Some Molecular and Cellular Stress Mechanisms Associated with Neurodegenerative Diseases and Atherosclerosis

Chronic stress is a combination of nonspecific adaptive reactions of the body to the influence of various adverse stress factors which disrupt its homeostasis, and it is also a corresponding state of the organism’s nervous system (or the body in general). We hypothesized that chronic stress may be one of the causes occurence of several molecular and cellular types of stress. We analyzed literary sources and considered most of these types of stress in our review article. We examined genes and mutations of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and also molecular variants which lead to various types of stress. The end result of chronic stress can be metabolic disturbance in humans and animals, leading to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, energy deficiency in cells (due to a decrease in ATP synthesis) and mitochondrial dysfunction. These changes can last for the lifetime and lead to severe pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases and atherosclerosis. The analysis of literature allowed us to conclude that under the influence of chronic stress, metabolism in the human body can be disrupted, mutations of the mitochondrial and nuclear genome and dysfunction of cells and their compartments can occur. As a result of these processes, oxidative, genotoxic, and cellular stress can occur. Therefore, chronic stress can be one of the causes forthe occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases and atherosclerosis. In particular, chronic stress can play a large role in the occurrence and development of oxidative, genotoxic, and cellular types of stress.     

含有固化生物活性物质的高分子纤维及膜材料

通过调节高分子体系的结构,可以有目的性地设计含有固化药物成分（如生物酶和／或抗菌剂）的高分子基体结构,生物活性的高低主要由固化的药物成分决定。     

In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmaco-Toxicological Characterization of 1-Cyclohexyl-x-methoxybenzene Derivatives in Mice: Comparison with Tramadol and PCP

1-cyclohexyl-x-methoxybenzene is a novel psychoactive substance (NPS), first discovered in Europe in 2012 as unknown racemic mixture of its three stereoisomers: ortho, meta and para. Each of these has structural similarities with the analgesic tramadol and the dissociative anesthetic phencyclidine. In light of these structural analogies, and based on the fact that both tramadol and phencyclidine are substances that cause toxic effects in humans, the aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo pharmacodynamic profile of these molecules, and to compare them with those caused by tramadol and phencyclidine. In vitro studies demonstrated that tramadol, ortho, meta and para were inactive at mu, kappa and delta opioid receptors. Systemic administration of the three stereoisomers impairs sensorimotor responses, modulates spontaneous motor activity, induces modest analgesia, and alters thermoregulation and cardiorespiratory responses in the mouse in some cases, with a similar profile to that of tramadol and phencyclidine. Naloxone partially prevents only the visual sensorimotor impairments caused by three stereoisomers, without preventing other effects. The present data show that 1-cyclohexyl-x-methoxybenzene derivatives cause pharmaco-toxicological effects by activating both opioid and non-opioid mechanisms and suggest that their use could potentially lead to abuse and bodily harm.     

Therapeutic Effects of hiPSC-Derived Glial and Neuronal Progenitor Cells-Conditioned Medium in Experimental Ischemic Stroke in Rats

Transplantation of various types of stem cells as a possible therapy for stroke has been tested for years, and the results are promising. Recent investigations have shown that the administration of the conditioned media obtained after stem cell cultivation can also be effective in the therapy of the central nervous system pathology (hypothesis of their paracrine action). The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the conditioned medium of hiPSC-derived glial and neuronal progenitor cells in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of the ischemic stroke. Secretory activity of the cultured neuronal and glial progenitor cells was evaluated by proteomic and immunosorbent-based approaches. Therapeutic effects were assessed by overall survival, neurologic deficit and infarct volume dynamics, as well as by the end-point values of the apoptosis- and inflammation-related gene expression levels, the extent of microglia/macrophage infiltration and the numbers of formed blood vessels in the affected area of the brain. As a result, 31% of the protein species discovered in glial progenitor cells-conditioned medium and 45% in neuronal progenitor cells-conditioned medium were cell type specific. The glial progenitor cell-conditioned media showed a higher content of neurotrophins (BDNF, GDNF, CNTF and NGF). We showed that intra-arterial administration of glial progenitor cells-conditioned medium promoted a faster decrease in neurological deficit compared to the control group, reduced microglia/macrophage infiltration, reduced expression of pro-apoptotic gene Bax and pro-inflammatory cytokine gene Tnf, increased expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine genes (Il4, Il10, Il13) and promoted the formation of blood vessels within the damaged area. None of these effects were exerted by the neuronal progenitor cell-conditioned media. The results indicate pronounced cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic properties of soluble factors secreted by glial progenitor cells.     

Kinetics and mechanism of low-temperature ozone decomposition by Co-ions adsorbed on silica

Kinetics and mechanism of low-temperature ozone ((5–50) × 10⁻³ mol/m³ in the gas–air mixture) decomposition by Co-catalysts supported on silica have been studied. Co-ions adsorbed on silica react with surface oxygen species, thus resulting in an active catalyst. Low concentrations of Co-ions form a monolayer on the surface. Their specific catalytic activity remained constant, but sharply decreased at higher concentrations due to a formation of polynuclear Co-complexes. Ozone decomposition may occur either as a stoichiometric or catalytic process, depending on the ozone and catalyst concentrations. The turnover number increases with ozone concentration reaching a saturation point. It also increases with Co-concentration in the beginning, but drops at a concentration >1 × 10⁻⁴ mol/g. The mechanism of the reaction is discussed.     

Environmental problems of sustainable management of oil and gas resources and production of high-quality petroleum products

Sustainable management of oil and gas resources implies solving environmental problems pertinent to all sectors of the oil and gas complex. Progress in this area associated with advanced technologies for reducing crude oil production and transportation losses, improving the environmental safety of petroleum products and their production processes, and recycling waste petrochemicals has been discussed.     

Indium doped niobium phosphates as intermediate temperature proton conductors

Indium doped niobium phosphates were prepared from precursors of trivalent indium oxide, pentavalent niobium oxide and phosphoric acid. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, impedance spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the indium doping promoted formation of the cubic Nb₂P₄O₁₅ phase instead of the monoclinic Nb₅P₇O₃₀ phase in the pristine niobium phosphates and enhanced the preservation of OH functional groups in the phosphates. The preserved OH functionalities in the phosphates after the heat treatment at 650 °C contributed to the anhydrous proton conductivity. The Nb_0.9In_0.1 phosphate exhibited a proton conductivity of five times higher than that of the un-doped analog at 250 °C. The conductivity was stabilized at a level of above 0.02 S cm⁻¹ under dry atmosphere at 250 °C during the stability evaluation for 3 days.     

Long-Wave and Integral Boundary Layer Analysis of Falling Film Flow on Walls With Three-Dimensional Periodic Structures

Falling films exhibit very complex wavy patterns, which depend on the properties of the liquid, the Reynolds number, the wall inclination angle, and the distance from the film inlet. The film hydrodynamics governs the heat and mass transfer in the liquid films. Our vision is to control and enhance heat and mass transport by using walls with specific microscale topographies that influence the falling film flow, stability, and wavy pattern. In this work, long-wave theory and integral boundary layer approximation are used for modeling the falling film flow on walls with three-dimensional periodic microstructures. The wall topography is periodic both in the main flow direction and in the transverse direction. Examples of such microstructures are longitudinal grooves with sinusoidal path (or meandering grooves) and herringbone structures. The effects of the Reynolds number, the wall inclination angle, and the longitudinal and transverse periods of the structure on the shape of liquid–gas interface are investigated. It is shown that, as opposed to straight grooves in longitudinal direction, grooves with meandering paths may lead to significant interface deformations.     

Optically- and Electrically-Stimulated Terahertz Radiation Emission from Indium Nitride

Indium nitride is a novel narrow band gap semiconductor. The material is a potential strong source of terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation with applications in time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and imaging systems. This article reviews recent experimental research on terahertz emission from the binary compound semiconductor indium nitride excited by near-infrared laser beams or microseconds electrical pulses. Advantages of indium nitride as terahertz radiation source material are discussed. It is demonstrated that different mechanisms contribute to the emission of terahertz radiation from indium nitride. The emission of up to 2.4 μW of THz radiation power is observed when InN is excited with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses at an average power of 1 W.