Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep.

Two species of wild sheep inhabit Iran: Asiatic mouflon () and urial (). Phylogenetic relationships between populations distributed in this country are complex and still remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify, by genetic assessment, the phylogenetic status of Kerman wild sheep, considered to be a hybrid of the two species.

The internal structure of gadolinium and perfluorocarbon-loaded polymer nanoparticles affects F MRI relaxation times.

F magnetic resonance imaging (F MRI) is an emerging technique for quantitative imaging in novel therapies, such as cellular therapies and theranostic nanocarriers. Nanocarriers loaded with liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) typically have a (single) core-shell structure with PFC in the core due to the poor miscibility of PFC with organic and inorganic solvents. Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement acts only at a distance of a few angstroms.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Russian Native Sheep Breeds Based on mtDNA Sequences.

Eurasia is represented by all climatic zones and various environments. A unique breed variety of farm animals has been developed in Russia, whose territory covers a large area of the continent. A total of 69 local breeds and types of dairy, wool, and meat sheep () are maintained here.

Real-time P NMR reveals different gradient strengths in polyphosphoester copolymers as potential MRI-traceable nanomaterials.

Polyphosphoesters (PPEs) are used in tissue engineering and drug delivery, as polyelectrolytes, and flame-retardants. Mostly polyphosphates have been investigated but copolymers involving different PPE subclasses have been rarely explored and the reactivity ratios of different cyclic phospholanes have not been reported. We synthesized binary and ternary PPE copolymers using cyclic comonomers, including side-chain phosphonates, phosphates, thiophosphate, and in-chain phosphonates, through organocatalyzed ring-opening copolymerization.

Biodegradable polyphosphoester micelles act as both background-free P magnetic resonance imaging agents and drug nanocarriers.

In vivo monitoring of polymers is crucial for drug delivery and tissue regeneration. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a whole-body imaging technique, and heteronuclear MRI allows quantitative imaging. However, MRI agents can result in environmental pollution and organ accumulation.

Biobased Agents for Single-Particle Detection with Optoacoustics.

Optoacoustic (OA, photoacoustic) imaging synergistically combines rich optical contrast with the resolution of ultrasound within light-scattering biological tissues. Contrast agents have become essential to boost deep-tissue OA sensitivity and fully exploit the capabilities of state-of-the-art OA imaging systems, thus facilitating the clinical translation of this modality. Inorganic particles with sizes of several microns can also be individually localized and tracked, thus enabling new applications in drug delivery, microrobotics, or super-resolution imaging.

Thermoradiationally Modified Polytetrafluoroethylene as a Basis for Membrane Fabrication: Resistance to Hydrogen Penetration, the Effect of Ion Treatment on the Chemical Structure and Surface Morphology, Evaluation of the Track Radius.

A study of the properties of thermoradiationally modified polytetrafluoroethylene and its importance for use as the basis of polymer membranes is presented. The hydrogen permeability of a TRM-PTFE film was studied in comparison with an original PTFE film, and showed a three-fold decrease in hydrogen permeability. Further, TRM-PTFE films were irradiated with accelerated Xe ions with an energy of 1 MeV with fluences from 1 × 10 to 1 × 10.

Process evaluation for the adaptation, testing and dissemination of a mobile health platform to support people with HIV and tuberculosis in Irkutsk, Siberia.

Objectives: We developed and tested a mobile health-based programme to enhance integration of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) care and to promote a patient-centred approach in a region of high coinfection burden. Phases of programme development included planning, stakeholder interviews and platform re-build, testing and iteration.

Setting: In Irkutsk, Siberia, HIV/TB coinfection prevalence is high relative to the rest of the Russian Federation.

Combination of Multiple Microsatellite Analysis and Genome-Wide SNP Genotyping Helps to Solve Wildlife Crime: A Case Study of Poaching of a Caucasian tur () in Russian Mountain National Park.

Poaching is one of the major types of wildlife crime in Russia. Remnants of goats (presumably the wild endemic species, the Caucasian tur) were found in an area of the Caucasian mountains. The case study involves a suspected poacher whose vehicle was found to have two duffel bags containing pieces of a carcass, which he claimed was that of a goat from his flock.

Surface Properties of Colloidal Particles Affect Colloidal Self-Assembly in Evaporating Self-Lubricating Ternary Droplets.

In this work, we unravel the role of surface properties of colloidal particles on the formation of supraparticles (clusters of colloidal particles) in a colloidal Ouzo droplet. Self-lubricating colloidal Ouzo droplets are an efficient and simple approach to form supraparticles, overcoming the challenge of the coffee stain effect . Supraparticles are an efficient route to high-performance materials in various fields, from catalysis to carriers for therapeutics.

Structure of Polytetrafluoroethylene Modified by the Combined Action of γ-Radiation and High Temperatures.

By means of X-ray computed microtomography (XCMT), the existence of a developed porous structure with an average pore diameter of ~3.5 μm and pore content of ~1.1 vol.

Analysis of Homozygous-by-Descent (HBD) Segments for Purebred and Crossbred Pigs in Russia.

Intensive selection raises the efficiency of pig farming considerably, but it also promotes the accumulation of homozygosity, which can lead to an increase in inbreeding and the accumulation of deleterious variation. The analysis of segments homozygous-by-descent (HBD) and non-HBD segments in purebred and crossbred pigs is of great interest. Research was carried out on 657 pigs, of which there were Large White (LW, = 280), Landrace (LR, = 218) and F1 female (♂LR × ♀LW) (F1, = 159).

Particle Size Determines the Shape of Supraparticles in Self-Lubricating Ternary Droplets.

Supraparticles are large clusters of much smaller colloidal particles. Controlling the shape and anisotropy of supraparticles can enhance their functionality, enabling applications in fields such as optics, magnetics, and medicine. The evaporation of self-lubricating colloidal ouzo droplets is an easy and efficient strategy to create supraparticles, overcoming the problem of the "coffee-stain effect" during drop evaporation.

Implementation of a Mobile Health Strategy to Improve Linkage to and Engagement with HIV Care for People Living with HIV, Tuberculosis, and Substance Use in Irkutsk, Siberia.

In Irkutsk, Siberia, there is a high prevalence of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) coinfection. Mobile health (mHealth) strategies have shown promise for increasing linkage to and engagement in care for people living with HIV (PLWH) in other contexts. We evaluated outcomes for a cohort of PLWH, TB, and substance use in Irkutsk after participation in a multi-feature mHealth intervention called MOCT.

Urine colorimetry for levofloxacin pharmacokinetics and personalized dosing in people with drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background: Levofloxacin is a preferred drug for multidrug-resistant (MDR)-tuberculosis (TB) with bactericidal activity that correlates with the pharmacokinetic exposures of serum peak concentration (C) and total area under the concentration time curve (AUC). Pharmacokinetic exposures can be measured to personalize dosing to reach targets, but this practice requires venepuncture, chromatographic or mass spectrometry equipment, and technical expertise. We sought to demonstrate the accuracy of using urine colorimetry as a more feasible estimation of levofloxacin exposure.

Continuous-Flow Production of Perfluorocarbon-Loaded Polymeric Nanoparticles: From the Bench to Clinic.

Perfluorocarbon-loaded nanoparticles are powerful theranostic agents, which are used in the therapy of cancer and stroke and as imaging agents for ultrasound and F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Scaling up the production of perfluorocarbon-loaded nanoparticles is essential for clinical translation. However, it represents a major challenge as perfluorocarbons are hydrophobic and lipophobic.

In vivo clearance of F MRI imaging nanocarriers is strongly influenced by nanoparticle ultrastructure.

Perfluorocarbons hold great promise both as imaging agents, particularly for F MRI, and in therapy, such as oxygen delivery. F MRI is unique in its ability to unambiguously track and quantify a tracer while maintaining anatomic context, and without the use of ionizing radiation. This is particularly well-suited for inflammation imaging and quantitative cell tracking.

Multicore Liquid Perfluorocarbon-Loaded Multimodal Nanoparticles for Stable Ultrasound and F MRI Applied to In Vivo Cell Tracking.

Ultrasound is the most commonly used clinical imaging modality. However, in applications requiring cell-labeling, the large size and short active lifetime of ultrasound contrast agents limit their longitudinal use. Here, 100 nm radius, clinically applicable, polymeric nanoparticles containing a liquid perfluorocarbon, which enhance ultrasound contrast during repeated ultrasound imaging over the course of at least 48 h, are described.

Customizing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) particles for biomedical applications.

Unlabelled: Nano- and microparticles have increasingly widespread applications in nanomedicine, ranging from drug delivery to imaging. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles are the most widely-applied type of particles due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Here, we discuss the preparation of PLGA particles, and various modifications to tailor particles for applications in biological systems.

Design of triphasic poly(lactic--glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing a perfluorocarbon phase for biomedical applications.

Poly(lactic--glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles are very widely used, particularly for drug delivery, including commercial clinical formulations. Adding perfluorocarbon (PFC) enables imaging and quantification of the PLGA particles through F NMR, MRS or MRI. PFCs are both hydrophobic and lipophobic at the same time.

Perfluorocarbon/Gold Loading for Noninvasive in Vivo Assessment of Bone Fillers Using F Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography.

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is used in bone repair because of its biocompatibility. However, high similarity between CPC and the natural osseous phase results in poor image contrast in most of the available in vivo imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For accurate identification and localization during and after implantation in vivo, a composition with enhanced image contrast is needed.

Tuning the Surface of Nanoparticles: Impact of Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) on Protein Adsorption in Serum and Cellular Uptake.

Due to the adsorption of biomolecules, the control of the biodistribution of nanoparticles is still one of the major challenges of nanomedicine. Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) for surface modification of nanoparticles is applied and both protein adsorption and cellular uptake of PEtOxylated nanoparticles versus nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and non-coated positively and negatively charged nanoparticles are compared. Therefore, fluorescent poly(organosiloxane) nanoparticles of 15 nm radius are synthesized, which are used as a scaffold for surface modification in a grafting onto approach.