[Prolonged spinal and sacral neurostimulation in children with pelvic organ dysfunction: preliminary analysis]. / Dlitel'naya spinal'naya i sakral'naya neirostimulyatsiya u detei pri narusheniyakh funktsii tazovykh organov: predvaritel'nyi analiz.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of long-term spinal and sacral programmable neurostimulation for pelvic organ dysfunction in patients with myelodysplasia and chronic dysfunction of the bladder and rectum. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study included 32 children aged 1-17 years (mean 10.7) with myelodysplasia, pelvic organ dysfunction and ineffective therapy including botulinum therapy and exclusion of tethered spinal cord syndrome. All children underwent comprehensive urodynamic examination with analysis of bladder and residual urine volume, mean flow rate, intravesical pressure and total urine volume, as well as electromyographic examination. Examination was carried out before surgery, after 6, 12 and 36 months. We applied urinary diary, NBSS questionnaire and urodynamic examination data. All patients underwent neurological examinations (neurological status, magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord, computed tomography and radiography of the spine, electroneuromyography). The study was conducted at the neurosurgical department of the Republican Children's Clinical Hospital in Ufa between 2014 and 2022. There were 32 implantations of epidural neurostimulators for pelvic organ dysfunctions. RESULTS: Patients used epidural spinal and sacral stimulation up to 6 times a day for 10-15 min turning on the pulse generator. This method significantly increased urinary volume, decreased episodes of urinary leakage and fecal incontinence, residual volume after urination and number of periodic catheterizations compared to baseline data. Sixteen patients were very satisfied, 10 ones were moderately satisfied, and 2 patients were not satisfied with therapy. The number of bladder catheterizations per day decreased by 51.1%. Urine volume significantly increased from 131.5±16.1 to 236±16.7 ml, intravesical pressure decreased from 23.5±4.2 to 18.5±2.1 cm H2O (by 20.3%). CONCLUSION: Chronic epidural spinal and sacral stimulation can improve the quality of life in patients with pelvic organ dysfunction. This technique may be effective for pelvic organ dysfunction caused by myelodysplasia.

Measurement of the 2νßß Decay Rate and Spectral Shape of

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νßß) is a yet unobserved nuclear process that would demonstrate Lepton number violation, a clear evidence of beyond standard model physics. The process two neutrino double beta decay (2νßß) is allowed by the standard model and has been measured in numerous experiments. In this Letter, we report a measurement of 2νßß decay half-life of ^{100}Mo to the ground state of ^{100}Ru of [7.07±0.02(stat)±0.11(syst)]×10^{18} yr by the CUPID-Mo experiment. With a relative precision of ±1.6% this is the most precise measurement to date of a 2νßß decay rate in ^{100}Mo. In addition, we constrain higher-order corrections to the spectral shape, which provides complementary nuclear structure information. We report a novel measurement of the shape factor ξ_{3,1}=0.45±0.03(stat)±0.05(syst) based on a constraint on the ratio of higher-order terms from theory, which can be reliably calculated. This is compared to theoretical predictions for different nuclear models. We also extract the first value for the effective axial vector coupling constant obtained from a spectral shape study of 2νßß decay.

Assessment of the Influence of the Geometrical Shape of the Damper on the Efficiency of an Ultrasonic Operation Piezoelectric Transducer.

The results of a study on the geometric shape of the damper on the efficiency of the ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer are presented. In particular, a damper in the form of a truncated cone is considered, the generatrix of which has an inclination angle α relative to the diameter of the piezoceramic plate. The shape of the damper in the form of a truncated cone is chosen based on the a priori assumption that this helps to increase the path of the wave in the damper material due to numerous reflections in it. A criterion for the efficiency of damper operation is proposed. The optimal (from the point of view of the damper efficiency) value of the angle α was determined theoretically and experimentally. The technology of its production is described. Satisfactory agreement between the results of theoretical and experimental studies was noted.

New Limit for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of

The CUPID-Mo experiment at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France) is a demonstrator for CUPID, the next-generation ton-scale bolometric 0νßß experiment. It consists of a 4.2 kg array of 20 enriched Li_{2}^{100}MoO_{4} scintillating bolometers to search for the lepton-number-violating process of 0νßß decay in ^{100}Mo. With more than one year of operation (^{100}Mo exposure of 1.17 kg×yr for physics data), no event in the region of interest and, hence, no evidence for 0νßß is observed. We report a new limit on the half-life of 0νßß decay in ^{100}Mo of T_{1/2}>1.5×10^{24} yr at 90% C.I. The limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass ⟨m_{ßß}⟩<(0.31-0.54) eV, dependent on the nuclear matrix element in the light Majorana neutrino exchange interpretation.

First Limit on the Direct Detection of Lightly Ionizing Particles for Electric Charge as Low as e/1000 with the Majorana Demonstrator.

The Majorana Demonstrator is an ultralow-background experiment searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in ^{76}Ge. The heavily shielded array of germanium detectors, placed nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, also allows searches for new exotic physics. Free, relativistic, lightly ionizing particles with an electrical charge less than e are forbidden by the standard model but predicted by some of its extensions. If such particles exist, they might be detected in the Majorana Demonstrator by searching for multiple-detector events with individual-detector energy depositions down to 1 keV. This search is background-free, and no candidate events have been found in 285 days of data taking. New direct-detection limits are set for the flux of lightly ionizing particles for charges as low as e/1000.

Search for Neutrinoless Quadruple-ß Decay of

We report the results of a first experimental search for lepton number violation by four units in the neutrinoless quadruple-ß decay of ^{150}Nd using a total exposure of 0.19 kg yr recorded with the NEMO-3 detector at the Modane Underground Laboratory. We find no evidence of this decay and set lower limits on the half-life in the range T_{1/2}>(1.1-3.2)×10^{21} yr at the 90% C.L., depending on the model used for the kinematic distributions of the emitted electrons.

New Limits on Bosonic Dark Matter, Solar Axions, Pauli Exclusion Principle Violation, and Electron Decay from the Majorana Demonstrator.

We present new limits on exotic keV-scale physics based on 478 kg d of Majorana Demonstrator commissioning data. Constraints at the 90% confidence level are derived on bosonic dark matter (DM) and solar axion couplings, Pauli exclusion principle violating (PEPV) decay, and electron decay using monoenergetic peak signal limits above our background. Our most stringent DM constraints are set for 11.8 keV mass particles, limiting g_{Ae}<4.5×10^{-13} for pseudoscalars and (α^{'}/α)<9.7×10^{-28} for vectors. We also report a 14.4 keV solar axion coupling limit of g_{AN}^{eff}×g_{Ae}<3.8×10^{-17}, a 1/2ß^{2}<8.5×10^{-48} limit on the strength of PEPV electron transitions, and a lower limit on the electron lifetime of τ_{e}>1.2×10^{24} yr for e^{-}→ invisible.

[MELATONIN: THE POSSIBILITY TO ANALYSE THE MARKER OF AGE-RELATED PATHOLOGY IN THE BUCCAL EPITHELIUM AND URINE].

Extrapineal and pineal melatonin is the marker of the aging rate of organism making it possible to characterize functional condition of the neuro-immuno-endocrine system. In this article we have used the new method for non-invasive diagnostics of melatonin expression in buccal epithelium and determination of the main melatonin metabolite 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate (6-HMS) in urine of elderly people. Normal, impaired and enhanced melatonin expression was documented in 20.5%, 43.2% and 36.30% of the patients respectively. Such comprehensive melatonin and 6-COMT studies can be recommended for elderly patients with oncological, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular diseases, and ageing macular dystrophy. Moreover, melatonin expression analysis in buccal cells can be used for integral investigation of biorhythms in elderly people.

[Buccal epithelium as an object for testing of biological age and the speed of aging].

Testing of biological age and the speed of aging is one of the main goal of gerontology and predictive medicine. This review summarizes the ability of using buccal epithelium as target of non-invasive investigation of aging diagnostics. Buccal epithelium used for thelomere test and morphological characteristics of its nucleus demonstrate the speed of aging. The electrophysiological investigation of buccal cells nucleus are the markers of biological age of a human. In future it can be possible to use buccal epithelium for immunogistochemical investigation with goal to diagnose cellular senescence.

The Effect of Static Stress on the Anisotropy of Piezoceramics.

The influence of static compressional stress on the anisotropy of piezoelectric ceramics of BaTiO3 and PZT types is considered theoretically and experimentally. Static compression changes the domain structure of piezoceramics. These changes occur due to the reorientation of mostly 90° domain axes. As a result, all the parameters of the material change-elastic, piezoelectric, and dielectric. Some of them increase, and some, on the contrary, decrease. Changes occur in a nonlinear way, and higher-order parameters appear. The relationship between the total volume of the reoriented domains and the change in elastic moduli and piezomoduli is theoretically considered. The corresponding theoretical dependences are obtained. To confirm these theoretical dependences, experimental measurements were performed using the ultrasonic pulse-interference method at a frequency of 8 MHz. There is practically no oscillation movement of domain boundaries at this frequency, therefore, the change in the system of elastic and piezoelectric moduli is structural, not dynamic. The possibility of predicting changes in the structure of modules as a result of static compression is shown.

Measurement of the ßß decay half-life of 130Te with the NEMO-3 detector.

We report results from the NEMO-3 experiment based on an exposure of 1275 days with 661 g of (130)Te in the form of enriched and natural tellurium foils. The ßß decay rate of (130)Te is found to be greater than zero with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations and the half-life is measured to be T(½)(2ν) = [7.0 ± 0.9(stat) ± 1.1(syst)] × 10(20) yr. This represents the most precise measurement of this half-life yet published and the first real-time observation of this decay.

Age-related features of expression of cell renewal factors in the intestinal Peyer's patches.

Immunohistochemical study with markers of proapoptotic protein P53 and proliferation protein Ki-67 revealed an age-related decrease in proliferative activity of lymphocyte in the intestinal Peyer's patches and an increase in the ratio of apoptotic cells in humans. These changes aggravate atrophy and involution of the intestinal epithelium during aging.

Pulse mode of operation of a spherical piezoceramic transducer filled with liquid and having a correcting electric circuit.

By means of a computational method, the possibility of radiating a short acoustic pulse by a transducer in the form of a piezoceramic sphere internally filled with liquid is investigated. An electric inductive-resistive circuit is connected to the electric input of the transducer. Solution is obtained based on scheme-analogs theory for piezoceramic transducers, and spectral Fourier transform theory. The values of parameters of the system, providing minimal durations of radiated signals, are determined. Computation was carried out for different values of relative thicknesses of the transducer wall. The estimates of durations and amplitudes of the acoustic signals radiated into the external medium are obtained.

[Cell renovation in the intestinal epithelium in aging].

The ability to cell renovation of two basic cell types of intestinal mucosa is the important mechanism for the regulation and support of the gut physiological functions in aging and under the influence of the ecological negative factors. The study of the processes of cell renovation of the intestinal epithelial and neuroendocrine cells in physiological and radiological aging has a great interest, because the irradiation in the subletal doses could be considered as the model of artificial aging, and this fact enables studying of the radiological influence as the ecological factor, promoting the aging. In this study, the increase of cell proliferation in intestinal mucosa in physiological as well as artificial aging was observed. It was shown, that the total population of mitotic cells increases two times. These data testify about active participation of the mechanisms of cell renovation in the safety of gut functions during aging.

Effect of electrical circuits on duration of an acoustic pulse radiated by a piezoplate.

By means of numerical computation, pulse mode of a piezoelectric radiator in the form of a plate, loaded with a liquid and connected to R-L circuits in various combinations, is investigated. The computations were carried out having taken into account the internal resistance of the electric generator. Numerical results, based on the theory, are provided for examples of parallel and series circuits connected to a piezoelectric plate. The optimal values of parameters are determined, providing minimal duration of radiated acoustic pulses.

[Expression of serotonin and vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human thymus in aging involution].

Immunohistochemical verification of serotonin and of the vessels endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has enabled to establish the presence of these signaling molecules in human thymus in all stages of ontogenesis and in aging. Thus authentic increase of quantity of the cells synthesizing serotonin in people of advanced age is established, which reflects the compensatory role of serotonin, directed on maintenance of immunity in old organism. The minimum quantity of the cells containing VEGF is observed in human thymus of advanced age, but the intensity of synthesis of this peptide does not practically change during the postnatal ontogenesis. These data may be considered as the evidence of the important role of signaling molecules that are expressed in thymus in local paracrine regulation of thymic functions in aging.

[Endocrine secretion in endometrial and breast malignant tumors in elderly women].

Hystochemical and immunohystochemical investigations revealed APUD tumor cells in malignant endometrial and breast tumors, which affect elderly women. Identification of the hormones produced by APUD-cells in carcinomas and neuroendocrine tumors could form the basis for selecting the optimal method of treatment, including selection of pills to correct the impaired patients' hormonal status.

[Endothelial changes in cardiovascular pathology in the elderly. Part 2. Signal molecules and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis].

This article is a continuation of the review on the issue of the interaction between the endothelium and numerous biologically active substances, secreted by endotheliocytes and their environment--the so called signal molecules--in the most prevalent cardiovascular pathology in the elderly. For example tumor necrosis factor plays a pathogenetic role as an immunomodulator, possesses anti-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic properties, provokes endothelial dysfunction, and stimulates the expression of other pro-inflammatory cytokines. Other signal molecules are described as well. The article also presents data from studies directed towards the perfection of atherosclerosis therapy via affecting signal molecules: depression of the expression of interleukins and their receptors, inhibition of atherogenic interleukins, neutralization of pro-inflammatory interleukins, and introduction of interleukin receptor antagonists.

[Changes of the endothelium in cardiovascular pathology in the elderly. Part I. Signal molecules and endothelial functions].

The review discusses the issue of the interaction between the endothelium and numerous biologically active substances, secreted by endotheliocytes and their environment--the so called signal molecules - in the most prevalent pathology in the elderly. In the elderly, signal molecules are synthesized by endothelial cells less intensively by comparison to young and middle-age people because a range of morphological features of endotheliocytes at elderly age: a hyperchromic nucleus; a smaller number of ribosomes, which leads to the inhibition of protein synthesis; a bigger number of lysosomes; structural changes in myofibrils; alterations in the mitochondrial structure such as crista death as well as the swelling and destruction of some organellas, which disturb the process of energosynthesis. At the same time, the main regulatory functions of the endothelium--vasomotor, antithrombocyte, anticoagulatory, thrombolytic, antiinflammatory, antioxidative, and antiproliferative ones--are the same in the healthy elderly and at earlier stages of ontogenesis. Disturbances in one or another endothelial function, especially at elderly age when the peculiarities of endothelial functioning under normal conditions are formed together with age-related morphological changes, result in fast development and progress of cardiovascular diseases.

The BiPo-3 detector.

The BiPo-3 detector is a low radioactive detector dedicated to measuring ultra-low natural contaminations of 208Tl and 214Bi in thin materials, initially developed to measure the radiopurity of the double ß decay source foils of the SuperNEMO experiment at the µBq/kg level. The BiPo-3 technique consists in installing the foil of interest between two thin ultra-radiopure scintillators coupled to low radioactive photomultipliers. The design and performances of the detector are presented. In this paper, the final results of the 208Tl and 214Bi activity measurements of the first enriched 82Se foils are reported for the first time, showing the capability of the detector to reach sensitivities in the range of some µBq/kg.