Impact of dietary supplements based on L-carnitine on free-radical processes in model systems

Introduction. According to the results of numerous studies and meta-analyses, the effectiveness of male infertility therapy with micronutrients-antioxidants in various variants remains low, especially concerning the increase in live-birth rates and the incidence of clinical pregnancy. This may be due to both the empirical nature of such therapy with an imbalance of ejaculate redox systems, and an overdose of individual ingredients of antioxidant complexes.Purpose of the study. To evaluate the antioxidant activity of complex preparation based on L-carnitine for the treatment of male infertility in an experimental model system.Materials and methods. The dietary supplements «AndroDoz®» («Nizhfarm» JSC, Russian Federation) and «Proxeed® plus» (Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc., Italy) were tested. The antioxidant properties of the preparations were determined in vitro by recording chemiluminescence in model systems generating reactive oxygen species using the «LKB-Wallac 1256 chemiluminometer» (Wallac Oy/PerkinElmer®, Finland). Chemiluminescence was evaluated by the light sum and the maximum amplitude of the glow, the antioxidant activity in the biological environment was studied when adding drugs to chicken yolk lipids similar to blood lipoprotein complexes.Results. The introduction of «AndroDoz®» and «Proxeed® plus» into the incubation medium in an amount comparable to the physiological level of L-carnitine in seminal plasma, inhibited the luminescence of the model system. At the same time, if «Proxeed® plus» almost completely inhibited the formation of radicals, then an equivalent dose of «AndroDoz®» reduced the intensity of chemiluminescence by 60%. Approximately in the same proportions, the preparations suppressed the intensity of lipid peroxidation processes in a model system with lipoprotein complexes similar to blood lipids, that is, the antioxidant activity was preserved in the biological environment. A decrease in the value of the chemiluminescence light sum was also found against the background of the use of these dietary supplements, which may indicate their protective effect on biological membranes, including subcellular structures of spermatozoa.Conclusion. The combined dietary supplements used in the study have a high antioxidant potential. The preparation «Proxeed® plus» can completely suppress the processes of lipoperoxidation with the possible development of a deficiency of free radicals that provide vital processes. The preparation «AndroDoz®» has a milder effect on free-radical phenomena probably due to a lower content of active ingredients and a balanced composition, which reduces the risk of complications in the form of an «antioxidant paradox» or reductive stress

The stromal vascular fraction from fat tissue in the treatment of osteochondral knee defect: Case report

© 2018 Salikhov, Masgutov, Chekunov, Tazetdinova, Masgutova, Teplov, Galimov, Plakseichuk, Yagudin, Pankov and Rizvanov. In this study we applied autologous fat tissue stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells in combination with microfracturing technique in a 36-year-old man with an osteochondral lesion of the medial femoral condyle 8 months after the injury. Cell material was generated by fat tissue liposuction from the anterior abdominal wall with subsequent extraction of the SVF and injected through a mini-arthrotomy portal with subsequent fibrin sealant fixation. The follow-up period was 2 years. Clinical score improved from 23 to 96 according to IKDC and from 10 to 90 according to EQ-VAS at 24 months follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before the surgery revealed an osteochondral lesion with development of significant trabecular edema that remained unchanged for 6 months despite conservative treatment. MRI 1 and 2 years after the surgery showed the recovery of the damaged cartilage thickness with somewhat uneven structure and a decrease in the trabecular edema of the femoral condyle. The use of SVF cells with fibrin sealant fixation might be a promising approach in the treatment of osteochondral joint lesions. Further studies are required

ГОРМОНАЛЬНАЯ РЕФРАКТЕРНОСТЬ ПРИ РАКЕ ПРЕДСТАТЕЛЬНОЙ ЖЕЛЕЗЫ И ЕЕ РАЗВИТИЕ НА ФОНЕ АНТИАНДРОГЕННОЙ ТЕРАПИИ

Mechanisms of development of hormone refractory prostate cancer currently not fully understood.Materials and methods: treatment results of 135 prostate cancer patients underwent subcapsular orchiectomy.Results: hormone resistance registered at 38 (28.15%) patients, were sensitive to anti-androgenic therapy 97 (71.85%) patients. There are reliable differences between the probability of development of hormone refractory and the patient's age, disease stage and degree of tumor cell differentiation.Conclusion: сlinical developed, laboratory and pathomorphological criteria, the use of which may reliably predict the likelihood of hormone refractory patients with prostate cancer on the background of antiandrogenic treatment.Механизмы развития гормональной рефрактерности в настоящее время окончательно не изучены.Материалы и методы. Результаты лечения 135 больных раком предстательной железы (РПЖ), которым выполнена субкапсулярная орхиэктомия.Результаты. Гормональная рефрактерность развилась у 38 (28,15 %) пациентов, чувствительными к проведению антиандрогенной терапии остались 97 (71,85 %) пациентов. Отмечены достоверные различия между вероятностью развития гормональной рефрактерности и возрастом пациента, стадией заболевания и степенью клеточной дифференцировки опухоли.Заключение. Разработаны клинические, лабораторные и патоморфологические критерии, используя которые возможно достоверно прогнозировать вероятность развития гормональной рефрактерности у больных РПЖ на фоне антиандрогенного лечения

Direct observation of split-mode exciton-polaritons in a single MoS2_2 nanotube

A single nanotube synthesized from a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) exhibits strong exciton resonances and, in addition, can support optical whispering gallery modes. This combination is promising for observing exciton-polaritons without an external cavity. However, traditional energy-momentum-resolved detection methods are unsuitable for this tiny object. Instead, we propose to use split optical modes in a twisted nanotube with the flattened cross-section, where a gradually decreasing gap between the opposite walls leads to a change in mode energy, similar to the effect of the barrier width on the eigenenergies in the double-well potential. Using micro-reflectance spectroscopy, we investigated the rich pattern of polariton branches in single MoS$_2$ tubes with both variable and constant gaps. Observed Rabi splitting in the 40 - 60 meV range is comparable to that for a MoS$_2$ monolayer in a microcavity. Our results, based on the polariton dispersion measurements and polariton dynamics analysis, present a single TMDC nanotube as a perfect polaritonic structure for nanophotonics

Clinical Cases of Gallstone Ileus

Background. Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis accounting for 0.3–2.1% total acute intestinal obstructions. The recent years are witnessing a sharply elevated incidence of cholelithiasis and its entailed complications. The major diagnostic biases are the atypical clinical presentation, instrumental and laboratory evidence, and a relative paucity of surgical cases.Aim. Highlighting to surgeons the feasibility of this rare reluctantly diagnosed form of acute small bowel obstruction.Materials and methods. The article presents the clinical observations of gallstone-induced small intestinal obstruction collected at a surgery unit of the Bashkir State Medical University Clinic. Patients had surgeries for cholecystoduodenal fistula embolisation, gastro/enterotomy and lithoextraction followed by gastro/enterotomy wound suturing.Results and discussion. Patients had a benign postoperative period are were discharged in a satisfactory condition on day 7–10 after surgery for outpatient surveillance.Conclusion. Surgeons need to contemplate this pathology to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as avoid possible complications. Mostly important still is a timely gallbladder resection upon diagnosing cholelithiasis via laparoscopic cholecystectomy as a “gold standard” in treatment for this disease

Impact of Honeybee Venom Melittin on Cell Viability of Different Prostate Cancer Lineages

Background. Melittin is a major constituent of honeybee venom and comprises a water-soluble surfactant peptide with cytolytic effects potentially applicable in anticancer therapy. We evaluated the impact of melittin from Bashkir honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera L.) venom on cell viability of various prostate cancer lineages.Materials and methods. MTT assays with cell viability index estimation were used to evaluate the effect of melittin on cell proliferation in various-grade malignancy prostate cancer (PC) lineages, LNCaP, PC-3 and DU145.Results and discussion. Lineage DU145 revealed a low sensitivity to melittin, because a relatively high peptide concentration of 10 μg/mL had a suppressive effect on its proliferation. With PC-3 cells, a 0.1 μg/mL concentration suppressed proliferation significantly to 46.15 %, while melittin at a 10 μg/mL dose had a cytolytic effect on most cells (4.27 % viability). LNCaP cells experienced the lowest toxicity at 10 μg/mL melittin compared to PC-3 and DU145 lineages. The LNCaP, PC-3 and DU145 PC lineages demonstrated suppressed proliferation at melittin levels 0.01–100 μg/mL.Conclusion. The study reveals a significant reduction of the PC lineages viability at a minimal melittin concentration of 0.01 μg/mL, which indicates a high cytolytic activity of this peptide and renders it a candidate agent in antitumour therapy

Измерение анатомических структур во время лапароскопических вмешательств

Determining the exact sizes of anatomical structures play a very important today in laparoscopic surgery. This makes it possible to make a correct selection of gauges of instruments needed, prosthetic materials, and to make decisions regarding the further strategy of the surgical procedure. The device developed at the clinic has proven itself in everyday clinical practices. It is currently used in laparoscopic operations for hiatal hernias, choledoch measurements in patients with choledocholithiasis, stomach stump size measurements during the resection in patients with morbid obesity. The presented clinical case serves to confirm that obtaining objective data in video endoscopic surgery makes it possible to choose the optimal treatment strategy.На сегодня в лапароскопической хирургии очень важную роль играет определение точных размеров анатомических структур, что позволяет наиболее верно подбирать необходимые размеры инструментов, протезирующих материалов, выбирать дальнейшую тактику оперативного вмешательства. Разработанное в клинике устройство хорошо зарекомендовало себя в повседневной клинической практике и на данный момент применяется при выполнении лапароскопических операций по поводу хиатальных грыж, измерении размеров холедоха у пациентов с холедохолитиазом, измерением размеров культи желудка при резекции его у пациентов с морбидным ожирением. Данный клинический случай доказывает, что получение объективных данных в видеоэндохирургии позволяет выбрать оптимальную тактику лечения заболеваний

Use of Gene-Activated Demineralized Bone Allograft in the Therapy of Ulnar Pseudarthrosis. Case Report

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.This paper presents a clinical case of successful ulnar pseudarthrosis treatment using a gene-activated bone allograft containing VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) in the form of a multicystron plasmid. Demineralized bone matrix with applied recombinant plasmid DNA was grafted into the bone defect using the classical open surgical approach. Two months after the surgery, the patient noticed the disappearance of pain including pain during activity. On X-rays of ulna, signs of union in the form of callus formation were found

Donor-acceptor recombination emission in hydrogen-terminated nanodiamond: Novel single-photon source for room-temperature quantum photonics

In fluorescence spectra of nanodiamonds (NDs) synthesized at high pressure from adamantane and other organic compounds, very narrow (~1 nm) lines of unknown origin are observed in a wide spectroscopic range from ~500 to 800 nm. Here, we propose and experimentally substantiate the hypothesis that these mysterious lines arise from radiative recombination of donor-acceptor pairs (DAPs). To confirm our hypothesis, we study the fluorescence spectra of undoped and nitrogen-doped NDs of different sizes, before and after thermal oxidation of their surface. The results obtained with a high degree of confidence allowed us to conclude that the DAPs are formed through the interaction of donor-like substitutional nitrogen present in the diamond lattice, and a 2D layer of acceptors resulting from the transfer doping effect on the surface of hydrogen-terminated NDs. A specific behavior of the DAP-induced lines was discovered in the temperature range of 100-10 K: their energy increases and most lines are split into 2 or more components with decreasing temperature. It is shown that the majority of the studied DAP emitters are sources of single photons, with an emission rate of up to >1 million counts/s at room temperature, which significantly surpasses that of nitrogen-vacancy and silicon-vacancy centers under the same detection conditions. Despite an observed temporal instability in the emission, the DAP emitters of H-terminated NDs represent a powerful room-temperature single-photon source for quantum optical technologies