[Clinical and instrumental characteristics of psoriatic arthritis in men and women. Data from a cohort observational study].

AIM: To study and compare the clinical and imaging characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in men and women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 956 PsA patients observed in the Russian register, 411 (43%) men and 545 (57%) women. The average age of men/women was 46.0±16.50/50.7±17.20 years (p<0.001), the duration of PsA was 9.9±6.4/10.3±7.6 years (p>0.05), the age at the time of PsA establishment was 37.1±12.30/41.8±13.5 years (p<0.001). Rheumatological examination, X-ray of the pelvis, hands, feet were performed, the LEI, plantar fascia tenderness, body surface area (BSA), body mass index (BMI), CRP, HLA-B27 were determined. Patients filled out assessment scales of pain (Pain), disease activity (patient global assessment of disease activity - PGA), questionnaires HAQ-DI. The indices of Disease Activity in PSoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), criteria of minimal disease activity (MDA) were evaluated. RESULTS: The following differences in the course of PsA in men/women were revealed: X-ray sacroiliitis was detected in 175 (42.6%)/153 (28.1%); p<0.001; the presence of erosions of the joints of the hands and feet - 138 (33.6%)/170 (31.2%); p=0.435; LEI≥3 - 34 (11.4%)/78 (20.9%); p=0.001; Pain - at 48.5±22.60/51.5±22.80 mm VAS; p=0.043; PGA - 50.2±23.07/54.0±21.91 mm VAS; p=0.010; moderate and severe functional disorders (HAQ-DI) were more often observed in women (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively); the average value of DAPSA is 26.4±16.8/31.9±22.58; p<0.001; average BASDAI value: 2.7±2.83/1.8±2.78; p<0.001; MDA was achieved in 13 (3.2%)/22 (4.1%); p=0.486; BSA>10% - 54 (13.1%)/102 (18.7%); p=0.021; comorbid diseases - 154 (37%)/277 (51%); p<0.001. At the time of inclusion in the register, the proportion of patients receiving biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs was higher in the group of men. CONCLUSION: Our data, based on a large cohort study, demonstrate that PsA debuts in women at a later age than in men, the course of the disease is characterized by higher activity of peripheral arthritis, more pronounced functional disorders and a high prevalence of comorbid diseases. This creates a heavier burden of PsA in women and indicates that gender is an important characteristic of the patient that should be used to predict the course, therapeutic response and progression of the disease.

[Characteristics of PIK3CA gene mutations in Her2-low breast cancer]. / Kharakteristika mutatsii gena PIK3CA pri rake molochnoi zhelezy s nizkim urovnem ekspressii belka Her2/neu.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the PIK3CA gene, encoding the catalytic subunit of the PI3K class IA p110α, is a common mechanism of activating of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in breast cancer (BC). The detection of these mutations in patients with hormone-positive Her2-negative BC is of important clinical value, since they are the predictor of the sensitivity of the tumor to the PI3K inhibitor - alpelisib. According to the status of the Her2/neu expression, all patients with hormone-positive Her2-negative BC can be divided into two groups - with low expression of Her2/neu (IHC 1+; 2+, ISH-) and with a complete lack of expression of this protein (IHC 0). OBJECTIVE: Establish whether there are differences of the PIK3CA gene mutations charasteristics in BC with luminal immunophenotype and low expression of Her2/neu in comparison with tumors in which Her2/neu expression is absent. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The presence of PIK3CA mutations was determined using real-time PCR on 96 patient tissues of hormone-positive Her2-negative BC. Commercially available cobas PIK3CA Mutation Kit (Roche) and cobas z480 analyzer were used. RESULTS: PIK3CA gene mutations were detected in 40 of 96 cases studied (41.6%). Most of them were localized in the exons 9 and 20, encoding helicase (p.E542K, p.E545X) or kinase (p.H1047X) domains of PI3K, respectively. The frequency of mutations in the exon 9 (p.E542K+p.E545X) was 2.6 times higher in Her2-low BC compared to tumors in which the Her2/neu expression was absent (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in mutation frequency in the exon 20. CONCLUSION: Statistically significant increase in the frequency of exon 9 mutations of the PIK3CA gene is specific for the group of patients with Her2-low BC. Our results supported the concept of Her2-low BCs as the unique entity and pointed out the need of their further study.

The Effect of Original Russian Neurotropic Drugs on Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides OATP1B1 and OATP1B3.

In experiments on HepG2 cells, we studied the effect of the original domestic neurotropic drugs omberacetam, fabomotizole, and ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate (EMHPS) (1-500 µM) on the activity and content of organic anion transporting polypeptides OATP1B1 and OATP1B3. It was shown that omberacetam (500 µM) increased the content of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, fabomotizole did not affect the level of both transporters, and EMHPS (500 µM) increased the content of OATP1B1 compared to the control and did not affect the level of OATP1B3. The tested substances also reduced the OATP1B1/OATP1B3 ratio, as evidenced by a decrease in the penetration of atorvastatin, a substrate of the transporters, into HepG2 cells in the presence of omberacetam (100-500 µM), fabomotizole (500 µM), and EMHPS (10-500 µM). Evaluation of clinical significance of the obtained results, according to the FDA approach based on the calculation of the Cmax/IC50 ratio, showed that the effect of the tested substances on OATP1B1/OATP1B3 is clinically insignificant.

Broadband intermodal fiber interferometer for sensor application: fundamentals and simulator.

An intermodal fiber interferometer using the light from an incoherent broadband source has been considered analytically and implemented as a laboratory device. It was shown that this optical scheme could be used to measure external perturbations that cause a change in the optical length of a multimode fiber. The use of an optical spectrum analyzer and correlation functions approach in extracting the utility signal made it possible to achieve a linear response to the measured external perturbation and effective fading mitigation. A pair of integral coefficients was introduced: the contrast coefficient for characterization of the coherency of the operation regime, and the fading coefficient for estimating the signal stability against non-signal parasitic influences. Analytical expressions for the utility signal parameters were derived in dependence on the parameters of the light source, multimode fiber, and optical spectrum analyzer. The relationships among fiber length, width of the light source spectrum, and frequency resolution of the optical spectrum analyzer were stated for the optimum regime of interferometer operation. The simulation of the external perturbations performed at the elaborated device proved the applicability of the proposed scheme as a sensor of various physical quantities.

[Dysglycemia in COVID-19 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Peculiarities of the Glycemic Profile in Hospitalized Patients and the Role of Steroid-Induced Disorders].

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of data on the features of dysglycemia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM) confirmed by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). AIM: to study the glycemic profile in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes mellitus by continuous glucose monitoring and the role of steroid therapy in dysglycemiadevelopment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 21 patients with COVID-19 and DM 2 and 21 patients with DM 2 without COVID-19 (control group) using a professional 4-7-day CGM. We also compared two subgroups of patients with COVID-19 and DM 2: 1) patients received systemic glucocorticosteroids (GCS) during CGM and 2) patients in whomCGMwas performed after discontinuation of GCS. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with COVID-19 and DM2 had lesser values of glycemic «time in range¼ (32.7 ± 20.40 vs 48.0 ± 15.60%, p = 0.026) andhigher parameters of mean glycemia (p <0.05) but similar proportion of patients with episodes of hypoglycemia (33.3% vs 38.1%, p = 0.75). Patients who received dexamethasone during CGM were characterized by higher hyperglycemia and the absence of episodes of hypoglycemia. In patients who hadCGM after dexamethasone discontinuation, hyperglycemia was less pronounced, but 60% of them had episodes of hypoglycemia, often nocturnal, clinically significant and not detected by routine methods. CONCLUSION: Patients with COVID-19 and DM 2had severe and persistent hyperglycemia but a third of them hadalso episodes of hypoglycemia. During therapy with dexamethasone, they had the most pronounced hyperglycemia without episodes of hypoglycemia. In patients who underwent CGM after discontinuation of dexamethasone, hyperglycemia was less pronounced but 60% of them have episodes of hypoglycemia, often nocturnal, clinically significant and not diagnosed by routine methods. It would be advisable to recommend at least a 5-6-fold study of the blood glucose level (with its obligatory assessment at night) even for stable patients with COVID-19 and DM 2after the end of GCS treatment.

[The role of health resort factors in preconception preparation of patients with reproductive disorders]. / Rol' sanatorno-kurortnykh faktorov v pregravidarnoi podgotovke patsientok s narusheniyami reproduktivnoi funktsii.

Reproductive dysfunction is a multifactorial problem, for the correction of which the most difficult are cases of pathology comorbidity. Individual preconception preparation, taking into account risk factors, is recognized as an effective measure to increase the chances of conception and prevent reproductive losses. OBJECTIVE: Optimization of treatment and rehabilitation measures at the preconception stage in patients with reproductive disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The effectiveness of the use of natural and preformed physical factors in the preconception preparation of 180 women who underwent medical and rehabilitation measures in the health resort of the Altai Territory - the resort town of Belokurikha (Group 1, 79 patients) and outpatient conditions in the city of Barnaul (Group 2, 101 patients). Comprehensive spa treatment included climatotherapy, a combination of various methods: balneotherapy, peloidtherapy, physiotherapy and a prolonged course of herbal medicine. RESULTS: In patients of the 1st group, who underwent a course of rehabilitation treatment in a sanatorium-resort environment, compared with patients of the 2nd group, early reproductive losses were less common during pregnancy (7.1% and 20.7%, respectively; p=0.04) and more frequent term deliveries occurred (92.8% and 77.2%, respectively; p=0.02). The most significant predictors of the ineffectiveness of preconception preparation were the presence in patients of: chronic cystitis and autoimmune thyroiditis with hypothyroidism; oligomenorrhea at the time of pregnancy planning; aggravated by early reproductive losses and long-term wearing of intrauterine contraception history; burdened heredity for violation of carbohydrate metabolism. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive preconception preparation in the sanatorium-resort conditions of Belokurikha helps to increase the fertility of patients with reproductive disorders, the trophostimulating effect in the genital organs and the restoration of endometrial reception, which makes it possible to recommend this method for use in clinical practice.

COVID-19 in Patients with Diabetes: Clinical Course, Metabolic Status, Inflammation, and Coagulation Disorder.

The aim of the investigation was to study the clinical course of COVID-19 in the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and elucidate possible mechanisms of their mutual aggravation. Materials and Methods: The study included 64 patients with COVID-19; of them, 32 were with DM (main group) and 32 were DM-free (control group). The groups were formed according to the "case-control" principle. During hospitalization, the dynamics of clinical, glycemic, and coagulation parameters, markers of systemic inflammation, as well as kidney and liver functions were monitored and compared. Results: Among patients with DM, the course of viral pneumonia was more severe, as evidenced by a 2.2-fold higher number of people with extensive (>50%) lung damage (p=0.05), an increased risk of death according to the CURB-65 algorithm (1.3-fold, p=0.043), and a longer duration of insufficient blood oxygen saturation (p=0.0004). With the combination of COVID-19 and DM, hyperglycemia is persistent, without pronounced variability (MAGE - 1.5±0.6 mmol/L), the levels of C-reactive protein (p=0.028), creatinine (p=0.035), and fibrinogen (p=0.013) are higher, manifestations of hypercoagulability persist longer, including slower normalization of antithrombin III (p=0.012), fibrinogen (p=0.037), and D-dimer (p=0.035). Conclusion: The course of COVID-19 in patients with DM is associated with a high severity and extension of pneumonia, persistent decrease in oxygen supply, high hyperglycemia, accelerated renal dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and hypercoagulability.

Doppler backscattering diagnostic with dual homodyne detection on the Globus-M compact spherical tokamak.

This article considers a four-frequency microwave Doppler backscattering (DBS) system in the compact spherical tokamak Globus-M. The hardware was adequate for the purposes of studying the peripheral plasma in the tokamak. The multichannel DBS system is based on duplication of a dual homodyne detection circuit for four incident Ka-band frequencies. The ray tracing results for a spherical torus are described, and specific requirements for the antenna tilt adjustment are defined. Some new experimental results are given for using DBS diagnostics on the Globus-M tokamak in order to illustrate its efficiency.

A new genus of ambrosia beetle from Melanesia (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini).

A new genus of xyleborine ambrosia beetle, Melanesicus Beaver Petrov gen. n., with type species Xyleborus partitus Browne (1974) is described from the Melanesian region. The following new combinations are proposed: M. caledoniae (Beaver Liu, 2016) comb. n., M. deformatus (Browne, 1974) comb. n., M. granulosus (Schedl, 1975) comb. n., all from Xyleborus Eichhoff, 1864. Melanesicus tishechkini Petrov sp. n. is described from Vanuatu, and Melanesicus nukuruanus sp. n. Beaver from Fiji. The taxonomy, distribution and biology of the species included are briefly reviewed.

Intermodal fiber interferometer with frequency scanning laser for sensor application.

An intermodal fiber interferometer with an optical frequency scanning light source is considered to attain two main goals: signal fading elimination and achieving a linear response to external fiber perturbations. It is demonstrated that the interferometric signal traces repeatedly generated by the laser frequency scans can be used to average the target signal by calculating their autocorrelation function. A correlation approach is studied for signal processing, and various correlation function modifications are proposed and theoretically analyzed to achieve complete signal reconstruction. In particular, the relation between the autocorrelation function and the averaged amplitude characteristic is demonstrated. The efficiency of the proposed interferometer's scheme and the correlative signal processing are confirmed experimentally for the case of a sine-shaped fiber length modulation. We believe that the proposed method will be useful in real-time sensing applications.

[The dynamics of human total and activated anti-mullerian hormone serum levels in different life periods.]

Here, changes in the serum level of total anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and its activated form in children of both sexes and women with different reproductive status are investigated. This TGFß superfamily cytokine is known to provide the formation of the male-type reproductive system in mammalian embryogenesis, and regulate folliculogenesis, spermatogenesis and the balance of sex hormones after birth. The biologically active form of the hormone (aAMH) is formed as a result of limited proteolysis of the AMH molecule; it is not reliably known in which tissues and under the action of which enzyme it occurs. The serum level of aAMH seems to be a more informative clinical indicator than the content of total AMH (tAMH), but there are no ELISA systems at the world market that provide direct quantitative detection of aAMH. In this work, quantitative detection of total hormone (tAMH) and its biologically active form (aAMH) in serum was performed using specially developed enzyme immunoassay systems. We showed that in girls, the total serum AMH level, as well as the concentration ratio aAMH / tAMH, practically does not change with age, whereas in boys, there is not only a significant decrease in the total serum AMH level previously described in the literature (Pearson correlation coefficient R = - 0.86, p <0.001), but also in the ratios of the aAMH / tAMH level (R = -0.531, p <0.001). It was also found that in pregnant women, the amount of total AMH and the proportion of aAMH in serum was significantly higher (p <0.01 and p <0.001, respectively) than in the control group women. The obtained results are in good agreement with the available data on the total and activated AMH content in the blood serum of people of different sex and age and indicate a change in the ratio of aAMH / tAMH serum levels in pregnancy. These data may be important both for deepening the understanding of AMH biology and for interpreting the results obtained using AMH detection based diagnostics.

Controlling TW-laser pulse long-range filamentation in air by a deformable mirror.

The results of experiments and theoretical modeling of the multiple filamentation of terawatt-power femtosecond laser pulses on a 137 m long air path are presented. We use a multielement optical setup consisting of a Galilean telescope and a deformable bimorph mirror, which allows construction for the desired pulse wavefront at the optical path entrance. By introducing controlled aberrations of the pulse phase profile, we demonstrate the wide-ranging manipulations on the position and spatial structure of the filamentation region. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the stable wide-aperture (5 cm in diameter) ring-shaped spatial lattice of high-intense light channels is experimentally realized, which can persist over hundreds of meters in air.

Exfoliation, point defects and hydrogen storage properties of monolayer TiS3: an ab initio study.

The possibility of H2 molecule adsorption on the basal plane of monolayer TiS3 at various sites has been studied. Among the studied adsorption sites, few sites were found to be suitable for physisorption with binding energy up to 0.10 eV per H2. To increase the activity of hydrogen sorption, the possibility of generating S-vacancies, by removing sulfur atoms from the basal plane of monolayer TiS3, was investigated. Despite the fact that the structures containing vacancies were found to be stable enough, there was no increase in the activity towards hydrogen adsorption. The same effect was obtained with the use of common methods of increasing of the H2 adsorption energy: the decoration of the two-dimensional material with alkali metals (Li, Na). This might be caused by the negatively charged surfaces of single layer TiS3, which hinder the increase in binding by alkali metals through a weak electrostatic interaction.

Low-molecular-weight components of the metabolome control the proliferative activity in cellular and bacterial cultures.

The effects of blood metabolites and model cell culture exometabolites found in the human and animal blood metabolomes have been assessed. Specifically, the influence of carboxylic acids that are structural analogues of amino acids and the drug Aktoflor-C have been studied. Methods of organotypic culturing of rat tissues and Escherichia coli bacterial culturing have been used. It has been found that all the tested compounds either stimulate or inhibit cell proliferation in tissue cultures and proliferation in bacterial cultures. The metabolites that are present in blood and interstitial fluids can exert regulation effects on the tissues of the body and intestinal microbiota.

[MODERN CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS BASED ON THE DATA OF REGIONAL REGISTRY].

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe rheumatic disease characterized by polysymptomatic clinical picture. At the present stage, there are no updated epidemiological data due to the low prevalence of the disease. The aim of the study was to examine the current clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus based on the information contained in the territorial register, analysis of occurrence and symptoms at the early stage of the disease. This study demonstrated the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of SLE from the analysis of 107 cases during the period from 2011 to 2013 and retrospective analysis of the cases for 1980-2013. The epidemiological situation was evaluated based on extensive and intensive indicators using statistical software license. The current SLE prevalence was estimated at 5,59 per 100 000 population in 2013, the incidence between 1994 and 2003 at 0,29 per 100 000 population and between 2004 and 2013 at 0,49, with the peak in 2010 up to 1,35 per 100 000 population. The average absolute growth and growth rate of SLE in the first decade was 0,05% and 0,24%, in the second decade 0,001% and 0,006% respectively, with the female to male ratio being 9:1, mean age of the patients 37,62±11,65 years), and ethnic composition of 87 Slavs and 15 Crimean Tatars. The most common symptoms at the early (polyarthritis, fever, dermatitis) and advanced (polyarthritis, Raynaud's syndrome, carditis, myalgia) stages differed from those specified by American College of Rheumatology (1997). The difference between early and late symptoms of SLE was documented . Based on the data obtained, the division of the disease into clinical subtypes (phenotypes) is proposed.

Tunable nanoporous silicon oxide templates by swift heavy ion tracks technology.

Nanoporous silicon oxide templates formed by swift heavy ion tracks technology have been investigated. The influence of the heavy ion characteristics, such as type of ion, energy, stopping power and irradiation fluence on the pore properties of the silicon oxide templates, has been studied. Furthermore, the process of pore formation by chemical etching with hydrofluoric acid has been thoroughly investigated by assessing the effect of etchant concentration and etching time. The outcome of this investigation enables us to have precise control over the resulting geometry of nanopores arrays. As a result, guidelines for the creation of a-SiO2/Si templates with tunable parameters and general recommendations for their further application are presented.

[Creation of a model of HER2/neu-positive transplantable tumor on the immunocompetent mice].

In this study we established a HER2/neu expressing mouse tumor model using hepatoma MH-22a cell line tumorigenic in DBA mice. G10 clone with high level of HER2/neu expression was obtained by stable transfection and cloning. Solid tumors induced by subcutaneous injection of G10 cells into immunocompetent mice retain the expression of human receptor for at least three weeks. Treatment with trastuzumab results in statistically significant inhibition of tumor growth. This model can be used to evaluate in vivo efficiency of novel anti-HER2/neu antibodies and to test antibody-based conjugates for diagnostics.

[COMPARATIVE CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF MONOLAYER AND SUSPENSION CHINESE HAMSTER OVARY CELL LINES CHO(dhfr-)].

The karyotypes of CHO(dhfr-) and CHO(dhfr-)/susp Chinese hamster ovary cell lines were investigated with the use of GTG-staining. Modal chromosome set consists of 20 and 18 chromosomes respectively. The karyotypes of both cell lines were stable with constant ratio of normal chromosomes and chromosomes with structural rearrangements. Monosomy for chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 was observed in both cell lines and for chromosome 9 in CHO(dhfr-)/susp cell line. The differences between CHO(dhfr-) cell lines studied by us consists of inclusion of part of chromosome 7 in der(6)t(1;6), rearrangement of del(5) and monosomy of chromosome 9. It was shown that in karyotypes of all CHO cell lines studied up today there are 5 common structurally chromosome rearrangements: del(2), inv(3), add(6), del(9) and mar1. In both CHO(dhfr-) cell lines investigated by us three unique chromosome rearrangements: del(1), der(6)t(1,6) and mar3 were revealed. Necessity of simultaneous GTG and FISH analysis of chromosomes rearrangements in the CHO cell lines under study is discussed.

[Numerical impairments in genes in breast cancer: a multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification study].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze breast cancer samples using the new technique multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay. MATERIAL AND METHODS; Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast carcinoma samples from 65 patients were examined. After manual microdissection, DNA was isolated using a commercial kit ("QIAGEN") and analyzed with SALSA MLPA KIT P078-B1 Breast Tumour ("MRC-Holland"). Capillary electrophoresis provided results. RESULTS: MLPA assay was successful in all examined samples. The amplification and deletion frequencies of the analyzed genes were in line with the literature data. The technique requires conventional work-related skills in a molecular genetic laboratory and, as a whole, presents no problems with its usage. The interpretation of results is devoid of subjective meaning due to exclusively their mathematical analysis. MLPA assay provides an insight into numerical impairments in the following genes: ERBB2, MYC, TRAF4, C11orf30 (EMSY), ADAM9, IKBKB, CCNE1, TOP2A, CDH1, CDC6, ESR1, CPD, EGFR, MTDH, CCND1, BIRC5, MED1, FGFR1, MAPT, PRDM14, and AURKA. CONCLUSION: MLPA is an easy-to-use and promising method for multiplex genetic analysis of tumor cells in breast cancer.

Treatment with afobazole at delayed time points following ischemic stroke improves long-term functional and histological outcomes.

There is currently a significant lack of therapeutic options for acute ischemic stroke, and no drug has been approved for treating patients at delayed time points (≥6h post-stroke). Afobazole, an anxiolytic currently used clinically in Russia, has been shown to reduce neuronal and glial cell injury in vitro following ischemia. Experiments using the permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model were carried out to determine if afobazole can reduce ischemic stroke damage in vivo and expand the therapeutic window for stroke treatment. Post-stroke (24h) application of afobazole (0.3-3mg/kg) significantly decreased infarct volume at 96h post-surgery, as determined by Fluoro-Jade and NeuN staining of brain sections. Moreover, afobazole helped preserve both the levels and normal histological distribution of myelin basic protein, indicating a reduction in white matter injury. A time-dependence study showed that either pre-treatment or treatment started 6 to 48h post-stroke with the drug yields improved outcomes at 96h. The decrease in infarct volume produced by afobazole was blocked by the application of either a σ-1 (BD 1063, 30mg/kg) or a σ-2 (SM-21, 1mg/kg) antagonist, indicating that both receptor subtypes are involved in the effects of afobazole. Treatment with afobazole starting at 24h post-stroke resulted in enhanced survival one month following surgery. Behavioral testing of animals 28-32days post-surgery using the elevated body swing and forelimb grip-strength tests revealed that treatment with afobazole starting 24h post-stroke significantly reduces behavioral deficits caused by ischemic stroke. The increase in survival and improved functional outcomes are accompanied by a reduction in infarct volume, as determined by thionin staining of brain sections. Taken together, our data support the use of afobazole as a post-stroke pharmacological agent to expand the current therapeutic window.