Sorption Properties of Clay and Pectin-Containing Hydrogels

As is known, polymeric polyelectrolyte hydrogels are superabsorbents that are capable of absorbing moisture in amounts many times greater than their own mass. Numerous studies have shown that besides water absorption and retention, they can also be effectively used as sorbents to purify water from heavy metals. In many works, attempts are made to improve the sorption properties of polyelectrolyte hydrogels by creating polymer composites based on them. Organic/inorganic composite materials frequently exhibited desired hybrid performance superior to their individual components and cost-efficient characteristics. The composites derived from natural polysaccharides and inorganic clay minerals are of special interest by virtue of their unique commercial and environmental advantages, which means that the design and development of environmentally friendly superabsorbents, introducing natural ingredients, have long been necessary. In this paper, we consider polymer hydrogels based on a copolymer of acrylic acid and acrylamide filled with pectin and bentonite. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of chemical conditions on hydrogels and their composites, kinetic, and absorption behavior toward metal ions in the presence of the chelating agent. In this chapter, an investigation of the kinetic patterns of swelling, deswelling, and sorption of the hydrogels and their composites will be presented

Review of Hydrological Peculiarities of the Flooding in the Amur Region with the Purpose to Establish a Complex of Sanitary-Anti-Epidemic Actions for Minimization of Social Implications

Described are the chronology and main peculiarities of floods in the Amur Region within the historical period since 1872 till present time. Given are the data on the damage to the Amur-river territory economy as a result of catastrophic high waters in 1928, 1950s, 1984, 2007. Comprehensively discussed are the peculiarities of the flooding, August-September 2013 as one of the most intense and prolonged in the history of the hydro-meteorological observations in the Far East. It is found out that Zeisk and Bureisk hydroelectric power stations turned out to be the only buffer storage restraining two thirds of the water volume of Zeya and Bureya rivers inflow in their flowages over a period of flood. Outlined are the general guidelines for emergency response activities under high water conditions for the Rospotrebnadzor Administration Quarters in the Amur Region. Implementation of the complex of actions through the offices of the territorial Rospotrebnadzor institutions in cooperation with the executive authorities has allowed for the prevention of epidemiological implications, providing for favorable sanitary-epidemiologic situation at the time of high water

FUNCTIONAL POLYMORPHISM OF THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE GENES IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

In the present time, incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) becomes broader, due to spreading resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) to anti-tuberculosis drugs and infection with highly virulent strains of M. tuberculosis. The MBT antigens can cause dysfunction of the receptors and modulate the cytokine secreting function of immunocompetent cells. Polymorphic genes of pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in the mechanisms of defense responses of innate immunity, determine the degree of resistance to individual mycobacterial infection, as well as severity and duration of the disease in cases of clinical manifestations. The aim of the study was to investigate the connections between allelic polymorphisms of IL2, IFNG and TNFA genes and changes in secretion of the corresponding pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2, IFNγ, and TNFα in vitro in patients with the newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), depending on the clinical form of the disease.A total of 334 patients (220 men and 114 women) aged 23 to 50 years with newly diagnosed infiltrative and disseminated TB were enrolled into the study. The control group consisted of 183 healthy donors (130 men and 53 women) of corresponding age. The material of the research included DNA extracted from the whole blood and supernatants of culture suspensions of mononuclear leukocytes isolated from venous blood in healthy volunteers and patients with TB. The evaluation of cytokines secretion was performed by measuring their concentration in the blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants. using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To study polymorphic regions of cytokine genes, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied. Analysis of the obtained data was carried out by means of the program Statistica for Windows Version 6.0 (StatSoft Inc., USA).It was found that the imbalance of secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in TB patients was associated with the polymorphic variants of genes of these cytokines. It was found that the hypo-secretion of IL-2 is determined by the carriage of the G allele and genotype GG (T-330G) of the IL2 gene in both the control group and in patients with TB, regardless of the clinical form. In patients with DTB carriers of the homozygous genotype TT (T-330G) of the IL2gene, increased protein secretion was established. The maximum secretion of TNFб was recorded in patients with the AA genotype (G-308A) of the TNFA gene in the control group and in ITB patients; the minimum concentration of TNFα was associated with the carrier of the homozygous GG genotype (G-308A) of the TNFA gene in all the examined groups. In patients with ITB and DTB, an increase in IFNγ secretion by mononuclear blood leukocytes is not associated with the carrier of polymorphism +874A/T of the IFNG gene.Reduced secretion of IL-2 and TNFα in TB patients is associated with polymorphisms of their genes – (T-330G) of IL2 gene and (G-308A) of TNFA gene, respectively. The polymorphism (+874A/T) of the IFNG gene does not have a modulatory effect on the secretion of IFNγ in patients with TB, regardless of clinical form of the disease

Impact of inter-ventricular lead distance on cardiac resynchronization therapy outcomes

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown as an essential treatment of patients with heart failure, leading to improvements in symptoms, left ventricular (LV) function, and survival. However, up to 30% of appropriately selected patients remain non-responders to CRT. The aim of our study was to test a hypothesis on the impact of lead positioning in the ventricular walls on CRT response in patients with advanced chronic heart failure with and without pre-operative inter and intra-ventricular myocardial dyssynchrony. We examined 53 guideline-selected CRT candidates. Response to CRT was defined in 6 months after implantation of CRT devices. All patients underwent standard and Doppler echocardiography for assessment of LV function and mechanical dyssynchrony. Individual right ventricular (RV) and LV lead tip position, inter-lead distance, and the horizontal and vertical components were measured on the radiograph images with using an automated custom made software Our results showed that the RLV inter-lead distance is an essential parameter correlated with the CRT outcomes. A logistic model comprising the RLV inter-lead distance with parameters of dyssynchrony demonstrated a high predictive power for odds of CRT success. © 2017 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.Research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, agreement № 02.A03.21.0006 and Program of the RAS Presidium #I.33П

Colleges and industry partner’s integration: China’s experience

The article considers the Chinese analogue of the federal project “Professionalism” – “Workshop named after master Liu Ban”. Luban Workshop is an innovative experience that combines academic education and vocational training. This project takes on the important mission of promoting integration between industry partners (enterprises) and colleges in order to optimize the country’s economic development through the modernization and reform of vocational education. The article examines the history of the implementation of the author’s Chinese model EPIP; the features of the modern practice of organizing the “Workshop” in different countries of the world are revealed. It is concluded that the possibility and expediency of projecting some provisions of the Chinese experience onto the area of searching for the development trajectory of the Russian project “Professionalism”.Рассмотрен китайский аналог федерального проекта «Профессионалитет» – «Luban Workshop» («Мастерская имени мастера Лу Бань»), который являет собой инновационный опыт, объединяющий академическое образование и профессионально-техническое обучение. Показана важная миссия данного проекта по продвижению интеграции между отраслевыми партнерами (предприятиями) и колледжами в целях оптимизации экономического развития страны на базе модернизации и реформирования профессионального образования. Исследуются вопросы истории реализации авторской китайской модели EPIP; выявляются особенности современной практики организации «Мастерской имени мастера Лу Бань» в разных странах мира. Сделан вывод о возможности и целесообразности проекции некоторых положений китайского опыта на область поисков траектории развития российского проекта «Профессионалитет»

Federal Program "Professionalitet" - Method of Closure of the Region's Staff Deficiency

В статье рассматриваются федеральная программа «Профессионалитет» как один из вариантов закрытия кадрового дефицита региона. Сопоставлены современные образовательные технологии и их результативность, представлены перспективные виды взаимодействий отраслевых партнеров и колледжей при реализации программы.The article considers the federal program "Professionalitet" as one of the options for closing the personnel shortage in the region. Modern educational technologies and their effectiveness are compared, promising types of interactions between industry partners and colleges in the implementation of the project are presented

Statistical Properties and Predictability of Extreme Epileptic Events

The use of extreme events theory for the analysis of spontaneous epileptic brain activity is a relevant multidisciplinary problem. It allows deeper understanding of pathological brain functioning and unraveling mechanisms underlying the epileptic seizure emergence along with its predictability. The latter is a desired goal in epileptology which might open the way for new therapies to control and prevent epileptic attacks. With this goal in mind, we applied the extreme event theory for studying statistical properties of electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of WAG/Rij rats with genetic predisposition to absence epilepsy. Our approach allowed us to reveal extreme events inherent in this pathological spiking activity, highly pronounced in a particular frequency range. The return interval analysis showed that the epileptic seizures exhibit a highly-structural behavior during the active phase of the spiking activity. Obtained results evidenced a possibility for early (up to 7 s) prediction of epileptic seizures based on consideration of EEG statistical properties

Экспрессия провоспалительных и костимулирующих молекул на макрофагах in vitro у больных туберкулезом легких

The aim of this study was to identify features of the expression of pro-inflammatory and co-stimulatory molecules on the surface of macrophages in vitro in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, depending on the clinical form of the disease and sensitivity of the pathogen to anti-TB drugs.Materials and methods. 40 patients (36 men and 4 women) with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) were examined: 18 patients (16 men and 2 women, average age (44.56 ± 8.10) years) with disseminated tuberculosis (DTB) and  22 patients (20 men and 2 women, average age (46.54 ± 5.24) years) with infiltrative tuberculosis (ITB). Of those, 30 patients secreted Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) sensitive to the basic anti-TB drugs (ATBD), and 10 patients secreted MBT resistant to first-line anti-TB drugs. Venous blood was the study material. To isolate monocytes from the whole blood in order to transform them into macrophages, ficoll density gradient centrifugation with gradient density of 1.077 g/cm3 was used followed by immunomagnetic separation of CD14+ cells. Monocytes were cultured in a complete culture medium X-VIVO 10 with gentamicin and phenol red with the addition of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) (5 ng/ml) at a concentration of 1×106 cells/ml with the following stimulators: interleukin (IL) 4 (10 ng/ml) and interferon (IFN) γ (100 ng/ml). Immunophenotyping of macrophages was performed using monoclonal antibodies to CD80, CD86, and HLA-DR on a Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX LX flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter, USA). The analysis of the obtained data was carried out using the CytExpert 2.0 software application. The results were analyzed using statistical methods.Results. The number of intact and cytokine-stimulated (IL-4 and IFNγ) CD80-positive macrophages in patients with ITB and drug-resistant TB (DR TB) exceeded their number not only in healthy donors, but also in patients with DTB and drug-sensitive TB (DS TB), respectively. In addition, an increase in CD86 expression on the surface of macrophages was registered in patients with ITB and DR TB after adding IFNγ (M1-activation inducer) to the suspension culture. In contrast, in patients with DTB and DS TB, the number of macrophages with expression of B7 family co-stimulating molecules decreased or remained within the normal values in the absence of a reaction to cytokines during cytokine induction. Deficiency of HLA-DR-positive macrophages was found in all TB patients. The minimal number of macrophages expressing HLA-DR was found in patients with DTB and DS TB after cell incubation with IL-4 (M2-activation inducer).Conclusion. Evaluation of the expression of B7 (CD80/86) and HLA-DR membrane molecules on macrophages in TB patients allows to conclude that anti-TB immune response is impaired at stages of antigen presentation (in all examined patients with TB) and co-stimulation (in DTB and DS TB). An increase in the expression of macrophage surface molecules CD80 (with M1- and M2-stimulation) and CD86 (with M1-stimulation) in patients with ITB and DR TB indicates an increase in cell reactivity in these forms of TB. In addition, deficit of expression of HLA-DR (a key marker of pro-inflammatory cell activation) on the surface of macrophages in TB can be considered as a general (independent of the clinical form of the disease and drug sensitivity of the pathogen) pathogenetic factor of immune imbalance in pulmonary tuberculosis.Цель работы – установить особенности экспрессии провоспалительных и костимулирующих молекул на макрофагах in vitro у больных туберкулезом легких в зависимости от клинической формы заболевания и чувствительности возбудителя к противотуберкулезным лекарственным средствам.Материалы и методы. Обследованы 40 пациентов (36 мужчин и 4 женщины): 18  пациентов с диссеминированным туберкулезом легких (ДТБ) (16 мужчин и 2 женщины,  средний возраст (44,56 ± 8,10) лет) и 22 пациента с инфильтративным туберкулезом легких (ИТБ) (20 мужчин и 2 женщины, средний возраст (46,54 ± 5,24) лет) c туберкулезом легких (ТБ). Из них было 30 пациентов, выделяющих Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT), чувствительные к основным противотуберкулезным средствам (ПТС), и 10 пациентов, выделяющих MBT, устойчивые к лекарственным  средствам основного ряда противотуберкулезной терапии. Группу сравнения составили 15 здоровых доноров с сопоставимыми характеристиками по полу и возрасту.Материалом исследования являлась венозная кровь. Для выделения моноцитов из цельной крови с целью их трансформации в макрофаги использовали метод центрифугирования в градиенте фиколла плотностью 1,077 г/см3 с последующей иммуномагнитной сепарацией CD14+ клеток. Моноциты культивировали в полной питательной среде X-VIVO 10 с добавлением колониестимулирующего фактора макрофагов (M-CSF) (5 нг/мл) в концентрации 1×106 клеток/мл со стимуляторами: интерлейкином (IL) 4 (10 нг/мл) и интерфероном (IFN) γ (100 нг/мл).  Иммунофенотипирование макрофагов проводили с использованием моноклональныхантител к CD80, CD86, HLA-DR на проточном цитометре Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX LX (Beckman Coulter, США). Анализ полученных данных осуществляли при помощи программного приложения CytExpert 2.0 (Beckman Coulter, США). Полученные результаты анализировали статистическими методами.Результаты. Количество интактных и стимулированных цитокинами (IL-4 и IFNγ) CD80- позитивных макрофагов у больных ИТБ и с лекарственно-устойчивым ТБ (ЛУ ТБ)  превышало их число не только у здоровых доноров, но и у больных ДТБ и с лекарственно-чувствительным ТБ (ЛЧ ТБ) соответственно. Кроме того, у больных ИТБ и ЛУ ТБ регистрировалось повышение экспрессии CD86 на макрофагах после добавления в суспензионную культуру IFNγ (индуктор М1-активации). У больных ДТБ и ЛЧ ТБ количество макрофагов с экспрессией костимулирующих молекул семейства В7 при индукции цитокинами, напротив, снижалось или сохранялось в пределах нормы в отсутствие реакции на цитокины. Дефицит HLA-DR-позитивных макрофагов обнаруживался у всех больных ТБ. Минимальное число макрофагов, экспрессирующих  HLADR, установлено у больных ДТБ и ЛЧ ТБ после инкубации клеток с IL-4 (индуктор  М2-активации).Заключение. Оценка экспрессии мембранных молекул B7 (CD80/86) и HLA-DR на макрофагах у больных ТБ позволяет сделать вывод о нарушениях  противотуберкулезного иммунного ответа на стадии презентации антигена (у всех обследованных больных ТБ) и костимуляции (при ДТБ и ЛЧ ТБ). Увеличение экспрессии макрофагами поверхностных молекул CD80 (при М1- и М2-стимуляции) и  CD86 (при М1-стимуляции) у больных ИТБ и ЛУ ТБ свидетельствует о повышении реактивности клеток при данных формах течения ТБ. Наряду с этим дефицит экспрессии на макрофагах HLA-DR (ключевого маркера провоспалительной активации клеток) при ТБ можно рассматривать как общий (не зависящий от клинической формы болезни и  лекарственной чувствительности возбудителя) патогенетический фактор иммунного  дисбаланса при туберкулезе легких.

Thermochemistry of heteroatomic compounds X. The thermochemistry of solution and solvation of substituted alkylphosphonic derivatives

The enthalpies of vaporization of different classes of phosphorylated alcohols and amines were determined from their enthalpies of solution in hexane and carbon tetrachloride. The enthalpies of specific (hydrogen-bond) interaction with the solvents (chloroform and pyridine) of derivatives containing X-H groups (X=O or N) in the α-position to the P=O group were detemined. The results were explained in terms of the spatial structure of such compounds