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

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

CORRELATION OF PROFESSIONAL SPORT WITH OTHER TYPES OF SPORT: PROBLEMS OF TYPOLOGY

This article introduces the concept of "professional sport as a subinstitution." Its justification is connected with the need to overcome the contradictions that arose on the basis of the outdated classification of sport in the framework of the activity approach, when the markers that are not working in the new social conditions are used to distinguish its varieties, dividing sport into professional and amateur, professional and Olympic, professional and sport of the highest achievements. Social evolution of sport has led to the formation of its two forms: professional and mass. The author proposes a new concept, which, within the framework of the institutional approach of D. North, allows solving the problems of the typology of sport that sociology faces at the present stage

West syndrome in patients with Kabuki syndrome (literature review and case report)

Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder that has facial phenotypic descriptors, retarded growth, various malformations and different degrees of intellectual disability.Objective: to study the characteristic features of KS comorbid with West syndrome according to literature review and data collection together with KS described clinically, and treatment success rates by the clinical case study research.There was conducting literature review on the topic in the databases OMIM, PubMed, Scopus, and e-library. The articles describing cases of epilepsy in patients with KS were analyzed. We conducted our own observation of KS in the male patient with epilepsy and West syndrome in a patient with KS was analyzed by the clinical case study research.Kabuki syndrome comorbid with West syndrome increases neurological deficits and leads to the formation of a marked delay in mental and speech development and psychomotor development retardation. Peculiarities of the treatment of KS comorbid with West syndrome are the lack of efficacy of antiepileptic drugs, and the very visible effectiveness of the ketogenic diet, together with an atypical response to hormone replacement therapy in the form of distinct positive dynamics – a clinically meaningful reduction in seizure frequency along with elevated liver enzymes

Sustainable and Precarious Employment in the Russian Federation

The subject of the present study is the relationship between sustainable and precarious employment and their scale in the Russian economy. The topic of the article is “Sustainable and precarious employment in the Russian Federation”. The aim of the study is to consider the characteristics of sustainable and precarious employment through the prism of the extended and traditional concepts of the labour force and to determine their scale in the whole of the Russian Federation and in individual sectors of employment on the basis of objective indicators of precarious employment substantiated and verified by the authors. The research methodology is based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis and synthesis of the characteristics of sustainable and precarious employment, including consideration of the extended and traditional concepts of the labour force, the classification of modern employment, as well as the verification of its indicators and their variable application. The scope of the research results is to develop consensus methodological approaches to the study of sustainable and precarious employment, as well as their regulation by government authorities. The authors concluded that precarious employment in the Russian Federation is widespread, which reduces the quality of employment and requires legislative and practical restrictions

Ultrasound of muscles for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Aim. To assess the muscle mass of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using ultrasound. Materials and methods. 102 IBD patients hospitalized in gastroenterology department of Republican Clinical Hospital (Kazan) were involved in the study. Among them, 49% of patients with ulcerative colitis, 51% with Crohn's disease, 10 people made up the control group (CG). The median age in the IBD group was 39.5 [28.5; 50] years, in the CG – 37 [26; 38] years. There were 52 (51%) women in the IBD group and 5 (50%) in the CG group. Patients were examined to assess body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC, cm) and mid-thigh circumference (MTC, cm) of the dominant side; bioimpedance analysis of body composition using the ABC-02 “MEDASS” device; ultrasound examination of muscle thickness at two points on the leading side: ultrasound thickness of the middle of the shoulder (US-MUAC), ultrasound thickness of the middle of the thigh (US-MTC), dynamometry using a wrist dynamometer, assessment of nutritional status. Results. According to BMI, patients were distributed as follows: normal in 57 (55.9%) patients; deficiency – in 12 (11.8%); overweight – 25 (24.5%); obesity – 8 (7.8%). Median MUAC in women with IBD was 28 [24.9; 31] cm, in CG – 28 [27; 28.5] cm (p0.05); in men with IBD 29.8 [27; 32] cm, in CG – 33 [31; 34] cm (p0.05). The median MTC in women with IBD was 54.25 [48.15; 58.10] cm, in CG – 61.5 [56; 67] cm (p0.05); in men with IBD 48 [46; 51.4] cm, in GC – 54 [53; 54] cm (p0.05). The median US-MUAC in women with IBD was 19.60 [18.23; 22.84] mm, CG 22.49 [20.41; 22.66] (p0.05); in men with IBD 26.45 [22.87; 29.24] mm, in CG 21.54 [21.18; 25.13] mm (p0.05). Median US-MTC in women with IBD was 31.05 [23.21; 37.11] mm, CG 41.30 [35.55; 41.74] mm (p0.05), in men with IBD 30.90 [25.64; 39.99] mm, in CG 40.67 [39.10; 41.84] (p0.05). According to the results of bioimpedansometry, the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was low in 32% of patients, normal in 65%, and above normal in 3%. US-MUAC correlated with MUAC (r=0.557; p0.05), with BMI (r=0.448; p0.05), with SMI (r=0.666; p0.05). US-MTC correlated with MTC (r=0.505; p0.05), with BMI (r=0.376; p0.05), with SMI (r=0.373; p0.05). Conclusion. In patients with IBD, MTC was lower than in CG. US-MTC in women and men with IBD was lower than in CG, which correlated with MTC, BMI, skeletal muscle mass according to bioimpedance measurements and grip strength according to dynamometry

Experience in the application of ultrasound indices for assessing the activity of inflammatory bowel diseases

Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasound (US) parameters and indices for assessing the active inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Materials and methods. The study included 115 patients with IBD, 41 (36%) patients were with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 74 (64%) – with Crohn's disease (CD). Transabdominal US examination of the intestine was performed on Sonoscape S2N, with a bowel wall thickness (BWT) of 3 mm considered the norm. To assess activity in UC, the Milan Ultrasound Criteria (MUC) score was used, and in CD – International Bowel Ultrasound Segmental Activity Score (IBUS-SAS). Results. In active UC BWT (5.91 [4.87; 6.95] mm) was greater than in remission (2.9 [2.6; 3.1] mm; p = 0.003). For active UC diagnosis BWT greater than 3 mm had sensitivity (Se) of 90.5% and specificity (Sp) of 70.6%. The MUC in exacerbation (9 [7.88; 11.8]) was higher than in remission (4.2 [3.64; 4.9]; p 0.001). In 31 (89%) patients in exacerbation, the MUC was higher than 6.2 (Se 88.9%, Sp 87.5%), and in 34 (97%) at a threshold of 5.18 (Se 96.3%, Sp 87.5%). In active CD, BWT (4.9 [3.8; 6.6] mm) was greater than in remission (3.18 [2.6; 3.5]; p = 0.0001), with Se 87.0%, Sp 71.4%. The IBUS-SAS in active CD (46.8 [27; 71.5]) was higher than the remission (12.6 [11.2; 30.2]; p = 0.001). At a threshold of 37.5, the IBUS-SAS had Se 92.6%, Sp 61.5%, and at 45.2, Se 92.6%, Sp 87.2%. Conclusion. US imaging is a useful and effective tool for assessing IBD activity; a threshold value of the MUC score of 5.18 and IBUS-SAS of 45.2 suggests better diagnostic value for differentiating between exacerbation and remission

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)