Renalase – a new instrument in multicomponent heart failure assessment

Heart failure (HF) remains a serious problem in Russian and world health care due to the growing morbidity and mortality from complications of heart failure, despite the development and implementation of programs for the early detection and treatment of heart failure in asymptomatic patients. Currently, a large number of new biological markers have been studied that could serve as a laboratory tool for diagnosing and predicting the course of heart failure, but only brain natriuretic peptides have found application in real clinical practice. Renalase is a recently discovered cytokine that is synthesized by the kidneys and released into the blood. To date, seven subtypes of renalase have been found, each of which plays a different physiological role in the human body. Renalase is usually positioned as a signaling molecule that activates cytoprotective intracellular signals, leading to a decrease in blood pressure and protection of the heart muscle. The concentration of renalase freely circulating in the bloodstream of an adult is approximately 3–5 ng / ml. Currently, the level of renalase is determined by the enzyme immunoassay with a detection range of 3.12 to 200 ng / ml, while the minimum detectable concentration of the marker is less than 1.38 ng / ml. The presence of missense polymorphism of renalase is associated with myocardial dysfunction. Data from animal and human studies have shown that renalase plays a key role in the metabolism of catecholamines and in cardioprotective processes. Studies have shown the contribution of renalase to the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases: ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and aortic stenosis. Moreover, detailed protocols of multicenter prospective studies have demonstrated that functional polymorphism of the renalase gene was associated with myocardial hypertrophy in patients with aortic stenosis, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, unstable angina pectoris and stable forms of coronary artery disease, as well as in patients receiving renal replacement therapy. Based on these data and further studies, renalase has been proposed as a predictive biomarker of ischemia in patients with coronary microvascular dysfunction, as well as a predictor of clinically significant progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with cardiovascular diseases.Our review presents data on the role of renalase in heart failure. Further study of the structure and function of renalase, as well as future clinical studies, will allow determining the diagnostic, prognostic and, possibly, therapeutic significance of this biological marker in HF and other cardiovascular diseases

Hygienic assessment of nutrition of women outside and during pregnancy

This study showed that in the nutrition of girls of the reproductive period there are significant deviations from hygiene standards. The study draws attention to the need for more careful monitoring of the nutrition of expectant mothers in order to maintain the health of newbornsДанное исследование показало, что в питании девушек репродуктивного периода имеются существенные отклонения от гигиенических норм. Исследование обращает внимание на необходимость более тщательного контроля за питанием будущих мам в целях сохранения здоровья новорожденны

Web Based Postgraduate Thesis/Dessertation System - A Prototype

With the advancement of information communication technology in Malaysia, education field should take advantage to upgrade their learning and management techniques. Students should be allowed to learn anytime, anywhere and at their own place. However administration and lecture should be able to manage their work more effective and flexible. The web-based system is effective way to learning and managing education works. This report outlines the development of a web-based postgraduate thesis/dissertation management system (WPTS), which aimed to assist thesis/dissertation administration, supervisor and students in the better integration during students doing the thesis/dissertation works. This prototype system base on case study with a group of MSC(IT), administration, lecturer and students who participate in thesis/dissertation management activities. This report also presenting the tests conducted with users, it also contributed some perspective regarding benefits that gain by administration, supervisor and students, and recommends future application of the approach

Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is a promising biological marker of heart failure

Introduction. Currently, the search and study of new biological markers that can help early diagnosis of heart failure, serve as a laboratory tool for assessing the effectiveness of therapy, be a predictive marker of possible adverse clinical outcomes and a significant criterion for risk stratification is very relevant. While cardiospecific markers, including natriuretic peptides, their precursors, and highly sensitive troponins, are widely used in clinical practice, the need to use other markers does not have sufficient evidence. aspect of a biological marker of heart failure.Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is an enzyme localized on the outer side of cell membranes and involved in the metabolism of glutathione and cysteine. This enzyme is a dimeric glycoprotein (68 kDa), consisting of 2 subunits – a large and a small (46 and 22 kDa). Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is encoded by a multigene family consisting of at least 7 different genes located on chromosome 22; however, only 1 of these genes is involved in the formation of a functional enzyme. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was found in all cells except erythrocytes. There is a significant variability in enzyme activity, which is especially high in tissues with a secretory and absorptive function, such as the kidneys, biliary tract, intestines, and epididymis.Purpose of the review is to present an overview of current publications devoted to the study of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in the aspect of a biological marker of heart failure.Materials and methods. The analysis of literature sources (foreign and domestic articles) was carried out in the databases: PubMed, RSCI, MedLine, Google Scholar, Science Direct. The search was performed according to the following keywords: biological markers, heart failure, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, biological markers, heart failure, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase.Results. In addition to its clinical use as a test for liver disease, biliary tract disease, and alcohol abuse, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase is of great interest because of its association with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. In the literature available to us, we found a small number of works devoted to the study of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in patients with heart failure. In the review, we have presented data from experimental and clinical studies indicating a clear link between γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and heart failure. The pathogenetic mechanism of the possible relationship between γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and heart failure is not completely clear. The localization of this enzyme in tissues with a transport function has led to the assumption that it is involved in the transport of amino acids through the γ-glutamyl cycle.Conclusion. Further deeper understanding of the structure and function of the enzyme is needed, as well as future clinical studies to determine the diagnostic, prognostic and possibly therapeutic significance of this biological marker

Chronic heart failure: clinical and laboratory parallels

The significance of the study of the level of cerebral natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the clinical assessment of the stage and course of chronic heart failure was studied in the article. The results of a comparative analysis of patient data are presented.В статье изучена значимость исследования уровня мозгового натрийуретического пептида (NT-proBNP) в клинической оценке стадии и течения хронической сердечной недостаточности. Представлены результаты сравнительного анализа данных пациентов

Structure-guided evolution of cyan fluorescent proteins towards a quantum yield of 93%

Cyan variants of green fluorescent protein are widely used as donors in Förster resonance energy transfer experiments. The popular, but modestly bright, Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein (ECFP) was sequentially improved into the brighter variants Super Cyan Fluorescent Protein 3A (SCFP3A) and mTurquoise, the latter exhibiting a high-fluorescence quantum yield and a long mono-exponential fluorescence lifetime. Here we combine X-ray crystallography and excited-state calculations to rationalize these stepwise improvements. The enhancement originates from stabilization of the seventh β-strand and the strengthening of the sole chromophore-stabilizing hydrogen bond. The structural analysis highlighted one suboptimal internal residue, which was subjected to saturation mutagenesis combined with fluorescence lifetime-based screening. This resulted in mTurquoise2, a brighter variant with faster maturation, high photostability, longer mono-exponential lifetime and the highest quantum yield measured for a monomeric fluorescent protein. Together, these properties make mTurquoise2 the preferable cyan variant of green fluorescent protein for long-term imaging and as donor for Förster resonance energy transfer to a yellow fluorescent protein

Esthesioneuroblastoma: clinical course, long-term results of treatment

This rare tumor from a group of neuroendocrine neoplasms was studied. The material for the study was the data of 78 patients with esthesioneuroblastoma who had been treated and followed up at the N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center in the period 1965 to 2014. Information on hospital statistics, clinical features, methods, and treatment results were presented. The possibilities of using the TNM classification for the nasal cavity, ethmoidal sinuses, and nasopharynx were assessed to determine the anatomic extent of primary tumor. The findings contribute to the solution of problems in the diagnosis and treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma at the present stage

Динамика и пространственное распределение снегозапасов в крупном городе в бассейне Волги (на примере Нижнего Новгорода)

Processes of formation and melting of snow cover in large cities remain poorly studied, for example, one of those is Nizhny Novgorod, the largest city in the Volga River basin. Using the relationship between the amount of precipitation, falling over the cold season, and the snow storage, formed on the whole territory of the city, that was built taking account of the influence of thaws, a continuous series of values of the snow water equivalent (snow storage) for the time of the snowmelt beginning was restored for the period 1965– 2019. Thaws were taken into account through the use of the sums of positive air temperatures for the cold period, calculated for each individual year of observation. During the period under consideration, the maximum snow storage occurred in 2011, while the minimum – in 1998; and it was close to the average value in 1973. Field snow-measuring surveys in the city and its environs, carried out in 2020, showed that the classical notion of the snow-storm transport is not true in the urban landscapes rather than in the environs. The use of the results of field snow surveys performed in different parts of the city in 2021, as well as the statistical characteristics of the above series of snow storage values, allowed estimating the distribution of the snow water equivalent in catchments of six small rivers in the city Nizhny Novgorod. The assessment is detailed for different types of urban landscapes and for years of different snow conditions, including the extreme ones.На основе метеорологических характеристик (включая данные о зимних оттепелях) восстановлены отсутствующие значения в ряду снегозапасов на начало весеннего снеготаяния в г. Нижний Новгород с 1965 по 2019 г. Оценена однородность этого ряда с помощью критериев Фишера и Стьюдента, рассчитаны основные статистические характеристики, а также определена теоретическая функция распределения вероятностей, удовлетворительно аппроксимирующая эмпирическую кривую вероятностей снегозапасов. С использованием результатов полевых снегомерных работ, выполненных в разных частях города в 2021 г., а также статистических характеристик многолетнего ряда снегозапасов на начало весеннего снеготаяния оценено пространственное распределение запаса воды в снежном покрове для шести водосборов малых рек города, в том числе и для расположенных в их пределах территорий с различным видом подстилающей поверхности для каждого года исследуемого ряда

Rapid in vivo analysis of synthetic promoters for plant pathogen phytosensing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We aimed to engineer transgenic plants for the purpose of early detection of plant pathogen infection, which was accomplished by employing synthetic pathogen inducible promoters fused to reporter genes for altered phenotypes in response to the pathogen infection. Toward this end, a number of synthetic promoters consisting of inducible regulatory elements fused to a red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter were constructed for use in phytosensing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For rapid analysis, an <it>Agrobacterium</it>-mediated transient expression assay was evaluated, then utilized to assess the inducibility of each synthetic promoter construct <it>in vivo</it>. Tobacco (<it>Nicotiana tabacum </it>cv. Xanthi) leaves were infiltrated with <it>Agrobacterium </it>harboring the individual synthetic promoter-reporter constructs. The infiltrated tobacco leaves were re-infiltrated with biotic (bacterial pathogens) or abiotic (plant defense signal molecules salicylic acid, ethylene and methyl jasmonate) agents 24 and 48 hours after initial agroinfiltration, followed by RFP measurements at relevant time points after treatment. These analyses indicated that the synthetic promoter constructs were capable of conferring the inducibility of the RFP reporter in response to appropriate phytohormones and bacterial pathogens, accordingly.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These observations demonstrate that the <it>Agrobacterium</it>-mediated transient expression is an efficient method for <it>in vivo </it>assays of promoter constructs in less than one week. Our results provide the opportunity to gain further insights into the versatility of the expression system as a potential tool for high-throughput <it>in planta </it>expression screening prior to generating stably transgenic plants for pathogen phytosensing. This system could also be utilized for temporary phytosensing; e.g., not requiring stably transgenic plants.</p

Revealing the spatio-phenotypic patterning of cells in healthy and tumor tissues with mLSR-3D and STAPL-3D

Stem cells & developmental biolog