Fe-rich carbonatites with a mineral assemblage of ankerite-calcite or siderite are widespread in southern Siberia, Russia. The siderite carbonatites are associated with F-Ba-Sr-REE mineralization and ...have a
40
Ar/
39
Ar age of 117.2 ± 1.3 Ma. Melt and fluid inclusions suggest that the carbonatites formed from volatile-rich alkali- and chloride-bearing carbonate melts. Ankerite-calcite carbonatites formed from carbonatite melt at a temperature of more than 790 °C. The ferrocarbonatites (the second phase of carbonatite intrusion) formed from a sulfate-carbonate-chloride fluid phase (brine-melt) at >650 °C and ≥360 MPa. The brine-melt fluid phase had high concentrations of Fe and LREEs. A subsequent hydrothermal overprint contributed to the formation of economically important barite-Sr-fluorite-REE mineralization in polymict siderite breccia.
Economic Ag–Sb deposits are located within four large ore districts of Central Asia: SE Altai–NW Mongolia, SE Pamir (Tajikistan), Talas (Kyrgyzstan) and Verkhoyansk province (Yakutia), where Ag–Sb ...ores are spatially associated with tin mineralization. The geology, mineral composition and geochemistry of the Ag–Sb deposits, age of mineralization, distribution and genesis are presented in this paper. Results of new studies show that Ag–Sb ores commonly occur within Sn ore provinces and can be divided into three groups according to their relationships with tin mineralization. Ag–Sb deposits of the first group are spatially isolated from Sn–W ore fields and from metamorphic haloes of Sn-bearing granitoids (pre-granitic deposits of the Mangazeisky ore cluster in Yakutia and deposits of the Asgat-Ozernoe ore zone in the SE Altai–NW Mongolia). A 240
±
3.5 Ma
39Ar/
40Ar age of Ag–Sb mineralization was determined for the Asgat deposit (SE Altai–NW Mongolia), which correlates well with the 243
±
3.7 Ma
39Ar/
40Ar age of alkaline mafic intrusions (lamprophyre dike). The Ag–Sb ore appears to be younger than Sn–W mineralization (352
±
6.0 Ma) related with granite of the Yustid complex (355.7
±
8.6 Ma). The second group comprises granite-hosted Ag–Sb deposits of the Bazardara ore cluster (SE Pamir) of Paleogene age (44
±
1.5 Ma) located within a tin ore cluster, but separated in time from the Cretaceous Sn mineralization (98.5
±
1 Ma, Ar–Ar). Ag–Sb ore veins of the third group are located within tin ore clusters and are nearly coeval with tin mineralization (post-granitic Ag rich ore of the Mangazeiskoe, Prognoz and Menkechenskoe deposits, Verkhoyansk province). A close spatial and temporal relationship of Ag–Sb deposits with Sb–Hg mineralization and alkaline mafic magmatism is observed. Helium isotope systematics from the ore-forming fluids of Ag–Sb Akjilga deposit (Pamir) confirm the role of mantle helium in the ore-forming process. Another important indicator of a mantle source in these Ag–Sb deposits is the Hg content in the ores; Hg being a typical element of mantle origin. Isotopic (
3He/
4He,
87Sr/
86Sr, Pb, S) and geochronological data demonstrate that Ag–Sb deposits are polygenetic in sources of ore matter and relate to the mantle-crustal ore-magmatic systems.
Targeted delivery of doxorubicin still poses a challenge with regards to the quantities reaching the target site as well as the specificity of the uptake. In the present approach, two colloidal ...nanocarrier systems, NanoCore-6.4 and NanoCore-7.4, loaded with doxorubicin and characterized by different drug release behaviors were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The nanoparticles utilize a specific surface design to modulate the lipid corona by attracting blood-borne apolipoproteins involved in the endogenous transport of chylomicrons across the blood-brain barrier. When applying this strategy, the fine balance between drug release and carrier accumulation is responsible for targeted delivery. Drug release experiments in an aqueous medium resulted in a difference in drug release of approximately 20%, while a 10% difference was found in human serum. This difference affected the partitioning of doxorubicin in human blood and was reflected by the outcome of the pharmacokinetic study in rats. For the fast-releasing formulation NanoCore-6.4, the AUC
was significantly lower (2999.1 ng × h/mL) than the one of NanoCore-7.4 (3589.5 ng × h/mL). A compartmental analysis using the physiologically-based nanocarrier biopharmaceutics model indicated a significant difference in the release behavior and targeting capability. A fraction of approximately 7.310-7.615% of NanoCore-7.4 was available for drug targeting, while for NanoCore-6.4 only 5.740-6.057% of the injected doxorubicin was accumulated. Although the targeting capabilities indicate bioequivalent behavior, they provide evidence for the quality-by-design approach followed in formulation development.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be an effective treatment for depression, however, the duration of the stimulation session, among other parameters, needs to be optimized.
69 mild ...to moderately depressed patients (age 37.6±10.5years, 19 men) were randomized into three groups – 30-, 20-minute or sham tDCS. 10 daily sessions of anodal/sham tDCS of the left DLPFC (0.5mA; electrode 3,5×7cm) combined with 50mg/day of sertraline were performed. Mood, cognition and BDNF level were assessed before and after the treatment.
A significant difference between groups was observed in the percent change of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (F(2, 66)=10.1; p<0.001). Sham group (43.4%±18.1) had a smaller improvement compared to the 30-minute (63.8%±13.4; 95% CI: 11.23–29.44; p=0.00003) and 20-minute group (53.2%±15.3; 95% CI: 0.21–19.26; p=0.045). 30-minute group had significantly greater percent improvement than 20-minute group (95% CI: 1.74–19.46; p=0.02). Responders constituted 89%, 68%, and 50% and remitters – 70%, 27%, and 35% in the 30-, 20-minute and sham groups, respectively. A significant difference in the number of responders was observed between 30-minute vs. sham group (odds ratio=8; 95% CI, 2.59–24.69; p=0.001), in remission rate – between 30-minute vs. sham (odds ratio=4.40; 95% CI, 2.02–9.57; p=0.02) and vs. 20-minute (odds ratio=6.33; 95% CI, 2.85–14.10; p=0.003) groups. Two hypomania cases and one case of blood pressure elevation were detected in the 20-minute group. Among neuropsychological tests, only the change in Digit Span Backwards test showed a significant interaction between groups (TIME*GROUP; F(2, 65)=6,6, p=0.002); a greater improvement was observed in both active groups compared to sham (p<0.05). The change in BDNF level after the treatment did not show the significant difference between groups.
tDCS of 20- or 30-minutes combined with sertraline are efficient for the treatment of mild and moderate depression; the effect of 30min stimulation exceeds the one obtained from 20min.
•69 depressed patients were randomized into three groups: 30-, 20-minute or sham tDCS.•10 daily sessions of tDCS of the DLPFC combined with 50mg sertraline were performed.•Significant augmenting effect of active tDCS on sertraline treatment was shown.•Effect of tDCS during 30min exceeds one obtained during 20min.•2 hypomania cases and 1 case of blood pressure elevation were detected.
Background. In Tomsk Oblast, Russian Federation, during the period of 1996–2000, most previously untreated patients with tuberculosis received standardized short-course chemotherapy, irrespective of ...drug-susceptibility testing results. A retrospective analysis was done to determine the effect of initial drug resistance on treatment outcome and acquired drug resistance in new patients receiving standardized short-course chemotherapy. Methods. During the period of 1 November 1996 through 31 December 2000, a total of 2194 patients received a category 1 treatment regimen. Drug susceptibility test results for 1681 patients were available for analysis. Drug resistance patterns before and during treatment were compared for 73 patients whose culture results were persistently positive during treatment. Acquired resistance was defined as new drug resistance (during or at the end of treatment) that was not present at the beginning of treatment. Results. Pretreatment drug resistance was strongly associated with treatment failure. In patients who had strains with pretreatment resistance patterns that included isoniazid or rifampin resistance, but not resistance to both, 17 (70.8%) of 24 cases involving treatment failures acquired new multidrug resistance. In patients with pretreatment pan-susceptible or streptomycin-monoresistant strains, 13 (41.9%) of 31 cases involving treatment failures acquired new multidrug resistance. Conclusions. Early diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis and judicious use of second-line drugs is recommended to decrease transmission of drug-resistant strains and to prevent the creation of multidrug-resistant strains. Finally, if drug susceptibility tests are not available or results are delayed, physicians should recognize that patients who do not respond to directly observed empirical short-course chemotherapy are at high risk of having multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and should be treated accordingly.
Primary immunodeficiencies (PID) are a group of rare genetic disorders with a multitude of clinical symptoms. Characterization of epidemiological and clinical data via national registries has proven ...to be a valuable tool of studying these diseases.
The Russian PID registry was set up in 2017, by the National Association of Experts in PID (NAEPID). It is a secure, internet-based database that includes detailed clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic data on PID patients of all ages.
The registry contained information on 2,728 patients (60% males, 40% females), from all Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. 1,851/2,728 (68%) were alive, 1,426/1,851 (77%) were children and 425/1,851 (23%) were adults. PID was diagnosed before the age of 18 in 2,192 patients (88%). Antibody defects (699; 26%) and syndromic PID (591; 22%) were the most common groups of PID. The minimum overall PID prevalence in the Russian population was 1.3:100,000 people; the estimated PID birth rate is 5.7 per 100,000 live births. The number of newly diagnosed patients per year increased dramatically, reaching the maximum of 331 patients in 2018. The overall mortality rate was 9.8%. Genetic testing has been performed in 1,740 patients and genetic defects were identified in 1,344 of them (77.2%). The median diagnostic delay was 2 years; this varied from 4 months to 11 years, depending on the PID category. The shortest time to diagnosis was noted in the combined PIDs-in WAS, DGS, and CGD. The longest delay was observed in AT, NBS, and in the most prevalent adult PID: HAE and CVID. Of the patients, 1,622 had symptomatic treatment information: 843 (52%) received IG treatment, mainly IVIG (96%), and 414 (25%) patients were treated with biological drugs. HSCT has been performed in 342/2,728 (16%) patients, of whom 67% are currently alive, 17% deceased, and 16% lost to follow-up. Three patients underwent gene therapy for WAS; all are currently alive.
Here, we describe our first analysis of the epidemiological features of PID in Russia, allowing us to highlight the main challenges around PID diagnosis and treatment.
Campylobacter spp. are important causative agents of gastrointestinal infections in humans. The most frequently isolated strains of this bacterial genus are Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter ...coli. To date, genetic methods for bacterial identification have not been used in Bulgaria. We optimized the multiplex PSR assay to identify Campylobacter spp. and differentiate C. jejuni from C. coli in clinical isolates. We also compared this method with the routinely used biochemical methods.
To identify Campylobacter spp. and discriminate C. coli from C. jejuni in clinical isolates using multiplex PCR assay.
Between February 2014 and January 2015 we studied 93 stool samples taken from patients with diarrheal syndrome and identified 40 species of Campylobacter spp. in them. The clinical material was cultured in microaerophilic atmosphere, the isolated strains being biochemically diff erentiated (hydrolysis of sodium hippurate for C. jejuni, and hydrolysis of indoxyl acetate for C. coli). DNA was isolated from the strains using QiaAmp MiniKit (QIAGEN, Germany). Twenty strains were tested with multiplex PCR for the presence of these genes: cadF, characteristic for Campylobacter spp., hipO for C. jejuni and asp for C. coli.
The biochemical tests identified 16 strains of C. jejuni, 3 strains of C. coli, and 1 strain of C. upsaliensis. After the multiplex PCR assay the capillary gel electrophoresis confirmed 16 strains of C. jejuni, 2 strains of C. coli and 2 strains of Campylobacter spp. - because of the presence of the gene cadF. C. jejuni has the gene hipO, and it is possible that this gene may not be expressed in the biochemical differentiation yielding a negative reaction as a result. In comparison, we can conclude that the genetic differentiation is a more accurate method than the biochemical tests.
The multiplex PCR assay is a fast, accurate method for identifi cation of Campylobacter spp. which makes it quite necessary in the clinical diagnostic practice.