Craniofacial Bones and Teeth in Spacefarers: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Estimating the risk of dental problems in long-duration space missions to the Moon and Mars is critical for avoiding dental emergencies in an environment that does not support proper treatment. Previous risk estimates were constructed based on the experience in short-duration space missions and isolated environments on Earth. However, previous estimates did not account for potential changes in dental structures due to space travel, even though bone loss is a known problem for long-duration spaceflights. The objective of this study was to systematically analyze the changes in hard tissues of the craniofacial complex during spaceflights. METHODS: Comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, Scopus, the NASA Technical Report Server, and other sources identified 1,585 potentially relevant studies. After screening, 32 articles that presented quantitative data for skull in humans (6/32) and for calvariae, mandible, and lower incisors in rats (20/32) and mice (6/32) were selected. RESULTS: Skull bone mineral density showed a significant increase in spacefaring humans. In spacefaring rodents, calvariae bone volume to tissue volume (BV/TV) demonstrated a trend toward increasing that did not reach statistical significance, while in mandibles, there was a significant decrease in BV/TV. Dentin thickness and incisor volume of rodent incisors were not significantly different between spaceflight and ground controls. DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrates significant knowledge gaps regarding many structures of the craniofacial complex such as the maxilla, molar, premolar, and canine teeth, as well as small sample sizes for the studies of mandible and incisors. Understanding the effects of microgravity on craniofacial structures is important for estimating risks during long-duration spaceflight and for formulating proper protocols to prevent dental emergencies. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Avoiding dental emergencies in long-duration spaceflights is critical since this environment does not support proper treatment. Prior risk estimates did not account for changes in dental structures due to space travel. We reviewed and synthesized the literature for changes in craniofacial complex associated with spaceflight. The results of our study will help clinicians and scientists to better prepare to mitigate potential oral health issues in space travelers on long-duration missions.

Osteoclasts and their circulating precursors in rheumatoid arthritis: Relationships with disease activity and bone erosions.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have very different outcomes, particularly with regard to bone erosions. Since osteoclasts are responsible for bone destruction adjacent to rheumatoid synovium, profiling osteoclasts from circulating precursors in RA could help identify patients at risk for bone destruction. In this study, we sought to determine whether the functional characteristics of osteoclasts generated from their blood precursors were modified by RA activity or were intrinsic to osteoclasts and associated with the RA phenotype (erosive or not). Osteoclasts were generated in vitro from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of subjects with RA (n = 140), as well as sex- and age-matched healthy controls (n = 101). Osteoclastic parameters were analyzed at baseline and during the follow-up for up to 4 years, with regular assessment of RA activity, bone erosions, and bone mineral density (BMD). As a validation cohort, we examined RA patients from the Early Undifferentiated PolyArthritis (EUPA) study (n = 163). The proportion of CD14+ PBMC was higher in RA than in control subjects, but inversely correlated with the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28). Also surprisingly, in osteoclast cultures from PBMCs, active RA was associated with lower osteoclastogenic capacity, while in vitro bone resorption per osteoclast and resistance to apoptosis were similar in both active and quiescent RA. In a small subgroup analysis, osteoclasts from subjects with recent RA that had progressed at four years to an erosive RA exhibited at baseline greater resistance to apoptosis than those from patients remaining non-erosive. Our findings establish that when RA is active, circulating monocytes have a reduced potential to generate osteoclasts from PBMCs in vitro. In addition, osteoclasts associated with erosive disease had resistance to apoptosis from the start of RA.

Pharmacological Analysis of the Therapeutic Effect of Radioprotectors Cystamine and Indralin in the Capacity of Radiomitigators.

The therapeutic radiomitigating effect of cystamine and indralin was studied in experiments on mice and rats and pharmacological analysis of these drugs was carried out. The animals were subjected to whole-body 60Co γ-irradiation. The mice were exposed to single (9-10 Gy) or double (8 Gy) irradiation with an interval of 1 month. The rats were exposed to 10 Gy with partial shielding of the upper quarter of the abdomen. In experiments on mice, pretreatment with reserpine abolished the therapeutic effect of cystamine administered repeatedly every 15 min over 1 h after irradiation. Moreover, summation of the radioprotective and therapeutic effects of the radioprotector was revealed under these conditions. In mice and rats, α1-adrenoreceptor blocker terazosin did not abolish the therapeutic effect of indralin administrated after irradiation, but blocked the radioprotective effect of indralin applied prior to irradiation. At the same time, 5-HT2 serotonin receptor blocker tropoxin abolished the therapeutic effect of indralin without affecting its radioprotective activity.

Radioprotective Properties of Indralin in Combination with Monizol in the Treatment of Local Acute and Delayed Radiation Injuries Caused by Local Skin γ-Irradiation.

Female rats were exposed to local γ-irradiation of the right hindpaw in doses of 30-50 Gy at 131-154 sGy/min dose rate. Radioprotector indralin was administered per os 15 min prior to irradiation, monizol was injected intraperitoneally 5 min after irradiation. Indralin showed marked radioprotective properties both for acute and delayed symptoms of local radiation injuries. In combination with monizol, radioprotective effect of indralin was potentiated to dose reduction factor of 1.4-1.5 both for radiation burn severity reduction and for restriction of postradiational contracture development and amputation of the irradiated limb.

[Topical aspects of contemporary forms of occupational bronchial asthma].

Occupational bronchial asthma is a variable, heterogenious disease. Occupational factors are triggers and inductors of the pathologic process, cause formation of various clinical phenotypes of asthma, on background of genetic predisposition, changed metabolic adaptation, energetic systems, neuro-humoral regulation, immune state.

Perfluorodecalin and bone regeneration.

Perfluorodecalin (PFD) is a chemically and biologically inert biomaterial and, as many perfluorocarbons, is also hydrophobic, radiopaque and has a high solute capacity for gases such as oxygen. In this article we have demonstrated, both in vitro and in vivo, that PFD may significantly enhance bone regeneration. Firstly, the potential benefit of PFD was demonstrated by prolonging the survival of bone marrow cells cultured in anaerobic conditions. These findings translated in vivo, where PFD incorporated into bone-marrow-loaded 3D-printed scaffolds substantially improved their capacity to regenerate bone. Secondly, in addition to biological applications, we have also shown that PFD improves the radiopacity of bone regeneration biomaterials, a key feature required for the visualisation of biomaterials during and after surgical implantation. Finally, we have shown how the extreme hydrophobicity of PFD enables the fabrication of highly cohesive self-setting injectable biomaterials for bone regeneration. In conclusion, perfluorocarbons would appear to be highly beneficial additives to a number of regenerative biomaterials, especially those for bone regeneration.

[The relevance and prospects of introducing a uniform federal register of patients with viral hepatitis B and C in Russia].

The article provides the current epidemiological characteristics of viral hepatitis B and C and the existing problems of registering parenteral viral hepatitides in Russia. It justifies the need for introducing a uniform federal registry of patients with viral hepatitis B and C and shows prospects for its introduction.

[Combined effect of quercetin and indralin (B-190) in alleviating carboplatin hematologic toxicity].

In experiment conducted on male mice of C57B1/6 line quercetin (80-100 mg/kg injected 60 minutes before carboplatin) or an emergency radioprotector indralin B-190 (50-100 mg/kg injected 5 minutes after carboplatin) decreased the mortality of animals from toxic carboplatin dose of 100 mg/kg from 40% to 10-11% (p < 0.05). In mice receiving both quercetin and B-190 the reduction of carboplatin toxicity evaluated by blood WBC level was even more prominent (p < 0.05). The results were confirmed in rat experiment. In animals receiving both quercetin and B-190 with 50 mg/kg of carboplatin the WBC level was higher (p < 0.05). Quercetin alone had no effect on hematologic toxicity in those settings. Besides, quercetin and B-190 didn't have any effect on RBC level changes.

Do calcium fluxes within cortical bone affect osteocyte mechanosensitivity?

Bone reacts to local mechanical environment by adapting its structure. Bone is also a key source of calcium for the body homeostasis. Osteocytes, cells located within the bone tissue, are thought to play a major role in sensing mechanical signals and regulating bone remodeling. Interestingly, osteocytes were also shown to directly participate in the calcium homeostasis by regulating dissolution and deposition of calcium in the perilacuno-pericanalicular space. However, it is not known if osteocyte's roles in mechanoregulation and calcium homeostasis have any significant crosstalk. Previously, a multi-scale mathematical model of the interstitial fluid flow through the canaliculus was developed, which took into account physicochemical phenomena including hydraulic effects, formation of electrical double layer, osmosis and electro-osmosis. We extended this model to include the directional movement of calcium from and into the bone tissue, and assessed the shear stress at the osteocyte membrane. We have found that in the bulk of the canalicular space the fluid flow due to chemical gradient generated by deposition or dissolution of calcium is negligible compared to the fluid flow due to hydraulic pressure. However, at the osteocyte proximity, the presence of calcium gradient generated sufficient fluid flow to induce significant changes in the shear stress on the osteocyte membrane. Calcium deposition and dissolution on the canalicular wall resulted in increased or decreased shear stress on the osteocyte membrane respectively. Thus, our data demonstrate that strong calcium fluxes due to whole body calcium homeostasis may affect mechanical forces experienced by osteocytes.

[Complex therapy of occupational respiratory tract diseases using multifunctional massage device: clinical criteria of efficiency].

Level of efficiency of CERAGEM MASTER CGM-M3500 treatment device applied for occupational patients suffering from bronchi and lung pathological states has been shown in the paper. Positive effects of treatment have been assessed as reliably high and were proved by improvement of clinical and functional indices, subjunctive self-evaluation of health by patients and positive signs in the clinical course of the diseases. Diagnostic complex has been analyzed, including hematological indicators of the peripheral blood, oxygenation of the capillary blood, immunology. Also dynamics of the clinical course has been studied along with the data on self-assessment of health by patients prior and after the therapy by the device. Prospects on treatment of occupational bronchi and lung pathologies with the help of multifunctional massage device are being discussed in the paper.

[Radioprotective properties of indralin combined with cystamine and mexamine].

The study of indralin radioprotective properties at its joint application with cystamine and mexamine was carried out in the experiments on inbred mice and rats. The mice and rats were exposed to whole-body y-irradiation at a dose of 9.0 and 9.5 Gy, correspondingly. A combined parenteral administration ofindralin and cystamine at a dose of 25 mg/kg showed ponentiaton of indralin radioprotective properties up to a level of the ED50 effect versus the absence of or a weak radioprotective effect in the case of their separate application. In the experiments on rats, indralin (50 mg/kg) and mexamine (12 mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally almost completely eliminated the animal mortality from the intestinal syndrome of acute radiation sickness amounting in the control radiation group to 60% on the 7th day after exposure to radiation at a dose of 9.5 Gy. However, at the above conditions, radioprotectors at these doses had a low-level radioprotective action at the onset of the bone marrow syndrome of acute radiation sickness. Combined application of indralin and mexamine at the same doses and at the same conditions led to a radiation protection 50% as high as in the case when radioprotectors were applied separately at a double dose.

[The influence of combined application of quercetin and indralin on post-irradiation repair of hematopoiesis in acute radiation injury].

Experiments on mice-hybrids F1(CBA x C57B1/6) have detected a favorable effect of the associated application of quercetin (30-60 minutes before y-exposure of an animal) and a radioprotectant of urgent action indralin (in the case of its application after y-exposure) on a post-irradiation repair of the hematopoietic tissue in acute radiation sickness after y-exposure at a non-lethal dose of 6.7 Gy, which manifested itself in the accelerated formation of endogenous spleen colonies and spleen mass recovery, as well as in the lesser degree of leukopenia on the 12th and the 16th day after acute radiation injury. Quercetin per se did not have a radio-protective effect.

The increased in vitro osteoclastogenesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is due to increased percentage of precursors and decreased apoptosis - the In Vitro Osteoclast Differentiation in Arthritis (IODA) study.

Increases in local and systemic bone resorption are hallmarks of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclasts are implicated in these processes and their enhanced differentiation may contribute to bone destruction. We observed that in vitro osteoclastogenesis varies among healthy individuals and hypothesized that increased osteoclastogenesis could be a marker for the presence of RA. Our objective in the present study was to determine if in vitro osteoclastogenesis from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was different in patients with RA compared to healthy controls and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Expression of CD14 in PBMCs was quantified and PBMCs were incubated for 21 days in the presence of the osteoclastogenic cytokines M-CSF and RANKL. Differentiation on cortical bone slices permitted the analysis of bone resorption while apoptotic potential was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling. In vitro osteoclastogenesis was higher in PBMCs from RA patients compared to controls, and a similar increase was observed in the percentage of osteoclast precursors in RA patients. Osteoclasts from RA patients showed lower apoptotic rates than osteoclasts from healthy controls. No difference was observed in bone resorption activity between RA patients and controls. Interestingly, the difference in osteoclast number and apoptosis rate allowed the implementation of an algorithm capable of distinguishing patients with RA from controls. In conclusion, our study shows that osteoclast differentiation from PBMCs is enhanced in patients with RA, and this difference can be explained by both a higher percentage of osteoclast precursors in the blood and by the reduced apoptotic potential of mature osteoclasts.

[Radioprotective properties of a radioprotector of emergency action indraline at its adminisration after irradiation in conditions of local shielding of a rat abdomen].

In experiences on white rats at a gamma-irradiation in a lethal dose LD97/30 in conditions of local schielding of an abdomen (in the field of a liver) and application of a radioprotector indraline after irradiation the expressed efficiency of combined protection up to 87.5% is scored at 31.3% of a survival in local schielding of an abdomen group and absence of effect from a drug.

Effect of radioprotector Indralin on the course of acute GVH disease.

The effect of radioprotector indralin on the graft-versus-host reaction was studied on the model of acute GVH disease induced in mice by intraperitoneal transplantation of 40x10(6)semiallogenic splenocytes. The effect was evaluated by animal mortality from GVH disease. Recipients were male F1(CBAxC57Bl/6) mice exposed to 7 Gy 24 h before transplantation. Donors were male C57Bl/6 mice. Indralin, intraperitoneally injected in a dose of 100 mg/kg 5 min after irradiation attenuated the severity of GVH disease. It eliminated phase I of acute GVH reaction and shifted to the right the dynamics of mortality. Estimated time of 50% mortality (LT50) was prolonged by more than 4 days (the parameter increased by 31.1%). Two (5.7%) animals recovered from acute GVH disease, while all controls died. Indralin treatment after irradiation resulted in a 30% increase in survival of exposed mice.

[The characteristic of radioprotective properties of a radioprotectant B-190 at its administration after radiation].

In experiences on mice F1 (CBAxC57B 1/6) at a gamma-irradiation in a lethal dose LD(35-70/30) the radioprotectant B-190 at administration after an exposure would rise an animal survival--on 35-55%, caused the increase of the amount of endogenic colony in a spleen and of leucocytes in blood on 11th and 30th day of an acute radiation desease accordingly. The drug has the effect in the interval of doses from 75 up to 150 mg/kg b.w. with the rise of radioprotective action on dose reduction factor from 1.1 up to 1.22. alpha(1)-adrenoblockers terasosin in a dose of 15 mg/kg b.w. partially would reduce radioprotective properties of B-190 as radioprotectant or and drug of early therapy of acute radiation desease.

Targeting EGFR with metabolically biotinylated fiber-mosaic adenovirus.

Adenovirus (Ad)-based vectors are useful gene delivery vehicles for a variety of applications. Despite their attractive properties, many in vivo applications require modulation of the viral tropism. Targeting approaches applied to adenoviral vectors included genetic modification of the viral capsid, controlled expression of the transgene and combinatorial approaches that combine two or more targeting elements in single vectors. Most of these studies confirmed successful retargeting in cell cultures, however, in vivo gains of targeted adenoviral vectors have not been widely demonstrated. We have developed a combinatorial retargeting approach utilizing metabolically biotinylated Ad, where the biotin acceptor peptide was incorporated in one of the fibers in a dual fiber viral particle resulting in metabolically biotinylated fiber-mosaic Ad (mBfMAd). We have utilized this vector in complex with epidermal growth factor (EGF)-Streptavidin to retarget fiber-mosaic virus to EGF receptor (EGFR) expressing cells in vitro and confirmed an increased infectivity of the retargeting complex. Most importantly, the utility of this strategy was demonstrated in vivo in two distinct animal models. In both models tested, retargeted mBfMAd demonstrated an increased ratio of gene expression in target tissues compared to the liver expression profile. Thus, metabolically biotinylated fiber-mosaic virus in combination with appropriate adapters can be successfully exploited for adenoviral retargeting strategies.

Effect of radioprotector indralin on carboplatinum hemotoxicity.

A decrease in carboplatinum hemotoxicity was detected in experiments on C57B1 mice treated with the drug in combination with indralin (urgent radioprotector). Carboplatinum in a dose of 125 mg/kg, injected intraperitoneally, caused 80-100% death; the median term of death was 6 days (3-17). Single oral dose of indralin (100 mg/kg) during the 1st min or 15 min after carboplatinum injection (125 mg/kg) increased animal survival by 40.0-46.7% by day 20 of the experiment primarily during the period of manifest hemotoxicity (days 7-17), indralin injected 1, 2, or 4 h after carboplatinum exhibited no chemoprotective effect.

Evaluation of tumor-specific promoter activities in melanoma.

Gene therapy is a novel therapy for melanoma. To date, however, there is still no powerful tumor specific promoter (TSP) to restrict the transgene expression in melanoma cells. In order to define a useful TSP for targeting in the context of melanoma gene therapy, four promoters, the cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), alpha-chemokine SDF-1 receptor (CXCR4), epithelial glycoprotein 2 (EGP-2), and survivin, were tested in both established melanoma cell lines and primary melanoma cells. We employed recombinant adenoviral vectors (reAds) each with a candidate TSP (the Cox-2, CXCR4, EGP-2, or survivin), a reporter luciferase gene, and a poly-A signal, all of which were inserted into the E1-deleted region. A reAdGL3Bcytomegalovirus (CMV), containing the CMV promoter and luciferase gene, was used as a positive control to normalize the luciferase activity. Luciferase activity was measured in multiple tumor cell lines and two primary melanoma cell cultures after infection with reAds. Human epithelial melanocytes, HEM, were used as normal control. In contrast to three other promoters, the survivin promoter exhibited the highest activities within both melanoma cell lines and primary melanoma cells, but not in HEMs. Additionally, the survivin promoter exhibited very low activities in major mouse organs including the liver, in vivo. EGP-2 is not active in melanoma; messenger RNA expressions were correlated to promoter activities both in melanoma cell lines and primary cell cultures. Thus, these data suggest that the survivin promoter achieved a 'tumor-on/liver-off' profile, and thus represents a potentially useful tumor-specific promoter with applications for transcriptional targeting of Ad vector-based cancer gene therapy or oncolysis to melanoma.

Effect of melatonin, ascorbic acid, and succinic acid on the cumulative toxic effect of repeated treatment with gammafos (amifostine).

Daily treatment of outbred albino mice with gammafos in radioprotective doses of 300 and 500 mg/kg for 4 days produced a cumulative toxic effect. This effect was not observed after decreasing the dose of gammafos to 100 mg/kg. Repeated peroral administration of melatonin and ascorbic acid in a dose of 200 mg/kg 30 min before treatment with gammafos reduced its cumulative toxic effect. Succinic acid in a dose of 100 mg/kg was ineffective under these conditions. The cumulative death time for 50% animals receiving gammafos alone or in combination with melatonin, ascorbic acid, and succinic acid was 3.08, 4.29, 4.06, and 2.97 days, respectively.