Microwave-Induced Oscillations in Magnetocapacitance: Direct Evidence for Nonequilibrium Occupation of Electronic States.

In a two-dimensional electron system, microwave radiation may induce giant resistance oscillations. Their origin has been debated controversially and numerous mechanisms based on very different physical phenomena have been invoked. However, none of them have been unambiguously experimentally identified, since they produce similar effects in transport studies. The capacitance of a two-subband system is sensitive to a redistribution of electrons over energy states, since it entails a shift of the electron charge perpendicular to the plane. In such a system, microwave-induced magnetocapacitance oscillations have been observed. They can only be accounted for by an electron distribution function oscillating with energy due to Landau quantization, one of the quantum mechanisms proposed for the resistance oscillations.

Emerging roles for vascular smooth muscle cell exosomes in calcification and coagulation.

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic conversion from a contractile to 'synthetic' state contributes to vascular pathologies including restenosis, atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. We have recently found that the secretion of exosomes is a feature of 'synthetic' VSMCs and that exosomes are novel players in vascular repair processes as well as pathological vascular thrombosis and calcification. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors as well as mineral imbalance stimulate exosome secretion by VSMCs, most likely by the activation of sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 3 (SMPD3) and cytoskeletal remodelling. Calcium stress induces dramatic changes in VSMC exosome composition and accumulation of phosphatidylserine (PS), annexin A6 and matrix metalloproteinase-2, which converts exosomes into a nidus for calcification. In addition, by presenting PS, VSMC exosomes can also provide the catalytic surface for the activation of coagulation factors. Recent data showing that VSMC exosomes are loaded with proteins and miRNA regulating cell adhesion and migration highlight VSMC exosomes as potentially important communication messengers in vascular repair. Thus, the identification of signalling pathways regulating VSMC exosome secretion, including activation of SMPD3 and cytoskeletal rearrangements, opens up novel avenues for a deeper understanding of vascular remodelling processes.

Directed percolation process in the presence of velocity fluctuations: Effect of compressibility and finite correlation time.

The direct bond percolation process (Gribov process) is studied in the presence of random velocity fluctuations generated by the Gaussian self-similar ensemble with finite correlation time. We employ the renormalization group in order to analyze a combined effect of the compressibility and finite correlation time on the long-time behavior of the phase transition between an active and an absorbing state. The renormalization procedure is performed to the one-loop order. Stable fixed points of the renormalization group and their regions of stability are calculated in the one-loop approximation within the three-parameter (ɛ,y,η) expansion. Different regimes corresponding to the rapid-change limit and frozen velocity field are discussed, and their fixed points' structure is determined in numerical fashion.

[Microscopic myocardial changes and their significance for forensic medical diagnosis].

Morphological myocardial changes essential for diagnosis in forensic medical medicine are listed as well as alterations in the vessels of the myocardium, cardiac muscular fibers and cardiomyocytes important for diagnosis of death of ischemic heart disease, acute alcohol poisoning, alcohol cardiomyopathy, closed cardiac lesions. Changes induced by reflex impacts on the heart and postmortem alterations are also shown.

[Identification of blunt objects according to the injuries caused by them].

The article presents principles of forensic-medical identification of blunt objects by injuries inflicted with them. It is shown that each injury has its own complexes of identifying signs. It is necessary to consider mechanisms of action of blunt objects inflicting contact, noncontact and other injuries. Mathematical methods should be employed to estimate probability of identification of traumatic blunt object.

[The effect of hypoxia on the urokinase and adenylate cyclase systems in the culture of endothelial cells of the human umbilical vein].

Hypoxia induces angiogenesis in ischemized tissues by means of pro-angiogenic factor expression. The key role in the growth processes and blood vessel functioning belongs to the matrix metalloproteinases, plasminogen, and its activator systems. Effect of hypoxia on expression of the urokinase activating agent plasminogen and its receptor in endothelium was studied in human umbilical vein endothelial cell model. Incubation of the endothelial cells under the conditions of hypoxia proved to reduce both urokinase formation in these cells and its secreting into the culture medium. The hypoxia-induced reduction of urokinase contents was accompanied by enhancement of expression of the urokinase receptor. The hypoxia also entailed reduction of the adenylate cyclase activity and cAMP contents in the endothelial cells. The data obtained suggest that reduction of the adenylate cyclase activity and cAMP contents under the conditions of hypoxia provide basis for suppression of the urokinase expression by the endothelial cells and, consequently, inhibition of blood vessel formation in the ischemized tissue.

[Morphological signs of impaired excitation conduction in the myocardium].

The article describes morphological changes in cardiac muscular fibers and cardiomyocytes secondary to disorders in conduction of excitation in the myocardium. These changes may indicate cardiac arrest as a result of reflex impacts including cases of damage which is not lethal.

[The morphological specificity of relaxation of cardiomyocytes and their value in forensic medical diagnostics]. / O morfologicheskikh osobennostiakh rasslableniia kardiomiotsitov i ikh znachenii dla sudebno-meditsinskoi diagnostiki.

The morphological specificity of different conditions of cardiomyocytes was studied in myocardia of 50 cadavers of men who died of a variety of reasons. All conditions, except for the normal relaxation of cardipmyocytes, were found to result from damages in the contractive apparatus. Morphological variations of relaxation of cardiomyocytes are described.

[Topical issues of organisation and implementation of forensic medical expertise]. / Nekotorye aktual'nye voprosy organizatsii i proizvodstva sudebno-meditsinskikh ékspertiz.

The shaped-up experience of management and implementation of expertise as applicable to civil and criminal cases and with respect to the requirements of new legislative acts was analyzed. Issues connected with composing a commission of experts, with the range of competence of forensic medical expert and of clinical practitioner, as well as with the content and form of the expert conclusions are under discussion.

[Significance of changes in the myocardium for the forensic-medical diagnosis of death as a result of alcoholic cardiomyopathy]. / Znachenie izmenenii miokarda dlia sudebno-meditsinskoi diagnostiki smerti ot alkogol'noi kardiomiopatii.

Significance, of the weight and dimensions of heart as well as of fat dystrophy of cardiomyocytes and of the related detection methods is demonstrated for the diagnosis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACMP). When such patients die in a state of alcoholic intoxication, the diagnosis should be death of acute alcoholic intoxication. Lethality of ACMP can be diagnosed only in those who die in the sober condition or with an insignificant level of alcohol.

[Variants of the signs of death from acute alcohol poisoning stipulated by different features of thanatogenesis]. / O variantakh priznakov smerti ot ostrogo otravleniia alkogolem, obuslovlennykh razlichnymi osobennostiami tanatogeneza.

Two variants of thanatogenesis were formulated in cases of death of acute alcohol intoxication; according to the above variants, different combinations of macro- and micro signs as well as of biochemical indices of carbohydrates content in the hepatic tissues and blood are revealed during cadaver examinations. The diagnostic value of the mentioned signs demands that the thanatogenesis specific features must be taken into account in each separate case.

[Definitions of general and professional working ability]. / Ob opredeleniiakh obshchei i professional'noi trudosposobnosti.

The regulating documents and published data were analyzed to define the general and professional working-capacity. New principles were formulated, on this basis, to compose a table of a persistent loss of general working-capacity expressed in percentage.

[Evaluation of severity of harm to health caused by trauma aggravating a preceding disease]. / Otsenka tiazhesti vreda zdorov'iu, obuslovlennogo travmoi, povlekshei obostrenie predshestvovavshego zabolevaniia.

A severity of damage made to the health condition by an injury aggravating a preceding pathology is under discussion. It was demonstrated that such criteria as the time period of temporary disablement as well as the permanent disablement ensure, with respect for clinical data, an objective assessment of a severity done to the health in the discussed cases.

[The significance of ethanolemia for the diagnosis of death from acute ethanol poisoning]. / Otsenka znacheniia urovnia alkogolemii dlia diagnostiki smerti ot ostrogo otravleniia alkogolem.

Foci of myolysis of cardiac muscle fibers are suggested to be used for evaluation of thanatogenetic significance of ethanol concentration in cadaveric blood. This sign of acute ethanol poisoning is absent in case of other cause of death in a state of ethanol intoxication, even in the presence of high ethanolemia. Therefore, foci of myolysis are a sign of ethanol tolerance.

Catalytic activity of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) in intact mitochondria. evidence for the slow active/inactive transition.

The mammalian purified dispersed NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) and the enzyme in inside-out submitochondrial particles are known to be the slowly equilibrating mixture of the active and de-activated forms (Vinogradov, A. D. (1998) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1364, 169-185). We report here the phenomenon of slow active/de-active transition in intact mitochondria where the enzyme is located within its natural environment being exposed to numerous mitochondrial matrix proteins. A simple procedure for permeabilization of intact mitochondria by channel-forming antibiotic alamethicin was worked out for the "in situ" assay of Complex I activity. Alamethicin-treated mitochondria catalyzed the rotenone-sensitive NADH-quinone reductase reaction with exogenousely added NADH and quinone-acceptor at the rates expected if the enzyme active sites would be freely accessible for the substrates. The matrix proteins were retained in alamethicin-treated mitochondria as judged by their high rotenone-sensitive malate-cytochrome c reductase activity in the presence of added NAD(+). The sensitivity of Complex I to N-ethylmaleimide and to the presence of Mg(2+) was used as the diagnostic tools to detect the presence of the de-activated enzyme. The NADH-quinone reductase activity of alamethicin-treated mitochondria was sensitive to neither N-ethylmaleimide nor Mg(2+). After exposure to elevated temperature (37 degrees C, the conditions known to induce de-activation of Complex I) the enzyme activity became sensitive to the sulfhydryl reagent and/or Mg(2+). The sensitivity to both inhibitors disappeared after brief exposure of the thermally de-activated mitochondria with malate/glutamate, NAD(+), and cytochrome c (the conditions known for the turnover-induced reactivation of the enzyme). We conclude that the slow active/de-active Complex I transition is a characteristic feature of the enzyme in intact mitochondria and discuss its possible physiological significance.

[Forensic medical evaluation of professional working capacity in victims, who needs additional care]. / Ob ustanovlenii nuzhdaemosti poterpevshikh v dopolnitel'nykh vidakh pomoshchi pri sudebno-meditsinskoi ekspertize stepeni utraty professional'noi trudosposobnosti.

The philosophy of evaluating the need of a victim in extra care is discussed. The method for evaluating the need in transport vehicles for the victim is described in detail. Legislative documents which help solve such problems are cited, including those used by committees of forensic medical evaluations.

[Organization and procedure of forensic medical expert evaluation of professional working capacity loss]. / O poriadke organizatsii i proizvodstva sudebno-meditsinskoi ékspertizy ustanovleniia stepeni utraty professional'noi trudosposobnosti.

Sixty-one forensic medical expert conclusions on the loss of professional working capacity are analyzed and typical errors are characterized. The procedure of forensic medical expert evaluation of the degree of loss of professional working capacity in accordance with the Civil Code and Civil Judicial Procedure Code of the Russian Federation and the actual norm-setting documents is described.

[Diagnostic role of acute microscopic changes in myocardium]. / O diagnosticheskom znachenii ostrykh mikroskopicheskikh izmenenii miokarda.

Forensic medical diagnosis of death from coronary heart disease, acute ethanol poisoning, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, closed cardiac injuries, mechanical injuries incompatible with life which may be directly caused by acute cardiac failure, requires identification and evaluation of diagnostic complexes of acute myocardial changes. The diagnostic significance of such complexes of myocardial changes is characterized for the first time. A method for evaluation of such changes, addressed to expert histologists, is presented.