The genome of the toxic invasive species Heracleum sosnowskyi carries an increased number of genes despite absence of recent whole-genome duplications.

Heracleum sosnowskyi, belonging to a group of giant hogweeds, is a plant with large effects on ecosystems and human health. It is an invasive species that contributes to the deterioration of grassland ecosystems. The ability of H.

Antimicrobial Activity of Lipid Extracts of Echinoderms in the Nhatrang Bay (South China Sea).

The obtained results on the study of the antimicrobial activity of lipid extracts of tissues of starfishes Linckia laevigata and Culcita novaeguineae and sea urchin Diadema setosum collected in the Nhatrang Bay (South China Sea) against nosocomial strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida sp., Streptococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus are presented. The effect of the investigated extracts on Gram-positive, Gram-negative microorganisms, as well as yeast of the genus Candida, was determined.

Optoacoustic/Fluorescent/Acoustic Imaging Probe Based on Air-Filled Bubbles Functionalized with Gold Nanorods and Fluorescein Isothiocyanate.

Liquid/surfactant/gas interfaces are promising objects for nanoengineered multimodal contrasts, which can be used for biomedical imaging in preclinical and clinical applications. Microbubbles with the gaseous core and shell made of lipids/proteins have already acted as ultrasound (US) contrast agents for angiography. In the present work, microbubbles with a shell composed of Span 60 and Tween 80 surfactants functionalized with fluorescein isothiocyanate and gold nanorods to achieve a multimodal combination of US, fluorescence, and optoacoustic imaging are described.

Air-Filled Bubbles Stabilized by Gold Nanoparticle/Photodynamic Dye Hybrid Structures for Theranostics.

Microbubbles have already reached clinical practice as ultrasound contrast agents for angiography. However, modification of the bubbles' shell is needed to produce probes for ultrasound and multimodal (fluorescence/photoacoustic) imaging methods in combination with theranostics (diagnostics and therapeutics). In the present work, hybrid structures based on microbubbles with an air core and a shell composed of bovine serum albumin, albumin-coated gold nanoparticles, and clinically available photodynamic dyes (zinc phthalocyanine, indocyanine green) were shown to achieve multimodal imaging for potential applications in photodynamic therapy.

[The influence of light deprivation and luzindol on ovulatory function of rats].

The age dynamics of ovulatory function of rats which were kept in conditions of light deprivation and receiving luzindol (a blocker the melatonin receptors) is investigated in this research. Cytological research of an estrous cycle was conducted quarterly within two years. It is defined that the age changes of an ovulatory cycle in the mode of light deprivation came later and were less expressed in comparison with similar changes at control rat females kept in the conditions of standard lightning.