The Role of Text in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language

В статье рассматривается роль текста, и его составляющих, в процессе обучения студентов-иностранцев русскому языку. Даны определения терминам «текст», «текстовая категория».The article examines the role of the text and its components in the process of teaching foreign students the Russian language. The terms “text” and “text category” are defined

Plant thionins: structure, biological functions and potential use in biotechnology

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of defense system in both plants and animals. They represent an ancient mechanism of innate immunity providing rapid first line of defense against pathogens. Plant AMPs are classified into several families: thionins, defensins, nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins, hevein- and knottin-type peptides, hairpinins and macrocyclic peptides (cyclotides). The review focuses on the thionin family. Thionins comprise a plant-specific AMP family that consists of short (~5 kDA) cysteine-rich peptides containing 6 or 8 cysteine residues with antimicrobial and toxic properties. Based on similarity in amino acid sequences and the arrangement of disulphide bonds, five structural classes of thionins are discriminated. The three-dimensional structures of a number of thionins were determined. The amphipathic thionin molecule resembles the Greek letter Г, in which the long arm is formed by two antiparallel α-helices, while the short one, by two parallel β-strands. The residues responsible for the antimicrobial activity of thionins were identified. Thionins are synthesized as precursor proteins consisting of a signal peptide, the mature peptide region and the C-terminal prodomain. Thionins protect plants from pathogenic bacteria and fungi acting directly on the membranes of microorganisms at micromolar concentrations, although their precise mode of action remains unclear. In addition to plant pathogens, thionins inhibit growth of a number of human pathogens and opportunistic microorganisms, such as Candida spp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fusarium solani, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Thionins are toxic to different types of cells including mammalian cancer cell lines. Transgenic plants expressing thionin genes display enhanced resistance to pathogens. A wide range of biological activities makes thionins promising candidates for practical application in agriculture and medicine

T-cell number and subtype influence the disease course of primary chronic lymphocytic leukaemia xenografts in alymphoid mice.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells require microenvironmental support for their proliferation. This can be recapitulated in highly immunocompromised hosts in the presence of T cells and other supporting cells. Current primary CLL xenograft models suffer from limited duration of tumour cell engraftment coupled with gradual T-cell outgrowth. Thus, a greater understanding of the interaction between CLL and T cells could improve their utility. In this study, using two distinct mouse xenograft models, we investigated whether xenografts recapitulate CLL biology, including natural environmental interactions with B-cell receptors and T cells, and whether manipulation of autologous T cells can expand the duration of CLL engraftment. We observed that primary CLL xenografts recapitulated both the tumour phenotype and T-cell repertoire observed in patients and that engraftment was significantly shorter for progressive tumours. A reduction in the number of patient T cells that were injected into the mice to 2-5% of the initial number or specific depletion of CD8+ cells extended the limited xenograft duration of progressive cases to that characteristic of indolent disease. We conclude that manipulation of T cells can enhance current CLL xenograft models and thus expand their utility for investigation of tumour biology and pre-clinical drug assessment

Course of COVID-19 in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Regional Experience

Aim: to study the course of COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) using the example of the region of the Republic of Tatarstan.Material and methods. The study included 101 patients diagnosed with IBD and COVID-19, who were observed in two infectious diseases hospitals in Kazan (Republican Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan and City Clinical Hospital No. 7) and on an outpatient basis from April 2020 to March 2022. All patients underwent physical examination, laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods, including a PCR test for SARSCoV-2. Chest computed tomography was performed in patients with clinical signs of moderate to severe COVID-19.Results. Ulcerative colitis (UC) was diagnosed in 60 (59.4 %) patients, Crohn's disease (CD) — in 41 (40.6 %) patients. The mean age of the patients was 41.0 ± 14.7 years, of which 59 (58.4 %) were men and 42 (41.6 %) were women. A comparative analysis of patients with and without IBD and CT-verified lung disease was carried out. It was found that the development of viral pneumonia was influenced by age over 55 years (39.2 ± 9.7 vs. 46.3 ± 10.6, p < 0.05), increased Body Mass Index (BMI) (23.1 ± 5.35 vs. 30.25 ± 6.17, p < 0.05), hypertension (6 (8.3 %) vs. 8 (27.6 %), p < 0.05), diabetes mellitus (2 (2.7 %) vs. 5 (17.2 %), p < 0.05), the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of IBD (8 (11.1 %) vs. 10 (34.5 %), p < 0.05). In a comparative analysis of patients with IBD and COVID-19 from the SECURE-IBD database and own data, it was found that the average age of patients was comparable (42.7 vs 41.0). At the same time, in our group of male patients, there were slightly more people with DM, increased BMI, and an active course of IBD. The proportion of hospitalized patients was higher. In our cohort, there were fewer patients receiving biological therapy, but more patients on 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and systemic corticosteroids. At the same time, lethal outcomes were comparable.Conclusion. In patients with IBD, the development of viral pneumonia was influenced by known risk factors for COVID-19: age over 55 years (p < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) 3.153), increased BMI (p < 0.05, OR 1.667), hypertension  (p < 0.05, OR 2.724), diabetes (p < 0.05, OR 1.489), as well as the use of systemic corticosteroids (p < 0.05, OR 1.5)

ОНКОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ЗАБОЛЕВАЕМОСТЬ В СИБИРСКОМ И ДАЛЬНЕВОСТОЧНОМ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНЫХ ОКРУГАХ

The purpose of the study was to analyze the cancer incidence among the population living in siberia and Russian Far East. material and methods. cancer incidence and mortality data collected from populationbased cancer registries of the Russian cancer statistics, covering the period 2005–2018, were used. the crude and age-standardized cancer incidence rates were analyzed. Results. During the study period, 1 336 260 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the regions of siberia and Russian Far East. Of them, 77.2 % new cancer cases were registered in the siberian Federal District. the highest percent of increase in the number of cancer cases in the siberian Federal District was observed in the republics of Khakassia (84.8 %), tuva (61.9 %), Buryatia (52.8 %), and Krasnoyarsk Krai (82.4 %). In the Far Eastern Federal District, the highest cancer incidence rates were registered in the sakhalin Region (43.6 %) and Kamchatka Krai (41.8 %). the average age of patients in 2018 was 55.7 years (57.9 years for men and 53.7 years for women) compared to 57.4, 59.1 and 55.9 years, respectively in 2005. Lung cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men (19.5 %), whereas cancer of the female reproductive system was the most prevalent in women (38.4 %). the highest age-standardized cancer incidence rates in the siberian Federal District in 2018 were observed in the Irkutsk region, altai and Krasnoyarsk territories. In the Far Eastern Federal District, the highest agestandardized cancer incidence rates were observed in the sakhalin and Magadan regions. Conclusion. the number of new cancer cases and age-standardized cancer incidence rate were shown to increase in siberia and Russian Far East. the average age of men and women diagnosed with cancer decreased. the percent of increase in the age-standardized cancer incidence rate was higher in women than in men. Many of the most prevalent cancers were associated with the «westernized lifestyle» of developed countries.Цель исследования – анализ заболеваемости злокачественными новообразованиями (ЗНО) населения, проживающего на 20 территориях Сибирского и Дальневосточного федеральных округов (СФО и ДФО). Материал и методы. Использованы данные канцер-регистров территорий в 2005–2018 гг. и Федеральной службы государственной статистики РФ о численности и поло-возрастном составе населения. Проведен анализ экстенсивных, стандартизованных показателей. Результаты. За период исследования на территориях округов диагностировано 1 336 260 новых случаев ЗНО, из них 77,2 % – в СФО. Наибольший темп роста числа больных в СФО отмечался в республиках Хакасия (84,8 %), Тыва (61,9 %), Бурятия (52,8 %), Красноярском крае (82,4 %), в ДФО – в Сахалинской области (43,6 %) и Камчатском крае (41,8 %). Средний возраст заболевших в 2018 г. составил 55,7 года, для мужчин – 57,9, для женщин – 53,7 года, что меньше, чем в 2005 г. (57,4, 59,1 и 55,9 года соответственно). В структуре онкозаболеваемости мужского населения округов преобладал рак легкого (19,5 %), у женщин – опухоли органов репродуктивной системы (38,4 %). Наибольший стандартизованный показатель заболеваемости в 2018 г. в СФО регистрировался в Иркутской области, Алтайском и Красноярском краях, в ДФО – в Сахалинской и Магаданской областях. Заключение. В регионе наблюдался рост числа заболевших ЗНО и стандартизованного показателя заболеваемости. Средний возраст заболевших мужчин и женщин в регионе уменьшился («омоложение» рака). Темп прироста стандартизованного показателя ЗНО выше в женской популяции. В регионе отмечался рост показателей заболеваемости теми видами рака, одним из факторов риска которых является «западный» образ жизни

Republican registry of primary immune deficiencies in the chuvash republic and description of postvaccinal immunity disorders in a pregnant patient with common variable immune deficiency

In recent years, primary immunodeficiencies have turned from the class of rare diseases to the category of more common disorders which may be encountered by doctors of any clinical discipline. The first case of primary immunodeficiency disorder (PID) in Chuvashia was detected in 1993. Since that time, the Department of Internal Diseases with the Course of Clinical Immunology at the I. Ulyanov Chuvash State University registered all the cases of PID diagnosed in the region, introducing them into the Republican Registry of PID. The study was aimed for searching epidemiological indexes, clinical and laboratory manifestations of PID in Chuvash region. The study was based on the patient data obtained by retrospective analysis of 85 case histories of PID patients, treated at different departments of the Republican Clinical Hospital, and the City Chuvash Pediatric Clinical Hospital of Public Health Ministry in 2000-2019, as well as on 49 outpatient records of the patients included into the Regional PID Registry. Various forms of PIDs were diagnosed according to the criteria developed by the European Society for Immunodeficiency and the Pan-American Group on Immunodeficiency (1999). The results of this study showed that the incidence of PID in the Chuivash Region is 3.4:100,000. The incidence of common variable immune deficiency (CVID), the most common form of PID in the region, was 1.58 per 100,000 population. The average age at the time of CVID diagnosis in Chuvash patients was 30.4±16.1 years, and the age of CVID debut was 11.3±15.0 years. The delay in proper diagnosis from the moment of clinical manifestation of CVID was, on average, 17.9 years in the region. At the time of CVID diagnosis, the patients showed marked decrease in the levels of 3 or 2 immunoglobulin classes (IgG and IgA), and T-helper cell contents (CD3+CD4+) in peripheral blood. Prevalence of selective IgA deficiency with сlinical symptoms was 0.83 per 100,000 population of the region, and the incidence of the asymptomatic form of this PID was 1 : 167. In patients with selective IgA deficiency, there were also disorders in the T cell system manifesting as decreased relative number of cytotoxic T-cells as well as elevated IgG and IgM levels. The age of diagnosis of X-linked agammaglobulinemia in the region was 3.5±3.0 years. In addition to disturbances of humoral adaptive immunity in children with this disease, a decrease in absolute T cell numbers was detected. In conclusion, the article describes disturbances of postvaccinal immunity in a pregnant patient with CVID, with asymptomatic clinical course, thus leading to false interpretation of the serological markers of TORCH infections and wrong strategy of pregnancy management

ЗЛОКАЧЕСТВЕННЫЕ НОВООБРАЗОВАНИЯ ВЕРХНИХ ДЫХАТЕЛЬНЫХ ПУТЕЙ У НАСЕЛЕНИЯ ТОМСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

Tomsk region refers to the areas of increased risk of malignancies, including laryngeal and upper respiratory tract cancers, which account for 2.0 % of all cancer cases. Approximately 83 new cancer cases (70 % in males) are annually diagnosed, with a tendency to increase. In 2014, the standardized incidence rate of upper respiratory tract cancer (URTC) was 7.7 per 100,000 men and women. The incidence rate was 6.7 times higher in men than in women. Laryngeal cancer was the most common malignancy in both men (67.7 %) and women (60.0 %). The age-standardized mortality rate of laryngeal cancer was 2.7 per 100,000 of population. Among patients registered at the end of 2014, 1.1 % patients were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and 0.3 % with pharyngeal cancer. The laryngeal cancer incidence in the Tomsk region was lower than that in the Russian Federation as a whole. The rates of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancer detection at prophylactic medical examinations remain low (5.9 % and 1.5 %, respectively), and 1-year lethality rates are high (65.2 % and 28.6 %, respectively). Introduction of the program on pre-cancer and early laryngeal cancer detection into routine clinical practice allowed us to identify diagnostic errors in 16.3% of cases, verify laryngeal cancer and to form groups at high risk for laryngeal cancer in 20.6 % of cases

DNA Methylation Signatures of Breastfeeding in Buccal Cells Collected in Mid-Childhood

Breastfeeding has long-term benefits for children that may be mediated via the epigenome. This pathway has been hypothesized, but the number of empirical studies in humans is small and mostly done by using peripheral blood as the DNA source. We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) in buccal cells collected around age nine (mean = 9.5) from 1006 twins recruited by the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR). An age-stratified analysis examined if effects attenuate with age (median split at 10 years; n(<10) = 517, mean age = 7.9; n(>10) = 489, mean age = 11.2). We performed replication analyses in two independent cohorts from the NTR (buccal cells) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (peripheral blood), and we tested loci previously associated with breastfeeding in epigenetic studies. Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed with the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) in the NTR and with the HumanMethylation450 Bead Chip in the ALSPAC. The duration of breastfeeding was dichotomized ('never' vs. 'ever'). In the total sample, no robustly associated epigenome-wide significant CpGs were identified (alpha = 6.34 x 10(-8)). In the sub-group of children younger than 10 years, four significant CpGs were associated with breastfeeding after adjusting for child and maternal characteristics. In children older than 10 years, methylation differences at these CpGs were smaller and non-significant. The findings did not replicate in the NTR sample (n = 98; mean age = 7.5 years), and no nearby sites were associated with breastfeeding in the ALSPAC study (n = 938; mean age = 7.4). Of the CpG sites previously reported in the literature, three were associated with breastfeeding in children younger than 10 years, thus showing that these CpGs are associated with breastfeeding in buccal and blood cells. Our study is the first to show that breastfeeding is associated with epigenetic variation in buccal cells in children. Further studies are needed to investigate if methylation differences at these loci are caused by breastfeeding or by other unmeasured confounders, as well as what mechanism drives changes in associations with age