Cumulative Incidence and Prognostic Value of Readmissions in Patients With Heart Failure: Data From a Large Cohort Study of Real Clinical Practice in St. Petersburg.

Aim    To evaluate the cumulative incidence and prognostic value of rehospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF) within one year after discharge.Material and methods    The data of patients with HF hospitalized for the first time (code I50.x in the diagnosis) for the period from January 01, 2022 through February 13, 2024 were selected from the St.

[The influence of the packaging on the storage qualities of the volatile substances].

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the storage qualities of the acetone and ethanol aqueous solutions kept in the polyethylene flasks, polypropylene and glass tubes that were stored under different environmental temperature. It was shown that the acetone aqueous solution better retained its properties when stored in glass vials at room temperature as well as at 0° C and 4° C. The most pronounced decrease of acetone concentrations (from 70 up to 95%) was documented after its storage in the polyethylene flasks.

[The chemical toxicological investigation of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in biological objects and the interpretation of the results of the analysis].

The authors propose a method for the quantitative determination of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHBA) in biological objects including biological fluids (blood, urine) and tissues with the use of gas chromatography with mass-selective detector. The samples for the analysis were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction by butyl acetate with subsequent derivatization using a N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide/Trimethylchlorosilane mixture (BSTFA + 1%TMCS). The graded graphs were linear in the range of GHBA concentrations from 26.

[Organization of quality control of the forensic medical investigations].

The article describes the system of quality control at all stages of forensic chemical investigations (including pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical ones) carried out by the Saint-Petersburg Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise It is shown that standardization and control taken together make up a solid foundation for obtaining the reliable and reproducible results of forensic chemical investigations. Responsibility for the quality control at all stages of forensic chemical investigations lies on the heads of the respective departments. Special staff members are appointed to supervise performing each concrete form of control and keeping the relevant documentation.

[The development of the method for the determination of the low-molecular weight alcohol content in the specimens of the biological materials].

The objective of the present study was the development and metrological attestation of the method for the determination of concentrations of low-molecular weight (C1-C4) alcohols and acetone in the biological materials, such as urine and blood including partially dehydrated blood. The method is based on the chromatographic analysis of the equilibrium vapour phase with the use of the static headspace autosampler. The calculations were carried out making use of the results obtained with the application of propanol-1 as the internal standard.

Changes in levels of metabolic pathway gene expression under conditions of clear cell renal carcinoma.

A whole-transcriptome analysis of gene expression in six samples of clear cell renal cancer was performed. Using bioinformatics methods, we established a relationship between gene expression data and changes in activity of metabolic pathways: in this cancer type, the expression of genes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids as well as in energy metabolism changed most significantly.

Mass-loss rates from decomposition of plant residues in spruce forests near the northern tree line subject to strong air pollution.

Mass-loss rates during the early phase of decomposition of plant residues were studied for a period of 3 years in Norway spruce forests subjected to air pollution by Cu-Ni smelters on the Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia. Litterbags were deployed in two main patches of forests at the northern tree line, between and below the crowns of spruce trees older than 100 years. The study results demonstrated the dependence of the decomposition rates on the initial concentrations of nutrients and the C/N and lignin/N ratios in plant residues.

Physical-chemical modeling of elements' behavior in mixing sea and fresh waters of minor rivers in the White Sea catchment area.

The physical-chemical stage of marginal filters in minor rivers of the White Sea catchment area by the example of the Umba River, flowing to Kandalaksha Gulf, has been explored. Application of the method of physical-chemical modeling on the basis of field data allowed establishing migration forms of a number of elements in the "river-sea" system and deposition of solid phases when mixing waters. The mixing of river and sea water is accompanied by the sedimentation of predominantly goethite, hydromuscovite, and hydroxylapatite.

Methylene blue improves sensorimotor phenotype and decreases anxiety in parallel with activating brain mitochondria biogenesis in mid-age mice.

Age-related brain dysfunctions are associated with mitochondria malfunctions and increased risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Recently, a mitochondria-targeting drug methylene blue has been drawing considerable interest as a potential treatment for ND. We found that aged mice manifested a decrease in physical endurance, spontaneous locomotor activity, and exploration concomitant with an increase in anxiety-related behavior, as compared to adult mice.

Quantitative detection of low-abundance somatic structural variants in normal cells by high-throughput sequencing.

The detection and quantification of low-abundance somatic DNA mutations by high-throughput sequencing is challenging because of the difficulty of distinguishing errors from true mutations. There are several approaches available for analyzing somatic point mutations and small insertions or deletions, but an accurate genome-wide assessment of somatic structural variants (somSVs) in bulk DNA is still not possible. Here we present Structural Variant Search (SVS), a method to accurately detect rare somSVs by low-coverage sequencing.

[Revealing source and contents of dust deposits in air quality evaluation].

Identification covered a source of dust deposits in snow on stationary monitoring sites near the largest in Europe copper-nickel enterprise <>. Retrospective analysis demonstrated that considerable decrease in aerotechnogenic load resulted in disappeared technogenic phase of the dust releases, but revealed influence of neighbouring heating power station using fuel oil.

High-throughput sequencing in mutation detection: A new generation of genotoxicity tests?

The advent of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has provided the means to directly analyze the genetic material in primary cells or tissues of any species in a high throughput manner for mutagenic effects of potential genotoxic agents. In principle, direct, genome-wide sequencing of human primary cells and/or tissue biopsies would open up opportunities to identify individuals possibly exposed to mutagenic agents, thereby replacing current risk assessment procedures based on surrogate markers and extrapolations from animal studies. NGS-based tests can also precisely characterize the mutation spectra induced by genotoxic agents, improving our knowledge of their mechanism of action.

Improved transposon-based library preparation for the Ion Torrent platform.

A transposon-based approach for the construction of sequencing libraries is an efficient way of preparing samples for processing on both Illumina and Ion Torrent platforms. However, PCR-mediated incorporation of adaptors in tagged DNA fragments leaves behind self-complementary regions flanking the DNA fragment. These regions are capable of forming hairpin structures and, together with adaptors, create conditions for the potential formation of template heteroduplexes.

[Characteristics of functioning of succinate dehydrogenase from flight muscles of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.)].

It was found that the succinate oxidation rate in mitochondria of flight muscles of Bombus terrestris L. in- creased by a factor of 2.15 after flying for 1 h.

[Thin layer chromatography for the analysis of certain anti-inflammatory medicines].

This work was devoted to the elucidation of conditions for isolation of ketorolac and diclofenac from biological fluids. A method is proposed for the extraction of these compounds from solutions with organic solvents at different pH values. Other methods permit to optimize identification of analytes by thin layer chromatography while the densitometric technique may be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of their composition in biological fluids.

[The use of enzymatic hydrolysis for isolation of barbituric acid derivatives from blood (as exemplified by phenobarbital and barbamyl)].

Modern isolation techniques by direct extraction with organic solvents or after protein precipitation by various sedimenting or salting-out agents are characterized by low efficiency and do not permit to liberate derivatives of barbituric acid from their complexes with blood proteins. The use of enzymatic hydrolysis makes it possible to break bonds between barbiturates and protein and thereby improve the efficiency of isolation. We performed enzymatic hydrolysis of the model phenobarbital-blood and barbamyl-blood complexes with the use of trypsin, pepsin, chymotrypsin, and papain.

A field survey-Staroe lake suffering from atmospheric deposition in the region north of the Arctic Circle.

Background, Aim, And Scope: The Arctic holds large stores of minerals, and extracted materials are provided to the world's economy; in this sense, the Arctic issue associated with mining is not local but global. In a part of the Arctic region (the Kola Peninsula, 66-70 degrees N and 28-41 degrees E), metal levels are generally elevated in the lake sediment. There is a question as to what results in elevated metal levels-a natural process (naturally abundant minerals) or an anthropogenic process (mining and metallurgy).

[Potential geroprotector properties of the extract of reindeer antler powder in experiments on cultured cells].

Preparations from deer antlers are well known by their multiple medicinal properties. In particular, their health-giving effect on senescing organism has been repeatedly shown. In the study we investigated effect of water extract of reindeer mature antler powder (ERAP) on the kinetics of growth and "stationary phase aging" of HeLa (clone 11) cell line.

[8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine accumulation in DNA from "stationary phase aging" cultured cells].

The 8-oxo-dG/dG ratio in DNA of cultured transformed Chinese hamster cells was analyzed during their "stationary phase aging". Amount of 8-oxo-dG and dG in DNA hydrolyzate was evaluated by HPLC-EC. The cells grew and "aged" for 15 days.