Cerebellar anaplastic astrocytoma in adult patients: 15 consecutive cases from a single institution and literature review

Adult cerebellar anaplastic astrocytomas (cAA) are rare entities and their clinical and genetic appearances are still ill defined. Previously, malignant gliomas of the cerebellum were combined and reviewed together (cAA and cerebellar glioblastomas (cGB), that could have possibly affected overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). We present characteristics of 15 adult patients with cAA and compared them to a series of 45 patients with a supratentorial AA (sAA) in order to elicit the effect of tumor location on OS and PFS. The mean age at cAA diagnosis was 39.3 years (range 19–72). A history of neurofibromatosis type I was noted in 1 patient (6.7%). An IDH-1 mutation was identified in 6/15 cases and a methylated MGMT promoter in 5/15 cases. Patients in study and control groups were matched in age, sex and IDH-1 mutation status. Patients in a study group tended to present with longer overall survival (50 vs. 36.5 months), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. In both cAA and supratentorial AA groups presence of the IDH-1 mutation remains a positive predictor for the prolonged survival. The present study suggests that adult cAA constitute a group of gliomas with relatively higher rate of IDH-1 mutations and prognosis similar to supratentorial AA. The present study is the first to systematically compare cAA and supratentorial AA with respect to their genetic characteristics and suggests that both groups show a similar survival prognosis

The results of orthodontic treatment using computer design of structures

The article deals with the use of mathematical background and computer modeling in the process of treatment dental apparatus engineering. Drawing on mathematical calculations, veracity of which is validated by the results of experimental research, there in the clinic it has been used treatment appliance made of elastic polymer with set-up parameter

Effect of plant communities on aggregate composition and organic matter stabilisation in young soils

© 2014, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Results: Deciduous forest soil accumulated the highest C content in the 0–5 cm layer (43 g C kg−1), whereas values in coniferous forest and arable soils were lower (30 and 12 g C kg−1, respectively). The highest portion of C in arable soil was accumulated in the mineral fraction (80 %), whereas 50–60 % of the C in forest soils were in POM. More C was associated with minerals in deciduous forest soil (16 g C kg−1 soil) than under coniferous forest and arable land (8–10 g C kg−1 soil). Conclusions: Particulate organic matter explains most of the differences in organic C accumulation in soils developed during 45 years under the three vegetation types on identical parent material. The C content of the mineral soil fraction was controlled by plant cover and contributed the most to differences in C accumulation in soils developed under similar vegetation type (forest). Objectives: Carbon (C) content in pools of very young soils that developed during 45 years from loess was analysed in relation to vegetation: deciduous and coniferous forests and cropland. We hypothesised that variations in the amount of particulate organic matter (POM) can explain the C accumulation and also affects the C bound to mineral surfaces in soil under various vegetation. Methods: Soil samples were collected under three vegetation types of a 45-year-old experiment focused on initial soil development. Aggregate and density fractionations were combined to analyse C accumulation in large and small macro- and microaggregates as well as in free and occluded POM and mineral factions

5-HT2B antagonism arrests non-canonical TGF-β1-induced valvular myofibroblast differentiation

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces myofibroblast activation of quiescent aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs), a differentiation process implicated in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). The ubiquity of TGF-β1 signaling makes it difficult to target in a tissue specific manner; however, the serotonin 2B receptor (5-HT2B) is highly localized to cardiopulmonary tissues and agonism of this receptor displays pro-fibrotic effects in a TGF-β1-dependent manner. Therefore, we hypothesized that antagonism of 5-HT2B opposes TGF-β1-induced pathologic differentiation of AVICs and may offer a druggable target to prevent CAVD. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the interaction of 5-HT2B antagonism with canonical and non-canonical TGF-β1 pathways to inhibit TGF-β1-induced activation of isolated porcine AVICs in vitro. Here we show that AVIC activation and subsequent calcific nodule formation is completely mitigated by 5-HT2B antagonism. Interestingly, 5-HT2B antagonism does not inhibit canonical TGF-β1 signaling as identified by Smad3 phosphorylation and activation of a partial plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter (PAI-1, a transcriptional target of Smad3), but prevents non-canonical p38 MAPK phosphorylation. It was initially suspected that 5-HT2B antagonism prevents Src tyrosine kinase phosphorylation; however, we found that this is not the case and time-lapse microscopy indicates that 5-HT2B antagonism prevents non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling by physically arresting Src tyrosine kinase. This study demonstrates the necessity of non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling in leading to pathologic AVIC differentiation. Moreover, we believe that the results of this study suggest 5-HT2B antagonism as a novel therapeutic approach for CAVD that merits further investigation

On the elastic constants of the zeolite chlorosodalite

The use of force-field based molecular modeling to predict the elastic constants of the zeolite chlorosodalite is described. Theoretical predictions of the on-axis and off-axis elastic constants strongly suggest that an error exists in the published elastic constants of the material. When the previous experimental data are corrected by transposing the published directional ultrasound velocities, excellent agreement is observed between the off-axis plots of sodalite produced by experiment and modeling. Further confirmation of the prediction is supplied by considering the Zener ratios of other inorganic materials that possess cubic symmetry. ©2006 American Institute of Physics

Efficiency of antinocyceptive support of patients with endodontic interventions for acute periodontitis

It is known that periodontitis is an inflammatory disease ofthe connective tissue anatomical formation located in the space between the compact plate of the dental alveoli and the cement of the tooth root. It has been proven that endodontic treatment for complicated forms of carious lesions is based on invasive interventio

Моделирование процессов возникновения и роста фрактальных структур и дефектов камер теплоэнергетических установок. Часть 1

The paper considers modeling the emergence and growth of possible fractal structures and defects on the inner surface of the chambers of thermal power units, which allow control and regulation of the development of such stochastic dynamic processes. We are talking about the use of modeling procedures for the given analysis, which are quite universal in the framework of certain approaches. A general qualitative consideration of the modeling of processes such as the deposition of materials on a solid surface of various complex configurations, and the occurrence of its fracturing and defects of fractal types, is given. In the first part, we consider an analogy between the processes of the emergence and growth of fractal structures and chamber defects with laser processes of controlled deposition of substances on the surface of a solid body and the growth of its fracturing. A number of models have been developed for the emergence and growth of fractal inhomogeneities of various types and configurations on a solid surface with identification of the possibility of their preliminary monitoring at the initial stage of their appearance. At the same time, both various surfaces in the form of coatings and the formation of fracturing and cluster zones of inhomogeneities and defects have been analyzed. The emphasis in the course of research has been made both on the analysis of their regulated structure, and also on the dynamics of the growth of fracturing and cluster zones of heterogeneities and defects in a certain direction. At the initial stage, the indicated process of formation of fractures and cluster zones of inhomogeneities and defects in space was monitored with different scaling: nano- and microscales. This study has been carried out within the framework of an analogy under the following conditions: firstly, given control over the cha-racteristics of similar objects in the corresponding laser experiment; secondly, the presence of a real possibility of ensuring their formation on the inner surfaces of the chambers in contact with the working substance; thirdly, the possibility of such structures influencing on the efficiency of various types of thermal power units in the context of achieving the desired direction and/or undesirability of changing the indicators and characteristics of units taking into account the laws of technical thermodynamics.Рассматривается моделирование возникновения и роста возможных фрактальных структур и дефектов на внутренней поверхности камер тепловых энергетических установок, допускающих контролирование и регулирование развития таких стохастических динамических процессов. Речь идет об использовании процедур моделирования для приводимого анализа, имеющих достаточно универсальный характер в рамках определенных подходов. Приведено общее качественное рассмотрение моделирования процессов как осаждения материалов на твердую поверхность различных сложных конфигураций, так и возникновения ее трещиноватости и дефектов фрактальных типов. В первой части проводится аналогия процессов возникновения и роста фрактальных структур и дефектов камер с лазерными процессами управляемого осаждения веществ на поверхность твердого тела и роста ее трещиноватости. Развит ряд моделей возникновения и роста фрактальных неоднородностей разного типа и конфигураций на твердой поверхности с выявлением возможности их предварительного мониторинга на начальном этапе появления. При этом проанализированы как различные поверхности в виде покрытий, так и образование трещиноватости и кластерных зон неоднородностей и дефектов. Акцент в ходе исследований сделан на анализе регулируемой их структуры, а также на динамике роста трещиноватости и кластерных зон неоднородностей и дефектов в определенном направлении. На начальном этапе осуществлялся мониторинг указанного процесса образования в пространстве трещиноватости и кластерных зон неоднородностей и дефектов с различным масштабированием: нано- и микромасштабами. Данное исследование проведено в рамках аналогии в условиях: во-первых, заданного управления характеристиками подобных объектов в соответствующем лазерном эксперименте; во-вторых, наличия реальной возможности обеспечения их образования на внутренних поверхностях камер при контакте с рабочим веществом; в-третьих, возможности влияния таких структур  на эффективность работы тепловых энергетических установок разного типа в контексте достижения нужной направленности и/или нежелательности изменения показателей и характеристик установок с учетом закономерностей технической термодинамики

Annexin A2 antibodies but not inhibitors of the annexin A2 heterotetramer impair productive HIV-1 infection of macrophages in vitro

During sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), macrophages are initial targets for HIV infection. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) has been shown to protect against HIV infection of macrophages through interactions with annexin A2 (A2), which is found on the macrophage cell surface as a heterotetramer (A2t) consisting of A2 and S100A10. Therefore, we investigated potential protein-protein interactions between A2 and HIV-1 gp120 through a series of co-immunoprecipitation assays and a single molecule pulldown (SiMPull) technique. Additionally, inhibitors of A2t (A2ti) that target the interaction between A2 and S100A10 were tested for their ability to impair productive HIV-1 infection of macrophages. Our data suggest that interactions between HIV-1 gp120 and A2 exist, though this interaction may be indirect. Furthermore, an anti-A2 antibody impaired HIV-1 particle production in macrophages in vitro, whereas A2ti did not indicating that annexin A2 may promote HIV-1 infection of macrophages in its monomeric rather than tetrameric form