[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.

[Molecular genetic predictors of the development of urolithiasis].

Urolithiasis is one of the most urgent problems of clinical urology. Currently, there is no consensus on the causes of stone formation, as well as the role of various factors in the development of urolithiasis, however, increasingly, according to various studies, the leading role is given to genetic causes. The article presents a modern review of data on genetic polymorphisms associated with ICD: rs1801197 and rs6776158 of the CASR gene; TaqI of the VDR gene; rs1801197 of the CALCR gene, rs3752472, rs650439, rs2853744 of the Klotho gene.

[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.

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.

[AntI-inflammatory, antipyretic and antimicrobial activity of flavonoid-containing extract of Gratiola officinalis L].

The extract of Gratiola officinalis L. has been obtained by an original method ensuring the maximum yield of flavonoids. The extract simultaneously exhibits high anti-inflammatory activity, selective antimicrobial properties (with respect to Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but not to conditionally pathogenic E. coli) and antipyretic effect (observed for the first time in Gratiola officinalis L. preparations). Advantages of the proposed preparation are low toxicity, availability of the raw material, and broad spectrum of therapeutic effects.

[Antituberculous in vitro activity of Helichrýsum arenárium extract].

Bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of aqueous solution (50 mg/mL) of alcoholic extract of Helichrýsum arenárium (L.) dried flowers, prepared by a special technique so as to increase the yield of flavonoids, was studied in vitro with respect to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) strains possessing varying degrees of drug resistance, as characterized by replacements Ser R Leu (modification of b-subunit RNA-polymerase of MBT) and Ser R Thr (inactivation of MBT catalase-peroxidase enzyme). The mechanism of this drug action is clearly distinguished from that of the first-line drugs, since strains resistant to these reference drugs have proved susceptible to extract H. arenárium extract. This extract can be recommended for preclinical and clinical studies in the search for new antituberculous drugs and for studying new mechanisms of drug action on MBT. It may also be an effective drug for the treatment of multidrug-resistant MBT strains.