Dynamics of acoustical evoked potentials on a background of habituation to verbal stimulus in persons with different individual anxiety levels

Changes in the amplitude and the latencies of peak P300 of acoustical evoked potential on a background of the verbal stimulus novelty loss were used for determination of the brain activity specifity in individuals with various anxiety levels. The increase of the peak P300 latency of acoustical evoked potential on a background of trace processes arising after habituation was determined. This parameter did not depend on an anxiety level. However, the latency change depended on the attentional level to a submitted signal. The peak P300 amplitude in the right temporal cortex field was connected with the anxiety level--there was a growth of amplitude on a habituation background with the low anxious subjects, and with the highly anxious people the changes of this parameter were not observed. The anxiety level has rendered influence to dehabituation reaction. Dehabituation is observed with the low-anxiety subjects.     

Severity of depressive symptoms and oscillatory responses to emotional facial expressions

Differences in oscillatory responses to emotional facial expressions were studied in 40 subjects (19 men and 21 women aged from 18 to 30 years) varying in severity of depressive symptoms. Compared with perception of angry and neutral faces, perception of happy faces was accompanied by lower Δ synchronization in subjects with a low severity of depressive symptoms (Group 2) and higher Δ synchronization in subjects with a high severity of depressive symptoms (Group 1). Because synchronization of Δ oscillations is usually observed in aversive states, it was assumed that happy faces were perceived as negative stimuli by the Group 1 subjects. Perception of angry faces was accompanied by α desynchronization in Group 2 and α synchronization in Group 1. Based on Klimesch’s theory, the effect was assumed to indicate that the Group 1 subjects were initially set up for perception of negative emotional information. The effect of the emotional stimulus category was significant in Group 2 and nonsignificant in Group 1, testifying that the recognition of emotional information is hindered in depression-prone individuals.     

A Study of the Effect of Terahertz Electromagnetic Radiation on Microbial Cell Viability

Biophysics - Abstract—The effect of pulsed terahertz radiation at a wavelength of 66 μm, a pulse duration of 100 ns, and a pulse energy of 200 mJ on a suspension of microbial cells was...     

Polymorphic markers <Emphasis Type="Italic">Val762Ala</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leu54Phe</Emphasis> of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">ADPRT1</Emphasis> gene associated with chronic glomerulonephritis in Russian patients from Moscow

A comparative analysis of allele and genotype distribution of polymorphic markers Val762Ala and Leu54Phe of ADPRT1 gene encoding poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase1 has been performed in chronic glomerulonephritis patients compared to normal controls. This has shown a significant difference in the ADPRT1 gene polymorphic marker Val762Ala allele and genotype frequency distribution between chronic glomerulonephritis patients and healthy controls (according to Fisher’s exact test). At the same time the allele and genotype frequency for a polymorphic marker Leu54Phe distribution did not show significant difference between these groups. Therefore, we have concluded that the ADPRT1 gene polymorphic marker Val762Ala is associated with the development of chronic glomerulonephritis in Russian patients of the Moscow region.     

Polymorphic Markers at the Genes Encoding the Endothelial NO-Synthase and Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor and the Susceptibility to Ischemic Heart Disease

Allele and genotype frequency distribution patterns of the polymorphic regions at the genes for human endothelial NO-synthase (NOS3) (theecNOS4a/4b VNTR and the Glu298Asp substitution) and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT ₁)(the A1166C substitution) were compared in 83 unrelated healthy individuals and 88 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). In the group of patients statistically significantly higher frequencies of the NOS3 allele4a (45.5 versus 19.3%), as well as the 4a/4a (15.9 versus 2.4%) and 4a/4b (59.1 versus 33.7%) genotypes were observed. Frequencies of the allele4b (54.5% versus 80.7%) and the 4b/4b homozygotes (25.0 versus 63.9%) were statistically significantly lower in the group of IHD patients than in healthy individuals. The IHD patients were statistically significantly different from the healthy subjects also in the distributions of the AT ₁ genotypes. In the former group, a significantly decreased frequency of the AA homozygotes (51.1 versus 65.1%) and an increased frequency of AC heterozygotes (40.9 versus 27.7%) were observed. Thus, in the Moscow population the ecNOS4a/4b VNTR of theNOS3 gene and the A1166C polymorphism of the AT ₁ gene are associated with the IHD development. Furthermore, the correlation with the IHD revealed was much stronger for the NO3 VNTR locus.     

Representation of a Three-Dimensional Epithelial Structure as a Regular Cellular Network in a Drosophila Eye Model

Biophysics - Analysis of the spatial arrangement of the drosophila retina has shown that the structure of cell layers can be represented by three-dimensional stack-like cell lattices. These...     

On the elementary units of multicellularity and their classification in the shape of a periodic table

An approach to calculation of a space of logical possibilities in the development of multicellular organisms is proposed. The approach is based on formalized analysis of cell specialization/integration, which produces multicellularity units called hystions. Certain parameters and criteria for determination of quantitative developmental characteristics are introduced. They allow the space described to be systematized in the shape of a periodic table and divided into plastic, adaptive, and rigid zones. These zones are described quantitatively.