидофаміну тварин розділили на такі групи: 1 – контрольні тварини, у яких викликали інтенсивні циркуляторні рухи за допомогою ін’єкції апоморфіну (0,5 мг/кг) (n = 6); 2 – щури, яким за годину до ін’єкції АМ вводили 0,5 мл фізіологічного розчину (n = 6); 3 – тварини, яким за годину до ін’єкції АМ вводили розчин N-ацетилцистеїну (150 мг/кг) (n = 6).Порівнюючи поведінкові тести на щурах у трьох групах, можемо припустити, що зменшення числа обертів щурів контрольної групи й тварин із попередньою ін’єкцією фізіологічного розчину відбувалося не через припинення дії апоморфіну, а через розвиток м’язової втоми під час тривалих циркуляторних рухів. Водночас у щурів третьої групи після застосування N-АЦ зниження середньої кількості обертів не спостерігали. Це може вказувати на активацію захисної дії антиоксидантної системи у відповідь на тривалу м’язову активність, а N-АЦ можна розглядати як потужний активатор захисних механізмів, спрямованих на зниження втоми скелетних м’язів

Innovative aspects of environmental activities in service firms

У статті розглянуто інноваційні аспекти організації природоохоронної діяльності в умовах обслуговуючих підприємств. Розкрито особливості цього процесу в умовах трансформаційної економіки. Запропоновано шляхи удосконалення організації природоохоронної роботи на підприємстві. Визначено напрями їх розвитку у контексті економічних реформ задекларованих Урядом.В статье рассмотрены инновационные аспекты организации природоохранной деятельности в условиях обслуживающих предприятий. Раскрыты особенности этого процесса в условиях трансформационной экономики. Предложены пути совершенствования организации природоохранной работы на предприятии. Определены направления их развития в контексте экономических реформ задекларированных правительством.The article considers the innovative aspects of environmental management in service companies. The features of this process in terms of transformation of the economy. Ways of improving the organization of environmental protection work in the enterprise. The directions of their development in the context of economic reforms declared by the government

Antithrombin is incorporated into exosomes produced by antithrombin non-expressing cells

Antithrombin is a serine protease inhibitor that exerts a crucial role in hemostasis as the main inhibitor of the coagulation cascade. It plays also critical roles in other processes, such as inflammation and cancer. Here we show that exosomes released by Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells cultured in the presence of heparin incorporate antithrombin from the serum. Exosomal antithrombin is found complexed with the serine protease high temperature requirement A1 (HTRA1), whose cellular levels are increased after serum deprival, the condition used to collect exosomes. Although the biological relevance of the presence of antithrombin in exosomes remains to be investigated, our results suggest a functional interplay between antithrombin and HTRA1.Ginés Luengo-Gil holds a grant from the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH-FEHH), Irene Martínez-Martínez holds a Miguel Servet contract from the ISCIII. Miguel Quintanilla holds a grant (SAF2017-84183-R) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and Irene Martínez-Martínez holds grants from ISCIII (CP13/00126 & FEDER and PI17/00050 & FEDER)

C60 fullerenes increase the intensity of rotational movements in non-anesthetized hemiparkinsonic rats

The effect of C60 fullerene aqueous colloid solution (C60FAS) on the intensity of long-lasting (persisting for one hour) rotational movements in non-anesthetized rats was investigated. For this purpose, an experimental hemiparkinsonic animal model was used in the study. Rotational movements in hemiparkinsonic animals were initiated by the intraperitoneal administration of the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine. It was shown that a preliminary injection of C60FAS (a substance with powerful antioxidant properties) in hemiparkinsonic rats induced distinct changes in animal motor behavior. It was revealed that fullerene-pretreated animals, in comparison with non-pretreated or vehicle-pretreated rats, rotated for 1 h at an approximately identical speed until the end of the experiment, whereas the rotation speed of control rats gradually decreased to 20–30% of the initial value. One can assume that the observed changes in the movement dynamics of the hemiparkinsonic rats after C60FAS pretreatment presumably can be induced by the influence of C60FAS on the dopaminergic system, although the isolated potentiation of the action of apomorphine C60FAS cannot be excluded. Nevertheless, earlier data on the action of C60FAS on muscle dynamics has suggested that C60FAS can activate a protective action of the antioxidant system in response to long-lasting muscular activity and that the antioxidant system in turn may directly decrease fatigue-related changes during long-lasting muscular activity

N-derivatives of formaldimines: the reason for the high nitrogen inversion barriers in N-methyl- and N-chloroimines

The energy and electronic parameters of the nitrogen inversion in imines Н2С=NХНn (ХНn = СН3, NH2, OH, F, SiH3, PH2, SH, Cl) have been calculated with the DFT method (B3LYP 6-311+G(d,p)) in terms of natural bond orbital. It has been established that the interactions of the nitrogen lone pair (LP) with the bond orbitals at the imino carbon atom are practically independent of the X atom and contribute to the decrease of the inversion barriers (ΔЕі≠). While nN→σ*X–H, nN↔σX–H and nN↔nX interactions substantially depend on the heteroatom type and promote the increase in the ΔЕі≠ values with the rise in electronegativity of the X atom. The contribution of the interactions of the nitrogen LP with the Rydberg orbitals of the C=N–X group atoms is small and they cannot be the main reason of the decrease in the ΔЕі≠ values when X atoms of the second period are replaced by atoms of the third period of the same group. The interactions of the LP of the X atoms and the X–H bond orbitals with the C=N bond orbitals have the main influence on the inversion barriers. The contribution of nX→π*C=N interactions to the ΔЕі≠ values is dominant. The main reason of the “anomalous” inversion barriers of N-methyl- and Nchloroformaldimines is the destabilization of inversion transition states because of the reduction in the energies of σX–H →π*C=N and nX→π*C=N interactions and the rise in the energies of nN↔nСl interactions. The contributions of electronegativity of ХНn substituents and energies of intramolecular interactions to the ΔЕі≠ values have been determined

collective monograph

Information security and IT law in conditions of integration processes: [Collective monograph]. Edited by O. Kharytonova, E. Kharytonov. Riga: Izdevnieciba Baltija Publishing, 2017.178 p.The categories “IT Law", “Information Security” are examined in the monograph, relations and interaction between these categories are researched. The theoretical basis of determination of the relationship between information security and IT law and the specifics of relations between “IT Rights” and “information security" are being analyzed. The questions are researched in the context of modern integration processes in Europe. Aimed at scientists, scientific-pedagogical staff of the institutions of higher education, post-graduate students, law students, practicing lawyers. May be of interest to everyone who is interested in the problems of “IT law”

Trend data for administration of medications in patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents and its sequelae

The trends in drug utilization in patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents (ACVA) and its sequelae were investigated in the Neurological Department of Lviv Regional Hospital, Ukraine, in 2007 and 2015. From the 10 anatomical groups of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, in 2007, 181 medications were prescribed for treatment of ACVA and concomitant diseases, compared to 198 medications in 2015. The medications of Group C (Cardiovascular system) were of the maximal proportion in both analyzed periods (28.1% in 2007 and 29.8% in 2015). Moreover, the largest proportion of the prescribed medications of the 3rd level groups of the ATC classification system were of group В01А - “Antithrombotic agents” (7.2% in 2007 and 6.6% in 2015). Furthermore, three medications (Magnesium sulfate, L-lysini aescinas and Potassium chloride) were prescribed for 50% and more patients in both analyzed periods, while the prescriptions of other medications were characterized by high variability. АТС/DDD analysis also revealed the tendency toward an increase in prescription and drug utilization of the main medication groups, and that these were used for nonspecific and specific therapy for ACVA, as well as for secondary prevention (antihypertensives, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents and statins). Totally, the drug utilization of these medication groups was 38.5% in 2007 and 58.0%, respectively, in 2015, compared to the overall number of DDDs. The results of our study suggest the existence of a positive tendency in prescriptions, and of compliance with the current principles of treatment, in patients with ACVA, in Ukraine