Репозиторий Университета

© 2018, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. The careful differential diagnosis is very important in pediatric cases of multiple sclerosis (MS). It has special difficulties if MS started in patients with residual neurological pathology. Two cases of development of MS in children with cerebral palsy (CP) are presented. The clinical features and diagnostic difficulties in such comorbid situations are discussed.

© COPYRIGHT SPIE. The paper considers physical processes and mechanisms of laser reparation of spine cartilage, presents results of investigations aimed to optimize laser settings and to develop feedback control system for laser reconstruction of spine discs. Possible mechanisms of laser-induced regeneration include: (1) Space and temporary modulated laser beam induces non-homogeneous and pulse repetitive thermal expansion and stress in the irradiated zone of cartilage. Mechanical effect due to controllable thermal expansion of the tissue and micro and nano gas bubbles formation in the course of the moderate (up to 50 °C) heating of the NP activate biological cells (chondrocytes) and promote cartilage regeneration. (2) Non-destructive laser radiation leads to the formation of nano and micro-pores in cartilage matrix in the in the immediate vicinity of chondrocytes. That promotes water permeability and increases the feeding of biological cells. Results provide the scientific and engineering basis for the novel low-invasive laser procedures to be used in neurosurgery and orthopedics for the treatment cartilages of spine. The technology and equipment for laser reconstruction of spine discs have been tested first on animals, and then in a clinical trial. Since 2001 the laser reconstruction of intervertebral discs have been performed (i) for more than 3,200 patients with chronic symptoms of low back or neck pain who failed to improve with non-operative care; and (ii) for 1100 patients underwent hernia removal surgery. Substantial relief of back pain was obtained in 92.5% of patients treated who returned to their daily activities. LRD allowed also to decrease secondary surgeries more than three times. Optical fiber technique based on light scattering measurements have been used to promote safety and efficacy of the laser procedures.

© 2018, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved. The topicality of the research lies in the fact that the challenges of the last decades, especially the last few years, caused the growth of crime, violence, extremist and terrorist sentiments, and extensively involved youth in these processes. For these reasons, there is an acute need to study aggression and social aggression, especially the aggressive behavior of youth. An interpretive comprehension of these phenomena by social philosophers is important because aggression, in any form, is a social construct, is formed and manifested in social interaction; and the use of philosophical methods allows studying all the factors that influence its formation: political, economic, social, psychological and others. In this paper, we present a review and analysis of various approaches to understand human and social aggression, their generalization, and develop a general and comprehensive point of view relate to their nature and determinacy. The methodology of the research is based on the universal laws governing the development of nature, human society, and thought: dialectical synthesis, the transformation of quantity into quality, and the identity of opposites; the philosophical theory of determinism; and system-activity approach. The leading theoretical methods to study this issue are concerned with the content analysis of scientific papers relevant to the research problem, and, hence, consider the factors associated with the formation and manifestation of aggressiveness in general and social aggression in particular. The paper provides a definition of the phenomenon of social aggression considering it as a system of aggressor's attitudes and behaviors in the interaction, his intention of inflicting damage or other unpleasantness upon another individual, the aim to create more efficient (dominant) terms of interaction and activity, and/or cause damage to the target victims. Using system-activity approach to characterize the phenomenon the following features have been distinguished: a specific way of organizing activities, rationality, a temporal duration, purposefulness, practicality, introductory nature, a possibility of control and self-control, invertibility and duality caused by human consciousness as the only factor. The authors hope that the materials of the article might be of theoretical and practical value for developing programs aimed at the prevention of aggression, especially social youth aggression, and bring the process of social adaptation and socialization of young people back to the normal state, thus reducing the risk of destructive tendencies.

© 2018 Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved. The objective of the present work was to develop the method for the visualization of the shape of the bone surface in the region of its traumatic damage based on the results of the analysis of a single X-ray image for the solution of the problems facing forensic medical expertise and traumatology. The three-dimensional models of the fractures of the long tubular bones constructed with the use of the visualization technique were shown to adequately reproduce the morphological picture of the injury. It allowed to enhance the potential of the forensic medical analysis and the accuracy of the diagnostic methods employed for the purposes of forensic medical expertise.

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The use of polymeric carriers to deliver hydrophobic photosensitizers has been widely discussed as a way to improve both fluorescence diagnostic and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancers; however, the photophysical and pharmacokinetic parameters, as well as the PDT activity, of such modifications have, until now, only been poorly investigated. The purpose of the present study was to explore the efficacy of PDT with the formulation of the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) in combination with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in comparison with Ce6 alone and with the clinical drug, Photodithazine in a mouse tumor model. We also investigated the photoactivity of the Ce6-PVA in a model reaction of tryptophan oxidation, analyzed the polymer–Ce6 interaction using fluorescence spectroscopy and atomic-force microscopy, and tested the phototoxicity in vitro. Using fluorescence imaging in vivo we found that injection to mice of Ce6 in a formulation with PVA resulted in a higher tumor-to-normal ratio and greater photobleaching when compared with either the use of Ce6 alone, or with the effects of Photodithazine. Tumor growth study and histological examination of CT26 tumors revealed fast, reproducible tumor regression and more advanced necrosis after PDT with Ce6-PVA. The higher photoactivity of the Ce6-PVA complex was confirmed in a model reaction of tryptophan oxidation and in cultured cells. Therefore, encapsulation of Ce6 in PVA represents a promising strategy for further increasing the selectivity and efficacy of PDT.

© 2018 Bentham Science Publishers. Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are looking forward to new therapeutic strategies that may gradually decelerate the rate of neurodegenerative decline, associated with mobility restrictions and related morbidity. Its continuous neurodegenerative process, exacerbated by genetic mutations or environmental toxins, involves a progressive reduction in the dopamine neurotransmission levels, synaptic uptake density, oxidative glucose intake, deficient striatal lactate accumulation and chronic inflammation. Over the last decade, novel bioproducts have received considerable interest due to their unique potential of unifying nutritional, safety and therapeutic natural effects. Some nutraceuticals play a crucial role in the control of the signaling transduction pathways in neurotransmission and inflammation affected in PD, and some natural compounds can beneficially interact with each one of these biological mechanisms to slow down disease progression. Atremorine, a novel plant-derived nutraceutical, probably with a neuroprotective effect in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (pars compacta), is a prototype of this new category of bioproducts with potential effects in PD. The major focus of this review will be on the current knowledge and biomedical investigation strategies through a plant-derived neuroprotective approach to improve life quality in PD patients, being of paramount importance for health providers, caregivers and the patients themselves.

© The Author(s) 2018. Objective: Chondrospheres represent a variant of tissue spheroids biofabricated from chondrocytes. They are already being used in clinical trials for cartilage repair; however, their biomechanical properties have not been systematically investigated yet. The aim of our study was to characterize chondrospheres in long-term in vitro culture conditions for morphometric changes, biomechanical integrity, and their fusion and spreading kinetics. Results: It has been demonstrated that the increase in chondrospheres secant modulus of elasticity is strongly associated with the synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Additionally, significant interplay has been found between biomechanical properties of tissue spheroids and their fusion kinetics in contrast to their spreading kinetics. Conclusions: Extracellular matrix is one of the main structural determinants of chondrospheres biomechanical properties during chondrogenic maturation in vitro. The estimation of tissue spheroids’ physical behavior in vitro prior to operative treatment can be used to predict and potentially control fusogenic self-assembly process after implantation in vivo.

© 2018, Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy. All rights reserved. The aim of the study was to investigate the morphological and metabolic features of primary hippocampal cultures formation on hydrogel films and scaffolds based on hyaluronic acid glycidyl methacrylate. Materials and Methods. Hydrogel films and scaffolds with certain architectonics were developed by micromolding technique on the basis of hyaluronic acid glycidyl methacrylate. Primary hippocampal cells obtained from C57BL/6 mouse embryos (E18) were cultured on the created constructs more than 14 days. Testing cell viability, morphometric assessment, and analysis of spontaneous calcium activity of primary hippocampal cultures were performed on day 14 of cultures development in vitro. Results. This study revealed that the material for the development of scaffolds with given architectonics is non-toxic for the nervous system cells. Dissociated hippocampal cells were actively attached to the scaffold surface and were assembled into cell conglomerates, which exhibited spontaneous calcium activity. Conclusion. Scaffolds designed on the basis of hyaluronic acid glycidyl methacrylate have a high biocompatibility with the nervous system cells. Architectonics and adhesive properties of scaffold contribute to the formation of functionally active cell conglomerates.

© 2018, Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy. All rights reserved. The aim of the study was to demonstrate a good diagnostic potential of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tracking morphological changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissue due to pathological processes. Here we summarize our experience in AFM application in a number of biomedical studies on the connective tissue disease, both for the research and clinical purposes. Materials and Methods. Depending on the project application (experimental or clinical), the tissue specimens were harvested either from animals, or from patients in the course of their surgical treatment, or post mortem. AFM images of fixed tissue slices on glass slides were acquired with a Solver P47 AFM instrument (NT-MDT, Russia), in the semi-contact mode. For mechanical properties mapping, the images were acquired on air in the PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping mode (PeakForce QNM®), using a MultiMode 8 atomic force microscope (Bruker, USA). The regions of interest for scanning were selected in accordance with the histological assignments for the same sample, based on the view of a sample in the built-in optical microscope of the AFM instrument setup. To quantify the changes in the ECM morphology visualized by AFM imaging, we applied flicker-noise spectroscopy parameterization. Results. AFM has been shown to reveal visible deviations from the normal morphology of the ECM in diseased tissues. We found that AFM and related techniques are capable of tracking disease-related changes at different levels of collagen organization in the ECM. At the microscale, AFM may detect loosening and disorganization of collagen fibers (e.g., in a dysplastic process), or the opposite process of their packing into tight parallel bundles in a fibrotic process. AFM may also monitor the ratio between collagen and non-fibrous material of the ECM, for example, in inflammatory and neoplastic processes. At the level of collagen fibrils, AFM may reveal early signs of the matrix destruction and remodeling not visible at the microscopic level. The flicker-noise spectroscopy parameters provide quantification of the morphological changes visualized by AFM. The PeakForce QNM® and nanoindentation studies give a further insight into the state of ECM via tracking changes in the local mechanical and adhesive properties. All our AFM studies appeared in a good agreement with the histological findings and generally had a superior sensitivity to pathology-related ECM rearrangements. Conclusion. AFM may serve as a valuable complementary diagnostic tool for tracking pathological changes in the connective tissue.

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016. A comparative study performed in mice investigating the action of DF302, a novel fluoride-containing gamma-carboline derivative, in comparison to the structurally similar neuroprotective drug dimebon. Drug effects on learning and memory, emotionality, hippocampal neurogenesis and mitochondrial functions, as well as AMPA-mediated currents and the 5-HT6 receptor are reported. In the step-down avoidance and fear-conditioning paradigms, bolus administration of drugs at doses of 10 or 40 mg/kg showed that only the higher dose of DF302 improved long-term memory while dimebon was ineffective at either dosage. Short-term memory and fear extinction remained unaltered across treatment groups. During the 5-day predation stress paradigm, oral drug treatment over a period of 2 weeks at the higher dosage regimen decreased anxiety-like behaviour. Both compounds supressed inter-male aggression in CD1 mice, the most eminent being the effects of DF302 in its highest dose. DF302 at the higher dose decreased floating behaviour in a 2-day swim test and after 21-day ultrasound stress. The density of Ki67-positive cells, a marker of adult neurogenesis, was reduced in the dentate gyrus of stressed dimebon-treated and non-treated mice, but not in DF302-treated mice. Non-stressed mice that received DF302 had a higher density of Ki67-positive cells than controls unlike dimebon-treated mice. Similar to dimebon, DF302 effectively potentiated AMPA receptor-mediated currents, bound to the 5-HT6 receptor, inhibited mitochondrial permeability transition and displayed cytoprotective properties in cellular models of neurodegeneration. Thus, DF302 exerts multi-target effects on the key mechanisms of neurodegenerative pathologies and can be considered as an optimized novel analogue of the neuroprotective agent dimebon.

© 2018 Ima-Press Publishing House. All Rights Reserved. The paper presents the proceedings of the Round Table with the participation of leading neurologists, which is devoted to chronic cerebrovascular diseases. It is noted that chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI), or dyscirculatory encephalopathy (DEP), is one of the most common neurological diagnoses in our country. The pathogenesis, clinical presentations, diagnosis and treatment of CCI (DEP) and its matching with vascular cognitive impairment (CI), which is regarded in foreign literature as the main manifestation of chronic cerebrovascular disease (CVD) were considered. The authors analyze clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of vinpocetine (Cavinton) in chronic CVD, dizziness, Cl, as well as the use of new vinpocetine formulations, such as Cavinton Comforte, in various neurological diseases, dysphagia in particular, in poststroke patients.

© 2018 Russian Electronic Journal of Radiology.All Rights Reserved. agnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNP) show great potential as the contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Purpose. To evaluate the efficiency and safety of the contrast agent based on HSA-coated MNP on the model of the C6 glioma. Materials and methods. Extensive preclinical research of specific activity has been performed. Studies were conducted on the model of the orthotopic C6 glioma. Results. In the preclinical studies, it was demonstrated that HSA-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNP-HSA) accumulate in the tumor and its large vessels. Conclusion. Magnetic resonance imaging with contrast agent allows visualization of the tumor tissue and its vascularization.

© 2018 Medical Education. All rights reserved. Mild asthma is characterized by infrequent and slight clinical manifestations and, therefore, is paid lack of attention both from patients and physicians. Physicians tend to underestimate risk of severe exacerbations including asthmatic status in patients with mild asthma. Patients with mild asthma are often poorly adherent to treatment. Also, certain difficulties are related to timely and correct diagnosis and the choice of the optimal treatment by primary care physicians who are first physicians encountering such patients. The paradoxus of asthma and use of short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) to treat chronic airway inflammation lead to excessive dependence on rescue inhalers and insufficient adherence to maintenance anti-inflammatory therapy. This could trigger acute exacerbations and even fatal outcomes in patients with mild asthma. Therefore, SABA monotherapy has to be limited. Easy-to-use questionnaires, algorithms and treatment protocols accessible for primary care physicians could improve detection of mild asthma. Favorable results of clinical trials on as-needed use of budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® could change the management paradigm for mild asthma regarding risk of exacerbations, control of asthma symptoms, airway inflammation, and cost-efficacy.

© 2017 Astro Ltd. A two-photon laser femtosecond crosslinking process at the wavelength of 525 nm was studied in a human donor cornea in the presence of riboflavin using two-photon optical microscopy and nanoindentation. It was shown that such an approach results in efficient crosslinking of the corneal collagen and a significant (three-fold) increase in the Young's modulus of the corneal structure. Application of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 525 nm allows a drastic enhancement of efficiency in the presence of riboflavin on human corneas and a 50-fold reduction of the laser treatment duration in comparison with the use of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 760 nm. We relate this effect to a significant growth in the coefficient of two-photon absorption due to the laser wavelength falling within the edge of the photoinitiator (riboflavin) absorption band. Our studies on a donor human cornea demonstrate the good potential for the clinical application of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 525 nm for increasing the cornea rigidity using the two-photon laser femtosecond crosslinking technique.

© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Rabies virus is endemic to Russia, among other countries. It is therefore critical to develop a high-quality and high-precision diagnostic procedure for the control and prevention of infection. The main objective of the research presented here was to develop a reliable RT-qPCR assay for rabies diagnostics. For this purpose, a RABV strains from various biological and geographical origins were used. In addition, rabies-positive and rabies-negative samples, as well as nucleic acids from other viruses and DNA extracted from the brain tissues of mice, dogs, cats, bats and humans, were studied using the developed assay. The analytical sensitivity of the assay, as assessed using armored recombinant positive control dilutions, was 103 copies/ml, and the sensitivity measured using characterized strains was between 0.1 LD50/ml and 1.0 LD50/ml. A broad range of RNA from RABV strains circulating in different regions of Russia, as well as RNA from RABV-positive primary brain samples from 81 animals and two humans, was detected using the developed assay. No false-positive or false-negative results were obtained. Given that high analytical and diagnostic sensitivities and a high specificity were verified for this assay, it has high potential as a screening test that may be suitable for the epizootiological monitoring of animals and for the fast postmortem diagnosis of rabies.

© 2018 SPIE. Application of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy for biological tissues is strongly limited by the extremely low penetration depth due to THz absorption by tissue water. One of the possible solution of such problem is the usage of THz wave penetration-enhancing agents (PEA) for optical clearing of tissues. In the present paper, the transmission-mode THz spectroscopy of a set of PEAs (polyethylene glycol with different molecular weight, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and dimethyl sulfoxide) was performed in order to reconstruct their dielectric properties and compare them with that of water. The obtained results emphasize the feasibility of using PEG to enhance the depth of THz wave penetration into tissues.

© COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only. We have developed a method of the terahertz (THz) solid immersion microscopy for the reflection-mode imaging of soft biological tissues. It relies on the use of the solid immersion lens (SIL), which employs the electromagnetic wave focusing into the evanescent-field volume (i.e. at a small distance behind the medium possessing high refractive index) and yields reduction in the dimensions of the THz beam caustic. We have assembled an experimental setup using a backward-wave oscillator, as a source of the continuous-wave THz radiation featuring λ= 500 μm, a Golay cell, as a detector of the THz wave intensity, and a THz SIL comprised of a wide-aperture aspherical singlet, a truncated sphere and a thin scanning windows. The truncated sphere and the scanning window are made of high-resistivity float-zone silicon and form a unitary optical element mounted in front of the object plane for the resolution enhancement. The truncated sphere is rigidly fixed, while the scanning window moves in lateral directions, allowing for handling and visualizing the soft tissues. We have applied the experimental setup for imaging of a razor blade to demonstrate the advanced 0:2λ resolution of the proposed imaging arrangement. Finally, we have performed imaging of sub-wavelength-scale tissue spheroids to highlight potential of the THz solid immersion microscopy in biology and medicine.

© 2018 Ima-Press Publishing House. All rights reservbed. The examination of a patient with acute low back pain (LBP) includes the clarification of complaints and history data, brief physical and neurological examinations, and an assessment of danger symptoms. The diagnosis of acute nonspecific (musculoskeletal) LBP is based on the exclusion of a specific cause of pain (a potentially dangerous disease), discogenic radiculopathy, and lumbar spinal stenosis. If there is typical musculoskeletal pain and no danger symptoms, radiography, X-ray computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are not recommended in the first 4 weeks of disease. Whether it is expedient to perform these techniques is considered when LBP persists over this time period. A patient with acute nonspecific (musculoskeletal) LBP should be informed about the favorable outcome of the disease and the need to maintain physical and social activities, to avoid bed rest, and, if possible, to continue professional activities. The lowest effective dose of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for short-term duration, as well as muscle relaxants (the medium level of evidence) can be used to relieve pain. It is recommended that one should use an educational program (to prevent over-exercising and prolonged standing or sitting in static and awkward positions; to lift weights properly; etc.) to prevent recurrent LBP, as well as therapeutic exercises during a non-exacerbation period.

© COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only. We have performed the in vitro terahertz (THz) spectroscopy of human brain tumors. In order to fix tissues for the THz measurements, we have applied the gelatin embedding. It allows for preserving tissues from hydration/dehydration and sustaining their THz response similar to that of the freshly-excised tissues for a long time after resection. We have assembled an experimental setup for the reflection-mode measurements of human brain tissues based on the THz pulsed spectrometer. We have used this setup to study in vitro the refractive index and the amplitude absorption coefficient of 2 samples of malignant glioma (grade IV), 1 sample of meningioma (grade I), and samples of intact tissues. We have observed significant differences between the THz responses of normal and pathological tissues of the brain. The results of this paper highlight the potential of the THz technology in the intraoperative neurodiagnosis of tumors relying on the endogenous labels of tumorous tissues.

© 2018 Russian Association of Endocrinologists. All rights reserved. The presented paper is a third revision of the clinical recommendations for the treatment of morbid obesity in adults. Morbid obesity is a condition with body mass index (BMI) ≥40 kg / m2 or a BMI ≥35 kg / m2 in the presence of serious complications associated with obesity. The recommendations provide data on the prevalence of obesity, its etiology and pathogenesis, as well as on associated complications. The necessary methods for laboratory and instrumental diagnosis of obesity are described in detail. In this revision of the recommendations, the staging of prescribing conservative and surgical methods for the treatment of obesity are determined. For the first time, a group of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus is selected, in whom metabolic surgery allows a long-term improvement in the control of glycemia or remission of diabetes mellitus.