Development of software and analytical complex for brain activity monitoring during space flight

© SGEM2017. All rights reserved. The future manned space flights will be accompanied by collecting a significant amount of unique experimental data: electrocardiogram, encephalogram, myogram, and rheoencephalogram generated by human body under conditions of outer space. However, while systems of monitoring crew members’ mental and physical performance capability are well developed, problems related to obtained data interpretation, which is necessary for predicting dramatic changes in human behavior or health status and for maintaining normal life-support, remain relevant. In their earlier works the authors represented the software for studying physiological and pathological human conditions on the Earth using multi-parametric analysis of time signals captured by the corresponding measuring equipment. At the core of that software there are original concepts taken from complex systems physics, non-equilibrium statistical physics, and numerical algorithms and software for their combined use developed by the authors. As theoretical approaches the authors are using statistical memory functions formalism, flicker-noise spectroscopy, standard capabilities of mathematical physics and probability theory. The specified approaches allow obtaining a large amount of quantified parameters and qualitative characteristics sufficient for separating physiological and pathological human conditions. The experimental data is obtained in long-term cooperating with the leading Russian and foreign laboratories and research and development centers. The present work focuses on prospects of studying medical and biological aspects of outer space influence on human behavior and condition by developing the existing theoretical and software capabilities related to establishing physical mechanisms reflecting generation of anomalous states of different system of the human body, particularly central nervous system. This is about development of software analytical complex adapted to physiological condition monitoring, revealing and predicting extreme human conditions during space flight. The immediate object of the proposed complex is to revealing fundamental characteristics of man’s cerebral cortex functional states, accumulating knowledge base and parameters describing anomalous changes in central nervous system. The ultimate goal is development of criteria for diagnosing and predicting various pathological processes, and, in further, combined use of the obtained results to improve medical diagnostic equipment

Modern Trends in Psychological and Pedagogical Education Under the Influence of Technical Progress

The article considers the impact of technological progress on the educational environment. In particular, the main problems of interaction between different generations are shown. The features of learning and understanding of the growing "children" are generalized. After all, it is important to build a model of communication in which the process of learning and development will not be inhibited.В статье рассмотрено влияние технического прогресса на образовательную среду. В частности, показаны основные проблемы взаимодействия между разными поколениями. Обобщаются особенности обучения и понимания подрастающих «детей». Ведь важно выстроить такую модель общения, при которой не будет тормозится процесс обучения и становления

Successful long-term prophylaxis of hereditary pregnancy-associated angioedema with plasma-derived C1-inhibitor concentrate: a case report

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by quantitative (type I) or functional (type II) deficiency in C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH). It may be caused by new mutations in up to 20% of patients. Prevalence of HAE is uncertain but is estimated to be approximately 1 case per 50,000 persons, without known differences among ethnic groups. C1-INH protein is a serine protease inhibitor that is important in controlling vascular permeability by acting on the initial phase of the complement activation, blood clotting, and fibrinolysis. Deficiency in functional C1-INH protein permits release of bradykinin, a key mediator of vascular permeability. Symptoms typically begin since childhood, worsening at puberty, and persist throughout the life, with unpredictable clinical course. The patients with HAE suffer from recurrent, acute attacks of edema that can affect any body sites, causing potentially life-threatening disorders (laryngeal edema). Results of clinical studies show that minor traumas, stress and medical interventions may be frequent precipitants of swelling episodes, but many attacks occur without an apparent cause. Pregnancy-associated hormonal changes may affect the course of C1-INH angioedema attacks by worsening, improving, or having no impact at all, but a higher percentage of pregnant women experienced an increase in C1-INH-HAE attack rates. Therapeutic options for patients with HAE are limited during pregnancy. C1-INH concentrate is recommended as the first-line therapy for pregnant women with HAE for on-demand treatment, shortterm and long-term prophylaxis, due to its safety and efficiency. Other therapies, e.g., treatment with fresh frozen plasma, androgens, icatibant, antifibrinolytics, may show variable efficacy, or cause undesirable side effects. The case below illustrates the successful treatment of HAE in a pregnant woman with C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) concentrate. This patient had a very mild course of HAE during her lifetime and didn’t get any treatment. During pregnancy, she experienced a significant increase in the frequency of attacks, and the decision was made to start replacement therapy with a plasma-derived, double virus-inactivated C1-INH concentrate as a long-term prophylaxis throughout the full term of her pregnancy, before, during and after the cesarean section delivery

Применение ингибиторов фактора некроза опухоли α у женщин с анкилозирующим спондилитом во время беременности

Objective: to present our own experience of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitors (iTNFα) usage during pregnancy in women with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), to assess AS activity and outcomes of gestation.Patients and methods. A prospective observation of 55 pregnant women with AS who met the modified New York criteria of 1984. Fifty-six pregnancies were followed. The average age of the patients was 31.7±4.7 years, the duration of the disease was 132.2±85.4 months. The median BASDAI for pregnancy trimesters was 2.4 [1.2; 4.4], 2.7 [1.4; 4.2] and 2.2 [1.5; 4.0], respectively. 14 women received iTNFα 3 months before pregnancy.Results and discussion. In the first trimester, TNFα was used in 9 (16.1%) patients, in the second – in 9 (16.1%) and in the third – in 5 (9.3%); the median BASDAI for trimesters was 2.3 [1.0; 3.7], 3.4 [1.2; 3.5], 3.0 [0.8; 3.4], respectively. All patients who discontinued iTNFα just before or in early pregnancy had indications for resuming therapy in the second half of gestation. Cancellation of iTNFα at the end of the second trimester was not a risk factor for high activity in the third trimester. There was 1 adverse pregnancy outcome. In other cases, childbirth occurred at 38.9±1.4 weeks, newborns' body weight was 3273.1±435.6 g.Conclusion. Women with AS who plan a pregnancy should be prescribed drugs with the maximum allowed duration of use during gestation. Cancellation of iTNFα before and in early pregnancy is a risk factor for high AS activity, while renewal of iTNFα therapy during pregnancy is not always effective.Цель исследования – представить собственный опыт применения ингибиторов фактора некроза опухоли (иФНОα) во время беременности у женщин с анкилозирующим спондилитом (АС), оценить активность АС и исходы гестации.Пациенты и методы. Проведено проспективное наблюдение 55 беременных с АС, соответствовавших модифицированным Нью-Йоркским критериям 1984 г. Прослежено 56 беременностей. Средний возраст пациенток составлял 31,7±4,7 года, продолжительность болезни – 132,2±85,4 мес. Медиана BASDAI по триместрам беременности – 2,4 [1,2; 4,4], 2,7 [1,4; 4,2] и 2,2 [1,5; 4,0] соответственно. ИФНОα за 3 мес до наступления беременности получали 14 женщин.Результаты и обсуждение. В I триместре иФНОα применяли 9 (16,1%) пациенток, во II – 9 (16,1%) и в III – 5 (9,3%); медиана BASDAI по триместрам составляла 2,3 [1,0; 3,7], 3,4 [1,2; 3,5], 3,0 [0,8; 3,4] соответственно. Все пациентки, отменившие иФНОα накануне или на ранних сроках беременности, имели показания к возобновлению терапии во второй половине гестации. Отмена иФНОα в конце II триместра не являлась фактором риска высокой активности в III триместре. Имел место 1 неблагоприятный исход беременности. В остальных случаях роды произошли на сроке 38,9±1,4 нед, масса тела новорожденных – 3273,1±435,6 г.Заключение. Женщинам с АС, планирующим беременность, необходимо назначать препараты с максимально разрешенным сроком применения во время гестации. Отмена иФНОα перед беременностью и на ее ранних сроках – фактор риска высокой активности АС, при этом возобновление терапии иФНОα во время беременности не всегда эффективно

Studies of Sensitivity to Avian Flu Virus A/H5N1 in Chickens

) appear to be highly virulent for chickens. The chance of AFV infection of chickens in case of intranasal challenge is 20 times as great as in the case of peroral one, and 300 times as great as in the case of intragastral one, which bears evidence to higher sensitivity to AFV of the tissues of avian respiratory organs, in comparison with the tissues of gastro-intestinal tract. Therewith, primary target organ for virus in intranasal infected birds is their respiratory channel (mucous membrane of the nasal cavity in particular). Registered is the possibility of existence of fecal-nasal AFV transfer mechanism in chickens

Finding of the Low Molecular Weight Inhibitors of Resuscitation Promoting Factor Enzymatic and Resuscitation Activity

Background: Resuscitation promoting factors (RPF) are secreted proteins involved in reactivation of dormant actinobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They have been considered as prospective targets for the development of new antituberculosis drugs preventing reactivation of dormant tubercle bacilli, generally associated with latent tuberculosis. However, no inhibitors of Rpf activity have been reported so far. The goal of this study was to find low molecular weight compounds inhibiting the enzymatic and biological activities of Rpfs. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we describe a novel class of 2-nitrophenylthiocyanates (NPT) compounds that inhibit muralytic activity of Rpfs with IC50 1–7 mg/ml. Fluorescence studies revealed interaction of active NPTs with the internal regions of the Rpf molecule. Candidate inhibitors of Rpf enzymatic activity showed a bacteriostatic effect on growth of Micrococcus luteus (in which Rpf is essential for growth protein) at concentrations close to IC50. The candidate compounds suppressed resuscitation of dormant (‘‘non-culturable’’) cells of M. smegmatis at 1 mg/ml or delayed resuscitation of dormant M. tuberculosis obtained in laboratory conditions at 10 mg/ml. However, they did not inhibit growth of active mycobacteria under these concentrations. Conclusions/Significance: NPT are the first example of low molecular weight compounds that inhibit the enzymatic an

Dissemination of Influenza A/H5N1 Virus after Intranasal Inoculation of Chickens

Studied was dissemination of avian influenza virus (AIV) in the organism of chickens after intranasal challenge with 10-100 LD50. The primary organ of accumulation of AIV A/H5N1 (A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/2005strain) is the respiratory tract (nasal mucosa), where the virus is registered in 18 hours after challenge. The accumulation of pathogen is observed in many organs and serum of chicken in 30-32 hours after challenge. The animals die in 54 hours, the concentration of virus reaches critical value in all studied samples. The highest AIV loads (7 lg of chicken embryo infective dose - EID50/g or ml) are registered in lungs, blood serum and kidneys of chicken. The results of AIV loads measuring using titration and real time RT-PCR show high degree of correlation (r=0.89)

Methodology for assessing the agroecological adaptability of genotypes under global climate warming

Background. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that, despite the breeding achievements in releasing cultivars with high potential yield and resistance to the most common stressors in the regions, it is almost impossible to foresee and accurately predict the reaction of cultivars under production conditions. Besides, extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts and downpours, will increasingly manifest themselves under global climate warming. To reduce the risk of a significant decrease in gross grain harvests in dry years and achieve high results under favorable conditions, the goal was to develop a comprehensive indicator for assessing the agroecological adaptability of genotypes to some consequences of global climate warming.Materials and methods. The results of a competitive test of 5 cultivars and 9 promising lines of spring wheat for their yield across six years contrasting in moisture availability by calculating the indicators of responsiveness to favorable conditions, grain yield depression under unfavorable conditions and the relative yield index were used to develop a complex indicator proposed to assess the agroecological adaptability of a genotype to contrasting environmental conditions.Results. The proposed method makes it possible to perform a comprehensive assessment that takes into account the responsiveness of an accession to improved agroclimatic conditions and the degree of its reaction to adverse environmental factors, taking into account the yield index in the studied set. The method is recommended for evaluating the source material and identifying the diversity of its responses to changes in agroclimatic conditions as well as for the stage of competitive variety testing in plant breeding for adaptability

Hyperexpression of TLR2 and TLR4 in patients with ischemic stroke in acute period of the disease

Pathogenesis of ischemic stroke  is actively  involved  in the  system  of innate immunity. Under conditions of cerebral  ischemia, a number of biologically  active  substances are  released  that  interact with innate immunity receptors, in particular TLR2  and  TLR4, which  exacerbate inflammation in brain  tissue. Identification of predictor markers  at the level of the innate immunity system may foresee the clinical course of ischemic stroke and ensure timely treatment. Our objective was to study expression of TLR2 and TLR4 receptors in peripheral blood leukocytes  in patients with ischemic stroke in the dynamics of the disease. 27 people  were included in the study. The main  group consisted of patients with ischemic stroke of varying severity (n = 19). Patients of the main  group were divided into two subgroups:  with an NIHSS index value of < 10 (n = 10) and > 10 (n = 9). The control group included healthy  donors  with no history  of acute  and chronic inflammatory diseases (n = 8). Peripheral blood  leukocytes  were used as the  test material. To determine expression  of the TLR2  and TLR4  genes, RT-PCR in real time was used. Surface  expression  of TLRs was determined by flow cytometry. A study of the TLR2 and TLR4 gene expression showed that on the 1st, 3rd  and 7th  day post-stroke, the TLR4 gene expression  in patients was significantly  increased, when compared to the control group (p < 0.01), whereas TLR2 gene expression on the 3rd  day of the disease was not statistically different from the control group. A study of surface expression  of receptors showed that the average TLR2 fluorescence intensity on the patients’ peripheral blood monocytes was significantly  increased on the 1st  and 3rd  day of disease when compared to the control group.  The  surface  expression  of TLR4  on monocytes has a statistically significant  increase  only on day 7. Assessment  of surface expression  of TLRs in subgroups  with different  severity values by NIHSS showed that  patients with a NIHSS index > 10 had a significantly  higher  level of surface of TLR2  expression  over the observation period, while the largest difference in TLR4  expression  in the subgroups  was observed  on the 1st day of the disease (p < 0.05). Patients with ischemic stroke showed an increase  in TLR2 and TLR4 expression at the gene and protein level, compared to healthy  donors. These indices can be considered possible predictors for clinical  prognosis  of ischemic stroke