Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells rely on oxidative phosphorylation but avoid processing long-chain fatty acids in their mitochondria.

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that endothelial cells (ECs), primarily rely on glycolysis for ATP production, despite having functional mitochondria. However, it is also known that ECs are heterogeneous, and their phenotypic features depend on the vascular bed. Emerging evidence suggests that liver sinusoidal ECs (LSECs), located in the metabolically rich environment of the liver, show high metabolic plasticity. However, the substrate preference for energy metabolism in LSECs remains unclear. METHODS: Investigations were conducted in primary murine LSECs in vitro using the Seahorse XF technique for functional bioenergetic assays, untargeted mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyse the LSEC proteome involved in energy metabolism pathways, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based analysis of acyl-carnitine species and Raman spectroscopy imaging to track intracellular palmitic acid. RESULTS: This study comprehensively characterized the energy metabolism of LSECs, which were found to depend on oxidative phosphorylation, efficiently fuelled by glucose-derived pyruvate, short- and medium-chain fatty acids and glutamine. Furthermore, despite its high availability, palmitic acid was not directly oxidized in LSEC mitochondria, as evidenced by the acylcarnitine profile and etomoxir's lack of effect on oxygen consumption. However, together with L-carnitine, palmitic acid supported mitochondrial respiration, which is compatible with the chain-shortening role of peroxisomal ß-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids before further degradation and energy generation in mitochondria. CONCLUSIONS: LSECs show a unique bioenergetic profile of highly metabolically plastic ECs adapted to the liver environment. The functional reliance of LSECs on oxidative phosphorylation, which is not a typical feature of ECs, remains to be determined.

REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES GENERATION BY BLOOD LEUCOCYTES OF RATS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF INTERMITTENT COLD EXPOSURE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the level of ROS production by blood leukocytes of rats with PCOS under the conditions of intermittent cold exposure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: In the study, 40 immature female rats of the WAG population at the age of 27 days with a body weight of 80-90 g were used. Five groups were formed (8 animals in each group). Group 1 was represented by intact rats that were not subjected to any manipulations. Group 2 was represented by rats that were injected subcutaneously with 0.2 ml of purified and sterilized olive oil daily for 25 days. Group 3 was represented by rats that were exposed to intermittent cold for 25 days. Group 4 was represented by rats that were modeled with PCOS. Group 5 was represented by rats, which were simulated PCOS against the background of intermittent cold exposure. ROS production was estimated in leukocytes isolated from rats of all groups by flow cytometry using the fluorescent probe of 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA). RESULTS: Results: The experimental study revealed an intracellular excessive production of ROS by leukocytes in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome. The use of inter¬mittent cold exposure normalized the production of reactive oxygen species by leukocytes in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The effectiveness of intermittent cold exposure, proven by the authors, allows recommending its use as one of the methods of prevention and treatment of the polycystic ovary syndrome.

Investigation of Ukrainian refugees' eating behavior, food intake, and psychological distress: Study protocol and baseline data.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, almost 8 million people left the country; more than 1 million of them relocated to Germany. It is to be expected that the war puts considerable strain on refugees, which will impact the public health system in host countries. This paper presents baseline data and protocol of longitudinal online experimental study of 619 Ukrainian refugees in Germany started in autumn 2022, focusing on participants' self-reports of appetite, food intake, and levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms to examine their associations. Results indicate that levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in refugees significantly exceed the indicators of relevant parameters as reported by independent large-scale surveys conducted in Ukraine before the war as well as strong correlations between these deviations (.59 ≤ r ≤ .69, p = .005). Changes in appetite were related to more severe psycho-emotional deviations (.15 ≤ r ≤ .19, p = .003) and somewhat unhealthier food intake (r = -.08, p < .001). The study underlines the need of psychological care for refugees to improve their mental health and counteract potential negative consequences for physical health via changes in food intake, for which suitable interventions need to be developed.

MALIGNANT TUMORS OF THE APPENDIX: CLINICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CASES FROM THE PRACTICE.

The authors have analyzed medical histories of two patients, treated in health care facilities of Kharkiv region from 2008 to 2020. These patients underwent urgent appendectomy, given the existing clinic of acute appendicitis. Morphological examination of the surgical material allowed us to diagnose adenocarcinoma in one case, and neuroendocrine tumor in combination with endometriosis in the other case. Morphological examination of the surgical material in the first case revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and diffuse neutrophilic infiltration in all layers of the appendix, and in the second case - a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (G3), combined with the signs of phlegmonous-ulcerative appendicitis and loci of endometriosis. In both cases, there were no specific for the oncological process anamnestic and clinical-instrumental data, and these tumors were manifested by the clinic of acute appendicitis. Only morphological examination of the surgical material allowed identifying the pathological process. Clinical and morphological analysis of cases from the practice of malignant tumors of the appendix (neuroendocrine tumor and adenocarcinoma) will be useful and interesting for the medical community and should stimulate cancer vigilance in physicians.

FEATURES OF THE COURSE OF PERINATAL INFECTIONS AT THE PRESENT STAGE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To characterize the course of the most common perinatal infections on the basis of assessment of the literature data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: This article provides an assessment of 125 literature sources submitted to PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, CyberLeninka, Google Scholar and V.I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. The description of the most common viral, bacterial and parasitic perinatal infections, transmission methods, clinical manifestations, methods of diagnosis and treatment, their clinical consequences are described. Perinatal infections are the leading cause of severe congenital pathology, a serious worldwide medical and social problem that needs to be addressed. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Perinatal infections are a serious issue of today, requiring a multidisciplinary approach and the collaboration of doctors of different specialties. Their prevalence among the population, high rates of perinatal mortality, concealment under the mask of other disorders, and the absence of specific clinical symptoms in pregnant and newborns require careful consideration of this problem. Improving the quality of diagnosis and treatment of this pathological condition will help to minimize the risk of transmission of infection, as well as to avoid a number of abnormaalities in the neonatal period and the development of congenital infection.