Detection of large-scale X-ray bubbles in the Milky Way halo.

The halo of the Milky Way provides a laboratory to study the properties of the shocked hot gas that is predicted by models of galaxy formation. There is observational evidence of energy injection into the halo from past activity in the nucleus of the Milky Way1-4; however, the origin of this energy (star formation or supermassive-black-hole activity) is uncertain, and the causal connection between nuclear structures and large-scale features has not been established unequivocally. Here we report soft-X-ray-emitting bubbles that extend approximately 14 kiloparsecs above and below the Galactic centre and include a structure in the southern sky analogous to the North Polar Spur. The sharp boundaries of these bubbles trace collisionless and non-radiative shocks, and corroborate the idea that the bubbles are not a remnant of a local supernova5 but part of a vast Galaxy-scale structure closely related to features seen in γ-rays6. Large energy injections from the Galactic centre7 are the most likely cause of both the γ-ray and X-ray bubbles. The latter have an estimated energy of around 1056 erg, which is sufficient to perturb the structure, energy content and chemical enrichment of the circumgalactic medium of the Milky Way.

[Sensitivity and specificity of urinary and serum neurotrophins in the diagnosis of neurogenic detrusor overactivity in multiple sclerosis].

Lower urinary tract dysfunction is common among neurological patients. Traditionally, the basic method of diagnosis is a complex urodynamic study. In recent years, many studies have focused on the search for new non-invasive diagnostic modalities. In particular, neurotrophins are considered as potential biological markers of a neurogenic bladder. AIM: To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the serum and urinary nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in MS patients as markers of detrusor overactivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 20 patients with multiple sclerosis, who complained of voiding problems. The control group consisted of 20 people without neurological diseases, lower urinary tract symptoms and detrusor overactivity estimated by filling cystometry. Apart from standard laboratory tests, diagnostic evaluation included a complex urodynamic study, ultrasound of the urinary tract, cystoscopy, testing serum and urinary NGF and BDNF using the enzyme immunoassay. The diagnostic significance of neurotrophins was evaluated using ROC analysis. RESULTS: According to the ROC analysis, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of serum NGF as a marker of detrusor hyperactivity was 57% and 93%, respectively (for serum NGF more or equal 26 pg/ml). The quality of the test according to the expert scale of AUC values was "very good" (AUC=0.806). Detecting NGF in patients urine was less effective. The sensitivity and specificity were 52% and 40%, respectively (for NGF more or equal 6 pg/ml). The quality of the test according to the expert scale of AUC values was "average" (AUC=0.64). The serum BDNF demonstrated high sensitivity (90%) and low specificity (23%), AUC=0.56. The urinary BDNF was more informative, (AUC=0.65). The combination of all four markers provides a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 66.7% (AUC=0.824). CONCLUSIONS: Testing serum and urinary neurotrophins in patients with multiple sclerosis can be used to diagnose detrusor overactivity. The NGF is a highly specific biomarker, while the BDNF is highly sensitive. Combined testing for serum NGF and BDNF is most informative.

[Epithelial cadherins and associated molecules in invasive lobular breast cancer]. / Epitelial'nye kadgeriny i assotsiirovannye s nimi molekuly pri invazivnom dol'kovom rake molochnoi zhelezy.

AIM: to estimate the expression of cell adhesion molecules E- and P-cadherin, as well as that of cadherin-catenin complexes in invasive lobular breast cancer (BC) cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 250 cases of postoperative material from patients diagnosed with invasive lobular BC were studied. The expressions of cell adhesion molecules E-cadherin, P-cadherin, ß-catenin, p120 catenin, and vimentin were determined by immunohistochemical assay in all cases. The examined cases were divided into molecular biological subtypes, based on the evaluation of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), HER-2/neu, and Ki-67 proliferative index. RESULTS: The membrane expression of E-cadherin on the tumor cells was found to be preserved in 93%; the cytoplasmic expression of ß-catenin and p120-catenin appeared in 60 and 72% of cases, respectively. The expression of P-cadherin was detected in 82% of cases. The coexpression of E- and P-cadherin was noted in 90% of all the examined cases. There was a correlation between the expression of E- and P-cadherins (V=0.34; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The BC cells showed the coexpression of E- and P-cadherins, as well as release of the molecules ß- and p120-catenins into the cytoplasm of tumor cells, which leads to the activation of intracellular mechanisms for changing the structure of the cytoskeleton and the level of proliferation. The above-mentioned mechanisms are accompanied by the activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The intracellular mechanisms resulted in progressive cancer and its metastasis.

[Role of cadherins in health and in developing breast cancer].

The review gives data on the structure of cadherin cell adhesion molecules, their role in the body's development and malignant tumor progression. It describes cadherins that are considered to play the most important role in the development of a tumor process: E-, P-, and N-cadherins that belong to type I classical cadhedrins and VE-cadhedrin that does to type II cadherins. Particular emphasis is placed on the signal mechanisms with involvement of cadherins and cadherin-related molecules, which are realized in the body in health and in tumor transformation of cells.

Cobalt-56 γ-ray emission lines from the type Ia supernova 2014J.

A type Ia supernova is thought to be a thermonuclear explosion of either a single carbon-oxygen white dwarf or a pair of merging white dwarfs. The explosion fuses a large amount of radioactive (56)Ni (refs 1-3). After the explosion, the decay chain from (56)Ni to (56)Co to (56)Fe generates γ-ray photons, which are reprocessed in the expanding ejecta and give rise to powerful optical emission. Here we report the detection of (56)Co lines at energies of 847 and 1,238 kiloelectronvolts and a γ-ray continuum in the 200-400 kiloelectronvolt band from the type Ia supernova 2014J in the nearby galaxy M82. The line fluxes suggest that about 0.6 ± 0.1 solar masses of radioactive (56)Ni were synthesized during the explosion. The line broadening gives a characteristic mass-weighted ejecta expansion velocity of 10,000 ± 3,000 kilometres per second. The observed γ-ray properties are in broad agreement with the canonical model of an explosion of a white dwarf just massive enough to be unstable to gravitational collapse, but do not exclude merger scenarios that fuse comparable amounts of (56)Ni.

[The role of E-cadherin cell adhesion molecule in human ontogenesis in norm and pathology].

E-cadherin is one of the most important cell adhesion molecules, which plays a key role in embryogenesis and adult tissues under normal conditions and during tumor development. Molecules of E-cadherin are located at the epitheliocyte surface and take part in the adhesion contacts formation which are a characteristic feature of epithelial tissues. The role of E-cadherin is not only in the maintenance of intercellular adhesion, but also in provision of cell proliferation and differentiation through participation in the realization of a number of signaling pathways, the main of which is the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. This review provides basic information regarding the role of E-cadherin in human ontogenesis in norm and pathology.

[10 years of testing of the HER2 status in breast cancer in Russia].

The paper analyzes 10 years' experience in HER2 status testing in breast cancer in Russia. The ASCO/CAP HER2 testing guidelines adaptable to the work of pathologists in Russia are considered.

[To the analytical theory of the supercompensation phenomenon].

The effect of supercompensation and the conditions of its origination have been analyzed using a special analytical solution of the equation of the overdamped Duffing oscillator. The threshold values of the functional shift after the exposure of a living organism to intensive external load have been found. If these values are exceeded, the restoration process goes through the stages of enhanced and lowered working capacity. Expressions for the times of transition to these phases after the onset of recovery and for the time of occurrence of the maxima of these phases have been obtained and analyzed.

Discrete sources as the origin of the Galactic X-ray ridge emission.

An unresolved X-ray glow (at energies above a few kiloelectronvolts) was discovered about 25 years ago and found to be coincident with the Galactic disk-the Galactic ridge X-ray emission. This emission has a spectrum characteristic of a approximately 10(8) K optically thin thermal plasma, with a prominent iron emission line at 6.7 keV. The gravitational well of the Galactic disk, however, is far too shallow to confine such a hot interstellar medium; instead, it would flow away at a velocity of a few thousand kilometres per second, exceeding the speed of sound in the gas. To replenish the energy losses requires a source of 10(43) erg s(-1), exceeding by orders of magnitude all plausible energy sources in the Milky Way. An alternative is that the hot plasma is bound to a multitude of faint sources, which is supported by the recently observed similarities in the X-ray and near-infrared surface brightness distributions (the latter traces the Galactic stellar distribution). Here we report that at energies of approximately 6-7 keV, more than 80 per cent of the seemingly diffuse X-ray emission is resolved into discrete sources, probably accreting white dwarfs and coronally active stars.

[On the prediction of the supercompensation phase by determining the parameters of the living functional system of the body].

On the basis of the overdamped Duffing model, a technique for determining the key parameters of functional systems of the living body has been developed which characterizes its properties during recovery from standard physical load. As an example, the dynamics of restoration of pulse frequency is considered. The knowledge of these parameters allows one to predict the response of the living body to intensive external loads. This information can also be helpful for the optimization of the training process.

Modes of nonlinear acoustic transparency in the strained paramagnetic crystal.

The propagation of transverse-longitudinal acoustic pulses through a strained cubic crystal containing resonant paramagnetic impurities with effective spin S =1 is investigated. It is supposed that the pulses propagate under arbitrary angle with respect to the direction of the external static deformation parallel to the fourth-order symmetry axis. In this geometry, both the transverse and longitudinal components of the acoustic field have high-frequency and zero-frequency spectral components. We show that a pulse can propagate in modes different from the acoustic self-induced transparency. In particular, a pulse propagating in the mode of an acoustic self-induced supertransparency substantially changes the populations of the spin sublevels, but its group velocity remains almost equal to the linear velocity of the sound. If a pulse propagates in the acoustic extraordinary transparency mode, then its group velocity is substantially lower while the sublevel populations remain virtually invariant. Also, the modes of propagation under conditions of weakly excited spin transitions and large detuning of the pulse high-frequency components are identified.

[Adaptation of the functional system of the living organism to nonregular conjugated actions]. / Adaptatsiia funktsional'noi sistemy organizma k nereguliarnym sopriazennym nagruzkam.

A semiphenomenological approach to the study of the adaptation of a particular functional system of the living organism to nonregular changes in the environmental parameter conjugated with this system was suggested. It was shown that the behaviour of the functional system under these conditions is similar to that of a macroparticle in the rotational Brownian motion. In the adaptation process, a phase of superadaptation at the smallest nonregular actions was revealed. Some examples supporting the occurrence of the superadaptation phase are presented.

An apparently normal gamma-ray burst with an unusually low luminosity.

Much of the progress in understanding gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has come from studies of distant events (redshift z approximately 1). In the brightest GRBs, the gamma-rays are so highly collimated that the events can be seen across the Universe. It has long been suspected that the nearest and most common events have been missed because they are not as collimated or they are under-energetic (or both). Here we report soft gamma-ray observations of GRB 031203, the nearest event to date (z = 0.106; ref. 2). It had a duration of 40 s and peak energy of >190 keV, and therefore appears to be a typical long-duration GRB. The isotropic gamma-ray energy of < or =10(50) erg, however, is about three orders of magnitude smaller than that of the cosmological population. This event--as well as the other nearby but somewhat controversial GRB 980425--is a clear outlier from the isotropic-energy/peak-energy relation and luminosity/spectral-lag relations that describe the majority of GRBs. Radio calorimetry shows that both of these events are under-energetic explosions. We conclude that there does indeed exist a large population of under-energetic events.

[A mathematical model for variations in the functional state of a living organism under external regular load]. / Matematicheskaia model' izmeneniia funktsional'nogo sostoianiia zhivogo organizma v period deistviia reguliarnykh vneshnikh nagruzok.

On the basis of the nonlinear model of the overdamped Duffing oscillator, the adaptation of the living organism to regular external loads (constant and periodical) was studied. It was shown that this model describes the stages of strain and resistance. In the resistance stage, a superadaptation phase may be observed, which exceeds by functional shift its asymptotic volume. This stage has a threshold character with respect to load. It was shown that the theoretical results coincide with the experimental data obtained under periodical loads. The conclusion about the existence of optimal load frequency, which leads to a maximum heating of the organism. The differences between the responses of organisms with strong and weak immunities to the harmonic actions were analyzed.

[Phenomenological theory of the recuperative period of the living organism]. / K fenomenologicheskoi teorii vosstanovitel'nogo perioda zhivogo organizma.

A phenomenological nonlinear model, describing a reconstruction of the living organism after strong loading have been proposed. This model is describing a restitution dynamics of the organism functional state to the initial state, including a supercompensation stage. In a simplest (one-component) case this model is overdamping Duffing oscillator. It is shown that the mutation phenomena may be described as the phase transition within the framework of Landau-Khalatnikov approach. A generalized many-component nonlinear reconstruction model is proposed.

[A method of determining the thickness of a histologic section using a spectrophotometer]. / Sposob opredeleniia tolshchiny gistologicheskogo sreza s pomoshch'iu spektrofotometra.

The authors show the possibility of determining the thickness of a histological section using a spectrophotometer with automatic recording of absorption spectrum. The thickness of the section in nanometers is calculated by graphic records of the sample interference pattern. Experimental setting has been defined which warrants stable results.

[The surgeon's procedure in appendicular infiltrates]. / Taktika khirurga pri appendikuliarnom infil'trate.

The surgeon's tactics in appendicular infiltrate should be chosen following a complete examination of the patient and careful observation. Appendectomy is indicated in loose appendicular infiltrate. Conservative therapy is a method of choice for the treatment of a dense appendicular infiltrate. Periappendicular abscess should be opened and drained.

[Causes of anastomositis after gastric resection]. / O prichinakh anastomozita posle rezektsii zheludka.

The control fibrogastroscopy of the resected stomach in patients showing the clinical picture of postoperative anastomositis has proved that the application of an unresolving suture material (caprone) for a marginal suture of gastroenteroanastomosis causes post-resection inflammation of anastomosis in about 50% of cases. For improvement of surgical results the authors suggest to substitute marginal caprone sutures with catgut or tantal agraffes.