Pipe thread wear-resistant ultrasonic hardening unit

Pipe thread hardening unit had being developed, produced and trialed with usage of intensive radial ultrasonic vibrations. Microhardness trials had being held. As a result, it had been announced that microhardness was increased 2-3 times in comparison with unhardened base layer

Genome-wide association study reveals genetic variants associated with HIV-1C infection in a Botswana study population

Although there have been many studies of gene variant association with different stages of HIV/AIDS progression in United States and European cohorts, few gene-association studies have assessed genic determinants in sub-Saharan African populations, which have the highest density of HIV infections worldwide. We carried out genome-wide association studies on 766 study participants at risk for HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C) infection in Botswana. Three gene associations (AP3B1, PTPRA, and NEO1) were shown to have significant association with HIV-1C acquisition. Each gene association was replicated within Botswana or in the United States–African American or United States–European American AIDS cohorts or in both. Each associated gene has a prior reported influence on HIV/AIDS pathogenesis. Thirteen previously discovered AIDS restriction genes were further replicated in the Botswana cohorts, extending our confidence in these prior AIDS restriction gene reports. This work presents an early step toward the identification of genetic variants associated with and affecting HIV acquisition or AIDS progression in the understudied HIV-1C afflicted Botswana population

The use of LLIF technology in adult patients with degenerative scoliosis: retrospective cohort analysis and literature review

Introduction Incidence of adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS) among individuals over 50 years old reaches 68%. Surgical interventions aimed at correcting the spinal deformity in patients of the older age group are accompanied by a high risk of complications. The use of LLIF is associated with lower complications as compared with open anterior or posterior fusion. Materials and methods Seventy-one patients with ADS (13 men, 58 women) were operated at the Federal Neurosurgical Center. Their average age was 60.4/60 (average/median) [55;64.5] (1: 3 quartile) years. The follow-up was from 12 to 18 months. X-ray study, SCT, MRI of the lumbar spine were used. Questionnaire surveys were conducted using the visual analog pain scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Deformity correction was estimated in the frontal plane with Cobb’s method. Scoliosis was classified according to SRS-Schwab classification. Parameters of sagittal balance were estimated: PI (Pelvic incidence), SS (Sacral slope), PT (Pelvic tilt), LL (Lumbar lordosis). SVA, PT and PILL (PI minus LL) were defined adjusted for the age. Results Back pain according to VAS relieved from 6.1/6 [4;8] to 2.2/2 [2;3] points (p < 0.001) and was statistically significant at 12 months after the surgery. Leg pain according to VAS decreased from 5.4/5 [4;8] to 2.1/2 [1;3] points (p < 0.001) and was statistically significant at 12 months after the surgery. Functional adaptation according to ODI improved from 51.2/52.2 [38.6;64.1] to 31.8/33.3 [26.1;35.9] (p < 0.001). According to SF36, PH before the surgery was 25.7/24.3 [21.8;28.9] on average and at 12 months after the surgery - 38.7/38.7 [35.4;41.2] (p < 0.001). SF-36 MH before surgery was 27.1/26.3 [21.8;31.4] on average and 12 months later – 41.3/40.6 [36.5;43.7] (p < 0.001). PT before the surgery was 23.3/22° [17.5;28], 12 months later it was 17.9/17° [15;20] (p < 0.001). PI-LL was 11.5/10 ° [4;17.5], 12 months later – 8.4/8 ° [5.5;11.5] (p = 0.11). Transient paresis of femur flexors on the ipsilateral side was observed in five (7 %) cases; transient hyposthesia on the anterior thigh surface occurred in eight (11.2 %) cases. There were two cases of medial malposition (0.4 %) of pedicle screws (474 screws), pseudoarthrosis at two levels (1.2 %) (Grade 4 Bridwell) out of 166 levels performed, and seven (4.2 %) cases of damage to cortical endplates. Conclusion Restoration of local sagittal balance in ADS patients by short-segment fixation using LLIF technology leads to a statistically significant improvement in the quality of life and increases functional adaptation. Few early and late postoperative complications, less intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stay make LLIF in combination with MIS transpedicular fixation a method of choice in determining the surgical tactics for ADS in elderly and old age patients

Genome-wide sequence analyses of ethnic populations across Russia

The Russian Federation is the largest and one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, however no centralized reference database of genetic variation exists to date. Such data are crucial for medical genetics and essential for studying population history. The Genome Russia Project aims at filling this gap by performing whole genome sequencing and analysis of peoples of the Russian Federation. Here we report the characterization of genome-wide variation of 264 healthy adults, including 60 newly sequenced samples. People of Russia carry known and novel genetic variants of adaptive, clinical and functional consequence that in many cases show allele frequency divergence from neighboring populations. Population genetics analyses revealed six phylogeographic partitions among indigenous ethnicities corresponding to their geographic locales. This study presents a characterization of population-specific genomic variation in Russia with results important for medical genetics and for understanding the dynamic population history of the world's largest country

Collection of Hairy Roots as a Basis for Fundamental and Applied Research

Due to population growth, instability of climatic conditions, and reduction of the areas of natural ecosystems, it becomes necessary to involve modern biotechnological approaches to obtain highly productive plant material. This statement applies both to the creation of plant varieties and the production of new pharmaceutical raw materials. Genetic transformation of valuable medicinal plants using Agrobacterium rhizogenes ensures the production of stable and rapidly growing hairy roots cultures that have a number of advantages compared with cell culture and, above all, can synthesize root-specific substances at the level of the roots of the intact plant. In this regard, special attention should be paid to the collection of hairy roots of the Institute of Plant Physiology RAS, Russian Academy of Sciences, the founder of which was Dr. Kuzovkina I.N. Currently, the collection contains 38 hairy roots lines of valuable medicinal and forage plants. The review discusses the prospects of creating a hairy roots collection as a basis for fundamental research and commercial purposes

A Study of the Genomic Variations Associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorders in a Russian Cohort of Patients Using Whole-Exome Sequencing

This study provides new data on the whole-exome sequencing of a cohort of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) from an underexplored Russian population. Using both a cross-sectional approach involving a control cohort of the same ancestry and an annotation-based approach involving relevant public databases, we explored exonic single nucleotide variants and copy-number variation potentially involved in the manifestation of ASD. The study results reveal new potential ASD candidate-variants found in the studied Russian cohort and show a high prevalence of common ASD-associated genomic variants, especially those in the genes known to be associated with the manifestation of intellectual disabilities. Our screening of an ASD cohort from a previously understudied population allowed us to flag at least a few novel genes (IGLJ2, FAM21A, OR11H12, HIP1, PRAMEF10, and ZNF717) regarding their potential involvement in ASD