Metabolism of Subchondral Bone Tissue in Posttraumatic Osteoarthrosis in Rats.

In rats with modeled posttraumatic knee osteoarthrosis, negative changes in subchondral bone metabolism were revealed: a tendency to an increase in osteocalcin concentration, a decrease in sclerostin and osteoprotegerin levels, and a significant increase in FGF-23 concentration accompanied by a slight elevation of inorganic phosphorous and significant increase in total calcium levels in comparison with the corresponding parameters in intact controls. These findings demonstrate crucial importance of structural integrity of the subchondral bone, because its protection improves the results of reconstructive therapy for local cartilage defects.

Morphological Changes in Articular Cartilage and Free-Radical Lipid Peroxidation in Rats with Posttraumatic Osteoarthrosis.

Using the rat model of posttraumatic osteoarthrosis of the knee joint induced by surgical transection of their anterior cruciate ligaments, we showed that irreversible loss of hyaluronan by the extracellular matrix of the joint cartilage tissue against the background of oxidative stress accompanied by accumulation of intermediate LPO products in blood serum and formation of thiol system incompetence was one of the key patterns of dystrophic degeneration of the cartilage tissue. Considerable metabolic shifts were associated with structural modification of the articular hyaline cartilage: its thinning and a decrease of chondrocyte density and their abnormal spatial distribution in the matrix with predominance of solitary isolated cells with signs of karyopyknosis and karyolysis.

Contributi scientifici in memoria di Antonio Fusco.

Come si leggerà nell'Introduzione della sezione propriamente scientifica del Volume, il presente testo nasce dalla volontà e, soprattutto, dall'esigenza culturale di omaggiare il fu Prof. Antonio Fusco. Un debito scientifico ed umano che trova il suo locus naturale in questa prima parte del testo stesso, cui farà poi seguito la parte propriamente scientifica. In siffatta parentesi dovuta per le ragioni appena menzionate, il lettore, l'amico o l'allievo dell'opera del Prof. Fusco potranno trovare un suo sintetico Curriculum Vitae, correlato da una specifica ed accurata prosa, svolta dal già Magnifico Rettore Carlo Cipolli; il quale, oltre che evidenziare, ricordando, i meriti del collega oramai scomparso, aggiunge alsuo scritto un elemento che sarebbe imprescindibile a non trasformare lo stesso in una mera sequenza di parole: l'amicizia e l'affetto per un amico che, oramai, non c'è più. A fine lettura, evidente risuonerà il fatto che la vita di ognuno, se mossa dalla passione per ciò per cui si è predisposti cognitivamente e psicologicamente, può essere ricca di riconoscimenti, riconoscenze e soddisfazioni che, lungi dal divenire un cuscino di allori su cui adagiarsi, per una mente creativa come quella del Prof. Fusco hanno funto solo da motivazioni ad agire instancabilmente guardando sempre al futuro. Il lavoro di una vita che, materialmente, è sancito da un supporto poco più di cm 25x15: una targa. Una materialità evidente che, con grande commozione e riconoscenza, è stata affissa il 25 ottobre 2019 sull'aula fronte l'Aula Magna del Campus "La Folcara", a testimonianza che quello spirito creativo in continua evoluzione non si ferma; non si arresta neppure con la fine biologica di chi lo ha "posseduto". Rimangono le opere ed il pensiero del Prof. Fusco e restano gli affetti. A tal proposito, il lettore troverà una breve e sentita sezione su Testimonianze; coloro i quali hanno avuto modo, nell'arco della vita accademica ed umana, personale, di Fusco di conoscerlo. Ecco, allora, che i ricordi saranno i veri protagonisti di questa parentesi. Dopo di ciò, prima dei contributi prettamente scientifici dei lavori, tenutisi in occasione del Convegno Internazionale Psicologia, Arte, Letteratura. Antiche e Nuove Tendenze, seguiranno i saluti delle autorità che in quei due giorni si sono succedute a rappresentare non solo l'istituzione affiliata, ma anche la relazione di stima e di affetto che le legava al compianto Professore. Si passerà, infine, al volume tradizionalmente inteso.

The role of MAP-kinase p38 in the m. soleus slow myosin mRNA transcription regulation during short-term functional unloading.

The unloading of postural muscles leads to the changes in myosins heavy chains isoforms (MyHCs) mRNAs transcription pattern, that cause severe alterations of muscle functioning. Several transcription factors such as NFATc1 and TEAD1 upregulate slow MyHC mRNA transcription, and p38 MAP kinase can phosphorylate NFAT and TEAD1, causing their inactivation. However, the role p38 MAP kinase plays in MyHCs mRNAs transcription regulation in postural soleus muscle during unloading remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPK during rat soleus unloading would prevent the unloading-induced slow-type MyHC mRNA transcription decrease by affecting calcineurin/NFATc1 or TEAD1 signaling. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups: cage control (C), 3-day hindlimb suspended group (3HS) and 3-day hindlimb suspended group with the daily oral supplementation of 10 mg/kg p38 MAPK inhibitor VX-745 (3HS + VX-745). 3 days of hindlimb suspension caused the significant decreases of slow MyHC and slow-tonic myh7b mRNAs transcription as well as the decrease of NFATc1-dependent MCIP1.4 mRNA transcription in rat soleus muscles compared to the cage control. P38 MAP-kinase inhibition during hindlimb suspension completely prevented slow MyHC mRNA content decrease and partially prevented slow-tonic myh7b and MCIP1.4 mRNAs transcription decreases compared to the 3HS group. We also observed NFATc1 and TEAD1 myonuclear contents increases in the 3HS + VX-745 group compared to both 3HS and C groups (p < 0.05). Therefore, we found that p38 inhibition counteracts the unloading-induced slow MyHC mRNA transcription downregulation and leads to the activation of calcineurin/NFAT signaling cascade in unloaded rat soleus muscles.

Inhibition of Histone Deacetylase 1 Prevents the Decrease in Titin (Connectin) Content and Development of Atrophy in Rat m. soleus after 3-Day Hindlimb Unloading.

We studied the effect of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) inhibition on titin content and expression of TTN gene in rat m. soleus after 3-day gravitational unloading. Male Wistar rats weighing 210±10 g were randomly divided into 3 groups: control, 3-day hindlimb suspension, and 3-day hindlimb suspension and injection of HDAC1 inhibitor CI-994 (1 mg/kg/day). In hindlimb-suspended rats, the muscle weight/animal body weight ratio was reduced by 13.8% (p<0.05) in comparison with the control, which attested to the development of atrophic changes in the soleus muscle. This was associated with a decrease in the content of NT-isoform of intact titin-1 by 28.6% (p˂0.05) and an increase in TTN gene expression by 1.81 times (p˂0.05) in the soleus muscle. Inhibition of HDAC1 by CI-994 during 3-day hindlimb suspension prevented the decrease in titin content and development of atrophy in rat soleus muscle. No significant differences in the TTN gene expression from the control were found. These results can be used when finding the ways of preventing or reducing the negative changes in the muscle caused by gravitational unloading.

[Evaluation of the quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease].

The aim of this study was to analyze quality-of-life parameters in patients with coronary heart disease in Chelyabinsk region. The number of patients with coronary heart disease who took part in this research was 830 people. The data were collected with using of application form that was supplemented by the Russian-language questionnaire SF-36. We determined the medical and social characteristics, the assessment of the conditions and lifestyle of patients with coronary heart disease, and the subjective assessment of the quality of life by themselves. We have been revealed statistically significant differences in assessing the quality of life by patients of different territorial groups. The data should be differentially use in developing of regional and territorial programs in order to reduce mortality from coronary heart disease.

Application of Preparations Containing Copper Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Experimental Septic Wounds.

Regenerative activity of locally applied drugs based on copper nanoparticles was compared on white male rats with an experimental purulent wound infected with clinical polyantibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The use of a suspension of copper nanoparticles and complex drugs based on chitosan and starch with copper nanoparticles led to a rapid reduction of the wound area and elimination of the wound-contaminating agent, which confirmed high antibacterial and regenerative activity of copper nanoparticles in the composition of the studied drugs.

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase activation in M. soleus under 14-day hindlimb unloading of rats.

Functional unloading of m. soleus of male Wistar rats was found to cause a reduction in protein synthesis. The level of phosphorylation of the translation elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and the eEF2 kinase (eEF2k) activity in m. soleus after 14 days of unloading were assessed. Rats were divided into the control group (C) and the group with hindlimb unloading for 14 days (HU14). The level of eEF2 phosphorylation in group HU14 was 80%, whereas in the control is was 40%. The indices of eEF2k expression and protein content in group HU14 increased compared to group C.

[SOFT TISSUE REPAIR UNDER CONDITIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL SEPTIC WOUND.]

The effectiveness of a new complex preparation based on starch containing active copper (0.05 - 0.07 mass %) and silver 0.03 - 0.05 mass %) nanoparticles was studied in animals with experimental fill-flap septic wounds. Localized application of complex preparation (0.3 g per animal) by uniform layer on 5th, 7th, and 9th day upon wound induction led to significant reduction in wound surface (according to planimetric analysis) at all control periods, in contrast to reference group. There was statistically significant (p < 0.001) decrease in malondialdehyde (by 23%) and increase of serum enzymatic antioxidant ceruloplazmin activity (by 20.5%) in rat blood serum compared to the corresponding indexes in animals before therapy. These results are indicative of the suppression of peroxidation processes and stimulation of antioxidant system. The complex preparation exhibited positive influence on soft tissue repair processes, lipid peroxidation processes, and activity of the antioxidant system.

Microbial Community Composition and Methanotroph Diversity of a Subarctic Wetland in Russia.

This study assessed the microbial diversity, activity, and composition of methane-oxidizing communities of a subarctic wetland in Russia,with mosaic cover of Sphagnum mosses and lichens of the genera Cladonia and Cetraria. Potential methane-oxidizing activity of peat sampled from lichen-dominated wetland sites was higher than that in the sites dominated by Sphagnum mosses. In peat from lichendominated sites, major bacterial groups identified by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes were the Acidobacteria (35.4-41.2% of total 16S rRNA gene reads), Alphaproteobacteria (19.1-24.2%), Gammaproteobacteria (7.9-11.1%), Actinobacteria (5.5-13.2%), Planctomycetes (7.2-9.5%), and Verrucomicrobia (5.1-9.5%). The distinctive feature of this community was high proportion of Subdivision 2 Acidobacteria, which are not char- acteristic for boreal Sphagnum peat bogs. Methanotrophic community composition was determined by mo- lecular analysis of the pmoA gene encoding particulate methane monooxygenase. Most (-80%) of all pmoA gene fragments revealed in peat from lichen-dominated sites belonged to the phylogenetic lineage represented by a microaerobic spiral-shaped methanotroph, "Candidatus Methylospira mobilis." Members of the genus Methylocystis, which are typical inhabitants of boreal Sphagnum peat bogs, represented only a minor group of indigenous methanotrophs. The specific feature of a methanotrophic community in peat from lichen-dominated sites was the presence of uncultivated USCa (Upland Soil Cluster alpha) methanotrophs, which are typical for acidic upland soils showing atmospheric methane oxidation. The methanotrophic community composition in lichen-dominated sites of a tundra wetland, therefore, was markedly different from that in bo- real Sphagnum peat bogs.

[The effect of the biopolymer chondroitin sulfate on reparative regeneration of connective tissue].

The research objective is a study of an intra-articular method of introduction of the preparation "mukosat" for stimulation of reparative regeneration of connective tissue of knee joints in rabbits with an experimental arthritis. It is ascertained that intra-articular maintenance of chondroitin sulfate (the preparation "mukosat") acts as a stimulus for reparative regeneration of connective tissue thus showing up positive changes in the status of connective tissue elements of joints: decrease in glycosaminoglycan content in blood serum and normalization of the composition of glycosaminoglycan carbohydrate component. It probably depends on stimulation of biosynthesis of autologous normal glycosaminoglycans in tissues of animal knee joints.

[Reparative regeneration of connective tissue structures of mammals under antioxidant therapy conditions].

The influence of administration of the antioxidant complexes consisting of nonenzymatic antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol acetate preparation) and enzymatic antioxidants (ceruloplasmin) has been studied in rabbits with experimental arthritis. The introduction of alpha-tocopherol acetate (at a daily dose of 4 mg) improved metabolic processes in the organism (decreased in the rate of erythrocyte precipitation, total leukocytes and their stub and segmental forms; increased in erythrocyte count; reduced the glycosaminoglycan content as determined from uronic acid and hexose level; decreased ceruloplasmin activity and malonic dialdehyde level ion blood serum, all at p < 0.05), thus favoring reduction in the total activity of the inflammatory process as judged from hematological and biochemical data. Intra-articular introduction of ceruloplasmin (1.5 mg/kg, once per week) positively influenced the state of joint structures in damaged knee joints of the animals: decreased the activity of ceruloplasmin (from 5.28 ± 0.06 to 3.94 ± 0.01 AU), and malonic dialdehyde level (0.18 ± 0.02 to 0.08 ± 0.01 µM) in the articular fluid (all at p < 0.05). These effects are probably related to the elimination of inefficiency of the antioxidant system in the synovial medium, thus preventing inflammatory destruction of articular tissues, hindering the development of pannus, and assisting the activation of reparative regeneration of connective tissue structures.

[Decline of Activity and Shifts in the Methanotrophic Community Structure of an Ombrotrophic Peat Bog after Wildfire].

This study examined potential disturbances of methanotrophic communities playing a key role in reducing methane emissions from the peat bog Tasin Borskoye, Vladimir oblast, Russia as a result of the 2007 wildfire. The potential activity of the methane-oxidizing filter in the burned peatland site and the abundance of indigenous methanotrophic bacteria were significantly reduced in comparison to the undisturbed site. Molecular analysis of methanotrophic community structure by means of PCR amplification and cloning of the pmoAgene encoding particulate methane monooxygenase revealed the replacement of typical peat-inhabiting, acidophilic type II methanotrophic bacteria with type I methanotrophs, which are less active in acidic environments. In summary, both the structure and the activity of the methane-oxidizing filter in burned peatland sites underwent significant changes, which were clearly pronounced even after 7 years of the natural ecosystem recovery. These results point to the long-term character of the disturbances caused by wildfire in peatlands.

Effects of flavonoid-containing preparation Extralife on hydrogen peroxide production and functioning of mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channel.

Extralife, a Pentaphylloides fruticos extract, in concentrations of 0.005-10 µg/ml dose-dependently increased H2O2 production in rat heart mitochondria in the presence of respiration substrates. Extralife decreased ATP-induced accumulation of H2O2 related to inhibition of mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channel. This effect was observed only at low doses of the adaptogen (0.05-3 µg/ml). High doses of the substance (5-10 µg/ml) did not abolish ATP-dependent production of H2O2 and increased the rate of H2O2 generation by the mitochondria. We concluded that Extralife in trace concentrations could activate mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channel and decrease H2O2 accumulation in the mitochondria.

Oxidative phosphorylation and ion transport in the mitochondria of two strains of rats varying in their resistance to stress and hypoxia.

The role of mitochondria in the inherited or ontogenetically acquired reactions of organism to stress is not studied enough. In the present work, we examined the functional state of the coupled respiratory chain, potassium and calcium transport and rate of hydrogen peroxide production on two rat lines: August and Wistar-which possess different resistance to emotional stress and hypoxia. It was established that the respiration rate and efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation were higher in August rats than in Wistar ones. In August rats, the rate of potassium transport and ATP-dependent mitochondrial swelling as well as the concentration of the ion in the mitochondrial matrix were almost twice as higher comparatively to those parameters in Wistar rats. The rate of H2O2 production was found to be decreased in the mitochondria of August rats. It was also demonstrated that the two rat lines differed by their resistance to the opening of the palmitate/Ca(2+)-induced pore and by their ability to retain calcium within mitochondria. The paper discusses the involvement of the mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channel in the adaptation of animals to adverse effects.

[Methanotrophic bacteria in cold seeps of the floodplains of northern rivers].

Small mud volcanoes (cold seeps), which are common in the floodplains of northern rivers, are a potentially important, although poorly studied sources of atmospheric methane. Field research on the cold seeps of the Mukhrina River (Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous okrug, Russia) revealed methane fluxes from these structures to be orders of magnitude higher than from equivalent areas of the mid-taiga bogs. Microbial communities developing around the seeps were formed under conditions of high methane concentrations, low temperatures (3-5 degrees C), and near-neutral pH. Molecular identification of methane-oxidizing bacteria from this community by analysis of the pmoA gene encoding particulate methane monooxygenase revealed both type I and type II methanotrophs (classes Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, respectively), with predomination of type I methanotrophs. Among the latter, microorganisms related to Methylobacterpsychrophilus and Methylobacter tundripaludum, Crenothrix polyspora (a stagnant water dweller), and a number of methanotrophs belonging to unknown taxa were detected. Growth characteristics of two isolates were determined. Methylobactersp. CMS7 exhibited active growth at 4-10 degrees C, while Methylocystis sp. SB12 grew better at 20 degrees C. Experimental results confirmed the major role ofmethanotrophic gammaproteobacteria in controlling the methane emission from cold river seeps.

[Reparative regeneration of rat soft tissues is affected by a wound-healing composite].

We researched influence of original wound-healing composite, including chitosan and nanoparticles of copper and zinc, on specific of reparative regeneration of an experimental soft tissue full layer rat's wounds, which were conditionally aseptic and infected. The composite stimulation of reparative regeneration is related both to its antibacterial effect, and to the influence on the state of structural biopolymers of the connecting tissue.

[Determination of the antioxidant properties of activators of mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channels with the Amplex Red fluorescent indicator].

The effect of adaptogens-antihypoxants that participate in the activation of mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channels (mitoK(ATP)) at the oxidation of the Amplex Red (AR) fluorescent indicator in a peroxidase system was tested. It was shown that Extralife, Hypoxen, taurine, and synthetic antioxidant ionol can be arranged in the following row, according to the fluorescence inhibition activity: Extralife > Hypoxen > > ionol > taurine; their effect was shown to be concentration-dependent. The calculated K(i) value of fluorescence indicators demonstrate fast and slow phases of inhibition of the AR oxidation by Extralife and Hypoxen. The fast phase occurs in the presence of microdoses (0.05-3 microg/mL) of adaptogens and is related to the competition for H2O2, which is in agreement with our previous data on the mitoK(ATP) activation by doses of adaptogens related to the H2O2 consumption. The slow phase is characteristic of high adaptogen and ionol concentrations and is related to the competition for phenoxyl radicals of resorufin formed during AR oxidation. The obtained results allow one to suggest the application of a highly sensitive model peroxidase system with AR for the preliminary testing of compounds activating mitoK(ATP) channels.

[Metabolic features in chondroitin sulfate in the normal functioning of connective tissue].

In the propoced review, the literature data on the metabolic characteristics of chondroitin sulfate in the normal functioning of connective tissue. Described their own data on the study of the reaction of connecting structures of the knee rabbits experimental arthritis by intra-articular intra-articular injection of chondroitin sulface (the drug "mukosat").