A refined plan-view specimen preparation technique for high-quality electron microscopy studies of epitaxially grown atomically thin 2D layers.

The structural studies of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures and understanding of their relationship with the orientation of crystalline substrates using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) presents a challenge in developing an easy-to-use plan-view specimen preparation technique. In this report, we introduce a simple approach for high-quality plan-view specimen preparation utilizing a dual beam system comprising focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy. To protect the atomically thin 2D heterostructure during the preparation process, we employ an epoxy layer.

Assessing the biocompatibility and stability of CeO nanoparticle conjugates with azacrowns for use as radiopharmaceuticals.

The application of nanoparticles is promising for the purposes of nuclear medicine due to the possibilities of using them as vectors and transporters of radionuclides. In this study, we have successfully synthesised conjugates of CeO nanoparticles and azacrown ligands. Then, the radiolabelling conditions with radionuclides Zn, Sc and Bi were selected and the kinetic stability of the complexes in biologically significant media was evaluated.

A New Mouse Strain with a Mutation in the NFE2L2 (NRF2) Gene.

Transcription factor NRF2 is involved in inflammatory reactions, maintenance of redox balance, metabolism of xenobiotics, and is of particular interest for studying aging. In the present work, the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology was used to generate the NRF2 mice containing a substitution of eight amino acid residues at the N-terminus of the NRF2 protein, upstream of the functional Neh2 domain, which ensures binding of NRF2 to its inhibitor KEAP1. Heterozygote NRF2 mice gave birth to homozygous mice with lower than expected frequency, accompanied by their increased embryonic lethality and visual signs of anemia.

[Distribution features of gunshot residue from hunting Steyr Mannlicher AUG-Z3 carbine on targets].

Objective: To study the morphology of distribution of shot factors on white targets made of coarse calico at different distances.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted on 57 experimental damages of targets made of cotton fabric, caused by shots from hunting self-loading Steyr Mannlicher AUG-Z3 carbine of.223 Rem caliber.

Assessment of core-shell nanoparticles surface structure heterogeneity by SAXS contrast variation and ab initio modeling.

For the biomedical applications of nanoparticles, the study of their structure is a major step towards understanding the mechanisms of their interaction with biological environment. Detailed structural analysis of particles' surface is vital for rational design of drug delivery systems. In particular, for core-shell or surface-modified nanoparticles surface structure can be described in terms of shell coating uniformity and shell thickness uniformity around the nanoparticle core.

Mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 inhibits leukotriene synthesis in human neutrophils.

Leukotrienes are among the most potent mediators of inflammation, and inhibition of their biosynthesis, is becoming increasingly important in the treatment of many pathologies. In this work, we demonstrated that preincubation of human neutrophils with the mitochondria targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (100 nM) strongly inhibits leukotriene synthesis induced by three different stimuli: the Ca ionophore A23187, the chemotactic formyl-peptide fMLP in combination with cytocholasin B, and opsonized zymosan. The SkQ1 analogue lacking the antioxidant quinone moiety (C12TPP) was ineffective, suggesting that mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is critical for activating of leukotriene synthesis in human neutrophils.

Automatic morphology phenotyping of tetra- and hexaploid wheat spike using computer vision methods.

Intraspecific classification of cultivated plants is necessary for the conservation of biological diversity, study of their origin and their phylogeny. The modern cultivated wheat species originated from three wild diploid ancestors as a result of several rounds of genome doubling and are represented by di-, tetra- and hexaploid species. The identification of wheat ploidy level is one of the main stages of their taxonomy.

Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Second Trimester Associated with Severe Neonatal Pathology.

The effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in women on the gestation course and the health of the fetus, particularly in the first and second trimesters, remain very poorly explored. This report describes a case in which the normal development of pregnancy was complicated immediately after the patient had experienced Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the 21st week of gestation. Specific conditions included critical blood flow in the fetal umbilical artery, fetal growth restriction (1st percentile), right ventricular hypertrophy, hydropericardium, echo-characteristics of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (leukomalacia in periventricular area) and intraventricular hemorrhage at the 25th week of gestation.

COVID-19 and Oxidative Stress.

Pathogenesis of the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19 is the subject of active research around the world. COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 is a complex disease in which interaction of the virus with target cells, action of the immune system and the body's systemic response to these events are closely intertwined. Many respiratory viral infections, including COVID-19, cause death of the infected cells, activation of innate immune response, and secretion of inflammatory cytokines.

Clinical course of novel COVID-19 infection in pregnant women.

Objectives: Evaluation of clinical course of COVID-19 during pregnancy and maternal and perinatal outcomes of this pregnancy.

Methods: 66 women with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - confirmed SARS-CoV-2 and their 42 neonates were included in the prospective observational study. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and instrumental data of pregnancy, delivery, postpartum period, including pharmacotherapy and neonatal outcomes were analyzed.

Mitochondria-targeted triphenylphosphonium-based compounds do not affect estrogen receptor α.

Background: Targeting negatively charged mitochondria is often achieved using triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cations. These cationic vehicles may possess biological activity, and a docking study indicates that TPP-moieties may act as modulators of signaling through the estrogen receptor α (ERα). Moreover, in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed the estrogen-like effects of TPP-based compounds.

[The efficiency of ART methods for treatment of male infertility in men of age 40 years and older with obstructive azoospermia].

Aim: to evaluate the efficacy of ART methods to treat infertility in men with obstructive azoospermia.

Materials And Methods: The results of treatment of infertile couples using ART methods during the period from 2009 to 2017 were analyzed. A total of 18 married couples with obstructive azoospermia in men were included in the main group.

Influence of Proximity to Supporting Substrate on van der Waals Epitaxy of Atomically Thin Graphene/Hexagonal Boron Nitride Heterostructures.

Combining graphene and the insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) into two-dimensional heterostructures is promising for novel, atomically thin electronic nanodevices. A heteroepitaxial growth, in which these materials are grown on top of each other, will be crucial for their scalable device integration. However, during this so-called van der Waals epitaxy, not only the atomically thin substrate itself must be considered but also the influences from the supporting substrate below it.

Comparison of cord blood lactate measurement by gas analyzer and portable electrochemical devices.

Objective To compare the accuracy of cord blood lactate measurement using gas analyzer and portable devices in order to assess possibility of implementation of these devices in clinical practice. Methods We performed a prospective observational study using 30 umbilical cord samples which were obtained immediately after birth. Portable electrochemical devices Lactate Scout (SensLab GmbH, Leipzig, Germany) and StatStrip Lactate (NOVA Biomedical, Waltham, MA, USA) were used to determine lactate level.

A comparison between labor induction with only Dilapan-S and a combination of mifepristone and Dilapan-S in nulliparous women: a prospective pilot study.

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine whether the combination of mifepristone and the osmotic dilator Dilapan-S improves the labor induction outcomes as compared to Dilapan-S alone.

Methods: This prospective comparative study included 127 eligible women, of whom 58 underwent cervical ripening with Dilapan-S (12-h exposure, the control group) and 69 with Dilapan-S, with a concurrent pretreatment of 200 mg oral mifepristone (the study group), 8 h before Dilapan-S insertion.

Results: The vaginal delivery rate in the control group and the study group was 60.

Destruction of the bronchial epithelium in patients with severe asthma according to different patterns of inflammation and cold airway hyperresponsiveness.

Aim: The aim of the research was to study the state of the bronchial mucosa epi-thelium in relation to the severity of clinical manifestations in severe uncon-trolled asthma depending on the pattern of inflammation and the presence of cold airway hyperresponsiveness.

Materials And Methods: In 48 patients with severe uncontrolled asthma, there were assessed asthma symptoms, clinical signs of cold airway hyperre-sponsiveness, and lung function; the samples of slides were analyzed in the cytological examination of the sputum; the degree of damage to epithelial cells and granulocytes was estimated using the total cell destruction index (CDI).

Results: According to the analysis of sputum cytograms, the patients were divided into two groups: group I (22 patients) included persons with eosin-ophilic inflammation pattern (31.

Residue 249 in subunit beta regulates ADP inhibition and its phosphate modulation in Escherichia coli ATP synthase.

ATPase activity of proton-translocating FF-ATP synthase (F-type ATPase or F-ATPase) is suppressed in the absence of protonmotive force by several regulatory mechanisms. The most conservative of these mechanisms found in all enzymes studied so far is allosteric inhibition of ATP hydrolysis by MgADP (ADP-inhibition). When MgADP is bound without phosphate in the catalytic site, the enzyme lapses into an inactive state with MgADP trapped.

[The use of the microbial and entomological data for the diagnostics of prescription of death coming].

The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the possibility of the diagnostics of prescription of death coming (PDC) based on the results of the studies with the application of the entomological and microbiological methods. The entomological materials included larvae of two dipteran species Stearibia nigriceps (Piophilidae) and Fannia vesparia (Fanniidae) collected from bone tissue fragments and the bony bed. The detailed investigation of the succession of necrophilic insects taking place in the course of decomposition of organic matter and the development of the preimaginal stages of the dipterans made it possible to determine the duration of the period during which the corpse remained in the ambient environment.

Dew point temperature affects ascospore release of allergenic genus Leptosphaeria.

The genus Leptosphaeria contains numerous fungi that cause the symptoms of asthma and also parasitize wild and crop plants. In search of a robust and universal forecast model, the ascospore concentration in air was measured and weather data recorded from 1 March to 31 October between 2006 and 2012. The experiment was conducted in three European countries of the temperate climate, i.

[The specific features of corpse putrification under the influence of necrobiome enzymatic systems].

The objective of the present study was to characterize the specific features of corpse putrification under the influence of necrobiome enzymatic systems depending on the duration of the post-mortem period. We present the results of investigations into the enzymatic activity of the dominant species of microorganisms making up the post-mortem microbiome. The domestic pork carcasses weighing 50-70 kg were used as an experimental putrification model.