Specific characters of the mammoth calf (Mammuthus primigenius) from the Khroma River (Yakutia)

The exterior, skeletal morphology, and teeth of a 4- to 5-month-old woolly mammoth calf, Mammuthus primigenius Proboscidea, Elephantidae from the Khroma River (Yakutia, Russia) are described. This is the third and best preserved frozen carcass of the mammoth calves from Yakutia. The calf is male (penis available). The individual age as determined by the degree of wearing of DP2 and the beginning of wear of DP3 corresponds to the stage of transition to combined feeding (milk and vegetal forage). At the same time, formation of the cranial sutures (sutura sagittalis, fronto-temporalis, squamo-temporalis, and the suture between os occipitale superior and os occipitale inferior) testifies to an older juvenile stage. The proximal and distal epiphyses of the humerus and the distal epiphysis of the femur are represented by paired centers of ossification. A comparison of the dimensions of the head, body, and legs with the corresponding parameters of other M. primigenius calves of the same age shows the individual variability (10–15%) of these features. Although of medium size characteristic of M. primigenius calves, the described individual lacks subcutaneous fat deposits in the withers and subdermal areas of the body flanks. Death was caused by a rupture of the body and vertebral column at the level of the pectoral vertebrae 11–12. The deformation of the legs and longitudinal stretching of the soft tissues of the body caused no bone fractures (except for three ribs in the zone of the rupture). The long bones are not dislocated either in the shoulder and pelvic girdles or relative to each other. Possible causes and the timing of the death of the mammoth calves preserved in the permafrost are discussed.     

Inflammatory pre-conditioning of mesenchymal multipotent stromal cells improves their immunomodulatory potency in acute pyelonephritis in rats

Background aimsAcute pyelonephritis is one of the most frequent infectious diseases of the urinary tract and a leading cause of kidney failure worldwide. One strategy for modulating excessive inflammatory responses in pyelonephritis is administration of mesenchymal multipotent stromal cells (MMSCs).MethodsThe putative protective effect of injection of MMSCs against experimental acute pyelonephritis was examined. We used in vivo experimental model of APN where bacteria are introduced in the bladder of rat. Three days after, intravenous injection of MMSCs was done. On the 7th day blood samples and kidneys were taken for further analysis.ResultsWe found obvious signs of oxidative stress and inflammation in the kidney in acute pyelonephritis in rats. Particularly, pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α levels, malondialdehyde, nitrite and myeloperoxidase activity were significantly increased. Histologic evaluation revealed numerous attributes of inflammation and tissue damage in the kidney. Treatment with MMSCs caused a remarkable decrease of all of these pathologic signs in renal tissue. Also, activated leukocytes induced pre-conditioning-like signaling in MMSCs. We showed alterations of expression or activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase, transforming growth factor-β, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and glycogen synthase kinase-3β, which could mediate immunomodulation and protective effects of MMSCs. This signaling could be characterized as inflammatory pre-conditioning.ConclusionsThe beneficial capacity of MMSCs to alleviate renal inflammation was more pronounced when pre-conditioned MMSCs were used. This approach could be used to prime MMSCs with different inflammatory modulators to enhance their engraftment and function in an immunoprotected fashion.     

Role of oxidative stress and mitochondria in onset of urinary bladder dysfunction under acute urine retention

Acute urine retention is a frequent complication in patients with benign hyperplasia of the prostate gland. According to studies made on experimental animals and people, it is accompanied by the deterioration of the bladder blood supply. This study attempts to explore the relationship of intramural blood flow, production of reactive oxygen species, and functional state of the bladder detrusor in modeling of acute urine retention in rats, as well as the impact of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (which are supposed to alleviate the effects of oxidative stress induced by experimental ischemia) on these parameters. The study showed beneficial effects of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQR1 in preventing damage of the bladder caused by acute urinary retention, which suggests the therapeutic use of this type of compounds for the treatment of ischemic abnormalities of the urinary bladder.     

Adaptation of the woolly mammoth <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mammuthus primigenius</Emphasis> (Blumenbach, 1799) to habitat conditions in the glacial period

An analysis of the available data on the various adaptations of the woolly mammoth to the cryoarid conditions of the Ice Age is presented. Mammuthus primigenius had a set of specific anatomic–morphological (thick long three-row wool, small ears, a short tail, an adipose “hump”, a “hood”-like extension on the trunk, and wide soles of the feet) and physiological (reduced sensitivity to cold and a specific kind of lipid metabolism) ideoadaptations that provided safe existence and wide distribution of this species in the Northern Holarctic for a long time. The current data make it possible to refer the woolly mammoth to a highly specialized species of the Mammoth biome.     

The comparative characteristics of the pathogenic action of Vibrio cholerae of the non-O1 group O139 serovar and of the O1 group on the intestinal APUD system of suckling rabbits

The comparative study of the enteropathogenic action of V. cholerae strains of group non-O1, serovar O139, and group O1 with different virulence on the APUD system of the intestine of suckling rabbits after intraenteral infection revealed that V. cholerae of group non-O1 induced inflammatory changes in the intestine and the pronounced toxic lesion of parenchymal organs. This was accompanied by a decrease in the number of apudocytes and an increase in the functional tension of the APUD system. After the infection of the animals with V. cholerae of group O1 changes in the APUD system and internal organs directly depended on the virulence of the microbes and the infective dose.     

Genotyping Yersinia pestis strains from various natural foci

Seven genetic variants of Yersinia pestis were detected by finger-printing of 85 strains of this bacterium from natural foci by means of a BX probe. Variants of Y. pestis strains correlate with certain species of carriers.     

The effect of Furolan on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of ripening winter wheat grain

The effects of the preparation Furolan, (2-furyl-2)-1,3-dioxolane, on the degree of mRNA polyadenylation and the pattern of protein synthesis in the ripening grain of several soft winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were studied. It was demonstrated that Furolan stabilized mRNA in a cultivar-specific manner, thereby accelerating to various degrees the biochemical processes taking place in the ripening grain. Of the wheat cultivars studied, Krasnodarskaya 99 was the most responsive cultivar with respect to a set of changes in nucleic-protein metabolism; the cultivar Deya was next followed by the cultivar Bat’ko. The cultivar Kroshka did not respond to the treatment with Furolan. The cultivar specificity of this preparation allows its practical application to be optimized.