Solid tumors of internal female reproductive organs: comparison of the diagnostic efficiency of ultrasound study and magnetic resonance tomography

Comparison of the diagnostic importance of traditional US and low-field MRI (0,23 T) in the characterization of solid tumors of internal reproductive system at 55 patients is performed by calculation of operational characteristics of tests and use of characteristic curves (ROC-analysis). Advantage MRI in distinguishing between of benign and malignant tumors (accuracy of 82% against 71% at ultrasonic) is established. Advantage is based on use, besides morphological criteria of a tumor, the characteristic of its MR-signal in T2-weight imaging. Advantage MRI in determination of the organ of origin of pelvic mass appeared insignificant.     

Stress-induced DNA fragmentation in cardiomyocytes of MDX and C57Bl mice

The study deals with apoptosis of cardiomyocytes of adult mdx mice. Our previous investigation of the total DNA from mdx mice myocardium in 0.5% agarose and 5% PAAG revealed middle sized DNA fragments about 64 kb only. The DNA electrophoresis in 5% PAAG after alpha-32P-dATP incorporation into DNA, fragments mediated by terminal transferase, showed no presence of smaller DNA fragments. The low size DNA fragments (0.2, 0.4 and 11.0 kb) were observed only following stress (a 5 min swimming in water bath) by means of alpha-32P-dATP incorporation mediated by TdT reaction. DNA fragmentation lasted for 48 h after the stress. A study of the total DNA extracts of C57B1 mice also demonstrated middle and low molecular sized DNA fragmentation 2 h after the stress under the same condition of the experiment. But during the next 48 h the signs of DNA fragmentation of the total DNA disappeared. The authors conclude that the first stage of apoptosis is a permanent property of cardiomyocytes of mdx mice.     

Retroposons of Alu family from cis-regulatory modules of DNAse II and CAML genes effect gene expression in A549 and HEK293 cells

Different fragments of promoters of deoxyribonuclease II (DNAse II) and calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) associated with Alu family repeats have been inserted into a luciferase reporter vector. These constructions were introduced into A549 and HEK293 cell lines and after transient transfection we lysed cells and analysed luciferase activities in these lysates. It has been shown that Alu repeats localized in constructions influence expression of luciferase. Therefore, Alu copies which are associated with cis-regulatory modules of protein-coding genes have biological activity.     

Generation of soft X-ray emission by Z-pinches powered from helical explosive magnetocumulative generators

Results are presented from experiments on the implosion of wire arrays powered from 100-and 200-mm-diameter helical explosive magnetocumulative generators with explosive opening switches. The experiments were performed at load currents of up to 4 MA, the current rise time being 0.3–0.4 μs. The maximum soft X-ray yield of ～ 100 kJ was achieved at a pinch plasma temperature of 55 eV. A two-dimensional MHD code was developed to simulate the process of liner implosion and the generation of X-ray emission. The results of computer simulations agree satisfactorily with the experimental data.     

Formation of hot spots in the plasma of a Z-pinch produced from low-density deuterated polyethylene

Results are presented from experimental studies of the plasma formation dynamics in a Z-pinch produced from a cylindrical microporous agar-agar load. The experiments were performed on the S-300 facility at a current of 2 MA and current rise time of 100 ns. To enhance the energy concentration, a deuterated polyethylene neck with a mass density of 50–75 μg/cm³ and diameter of 1–2 mm was made in the central part of the load. The spatiotemporal characteristics of the Z-pinch were studied using an optical streak camera and fast frame photography in the optical and soft X-ray spectral ranges. X-ray emission was detected using semiconductor and vacuum diodes, and neutron emission was studied by means of the time-of-flight method. It is found that, in the course of continuous plasma production, hot spots with a diameter of 100 μm form in the pinch plasma. The hot spots emit short soft X-ray pulses with a duration of 2–4 ns, as well as neutron pulses with an average neutron energy of about 2.45 MeV. The maximum neutron yield was found to be 4.5 × 10⁹ neutrons per shot. The scenario of hot spot formation is adequately described by two-dimensional MHD simulations.     

A permeability transition in liver mitochondria and liposomes induced by α,ω-dioic acids and Ca2+

The article examines the molecular mechanism of the Ca²⁺-dependent cyclosporin A (CsA)-insensitive permeability transition in rat liver mitochondria induced by α,ω-dioic acids. The addition of α,ω-hexadecanedioic acid (HDA) to Ca²⁺-loaded liver mitochondria was shown to induce a high-amplitude swelling of the organelles, a drop of membrane potential and the release of Ca²⁺ from the matrix, the effects being insensitive to CsA. The experiments with liposomes loaded with sulforhodamine B (SRB) revealed that, like palmitic acid (PA), HDA was able to cause permeabilization of liposomal membranes. However, the kinetics of HDA- and PA-induced release of SRB from liposomes was different, and HDA was less effective than PA in the induction of SRB release. Using the method of ultrasound interferometry, we also showed that the addition of Ca²⁺ to HDA-containing liposomes did not change the phase state of liposomal membranes—in contrast to what was observed when Ca²⁺ was added to PA-containing vesicles. It was suggested that HDA/Ca²⁺- and PA/Ca²⁺-induced permeability transition occurs by different mechanisms. Using the method of dynamic light scattering, we further revealed that the addition of Ca²⁺ to HDA-containing liposomes induced their aggregation/fusion. Apparently, these processes result in a partial release of SRB due to the formation of fusion pores. The possibility that this mechanism underlies the HDA/Ca²⁺-induced permeability transition of the mitochondrial membrane is discussed.     

Dependence of the Parameters of Visual Evoked Potentials on the Parameters of a Complex Visual Stimulus (Tests on Humans)

We recorded visual evoked potentials, VEP, elicited by presentation of a reversal chess pattern; 35 healthy persons were examined. A recording electrode was in point Oz, according to the 10-20 system; dimensions of the chess pattern square fields and their contrast varied from 1.8 to 120 and from 2 to 100%, respectively. Peak latencies, PL, of the N75 component depended on the contrast of stimulus elements in a U-like manner with the minimum within a 20-25% range. The PL of the P100 component monotonically increased with a decrease in the contrast, while the dependence of the PL of N145 was complex: a trend toward a decrease with a decrease in contrast to 30%, a local maximum in about 25%, a decrease and stabilization within a 15-4% range, and a sharp increase at the minimum contrast. The amplitude of N75 decreased with decrease in contrast down to 20-25% and then stabilized; the amplitude of P100 decreased in an S-like mode, with a plateau within 25-4%. The dependence of the N145 amplitude was complex, with a plateau-like maximum at 30-15% contrast. The amplitudes of the negative VEP components, N75 and N145, increased with an increase in the square dimensions to 7.5 and then decreased. Changes in the P100 amplitude included two phases, with a local minimum within an angular dimension range of 30-15^O. The PL of all analyzed components in general increased with a decrease in the angular dimension of the pattern components. The above data are discussed considering concepts on the genesis of different VEP components and on the existence of specialized channels in the visual system, which are responsible for detection of different parameters of a visual object. The complex dynamics of the PL of the analyzed VEP components and of the P100 amplitude related to variation of the contrast and angular dimensions of the elements of a complex stimulus are considered to be determined by a module principle of the organization of the elements constituting different levels of the visual system and by transformations of the receptive fields of these elements on the level of cortical modules, which are related to changes in the stimulus parameters.     

Raman spectroscopy of blood serum for Alzheimer's disease diagnostics: specificity relative to other types of dementia

The key moment for efficiently and accurately diagnosing dementia occurs during the early stages. This is particularly true for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this proof‐of‐concept study, we applied near infrared (NIR) Raman microspectroscopy of blood serum together with advanced multivariate statistics for the selective identification of AD. We analyzed data from 20 AD patients, 18 patients with other neurodegenerative dementias (OD) and 10 healthy control (HC) subjects. NIR Raman microspectroscopy differentiated patients with more than 95% sensitivity and specificity. We demonstrated the high discriminative power of artificial neural network (ANN) classification models, thus revealing the high potential of this developed methodology for the differential diagnosis of AD. Raman spectroscopic, blood‐based tests may aid clinical assessments for the effective and accurate differential diagnosis of AD, decrease the labor, time and cost of diagnosis, and be useful for screening patient populations for AD development and progression.

Multivariate data analysis of blood serum Raman spectra allows for the differentiation between patients with Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia and healthy individuals.     

Approaches to the identification of ectoparasite complexes of bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae,Miniopteridae, Rhinolophidae,Molossidae) in the Palaearctic

The first attempt at identifying the faunal complexes of ectoparasites of Palaearctic bats is presented. Several approaches are used to estimate the distribution and dynamics of parasitocenoses of different host taxa in both latitudinal and meridional directions. Our analysis shows that the arid temperate zone is characterized by the highest number of species and the greatest taxonomic richness of bat ectoparasites in the Palaearctic. The results obtained reflect the phylogeography of the Palaearctic bat families and tribes.