Assessment of the Acute Toxicity of Chlorophyllin and Trolox for the Possibility of Studying Their Radioprotective Properties.

The acute toxicity of chlorophyllin and trolox upon intraperitoneal injection of their solutions was studied in male ICR (CD-1) mice. The LD50 of chlorophyllin was found to be 633±37.2 µg/g body weight, which is lower than the LD50 of established radioprotectors. Trolox is technically non-toxic under the conditions of our study. The results obtained highlight the need for a detailed study of the radioprotective properties of trolox and chlorophyllin.

Radioprotective Properties of Riboxin (Inosine) and Indralin under External Irradiation.

A comparative assessment of radioprotective properties of inosine nucleoside (riboxin) and recognized radioprotector indralin was carried out. We analyzed survival of male ICR CD-1 mice weighting 32.2±0.2 g exposed to external X-ray radiation at doses 6.5 and 6.75 Gy and receiving indralin at a dose of 100 or 150 µg/g body weight or riboxin (inosine) at a dose of 100 or 200 µg/g body weight before irradiation. The survival analysis was carried out by the Kaplan-Meier method. The significance was assessed by using the log-rank-test. Inosine showed a significant difference from the irradiated control only at a dose of 100 µg/g body weight at a radiation dose of 6.75 Gy. The survival of animals treated with indralin was significantly higher in comparison with not only the irradiated control group, but also with the groups receiving inosine.

[A role of personality and stress in the development of depressive symptoms in students]. / Rol' lichnosti i stressa v razvitii depressivnykh rasstroistv u studentov.

AIM: To study a role of personality and stress as a mediator between personality and depression in university first-year students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-four students (76.6% female, mean age 18.7±1.02 years), including 30 first year- and 34 second-year students, were studied. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The first-year students experienced more stress and more frequently had depressive symptoms compared to second-year students. Neuroticism mainly contributed to depression in the first-year students and extroversion was a protective factor against all depressive symptoms, whereas extraversion and conscientiousness were significant unique predictors for depression in the second-year students. Neuroticism was strongly associated with somatic symptoms, while consciousness was linked to cognitive-affective symptoms. The role of stress as a mediator of the relationship between personality and depression was confirmed for consciousness in the first-year students; other personality traits and stress contributed directly to depressive symptoms.

[Use of computer technologies for studying the morphological characteristics of the iris color in anthropology].

Digital images of the iris were received for study peculiarities of the iris color during the anthropological examination of 578 students aged 16-24 years. Simultaneously with the registration of the digital images, the visual assessment of the eye color was carried out using the traditional scale of Bunak, based on 12 ocular prostheses. Original software for automatic determination of the iris color based on 12 classes scale of Bunak was designed, and computer version of that scale was developed. The software proposed allows to conduct the determination of the iris color with high validity based on numerical evaluation; its application may reduce the bias due to subjective assessment and methodological divergences of the different researchers. The software designed for automatic determination of the iris color may help develop both theoretical and applied anthropology, it may be used in forensic and emergency medicine, sports medicine, medico-genetic counseling and professional selection.

A first-principles DFT study of UN bulk and (001) surface: comparative LCAO and PW calculations.

LCAO and PW DFT calculations of the lattice constant, bulk modulus, cohesive energy, charge distribution, band structure, and DOS for UN single crystal are analyzed. It is demonstrated that a choice of the uranium atom relativistic effective core potentials considerably affects the band structure and magnetic structure at low temperatures. All calculations indicate mixed metallic-covalent chemical bonding in UN crystal with U5f states near the Fermi level. On the basis of the experience accumulated in UN bulk simulations, we compare the atomic and electronic structure as well as the formation energy for UN(001) surface calculated on slabs of different thickness using both DFT approaches.

[Identification and structural analysis of a glycophospholipid component from the venom of ant Paraponera clavata].

The venom of South American ant Paraponera clavata and its low-molecular-mass fraction were shown to possess insectotoxic and pore-forming activities. A number of glycophospholipid components were isolated from this ant venom by means of gel filtration and reversed-phase chromatography. Some of the compounds cause conductivity fluctuations in lipid bilayer membranes within the ranges 3-25 pS and 200-400 pS at concentrations of 10(-6) to 10(-7) M. N-Acetylglucosamine, a fatty acid, and phosphoric acid residues were found in their structures. A full structure, 3-myristoyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl phosphate, was elucidated for one of the compounds by the use of 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.