Structural Alterations of Monocytes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks multiple organs and tissues of the body. To elucidate the involvement of blood cells in the pathogenesis of SLE, we used transmission electron microscopy to study ultrastructure of monocytes isolated from the blood of SLE patients. We found that in the SLE patients, a substantial fraction of monocytes had abnormal morphology that corresponded to the structural signs of either necrosis or apoptosis. The number of altered monocytes in the SLE patients was significantly higher than in healthy subjects and related directly with the level of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in the blood. Our results suggest that monocytes are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE and undergo adverse necrotic and/or apoptotic changes, likely induced by autoantibodies

The main directions of development of sports management and marketing in the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous economic losses and social upheaval around the world. However, despite the huge financial and human losses, it is physical culture and sports that can help mankind in many ways to combat the epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly had an impact on professional and mass sports. The economic slowdown in the sports industry has affected the profit margins of the global sports advertising market. In the current situation, it is necessary to search new directions for sports management and marketing policy to overcome the crisis. Of particular interest is the direction of online commerce and online advertising in the sports industry. Those sports brands that are able to adapt to the new reality and reconfigure their business will remain on the market and continue to make a profit, in some cases even multiply it. Those companies that fail to cope with the transformation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may become uncompetitive and lose their consumers. The advantages of online commerce and marketing tools are that they are not likely to lose their relevance and effectiveness even after the pandemic is over, when all areas of human life will return to their usual course. One way or another, it is advisable for companies involved in the sports industry to implement and develop modern areas of management and marketing development

Процедурный инструментарий финансового мониторинга в банковской сфере России

The article analyzes the nature, content, and variety of procedures that are used by authorized subjects (organizations and government agencies) for the purposes of financial monitoring as a form of financial control of banking operations in the Russian Federation. The author proposes a classification of financial monitoring procedures based on analysis of the national banking legislation and secondary legal acts issued by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. A definition of the notion of legal techniques used for financial monitoring of the banking system in Russia is also presented. The paper argues in favor of comprehensive financial monitoring, as well as combined control and informational nature of procedures used for the financial monitoring of banking operations in Russia.Проанализированы природа, содержание и виды процедур, применяемых уполномоченными субъектами (организациями, органами власти) с целью финансового мониторинга как разновидности финансового контроля банковской деятельности на территории Российской Федерации. На основе анализа банковского законодательства Российской Федерации и подзаконных нормативных правовых актов Центрального банка РФ предложена классификация процедур финансового мониторинга банковской деятельности в России. Сформулировано определение понятия юридической техники финансового мониторинга в банковской системе. Обоснован комплексный характер, сочетание контрольной и информационной природы в процедурах финансового мониторинга банковской деятельности в России

Autoantibodies Against dsDNA Modulate Contraction of Blood Clots

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. The degree and rate of clot contraction (retraction) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, especially in those with a high level of anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies in the blood, was significantly reduced compared to healthy donors. We hypothesized that this effect was caused by the anti-dsDNA antibodies. To test this assumption, we investigated the kinetics of blood clot contraction in vitro in the absence and presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies purified from the blood serum of SLE patients. The degree of clot contraction was increased immediately after addition of the anti-DNA antibodies in a concentration-dependent manner. This stimulating effect was abrogated by a monoclonal antibody against the platelet Fc-receptor. On the contrary, after prolonged incubation (for hours) of the blood samples with the anti-DNA antibodies, the extent of clot contraction was significantly reduced. These results suggest that anti-dsDNA antibodies in SLE induce Fc-receptor-mediated chronic platelet hyperactivation, resulting in platelet exhaustion and dysfunction, including reduced contractility. The impaired contraction of blood clots and thrombi caused by autoantibodies may be an important pathogenic mechanism that affects the course and outcomes of thrombotic complications in SLE

Motivation and labor values of youth: Development paradoxes

Based on the monitoring studies conducted in Tyumen oblast (2006—2016), the paper aims to examine trends and specifics of the development of labor orientations. Correlation and dispersion analysis is used to single out a number of inconsistencies reflecting immaturity of the market motivation and entrepreneurial orientation among those who were born and brought up in a market environment. Young persons with a more market-oriented type of labor motivation have fewer claims and agree to have the little they have if guarantees of stability are provided. The age when there is a break in the dominance of success and achievement motivation declines. Young people pay less attention to interesting and meaningful job. A gap between the declared value of initiative and entrepreneurship and a real commitment to creation of innovations are observed. Those who were born and raised in a market environment are eager to work «in the market». With a very high percentage of young people willing to work for themselves the share of actual young entrepreneurs is still very low. © 2018 Russian Public Opinion Research Center, VCIOM. All rights reserved

Structural characterization of platelets and platelet microvesicles

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Platelets are blood cells without nuclei, which, in conjunction with fibrin, cause bleeding to stop (hemostasis). Cellular microvesicles are microscopic particles released into extracellular space under activation and/or apoptosis of cells of different types. Platelet microvesicles form the main population of blood circulating through microvesicles and play an important role in the reactions of hemostasis, thrombosis, and many other (patho)physiological processes. Despite the large number of studies that have been devoted to the function of platelet microvesicles, the mechanisms of their formation and structural details remain poorly understood. The ultrastructure of the initial platelets and microvesicles formed in vitro from resting cells and platelets activated by arachidonic acid, ADP, thrombin, and calcium ionophore A23187 is investigated in this study. The intracellular origin, stages of formation, structural diversity, and size of microvesicles were analyzed according to the results of transmission electron microscopy of human platelets and isolated microvesicles. It was shown that thrombin, unlike other activators, not only stimulates microvesiculation of the plasma membrane, but also causes decomposition of cells with the formation of subcellular particles that have sizes comparable with the size of the microvesicles from the outer membrane of the cells. Some of these microparticles are cellular organelles surrounded by a thin membrane. The size of isolated microvesicles ranges from 30 to 500 nm, but their size distribution depends on the nature of the activating stimulus. The obtained results contain new data on the formation of platelet microvesicles and their structural diversity, which are important for understanding of their multiple functions in health and disease

Effects of succinate on the growth rates of potato, Rauwolfia, and ginseng in vitro

Effects of succinate on in vitro potato reproduction, callus cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina, and Panax ginseng roots were studied. The optimum succinate concentration giving the maximum the growth rate of potato shoots and callus mass, was found to be 10-5 M. Succinate treatment increased the absolute yield of the alkaloid ajmaline in Rauwolfia callus culture, in spite of a decrease in its specific content

Effects of Succinate on the Growth Rates of Potato, Rauwolfia, and Ginseng in vitro

Effects of succinate on in vitro potato reproduction, callus cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina, and Panax ginseng roots was studied. The optimum succinate concentration giving the maximum the growth rate of potato shoots and callus mass, was found to be 10-5 M. Succinate treatment increased the absolute yield of the alkaloid ajmaline in Rauwolfia callus culture, in spite of a decrease in its specific content

Abnormal Ultrastructure of the Platelet Plasma Membrane in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. Blood cells, including platelets, are also involved in SLE and contribute to the pathogenesis of disease. We studied ultrastructure of platelets isolated from the blood of SLE patients and found that the plasma membrane was rough and shaggy compared to the normally smooth cell surface. These changes in the membrane morphology increased with the disease severity and were more pronounced when SLE was associated with the antiphospholipid syndrome, suggesting that platelets are strongly affected by the immune reactions underlying SLE

Structure-property and composition-property relationships for poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces modified by helium plasma-based ion implantation

The surfaces of untreated and helium plasma-based ion implantation (He PBII) treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) samples were characterised by reflectance colorimetry, contact angle studies and measurements of surface electrical resistance. The results were related to the structural and compositional data obtained by the authors earlier on parallel samples by XPS and Raman spectroscopy. Inverse correlations between lightness and ID/IG ratio and between chroma and ID/IG ratio were obtained, suggesting that the PBII-treated PET samples darken and their colourfulness decreases with the increase of the portion of aromatic sp2 carbon rings in the chemical structure of the modified layer. Direct correlation between water contact angle and the ID/IG ratio and inverse correlations between surface energy and ID/IG ratio and between dispersive component of surface energy and ID/IG ratio were found, reflecting that surface wettability, surface energy and its dispersive component decrease with the formation of surface structure, characterised again by enhanced portion of aromatic sp2 carbon rings. The surface electrical resistance decreased with the increase of the surface C-content determined by XPS and also with the increase of the surface concentration of conjugated double bonds, reflected by the increase of the pi-pi* shake-up satellite of the C 1s peak