Biochemical markers of the functional state of the Stevia rebaudiana and Crambe сordifolia plant-soil ecosystem

A traditional approach to the study of plant-soil ecosystems is based on assessing the main physiological functions of plants (photosynthesis, respiration, mineral nutrition, regulation, protection) and main agronomic characteristics of soil. Such an approach is not very informative, and at the same time it is also time-consuming and expensive, which limits the number of objects that can be studied. Therefore, it is important to identify biochemical markers that can reflect the functional state of phytocoenosis in the most informative way. We analyzed the parameters of basic physiological processes, as well as agronomic and biochemical characteristics of soil in terms of their informative values for understanding the functional state of plant-soil ecosystem using the example of the medicinal plants candyleaf (Stevia rebaudiana (Bart.) Bertoni) and heartleaf crambe (Crambe сordifolia Stev.) from the collection of the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden. In particular, we measured the contents of photosynthetic pigments, sugars, nitrogen (protein), amino acids, and brassinosteroids (BRs) in the plants. Also, we studied the contents of biogenic elements in the plant tissues and soil. The soil was subjected to allelopathic analysis. The study also considered the course of oxidation-reduction processes and the contents of phenolic compounds in the soil. The results of the analyses were processed using statistical methods of correlation, factor, discriminant, and cluster analyses. The correlation and factor analysis of the research results showed that the highest factor loadings (≥0.8) were observed for the characteristics of concentration of protective biomolecules (chlorophyll b, BRs). For the soil, the highest factor loadings were recorded for the characteristics of the content of free low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds, allelopathic activity, and redox potential, which are related to the root excretory function. The comparison of the metabolic profiles of Crambe cordifolia and Stevia rebaudiana revealed the species-specific features related to the synthesis of sugars and free amino acids (arginine, cysteine, lysine, and methionine). The allelopathic activity of C. cordifolia and S. rebaudiana is mainly due to low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds. Brassinosteroids do not seem to be involved in the allelopathic interactions of the studied species. On the other hand, BRs could be used as a marker for the intensity of assimilation processes in the studied plants

Complex applying physical therapy and preformed physical factors in pregnant women with chronic pyelonephritis

The aim of the work is to evaluate the impact of physical therapy and preformed physical factors in pregnant women with chronic pyelonephritis on central hemodynamic indicators. Materials and methods. The dynamics of 134 pregnant women with chronic pyelonephritis (CP) in the remission stage, who underwent a complex sanatorium rehabilitation program, were examined. The main study group consisted of 79 pregnant women with chronic pyelonephritis. In this contingent of women, the sanatorium rehabilitation complex additionally included a course of intermittent normobaric hypoxytherapy (INH). The comparison group consisted of 55 pregnant women with CP, for whom the sanatorium rehabilitation complex did not include an INH course. The control group is represented by 37 somatically healthy women with a physiological course of pregnancy. All pregnant women were examined for central hemodynamic (CH) indicators using the computer diagnostic complex REOKOM (Kharkiv). Results. Pregnancy periods of 20–30 and 31–30 weeks in women with CP are characterized by a pathological load on central hemodynamics. At the same time, the application for the INH course in the sanatorium rehabilitation complex (the main group) allows for an increase in the compensatory capabilities of the pregnant woman with CH. Thus, in the period of pregnancy of 22–30 weeks in the main group, indicators of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were probably lower than the control values (P 0.05), regardless of the timing of the study. The study of CH and the comparison of different periods of gestation and between research groups indicate an inverse relationship between indicators that reflect the intensity of cardiohemodynamics and indicators of vascular resistance, as one of the final mechanisms of maintaining blood pressure at a physiological level, or its pathological increase in chronic pyelonephritis and preeclampsia Taking into account that the ratio of cardiac index indicators and total peripheral vascular resistance in all study groups was stable and directly dependent on the level of blood pressure, it is advisable to recommend for practical application in order to assess the state of CH of pregnant women with CP indicators of stroke or cardiac indices, which characterize the intensity cardiohemodynamics and do not depend on the anthropometric data of the pregnant woman. Conclusions. The application of physical therapy and preformed physical factors, namely, intermittent normobaric hypoxytherapy in pregnant women with chronic pyelonephritis in a complex program of sanatorium rehabilitation increases the compensatory capabilities of the cardiovascular system, which is confirmed by a significant decrease in the values of the total peripheral resistance against the background of an increase in the cardiac index

Obstetric and perinatal sequelae of labor in women with breech presentation

The aim of the study is to characterise the somatic and obstetric and gynaecological anamnesis, as well as to assess the features of pregnancy, childbirth and newborns’ condition in women with breech presentation. Materials and methods. The medical documents of 2980 patients with breech presentation in the period from 2022 to 2024 by materials of the Municipal Non-Commercial Enterprise “Zaporizhzhia Regional Clinical Children’s Hospital” of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council were analysed. The study group included 65 histories of pregnancy and childbirth (primary accounting documentation form No. 096/o) and 68 newborn medical records (primary accounting documentation form No. 097/o). The used research methods were data from: obstetric, gynaecological, and somatic history; management of pregnancy, childbirth, initial assessment of newborns; results of newborn observation during their stay in the department of the hospital. Results. When analysing medical records, breech presentation was diagnosed in 65 pregnant women (2.2 %). In 60 women with breech presentation, the delivery ended in a caesarean section (92.3 %), and in 5 (7.7 %) women with breech presentation, the delivery went through the natural birth canal. In the case of breech presentation, which accounted for 73.3 %, all pregnant women were delivered by caesarean section (88.6 % as planned, 11.4 % as urgent due to fetal distress). Other indications for caesarean section included: breech presentation of the first fetus in multiple pregnancy, uterine scar after caesarean section, pelvic ring deformity, HIV infection with a high viral load and premature detachment of a normally located placenta. Conclusions. When analysing the anamnesis of women with breech presentation, the vast majority of extragenital pathology (76.9 %) was cardiovascular and endocrine diseases. An analysis of the course of gestation in women with breech presentation revealed that 40 % had such pregnancy complications as hypertensive disorders, pre- and post-eclampsia, anaemia, fetal distress, and premature rupture of membranes. Complications of the perinatal period accounted for 30.9 % (neonatal jaundice, congenital infections and parasitic diseases, neonatal encephalopathy, prematurity, etc.)

Особливості макро- та мікроморфології печінки риб родини коропових (Cyprinidae) у порівняльному аспекті

To assess the ecological and toxicological situation and to determine the impact of various adverse factors on aquatic organisms of the marine environment, it is necessary to conduct morphological studies of those or other organs that are primarily negatively affected. Therefore, we conducted a survey of the structural organization of the liver at the organ, tissue, and cellular levels in the species aspect of clinically healthy freshwater fish of the Carp family: silver crucian carp, common carp, and crucian carp. Fish liver is a parenchymal organ, represented by stroma and parenchyma, which performs various bodily functions, including detoxification. The liver of a fish is a crucial histophysiological marker of the state of the fish organism, as well as its reaction to the environmental background and any external action. In the work, the specific features of the liver morphology of bony fish of the carp family are clarified: silver crucian carp – Carassius gibelio, B. 1782; scaly carp – Cyprinus carpio, L. 1758; spotted carp – Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, R. 1845, which differ in the degree of motor activity in the aquatic environment, nutrition, etc. It was established that in the phylogenetic development of fish that develop in the marine environment, a particular structural restructuring of the liver occurs: adaptations to various living conditions were accompanied by changes in several parameters of the macro- and microscopic architecture of the liver. Silver carp and crucian carp (omnivorous) have two-lobed livers, while variegated carp (herbivores) have three livers. For carp and crucian carp, a characteristic feature of the liver is the presence of a hepatopancreas (liver and pancreas associated in a single organ); in silver crucian carp, they are separated into separate organs. A feature of the microscopic structure of the liver of the carp family is poorly developed interlobular connective tissue, and the parenchyma of the liver lobe has a tubular structure in the form of multifaceted, broken, thick-walled tubules, the walls of which are hepatocytes. According to the results of histometric studies, the average area of the liver lobule associated with accumulations of pancreatocytes (hepatopancreas) in carp was 1294 ± 132 μm², while the area of accumulations of pancreatocytes in the liver lobule occupies 42.4 ± 2.1 μm² (3.27 %). The area ratio of the pancreas to the area of the liver lobe equals 1:29.6. Similar results were found in the spotted carp. At the same time, the area of the liver lobule associated with clusters of pancreatocytes in the crucian carp is 2.35 times smaller than that of the carp and amounts to 552 ± 97 μm² respectively. At the same time, the area of the pancreas in one lobule of the carp liver occupies 13.56 %. The ratio of the area of the pancreas to the total area of the liver lobule is 1:6.4. This structural structure of the liver in carp fish is possibly related to the peculiarities of its vascularization and the type of secretion, etc. It was established that the most significant volume of cytoplasm and karyoplasm was found in silver crucian carp, where it was 12.982 ± 1.420 μm³ and 0.398 ± 0.021 μm³, respectively. The smallest volume of these indicators was found in carp, namely 2.971 ± 0.224 μm³ and 0.212 ± 0.009 μm³, respectively. The smallest nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio was found in silver crucian hepatocytes (0.0316 ± 0.0024). The conducted morphological studies at the organ, tissue, and cellular levels will provide an opportunity to find out the adaptation of the animal body to specific conditions of existence and allow us to determine the influence of environmental factors on the fish body. The results of the morphological study of the structure of the liver of bony fish of the carp family significantly supplement the information on the morphology of the liver in the relevant sections of clinical, comparative anatomy, histology, and forensic veterinary medicine.Для оцінки еколого-токсикологічної ситуації, визначення впливу на водні організми різних несприятливих чинників водного середовища, необхідно проводити морфологічні дослідження тих чи інших органів, які першочергово зазнають негативного впливу. Тому нами було проведено дослідження структурної організації печінки на органному, тканинному та клітинному рівнях у видовому аспекті клінічно здорової прісноводної риби родини Коропові: вид – карась сріблястий, короп звичайний, товстолобик строкатий. Печінка риб – паренхіматозний орган, представлений стромою і паренхімою, який виконує в організмі різноманітні функції, у тому числі детоксикаційну. Печінка риб є важливим гістофізіологічним маркером стану організму риби, а також її реакції на екологічний фон і на будь-яку зовнішню дію. У роботі з’ясовано видові особливості морфології печінки кісткових риб родини коропових: карась сріблястий – Carassius gibelio, B. 1782; короп лускатий – Cyprinus carpio, L. 1758; товстолобик строкатий – Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, R. 1845, які відрізняються за ступенем рухової активності у водному середовищі, харчуванням тощо. Встановлено, що у процесі філогенетичного розвитку риб, які розвиваються у водному середовищі, відбувається певна структурна перебудова печінки: адаптації до різноманітних умов існування супроводжувалися зміною ряду параметрів макро- та мікроскопічної архітектоніки печінки. У коропа та карася сріблястого (всеїдні) печінка дволопатева, у товстолобика строкатого (рослиноїдні) – трилопатева. Для коропа та товстолобика характерною ознакою печінки є наявність гепатопанкреасу (печінка та підшлункова залози, асоційовані в єдиний орган), у карася сріблястого, вони відокремлені між собою у окремі органи. Особливістю мікроскопічної будови печінки родини коропових є слаборозвинена міжчасточкова сполучна тканина, а паренхіма часточки печінки, має трубчасту будову, у вигляді багатогранних, ламаних товстостінних трубочок, стінками яких є гепатоцити. За результатами гістометричних досліджень, середня площа печінкової часточки, асоційованої зі скупченнями панкреатоцитів (гепатопанкреас) у коропа становила 1294 ± 132 мкм², при цьому площа скупчень панкреатоцитів у часточці печінки займає 42,4 ± 2,1 мкм² (3.27 %), а відношення площі панкреасу до площі печінкової часточки дорівнює 1:29,6. Подібні результати виявлені і у товстолобика строкатого. Водночас, площа печінкової часточки, асоційованої зі скупченнями панкреатоцитів у строкатого товстолобика, відносно до коропа у 2,35 рази менша і становить відповідно – 552 ± 97 мкм². При тім, площа панкреасу, у одній часточці печінки товстолобика, займає 13,56 %, а відношення площі панкреасу до загальної площі печінкової часточки дорівнює 1:6,4. Така структурна будова печінки у коропових риб, можливо пов’язана з особливостями її васкуляризації та типом секреції тощо. Встановлено, що найбільший об’єм цитоплазми і каріоплазми встановлено у карася сріблястого, де відповідно він становив 12,982 ± 1,420 мкм³ та 0,398 ± 0,021 мкм³. Найменший об’єм вказаних показників встановлено у коропа, а саме 2,971 ± 0,224 мкм³ та 0,212 ± 0,009 мкм³ відповідно. Найменшим ядерно-цитоплазматичне відношення було у гепатоцитів карася сріблястого (0,0316 ± 0,0024). Проведені морфологічні дослідження на органному, тканинному та клітинному рівнях дадуть можливість з’ясувати адаптацію організму тварин до конкретних умов існування та дозволить визначити вплив чинників навколишнього середовища на організм риб. Результати морфологічного дослідження будови печінки кісткових риб родини коропових значно доповнюють відомості з морфології печінки у відповідні розділи клінічної, порівняльної анатомії, гістології та судової ветеринарії

Species specifics of morphology of the liver of the fishes of the Cyprinidae family

Providing mankind with high-quality products of aquaculture is possible only by introduction of modern industrial technologies to fish farming, growing fish based on modern scientific achievements. Assessment of the ecotoxic situation and identification of impacts of various unfavourable factors of aquatic environment on aquatic organisms should be made through morphological studies of the organs that are first to encounter the impact. The study revealed species specifics of the morphology of the liver of the fishes of the Cyprinidae family – Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio), Eurasian carp (Cyprinus carpio), and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), which vary by extent of the motor activity in the aquatic environment, nutrition, etc. We determined that during phylogenetic development of fish that grow in the aquatic environment, there occurs a certain restructuring of the liver: the adaptation to various living conditions were accompanied by changes in a number of parameters of macro- and microscopic architectonics of the liver. Cyprinus carpio and Carassius gibelio (omnivores) have a two-lobe liver, while Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (a herbivore) has a three-lobe liver. For C. carpio and H. nobilis, a characteristic feature of the liver was presence of the hepatopancreatitis (the liver and the pancreas, associated into a single organ), and in C. gibelio, they are differentiated into individual organs. A peculiarity of the microscopic structure of the liver of the Cyprinidae family is poorly developed interlobular connective tissue, and parenchyma of the liver lobule has a tubular structure as polyhedral, curved thick-walled tubules, the walls of which are hepatocytes. The greatest amounts of cytoplasm and karyoplasms were seen in C. gibelio, equaling respectively 12.98 ± 1.42 and 0.40 ± 0.02 µm³. The lowest volume of the indicated parameters was in C. carpio, particularly 2.97 ± 0.22 and 0.21 ± 0.01 µm³, respectively. The lowest nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio was observed in hepatocytes of C. gibelio (0.0316 ± 0.0024). The conducted morphological studies at the levels of organs, tissues and cells can reveal how the fishes’ bodies adapt to particular living conditions and impacts of environmental factors

THE DYNAMICS OF LITTERFALL, THROUGHFALL AND STEMFLOW IN RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED PINE STANDS

Наведено результати спостережень низхідних потоків речовини та вмісту у них 137Cs для радіоактивно забруднених деревостанів сосни звичайної, у вигляді опаду та дощових вод. Виділено такі компоненти опаду: хвоя, кора, гілки і генеративна частина (шишки, бруньки, насіння та їх частини). Дощові води, що проникають крізь крони дерев, класифіковано на такі групи: стовбурові та кронові. Відбір зразків здійснено рівномірно протягом періоду дослідження. Охарактеризовано помісячну динаміку структури і запасів елементів опаду на основі 2,5 років спостережень (2014-2016 рр.) за сосновим деревостаном. Виявлено закономірності помісячної динаміки та структури компонентів опаду. Наведено дані зміни питомої активності 137Cs та маси в перерахунку на 1 м3для компонентів опаду і дощових вод з 01.10.2015 р. по 05.10.2016 р. На основі отриманих вихідних показників за зазначений період розраховано річні середньозважені показники для досліджуваних елементів низхідного потоку: середньорічна питома активність 137Cs, сумарна маса в абсолютно сухому стані на 1 м2 та загальна активність 137Cs на 1 м2. Попередні дослідження низхідних потоків 90Sr у соснових деревостанах свідчать про значні відмінності порівняно із 137Cs у співвідношеннях питомої активності компонентів дощової води та опаду, що потребує детальнішого дослідження закономірностей динаміки формування опаду і дощових вод на біогеохімічний кругообіг 90Sr у насадженнях сосни звичайної.Представлены результаты наблюдений нисходящих потоков вещества и содержания в них 137Cs для радиоактивно загрязненных древостоев сосны обыкновенной, в виде опада и дождевых вод. Выделены следующие компоненты опада: хвоя, кора, ветви и генеративная часть (шишки, почки, семена и их части). Дождевые воды, которые проникают сквозь кроны деревьев, классифицированы на следующие группы: стволовые и кроновые. Отбор образцов осуществлено равномерно в течение периода исследования. Охарактеризована помесячная динамика структуры и запасов элементов опада на основе 2,5 лет наблюдений (2014-2016 гг.) по сосновым древостоям. Выявлены закономерности помесячной динамики и структуры компонентов опада. Приведены данные изменения удельной активности 137Cs и массы в пересчете на 1 м3 для компонентов опада и дождевых вод с 01.10.2015 г. по 05.10.2016 г. На основе полученных исходных показателей за указанный период рассчитаны годовые средневзвешенные показатели для исследуемых элементов нисходящего потока: среднегодовая удельная активность 137Cs, суммарная масса в абсолютно сухом состоянии на 1 м2 и общая активность 137Cs на 1 м2. Предыдущие исследования нисходящих потоков 90Sr в сосновых древостоях указывают на значительные различия по сравнению с 137Cs в соотношениях удельной активности компонентов дождевой воды и опада, что требует более детального исследования закономерностей динамики формирования опада и дождевых вод на биогеохимический круговорот 90Sr в насаждениях сосны обыкновенной.The authors present the data of the study of the downflow of a matter of small biological cycle in radioactively contaminated forest ecosystems of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) as a result of the Chornobyl accident. During the accident, a large number of radionuclides came into the surrounding environment. Currently, 90Sr and 137Cs are the most dangerous for forest phytocoenoses, so as they are included in the biogeochemical cycle through the trophic chains. In this research, the downfall of the matter of the tree stand was divided into two groups: solid parts (litterfall) and liquid fraction (rainwater). In turn, the structure of litterfall was classified as follows: needles, bark, branches and generative organs (cones, buds, seeds and their parts). Rainwater is separated as throughfall and stemflow. Using the obtained data from field observations for 2.5 years (2014-2016), we estimated the dynamics of the formation of litterfall components in calendar months. Experimental materials, collected in the interval from 01.10.2015 to 05.10.2016, are also used to represent the regularities of 137Cs activity concentration for downfall components. The analysis of field data confirmed the presence of a maximum values for litterfall formation at the end of the growing season (September-October) due to the drop of the needles from crown. For other components of litterfall, clearly expressed regularities are not revealed. We calculated summary annual parameters for the components of the downfall: the average 137Cs activity concentration, the accumulated weight and the total activity of 137Cs per 1 m2 of the investigated forest area. 137Cs activity concentration in litterfall samples (1287-6310 Bq·kg-1) is much bigger than in rainwater (1.28-11.2 Bg·kg-1). However, due to much larger amounts of throughfall per unit area of the surface of the site, it has a decisive role in the formation of the return of 137Cs from the elements of the pine stand to the soil (42.3 %). Other components of the downfall are characterized by a much lower percentage in the return of 137Cs to the forest soil: needles (25.7 %), generative organs (13.7 %), bark (12.2 %), branches (3.8 %), stemflow (2.2 %). Previous studies of 90Sr in components of downfall show that this radionuclide differs significantly from 137Cs: it is much more accumulated in the dead parts of pine stand and less washed away by rain than 137Cs. Therefore, the experimental data on the main depots and fluxes of 90Sr must be obtained very quickly for adequately predict the radiological condition in the forests of the Chоrnobyl exclusion zone

Specific features of the morphology of the spinal nodes of homeothermal vertebrate animals in the comparative and anatomical series

Scientific studies that reflect the evolutionary morphology of the nervous system, namely the spinal nodes of homoeothermic vertebrates, allow us to identify specific patterns, trends, and criteria that relate to the structural organization of the organ at the population and cellular levels of their organization. The evolutionary direction of research into the macro- and microstructure of spinal cord nodes provides an opportunity to investigate the patterns of formation of optimal relationships of their structural components: nerve and glial cells, capillaries concerning the level of development of the organism, and their motor activity. The article contains the results of the morphometric characteristics of the spinal nodes of warm-blooded vertebrates in a comparative aspect: class Aves – Birds (Gallus gallus, forma domestica L., 1758 – domestic chicken); class Mammalia – Mammals (Oryctolagus cuniculus L., 1758 – European krill, Canis lupus familiaris L., 1758 – domestic dog, Sus scrofa, forma domestica L., 1758 – domestic pig, Bos taurus taurus L., 1758 – domestic bull). When performing this work, complex research methods were used: anatomical, neurohistological, morphometric, and statistical. The morphological study of the structural components of the organs of the nervous system was studied on histological sections by the method of light microscopy following the requirements of the international principles of the “European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used in Experiments and for Other Scientific Purposes” (Strasbourg, 1986), a decision of the First National Congress on Bioethics (Kyiv, 2001), Law of Ukraine No. 692 “On the Protection of Animals from Cruel Treatment” (3447-IV) dated February 21, 2006. For histological examination, the newly selected material was immediately fixed in a 10% aqueous neutral formalin solution, with a fixation period of 30 days, followed by step-by-step embedding in paraffin. Using a sled microtome, histological sections with a thickness of 6–10 μm were obtained. The general histological structure and microstructural changes in histological preparations were studied under a light microscope MC (Micros Austria) at magnifications from 70 to 600 times. Photomicrographs of histological preparations were carried out using a CAM V200 video camera mounted in a Micros MC microscope. The work aims to conduct a complex morpho-functional study of spinal nodes in a comparative anatomical series of representatives of higher vertebrates. It was investigated that in phylogenesis, a particular structural and morphofunctional rearrangement of the central and peripheral nervous system organs, namely the spinal nodes, takes place. They differ in shape and size. It was established that the neurocytic organization of the spinal cord nodes of all species of animals studied is characterized by the presence of large, medium, and small nerve cells. Adaptation to various living conditions of animals was formed based on morphometric indicators (the volume of neurocytes and their nuclei), their morphological structures, the density of nerve cells per 0.1 mm2, the number of glial cells per 0.1 mm2, an indicator of nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, degree of polymorphism chromatophilia. Nissl staining of histopreparations of spinal nodes of homoothermic animals showed that the neuroplasm of nerve cells contains well-defined depths of basophilic substance, compared with lower animals, as evidence of a higher degree of development in nerve cells of the protein-synthesizing apparatus. According to the method of impregnation of spinal cord nodes with silver nitrate in all studied animals, a different intensity of coloring of nerve cells is revealed: dark, light-dark, light, which is related to the peculiarities of species and age neuromorphology, the morphofunctional state of the nervous system and the type of higher nervous activity. The obtained morpho-functional features of the organs of the nervous system are essential not only for evolutionary and comparative morphology but also for developing issues of physiology, pathology, and treatment of peripheral nervous system diseases