Real-world experience with netakimab in the treatment of spondyloarthritis

Aim. To study the real-world efficacy and safety of netakimab in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Materials and methods. The retrospective analysis included 23 patients (13 males; 56.5%) aged 23 to 73 years (median 42, interquartile range 28 to 52 years) with AS (n=12) or PsA (n=11) who received netakimab therapy from February 2021 to April 2023. Disease activity was assessed every 3-6 months based on the C-reactive protein (CRP) level for all patients according to the BASDAI and ASDAS-CRP indices for AS, DAPSA and PASI for PsA. These indicators were analyzed before therapy and at the last visit to assess the effectiveness of treatment. The results are presented as median (interquartile range). Results. In all patients treated with netakimab (median duration of treatment 11 months), the CRP level decreased from 10.6 (3.1; 17.3) to 3.1 (1.9; 8.9) mg/L (absolute difference -7.5 mg/L, median relative reduction -60%; p=0.008), and the proportion of patients with elevated CRP decreased from 70 to 41%; p=0.039. In patients with AS (median duration of treatment 9 months), BASDAI score decreased from 5.8 (4.7; 6.5) to 3.0 (1.9; 3.8) points (absolute difference -2.8 points, median relative reduction of -45%; p=0.008) and ASDAS-CRP score decreased from 2.8 (1.9; 3.9) to 1.9 (1.7; 2.6) points (absolute difference -0.9 points, median relative reduction -21%; p=0.007). The proportion of patients with high AS activity (BASDAI≥4) decreased from 90% to 20% (p=0.031); however, there was no significant change in the CRP level (absolute difference -4.9 mg/L, median relative reduction -57%; p=0.110). In patients with PsA (median duration of treatment 18 months), the CRP level decreased from 12.0 (4.5; 17.3) to 3.3 (2.0; 7.8) mg/L (absolute difference -8.7 mg/L, median relative reduction -80%; p=0.041), the DAPSA score decreased from 23.0 (19.0; 30.5) to 6.3 (5.2; 13.5) points (absolute difference -16.7 points, median relative reduction -69%; p=0.018). Three (13%) patients reported mild to moderate adverse events. Conclusion. The obtained data confirm the effectiveness and safety of netakimab in treating AS and PsA in real-world practice

Structural dialectical approach in psychology: problems and research results

In this article dialectical thinking is regarded as one of the central cognitive processes. Because of this cognitive function we can analyze the development of processes and objects. It also determines the possibilities for the creative transformation of some content and for solving problems. The article presents a description and the results of experimental studies. This evidence proves that dialectical thinking is a specific line of cognitive development in children and adults. This line can degrade during school time if the educational program follows formal logical principles, or it can become significantly stronger if the pedagogy is based on dialectical methodology

Psychological and Genetic Differences Among Representatives of Various Ethnic Groups Living in South Russia

Introduction. This paper (a) presents the study of psychological differences in manifestations of aggressive attitudes and personal characteristics among representatives of various ethnic groups living in South Russia and (b) concentrates on genetic differences in the COMT Val158Met polymorphism within the study sample. This is the first study that (a) has assessed manifestations of aggressive attitudes and personal characteristics in healthy representatives of various ethnic groups with different COMT genotypes and (b) has offered normative data for the Wagner Hand Test obtained from an investigation in a sample of South Russian individual participants. Methods. The study used the following techniques: (a) the Spielberger–Hanin anxiety test, (b) the questionnaire of formal-dynamic characteristics of personality by Rusalov, and (c) the Wagner Hand Test (in Kurbatova’s modification). Genetic analysis included the method for DNA extraction from buccal epithelial cells and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The psychological study involved university students (n = 163; mean age, 18.9 years); the psychogenetic study involved residents of Crimea (n = 76; 57 women and 19 men). Results. The representatives of Russian and Tatar ethnic groups with the Met/Met COMT genotype had significantly higher total scores of aggression and direction, higher level of trait anxiety, and low motor ergicity. Tatar girls from the Val/Val COMT genotype group had high scores in the exhibitionism scale. The Val/Met COMT genotype in Russian girls was associated with manifestations of tension (anxiety) and ‘pathology’ as a total index of ‘personal maladjustment’ and the ‘tendency to escape from reality’. Discussion. The obtained results can be applied to the practice of individualized socio-pedagogical impacts on representatives of various ethnic groups with the genotypes associated with maladaptive personality traits

Bifunctional Magnetite–Gold Nanoparticles for Magneto-Mechanical Actuation and Cancer Cell Destruction

Magnetite–gold dumbbell nanoparticles are essential for biomedical applications due to the presence of two surfaces with different chemical natures and the potential combination of magnetic and plasmonic properties. Here, the remote actuation of Fe3O4-Au hybrid particles in a rotating (1 Hz, 7 mT), static (7 mT) or pulsed low-frequency (31 Hz, 175 mT, 30 s pulse/30 s pause) magnetic field was studied. The particles were synthesized by a high-temperature wet chemistry protocol and exhibited superparamagnetic properties with the saturation magnetization of 67.9 ± 3.0 Am2 kg−1. We showcased the nanoparticles’ controlled aggregation in chains (rotating/static magnetic field) in an aqueous solution and their disaggregation when the field was removed. The investigation of nanoparticle uptake by LNCaP and PC-3 cancer cells demonstrated that Fe3O4-Au hybrids mainly escaped endosomes and accumulated in the cytoplasm. A significant fraction of them still responded to a rotating magnetic field, forming short chains. The particles were not toxic to cells at concentrations up to 210 μg (Fe3O4) mL−1. However, cell viability decrease after incubation with the nanoparticles (≥70 μg mL−1) and exposure to a pulsed low-frequency magnetic field was found. We ascribe this effect to mechanically induced cell destruction. Overall, this makes Fe3O4-Au nanostructures promising candidates for intracellular actuation for future magneto-mechanical cancer therapies

Bifunctional Magnetite–Gold Nanoparticles for Magneto-Mechanical Actuation and Cancer Cell Destruction

Magnetite–gold dumbbell nanoparticles are essential for biomedical applications due to the presence of two surfaces with different chemical natures and the potential combination of magnetic and plasmonic properties. Here, the remote actuation of Fe3O4-Au hybrid particles in a rotating (1 Hz, 7 mT), static (7 mT) or pulsed low-frequency (31 Hz, 175 mT, 30 s pulse/30 s pause) magnetic field was studied. The particles were synthesized by a high-temperature wet chemistry protocol and exhibited superparamagnetic properties with the saturation magnetization of 67.9 ± 3.0 Am2 kg−1. We showcased the nanoparticles’ controlled aggregation in chains (rotating/static magnetic field) in an aqueous solution and their disaggregation when the field was removed. The investigation of nanoparticle uptake by LNCaP and PC-3 cancer cells demonstrated that Fe3O4-Au hybrids mainly escaped endosomes and accumulated in the cytoplasm. A significant fraction of them still responded to a rotating magnetic field, forming short chains. The particles were not toxic to cells at concentrations up to 210 μg (Fe3O4) mL−1. However, cell viability decrease after incubation with the nanoparticles (≥70 μg mL−1) and exposure to a pulsed low-frequency magnetic field was found. We ascribe this effect to mechanically induced cell destruction. Overall, this makes Fe3O4-Au nanostructures promising candidates for intracellular actuation for future magneto-mechanical cancer therapies