Quantitative Characterization of Partitioning Stringency in SELEX.

Maintaining stringent conditions in SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) is crucial for obtaining high-affinity aptamers. However, excessive stringency greatly increases the risk of SELEX failure. Controlling stringency has remained a technical challenge, largely dependent on intuition, due to the absence of a clear, quantitative measure of stringency.

A new material built with alternating Cu sulfide and (Al,Mg) hydroxide molecular sheets: hydrothermal synthesis and selected characteristics.

Two-dimensional materials with new physical phenomena are gaining popularity due to their unique properties. In recent years, a new family of layered compounds inspired by the minerals valleriite and tochilinite which are composed of alternating quasi-atomic sheets of transition metal chalcogenides (sulfides and selenides of Fe, Fe-Cu and other metals) and hydroxides of Mg, Al, Fe, Li, ., assembled electrostatic interaction, has arisen as a new synthetic platform for 2D materials.

Raman study of decomposition of Na-bearing carbonates in water fluid at high P-T parameters.

The study of Na-carbonates stability and their transformations in aqueous carbonate fluid under high P-T conditions is relevant from the point of view of the understanding geochemical processes of the Na-assisted carbon circulation in the Earth's crust and subduction zones. In situ Raman study of Na-bearing carbonate-water-Fe-metal system in diamond anvil cell (DAC) at high P-T conditions revealed that carbonates decompose with abiogenic formation of formates and other organic compounds that differs from behavior of carbonates in dry system. XRD and FTIR methods have been used additionally to determine the phase composition.

[The Russian priority in development of general intravenous anesthesia (Report II)].

The article considers evaluation of works of colleagues and contemporaries of N. P. Kravkov, the creator of "Russian narcosis" with hedonal.

[The Russian priority of development of intravenous anesthesia (Report I).].

The article analyses research activities of the discoverers of "Russian narcosis" from the Military Medical Academy of St. Petersburg: the head of the Department of Pharmacology N. P.

Involution of brown adipose tissue through a Syntaxin 4 dependent pyroptosis pathway.

Aging, chronic high-fat diet feeding, or housing at thermoneutrality induces brown adipose tissue (BAT) involution, a process characterized by reduction of BAT mass and function with increased lipid droplet size. Single nuclei RNA sequencing of aged mice identifies a specific brown adipocyte population of Ucp1-low cells that are pyroptotic and display a reduction in the longevity gene syntaxin 4 (Stx4a). Similar to aged brown adipocytes, Ucp1-STX4KO mice display loss of brown adipose tissue mass and thermogenic dysfunction concomitant with increased pyroptosis.

Biological Activity of Hexaazaisowurtzitane Derivatives.

Biologically active compounds of natural or synthetic origin have a complex structure and generally contain various structural groups among which polycyclic cage amines are found. Hexaazaisowurtzitanes are representatives of these amines and studies on their biological activity began less than two decades ago, starting with research on the environmental impact of CL-20. This research helped to evaluate the risks of potential pollution in the habitat environments of living organisms and determine whether the chemical compounds in question could be utilized in pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or medicinal drugs.

Thermal evolution of LiCoO2 structure and Raman spectra below 400 °C.

Lithium cobalt oxide is a convenient model material for the vast family of cathode materials with a layered structure and still retains some commercial perspectives for microbatteries and some other applications. In this work, we have used ab initio calculations, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and a theoretical physical model, based on quasi-harmonic approximation with anharmonic contributions of the three-phonon and four-phonon processes, to study a temperature-induced change of Raman spectra for LiCoO2. The obtained values of shift and broadening for Eg and A1g bands can be used for quantitative characterization of temperature change, for example, due to laser-induced heating during Raman spectra measurements.

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The CОVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for the transformation of the ideas of the existence of global ethics in favor of real moral pluralism, exposed the problem of abandoning the principles of personalized medicine in favor of public health ethics (collective ethics of civil society). The authors sequentially analyze the objective factors that influenced the change in the moral paradigm of the clinical medicine in Russia: the peculiarities of the course of infection, the lack of resources in the health-care sector, the inability to use advanced treatment methods in different groups of patients, the protection of medical workers, the provision of emergency and planned surgical interventions, and the prevention of further spread of infection. In addition, the moral consequences of the use of administrative measures to limit the spread of the pandemic are given: restriction of social contacts, the use of personal protective equipment, retraining of specialists, re-profiling of the bed fund, leveling problems of communication with colleagues, patients and students.

Temperature phase transitions in silver niobate and lithium tantalate-modified silver niobate ceramics.

The temperature behaviour of 0.955 AgNbO-0.045 LiTaO and AgNbO ceramics was studied in the range from 10 to 415 K using Raman spectroscopy.

Hilar Abnormality in the Left Lung: Left Pulmonary Artery Posterior to the Left Mainstem Bronchus.

The thoracic cavity contains vital cardiovascular and pulmonary structures. Few congenital anatomical variations in the bronchial tree and pulmonary vasculature have been reported. Understanding such variants is crucial during surgical procedures that involve the thorax.

The Machinery of Exosomes: Biogenesis, Release, and Uptake.

Exosomes are a subtype of membrane-contained vesicles 40-200 nm in diameter that are secreted by cells into their surroundings. By transporting proteins, lipids, mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA, and DNA, exosomes are able to perform such vital functions as maintaining cellular homeostasis, removing cellular debris, and facilitating intercellular and interorgan communication. Exosomes travel in all body fluids and deliver their molecular messages in autocrine, paracrine as well as endocrine manners.

Antinociceptive Effect of Ethowurtzine, a New Compound from the Class of Hexaazaizowurzitane.

Analysis of specific pharmacological activity evaluated high antinociceptive efficacy of the first synthesized compound 10-di(ethoxyacetyl)-2,6,8,12-tetraacetyl-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo[5,5,0,0,0]dodecane (ethowurtzine) in models of somatogenic pain of different genesis (thermal, visceral pain, mechanical compression of paw).The new molecule from the class of hexaazaisowurtzitane effectively blocks nociceptive reactions at the supraspinal and peripheral levels of pain sensitivity organization. The effect of ethowurtzine was comparable or exceeded the effect of tramadol.

Bulk Affinity Assays in Aptamer Selection: Challenges, Theory, and Workflow.

Selection of oligonucleotide aptamers involves consecutive rounds of affinity isolation of target-binding oligonucleotides from a random-sequence oligonucleotide library. Every next round produces an aptamer-enriched library with progressively higher fitness for tight binding to the target. The progress of enrichment can only be accurately assessed with bulk affinity assays in which a library is mixed with the target and one of two quantitative parameters, the fraction of the unbound library () or the equilibrium dissociation constant (), is determined.

A Challenge toward Novel Quaternary Sulfides SrLnCuS (Ln = La, Nd, Tm): Unraveling Synthetic Pathways, Structures and Properties.

We report on the novel heterometallic quaternary sulfides SrLnCuS (Ln = La, Nd, Tm), obtained as both single crystals and powdered samples. The structures of both the single crystal and powdered samples of SrLaCuS and SrNdCuS belong to the orthorhombic space group but are of different structural types, while both samples of SrTmCuS crystallize in the orthorhombic space group with the structural type KZrCuS. Three-dimensional crystal structures of SrLaCuS and SrNdCuS are formed from the (Sr/Ln)S capped trigonal prisms and CuS tetrahedra.

A Model of Short Bowel Syndrome in Rodents in a Long-Term Experiment.

Simulation of short bowel syndrome (SBS) in experimental animals is of great interest for studies in translational medicine. The processes of intestinal adaptation are most often studied in rats aged 8-10 weeks with up to 70% resection the small bowel. In this case, the animals are euthanized in 2 weeks after the surgery; further development of the pathological process remains practically unexplored.

The behavior of zeolites wairakite and phillipsite at high P-T parameters.

In situ investigation of mineral behavior in water medium at simultaneously high P-T parameters can be applied to modelling of mineral transformation processes in lithospheric plates. The behavior of zeolites wairakite and phillipsite under the P-T conditions of «cold» slab subduction, corresponding to the start of oceanic plate diving or ocean floor near geothermal sources, was studied by in situ Raman spectroscopy. During compression in water medium, phillipsite initial phase is stable up to T = 350 °C, P = 1.

Structural phase transitions in flexible DUT-8(Ni) under high hydrostatic pressure.

The behaviours of the open pore (op) and closed pore (cp) phases of the flexible Ni(ndc)(dabco) (ndc - 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate, dabco - 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, DUT-8(Ni)) metal-organic framework under high hydrostatic pressures up to 10 GPa in isopropanol and silicone oil were studied by Raman spectroscopy.

Quantitative Characterization of Partitioning in Selection of DNA Aptamers for Protein Targets by Capillary Electrophoresis.

Partitioning of protein-DNA complexes from protein-unbound DNA is a key step in selection of DNA aptamers. Conceptually, the partitioning step is characterized by two parameters: transmittance for protein-bound DNA (binders) and transmittance for unbound DNA (nonbinders). Here, we present the first study to reveal how these transmittances depend on experimental conditions; such studies are pivotal to the effective planning and control of selection.

Evaluation of the Gastroprotective Effect of the Flavonoid Complex from Lychnis chalcedonica L. on the Models of Experimental Ulcerogenesis.

Using rat and mouse models of neurogenic, ethanol-induced, and indometacin-induced damage to the gastric mucosa we demonstrated that course preventive treatment with flavonoid complex from aerial parts of Lychnis chalcedonica L. increased the resistance of gastric mucosa to ulcerogenic factors of different etiology. The gastroprotective effect of the phytocomplex in a dose range of 16-1600 μg/kg was comparable with that of the reference drug plantaglucide and was superior to that of the reference drugs eleutherococcus extract and methyluracil in the therapeutic doses.

Discovery of a Novel Non-Narcotic Analgesic Derived from the CL-20 Explosive: Synthesis, Pharmacology, and Target Identification of Thiowurtzine, a Potent Inhibitor of the Opioid Receptors and the Ion Channels.

The number of candidate molecules for new non-narcotic analgesics is extremely limited. Here, we report the identification of thiowurtzine, a new potent analgesic molecule with promising application in chronic pain treatment. We describe the chemical synthesis of this unique compound derived from the hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) explosive molecule.

Some Aspects of Investigation of the Central Mechanism of Antinociceptive Effect of a New Analgetic from the Hexaazaisowurtzitane Group.

Possible involvement of μ- and κ-opioid receptors and cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1) into the mechanism of analgesic activity of the experimental drug product "Thiowurtzine, (capsule 120 mg)" synthesized on the basis of active pharmaceutical substance 4-(3,4-dibromthiophencarbonyl)-2,6,8,12-tetraacethyl-2,4,6,8,10,12hexaazatetracyclo [5,5,0,0,0]dodecane was studied in vivo using the hot plate test and acetic acid writhing test. The involvement of κ-opioid receptors and noninvolvement of μ-receptors and CB1 receptors in the mechanism of thiowurtzine analgesia were demonstrated. The mechanism of interaction of the test analgesic with opioid receptors differs from that of the reference drug tramadol.

How to Develop and Prove High-Efficiency Selection of Ligands from Oligonucleotide Libraries: A Universal Framework for Aptamers and DNA-Encoded Small-Molecule Ligands.

Screening molecular libraries for ligands capable of binding proteins is widely used for hit identification in the early drug discovery process. Oligonucleotide libraries provide a very high diversity of compounds, while the combination of the polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing allow the identification of ligands in low copy numbers selected from such libraries. Ligand selection from oligonucleotide libraries requires mixing the library with the target followed by the physical separation of the ligand-target complexes from the unbound library.