Povidone-iodine functionalized nanofibers are prophylactic and protect against dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The novel personal protection equipment based on a face mask equipped with a nanofiber filter functionalized with povidone iodine has been developed and tested in a clinical trial. This nanofiber filter was characterized with a low flow resistance and, thus, allowed comfortable breathing. The performed study proved that the novel nanofiber filter with incorporated povidone-iodine was characterized with a slow release of iodine which minimized side effects but kept disinfection efficiency. Our clinical study performed on 207 positively tested SARS-CoV-2 patients wearing the PPE for 4-8 hours daily for 1 to 4 days has shown that even the iodine amount as low as 0.00028 ppm was sufficient to significantly decrease the reproduction number and, very importantly, to protect against severe course of disease.

Hydrolat of Helichrysum italicum promotes tissue regeneration during wound healing.

Wound healing is a dynamic process involving different cell types with distinct roles according to the stages of healing. Fibroblasts and stem cells actively participate in tissue regeneration. A proper stimulation could contribute to enhance wound healing process-es. Helichrysum italicum (H. italicum) is a medical plant well described for its pharmacological, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Aim of the present work was to examine the effect of the hydrolat derivate from H. italicum on stem cells isolated from skin and fibroblasts in vitro in presence or absence of tissue damage. The viability and proliferation of all cell types cultured in dif-ferent conditions were analyzed by MTT and BrdU assays. Cell proliferation after wound was analyzed with scratch test. Also, the expression of the main genes involved in tissue repair was evaluated by RT-qPCR analysis. Here we describe the capability of hy-drolat of H. italicum to promote tissue regeneration after scratch test both in stem cells and in fibroblasts. Moreover, the gene ex-pression analysis revealed that, hydrolat of H. italicum is also able to enhance stemness related. In conclusion our results are en-couraging, highlighting novel regenerative properties of hydrolat of H. italicum and paving the way for future application of this wasting product in accelerating wound healing.

Expansion of the multifunctionality in off-stoichiometric manganites using post-annealing and high pressure: physical and electrochemical studies.

Prospects for the use of manganites in various areas of modern technologies require comprehensive studies of their physical and chemical properties. La0.9Mn1.1O3 (LMO) ceramics have been synthesized at an annealing temperature tann of 1150 °C with further post-annealing at 1250, 1350, and 1450 °C. As tann increases, the structure symmetry changes, and both the crystallite size and chemical defects increase. The post-annealing, on one hand, leads to a dramatic reduction of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) |-ΔSmaxM| from 3.50 to 0.75 J (kg K)-1 at 2 T and a Curie temperature TC from 227 to 113 K with increasing tann. On the other hand, an external hydrostatic high-pressure P works oppositely enhancing ferromagnetic interactions. The saturation of -ΔSmaxM and TC is already achieved at a relatively low P of ≈ 0.4 GPa. LMO-1150 exhibits the best magnetocaloric characteristics compared with other studied samples. Moreover, the electrochemical characteristics of the LMO materials as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting (OER process) and features of their transformation in different 0.5 M K2SO4, 0.5 M K2HPO4, and 0.1 M K2B4O7 electrolytes have been studied thoroughly. After electrocatalysis of LMO, the magnetization M decreases and TC remains, which makes it possible to control the depletion of electrodes and predict their working time based on the magnetic measurements. All samples show the best OER activity in the 0.5 M K2HPO4 media. The obtained results demonstrate the ways for controlling the MCE of LMO under changing internal and external conditions, and an evaluation of the possibilities for their OER applications in electrocatalysts.

Multifunctionality of lanthanum-strontium manganite nanopowder.

Manganites are multifunctional materials which are widely used in both technology and devices. In this article, new prospects of their use as nanoparticles for various types of applications are demonstrated. For that, the ferromagnetic nanopowder of La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 has been synthesized by the sol-gel method with a subsequent annealing at 700-900 °C. The crystal structure, phase composition and morphology of nanoparticles as well as magnetic, magnetothermal and electrocatalytic properties have been studied comprehensively. The critical sizes of superparamagnetic, single-domain, and multi-domain states have been determined. It has been established that an anomalously wide temperature range of magnetocaloric properties is associated with an additional contribution to the magnetocaloric effect from superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The maximum values of the specific loss power are observed in the relaxation hysteresis region near the magnetic phase transition temperature. The electrochemical stability and features of the decomposition of nanoparticles in 1 M KOH and Na2SO4 electrolytes have been determined. A decrease in the particle size contributes to an increase in electrocatalytic activity for overall water splitting. Magnetocaloric and electrocatalytic results of the work indicate the prospects for obtaining the possibility of changing the temperature regime of electrocatalysis using contactless heating or cooling.

Smart magnetic nanopowder based on the manganite perovskite for local hyperthermia.

For many medical applications related to diagnosis and treatment of cancer disease, hyperthermia plays an increasingly important role as a local heating method, where precise control of temperature and parameters of the working material is strongly required. Obtaining a smart material with "self-controlled" heating in a desirable temperature range is a relevant task. For this purpose, the nanopowder of manganite perovskite with super-stoichiometric manganese has been synthesized, which consists of soft spherical-like ferromagnetic nanoparticles with an average size of 65 nm and with a narrow temperature range of the magnetic phase transition at 42 °C. Based on the analysis of experimental magnetic data, a specific loss power has been calculated for both quasi-stable and relaxation hysteresis regions. It has been shown that the local heating of the cell structures to 42 °C may occur for a short time (∼1.5 min.) Upon reaching 42 °C, the heating is stopped due to transition of the nanopowder to the paramagnetic state. The obtained results demonstrate the possibility of using synthesized nanopowder as a smart magnetic nanomaterial for local hyperthermia with automatic heating stabilization in the safe range of hyperthermia without the risk of mechanical damage to cell structures.

[Methods and freezers for obtaining fresh frozen plasma].

Modern methods and apparatuses for freezing polymer containers with plasma are considered. The quality of fresh frozen plasma depends to a considerable extent on the freezer capability to provide high rate of freezing. A criterion curve showing the degree of freezer conformity to standardized documents regulating the requirements to plasma freezers is presented.

[Diagnostic and prognostic validity of high-resolution electrocardiography under the conditions of space flight].

Applicability of high-resolution ECG used in clinics for predicting the probability of life-threatening arrhythmias in cardiovascular patients for the space flight environment was investigated in A 7-d bedrest experiment was to verify HR ECG displayed electrophysiological shifts in myocardial atriums and ventricles. Clearly seen changes in R-amplitude and time course seem to have reflected the volumetric loading and altered sympathetic activity during bed rest QRS-complex had increased the time of low-amplitude signals at the end of the last 40 ms but was short in duration which may point to delayed ventricular depolarization. Prognostically meaningful is exaggerated electrical instability of the myocardium during the standing test on completion of the bedrest period. Results of the investigation allow recommend HR ECG integration into the spacecrew health monitoring system.

[Software for polygraphs used in scientific research].

Polygraphs--devices for simultaneous detection of several physiological parameters--are currently used in medicine in psychology. Special polygraphs are also used in scientific research. The process of data acquisition and processing in such polygraphs is usually computer-controlled. The goal of this work was to describe software for detection of polygraph signals used in cardiorespiratory system research. The software supports the experiment script language, allows hyperventilation testing, and makes it possible for the examination subject to control the data detection process.

[Assessment and prediction of health status of the Mars mission crew members].

The scientific concept of health assessment and prediction in a piloted mission to Mars has been built on the principles of pre-nosologic diagnostics, i.e., identification of the norm-pathology borderline states. The article deals with the medical care policy for the mission, and specific techniques and technologies. A three-level system of health assessment and prediction is proposed. Innovative approaches to evaluation of the body control systems during long exposure in microgravity have a footing of ground-based and space experimental investigations. Namely, these include evaluation of the cardiorespiration autonomous regulation and body functional reserve assessment by noninvasive recording of physiological signals in sleeping crewmembers before and after mission.

[The effect of leukocyte interferon on the kinin system indices of the blood in patients with acute intestinal infections]. / Vliianie leikotsitarnogo interferona na pokazateli kininovoi sistemy krovi u bol'nykh ostrymi kishechnymi infektsiiami.

The authors studied the efficiency of using rectally interferon in acute intestinal infections, the influence of the agent on the kinin system in these patients. 42 children with bacterial intestinal infections were examined. They were given rectally 1000 IU of interferon. This results in a rapid disappearance of the intoxication symptoms, signs of lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, normalization of the kinin system indices.

[Free amino acids and the total middle molecule fraction of the blood serum in patients with continuously progressive paranoid schizophrenia undergoing treatment]. / Svobodnye aminokisloty i obshchaia fraktsiia srednikh molekul syvorotki krovi bol'nykh nepreryvno protekaiushchei paranoidnoi shizofreniei, nakhodiashchikhsia na lechenii.

The authors have investigated the levels of free amino acids and of the total fraction of medium molecules in the blood serum of patients with the paranoid form of continuously progressive schizophrenia. It has been demonstrated that these parameters are different in clinically normal individuals versus schizophrenics. The concentrations of free amino acids were the highest in people aged 40 to 50 years (Cys, Ala, Lys, Asp, Thr, Tyr, Try, Val, Leu, Ile) being considerably lower in individuals aged 50 to 60 years (Cys, Ala, Tyr) and over 60 years (Lys, His, Asp, Tyr, Try) which corresponds to the highest activity of the process in patients aged 40 to 50 years and its stabilization in older age.

[Middle molecule fraction in the serum of rats with toxic hepatitis]. / Fraktsii srednikh molekul syvorotki krovi u krys pri toksicheskom gepatite.

An increase in the amount of the middle molecular peptide (MM) fraction in the blood serum of rats with experimental toxic hepatitis and normalization of the MM pool after the administration of the amino acid mixture Alvesin "Novy" are shown. The chromatographic spectra of the MM fraction in normal and experimental animals are compared.

[Thyroid function in persons with hyperplasia of the thyroid gland in the presence of iodine deficiency]. / Tireoidnaia funktsiia u lits s giperplaziei shchitovidnoi zhelezy v usloviiakh iodnoi nedostatochnosti.

The levels of thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), reverse triiodothyronine (RT3), thyroxine-binding capacity (TBC), a free thyroxine index (FT4I) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were studied by a radioimmunoassay in the blood of healthy schoolchildren aged 14 to 17 with stage I-II of thyroid hyperplasia residing in a mountain region of the Transcarpathian area, the Ukrainian SSR, with noticeable environmental iodine deficiency. Similar studies were conducted in a lowland region with a sufficient iodine level. A decrease in the concentration of T4, T3, RT3 and FT4I and higher TBC and TSH values were established in the healthy schoolchildren from the mountain region as compared to corresponding values in the schoolchildren from the lowland region indicating a lower level of homeostasis of thyroid hormones in the mountain region. A decrease in indices of thyroid function was observed in hyperplasia as compared to indices of the healthy, schoolchildren (T3 and TSH levels were higher) both in the mountain and lowland regions. More pronounced shifts were revealed in the blood of the schoolchildren from the mountain region. Less iodine was excreted with daily urine in the healthy schoolchildren from the mountain region than in the schoolchildren from the lowland region. Schoolchildren with hyperplasia excreted less iodine than healthy children, iodine excretion being lower in the schoolchildren from the mountain region. The results obtained suggested the hypothyroid nature of thyroid hyperplasia in the mountain region. The importance of iodine prophylaxis was emphasized.

[Functional activity of the thyroid gland and distribution of its hormones in peripheral tissues under experimental liver disease]. / Funktsional'naia aktivnost' shchitovidnoi zhelezy i raspredelenie ee gormonov v perifericheskikh tkaniakh pri éksperimental'nom porazhenii pecheni.

Experimental acute toxic hepatitis causes functional reconstruction of the thyroid gland accompanied by intensified levels of total iodine and its hormonal compounds in blood. In most of non-thyroid tissues a decrease in the total and hormonal iodine content is revealed, but in kidneys these indices are considerably higher. The level of the nonhormonal iodine compounds in blood and tissues under study does not essentially vary and only in the liver, heart and lungs the expressed lowering of inorganic iodides is observed.

[Free amino acids in brain tissue and its subcellular structures in hyperthermia in rats]. / Svobodnye aminokisloty v tkani mozga i ego subkletochnykh strukturakh pri gipertermii u krys.

Free amino acids reserves in the brain tissue, nuclei and mitochondria were investigated in mongrel albino rats under conditions of hyperthermia (45 degrees C) of different duration--7,20 and 60 min. It was found that reserves of most free amino acids in the albino rat brain decreased under a short-term (7 min) hyperthermia and accumulated under more prolonged (20-60 min) one. The amount of amino acids in the brain mitochondria increased 7 min after the experiment start and decreased 20 min later, then (60 min later) the amount of most amino acids increased considerably. Opposite shifts were detected in the content of most amino acids in nuclei.

[Free amino acids in the brain of vertebrates]. / Svobodnye aminokisloty v golovnom mozge nekotorykh pozvonochnykh.

Studies have been made on the content of free amino acids in the brain of the pike Esox lucius, frog Rana ridibunda, pheasant Phasinus colhidus, hare Lepus europaeus, as well as their distribution in the white and grey matter of healthy human subjects. Differences in the distribution of free amino acid pool were found between man and animals. In the grey matter of human brain, large quantities of free ornithine, phenylalanine, lysine, serine, glycine, alanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine and isoleucine, as well as lower level of aspartic acid, glutamic acid and threonine were found as compared to the white matter. The content of ornithine, serine and threonine increases in the row birds greater than fishes greater than man greater than mammals greater than amphibians; histidine and arginine pool increases in the following sequence: birds greater than fishes greater than mammals greater than amphibians greater than man.

[Distribution of free amino acids in the rat brain during ontogenesis]. / Raspredelenie svobodnykh aminokislot v mozgu krys v ontogeneze.

Distribution of free amino acids reserves in the brain tissues, nuclei and mitochondria of rats is studied in ontogenesis dynamics. It is established that the content of most amino acids in tissues and mitochondria increases by the 6-month age, lowers in the brain tissues and subcellular structures by the 12-month age, decreases in the tissues and nuclei and grows in mitochondria of old animals. The reasons of disbalance in distribution of the reserves of free amino acids are under discussion.

[Dynamics of free amino acids in rat brain tissue during hypothermia]. / Dinamika svobodnykh aminokislot v tkaniakh mozga krys pri gipotermii.

A comparative study is conducted for the effect of one-, three- and six-hour artificial deep (20-19 degrees C) hypothermia on the content of free amino acids in the blood serum, tissue, nuclei and mitochondria of the rat brain. It is found out that the content is the highest in the blood serum after a three-hour cooling. In the brain tissue the amount of amino acids lowers, especially under conditions of a six-hour hypothermia. In nuclei a three-hour effect of hypothermia decreases sharply the content of free amino acids and the six-hour one increases the amount of most of them. Under hypothermia the content of nearly all amino acids in the brain mitochondria is higher than in the intact animals.