Genetic Risk Factors for the Development of COVID-19 Coronavirus Infection.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has spread to 215 countries around the world and caused tens of millions of infections and more than a million deaths worldwide. In the midst of COVID-19 infection, it is extremely important to identify new protein and gene targets that may be highly sensitive diagnostic and prognostic markers of the severity and outcome of the disease for combating this pandemic. Identification of individual genetic predisposition allows personalizing programs of medical rehabilitation and therapy. It has now been shown that the transmissibility and severity of COVID-19 infection can be affected by gene variants in both the human body (ACE2, HLA-B*4601, FcγRIIA, MBL, TMPRSS2, TNFA, IL6, blood group A antigen, etc.) and the virus itself (ORF8 in RNA polymerase, ORF6 in RNA primase, S, N, E proteins). The presence of mutations in the proteins of the virus can change the affinity and specificity for the binding of targeted drugs to them, being the molecular basis of individual differences in the response of the human body to antiviral drugs and/or vaccines. The review summarizes the data on the variants of the genomes of the coronavirus and humans associated with an individual predisposition to an increased or decreased risk of transmission, severity, and outcome of COVID-19 infection. Targeted drugs and vaccines being developed for the therapy of COVID-19 infection are briefly reviewed.

[Pathophysiological mechanisms of autism in children]. / Patofiziologicheskie mekhanizmy razvitiya autizma u detei.

Based on the analysis of literature, the authors describe the neuropathophysiological mechanism of the formation of synapses, synaptic transmission and plasticity, which may underlie the pathogenesis of autism. The results of some studies confirm the involvement of aberrant expression of genes and proteins of synaptic contacts, cell adhesion molecules p120ctn, CNTN5, CNTN6, activation of NMDA glutamate, TrkB, p75 receptors, Ca2+-input, BDNF, serotonin and testosterone. This leads to an imbalance in the exciting, inhibitory synaptic transmission and forms of synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) at the level of individual neurons and their chains due to suppression of GABA synthesis, expression of its ionotropic and metabotropic receptors, G proteins, NGF, TrkA receptors, a reduction in the number of GABAergic neurons, their contacts and disruption of differentiation. The pathology of the nuclei of the thalamus, especially the reticular nucleus (RN), is associated with a disturbance of the expression of the subunits of metabotropic GABAß receptors, Ca2+ channels, GABA excretion and the work of chlorine transmitters. These failures do not ensure the inhibitory effect of OC on the exciting associative and ventral nuclei of the thalamus, nor modify the incoming information to the cerebral cortex (CC) from these thalamus nuclei, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the nuclei of the reticular formation. Information propagating into the somatosensory and associative regions of CC is not modified by mirror neurons (MN) when performing arbitrary actions, which prevents the formation of an adequate image in the neural networks of the associative cortex and promotes the development of hyperexcitability, irritability, increased visual and auditory sensitivity, anxiety, and the ability to form a holistic image based on the actions of other people.

Proliferation and survival of rat C6 glioma culture in the presence of implants coated with modified carbon-based films.

The survival of rat C6 glioma decreased in the presence of implants from VT-16 titanium alloy. Diamond-like carbon coating of VT-16 alloy slightly increased cell death on day 5 of the experiment (39.9+/-2.1%). The percentage of dead C6 glioma cells inside titanium rings with diamond-like carbon coating, incorporating up to 3.5 atom.% Ag nanoparticles, was 53.7+/-4.3% on day 5 of culturing, while after doping to 6.7 atom.% Ag cell death reached 66.7+/-3.2% (p<0.05). The maximum toxic effect towards C6 glioma was detected in the specimens coated with diamond-like film with silver nanoparticles.

Epizootic situation and fox rabies prophylaxis in the territory of Tatarstan.

Data on the epizootic situation of rabies in the Republic of Tatarstan from 1970-2003 were obtained from epizootological and immunological monitoring. The districts in Tatarstan were divided into four groups according to the intensity of indices and a map of epizootics was developed. A three- to five-year cyclic recurrence of rabies, with peaks in the spring-winter-autumn seasons of the year was established. Foxes are the basic source and spreader of rabid infection in the Republic amounting to 96.5 % of rabies cases among wild animals. The present study gives the results of epizootological analysis of the efficacy of oral immunization of foxes in the republic since 1996.

[Tissue thromboplastin in the human brain]. / Tkanevoi tromboplastin golovnogo mozga cheloveka.

The studies by the scanning electron microscopy have shown that there are small amounts of membrane-like structures in the dry preparation of tissues thromboplastin obtained from the human brain. In water phospholipids of thromboplastin form hexagonal (H11) cylinders. Protein moiety of the tissue factor essentially influences on the phase state of phospholipids and on the dynamic properties of their fatty acid chains' radicals. The interaction of Ca2+ with the tissue thromboplastin does not change the phase state of phospholipids and at the same time rises rigidity of polar parts of phospholipids and their hydrophobic segments in the internal structures.

[A model of tissue thromboplastin]. / Model' tkanevogo tromboplastina.

The molecular structure of the human brain tissue thromboplastin was studied by the method of NMR-31P and 1H using the shifting reagent. Molecular model of the tissue thromboplastin is suggested. According to the model only 10-20% of polar phosphate-containing heads are exposed outside. Phospholipids located deeper form hexagonal (HII) cylinders which may consist only of lipids or of complexes with proteins.