The role of microRNAs in neural stem cell-supported endothelial morphogenesis

Functional signaling between neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) and brain endothelial cells (ECs) is essential to the coordination of organized responses during initial embryonic development and also during tissue repair, which occurs following brain injury. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying this functional signaling, using primary mouse brain ECs and NSPCs from embryonic mouse brain. EC/NSPC co-culture experiments have revealed that neural progenitors secrete factors supporting angiogenesis, which induce noticeable changes in endothelial morphology. We demonstrate that NSPCs influence the expression of mTOR and TGF-β signaling pathway components implicated in the regulation of angiogenesis. Endothelial morphogenesis, an essential component of vascular development, is a complex process involving gene activation and the upregulation of specific cell signaling pathways. Recently identified small molecules, called microRNAs (miRNAs), regulate the expression of genes and proteins in many tissues, including brain and vasculature. We found that NSPCs induced considerable changes in the expression of at least 24 miRNAs and 13 genes in ECs. Three NSPC-regulated EC miRNAs were identified as the potential primary mediators of this NSPC/EC interaction. We found that the specific inhibition, or overexpression, of miRNAs miR-155, miR-100, and miR-let-7i subsequently altered the expression of major components of the mTOR, TGF-β and IGF-1R signaling pathways in ECs. Overexpression of these miRNAs in ECs suppressed, while inhibition activated, the in vitro formation of capillary-like structures, a process representative of EC morphogenesis. In addition, we demonstrate that inhibition of FGF, VEGF, and TGF-β receptor signaling abolished NSPC-promoted changes in the endothelial miRNA profiles. Our findings demonstrate that NSPCs induce changes in the miRNA expression of ECs, which are capable of activating angiogenesis by modulating distinct cell signaling pathways

Clinical Significance of Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Patients with Invasive Cervical Cancer

The clinical significance of determining sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in patients with invasive cervical cancer was studied. From 2013 to 2014, 30 cervical cancer patients (T1a1NxM0-T1b1NxM0) were treated at the Gynecological Oncology Department of the Cancer Research Institute. The day before surgery, four submucosal injections of 99mTc Al2O3 at a total dose of 80 MBq were made in each quadrant around the cervical tumor. Patients were submitted to preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative SLN detection. The feasibility of preserving the reproductive potential in patients after radical abdominal trachelectomy was assessed. The 3-year, overall, disease-free and metastasis-free survival rates were analyzed. Thirty-four SLNs were detected by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 42 SLNs were identified by intraoperative gamma probe. The sensitivity in detecting SLNs was 100% for intraoperative SLN identification and 80% for SPECT image. The reproductive potential was preserved in 86% of patients. The 3-year overall and metastases-free survival rates were 100%. Recurrence occurred in 8.6% of cases

Wildlife population changes across eastern europe after the collapse of socialism

When political regimes fall, economic conditions change and wildlife protection can be undermined. Eastern European countries experienced turmoil following the collapse of socialism in the early 1990s, raising the question of how wildlife was affected. We show that the aftermath of the collapse changed the population growth rates of various wildlife taxa. We analyzed populations of moose (Alces alces), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and gray wolf (Canis lupus) in nine countries. Population growth rates changed in 32 out of 49 time series. In the countries that reformed slowly, many species exhibited rapid population declines, and population growth rates changed in 83% of the time series. In contrast, in countries with fast post- socialism reforms, many populations increased rapidly, and growth rates changed in only 48% of time series. Our results suggest that the direction and frequency of the changes were associated with socioeconomic conditions, and that wildlife populations can be greatly affected by socioeconomic upheavals

Использование физического ограничения у взрослых пациентов отделений интенсивной терапии: обзор литературы

ЦЕЛЬ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ: Описать имеющиеся данные о показаниях, осложнениях, реализации и альтернативных стратегиях использования физического сдерживания у взрослых пациентов в отделениях реанимации и интенсивной терапии. МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ: Комплексный обзор, проведенный в базе данных Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, Nursing Database, научной электронной библиотеки eLibrary. Поиск производился по запросам: «физическое ограничение», «фиксирующие устройства в реанимации», «безопасность пациента», «фиксация пациента». РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ: Окончательный выбор состоял из 93 статей, из которых были извлечены показания, осложнения, алгоритмы и альтернативные стратегии. ВЫВОДЫ: Описаны наиболее распространенные практики в отношении физических ограничений в России и за рубежом, отмечена необходимость разработки и внедрения протоколов использования физических ограничений в отделениях интенсивной терапии

Rare coding SNP in DZIP1 gene associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease

We present the first application of the hypothesis-rich mathematical theory to genome-wide association data. The Hamza et al. late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease genome-wide association study dataset was analyzed. We found a rare, coding, non-synonymous SNP variant in the gene DZIP1 that confers increased susceptibility to Parkinson's disease. The association of DZIP1 with Parkinson's disease is consistent with a Parkinson's disease stem-cell ageing theory.Comment: 14 page

RESISTANCE TO THE BLAST AGENT AND THE MORPHOBIOLOGICALFEATURES OF GENOTYPES IN THE Oryza sativa L. COLLECTION FROM VARIOUS ECOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS IN CONDITIONS OF КUBAN ZONE OF RICE GROWING

The most common and harmful disease of the agricultural crop rice is a “burn” caused by the fungus Magnoporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr, the causative agent of rice blast. The important direction of modern domestic rice breeding is the development of high-yielding varieties resistant to blast. To solve the problem, it is important to search for sources and donors of resistance to the Krasnodar population of the pathogen among ecotypes of different ecological and geographical origin. Evaluation of the rice collection diversity for resistance to blast was carried out both on a natural background and on an infectious-provocative one. Immunological evaluation and phenotyping were carried out in 2015–2017 on 154 varieties of the Oryza sativa L. species from 7 ecological and geographical cultivation zones. Over the years of research, the range of variation in the intensity of the disease development in varieties was in the range from 1.1 to 77.8 %. The differences in the resistance of rice varieties to the pathogen between ecological groups and countries have been found. Most of the studied samples have shown medium resistance, there were isolated 51 resistant forms. Most often stable forms were found among the germplasm from China, Italy, the Philippines and Korea, and the unstable ones were from African countries, Japan, Primorye and Vietnam. Introduced samples resistant to the disease were identified and adapted to soil and climatic conditions and rice cultivation technologies of the Kuban, they were included in the breeding scheme for developing pathogen-resistant rice varieties with the extension of their genetic basis. The article presents data on the variation of morphological traits and the rate of development of plants of international varieties from 24 countries in the conditions of the south of Russia. The results of the comparison of germplasm of domestic and foreign varieties according to the degree of resistance to the pathogen in conditions of natural infection in the field experiment for five years are presented. As a result of the evaluation of plant resistance to the Krasnodar population of the pathogen, the effective genes for resistance to the pathogen for breeding programs of the south of Russia and the molecular genetic analysis of the rice collection variety were determined: Pi-1, Pi-z, Pi-ta, Pi-z5, Pi-9, Pi-5(t), Pi-t, Pi-19

Damage to the Cardiovascular System in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Infection. Part 2: Correction of Myocardial Systolic Dysfunction

Aim. To study changes in myocardial contractile function when prescribing mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists of spironolactone in patients after coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 with symptoms of chronic heart failure (CHF).Materials and methods. The study included 90 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. The inclusion criteria were: age from 18 to 85 years; the presence of CHF with a preserved or mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The patients were randomized into two groups: group I (n=60) included patients who, for 6 months after discharge from the hospital, in addition to standard drug therapy for CHF, took spironolactone at a dose of 25 mg per day; group II (comparison group; n=30) included patients who received standard drug therapy without additional prescription of spironolactone. The study groups were comparable in age, gender, prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity and severity of CHF; the drug therapy given to the patients had no significant differences. Assessment of LV systolic function, exercise tolerance (six-minute walk test, TSW), quality of life (questionnaire EQ-5D-5L) were performed.Results. When repeated echocardiography was performed after 6 months of treatment, there was a significant improvement in LV systolic function in group I patients. In group I, after 6 months of treatment, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of patients with moderately reduced LVEF (from 30 [50%] to 12 [20%]; p<0.001), and a significant increase in the number of patients with preserved LVEF (from 30 [50%] to 48 [80%], p=0.002). In group II, the number of patients with moderately reduced LVEF did not significantly change. After 6 months of treatment, all patients showed an increase in exercise tolerance. During the test with a six-minute walk, group I patients showed an increase in the index from 316.8±63.5 to 432.9±41.3 meters; group II patients from 337.6±42.7 to 407.6±38.9 meters. The values of the six-minute walking test after 6 months of treatment were significantly higher in group I patients when compared with group II patients. When assessing the quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, it was found that at the time of inclusion of patients in the study, all patients noted the presence of any health problems in one or more components. The average indicator of health status, measured by a 100-point visual analog scale, after 6 months was 71.8±9.2 in patients of group I and was significantly higher than the same indicator in group II – 63.7±9.1. There were no adverse events in the study groups during the entire observation period.Conclusion. A significantly more pronounced improvement in systolic and diastolic left ventricle function, as well as quality of life, was found in the group of CHF patients with preserved or moderately reduced LVEF, who received spironolactone for 6 months after the SARS-CoV-2 infection in addition to standard therapy, compared with patients without aldosterone antagonists

Damage to the Cardiovascular System in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Infection. Part 1: Predictors of the Development of an Unfavorable Prognosis

Aim. To evaluate the effect of sinus tachycardia and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the prognosis of patients with a verified diagnosis of a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2.Material and methods. The study included 1,637 patients with a verified diagnosis of a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2. The average age of the patients was 58.8±16.1 years. More than half of the patients admitted to the hospital had a history of cardiovascular diseases: hypertension was diagnosed in 915 (56%) patients, coronary artery disease – in 563 (34%), chronic heart failure – in 410 (25%). 294 (17.9%) patients suffered from diabetes mellitus. The unfavorable course of new coronavirus infection was assessed by the fact of being in the intensive care unit (ICU), the use of mechanical ventilation and death.Results. An unfavorable course of coronavirus infection was observed in 160 (9.8%) patients. Statistical analysis revealed that 341 (20.8%) patients with COVID-19 were diagnosed with sinus tachycardia, which required the appointment of pulse-reducing therapy. The occurrence of sinus tachycardia in patients with COVID-19 significantly increased the risk of death (odds ratio [OR] 1.248, confidence interval [CI] 1.038-1.499, p=0.018), increased the likelihood of mechanical ventilation use (OR 1.451, CI 1.168-1.803, p<0.001) and stay in the ICU (OR 1.440, CI 1.166-1.778, p<0.001).In 97 (5.9%) patients during hospital stay during echocardiography, a decrease in LVEF of less than 50% was diagnosed. A decrease in myocardial contractile function in patients with COVID-19 with high reliability increased the risk of death (OR 1.744, CI 1.348-2.256, p<0.001), increased the likelihood of using the mechanical ventilation (OR 1.372, CI 1.047-1.797, p=0.022) and stay in the ICU (OR 1.360, CI 1.077-1.716, p=0.010).Conclusion. The appearance of sinus tachycardia and reduced LVEF are in dependent predictors of the unfavorable course of COVID-19 in relation to factors such as death, the use of mechanical ventilation and the stay of patients in the ICU. Early pharmacological correction of cardiovascular lesions should be one of the goals of the management theese patients

Identification of microsatellite loci according to BAC sequencing data and their physical mapping to the bread wheat 5B chromosome

The shortage of polymorphic markers for the regions of wheat chromosomes that encode commercially valuable traits determined the need for studying wheat microsatellite loci. In this work, SSR markers for individual regions in the short arm of bread wheat chromosome 5B (5BS) were designed based on sequencing data for BAC clones, and the regions of the corresponding chromosome were saturated with these markers. Totally, 130 randomly selected BAC clones from the 5BS library were sequenced on the Ion Torrent platform and assembled in contigs using MIRA software. The assembly characteristics (N50 = 4 136 bp) are comparable to the recently obtained data for wheat and relative species and acceptable for identification of microsatellite loci. An algorithm utilizing the properties of complexity decompositions in  he sliding-window mode was used to detect DNA sequences with a repeat unit of 2–4 bp. Analysis of 17 770 contigs with the total length of 25 879 921 bp allowed for designing 113, 79, and 67 microsatellite (SSR) loci with a repeat unit of 2, 3, and 4 bp, respectively. The SSR markers with a motif of 3 bp were tested using nullitetrasomic lines of Chinese Spring wheat homoeologous group 5. Thus, 21 markers specific for chromosome 5B were detected. Eight of these markers were mapped to the distal region of this chromosome (bin 5BS6) using a set of Chinese Spring deletion lines for 5BS. Eight and four markers were mapped to the interstitial region (bins 5BS5 and 5BS4, respectively). One marker was mapped to a pericentromeric bin. A comparative analysis of the distribution of trinucleotide microsatellites over wheat chromosome 5B and in different cereal species suggests that the (AAG)n repeat has proliferated and has been maintained during the evolution of cereals