Predictors of fibrogenesis in children with JIA: a single-center pilot study.

Background: Patients with rheumatological diseases are at high risk of developing irreversible fibrotic changes, both articular and extra-articular, as a result of tissue damage caused by the chronic phase of persistent inflammation. Thus, our purpose was to study early markers of fibrosis formation in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Seventy patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, namely, polyarthritis (64.

Main and papain-like proteases as prospective targets for pharmacological treatment of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 led to a global crisis in the world healthcare system. Despite some progress in the creation of antiviral vaccines and mass vaccination of the population, the number of patients continues to grow because of the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 mutations. There is an urgent need for direct-acting drugs capable of suppressing or stopping the main mechanisms of reproduction of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Tuberculosis in Ukrainian War Refugees and Migrants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: A Molecular Epidemiological Study.

Background: The war in Ukraine has led to significant migration to neighboring countries, raising public health concerns. Notable tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates in Ukraine emphasize the immediate requirement to prioritize approaches that interrupt the spread and prevent new infections.

Methods: We conducted a prospective genomic surveillance study to assess migration's impact on TB epidemiology in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Binding interactions of hydrophobically-modified flavonols with β-glucosidase: fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modelling study.

Natural flavonoids are capable of inhibiting glucosidase activity, so they can be used for treating diabetes mellitus and hypertension. However, molecular-level details of their interactions with glucosidase enzymes remain poorly understood. This paper describes the synthesis and spectral characterization of a series of fluorescent flavonols and their interaction with the β-glucosidase enzyme.

Trichoscopy - a valuable tool for identifying conditions mimicking androgenetic alopecia.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most prevalent type of hair loss in women and men. Recently, a European consensus group published guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation of AGA in men, women, and adolescents. This S1 guideline presents expert opinion-based recommendations for gender-dependent steps in the diagnostic procedure, which can easily be implemented in the daily clinical routine.

CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF COVID-19 IN CHILDREN FOR THE PERIOD 2020-2022.

Objective: The aim: To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in children for the period 2020-2022.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of 1144 case histories of children who were hospitalized at the St. Zinaida Children's Clinical Hospital (Sumy, Ukraine) for coronavirus disease for 2020-2022 was carried out.

EBV-ENCEPHALITIS IN CHILDREN: DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA.

Objective: The aim: To investigate the clinical characteristics of EBV infection in the pediatric nervous system using laboratory methods and brain MRI data.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: We observed 41 children with EBV encephalitis ranging from 8 months to 17 years old. The diagnosis of EBV-encephalitis was established on the basis of clinical and medical history, laboratory and instrumental (brain MRI) data.

Synthesis of methotrexate-betulonic acid hybrids and evaluation of their effect on artificial and Caco-2 cell membranes.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of novel methotrexate-betulonic acid hybrids with a (tert-butoxycarbonylamino)-3,6-dioxa-8-octanamine (Boc-DOOA) linkage has been developed. Reaction of N-(2-(2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)-betulonamide with methotrexate resulted in a mixture of isomeric conjugates which were separated by column chromatography. Their structures and composition have been fully established by H NMR, C spectra, FAB mass spectrometry and elemental analysis.

Crystal structure of 2-methyl-1-imidazol-3-ium 3,5-di-carb-oxy-benzoate.

The structure of the title salt, CHN ·CHO (), is reported. The compound is built from a protonated 2-methyl-imidazole and a singly deprotonated trimesic acid. Detailed analysis of bond distances and angles for both ions reveals subtle differences compared with their neutral mol-ecule counterpart.

Menthol-Based (Deep) Eutectic Solvents: A Review on Properties and Application in Extraction.

In the last 10 years the interest in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as a new class of green solvents has considerably increased. The emergence of numerous of hydrophobic DESs has stimulated intensive research into their application in extraction technologies, including sample preparation. As the properties of such systems are highly dependent on the properties of their components (hydrogen bond donors and acceptors) and can be finely tuned, DESs can be successfully used for the extraction of both metal ions and organic substances, including biomolecules.

Complete Virion Simulated: All-Atom Model of an MS2 Bacteriophage with Native Genome.

For the first time, a complete all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) model of a virus, bacteriophage MS2, in its entirety, including a protein outer shell, native genomic RNA with necessary divalent ions, and surrounding explicit aqueous solution with ions at physiological concentration, was built. The model is based on an experimentally measured cryo-EM structure, which was substantially augmented by reconstructing missing or low-resolution parts of the measured density (where the atomistic structure cannot be fit unambiguously). The model was tested by a quarter of a microsecond MD run, and various biophysical characteristics are obtained and analyzed.

Common Consequences of Uncommon Congenital Heart Disease: Exploring the Trilogy of Fallot With Infective Endocarditis and Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.

Trilogy of Fallot (ToF) is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by a combination of atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, and right ventricular hypertrophy. It is more common in females and can cause symptoms such as cyanosis and breathlessness. ToF can lead to complications like thromboembolic events, including infective endocarditis (IE) and cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DURATION OF REMISSIONS AFTER THE ONSET, THE SEVERITY OF THE RELAPSES AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF DIFFERENT DURATION OF THE RELAPSING STAGE AND THE NATURE OF THE PROGNOSIS IN SECONDARY-PROGRESSIVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

Work objective - to study the relationship between the duration of remission after the onset, the severity of relapses against the background of different duration of the relapsing stage (RS) and the nature of the prognosis in the secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) using clinical and mathematical analysis. Patients with different prognosis for SPMS; neurological examination using The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS); a survey method. Mathematical methods: 'contingency tables 2x2' (determining the significance of the connection between a pair of two indicators - different duration of remission after the onset and RS in four groups of patients), Yule's Coefficient of Association (determining the magnitude of differences between the group and the studied indicator), a permutation test (defining clinical indicators on RS, which significantly differed in mild and severe relapses).

Complexation of Flavonoids: Spectral Phenomena, Regioselectivity, Interplay with Charge and Proton Transfer.

The review compiles information on the spectral classification of flavonoids, the changes in their electronic structure upon complex formation, and the manifestation of these changes in the absorption and emission spectra. Part of the review is devoted to the regioselectivity of the complex formation process, including types of complexation sites, the structure of chelates and 'open' complexes, and the correlation between the structure of complexes and their spectral properties. The interplay between complex formation and other processes occurring in flavonoids during electronic excitation is also considered, such as intramolecular inter-fragment charge transfer (ICT) and intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT).

CHANGES IN THE SERUM LEVEL OF LEPTIN AND TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-Β1 IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION ON A BACKGROUND OF ABDOMINAL OBESITY.

Objective: The aim: Study of the levels of leptin and the growth modulator TGF-β1 in the blood serum of patients with hypertension, which occurs on the background of AO and without it.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: Carbohydrate metabolism was studied by the enzymatic method, the level of insulin in the blood (by the enzyme immunoassay method), the oral glucose tolerance test and the calculation of the NOMA index.

Results: Results: The data obtained in the work indicate a significant role of leptin in the formation of hypertension itself and the development of obesity, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders.

THE ROLE OF NITRIC OXIDE AND PEROXYNITRITE IN THE ERYTHEMAL PERIOD OF ULTRAVIOLET-INDUCED SKIN DAMAGE.

Objective: The aim: To study the activity of inducible NO synthase in the blood, the content of NO metabolites and peroxynitrite in the skin and blood of guinea pigs during erythema periods after local ultraviolet skin irradiation.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: The studies were carried out on 24 guinea pigs, subjected to local ultraviolet irradiation. The control group consisted of intact guinea pigs (n=6).

Fluorescent Probes and Quenchers in Studies of Protein Folding and Protein-Lipid Interactions.

Fluorescence spectroscopy provides numerous methodological tools for structural and functional studies of biological macromolecules and their complexes. All fluorescence-based approaches require either existence of an intrinsic probe or an introduction of an extrinsic one. Moreover, studies of complex systems often require an additional introduction of a specific quencher molecule acting in combination with a fluorophore to provide structural or thermodynamic information.

Differences in the proliferation trend of 'Microsporidium' sp. PL03 in Culex pipiens and C. torrentium larvae.

Our study aimed to examine whether there are differences in the proliferation trend of microsporidia in mosquito larvae of the same genus (Culex spp.). DNA-barcoding and quantitative analyses were used to determine microsporidian rDNA copies in 'early' (L1 + L2) and 'late' (L3 + L4) Culex larvae in a natural population.

Dihydroazolopyrimidines: Past, Present and Perspectives in Synthesis, Green Chemistry and Drug Discovery.

Dihydroazolopyrimidines are an important class of heterocycles that are isosteric to natural purines and are therefore of great interest primarily as drug-like molecules. In contrast to the heteroaromatic analogs, synthetic approaches to these compounds were developed much later, and their chemical properties and biological activity have not been studied in detail until recently. In the review, different ways to build dihydroazolopyrimidine systems from different building blocks are described - via the initial formation of a partially hydrogenated pyrimidine ring or an azole ring, as well as a one-pot assembly of azole and azine fragments.

A Comprehensive Management of Neck Hematoma in Post-Thyroidectomy Patient for Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report.

A post-thyroidectomy hematoma is a rare, potentially fatal surgical complication that may present as hoarseness, dysphagia, and difficulty in breathing, which could progress to complete airway obstruction and, ultimately, death. The treatment for a neck hematoma is emergent surgical drainage. While certain precautions can be taken to prevent this complication, such as the cessation of any anticoagulants prior to surgery, it is still a feared complication of thyroidectomy with an increasing prevalence.

Bioinformatic analysis of the effect of SNPs in the pig TERT gene on the structural and functional characteristics of the enzyme to develop new genetic markers of productivity traits.

Background: Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) plays a crucial role in synthesizing telomeric repeats that safeguard chromosomes from damage and fusion, thereby maintaining genome stability. Mutations in the TERT gene can lead to a deviation in gene expression, impaired enzyme activity, and, as a result, abnormal telomere shortening. Genetic markers of productivity traits in livestock can be developed based on the TERT gene polymorphism for use in marker-associated selection (MAS).

Biogeography of Fungal Communities Associated with L. and (L.) H. Karst. along the Latitudinal Gradient in Europe.

We assessed the diversity and composition of fungal communities in different functional tissues and the rhizosphere soil of and stands along the latitudinal gradient of these tree species distributions in Europe to model possible changes in fungal communities imposed by climate change. For each tree species, living needles, shoots, roots, and the rhizosphere soil were sampled and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the latitude and the host tree species had a limited effect on the diversity and composition of fungal communities, which were largely explained by the environmental variables of each site and the substrate they colonize.

Strong biological correlations as a cause of autonomous oscillations in epidemics.

We consider the impact of strong biological correlations on the epidemic process. The biological correlations mean the influence of the environment on the individual state of immunity of the infected person. Accounting for the correlations turns the traditional SIRS model into the 3D Lotka-Volterra model, the parameters of which are uniquely determined by the parameters of the original SIRS model.