Features of Appendix and the Characteristics of Appendicitis Development in Children with COVID-19.

Background: Research on the subject of the influence of SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms on human homeostasis remains an actual problem. Particular interest is the study of pathomorphological changes in the appendix in children with COVID-19.

Objectives: Aim of this study: morphological and molecular biological evaluation of the appendix in children of different age groups with COVID-19.

Lasting effects of static magnetic field on classical Brownian motion.

The Bohr-Van Leeuwen theorem states that an external static magnetic field does not influence the state of a classical equilibrium system: There is no equilibrium classical magnetism, since the magnetic field does not do work. We revisit this famous no-go result and consider a classical charged Brownian particle interacting with an equilibrium bath. We confirm that the Bohr-Van Leeuwen theorem holds for the long-time (equilibrium) state of the particle.

Nonequilibrium, weak-field-induced cyclotron motion: A mechanism for magnetobiology.

There is a long-time quest for understanding physical mechanisms of weak magnetic field interaction with biological matter. Two factors impeded the development of such mechanisms: first, a high (room) temperature of a cellular environment, where a weak, static magnetic field induces a (classically) zero equilibrium response. Second, the friction in the cellular environment is large, preventing a weak field to alter nonequilibrium processes such as a free diffusion of charges.

[Use of volumetric dynamic voiding multispiral computed cystourethrography in diagnosis and evaluation of treatment efficiency of congenital and acquired pathology of the urogenital area].

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the possibilities of volumetric dynamic voiding multispiral computed cystourethrography (VDMMCT) for assessment of the lower urinary tract during voiding.

Materials And Methods: VDMMCT was performed in a series of 22 patients with various urethral pathologies using 320 detector rows (640 unique slices; row width 0,5 mm). This method allows to cover the scan area of 16 cm per one rotation of the X-ray tube.

Antigen-Specific Antitumor Responses Induced by OX40 Agonist Are Enhanced by the IDO Inhibitor Indoximod.

Although an immune response to tumors may be generated using vaccines, so far, this approach has only shown minimal clinical success. This is attributed to the tendency of cancer to escape immune surveillance via multiple immune suppressive mechanisms. Successful cancer immunotherapy requires targeting these inhibitory mechanisms along with enhancement of antigen-specific immune responses to promote sustained tumor-specific immunity.

Agonist anti-GITR antibody significantly enhances the therapeutic efficacy of Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapy.

Background: We previously demonstrated that in addition to generating an antigen-specific immune response, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)-based immunotherapy significantly reduces the ratio of regulatory T cells (Tregs)/CD4 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment. Since Lm-based immunotherapy is able to inhibit the immune suppressive environment, we hypothesized that combining this treatment with agonist antibody to a co-stimulatory receptor that would further boost the effector arm of immunity will result in significant improvement of anti-tumor efficacy of treatment.

Methods: Here we tested the immune and therapeutic efficacy of Listeria-based immunotherapy combination with agonist antibody to glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor-related protein (GITR) in TC-1 mouse tumor model.

The Relationship Between Postconcussive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Veterans With Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: To assess the relationship between postconcussive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in Veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Sixty-one Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Persian Gulf War Veterans with a history of mild or moderate TBI, more than 6 months postinjury, and 21 demographically matched Veteran controls were administered self-report measures of QOL (World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF) and postconcussive symptom severity (Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory).

Results: Perceived QOL was significantly worse in Veterans with mild-moderate TBI than in controls.

The Effects of Declining Functional Abilities in Dementia Patients and Increases Psychological Distress on Caregiver Burden Over a One-Year Period.

The degree to which changes in caregiver burden over a one year period can be predicted by functioning of dementia patients and caregiver psychological stress was examined. The Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS) was administered to 44 patients and the Caregiver Burden Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory were administered to their next-of-kin caregivers. All patients and caregivers were assessed at baseline and again in approximately one year with the same measures.

The spectrum of phenylketonuria genotypes in the Armenian population: identification of three novel mutant PAH alleles.

We present the spectrum of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene mutations upon investigating 35 index patients identified with hyperphenylalaninemia in Armenia. One patient was diagnosed with dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) deficiency, whereas all other 34 and their 6 affected siblings presented with mild or classical phenylketonuria (PKU). By analyzing all 13 exons plus exon-intron boundaries of the PAH gene, we identified two mutant alleles in 23 PKU patients, three mutations in 1, only one mutation in 5, and no mutation in 5 PKU patients.