ASSESSMENT OF URINARY HYDROXYPYRIDINIUM CROSS-LINKS MEASUREMENT IN OSTEOARTHRITIS

The aim of this study is to re-evaluate urinary collagen cross-links, previously proposed as markers of osteoarthritis (OA). The urinary excretion of collagen cross-links, pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD), was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 114 patients with OA, 19 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 40 healthy subjects. An increase in PYD and DPD, expressed per millimole of creatinine, was confirmed in RA. However, PYD and DPD in patients with hip OA, knee OA and polyOA were similar, and did not differ from controls. In patients with radiographic end-stage OA, PYD and DPD were significantly higher than in patients with an early OA, but not significantly higher than in controls. The PYD/DPD ratio did not vary with the OA stage. Thus, urinary collagen cross-links are not elevated in OA, but could reflect bone sclerosis and/or erosion in late O

Optimizing Current Collector Interfaces for Efficient “Anode-Free” Lithium Metal Batteries

Current lithium (Li)-metal anodes are not sustainable for the mass production of future energy storage devices because they are inherently unsafe, expensive, and environmentally unfriendly. The anode-free concept, in which a current collector (CC) is directly used as the host to plate Li-metal, by using only the Li content coming from the positive electrode, could unlock the development of highly energy-dense and low-cost rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, dead Li-metal forms during cycling, leading to a progressive and fast capacity loss. Therefore, the optimization of the CC/electrolyte interface and modifications of CC designs are key to producing highly efficient anode-free batteries with liquid and solid-state electrolytes. Lithiophilicity and electronic conductivity must be tuned to optimize the plating process of Li-metal. This review summarizes the recent progress and key findings in the CC design (e.g. 3D structures) and its interaction with electrolytes

What Have We Learnt from Quantitative Case Reports of Acute Lateral Ankle Sprains Injuries and Episodes of \u27Giving-Way\u27 of the Ankle Joint, and What Shall We Further Investigate?

Lateral ankle sprains are a commonly incurred injury in sports. They have a high recurrence rate and can lead to the development of persistent injury associated symptoms. We performed a quantitative synthesis of published case reports documenting the kinematics of acute lateral ankle sprains and episodes of ‘giving-way’ of the ankle joint to provide a comprehensive description of the mechanisms. A systematic literature search was conducted to screen records within MEDLINE® and EMBASE®. Additional strategies included manual search of specific journals, as well as contacting researchers in relevant communities to retrieve unpublished data. Twenty-four cases were included in the quantitative synthesis, 11 from individual case reports and 13 from four separate case series. Two authors independently reviewed all the articles and extracted ankle joint kinematic data. Excessive ankle inversion was the most pronounced kinematic pattern observed across all included cases, with a mean peak inversion angle of 67.5° (range 2.0 to 142) and a mean peak inversion velocity of 974°/s (range 468 to 1752). This was followed by internal rotation and plantar flexion, respectively. A homogeneous linear function revealed a mean inversion velocity across all cases of 337°/s (range 117 to 1400; R2 = 0.78; p \u3c 0.0001)

Упровадження моделей хмарних сервісів у підготовку майбутніх фахівців з інформаційних технологій

Leading research directions are defined on the basis of self-analysis of the study results on the use of cloud technologies in training by employees of joint research laboratory “Сloud technologies in education” of Kryvyi Rih National University and Institute of Information Technology and Learning Aids of the NAES of Ukraine in 2009-2018: cloud learning technologies, cloud technologies of blended learning, cloud-oriented learning environments, cloud-oriented methodological systems of training, the provision of cloud-based educational services. The ways of implementation SaaS, PaaS, IaaS cloud services models which are appropriate to use in the process of studying the academic disciplines of the cycles of mathematical, natural science and professional and practical training of future specialists in information technology are shown, based on the example of software engineering, computer science and computer engineering. The most significant advantages of using cloud technologies in training of future information technology specialists are definite, namely, the possibility of using modern parallel programming tools as the basis of cloud technologies. Conclusions are drawn; the direction of further research is indicated: designing a cloud-oriented learning environment for future specialists in computer engineering, identifying trends in the development of cloud technologies in the professional training and retraining of information technology specialists, developing a methodology for building the research competencies of future software engineering specialists by using cloud technologies.Провідні напрямки досліджень визначені на основі самоаналізу результатів досліджень з використання хмарних технологій в навчанні співробітниками спільної дослідницької лабораторії «Хмарні технології в освіті» Криворізького національного університету та Інституту інформаційних технологій і засобів навчання НПН України в 2009-2018 рр.: хмарні технології навчання, хмарні технології комбінованого навчання, хмарні середовища навчання, хмарні методичні системи навчання, надання хмарних освітніх послуг. Показано шляхи реалізації моделей хмарних сервісів SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, які доцільно використовувати в процесі вивчення навчальних дисциплін циклів математики, природознавства та професійної і практичної підготовки майбутніх фахівців з інформаційних технологій, на прикладах інженерії програмного забезпечення, інформатики та комп'ютерної інженерії. Визначено найбільш суттєві переваги використання хмарних технологій при підготовці майбутніх фахівців з інформаційних технологій, а саме можливість використання сучасних інструментів паралельного програмування в якості основи хмарних технологій. Висновки зроблені; вказано напрями подальших досліджень: розробка хмарної середовища навчання для майбутніх фахівців з комп'ютерної інженерії, виявлення тенденцій розвитку хмарних технологій у професійній підготовці та перепідготовці фахівців з інформаційних технологій, розробка методики формування дослідницьких компетентностей майбутні фахівців з інженерії програмного забезпечення з використанням хмарних технологій

Soil and water bioengineering: practice and research needs for reconciling natural hazard control and ecological restoration

Soil and water bioengineering is a technology that encourages scientists and practitioners to combine their knowledge and skills in the management of ecosystems with a common goal to maximize benefits to both man and the natural environment. It involves techniques that use plants as living building materials, for: (i) natural hazard control (e.g., soil erosion, torrential floods and landslides) and (ii) ecological restoration or nature-based re-introduction of species on degraded lands, river embankments, and disturbed environments. For a bioengineering project to be successful, engineers are required to highlight all the potential benefits and ecosystem services by documenting the technical, ecological, economic and social values. The novel approaches used by bioengineers raise questions for researchers and necessitate innovation from practitioners to design bioengineering concepts and techniques. Our objective in this paper, therefore, is to highlight the practice and research needs in soil and water bioengineering for reconciling natural hazard control and ecological restoration. Firstly, we review the definition and development of bioengineering technology, while stressing issues concerning the design, implementation, and monitoring of bioengineering actions. Secondly, we highlight the need to reconcile natural hazard control and ecological restoration by posing novel practice and research questions

Improving survival in recurrent medulloblastoma: earlier detection, better treatment or still an impasse?

Early detection of relapse has been advocated to improve survival in children with recurrent medulloblastoma. However, the prognostic factors and the longer term outcome of these patients remains unclear. Pattern of recurrences were analysed in three consecutive protocols of the Société Française d'Oncologie Pédiatrique (1985-91). A uniform surveillance programme including repeated lumbar puncture combined with computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was applied for all registered patients. Forty-six out of 116 patients had progressive or recurrent disease. The median time from diagnosis to recurrence was 10.5 months and 76% relapses occurred during the first 2 years. Seventeen patients had asymptomatic relapses that were detected by the surveillance protocol. Forty-one patients were treated at time of progression. Twenty-three responded to salvage therapy and 11 achieved a second complete remission. The median survival time after progression was 5 months (<1-41 months), and only two patients remained alive at time of follow-up. Length of survival is primarily related to some specific patterns of relapse (time from diagnosis to recurrence, circumstances of relapse, extent of relapse) and to the response to salvage therapy. No evidence of long-term benefit appeared from any form of treatment

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 2-Methyl-4,5-Disubstituted Oxazoles as a Novel Class of Highly Potent Antitubulin Agents

Antimitotic agents that interfere with microtubule formation are one of the major classes of cytotoxic drugs for cancer treatment. Multiple 2-methyl-4-(3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl)-5-substituted oxazoles and their related 4-substituted-5-(3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl) regioisomeric derivatives designed as cis-constrained combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity in vitro against a panel of cancer cell lines and, for selected highly active compounds, interaction with tubulin, cell cycle effects and in vivo potency. Both these series of compounds were characterized by the presence of a common 3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl ring at either the C-4 or C-5 position of the 2-methyloxazole ring. Compounds 4g and 4i, bearing a m-fluoro-p-methoxyphenyl or p-ethoxyphenyl moiety at the 5-position of 2-methyloxazole nucleus, respectively, exhibited the greatest antiproliferative activity, with IC50 values of 0.35-4.6 nM (4g) and 0.5–20.2 nM (4i), which are similar to those obtained with CA-4. These compounds bound to the colchicine site of tubulin and inhibited tubulin polymerization at submicromolar concentrations. Furthermore, 4i strongly induced apoptosis that follows the mitochondrial pathway. In vivo, 4i in a mouse syngeneic model demonstrated high antitumor activity which significantly reduced the tumor mass at doses ten times lower than that required for CA-4P, suggesting that 4i warrants further evaluation as a potential anticancer drug