Photosynthetic reaction centre of Chloroflexus aurantiacus I. Primary structure of L-subunit

AbstractThe L-subunit primary structure of the reaction centre from Chloroflexus aurantiacus composed of 310 amino acid residues has been determined by parallel analysis of the protein and corresponding DNA. Significant homology between this protein and L-subunits from reaction centres of purple bacteria is observed. This implies close similarity in the tertiary structure of these proteins

Propagation of cosmic rays in the foam-like Universe

The model of a classical spacetime foam is considered, which consists of static wormholes embedded in Minkowski spacetime. We examine the propagation of particles in such a medium and demonstrate that a single thin ray undergoes a specific damping in the density of particles depending on the traversed path and the distribution of wormholes. The missing particles are scattered around the ray. Wormholes was shown to form DM halos around point-like sources. Therefore, the correlation predicted between the damping and the amount of DM can be used to verify the topological nature of Dark Matter

Space Based Radar To Observe Space Debris

Space debris of 1÷3mm size is known to be hazardous for astronauts and space vehicles. At the same time the possibility to notice such objects by ground based optical and radar devices in the nearest future is rather problematic. Here we propose an idea of space radar for observation of cicumterrestrial space debris. The radar works in short wave part of millimetre band, which is mostly suitable for this purpose. The radar provides detecting and tracking of 1mm size objects within 40000m2 area. The radar antenna is Phased Array Antenna with 2m diameter. The radar\u27s weight is about 100kg, the consumed power - 2.5kW

Markers of Epstein-Barr virus in clinical assessment of Russian patients with nasopharyngeal cancer [Маркеры вируса Эпштейна-Барр в оценке клинического состояния российских больных раком носоглотки]

Introduction. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is equally widespread in the endemic and non-endemic world regions for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). High incidence of NPC in endemic countries and low in non-endemic countries suggest there are different mechanisms and conditions for tumor occurrence and, possibly, different clinical significance of EBV-associated markers. However, significance of these markers for determining NPC in non-endemic regions is still poorly understood. Objective - to determine clinical significance of titers of IgG/IgA antibodies to EBV capsid antigen and concentrations of the viral DNA in patients' blood plasma as diagnostic and monitoring markers for NPC in a non-endemic region of Russia. Materials and methods. Titers of EB-specific antibodies were determined by indirect immunofluorescence, and concentration of the viral DNA in plasma was measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction in real time. Study group included patients with NPC (n = 96), and control group - blood donors (n = 171) and patients with other head and neck tumors (n = 33). Results. Titers of IgG/IgA antibodies to EBV capsid antigen, being an important diagnostic marker of nasopharyngeal cancer, did not always correlate with patients' clinical condition. Humoral response to emerging events often delayed due to inertia of the immune system. Concentration of EBV DNA in patients' blood plasma clearly reflected the dynamics of the pathological process: it decreased to background values in remission and increased while the disease progressed. In contrast to endemic regions, we did not find any correlation between the studied EBV markers and clinical manifestations of the disease, evaluated in accordance with the TNM classification (Tumor, Nodus and Metastasis). Conclusion. In non-endemic countries, such as Russia, serological and molecular markers of EBV can be successfully used for the primary diagnosis of NPC. However, for the disease monitoring, it is preferable to use the value of the concentrations of circulating EBV DNA, which, in contrast to the values of IgG/IgA antibody titers to VCA EBV, more accurately reflect the patient's clinical condition. © 2021 Uspehi Molekularnoj Onkologii. All rights reserved