[Comparative characteristics of the incidence of facial boils in military personnel and civilians]. / Sravnitel'naya kharakteristika zabolevaemosti furunkulom chelyustno-litsevoi oblasti u voennosluzhashchikh i grazhdanskikh lits.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY: To study the frequency and structure of the incidence of facial furuncle in military personnel of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region and civilians. To conduct a comparative analysis of the nature of the course, duration and outcome of the disease in military personnel and civilians (according to case histories). MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 5744 case histories of patients with purulent-inflammatory processes of the maxillofacial region treated at the clinic of the Department of ChLH and Surgical Dentistry of the Kirov Medical University and St. Petersburg State Medical Institution «City Hospital No. 15¼ from 2017 to 2019, 201 case histories of patients with facial furuncle were isolated and analyzed. RESULTS: According to the results of a study conducted from 2017 to 2019 in the clinic of the Department of CHLH and surgical Dentistry, a facial furuncle was detected in 65 cases. In the general structure of purulent-inflammatory diseases of the maxillofacial region, it was 3.1%. In the department of ChLH GB No. 15, 136 people were treated, which amounted to 3.7%. A lower percentage of the disease in military personnel is associated with early detection and timely initiation of treatment of purulent-inflammatory diseases of the skin. Weekly inspections of military personnel in military units, allow to avoid the development of complicated forms of their course. 95.0% of military personnel (47.0% of them contractors) and 51.0% of civilians were in the age group from 17 to 21 years. The main cause of the disease - hypothermia - in military personnel was 32.1%, in civilians - 20.9%. More often, the furuncle disease occurred in the spring: in military personnel in 44.6%, in civilians in 30.7% of cases. Localization of a boil in the buccal region occurred in military personnel in 15.4% of cases, and in civilians - in 20.8% of cases. CONCLUSION: To prevent the disease of facial frunculus in military personnel, it is necessary to improve methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients, to provide consultations of related specialists: dermatovenerologist, endocrinologist, immunologist. In addition, it is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene with the use of individual skin care products (according to the type of facial skin), hardening of the body and vitamin therapy.

The results of long-term simultaneous measurements of radon exhalation rate, radon concentrations in soil gas and groundwater in the fault zone.

The regular monthly radon measurements were carried out in the fault zone on the Western slope of the Beshtau magmatic massif (North Caucasus). The radon exhalation rate from the soil surface, as well as radon concentrations in soil gas at a depth of 0.5 m and in groundwater discharged at a spring located nearby have simultaneously been measured. High seasonal fluctuations in radon exhalation and radon concentration in soil gas, characterized by highs in summer and lows in winter, were registered. In summer, the radon exhalation reached 23.8 Bq m-2s-1, and the radon concentration in the soil gas reached 166 kBq m-3. In winter, both the radon exhalation and the radon concentration in the soil dropped to 0.025 Bq m-2s-1 and <3 kBq m-3, respectively. The concentration of radon in ground water varied over the year in a relatively narrow range (100-210 Bq l-1), and there were no seasonal fluctuations. A sharp increase in soil radon and radon exhalation in spring and a fall in autumn are timed to the moments when the temperature of the atmospheric air becomes, respectively, higher and lower than the temperature of the rock massif. Both the soil radon concentration and the radon exhalation show a close correlation with the temperature of atmospheric air, but in the first case the relationship is linear, and in the second - exponential. The obtained data confirm the assumption that the seasonal radon variations are caused by atmospheric air circulation in the shallow area of the fault due to the temperature difference between the atmosphere and the rock massif.

Analysis of the He-, Ar- and Kr-broadening coefficients of water vapor transitions in a wide spectral region.

An analysis of the measured He-, Ar- and Kr- broadening coefficients γ for 1575 water vapor transitions of 27 vibrational bands belonging to the 0.6-11,200 cm-1 spectral region is performed using an empirical function that contains adjustable parameters. A universal function is detected during the analysis. This function depends on the parameters that are common for all perturbers A = (He, Ar or Kr). A universal function multiplied by one additional parameter x20(A) determines the broadening coefficients γ(A) for each perturber A = (He, Ar or Kr).Two fitting procedures are used. The first considers the fit of measured γ(exp) for individual rotational branches while the other considers the global fit of all 1575 measured γ(exp). In the second procedure, ratios of γ(Kr)/γ(He) = 2.543 ± 0.040 and γ(Kr)/γ(Ar) = 1.252 ± 0.036 are found. The coefficients derived from the fitted parameters are compared statistically to measured coefficients.

High seasonal variations of the radon exhalation from soil surface in the fault zones (Baikal and North Caucasus regions).

The seasonal variations of radon exhalation rate from soil surface were studied in two seismically active regions of the Russian Federation - the Baikal rift and the North Caucasus. In each region, monthly measurements of the radon exhalation have been carried out at two relatively proximal sites, one of which was located within the active fault zone and the other outside of the fault zone. The Open Charcoal Chamber Method was used. Very high radon exhalation rate values were found in the fault zones at both regions. At the Baikal rift, the radon exhalation reached 1.4 Bq m-2 s-1, and at the Caucasian region in some periods it even achieved 24 Bq m-2 s-1, which is an extremely high value. The same pattern of seasonal variations of radon levels with abnormal high radon exhalation rate values in summer and extremely low in winter were observed in both the Baikal and Caucasus regions. Clear correlation between radon exhalation and air temperature were also revealed. The obtained data and simulation results indicate that seasonal fluctuations in the radon exhalation rate are caused by the inversion of the direction of convective air flow in the fractured zones of the rock massif. In summer, the convective air flow is directed from the rock massif to the atmosphere and in winter, vice versa, from the atmosphere to the rock massif. This phenomenon is similar to the well-known "chimney effect", i. e. in winter there is a direct draft in the system of fractures, and in summer - the reverse one. Thus, the detected radon anomalies are due to near-surface convective air circulation in permeable zones of the mountain ranges and most probably are not associated with deep crustal or mantle degassing. Seasonal thermally induced radon anomalies should be taken into account both in the radon risk mapping and in the application of radon as a tracer of natural processes in various fields of geology and geophysics.

An Approach to Better Estimation of the Initial Velocity of Enzyme Reactions.

A new algorithm for computation of the initial velocity of enzyme reaction at the time zero is proposed. This algorithm makes it possible to reduce the systematic error of measurements to the minimum, to estimate the reaction velocity in test samples regardless of the enzyme activity levels, and to minimize the assay time. The study is illustrated by an example of salivary alpha-amylase and standard reagent kit. The algorithm should not be applied if conjugated enzyme systems are used because there is a long initial lag phase in the kinetic curve.

Study of the H2O dipole moment and polarisability vibrational dependence by the analysis of rovibrational line shifts.

The study of the H2O dipole moment µ and polarisability α vibrational dependence is based on the comparison of experimental and calculated line shifts induced by argon, nitrogen, and air pressure in different H2O vibrational bands. Obtained dependence α on the stretching vibrations is in good agreement with the existing ab initio calculations in the literature, but the dependence α on the bending vibration is quite different. To clarify the dependence of µ and α on the bending vibration, the shifts of selected H2O lines of the 4ν2, 5ν2, and 6ν2 bands induced by argon, hydrogen and helium pressure are measured with the help of a Bruker IFS HR 125 spectrometer at room temperature with a spectral resolution of 0.01 cm-1. The comparison of experimental and calculated results with different values of µ and α line shifts is given.

[Stomatological status and quality of life of elderly and senile people].

The stomatological status and the measures of oral health-related quality of life in elderly and senile inhabitants of Novosibirsk were researched. The high prevalence and intensity of the major stomatological diseases, the high need for oral cavity sanation and prosthetics in elderly and senile population were found out.

[The optimization of technique of detection of cryoglobulins in conditions of clinical diagnostic laboratory].

The technique is proposed to evaluate cryoclobulins associated with IgM and IgG on the basis of detection of immune complexes circulating in healthy individuals and patients with liver cirrhosis. It is demonstrated that in patients with liver cirrhosis content of cryoclobulins associated with IgM increases almost twice and those associated with IgG more than two and a half times as compared with healthy individuals. It is established that in healthy individuals cryoclobulins are also present in blood in small amount. The proposed approach to detection of cryoclobulins permits to minimize time of implementation of study and also discharge of reagents.

EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES FROM BLOOD PLASMA STUDIED BY LOW VOLTAGE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY.

Extracellular vesicles are subspherical membranous structures secreted by cells and enriched with different types of biological molecules. The number and the molecular content of these structures depend on pathological conditions and the physiological state of the organism. Extracellular vesicles play an important role in intercellular communication and represent potential disease biomarkers. However, mechanisms of formation, functions and morphological characteristics of extracellular vesicles are still studied insufficiently. Low voltage scanning electron microscopy is a promising method to investigate extracellular vesicles, since it does not require conductive coating and therefore enables a high-resolution visualization of morphological details of nanosized objects. This paper presents the results of low voltage scanning electron microscopy study of morphology and size of objects from blood plasma fractions.

[SPECTRAL AND ACID-BASE PROPERTIES OF HEMOLYMPH PLASMA AND ITS FRACTIONS FROM GASTROPOD PULMONATE MOLLUSC ACHATINA FULICA].

The set of normal biochemical indicators of the hemolymph plasma of gastropod pulmonate mollusc Achatinafulica is described. Comparative analysis of the whole plasma and its subfractions enriched and depleted of oxygen-carrying protein hemocyanin was performed by spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry methods. Individual features of the absorption spectra were analyzed using fourth derivatives. The optimum method for estimating protein concentration was chosen. To characterize acid-base properties of plasma hemolymph and its sub-fractions we calculated buffer capacity, equivalence points and pK values of dominant buffer groups. It is shown that the major role in maintaining the buffer capacity of hemolymph belongs to the bicarbonate system. These results are compared with data for Helix pomatia available in literature. In the future the indicators studied in this work will be used to develop ecotoxicological criteria for the environmental assessment.

High-resolution neutron and X-ray diffraction room-temperature studies of an H-FABP-oleic acid complex: study of the internal water cluster and ligand binding by a transferred multipolar electron-density distribution.

Crystal diffraction data of heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) in complex with oleic acid were measured at room temperature with high-resolution X-ray and neutron protein crystallography (0.98 and 1.90 Šresolution, respectively). These data provided very detailed information about the cluster of water molecules and the bound oleic acid in the H-FABP large internal cavity. The jointly refined X-ray/neutron structure of H-FABP was complemented by a transferred multipolar electron-density distribution using the parameters of the ELMAMII library. The resulting electron density allowed a precise determination of the electrostatic potential in the fatty acid (FA) binding pocket. Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules was then used to study interactions involving the internal water molecules, the FA and the protein. This approach showed H⋯H contacts of the FA with highly conserved hydrophobic residues known to play a role in the stabilization of long-chain FAs in the binding cavity. The determination of water hydrogen (deuterium) positions allowed the analysis of the orientation and electrostatic properties of the water molecules in the very ordered cluster. As a result, a significant alignment of the permanent dipoles of the water molecules with the protein electrostatic field was observed. This can be related to the dielectric properties of hydration layers around proteins, where the shielding of electrostatic interactions depends directly on the rotational degrees of freedom of the water molecules in the interface.

Occupational risks in occupational morbidity structure and possibilities to reduce them.

The article presents results of occupational morbidity analysis in a region, with assessment of trends, levels, dynamics and structure of morbidity, factor dependency of occupational diseases, identification of occupational conditions of its occurrence. The information obtained helped to specify a system of occupational risk management, that increases efficiency in solving problems and better work safety in production.

Shear stress-induced atherosclerotic plaque composition in ApoE(-/-) mice is modulated by connexin37.

OBJECTIVE: Shear stress patterns influence atherogenesis and plaque stability; low laminar shear stress (LLSS) promotes unstable plaques whereas oscillatory shear stress (OSS) induces more stable plaques. Endothelial connexin37 (Cx37) expression is also regulated by shear stress, which may contribute to localization of atherosclerotic disease. Moreover, Cx37 reduces initiation of atherosclerosis by inhibiting monocyte adhesion. The present work investigates the effect of Cx37 on the phenotype of plaques induced by LLSS or OSS. METHODS: Shear stress-modifying casts were placed around the common carotid artery of ApoE(-/-) or ApoE(-/-)Cx37(-/-) mice, and animals were placed on a high-cholesterol diet for 6 or 9 weeks. Atherosclerotic plaque size and composition were assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Plaque size in response to OSS was increased in ApoE(-/-)Cx37(-/-) mice compared to ApoE(-/-) animals. Most plaques contained high lipid and macrophage content and a low amount of collagen. In ApoE(-/-) mice, macrophages were more prominent in LLSS than OSS plaques. This difference was reversed in ApoE(-/-)Cx37(-/-) animals, with a predominance of macrophages in OSS plaques. The increase in macrophage content in ApoE(-/-)Cx37(-/-) OSS plaques was mainly due to increased accumulation of M1 and Mox macrophage subtypes. Cx37 expression in macrophages did not affect their proliferation or their polarization in vitro. CONCLUSION: Cx37 deletion increased the size of atherosclerotic lesions in OSS regions and abrogated the development of a stable plaque phenotype under OSS in ApoE(-/-) mice. Hence, local hemodynamic factors may modify the risk for adverse atherosclerotic disease outcomes associated to a polymorphism in the human Cx37 gene.

Structure of the dodecamer of the aminopeptidase APDkam598 from the archaeon Desulfurococcus kamchatkensis.

The crystal structure of the aminopeptidase APDkam589 from the thermophilic crenarchaeon Desulfurococcus kamchatkensis was determined at a resolution of 3.0 Å. In the crystal, the monomer of APDkam589 and its symmetry-related monomers are densely packed to form a 12-subunit complex. Single-particle electron-microscopy analysis confirms that APDkam589 is present as a compact dodecamer in solution. The APDkam589 molecule is built similarly to the molecules of the PhTET peptidases, which have the highest sequence identity to APDkam589 among known structures and were isolated from the more thermostable archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii. A comparison of the interactions of the subunits in APDkam589 with those in PhTET1, PhTET2 and PhTET3 reveals that APDkam589 has a much lower total number of salt bridges, which correlates with the lower thermostability of APDkam589. The monomer of APDkam589 has six Trp residues, five of which are on the external surface of the dodecamer. A superposition of the structure of APDkam589 with those having a high sequence similarity to APDkam589 reveals that, although the positions of Trp45, Trp252 and Trp358 are not conserved in the sequences, the spatial locations of the Trp residues in these models are similar.

Perdeuteration: improved visualization of solvent structure in neutron macromolecular crystallography.

The 1.8 Šresolution neutron structure of deuterated type III antifreeze protein in which the methyl groups of leucine and valine residues are selectively protonated is presented. Comparison between this and the 1.85 Šresolution neutron structure of perdeuterated type III antifreeze protein indicates that perdeuteration improves the visibility of solvent molecules located in close vicinity to hydrophobic residues, as cancellation effects between H atoms of the methyl groups and nearby heavy-water molecules (D2O) are avoided.

[Immunogenetic predictors of a rapid virologic response to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C].

AIM: To determine the correlation between interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene polymorphism in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the presence or absence a rapid virologic response to antiviral therapy, and a number of immunological characteristics as a basis for a personalized approach to treating the patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventeen CHC patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b were examined and underwent genetic testing for IL28B gene polymorphism for rs12979860 (CC, CT or TT genotypes) and rs8099917 (TT, TG or GG genotypes) using the modified method of adjacent samples, which revealed single nucleotide substitutions in the genes. Their immunological parameters were identified by a flow cytometry technique by taking into account whether a rapid virologic response had been achieved. RESULTS: The key phenomena of a rapid virologic response in the representatives of different IL28B genotypes are the nonspecific proliferative activity of blood natural killer cells before treatment, as well as the count of regulatory T cells before and 4 weeks after therapy start. CONCLUSION: To predict the efficiency of antiviral therapy for CHC, it is desirable to supplement genetic studies with immunological data.

ATP-dependent DNA ligase from Thermococcus sp. 1519 displays a new arrangement of the OB-fold domain.

DNA ligases join single-strand breaks in double-stranded DNA by catalyzing the formation of a phosphodiester bond between adjacent 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini. Their function is essential for maintaining genome integrity in the replication, recombination and repair of DNA. High flexibility is important for the function of DNA ligase molecules. Two types of overall conformations of archaeal DNA ligase that depend on the relative position of the OB-fold domain have previously been revealed: closed and open extended conformations. The structure of ATP-dependent DNA ligase from Thermococcus sp. 1519 (LigTh1519) in the crystalline state determined at a resolution of 3.02 Šshows a new relative arrangement of the OB-fold domain which is intermediate between the positions of this domain in the closed and the open extended conformations of previously determined archaeal DNA ligases. However, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements indicate that in solution the LigTh1519 molecule adopts either an open extended conformation or both an intermediate and an open extended conformation with the open extended conformation being dominant.

[Gustatory sensitivity threshold to table salt and efficacy of the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with antihypertensive therapy].

Gustatory sensitivity threshold to table salt (GST) and extracellular fluid volume (EFV) were determined in 128 patients with arterial hypertension (mean age 54.1+-0.5 yr; 79 men) before and 3 month after antihypertensive therapy. Those with the initially high GST (sensing salt in its 0.32% solution) had AP 161+-2/97+-1 mm Hg, myocardial mass 235.1+-13.2 g and left ventricular diastolic size 4.91+-0.07 compared with 151 +- 1/93+-1, 203.5+-7.8 and 4.71+-0.05 respectively in patients with low GST. The treatment resulted in a decrease of AP and EFV by 14-19 and 12% respectively in all the patients. In those with high GST it decreased after intake of indapamide by 49% vs 24 % in the absence of therapy. In patients with initially low GST it decreased (by 37%) only after intake of diuretics. It is concluded that changes of GST reflect activation of mechanisms leading to a stable drop of AP.

[Phase II clinical trial of autologous dendritic cell vaccine with immunologic adjuvant in cutaneous melanoma patients].

This paper describes the clinical results and immunologic changes in cutaneous melanoma patients receiving active specific immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cell vaccine (DCV) in combination with cyclophosphamide used as immunologic adjuvant. Twenty eight patients with morphologically verified stage III-IV cutaneous melanoma receiving therapy in N. N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology between 2008 and 2011 were included in the study. All patients signed an informed consent form. Nineteen patients (67,9%) received DCV in therapeutic setting, 9 (32,1%) received it in adjuvant setting. DCV therapy was well tolerated. No serious adverse events were registered. Frequent adverse events included Grade 1-2 unspecific symptoms (fever, fatigue, flu-like symptoms) observed in 22% patients after 3,5% of vaccinations. In therapeutic settings the use DCV lead to clinical effect (PR+SD) in 36,6% of patients. PR was observed in 5% of (95% CI 0-15%) patients, SD in 31,6% (95% CI 13-56%). Duration of the objective responses was 168-965+days. Addition of immunologic adjuvant (cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 IV 2 hours) 3 days before vaccination increased its efficacy. In this patients group (n=12) the therapy lead to clinical benefit in 42% (95% CI 17-69%) of cases, median time to progression was 91 (95% CI 55-126) days. This regimen was selected for adjuvant therapy. In the adjuvant therapy group (n=9) the median time to progression was 112 (95% CI 58-166) days. Immunologic monitoring showed correlation ofT- and B-cell immune response with DCV clinical efficacy (p<0,05), no correlation with delayed hypersensivity reaction was observed (p>0,1). DCV is well tolerated and shows immunological and clinical response in stage III-IV skin melanoma patients.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a thermostable DNA ligase from the archaeon Thermococcus sibiricus.

DNA ligases join single-strand breaks in double-stranded DNA by catalyzing the formation of a phosphodiester bond between adjacent 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini. Their function is essential to maintain the integrity of the genome in DNA replication, recombination and repair. A recombinant ATP-dependent DNA ligase from the hyperthermophilic anaerobic archaeon Thermococcus sibiricus was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Crystals were grown by vapour diffusion using the hanging-drop method with 17%(w/v) PEG 4000 and 8.5%(v/v) 2-propanol as precipitants. A diffraction experiment was performed with a single crystal, which diffracted X-rays to 3.0 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 58.590, b = 87.540, c = 126.300 Å.