A clinical case of a patient with probable cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) from Chuvashia

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) syndrome is a congenital small-vessel disease running with recurrent lacunar infarcts and leading to gradually progressive subcortical, pseudobulbar, and cerebellar syndromes and dementia. Neuroimaging reveal multiple lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia, thalamus, pons Varolii, and cerebral hemispheric white matter, as well as cerebral atrophy. The specific feature of the disease is white matter lesion adjacent to the temporal horns of the lateral ventricles and to the external capsules. The paper describes a patient with CADASIL syndrome. The latter runs a progressive course and includes the following neurological disorders: cognitive, pyramidal, extrapyramidal, and axial ones. This clinical case was differentially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, including with consideration for neuroimaging findings. The CADASIL syndrome is a rare potentially menacing neurological condition that is observed in young patients and requires a detailed examination using current diagnostic techniques

Doubling of biomass production in European boreal forest trees by a four-year suppression of background insect herbivory

Background insect herbivory, i.e. the minor but chronic plant damage caused by insects, is usually considered `negligible' for plants when compared with the severe defoliation associated with forest pest outbreaks. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that the impacts of background herbivory on tree growth and mortality accumulate over years, resulting in much larger effects than usually assumed. In boreal taiga forests near Arkhangelsk (Northern Russia), application of insecticide at 10-day intervals for four growth seasons (June-September of 2014-2017) decreased foliage losses to insects in our study species (early successional deciduous Betula pubescens and Populus tremula; late successional coniferous Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris) from 2.04-6.35% to 0.72-1.18%. The magnitude of the insecticide treatment effect on plant losses to defoliating insects varied considerably among the study species, with the highest effect observed in white birch and the lowest effects in the two late successional species. Across all tree species, insecticide treatment nearly doubled the increase in tree biomass relative to control plots, demonstrating that background insect herbivory has major negative impacts on tree growth and productivity. The insecticide-treated plots showed the largest increase in biomass in Norway spruce and the smallest increase in European aspen when compared to the control plots. The changes in birch growth following the release from insect herbivory were three times greater than the effects of the same level of simulated herbivory in an earlier experiment, thereby hinting at the importance of herbivore-specific elicitors in the growth suppression of trees damaged by insects. The mortality of late successional species in the treatment plots increased nearly three-fold, whereas the mortality of early successional species did not change relative to controls, suggesting an increase in competitiveness of the early successional trees released from herbivory. Thus, in agreement with an earlier modelling study, we conclude that minor herbivore damage, over the long term, substantially reduces biomass production in North European forest trees. Due to differential effects on coexisting tree species, this damage has a pronounced impact on plant competitiveness and affects both the productivity and the structure of boreal forests

Conformational isomerism in 3,5,8-trioxabicyclo[5.1.0]octane and its diastereomeric 4-methyl derivatives. A combined IR, X-ray and ab initio study

IR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations have been applied to the title compounds. Bicyclic acetals were found to exist as mixture of chair and twist-boat conformations, a parent epoxide being in ternary equilibrium. X-ray data on 4-methyl (exo) derivative display a twist-boat form. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Современные способы дистанционного наблюдения и реабилитации пациентов с сердечно-сосудистыми заболеваниями

Highlights. The review summarizes the latest achievements in the field of remote patient monitoring, highlights the main advantages and limitations of modern methods of remote monitoring and rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular diseases.Abstract. Devices for remote health monitoring and rehabilitation that use modern telemedicine technologies are becoming more and more widespread in cardiovascular disease management. Modern technologies are affordable and reliable assistants for healthcare professionals, they assist in monitoring patients “at home”, early detection of adverse events, and timely notification of the need for medical help. The review summarizes the latest achievements in the field of remote patient monitoring for ambulatory management, diagnostics, dynamic monitoring, and cardiac rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The main advantages and limitations of remote patient monitoring technologies are presented, and methods for the implementation of these technologies are discussed.Основные положения. В обзоре суммированы последние достижения в области дистанционных мониторинговых систем, освещены основные преимущества и ограничения современных методов удаленного контроля и реабилитации пациентов с сердечно-сосудистой патологией.Резюме. Устройства для дистанционного мониторинга показателей здоровья и реабилитации с использованием возможностей телемедицины становятся все более востребованными при сердечно-сосудистых заболеваниях. Современные технологии выступают доступными и надежными помощниками медицинского персонала, позволяя отслеживать показатели пациентов в домашних условиях, обеспечивают раннее выявление нежелательных событий и своевременно оповещают о необходимости обращения за медицинской помощью. В обзоре обобщены последние достижения в области амбулаторных дистанционных мониторинговых систем диагностики и динамического контроля больных сердечно-сосудистой патологией, а также в кардиореабилитации. Суммированы основные преимущества и ограничения методов удаленного отслеживания состояния здоровья, обсуждены особенности внедрения в клиническую практику

Epizootological Monitoring and Forecast of the Risks Associated with Infections, Transmitted by Ixodidae Ticks, on the Island Russky in 2016 (Primorsk Territory)

Species composition and contamination by the causative agents of natural focal infections, notably Ixodes ticks, collected in 2014–2015 on the Island Russky were studied. The total of 817 ticks was collected, including Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi, Haemaphysalis concinna, H. japonica douglasi. The most of the nymphs (46 specimens) were observed in I. pavlovskyi. Using immune-enzyme analysis, reliably higher rate of positive findings was revealed in I. pavlovskyi (2.2 %) compared to I. persulcatus (0.5 %) while analyzing individual contamination of two Ixodes species. The pattern of inter-specific distinctions did not changed (I. pavlovskyi – 1.3 %; I. persulcatus – 0.5 %) when investigating tick virus burden by means of polymerase chain reaction. However, in case of comparative evaluation, using the same method, of their contamination with borrelia (I. pavlovskyi – 25.1 %; I. persulcatus – 46.4 %), agents of granulocytic anaplasmosis (I. pavlovskyi – 1.9 %; I. persulcatus – 5.7 %) and monocytic ehrlichiosis (I. pavlovskyi – 1.3 %; I. persulcatus – 7.2 %) I. persulcatus showed higher indicators. Only tick-borne encephalitis RNA and borrelia DNA were revealed in I. pavlovskyi nymphs, whereat their contamination by spirochetes (45.7 %) was authentically higher than of imagoes. The natural focus of tick-borne encephalitis on the Island Russky is estimated now as low-active one. At the same time, of Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis – as active, with significant contamination of the tick nymphs with spirochetes. In terms of high nymph contamination it is supposed that in 2016 the risk of Ixodes tick-borne borrelioses morbidity rate will increase for humans visiting the Island within the period of high vector activity (May– June)

Synthesis and Characterization of Sodium-Iron Antimonate Na2FeSbO5: One-Dimensional Antiferromagnetic Chain Compound with a Spin-Glass Ground State

A new oxide, sodium-iron antimonate, Na2FeSbO5, was synthesized and structurally characterized, and its static and dynamic magnetic properties were comprehensively studied both experimentally by dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, specific heat, electron spin resonance (ESR) and Mössbauer measurements, and theoretically by density functional calculations. The resulting single-crystal structure (a = 15.6991(9) Å b = 5.3323 (4) Å c = 10.8875(6) Å S.G. Pbna) consists of edge-shared SbO6 octahedral chains, which alternate with vertex-linked, magnetically active FeO4 tetrahedral chains. The 57Fe Mössbauer spectra confirmed the presence of high-spin Fe3+ (3d5) ions in a distorted tetrahedral oxygen coordination. The magnetic susceptibility and specific heat data show the absence of a long-range magnetic ordering in Na2FeSbO5 down to 2 K, but ac magnetic susceptibility unambigously demonstrates spin-glass-type behavior with a unique two-step freezing at Tf1 ≈ 80 K and Tf2 ≈ 35 K. Magnetic hyperfine splitting of 57Fe Mössbauer spectra was observed below T∗ ≈ 104 K (Tf1 < T*). The spectra just below T∗ (Tf1 < T < T*) exhibit a relaxation behavior caused by critical spin fluctuations, indicating the existence of short-range correlations. The stochastic model of ionic spin relaxation was used to account for the shape of the Mössbauer spectra below the freezing temperature. A complex slow dynamics is further supported by ESR data revealing two different absorption modes presumably related to ordered and disordered segments of spin chains. The data imply a spin-cluster ground state for Na2FeSbO5. © 2019 American Chemical Society

International Geomagnetic Reference Field: the eleventh generation

The eleventh generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) was adopted in December 2009 by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy Working Group V-MOD. It updates the previous IGRF generation with a definitive main field model for epoch 2005.0, a main field model for epoch 2010.0, and a linear predictive secular variation model for 2010.0-2015.0. In this note the equations defining the IGRF model are provided along with the spherical harmonic coefficients for the eleventh generation. Maps of the magnetic declination, inclination and total intensity for epoch 2010.0 and their predicted rates of change for 2010.0-2015.0 are presented. The recent evolution of the South Atlantic Anomaly and magnetic pole positions are also examine

International Geomagnetic Reference Field: the eleventh generation

The eleventh generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF)was adopted in December 2009 by the International Association of Geomagnetism and AeronomyWorking Group V-MOD. It updates the previous IGRF generation with a definitive main field model for epoch 2005.0, a main field model for epoch 2010.0, and a linear predictive secular variation model for 2010.0–2015.0. In this note the equations defining the IGRF model are provided along with the spherical harmonic coefficients for the eleventh generation. Maps of the magnetic declination, inclination and total intensity for epoch 2010.0 and their predicted rates of change for 2010.0–2015.0 are presented. The recent evolution of the South Atlantic Anomaly and magnetic pole positions are also examined