Algorithm of allocation of agricultural land occupied by winter crops

In Russia, many lands legally classified as agricultural land are abandoned. We propose an algorithm for the allocation of agricultural land with winter crops based on the dynamics of normalized relative vegetation index (NDVI) which were verified on the example of the Rostov region, a major producer of agricultural products in Russia. Cereals in Rostov region cover about 70% of the sown areas, most of them are winter wheat. A series of MODIS satellite data for the period March-August 2020 were used for calculations. Crop yields were taken from the Database of Rostov Region Municipalities. NDVI index for the territory of the Rostov region had lowest average value in March, maximum in May with a decrease by August. Pixels with high difference in NDVI values from March to August 2020, were considered agricultural fields. Pixels with NDVI index in range 0.2 - 0.5 in March and April were identified as winter cereal crops. A statistically significant linear relationship with a correlation coefficient of 0.57 between winter wheat yield values according to national statistical data for districts of Rostov region for 2020 and average NDVI values for districts for selected fields occupied by winter wheat in this period was obtained

Quality of life after fragility fracture in the Russian Federation : Results from the Russian arm of the International Cost and Utility Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS)

Summary Changes in health-related quality of life (QoL) due to hip, humeral, ankle, spine, and distal forearm fracture were measured in Russian adults age 50 years or more over the first 18 months after fracture. The accumulated mean QoL loss after hip fracture was 0.5 and significantly greater than after fracture of the distal forearm (0.13), spine (0.21), proximal humerus (0.26), and ankle (0.27). Introduction Data on QoL following osteoporotic fractures in Russia are scarce. The present study evaluated the impact of hip, vertebral, proximal humerus, distal forearm, and ankle fracture up to 18 months after fracture from the Russian arm of the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study. Methods Individuals age ≥ 50 years with low-energy-induced humeral, hip, clinical vertebral, ankle, or distal forearm fracture were enrolled. After a recall of pre-fracture status, HRQoL was prospectively collected over 18 months of follow-up using EQ-5D-3L. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify determinants of QALYs loss. Results At 2 weeks, patients with hip fracture (n = 223) reported the lowest mean health state utility value (HSUV) compared with other fracture sites. Thereafter, utility values increased but remained significantly lower than before fracture. For spine (n = 183), humerus (n = 166), and ankle fractures (n = 214), there was a similar pattern of disutility with a nadir within 2 weeks and a progressive recovery thereafter. The accumulated mean QoL loss after hip fracture was 0.5 and significantly greater than after fracture of the distal forearm (0.13), spine (0.21), proximal humerus (0.26), and ankle (0.27). Substantial impairment in self-care and usual activities immediately after fracture were important predictors of recovery across at all fracture sites. Conclusions Fractures of the hip, vertebral, distal forearm, ankle, and proximal humerus incur substantial loss of QoL in Russia. The utility values derived from this study can be used in future economic evaluations

Influence of Lipid Composition of Cationic Liposomes 2X3-DOPE on mRNA Delivery into Eukaryotic Cells

The design of cationic liposomes for efficient mRNA delivery can significantly improve mRNA-based therapies. Lipoplexes based on polycationic lipid 1,26-bis(cholest-5-en-3β-yloxycarbonylamino)-7,11,16,20-tetraazahexacosane tetrahydrochloride (2X3) and helper lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) were formulated in different molar ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3) to efficiently deliver model mRNAs to BHK-21 and A549. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of 2X3-DOPE composition as well as lipid-to-mRNA ratio (amino-to-phosphate group ratio, N/P) on mRNA transfection. We found that lipoplex-mediated transfection efficiency depends on both liposome composition and the N/P ratio. Lipoplexes with an N/P ratio of 10/1 showed nanometric hydrodynamic size, positive ζ potential, maximum loading, and transfection efficiency. Liposomes 2X3-DOPE (1:3) provided the superior delivery of both mRNA coding firefly luciferase and mRNA-eGFP into BHK-21 cells and A549 cells, compared with commercial Lipofectamine MessengerMax