In Vitro Culture, Drug Sensitivity, and Transcriptome of Plasmodium Vivax Hypnozoites.

The unique relapsing nature of Plasmodium vivax infection is a major barrier to malaria eradication. Upon infection, dormant liver-stage forms, hypnozoites, linger for weeks to months and then relapse to cause recurrent blood-stage infection. Very little is known about hypnozoite biology; definitive biomarkers are lacking and in vitro platforms that support phenotypic studies are needed.

Towards a Humanized Mouse Model of Liver Stage Malaria Using Ectopic Artificial Livers.

The malaria liver stage is an attractive target for antimalarial development, and preclinical malaria models are essential for testing such candidates. Given ethical concerns and costs associated with non-human primate models, humanized mouse models containing chimeric human livers offer a valuable alternative as small animal models of liver stage human malaria. The best available human liver chimeric mice rely on cellular transplantation into mice with genetically engineered liver injury, but these systems involve a long and variable humanization process, are expensive, and require the use of breeding-challenged mouse strains which are not widely accessible.

Micropatterned coculture of primary human hepatocytes and supportive cells for the study of hepatotropic pathogens.

The development of therapies and vaccines for human hepatropic pathogens requires robust model systems that enable the study of host-pathogen interactions. However, in vitro liver models of infection typically use either hepatoma cell lines that exhibit aberrant physiology or primary human hepatocytes in culture conditions in which they rapidly lose their hepatic phenotype. To achieve stable and robust in vitro primary human hepatocyte models, we developed micropatterned cocultures (MPCCs), which consist of primary human hepatocytes organized into 2D islands that are surrounded by supportive fibroblast cells.

Human iPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells support Plasmodium liver-stage infection in vitro.

Malaria eradication is a major goal in public health but is challenged by relapsing malaria species, expanding drug resistance, and the influence of host genetics on antimalarial drug efficacy. To overcome these hurdles, it is imperative to establish in vitro assays of liver-stage malaria for drug testing. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) potentially allow the assessment of donor-specific drug responses, and iPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells (iHLCs) can facilitate the study of host genetics on host-pathogen interactions and the discovery of novel targets for antimalarial drug development.

Hypoxia promotes liver-stage malaria infection in primary human hepatocytes in vitro.

Homeostasis of mammalian cell function strictly depends on balancing oxygen exposure to maintain energy metabolism without producing excessive reactive oxygen species. In vivo, cells in different tissues are exposed to a wide range of oxygen concentrations, and yet in vitro models almost exclusively expose cultured cells to higher, atmospheric oxygen levels. Existing models of liver-stage malaria that utilize primary human hepatocytes typically exhibit low in vitro infection efficiencies, possibly due to missing microenvironmental support signals.

[The prevalence of main risk factors of development of cardio-vascular diseases in persons of young age].

The article deals with results of study of main risk factors of development of cardio-vascular diseases in students of Stepanokert in 2007-2010. The main characteristics of prevalence of analyzed factors and their dynamics during established study period are presented are presented. The structure of prevalence of main risk factors predisposing to development of cardio-vascular diseases is determined.

A microscale human liver platform that supports the hepatic stages of Plasmodium falciparum and vivax.

The Plasmodium liver stage is an attractive target for the development of antimalarial drugs and vaccines, as it provides an opportunity to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite at a critical early stage. However, targeting the liver stage has been difficult. Undoubtedly, a major barrier has been the lack of robust, reliable, and reproducible in vitro liver-stage cultures.

[Endoscopic ventriculostomy of the third ventricle in infants of less than 2 years of age].

The efficiency of endoscopic ventriculostomy (EVS) of the third ventricle is noticeably lower in small children than in adults and many surgeons prefer to shunt them despite the fact that revision has to be resorted to in half of the cases. Recent reports on the successful use of EVS in infants under 2 years of age have made the authors to revise traditional views. A sample of 20 babies (mean age 9.

[Adolescents' health in Nagorno-Karabakh].

Some health indices were studied in teenagers in Nagorny Karabakh. The paper presents data on their physical development, hemodynamics, sexual maturity, and total morbidity. There are some regional features in the study indices, which consist in low harmonicity of physical development and hemodynamics, as well as in high morbidity rates with a predominance of cardiovascular and collagen diseases.

[The clinical use of the preparation kordaron in different arrhythmias].

Cordaron (amiodaron, angoron, atlansil, cordinil, trangorax) is a drug produced by the French-Belgian firm "Labaz". Some pharmacological properties of cordaron and in particular its ability to increase the refractory period both of the atrioventricular junction and the abnormal pathway that hampers the circulation of excitation between the atria and ventricles influencing the mechanism of reverse excitation provide favourable conditions for elimination of arrhythmias. In a number of papers of the Soviet and foreign authors there are presented the results of cordaron treatment of patients with various cardiac rhythm disorders which indicate a fairly high antiarrhythmic effectiveness of the drug.

[Cortisol contents in maternal and umbilical artery blood during delivery of low birth weight fetuses].

Cortisol was measured in 50 parturients with low birthweight (LBW) fetuses in the course of vaginal delivery (n-18) and cesarean section (n-32). Twenty normal parturients whose pregnancy and labor were uncomplicated were taken as controls. In the main group, low birthweights corresponded to gestational age in 30 parturients, and fetal growth retardation (FGR) was diagnosed in 20.

[Treatment results in locally disseminated rectal cancer (based on data from the Armenian SSR)].

Data on rectal cancer morbidity in the Armenian SSR for the last two decades are presented and the causes of high-frequency incidence of advanced tumors are analysed. The results of combined and complex treatment using different preoperative procedures are discussed. High effectiveness of preoperative medium- and large-fractionated irradiation was shown, particularly, in application of cell cycle synchronizing effect of 5-fluorouracil treatment.