[Morphology of Hassall's corpuscles and their microenvironment in neonates with increased thymus weight]. / Morfologiya telets Gassalya i ikh mikrookruzhenie u novorozhdennykh s uvelichennoi massoi timusa.

OBJECTIVE: To study morphological features of Hassall's corpuscles (HC) and their microenvironment in newborns with increased thymus mass. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out on autopsy material of children of the first month of life. Based on the thymic index (TI), 2 groups were identified: with normal (conditional norm) and increased TI value (increased thymus weight). The standard method of histological staining and immunohistochemical methods with antibodies to Pan-CK, CK19, CD68, CD3 and p53 were used in the study. The classification proposed by A.G. Beloveshkin (2013) was used to determine the degree of maturity of HC. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used to determine statistically significant differences in the groups. RESULTS: In the group of children with increased thymus weight, the number of HC decreased by 20%. It was found that the proportion of progressive and mature corpuscles in this group was reduced by 2.3 and 1.6 times, respectively, compared to the group of children with normal thymus weight, while the proportion of regressive corpuscles increased almost 2-fold. In the HC microenvironment, there is an increase in the total number of thymocytes, combined with a decrease in the expression of CD68, CD3 and p53 in them. A sharp decrease in CK19-expressing cells in this group is accompanied by a disruption in the formation of reticular structures characteristic of the comparison group. CONCLUSION: In the thymus with increased mass, the structural and functional organization changes: along with an increase in the total number of thymocytes in the cortical layer and a decrease in the number of macrophages, epithelial cells and HC (with a predominance of regressive corpuscles), disturbances in the processes of maturation, apoptosis and negative selection of lymphocytes occur, which can lead to development of immunogenesis disorders.

[The expression of apoptosis and autophagy markers in transplantable rat kidney cancer with the administration of flavonoid-containing hedge hyssop ( L.) extract]. / Ékspressiia markerov apoptoza i autofagii v perevitom rake pochki u krys pri vvedenii flavonoidsoderzhashchego ékstrakta avrana lekarstvennogo (L.).

OBJECTIVE: To establish the mechanisms of pathomorphism of transplantable kidney cancer in rats that used flavonoid-containing hedge hyssop (Gratiola officinalis L.) extract in an in vivo experiments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment was carried out on 30 male Wistar rats with transplantable kidney cancer PA. At 72 hours after tumor inoculation, the rats in the experimental groups received hedge hyssop extract at an oral or intramuscular dose of 110 mg/kg/day for 12 days. A comparison group consisted of the animals with a tumor, but without exposure. The investigators used the immunohistochemical markers of apoptosis (p53, bax, bcl-2, Fas-receptor, Fas-ligand), autophagy (LC3B), proliferation (Ki-67), and angiogenesis (VEGF). During statistical data processing, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality of the indicator distribution in the groups. Cramer-Welch's t-test was also employed to compare the groups. RESULTS: Histological examination of tumor tissue under the action of hedge hyssop extract showed the emergence of extensive areas of damage (necrosis and apoptotic bodies). With both routes of hedge hyssop extract administration, there was a sharp decrease in the expression of the proliferation markers Ki-67 and the angiogenesis marker VEGF and a high expression of the apoptosis markers p53, bax, CD95 (Fas/APO-1), and FAS-ligand in tumor cells and its absence in the comparison group. All the described changes were more pronounced with intramuscular administration. The expression of the autophagy marker LC3B increased with the oral administration of hedge hyssop extract and decreased with its intramuscular administration. CONCLUSION: A pronounced pathomorphism of kidney cancer develops due to consumption of hedge hyssop extract. This suppresses the proliferation, angiogenesis, and activation of apoptotic signaling and mitochondrial pathways and blocks protective autophagy. The autophagy marker LC3B can be used as an additional criterion for evaluating the therapeutic pathomorphism of tumors.

[Morphological characteristics of fetal testes in chronic intrauterine hypoxia in different gestation periods]. / Morfologicheskie osobennosti iaichek ploda pri khronicheskoi vnutriutrobnoi gipoksii na raznykh srokakh gestatsii.

OBJECTIVE: To study the morphological characteristics and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the fetal testes exposed to chronic intrauterine hypoxia during pathological pregnancy in different gestation periods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The testes from 48 male fetuses that had died in the antenatal or early neonatal period in mothers with pathological pregnancy were morphologically evaluated. RESULTS: Chronic intrauterine hypoxia was shown to be a powerful damaging factor and leads to delayed gonadal development. Histological examination of testicular tissue showed a significant reduction in the number of tubular cells per vision field, a decrease in tubular diameter and area, with the simultaneously increased area of the stroma and a larger number of vessels. Immunohistochemical study revealed the pronounced cytoplasmic expression of VEGF in testicular tissue in different gestation periods in the spermatogenic epitheliocytes, vessels, Leydig interstitial cells, while the maximal expression of this receptor was observed at 19-25 weeks' gestation, the degree of expression decreased at 26-29 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine hypoxia has a destabilizing effect on the processes of proliferation and differentiation of the spermatogenic epithelium, interstitial endocrinocytes, activates the processes of angiogenesis and the growth of connective tissue. All this can involve not only gonadal dysgenesis, but also future reproductive dysfunction. Hypoxia stimulates the expression of VEGF, whose receptors are present in almost all testicular cell populations. It can be assumed that VEGF can act as a paracrine regulator of Leydig cell activity, also as an inducer of angiogenesis, and thus play a certain role in the development of male fertility.

[A look at the problem of surgical treatment of renal cel carcinoma in the aspect of biomolecular diagnosis and assessment of renal function].

The article reviews the domestic and international literature on the issues of biomolecular diagnosis of acute renal injury in the perioperative period in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Emerging opportunities for early detection of tumors make even more relevant the use of minimally invasive interventions. Of equal importance is the assessment of renal function in patients with diagnosed RCC and the prediction of acute renal injury and progression of chronic kidney disease in the postoperative period. The authors performed a systematic search for preclinical and clinical studies to identify the main trends and achievements in the field of biomolecular diagnosis of RCC and renal injury allowing the individual approach to choosing surgical treatment, improve the survival and quality of life of the patient and improve the functional state of the renal parenchyma.

Liposomes loaded with hydrophilic magnetite nanoparticles: Preparation and application as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic fluid-loaded liposomes (MFLs) were fabricated using magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) and natural phospholipids via the thin film hydration method followed by extrusion. The size distribution and composition of MFLs were studied using dynamic light scattering and spectrophotometry. The effective ranges of magnetite concentration in MNPs hydrosol and MFLs for contrasting at both T2 and T1 relaxation were determined. On T2 weighted images, the MFLs effectively increased the contrast if compared with MNPs hydrosol, while on T1 weighted images, MNPs hydrosol contrasting was more efficient than that of MFLs. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrasting properties of MFLs and their effects on tumor and normal tissues morphology, were investigated in rats with transplanted renal cell carcinoma upon intratumoral administration of MFLs. No significant morphological changes in rat internal organs upon intratumoral injection of MFLs were detected, suggesting that the liposomes are relatively safe and can be used as the potential contrasting agents for MRI.

[New opportunities in the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: to analyze the expression of markers of apoptosis and proliferation in patients with ulcerative colitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: in 80 patients with ulcerative colitis the analysis of expression of apoptosis marker BAX and proliferation marker Ki-67, as well as the cell cycle regulator p53 in biopsy materials of the mucous membrane of the colon was carried out. THE RESULTS: decreased cell proliferative activity and increase of the apoptosis rate depending on the severity, the localization of the inflammatory process and its endoscopic activity were registered.

Mutagenic effect of gold nanoparticles in the micronucleus assay.

Mutagenic activity of gold nanoparticles of different sizes were studied by micronucleus assay. Karyological analysis was performed and the count of micronucleoli in interphase bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes in white outbred rats was determined. The animals orally received gold nanoparticles 16 and 55 nm in diameter and gold nanoshells 160 nm in diameter once a day for 7 days in a dose of 0.25 mg gold/kg. To ensure stability and biocompatibility, the surface of nanoparticles was functionalized with polyethylene glycol molecules. There were no significant differences in the number of micronucleoli in comparison with the control group, which suggests that gold nanoparticles of the specified size administered orally in the specified doses do not exhibit mutagenic activity.