Genetic resources of vegetable crops: from breeding non-traditional crops to functional food

In this review, the authors considered the promising species of vegetable crops for introduction and breeding in the Russian Federation. An attempt was made to assess the possibilities of their breeding improvement from the standpoint of the presence of traits that limit large-scale production. Species that could potentially serve as sources of a high content of functional food ingredients (FFI) have been identified and characterized. For the successful introgression of these species in the Russian Federation, we proposed the methodological approaches including the assessment of the potential cold resistance of thermophilic crops in the mature male gametophyte in vitro (e. g., asparagus bean). The increase in the biodiversity of vegetable plants and improving of their nutritional value should be recognized as one of the main tasks, along with the growth of crop productivity. It is proposed to use the ratio of the total number of the registered cultivars of a particular crop to the number of years since the first cultivar of that crop has been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Admitted for Use as a measure of demand. It is advisable to formalize the trait“high content of FFI” in crops, taking as a basis, for example, a 2–4-fold excess of the content of any FFI or their complex in a cultivar over the crop’s standard (reference) value. Such varieties should be included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Approved for Use as a separate list. The purpose of their separation in the State Register is to ensure the potential interest of investors and business structures in the sale of functional food on the market. The paper discusses in detail the most promising species of introduced vegetable crops from five families (Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, Leguminosae, Cucurbitaceae). The following species are proposed as potential sources of high FPI content: Brassica oleracea ssp. oleracea, B. oleraceae var. alboglabra, B. rapa ssp. chinensis, B. rapa ssp. narinosa, B. rapa ssp. nipposinica, B. rapa ssp. rapa, B. uncea, Cochlearia officinalis, Lepidium sativum, Amaranthus caudatus, A. cruentus, A. hypochondriacus, A. dubius, A. tricolor, lividus, species in the genus Physalis L., Momordica charantia, Benincasa hispida, Cucumis metuliferus, Vigna unguiculata

Synthesis, intramolecular cyclization and anti-inflammatory activity of substituted 2-(2-(Furan-2-carbonyl)hydrazono)-4-oxobutanoic Acids

A method was proposed for the synthesis of substituted 2-(2-(furan-2-carbonyl)hydrazono)-4-oxobutanoic acids by the reaction of substituted 2,4-dioxobut-2-enoic acids with furan-2-carbohydrazide. It was found that substituted 2-(2-(furan-2-carbonyl)hydrazono)-4-oxobutanoic acids undergo intramolecular cyclization in the presence of propionic anhydride to form the corresponding N'-(2-oxofuran-3(2H)-ylidene)furan-2-carbohydrazides. The anti-inflammatory activity of the obtained compounds was studied. It was found that the obtained compounds have pronounced anti-inflammatory activity

Use of Personal Protection Equipment by Moscow Subway Passengers under Conditions of COVID-19 Pandemic

The Subway is the most important means of transport in Moscow. The active flows of passengers in the metro can contribute to the spread of infectious diseases with airborne and contact mechanisms of transmission, including the coronavirus infection COVID-19. The aim of the study was to assess the level of adherence to the use of personal protective equipment (facial masks, gloves) by passengers of the Moscow Subway. Materials and methods. A prospective study based on a visual assessment of passengers in a rolling stock of the Moscow subway, with division into cohorts of those using masks and gloves (K1), using only masks (K2), using masks in violation of the rules of use (K3) and not using personal protection equipment (K4) was conducted. Observations were carried out during the 42nd and 43rd weeks of 2020 in various subway clusters with a division in time into morning, afternoon and evening hours. Additionally, passengers were ranked into groups by occupation during the trip. Statistical processing included the identification of frequencies, their 95 % confidence intervals. To compare the significance of differences in the prevalence of features in paired groups, the methods of 4-field tables (χ2 Pearson) were used. Results and discussion. 18053 observations were validated, covering 61.3 % of stations. Men accounted for 54.7 % (9867). During the observation period, the following shares were established: K1 – 5.2 % (95 % CI 4.9–5.5), K2 – 51.9 % (95 % CI 51.2–52.7), K3 – 26.9 (95 % CI 26.2–27.6), K4 – 16 % (95 % CI 15.4–16.6). The level of adherence to the proper use of PPE is significantly lower among men. Land lines have the lowest proportion of passengers using PPE. Among passengers using electronic devices and paper media, a higher proportion of those wearing masks with violation of the rules of use, compared to passengers without activities, was established. Among passengers using electronic devices, the proportion of those using gloves is the lowest. Within two weeks of follow-up, a significant increase in the frequency of PPE use was revealed

hTERT mediates gastric cancer metastasis partially through the indirect targeting of ITGB1 by microRNA-29a.

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) plays a key role in tumor invasion and metastasis, but the mechanism of its involvement in these processes is not clear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible molecular mechanism of hTERT in the promotion of gastric cancer (GC) metastasis. We found that the up-regulation of hTERT in gastric cancer cells could inhibit the expression of miR-29a and enhance the expression of Integrin β1 (ITGB1). In addition, the invasive capacity of gastric cancer cells was also highly increased after hTERT overexpression. Our study also found that the restoration of miR-29a suppressed the expression of ITGB1 and inhibited GC cell metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our results suggested that hTERT may promote GC metastasis through the hTERT-miR-29a-ITGB1 regulatory pathway

КОЛИЧЕСТВЕННОE ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ ХОРИОНИЧЕСКОГО ГОНАДОТРОПИНА В ЦЕЛЯХ АНТИДОПИНГОВОГО КОНТРОЛЯ

The article presents the results of the first stage of development of a new quantitative method for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) determination by means of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) to uncover doping abuse by athletes. The identified tryptic peptides correspond to the most abundant hCG isoforms: the α- and β-subunits, the nicked and β-core fragment of the hormone. Identification and sequencing of specific fragments were performed with the use of nanoLC-MS/MS. A high resolution / high accuracy hybrid mass-spectrometer was applied. Optimization of mass-spectrometric determination of selected specific peptides was accomplished by UPLC-MS/MS. Quantitative evaluation of hCG using specific fragments determination by UPLC-MS/MS allows to detect corresponding hCG isoforms. This significantly increases the method specificity and decreases the probability of false-positive results.В статье представлены результаты работы, являющейся одним из этапов разработки методики количественного определения хорионического гонадотропина человека (ХГЧ) методом сверхвысокопроизводительной высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии в сочетании с тандемной масс-спектрометрией (СВЭЖХ-МС/МС) для выявления случаев его злоупотребления в качестве допинга спортсменами. В ходе работы идентифицированы триптические пептиды, соответствующие наиболее распространенным изоформам ХГЧ: α- и β-субъединицам, расщепленному и коровому фрагменту β-субъединицы гормона. Идентификация и секвенирование специфических фрагментов выполнены методом наноВЭЖХ в сочетании с масс-спектрометрией высокого разрешения с использованием высокоточного и чувствительного масс-спектрометра гибридного типа. Проведена оптимизация масс-спектрометрического определения выбранных специфических пептидов методом СВЭЖХ-МС/МС. Количественное определение ХГЧ по специфическим фрагментам методом СВЭЖХ-МС/МС позволяет однозначно детектировать соответствующие изоформы, что значительно повышает специфичность метода и снижает вероятность получения ложноположительного результата

Rapid ecological change in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal (East Siberia): Is the site of the world\u27s greatest freshwater biodiversity in danger?

Ecological degradation of the benthic littoral zone is an emerging, urgent problem at Lake Baikal (East Siberia), the most species-rich lake on Earth. Within the last five years, multiple changes have occurred in the nearshore benthos where most of the lake\u27s endemic species reside. These changes include proliferation of benthic algae, deaths of snails and endemic sponges, large coastal wash-ups of dead benthic algae and macrophytes, blooms of toxin-producing benthic cyanobacteria, and inputs of industrial contaminants into parts of the lake. Some changes, such as massive coastal accumulations of benthic algae, are currently shared with the Laurentian Great Lakes (LGLs); however, the drivers of these changes differ between Lake Baikal and the LGLs. Coastal eutrophication from inputs of untreated sewage is causing problems at multiple sites in Lake Baikal, whereas in the LGLs, invasive dreissenid mussels redirect pelagic nutrients to the littoral substrate. At other locations in Lake Baikal, ecological degradation may have different causes including water level fluctuations and the input of toxic industrial contaminants. Importantly, the recent deterioration of the benthic littoral zone in both Lake Baikal and the LGLs has occurred while little change has occurred offshore. This highlights the necessity of monitoring both the littoral and pelagic zones of large lakes for assessing ecosystem health, change and conservation

Поражение печени при кори

Objective: to determine the incidence of liver damage with measles, the specificity of these changes, to identify risk groups, to assess the dynamics of the development of hyperfermentemia in various stages of the disease.Materials and methods: a retrospective cohort study of medical records of patients hospitalized with measles (n = 101), divided into 4 groups: children (n = 23), men (n = 32), women (n = 24) and pregnant women (n = 22). Patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza (n = 61) were taken as a comparison group. The analysis of the frequency of detecting changes in biochemical parameters, average values, standard error and confidence intervals.Results: An increase in ALT in measles patients was observed in 56 (55.4%), above 5 norms – in 15 patients (14.8%), an increase in AST was detected in 80 (79.2%) patients, above 5 norms – in 10 (9.9%). These changes are specific for measles, which was established by comparing the indicators of patients with measles and influenza. The greatest frequency and severity of the observed changes was observed in men. Determination of bilirubin concentration was carried out in 95 patients. An increase in total bilirubin above 20 μmol / L was observed in 10 (10.5%), direct above 5 μmol / L – in 13 (13.6%) patients.Conclusion: given the frequency of occurrence of the identified changes, it is advisable to conduct a biochemical blood test for measles patients. Therapeutic tactics should be determined taking into account the possible development of hepatitis with measles. Цель: определение частоты развития гепатита при кори, специфичности данных изменений, определение групп риска, оценка динамики развития гиперферментемии в различных стадиях заболевания.Материалы и методы: ретроспективное когортное исследование медицинских карт пациентов, госпитализированных с диагнозом «Корь» (n=101), с разбивкой на 4 группы: дети (n=23), мужчины (n=32), женщины (n=24) и беременные (n=22). В качестве группы сравнения взяты больные с лабораторно подтвержденным гриппом (n=61). Проведен анализ частоты выявления изменений в биохимических показателях, средних величин, стандартной ошибки и доверительных интервалов.Результаты: повышение АЛТ у больных корью наблюдалось у 56 (55,4%), выше 5 норм – у 15 человек (14,8%), повышение АСТ выявлено у 80 (79,2%) больных, выше 5 норм – у 10 (9,9%). Данные изменения специфичны для кори, что было установлено при сравнении показателей больных корью и гриппом. Наибольшая частота и выраженность наблюдаемых изменений отмечалась у мужчин. Определение концентрации билирубина было проведено у 95 больных. Повышение общего билирубина выше 20 мкмоль/л отмечалось у 10 (10,5%), прямого выше 5 мкмоль/л – у 13 (13,6%) пациентов.Заключение: учитывая частоту встречаемости выявленных изменений, целесообразно проводить биохимический анализ крови больным корью. Лечебная тактика должна определяться с учетом возможного развития гепатита при кори.