Serum glycomarkers of endoplasmic reticulum stress and lysosomal-endosomal functional disturbances in cardiovascular diseases

Ischemia and hypertension cause stress of intracellular organelles leading to a disruption of their functions. The hallmark of the endoplasmic reticulum stress is alteration of protein homeostasis. This organelle triggers unfolded protein response to restore cellular homeostasis, in particular through activation of endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) of misglycosylated and /or misfolded proteins. ERAD is one of the main intracellular sources of free oligosaccharides (FOS), unbound structural analogues of glycans of glycoconjugates. The lysosomal-endosomal degradation of glycoconjugates is a different source of their appearance. FOS structures and their alterations may reflect functional status of these organelles. Free oligosaccharides in plasma obtained from patients with cardiovascular diseases, before and after standard treatment, were investigated to evaluate this idea. After plasma deproteinization and FOS purification the oligosaccharides were labeled with anthranilic acid, separated into the neutral and charged fractions with ion-exchange chromatography. FOS were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC profiles of FOS revealed a changing pattern of heterogeneity, depending on the severity of the disease.Three main enlarged glycan species in the neutral fraction and one peak in the charged fraction distinguished the FOS of the patients from those of the healthy volunteers. After treatment, the spectrum changes were observed in neutral fractions. The depth of these changes had individual features but a full profile recovery was not observed. There was no impact of the treatment on the charged fraction. That might indicate a stress prolongation of endosomal-lysosomal system in spite of the therapy. The study of free oligosaccharides of blood plasma is a new field of Glycobiology allowing a non-invasive evaluation of an organism state at the level of the cell organelle functional status in norm and different diseases

When meaningful and rote learning butt heads or an old threat of “test tyranny” in a new reality of Ukrainian medical education

Over the past decades Ukrainian higher education has been changed dramatically due to the fundamental society transformation and challenges of the world globalization. Longstanding modernization of higher medical education has resulted in a combination of some elements of European Credit Transfer-Accumulation System with American testing. For 16 years, the National Testing Center has been conducting an objective external independent evaluation of the professional competence of future physicians, dentists and pharmacists. This licensed integrated exam "Step" includes one, two or three separate test exams depending on the qualification level - "Step 1" (3rd year), "Step 2" (6th year), "Step 3" (interns), "Step M" (junior Specialists) and "Step B" (Bachelors)

Two-phonon 1- state in 112Sn observed in resonant photon scattering

Results of a photon scattering experiment on 112Sn using bremsstrahlung with an endpoint energy of E_0 = 3.8 MeV are reported. A J = 1 state at E_x = 3434(1) keV has been excited. Its decay width into the ground state amounts to Gamma_0 = 151(17) meV, making it a candidate for a [2+ x 3-]1- two-phonon state. The results for 112Sn are compared with quasiparticle-phonon model calculations as well as the systematics of the lowest-lying 1- states established in other even-mass tin isotopes. Contrary to findings in the heavier stable even-mass Sn isotopes, no 2+ states between 2 and 3.5 MeV excitation energy have been detected in the present experiment.Comment: 10 pages, including 2 figures, Phys. Rev. C, in pres

Fine structure of the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance in Si 28 and Al 27

The International Society for Burns Injuries (ISBI) has published guidelines for the management of multiple or mass burns casualties, and recommends that 'each country has or should have a disaster planning system that addresses its own particular needs.' The need for a national burns disaster plan integrated with national and provincial disaster planning was discussed at the South African Burns Society Congress in 2009, but there was no real involvement in the disaster planning prior to the 2010 World Cup; the country would have been poorly prepared had there been a burns disaster during the event. This article identifies some of the lessons learnt and strategies derived from major burns disasters and burns disaster planning from other regions. Members of the South African Burns Society are undertaking an audit of burns care in South Africa to investigate the feasibility of a national burns disaster plan. This audit (which is still under way) also aims to identify weaknesses of burns care in South Africa and implement improvements where necessary