Elderly patient with community-acquired pneumonia. Does the problem exist?

Elderly patients are a special category of patients in whom poly-morbid pathology is often observed. Combination of cardio-vascular diseases and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most prevalent condition, occurring in patients aged over 60 years. Such comorbidity is associated with difficulties not only at the stage of diagnosing, but also in administering therapy, taking into account the necessity of simultaneous administering both of anti-bacterial therapy and that of cardio-vascular pathology diseases, physiologic changes of an elderly organism and complicated inter-drug interactions

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy for non-invasive assessment of water content in biological samples

We apply terahertz time-domain spectroscopy for the quantitative non-invasive assessment of the water content in biological samples, such as Carpinus caroliniana tree leaves and pork muscles. The developed experimental terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system operates both in transmission and reflection modes. The Landau-Looyenga-Lifshitz-based model is used for the calculation of the water concentration within the samples. The results of the water concentration measurements are compared with the results of the gravimetric measurements. The obtained results show that the water content in biological samples can be measured non-invasively, with a high accuracy, utilizing terahertz waves in transmission and reflection modes

Raman spectroscopy of blood plasma for cancer diagnosis

Raman spectra of blood plasma were studied in the dynamics of the experimental glioma. We used a DXR Raman Microscope (Thermo Scientific), excitation wavelengths of 532 nm, range 80–3200 cm–1. Each sample of blood plasma was a droplet with a volume of 10 μL placed on a special aluminum plate. Machine learning methods were used to identify the most informative frequencies associated with cancer molecular markers. The most significant changes in the Raman spectra are observed in the 900–1700 cm–1 range

THE SERBIAN PEOPLE AND THE STATE TO THE TURKISH CONQUEST: THE EXPERIENCE OF HISTORICAL-LEGAL RESEARCH

Purpose: The article analyzes the hypotheses about the Carpathian and Azov ancestral home of the Serbian tribes and the political role of the territory of ancient Raska in the formation of medieval Serbian statehood via comparative legal and historical methods. Methodology: The methodological basis of this study is the dialectical method of cognition of social and legal phenomena and the concepts in their development and interdependence. Data was obtained from scientific, historical, and legal documents. Main Findings: The drafters of the Law sought to overcome the disparity in court proceedings and bring legal norms into a certain system, taking into account the needs of feudalism. The author comes to the conclusion that the preservation of Serbian ethnic identity influenced the restoration of statehood in the XIX century due to the spiritually and economically self-governing zadruge. Applications: This research can be used by historical organizations, educational organizations as well as by history scholars. Novelty/Originality: Serbian people and Turkish conquest has been studied using historical-legal documents

Investigation of glycation products by THz time-domain spectroscopy

Glycation is the non-enzymatic reaction betwee

A Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome Causes Phenotype-Associated Morphological Changes and Hypofunction of the Adrenal Gland

BACKGROUND Rats exposed to chronic predator scent stress mimic the phenotype of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans, including altered adrenal morphology and function. High- and low-anxiety phenotypes have been described in rats exposed to predator scent stress (PSS). This study aimed to determine whether these high- and low-anxiety phenotypes correlate with changes in adrenal histomorphology and corticosteroid production. METHODS Rats were exposed to PSS for ten days. Thirty days later, the rats' anxiety index (AI) was assessed with an elevated plus-maze test. Based on differences in AI, the rats were segregated into low- (AI ≤ 0.8, n = 9) and high- (AI > 0.8, n = 10) anxiety phenotypes. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentrations were measured by ELISA. Adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT, and 11-dehydroCORT were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. After staining with hematoxylin and eosin, adrenal histomorphometric changes were evaluated by measuring the thickness of the functional zones of the adrenal cortex. RESULTS Decreased plasma CORT concentrations, as well as decreased adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT and 11-dehydroCORT concentrations, were observed in high- but not in low-anxiety phenotypes. These decreases were associated with increases in AI. PSS led to a significant decrease in the thickness of the zona fasciculata and an increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia. The increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia was more pronounced in low-anxiety than in high-anxiety rats. A decrease in the adrenal capsule thickness was observed only in low-anxiety rats. The nucleus diameter of cells in the zona fasciculata of high-anxiety rats was significantly smaller than that of control or low-anxiety rats. CONCLUSION Phenotype-associated changes in adrenal function and histomorphology were observed in a rat model of complex post-traumatic stress disorder

The possibilities of optical methods in the early diagnosis of gliomas

A novel approach based on the Raman and absorption spectroscopy for detection of gliomas molecular markers in brain tissue and blood will be discussed. Using the mice model of the U87 human glioblastoma, we have shown the possibility of glioma development control by a combination of Raman, infrared (IR), and Terahertz (THz) pulsed spectroscopy

Diagnosis of glioma molecular markers by terahertz technologies

This review considers glioma molecular markers in brain tissues and body fluids, shows the pathways of their formation, and describes traditional methods of analysis. The most important optical properties of glioma markers in the terahertz (THz) frequency range are also presented. New metamaterial-based technologies for molecular marker detection at THz frequencies are discussed. A variety of machine learning methods, which allow the marker detection sensitivity and differentiation of healthy and tumor tissues to be improved with the aid of THz tools, are considered. The actual results on the application of THz techniques in the intraoperative diagnosis of brain gliomas are shown. THz technologies’ potential in molecular marker detection and defining the boundaries of the glioma’s tissue is discussed

Cellular effects of terahertz waves

Significance: An increasing interest in the area of biological effects at exposure of tissues and cells to the terahertz (THz) radiation is driven by a rapid progress in THz biophotonics, observed during the past decades. Despite the attractiveness of THz technology for medical diagnosis and therapy, there is still quite limited knowledge about safe limits of THz exposure. Different modes of THz exposure of tissues and cells, including continuous-wave versus pulsed radiation, various powers, and number and duration of exposure cycles, ought to be systematically studied. Aim: We provide an overview of recent research results in the area of biological effects at exposure of tissues and cells to THz waves. Approach: We start with a brief overview of general features of the THz-wave–tissue interactions, as well as modern THz emitters, with an emphasis on those that are reliable for studying the biological effects of THz waves. Then, we consider three levels of biological system organization, at which the exposure effects are considered: (i) solutions of biological molecules;(ii) cultures of cells, individual cells, and cell structures; and (iii) entire organs or organisms; special attention is devoted to the cellular level. We distinguish thermal and nonthermal mechanisms of THz-wave–cell interactions and discuss a problem of adequate estimation of the THz biological effects’ specificity. The problem of experimental data reproducibility, caused by rareness of the THz experimental setups and an absence of unitary protocols, is also considered. Results: The summarized data demonstrate the current stage of the research activity and knowledge about the THz exposure on living objects. Conclusions: This review helps the biomedical optics community to summarize up-to-date knowledge in the area of cell exposure to THz radiation, and paves the ways for the development of THz safety standards and THz therapeutic applications