Safety assessment of massive buttress dams in the presence of thermal cracks in them

In the 1950s, the construction of hydropower facilities began in the regions of Siberia and the Far East, characterized by harsh climatic conditions, which should be taking into account to predict the stress state of dams. The aim of the study is an assessment of the conditions for the formation of temperature cracks in concrete dams and their influence on the further operation of the structure, as well as measures and technologies to combat cracking in massive concrete. Thermal stresses often exceed the stresses caused by the action of external loads and lead to the appearance of cracks in the concrete. Almost all modern concrete dams are subject to thermal cracking today. Appropriate design and technological measures must be provided for. When studying the thermally stressed state of lightweight concrete dams, the method of direct reproduction of thermal deformations on models made of brittle materials and computational methods oriented towards computer methods of solving problems are used. The results of modeling and computational studies of massive buttress dams are presented and the influence of the main influencing factors is considered, taking into account the effect of cracking on the operation of such dams

DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF CERULOPLASMIN IN SYSTEMIC SCLERODERMA

Objective of study: refining immune diagnostics of systemic scleroderma through determining ceruloplasmin antibodies, its amount and enzymatic activity, as well as control of effectiveness of therapy with ceruloplasmin-based immobilized magnetocontrollable immunosorbents.Materials and methods. 30 apparently healthy individuals and 68 patients with systemic scleroderma were examined. The study included patients with referral diagnosis of systemic scleroderma who signed an informed consent. The study was performed in accordance with the principles of World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki rev. 2013 (ACR/EULAR). All participants had their blood tested with the method of immunoenzymatic determination of antibodies to ceruloplasmin upon admission to hospital and prior to discharge.Results. It was established that patients with systemic scleroderma show reduced oxidase activity of ceruloplasmin, increased ceruloplasmin levels, as well as elevated antibodies to ceruloplasmin compared with the control group. A link between the amount of antibodies to the studied enzyme, and the activity, nature, course and stage of the disease was established. It was found that there is a reliable negative correlation between the level of ceruloplasmin antibodies, and the amount of RBCs, the hemoglobin level. For the first time a complex assessment of three parameters was employed, the parameters being the enzymatic activity, ceruloplasmin amount, and antibodies to ceruloplasmin. It was established that autoantibodies to ceruloplasmin are more often found in systemic scleroderma patients who show a high disease activity, subacute course with involvement of the liver, lungs, and with anemia. It was found that antibodies to ceruloplasmin are detected at early stages of systemic scleroderma development and can be used in timely diagnosis of the condition. It was shown that the change of parameters under study over time can serve as a basis on which to evaluate the effectiveness of administered therapy.Conclusion. Decreased enzymatic activity of ceruloplasmin, its elevated amount and increased antibodies to ceruloplasmin can be taken as additional diagnostic tools in evaluation of systemic scleroderma activity. These parameters promote a more accurate assessment of the disease activity and of the nature of the pathologic process; they can serve as an indication of a variety of clinical forms of the disease. Employing these parameters for monitoring of administered therapy in hospital settings permits a more accurate assessment of its effectiveness and making adjustments. Studying ceruloplasmin antibody formation, amount of ceruloplasmin and its biochemical activity extends the existing concept of rheumatic disease pathogeny, outlines a way forward for further research and reflects the involvement of antioxidant system in immune disorders

Сatalase antibodies in patients with systemic scleroderma as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of the disease

The study covered 30 apparently healthy individuals and 38 patients with systemic scleroderma. The patients gave their consent to participate in the study in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki in the current (2013) version (ACR/EULAR). The donors and patients had their blood tested for catalase antibodies with immunoenzyme assay and using magnetic sorbents upon hospital admission and before discharge. It was found that the patients with systemic scleroderma had a reduced oxidase activity of catalase as well as elevated catalase antibodies, compared with the controls. We revealed a statistically significant regularity that the concentration of catalase immunoglobulins is associated with activity and course of the disease. To assess the activity of systemic scleroderma we performed a complex evaluation of two parameters: enzymatic activity and catalase antibody levels. It was established that catalase autoantibodies are mostly revealed in patients with high-activity scleroderma, subacute and acute course of the disease, and when the lungs, skin, kidneys, joints and nervous system were involved, which was conclusively confirmed by a correlation analysis. It is especially important that catalase antibodies should be revealed at early stage of the disease development; they are of especial diagnostic importance, and their changes over time may form the basis for assessing efficiency of administered therapy. The changes in biochemical activity of catalase, elevated antibody titers provide additional criteria of diagnosis in systemic scleroderma. Monitoring of these parameters in hospital settings helps to evaluate the effectiveness of administered therapy and adjust its correction, which is confirmed by inclusion of such extracorporal techniques as plasma separation into the combined treatment schedules. Studying biochemical activity of catalase and formation of catalase antibodies expands our understanding of scleroderma development and opens new avenues for research

INFLUENCE OF RENAL DYSFUNCTION ON THE LEVEL OF SERUM ANGIOPOIETIN-LIKE PROTEINS AND ANTI-PHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a frequent background for the development of renal pathology. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is determined in more than 30% of patients with RA. Along with inflammation and other factors in the progression of the underlying disease, the development of renal damage in RA is facilitated by the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS).The aim of this study is to assess the relationship of serum concentrations of angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL) and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) with the development of renal dysfunction in patients with RA.We examined 158 patients with RA (91.8% – women and 8.2% – men) aged 21 to 80 years old and an average duration of the disease – 9 (4-15) years. The majority of patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and for antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide, with an advanced clinical stage and moderate activity (3.2 < DAS28 ≤ 5.1) of the pathological process.The ELISA test was used for the quantitative determination of angiopoietin-like protein type 3 and type 4 and antibodies to phospholipids (aРL-IgG/IgM) for total detection of antibodies to cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylic acid and a complex of negatively charged phospholipid and β2-glycoprotein-I.More than half of the examined RA patients had the calculated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ranging from 89 to 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (allocation by CKD stages: C1 – 21.5%; C2 – 58.9%; C3 – 19.6%). Signs of MetS (a combination of increased blood pressure, increased triglyceride levels and carbohydrate metabolism disorders against the background of central obesity) were diagnosed in 68 (43%) RA patients. Multivariable analysis of variance was performed to compare the studied parameters (ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, aPL) depending on eGFR in groups of RA patients without signs of metabolic syndrome and RA patients with MetS. Significant differences in the level of ANGPTL3 (F = 8.86, p = 0.0034) and ANGPTL4 (F = 29.6, p < 0.001), but not aPL (p > 0,05) were found between RA patients with varying degrees of severity of metabolic disorders.Multivariable analysis of variance showed a significant increase in ANGPTL4 in the blood serum of RA patients with reduced eGFR (< 89 ml/min) (F = 18.5, p < 0.001) and pronounced metabolic changes (F = 24.2, p < 0.001). Thus, only two factors (renal dysfunction and the presence of MetS) had a direct effect on the ANGPTL4 content in RA patients, which could describe the variability of this sign in more than 30% of cases. The squared multiple correlation coefficient (R2 ) in this model was 0.33. ANGPTL type 4 should be considered as a key factor linking the development of renal dysfunction and metabolic changes caused by rheumatoid inflammation

МикроРНК-155-5p в патогенезе онкологических заболеваний

MicroRNA miR-155 is one of the most characterized and actively studied microRNAs that regulate processes closely related to carcinogenesis, including cell differentiation, adhesion, migration and invasion of the tumor cells, metastasis, apoptosis and immunosuppression.  In addition, this miRNA is involved in differentiation of hematopoetic cells and developing of inflammation. The association between specific deregulation of the expression of miR-155 and carcinogenesis is confirmed by a number of both fundamental and clinical studies and is due to the posttranscriptional regulation of the most important genes of the tumor associated pathways. Modulation of the levels of expression  of miR-155 is associated with the emergence of a number of leukemias and lymphomas, as well as some solid tumors. An increase of the level of cellular and/or circulating miR-155 in some cancers can serve as a marker for progression and drug resistance. In addition, inhibition  of the expression of miR-155 can be a promising method for developing new approaches in antitumor therapy.К числу наиболее охарактеризованных и активно изучаемых микроРНК, регулирующих процессы, тесно связанные с канцерогенезом, в том числе клеточную дифференцировку, адгезию, миграцию и инвазию опухолевых клеток, метастазирование, апоптоз и иммуносупрессию, относится miR-155. Кроме того, данная микроРНК вовлечена в дифференцировку гемопоэтических клеток, а также в развитие воспалительных реакций. Ассоциация между специфической дерегуляцией экспрессии miR-155 и канцерогенезом подтверждена целым рядом как фундаментальных, так и клинических исследований и обусловлена постранскрипционной регуляцией важнейших генов онкоассоциированных сигнальных путей. Модуляция уровней экспрессии miR-155 связана с возникновением целого ряда лейкозов и лимфом, а также некоторых солидных опухолей. Повышение уровня клеточной и / или циркулирующей miR-155 при некоторых онкологических заболеваниях может служить маркером прогрессирования и лекарственной устойчивости. Кроме того, ингибирование экспрессии miR-155 может оказаться перспективным методом разработки новых подходов к противоопухолевой терапии

Capacity of second spillway of Boguchanskaya HPP

The main problem in designing the discharge of water flow from the upstream to the downstream is to ensure the capacity of spillway structures. This article discusses the design options for the design top of the spillway: with water diversion through a short nozzle in the pressure mode and energy dissipation in stilling basin, with the pressure-free and pressure-free passage of water through spillway No. 2 and damping of the flow energy by jet discharge into the lower stream by the inclined face of the threshold in the stilling basin; with no pressure passage and pressure passage of water through spillway No 2 and energy dissipation of the flow by throwing the flow discharge into the downstream by the inclined face of the threshold of a stilling basin; with the passage of building expenses through the sill in no pressure and pressure-type short-nozzle modes, with the spillway No. 2’s horizontal water outlet at the level of 139.5 m, with a jet discharge by a toe-springboard at an angle of 35°, and with the outlet rib's mark of 143.8 m. This article aims to obtain the flow characteristics of the considered spillway option for the period of temporary operation of the hydrotechnical complex

Белки мембранных микродоменов и их участие в онкогенезе

Lipid rafts are lateral assembles of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, glicosphingolipids and specific proteins within cell plasma membrane. These microdomains are involved into a number of important cellular processes including membrane rearrangement, protein internalization, signal transduction, entry of viruses into the cell. Some of lipid rafts are stabilized by special microdomain-forming proteins such as caveolins, SPFH domain containing superfamily, tetraspanins, galectins, which maintain integrity of rafts and regulate signal transduction via forming of “signalosomes”. Involvement of the different lipid rafts is necessary in many situations such as binding of growth factors with their receptors, integrin regulation, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix rearrangements, vesicular transport, etc. However, such classes of microdomain-forming proteins are still considered separately from each other. In this review we tried to perform complex analysis of microdomain-forming proteins in regulation of cancer assotiated processes.Липидные рафты плазматических мембран формируются холестеролом, сфингомиелидами и гликосфинголипидами, а также различными белками. Эти микродомены участвуют в различных клеточных процессах, таких как перестройка мембраны, интернализация белков, передача сигналов, через них осуществляется проникновение вирусов внутрь клетки. Часть липидных рафтов стабилизирована специальными микродоменобразующими белками (МОБ). На сегодняшний день известно несколько семейств таких белков: кавеолины, SPFH- семейство, тетраспанины, галектины, которые не только поддерживают целостность микродоменов, но и формируют «сигналосомы» и, таким образом, являются регуляторами многих сигнальных путей. Участие различных классов МОБ необходимо для нормального функционирования комплексов ростовых факторов с их рецепторами, регуляции интегринов, факторов реорганизации клеточного скелета и внеклеточного матрикса, везикулярного транспорта и т. д. МОБ вовлечены практически во все аспекты жизнедеятельности клетки, однако до сих пор классы МОБ принято рассматривать отдельно друг от друга. В представленном обзоре проведен анализ участия МОБ разных семейств в общих сигнальных путях, ассоциированных с канцерогенезом

Peculiarities of immunological manifestations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the presence of chronic infection with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> variant encoding cytotoxin-associated gene A

The study aimed to evaluate the association between cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody seropositivity and chronic Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examined 92 women with moderate RA activity. Serum antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (antiCCP), antibodies to H. pylori (anti-H. pylori-IgG), and total antibodies to H. pylori CagA antigen (antiCagA) were determined by enzyme immunoassay; the presence of anti-CagA-IgG positivity was confirmed by immunoblot. 68.5% of RA patients were positive for anti-H. pylori-IgG, and 44.4% of patients in this group were positive for anti-CagA-IgG. All the study participants were divided into three groups: I – H. pylori seronegative (H. pylori- ); II – H. pylori positive, CagA negative (H. pylori+/CagA- ); III – H. pylori positive and CagA positive (CagA+). The anti-CCP values in RA patients with CagA+ (group III) were significantly higher not only in comparison with patients seronegative for H. pylori (p &lt; 0.001), but also in comparison with patients from group II (H. pylori+/CagA- ) (p = 0.041). A study of the influence of the RA activity, the presence of RF and H. pylori on anti-CCP content demonstrated a small proportion of anti-CCP variability (R2 = 0.09), with a high contribution of H. pylori (beta = 0.25). The addition of the CagA(+) index (beta = 0.503) to the presented model allowed us to describe the variability of anti-CCP in almost 30% of cases (R2 = 0.29). In the group of RA patients with anti-CCP values exceeding the established threshold value of 20 U/mL (normal index), there was an increase in the proportion of patients infected with H. pylori (p &lt; 0.001), but not the proportion of CagA-positive patients (p = 0.06). When the threshold level was increased to 60 U/mL (three times the upper limit of normal) in patients with significantly high anti-CCP, the association with positivity for CagA became significant (p = 0.005). CagA is highly immunogenic and is capable of inducing an inflammatory response in the host that goes beyond the effect of H. pylori itself. Additional experimental studies are needed to investigate possible clinical and laboratory associations that may influence the treatment tactics of CagA+ patients with RA who are seropositive for anti-citrullinated antibodies, as well as to evaluate the possible effects of therapeutic intervention aimed at the eradication of H. pylori in this group

Body composition and serum fetuin-A levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background. Rheumatoid cachexia is a pathological condition which appears in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with low fat-free mass and normal or high body mass index. Bone mass loss is one of the components of rheumatoid cachexia. Fetuin-A, a major noncollagen protein of bone tissue, regulates bone remodeling. Aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of rheumatoid cachexia and the association of serum fetuin-A level with body composition components in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Material and methods. 110 patients (8 male and 102 female) with rheumatoid arthritis were enrolled in our study. Serum fetuin-A level was determined by ELISA. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry with Total Body program was performed. The diagnosis of rheumatoid cachexia was based on the next criteria: fat-free mass index less than 10th percentiles with fat mass index above 25th percentiles. Results and discussion. We observed rheumatoid cachexia in 25 patients (22,7 %). According to the literature, such patients have an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, arterial hypertension and mortality. Positive significant (p &lt; 0,05) correlations were observed between serum fetuin-A levels and right and left lower limb, trunk, gynoid region, both lower limbs and total body bone mass. No statistically significant relationships with other indicators were identified. Fetuin-A negative dynamic in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be accompanied by the loss of bone mass, which requires the improvement of therapeutic approach. Conclusions. Almost a quarter of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have rheumatic cachexia. Positive correlation between serum fetuin-A levels and lower limbs, trunk, gynoid region and total body bone mass was observed