The role of gastropods in African swine fever virus ecology.

The spread of the African swine fever virus (ASF virus) genotype ii in the Eurasian region has been very successful and often inexplicable. The virus spreads rapidly and persists in areas with wild boar populations, but areas without feral pig populations are also affected. The virus has shown the ability to survive for a long time in the environment without a population of susceptible hosts, both pigs and Ornithodoros soft ticks.

The Effect of Low-Energy Laser-Driven Ultrashort Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation on Erythropoiesis and Oxidative Stress in Rats.

Anemia is a commonly observed consequence of whole-body exposure to a dose of X-ray or gamma irradiation of the order of the mean lethal dose in mammals, and it is an important factor for the determination of the survival of animals. The aim of this study was to unravel the effect of laser-driven ultrashort pulsed electron beam (UPEB) irradiation on the process of erythropoiesis and the redox state in the organism. rats were exposed to laser-driven UPEB irradiation, after which the level of oxidative stress and the activities of different antioxidant enzymes, as well as blood smears, bone marrow imprints and sections, erythroblastic islets, hemoglobin and hematocrit, hepatic iron, DNA, and erythropoietin levels, were assessed on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th days after irradiation.

Low-Energy Laser-Driven Ultrashort Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation-Induced Immune Response in Rats.

The development of new laser-driven electron linear accelerators, providing unique ultrashort pulsed electron beams (UPEBs) with low repetition rates, opens new opportunities for radiotherapy and new fronts for radiobiological research in general. Considering the growing interest in the application of UPEBs in radiation biology and medicine, the aim of this study was to reveal the changes in immune system in response to low-energy laser-driven UPEB whole-body irradiation in rodents. Forty male albino rats were exposed to laser-driven UPEB irradiation, after which different immunological parameters were studied on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th day after irradiation.

The role of women scientists in the development of ultrashort pulsed laser technology-based biomedical research in Armenia.

Purpose: To describe the contribution of women scientists in the development of biomedical studies conducted on research facilities based on the ultrashort pulsed laser technologies in Armenia.

Conclusion: Given the opportunities provided by the ultrashort pulsed laser driven two-photon microscopy and electron beam linac facilities at CANDLE Synchrotron Research Institute, the Armenian women scientists initiated and conducted interdisciplinary research to understand of the biomedical effects of ultrashort pulsed electron beam irradiation, as well as to experience and apply the advantages of the two-photon microscopy in their fields of research. Women scientists had a crucial role and unique impact in the development of ultrashort pulsed laser technology-based biomedical studies in Armenia.

In memory of Margarita Malakyan, a bright person and inquisitive scientist.

Purpose: To describe the contribution of Margarita Malakyan to the development of radiation biology in Armenia and how her multidisciplinary collaboration with chemists, physicists and biologists around the world led to the development of radioprotectors and radiosensitizers of different origins.

Conclusion: Margarita Malakyan was a very active and initiative woman, a radiobiologist, whose hard work and enthusiasm led to the establishment of a very constructive scientific network and to the development of newly synthesized metal compounds. During her short but very productive life, the synthesis, characterization, as well as toxicity and radioprotective studies of different compounds led to the suggestion of a number of metal complexes of Schiff bases as effective radioprotective agents and radiosensitizers.

The LD50 for Low-Energy Ultrashort-Pulsed Laser Driven Electron Beam Whole-Body Irradiation of Wistar Rats.

Recently, a new technology of low-energy ultrashort-pulsed electron beam (UPEB) accelerators has been developed opening new directions for radiobiology and biomedical research. The purpose of this study was to reveal the lethal dose, LD50 (lethal dose, 50%) delivered by low-energy UPEB whole-body exposure on an organismal level. Wistar rats were exposed to low-energy UPEB whole-body irradiation with different doses and pulse repetition rates to find the LD50 and in silico computer simulations were performed to conduct numerical dose calculations.

The radioenhancement potential of Schiff base derived copper (II) compounds against lung carcinoma in vitro.

For the last years, copper complexes have been intensively implicated in biomedical research as components of cancer treatment. Herewith, we provide highlights of the synthesis, physical measurements, structural characterization of the newly developed Cu(II) chelates of Schiff Bases, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Tryptopahanate)2, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2, Cu(Isonicotinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, Cu(Nicotinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, Cu(Isonicotinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, and their radioenhancement capacity at kV and MV ranges of irradiation of human lung carcinoma epithelial cells in vitro. The methods of cell growth, viability and proliferation were used.

A new microtubule-stabilizing agent shows potent antiviral effects against African swine fever virus with no cytotoxicity.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causal agent of a fatal disease of domestic swine for which no effective antiviral drugs are available. Recently, it has been shown that microtubule-targeting agents hamper the infection cycle of different viruses. In this study, we conducted in silico screening against the colchicine binding site (CBS) of tubulin and found three new compounds with anti-ASFV activity.

Helix pomatia albumen gland water soluble protein extract as powerful antiaging agent.

Accounting for increasingly developed population aging and dramatic elevation of aging-related severe disorders worldwide, search of the efficient antiaging agents is becoming one of the urgent problems of contemporary biomedical science. The aim of current study was to reveal the potential protective effects of water-soluble proteins extracted from albumen gland of snails against aging processes. We evaluated the antioxidant effect of the extract in 20 older adult rats in vivo and on 60 human blood samples ex vivo at the cellular level under physiological and oxidative stress conditions using the methods of spectrophotometric analysis, two-photon imaging and cell viability assay.

Two-photon imaging of oxidative stress in living erythrocytes as a measure for human aging.

According to the "oxidative stress theory" of aging, this process is accompanied by a progressive and irreversible accumulation of oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). This, in turn, has a deleterious impact on molecular mechanisms in aging thereby altering the physiological function of the organism, increasing the risk of different aging-related diseases, as well as impacting the life span. The aim of the current study was to investigate oxidative stress in living red blood cells (RBCs) in human aging as an oxidative stress-related pathological condition.

Two-photon microscopy imaging of oxidative stress in human living erythrocytes.

Red blood cells (RBCs) are known to be the most suitable cells to study oxidative stress, which is implicated in the etiopathology of many human diseases. The goal of the current study was to develop a new effective approach for assessing oxidative stress in human living RBCs using two-photon microscopy. To mimic oxidative stress in human living RBCs, an model was generated followed by two-photon microscopy imaging.

Evidence of hemolysis in pigs infected with highly virulent African swine fever virus.

Aim: The research was conducted to understand more profoundly the pathogenetic aspects of the acute form of the African swine fever (ASF).

Materials And Methods: A total of 10 pigs were inoculated with ASF virus (ASFV) (genotype II) in the study of the red blood cells (RBCs), blood and urine biochemistry in the dynamics of disease.

Results: The major hematological differences observed in ASFV infected pigs were that the mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and hematocrits were significantly decreased compared to controls, and the levels of erythropoietin were significantly increased.

Immunochemical composition of cryoglobulins generated in stroke.

Introduction: Cryoglobulins are abnormal immune complexes where both the antigens and the antibodies are immunoglobulins. The ability of cryoglobulins to bind C-reactive protein and low density lipoproteins, activate complement, and stimulate production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha generates interest in studying cryoglobulins in ischemic stroke.

Materials And Methods: We determined blood levels of cryoglobulins in patients with ischemic stroke at different time points of stroke onset and identified the composition of cryoglobulins isolated from the blood on the first day of stroke onset.