Articles

Background: Asthma, a chronic inflammatory respiratory ailment, is characterized by variable airflow obstruction and heightened bronchial reactivity. Despite therapeutic advancements, a comprehensive comprehension of its underlying metabolic mechanisms remains elusive. Metabolomics has emerged as a powerful approach to investigating the complex connections between serum metabolites and disease pathogenesis. However, exploring the causal relationship between serum metabolites and asthma susceptibility demands meticulous examination to unveil potential therapeutic targets.Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was explored to investigate the potential causal associations between serum metabolites and asthma risk. The main analysis employed the inverse variance weighted method, supported by supplementary approaches such as MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and sample mode. To enhance the strength and credibility of our results, we conducted sensitivity analyses encompassing heterogeneity testing, assessment of horizontal pleiotropy, and leave-one-out analysis. Additionally, pathway enrichment analysis was performed to further elucidate the results.Results: We identified 18 known and 12 unknown metabolites with potential associations with asthma risk. Among known metabolites, seven exhibited protective effects (e.g., 4-acetamidobutanoate, allantoin, kynurenine, oxidized bilirubin*), while eleven were considered risk factors (e.g., ornithine, N-acetylornithine, alanine). Through the integration of four additional MR models and sensitivity analyses, we revealed a connection between 4-acetamidobutanoate and approximately 6% lower asthma risk (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90–0.98).Conclusions: Our MR analysis uncovered protective and risk-associated metabolites, alongside 12 unknown metabolites linked to asthma. Notably, 4-acetamidobutanoate demonstrated a nominal 6% reduction in asthma risk, highlighting its potential significance.

A new technique for the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for the generalization and visual presentation of the results of experimental studies is proposed. The possibility of using ANN for cases for which their use was previously considered impossible is shown. ANN calculators have been created that summarize the results of experimental studies on the effect of trans-polynorbornene and basalt fiber on the characteristics of a rubber compound based on general-purpose rubbers (isoprene SKI-3, butadiene-methylstyrene SKMS-30ARK and butadiene SKD), which also contained vulcanizing agents (N, N′-dithiodimorpholine, thiuram D), vulcanization accelerators (sulfenamide C, 2-mercapto-benzothiazole), vulcanization activators (zinc white, stearic acid), emollients (industrial oil I-12A, rosin) and antioxidants (acetonanil H, diaphene FP). The rubber mixture was prepared on laboratory rollers LB 320 160/160. Subsequently, the rubber mixture was vulcanized in a P-V-100-3RT-2-PCD press. For the resulting vulcanizates, the physical and mechanical properties and their changes were determined after daily exposure to air and in a standard SZhR-1 hydrocarbon liquid at a temperature of 100 °C. We also studied the change in the mass of vulcanizates after exposure to industrial oil I-20A and water. The dynamic parameters (modulus of elasticity and mechanical loss tangent) of vulcanizates, which characterize their noise and vibration-absorbing properties, were studied on a Metravib VHF 104 dynamic mechanical analyzer. The created ANN calculators allow solving a direct problem - interpolating the dependences of all rubber characteristics on the content of basalt fiber, as well as solving inverse problems - to determine the required content of basalt fiber to create rubber with the required performance properties. The autonomous executable modules of the calculators developed by ANN were made and can be passed to everyone.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are considered as “lifestyle” diseases and so far “No unified procedure” or medicines are effective in the management of this group of diseases. Researchers and clinicians have indicated that no safe therapeutic window is available in therapeutics at present. Recent research showed that gut microbiota are effective in managing lifestyle diseases therefore we introduced the influence of gut microbiota in the prognosis of the CVDs. Faecal transplant therapy(FMT) has been anticipated to treat many diseases similar to recurrent bacterial Clostridioides difficile infection which has been used worldwide. Recently, FMT was tried on an animal model to treat CVDs, and recent human trials that were tried to manage CVDs in humans by FMT showed encouraging results. The mechanism of action of transplanted bacteria to manage CVDs in the human population is also discussed. In-depth knowledge on the pros and cons of FMT will pave the way to standardize the procedure once the lacuna existing at present in treating CVDs, is paved, this technology will be useful for the masses.

Pneumopericardium is a rare clinical entity, occurring in the setting of thoracic trauma, malignancies, or mechanical ventilation. Very few cases report pneumopericardium as a complication of gastrointestinal tract surgery. Signs and symptoms may be frustrating, ranging from asymptomatic to chest pain, sepsis, hemodynamic instability, pericarditis, or even cardiac tamponade. Clinical pathognomonic signs of pneumopericardium include pericardial metallic tinkling friction rub and mill wheel murmur. Diagnostic work-up includes electrocardiogram, chest radiography, and, computed tomography imaging. A gastro pericardial fistula should be considered a rare differential diagnosis for acute chest pain in patients with a history of gastroesophageal surgery. Rapid recognition and treatment avoid life-threatening complications. The successful outcome of gastro pericardial fistula treatment depends on both emergency and definitive surgical management. The survival rate with conservative management is poor.We present the case of a 78-year-old patient suffering from pneumopericardium and pericardial infusion, due to a fibrotic fistula between the Nissen’s valve, occurring 10 years after redo antireflux surgery. Treatment included broad-spectrum antibiotics, and emergency surgery for pericardial drainage, biopsy of the valve’s defect, suture, and omentoplasty.

The newly launched IAEA project MEREIA (MEthods for Radiological and Environmental Impact Assessment; 2021- 2025), MEREIA continues some activities of previous IAEA exercises in the field of radioecological modelling and focuses on areas where the probabilistic approach determines the predictive capability of environmental models. The program offered the opportunity to set up well-designed and verified scenarios to collect and compare exposures predicted by particular models based on this scenario and then perform a validation study of contributing models. It consists of the comparison of model prediction with observed data or in the case where there is a lack of measurement data to perform a comparison within model prognoses.  The previous international works have brought significant improvement in environmental modeling in terms of better understanding and mathematical description of complex physical and chemical phenomena that occur in various environmental media and also have promoted new areas for experimental investigations. The new experimental results yielded updated handbooks of a large number of environmental parameters for less-known elements. Moreover, the principal objective of the activities in environmental modelling was an integrated risk assessment of the reference group of population and biota associated with radionuclides releases from various kinds of nuclear facilities as from different types and power nuclear reactors, radioactive waste disposal and more complex nuclear research facility. This reflects recent international recommendations to extend protection against radiation hazards of humans to wildlife flora and fauna. However, the statistics supported knowledge on some essential environmental parameters still remain small. Therefore, one could be aware of some limitations of the probabilistic approach that required advanced methods of probabilistic prognosis Monte Carlo.

Background and aim: Preclinical in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that radiation-induced tumour cell death can be enhanced 10- to 40-fold when combined with focused-ultrasound (FUS)-stimulated microbubbles (MB). The acoustic exposure of MB in the tumour volume causes vasculature perturbation, activation of the acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) ceramide pathway, and resultant endothelial cell apoptosis. When the tumour is subsequently treated with radiation, there is increased endothelial cell death and anoxic tumour killing. Here we describe a first-in-human experience treating patients with magnetic resonance (MR)-guided FUS-stimulated MB (MRgFUS+MB) radiation enhancement.Case presentation: A head and neck cancer patient with recurrent disease underwent radiotherapy for 5 separate sites of locoregional disease followed by systemic therapy. The first consisted of a course of 45 Gy in 5 fractions alone, the second of 30 Gy in 5 fractions with hyperthermia, and the three others of 20-30 Gy in 5 fractions along with MRgFUS+MB treatment. The treatment methodology used an MR-coupled FUS-device operating at 500 KHz and 540 kPa peak negative pressure with an insonification time of 750 ms spread over 5 minutes to stimulate intravenously administered MB within tumour target. All sites treated with stimulated MB had a complete radiological response, and subsequently, the patient’s other cutaneous metastatic disease disappeared. The patient has been under surveillance for over two years without active treatment or disease progression.Discussion: MRgFUS+MB was well-tolerated with no reported treatment-related adverse events, which can be attributed to the capability of FUS to selectively stimulate MB within the tumour volume while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. Sustained local control at all target sites aligns with earlier preclinical findings suggesting the radiation enhancement potential of FUS+MB.Conclusion: MRgFUS+MB represents a novel and promising therapy for enhancing radiation efficacy and improving therapeutic index with potential improvements in disease control.

Background: Uterine inversion is a rare obstetric emergency but potentially life-threatening condition. If these are not immediately diagnosed, the massive and underestimated blood loss can lead to hypovolemic shock. Case: Case of 24 years old woman was referred from the district Public Health Center with vaginal bleeding after delivery with abdominal pain. We found fundal height postpartum is 3 fingers above symphysis and confirmed a soft mass protruding inside the vagina at the local examination. The ultrasound cannot present the fundus of the uterus and impressed a uterine inversion. Stabilization for the patient is done with fluid resuscitation and blood transfusion. The patient planned for exploratory laparotomy and we confirmed uterine inversion. We did per abdominal reposition success which was managed by Haultain’s method. Conclusion: Uterine inversion should be considered in any patient with symptoms of hemorrhage and abdominopelvic pain, with the physical findings of a soft, congested, bleeding mass within the vagina on bimanual examination. Prompt treatment consists of fluid resuscitation and anatomical repositioning is needed.

Introduction: The organization of medical support for the implementation of the standards of the All-Russian physical culture and sports complex “Ready for Labor and Defense” (“RLD”) in children’s clinics on the territory of the Republic of Komi (RK) is carried out in order to develop a physical culture among the population.Patients and methods: The analysis of the results of 2652 medical examinations of children and adolescents to comply with the standards of the “RLD” in the State budgetary healthcare institution of the Republic of Komi “Syktyvkar Children’s Clinic No. 3” (“SChCl No. 3”) in 2016-2022 was carried out. The significance of differences in quantitative characteristics between groups with a normal distribution of quantitative variables was calculated using Student’s t-tests for independent samples. The threshold value of the probability of error for statistically significant differences was set at a level equal to 0.05. The frequency ratio was calculated per 10,000-child population. The depth of the study was 7 years.Results: Among patients who applied for examination only 2604 people (98.85 ± 0.21%) were allowed to pass sports standards. The FC of those who applied was 138.44 per 10,000 children, and the FC of those admitted was 135.94. The proportion of patients of “SChCl No. 3”, who were assigned the main medical group for physical education ranged over the years from 87.37 ± 1.47% in 2017 to 98.86 ± 0.34% in 2019 and on average for 7 years amounted to 94.19 ± 0.45%. That is, almost 90% of those examined are children without health and physical development disorders, but with possible functional disorders that do not lag behind their peers in physical development and physical fitness. They are allowed to study in full according to the curriculum of physical education using preventive technologies, preparation, and passing tests of individual physical fitness.Conclusion: The average annual quantitative indicator of those who applied for certification to pass the standards of the “RLD” is a statistical tool, on the one hand, to determine the current and future workload of medical personnel and determine the forces and means of medical support, on the other hand, an indirect indicator of the interest of children and adolescents in systematic physical education and sports, instilling in schoolchildren the skills of a healthy lifestyle and the prospects for the physical development of the nation. The frequency of examinations per 10,000 of the child population should be considered as an indirect marker for assessing the physical development of children and adolescents since it is not the result of a continuous, but only selective (at the request of those who applied) research. The voluntary surrender of the “RLD” standards by children and adolescents should be approached as an indicator of physical readiness and high personal self-esteem, including psychological readiness for competitive relations in the school and adolescent environment and psychological maturity.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment is a highly effective method of protecting seeds, plants, flowers, and trees from diseases and infection and significantly increasing crop yields. Here we found that cold atmospheric pressure He-plasma jet (CAPPJ) can also cause side effects and damage to plants if the plasma exposure time is too long. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), electromagnetic fields, and ultraviolet photons emitted by CAPPJ can cause both positive and negative effects on plants. CAPPJ can interact with biological tissue surfaces. The plasma lamp has no visible side effects on Aloe vera plants, cabbage, and tomatoes. A plasma lamp and a cold atmospheric pressure plasma He-jet cause strong electrical signaling in plants with a very high amplitude with frequencies equal to the frequency of plasma generation. The use of plasma lamps for electrostimulation of biological tissues can help to avoid side processes in biological tissues associated with the generation of RONS, UV photons, and direct interaction with cold plasma. CAPP technology can play an important role in agriculture, medicine, the food industry, chemistry, surface science, material science, and engineering applications without side effects if the plasma exposure is short enough.

Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS) is a congenital, vascular, neurocutaneous, uncommon disease associated with facial angiomas port wine birthmark (PWB) or “nevus flammeus”, cerebral vascularity alterations (leptomeningeal vascular malformation), and ocular disorders. It is the third most common neurocutaneous syndrome after neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis. GNAQ R183Q is the most frequent related mutation, caused by a postzygotic, somatic, gain-of-function. 75% of patients present seizures during the first year of life, mainly focal motor seizures, with or without consciousness impairment.We present the case of a 33-year-old female with a diagnosis of SWS, with refractory seizures that started at 4 months of age. In this admission, she presented upper and lower respiratory tract infections that culminated in a convulsive status epilepticus (CSE), the reason for which she required sedation and advanced airway management with adjustment of the anti-seizure medication (ASM). An electroencephalogram (EEG) was performed that reported epileptic activity, as well as an imaging study with data suggestive of calcification in the frontal and right parietal region, compatible with vascular malformation.