Radiographic Inspection of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites (Laminates) with Epoxy and PEEK Binders After Impact and Subsequent Compression Loading.

An approach to detecting discontinuities in carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, caused by impact loading followed by compression testing, was developed. An X-ray sensor-based installation was used, while some algorithms were developed to improve the quality of the obtained low-contrast radiographic images with negligible signal-to-noise ratios. For epoxy/AF (#1) composite subjected to a "high-velocity" steel-ball impact with subsequent compression loading, it was not possible to detect discontinuities since the orientation of the extended zone of interlayer delamination was perpendicular to the irradiation axis.

Structure-based design of small-molecule ligands of phosphofructokinase-2 activating or inhibiting glycolysis.

Glycolysis lies at the basis of metabolism and cell energy supply. The disregulation of glycolysis is involved in such pathological processes as cancer proliferation, neurodegenerative diseases, and amplification of ischemic damage. Phosphofructokinase-2 (PFK-2), a bifunctional enzyme and regulator of glycolytic flux, has recently emerged as a promising anticancer target.

Identification of a small-molecule inhibitor of HIV-1 assembly that targets the phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate binding site of the HIV-1 matrix protein.

The development of drug resistance remains a critical problem for current HIV-1 antiviral therapies, creating a need for new inhibitors of HIV-1 replication. We previously reported on a novel anti-HIV-1 compound, N(2)-(phenoxyacetyl)-N-[4-(1-piperidinylcarbonyl)benzyl]glycinamide (14), that binds to the highly conserved phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P(2)) binding pocket of the HIV-1 matrix (MA) protein. In this study, we re-evaluate the hits from the virtual screen used to identify compound 14 and test them directly in an HIV-1 replication assay using primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Discovery of a small-molecule antiviral targeting the HIV-1 matrix protein.

Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains and the cumulative toxicities associated with current therapies, demand remains for new inhibitors of HIV-1 replication. The HIV-1 matrix (MA) protein is an essential viral component with established roles in the assembly of the virus. Using virtual and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based screening, we describe the identification of the first small molecule to bind to the HIV-1 MA protein and to possess broad range anti-HIV properties.

Transcription Factor DLX5 As a New Target for Promising Antitumor Agents.

The crystal structure of the human transcription factor DLX5 has been used for the screening of a library consisting of 10(6 )compounds by the molecular docking technique.In vitro testsof the 14 top-rated ligands showed that compound Q12 displays the best ability to inhibit the proliferation ofDlx5 positive mouse lymphoma cells, which correlates with the down-regulation ofc-mycexpression. Compound Q12 has low toxicity on normal human ovarian epithelial cells and mouse lymphoma cells with absent expression ofDlx5, and can be used for further chemical optimization and for the development of novel, highly efficient cancer treatments.

Structure-based drug design of a new chemical class of small molecules active against influenza A nucleoprotein in vitro and in vivo.

We report preliminary results and a summary of a bottom-up approach to identify new, active, nontoxic, small-molecule antivirals designed to have а novel mechanism of action. We employed the procedure to identify 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazoles derivatives as potential NP inhibitors in silico and subsequently demonstrated the in vitro efficacy of the molecules against various strains of the influenza A virus. The most efficacious compounds were successfully tested in an in vivo influenza challenge experiment.

[Increase in the coefficient of component utilization by balancing the composition of the nutrient medium for growing pneumococci].

The possibility of using the experimental-analytical balance method (EABM) for development of balanced media, optimal and economic by their composition is shown. The method is based on the specific growth activity of the medium components and mathematical calculation of their concentrations. A balanced medium containing human placenta hydrolysate was developed.

[Plastic surgery using split skin flap in the primary surgical treatment of crural injuries].

An experience with skin plasty in 127 patients is described. Special attention is called to necessary excision of non-viable tissues in fractures of the skin bone and reapplication of the rejected skin.

[Nutrient medium for the isolation and cultivation of pneumococcus].

A culture medium for the isolation and cultivation of pneumococci, produced in a solid or liquid form and based on raw material unsuitable for use as foodstuff (human placenta), has been developed. The amino acid composition of the medium has been studied. The medium has been found to contain 19 amino acids, to be free from ballast serum proteins and blood, and to ensure the good growth of pneumococci isolated from pathological material, the formation of the normal capsule, as well as active biological properties.

[Pneumococcal serotypes in various diseases of children].

The serotyping of pneumococci isolated from different material obtained from children aged 0 to 11 years was carried out. Out of 156 patients with different diseases, hospitalized in two clinics in Moscow during February-May 1983, pneumococci were isolated from 67 patients (43%). The isolated pneumococcal strains belonged to 11 serotypes.

[Type-specific pneumococcal agglutinating sera in precipitation tests].

Diagnostic agglutinating sera to pneumococci of different serotypes have been studied with respect to their capacity for taking part in the reactions of precipitation with capsular pneumococcal polysaccharides. The sera have proved to be highly active and specific in the reactions of double immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. The sera under study have also been found to react with cattle serum, one of the components of the medium used for the cultivation of pneumococci.

[Cross infection of guinea pigs with different pneumococcal serotypes in the presence of the carrier state].

The possibility of the pneumococcal cross infection of guinea pigs in experimental conditions, the time course of the distribution of pneumococci in their organs, and the duration, within the time limits of the experiment, of persistence of the given infective agent were studied. Normal animals placed in the same room with infected ones were shown to become the carriers of definite pneumococcal serotypes. As a result, these studies revealed that nasopharyngeal carriership and infection of different organs were not directly interrelated and the method of infection of guinea pigs did not influence the time course of distribution of pneumococci in their organs.

[Persistence of pneumococci in mice].

The sensitivity of different mouse strains to Str. pneumoniae, serotype 6, under the conditions of intraperitoneal and intranasal infection has been studied. The time course of distribution of pneumococci in the organs has been shown and differences depending on the methods of infection have been revealed.

[Biological properties of the antigens isolated from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3].

The protective activity of polysaccharide-containing antigens of Str. pneumoniae, serotype 3, was studied. The protective properties of the preparation were shown to be directly related to the quantitative content of carbohydrate substances, and the preparation was shown to be capable of inducing specific resistance.

[Sensitivity of different mouse strains to Streptococcus pneumomiae serotype 3].

The sensitivity of different mouse strains to Str. pneumoniae, serotype 3, after the intraperitoneal injection of the infective agent was studied. These experiments revealed that the animals under study, so far as their susceptibility and sensitivity were concerned, formed a single group, highly sensitive to this serotype.