Novel Optical Criteria and Mechanisms of Critical Decline in Liver Regenerative Potential.

The most effective method of treating tumors localized in the liver remains resection. However, in the presence of concomitant pathology, the regenerative potential of the liver is significantly reduced. To date, there is insufficient fundamental data on the mechanisms responsible for the disruption of liver regeneration, and there is no effective method for assessing its regenerative potential.

Nanoparticles for Creating a Strategy to Stimulate Liver Regeneration.

Unlabelled: Presently, there is a need in the developing new approaches to stimulate liver regeneration, which would make its recovery more effective after resection. Application of nanoparticles, loaded with small bioactive molecules, with their targeted delivery into the liver is a promising approach. is to study the interaction of nanoparticles with various types of hepatic cells on the models of liver slices and primary hepatic cell cultures using the methods of multiphoton microscopy with fluorescence lifetime imaging.

[Identification of Clinical Isolates of the Bacillus cereus Group and Their Characterization by Mass Spectrometry and Electron Microscopy].

Bacillus cereus is a spore-forming bacterium found in the environment mainly in soil. Bacillus spores are known to be extremely resistant not only to environmental factors, but also to various sanitation regimes. This leads to spore contamination of toxin-producing strains in hospital and food equipment and, therefore, poses a great threat to human health.

Seasonal dynamic of diazotrophic activity and environmental variables affecting it in the Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea.

The semi-enclosed Baltic Sea experiences regular summer blooms of diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Previously, it has been conclusively demonstrated that in open nitrogen-limited parts of the Baltic Sea, cyanobacteria successfully fix atmospheric N2. At the same time, diazotrophic activity is still poorly understood in Baltic Sea sub-regions where nitrogen and phosphorus are co-limiting primary production.

Promoting gender equality across the sustainable development goals.

Unlabelled: Gender issues, and gender equality in particular, can be regarded as cross-cutting issues in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), even though it is unclear how they are taken into account. This study addresses this information gap by performing an assessment of the emphasis on gender issues across all the other 16 SDGs, in addition to SDG5, through a literature review and case study analysis, the basis for the newly developed framework, highlighting specific actions associated to each SDG. The 13 countries addressed in the 16 case studies include China, India, or Australia and illustrate the inclusion of SDG5 into the SDGs.

Social values and sustainable development: community experiences.

Background: This paper presents a review of the literature and trends related to social values and sustainable development and describes a set of case studies from a variety of community-based projects which illustrate the advantages that social values bring about as part of efforts to promote sustainability. Three approaches were used to develop this study: a bibliometric analysis of the topic "social values and sustainable development", an analysis of case studies that concretely present community projects addressing social values and sustainability, and the development of a framework linking up bibliometric clusters and the cases studies.

Results: While the bibliometric analysis revealed clusters where social values are strongly connected with sustainable development, the case studies indicated the lack of a common terminology and understanding of the relation between social values, sustainable development, and community-based projects.

Deploying digitalisation and artificial intelligence in sustainable development research.

Many industrialised countries have benefited from the advent of twenty-first century technologies, especially automation, that have fundamentally changed manufacturing and industrial production processes. The next step in the evolution of automation is the development of artificial intelligence (AI), i.e.

Parental Origin of the Gene Mutations in Families with Low Penetrance Hereditary Retinoblastoma.

Our aim was to identify alterations causing hereditary low penetrance retinoblastoma and to evaluate how the parental origin of an mutation affects its phenotypic expression. By NGS and MLPA, mutations were found in 191 from 332 unrelated retinoblastoma patients. Among patients with identified mutations but without clinical family history of retinoblastoma, 7% (12/175) were found to have hereditary disease with one of the parents being an asymptomatic carrier of an mutation.

Neuroorganoleptics: Organoleptic Testing Based on Psychophysiological Sensing.

There is an increasing interest, in consumer behaviour research related to food and beverage, in taking a step further from the traditional self-report questionnaires and organoleptic properties assessment. With the growing availability of psychophysiological data acquisition devices, and advancements in the study of the underlying signal sources seeking affective state assessment, the use of psychophysiological data analysis is a natural evolution in organoleptic testing. In this paper we propose a protocol for what can be defined as neuroorganoleptic analysis, a method that combines traditional approaches with psychophysiological data acquired during sensory testing.

Hypermethylation of CD19 promoter enables antigen-negative escape to CART-19 in vivo and in vitro.

Background: Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CART-19) frequently induce remissions in hemato-oncological patients with recurred and/or refractory B-cell tumors. However, malignant cells sometimes escape the immunotherapeutic targeting by gene mutations, alternative splicing or lineage switch, commonly causing lack of CD19 expression on the surface of neoplastic cells. We assumed that, in addition to the known mechanisms, other means could act on CD19 to drive antigen-negative relapse.

The Desmin () Mutation p.A337P Is Associated with Left-Ventricular Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathy.

Here, we present a small Russian family, where the index patient received a diagnosis of left-ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) in combination with a skeletal myopathy. Clinical follow-up analysis revealed a LVNC phenotype also in her son. Therefore, we applied a broad next-generation sequencing gene panel approach for the identification of the underlying mutation.

Actual approaches to the transportation of biological samples at low temperatures.

Taking into account the impact of shipment method of biosamples is necessary for obtaining high-quality biological samples in biobanking and laboratory research. The impact of liquid nitrogen, dry ice and cold accumulators on the quality of biological markers was considered, as well as recommendations to reduce the impact of these methods of shipment. The liquid nitrogen provides the best preservation of samples, however, dry ice is used much more often during their transportation.

Performance of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells in genetically defined classes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Background: While achieving prolonged remissions in other B cell-derived malignancies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells still underperform when injected into patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We studied the influence of genetics on CLL response to anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy.

Methods: First, we studied 32 primary CLL samples composed of 26 immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene variable ()-unmutated (9 -mutated, 8 -mutated, and 9 without mutations in , , or ) and 6 -mutated samples without mutations in the above-mentioned genes.

CD20 is dispensable for B-cell receptor signaling but is required for proper actin polymerization, adhesion and migration of malignant B cells.

Surface protein CD20 serves as the critical target of immunotherapy in various B-cell malignancies for decades, however its biological function and regulation remain largely elusive. Better understanding of CD20 function may help to design improved rational therapies to prevent development of resistance. Using CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we have abrogated CD20 expression in five different malignant B-cell lines.

[The use of nutrient complexes in idiopathic male infertility associated with asteno- and/or teratozoospermia: the search of predictors of treatment efficiency (preliminary results)].

Background: Nutrient complexes (dietary supplements) containing various vitamins, minerals, enzymes are popular substances for treatment of male infertility. However, the use of such complexes often does not lead to an improvement of ejaculate analysis and the restoration of fertility.

Aim: To determine the predictors of efficiency of treatment with a complex of nutrients.

[One-time effects of drinking mineral water and tap water enriched with silver nanoparticles on the biochemical markers of liver condition and metabolic parameters in healthy rats].

Aim:  The objective of the present research was to study the influence of tap water enriched with silver nanoparticles (NP) as well as that of «Krasnoarmeysky» and «Essentuki №17» mineral waters after their single administration through the oral gavage to the rats on the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, the biochemical markers of the liver condition, and the endocrine profile in the healthy animals.

Material And Methods:  The laboratory animals (130 male Wistar rats) were allocated to thirteen groups comprised of 10 rats each as follows: 1st group (n=10) intact animals, 2nd group (5 minutes after the administration of silver NP (n=10), 3rd group (15 minutes after the of silver NP), 4th group (60 minutes after the administration of silver NP), 5th group (n=10) (5 minutes after the introduction of the «Krasnoarmeysky» mineral water), 6th group (n=10) (15 min after the introduction of the «Krasnoarmeysky» mineral water), 7th group (n=10), (60 minutes after the introduction of the «Krasnoarmeysky» mineral water) 8th group (n=10) (5 minutes after the introduction of the «Essentuki № 17» mineral water), 9th group (n=10) (15 min after the introduction of the «Essentuki № 7» mineral water) , 10th group (n=10) (60 minutes after the introduction of the «Essentuki №17» mineral water), 11th group (n=10) (5 minutes after administration of tap water (control),12th group (n=10) (15 minutes after administration of tap water (control), and 13th (n=10) group 60 minutes after administration of tap water (control).

Results:  The study has demonstrated that the tap water enriched with silver nanoparticles similar to the mineral waters caused stress reactions that are inferior to those induced by «Essentuki №17» mineral water in terms of the magnitude; however, the effect provoked by the tap water was of longer duration.

[Rare hereditary syndromes associated with polyposis and the development of malignant tumors].

Unlabelled: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome are genetic diseases characterized by gastrointestinal polyps, extraintestinal manifestations, and autosomal dominant inheritance. The carriers of these diseases from early childhood are at risk for neoplasias at different sites, which are symptomatic at various ages.

Aim: to study the clinical organ-specific manifestations in patients with FAP and Peutz-Jeghers, genetics update and possibilities of diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of these diseases.

[Follicular cell (papillary and follicular) thyroid carcinoma, genetic inheritance, and molecular diagnostic markers].

Objective: To determine the genetic forms of follicular cell thyroid carcinoma (FCTC) (papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma (PTC and FTC)), to identify criteria to individually predict the development of the same disease for relatives, and to assess the role of molecular markers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of this disease.

Subjects And Methods: One hundred and ninety adult patients aged 20 to 84 years with histologically verified PTC and FTC and 20 children (12 patients with PTC and 8 with benign thyroid tumors) aged 2 to 16 years were examined. To assess the role of the BRAF gene as a molecular marker for thyroid carcinoma, DNA was isolated from the thyroid tumor tissue of 29 patients, which had been obtained by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and scraping and swabbing the cytological specimen previously showing an area containing tumor cells.

Detection of new epitopes of antibodies to filaggrin in filaggrin protein molecule.

Immunogenic characteristics of filaggrin protein molecule as an antigen for antibodies to filaggrin, markers of early rheumatoid arthritis, were studied. Two new peptide motives, possible epitopes for antibodies to filaggrin, were shown in the filaggrin molecule by predictive analysis using programmed algorithms. Only IMG-3 and its cyclic form IMG-4 exhibited antigenic reactivity with sera from rheumatoid arthritis patients, differing significantly from the reactivity with donor sera.

[Determination of antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide in rheumatoid arthritis].

The ability of the synthetic peptide IMG-5, that reproduces one of the antigenic determinants of the protein filaggrin, to show antigenic activity was studied when anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACCPAb) to filaggrin were found in the serum samples of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The binding of IMG-5 to ACCPAb has been shown to be specific (dose-dependent and reversible). The serum samples from patients with RA, controls, and donors show a significant difference in the interaction of the synthetic peptide with ACCPAb (p < 0.

[Relationship between blood lipid spectrum and activity of the disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at risk of cardiovascular disorders. Pathogenesis of rapidly developing atherosclerosis in RA remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare cholesterol content in serum lipoprotein subfractions in patients with RA and healthy subjects and to establish relationship between lipid profile variations, severity of the disease, and plasma levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines.

[Identification of the hereditary variants of skin melanoma].

The identification of hereditary variants of cutaneous melanoma and analysis of the role of hereditary factors and syndromes predisposing to cutaneous melanoma were carried out. The involvement of individual nevus phenotypes in the development of this disease was determined. Based on a survey of recent molecular biological data and our studies, the etiological and genetic heterogeneity of cutaneous melanoma is reported.

[Analysis of mutations in the RET proto-oncogene in patients with medullary thyroid tumor].

The spectrum of mutations of the RET protooncogene was analyzed in Russian patients with inherited or sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Four RET exons (11, 13, 15, and 16) were subjected to molecular analysis, and mutations were revealed and identified in 47.4% (9/19) patients with sporadic MTC.

[Spectrum and frequencies of RB1 gene structural defects in retinoblastoma].

The spectrum and frequencies of RB1 structural defects were studied in tumors and peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with various forms of retinoblastoma. Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and heteroduplex (HA) analyses, along with direct sequencing, revealed 47 mutations, including 24 new ones. Of these, 42.

[Molecular diagnosis of retinoblastoma. First experience in Russia].

The first experience with molecular diagnosis of retinoblastoma (RB) in Russia is presented. A protocol based on the use of up-to-date molecular diagnostic methods helps detect structural and functional abnormalities in RB1 gene, diagnose RB in disputable cases and at early stages of the disease. Forty-five families with various forms of RB were examined.