Nonstandard techniques to deliver a payload from the Moon to Earth are explored. Two approaches are compared, which are based on using a space elevator and an acceleration device, the Artsimovich ...railgun. The energy needed to launch a payload to a low lunar orbit and the
libration point in the Earth–Moon system is estimated. We conclude that the railgun is economically advantageous compared to the space elevator and standard jet technologies.
Highlights • Two cases of rabies among humans were detected using a broad-range PCR analysis followed by high throughput sequencing. • Diagnoses were subsequently confirmed using a fluorescent ...antibody test, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a mouse inoculation test. • Two strains of rabies virus were isolated and characterized using virological methods. • The entire genome of each strain was sequenced.
•A real-time RT-PCR assay for EBOV (Zaire) detection was developed and evaluated.•Assay specificity was studied using a representative sampling of viral, bacterial and human RNA/DNA.•The assay ...sensitivity was 5×102 copies per ml.•52 suspected for EVD patients of Donka Hospital Conakry, Guinea, tested positive and 149 tested negative.
In early February 2014, an outbreak of the Ebola virus disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) occurred in Guinea; cases were also recorded in other West African countries with a combined population of approximately 25 million. A rapid, sensitive and inexpensive method for detecting EBOV is needed to effectively control such outbreak. Here, we report a real-time reverse-transcription PCR assay for Z. ebolavirus detection used by the Specialized Anti-epidemic Team of the Russian Federation during the Ebola virus disease prevention mission in the Republic of Guinea. The analytical sensitivity of the assay is 5×102 viral particles per ml, and high specificity is demonstrated using representative sampling of viral, bacterial and human nucleic acids. This assay can be applied successfully for detecting the West African strains of Z. ebolavirus as well as on strains isolated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2014.
Aim To evaluate the effect of perindopril on the endothelial function and levels of endothelial dysfunction markers in groups of patients with heart failure with preserved (HFpEF) and mid-range ...(intermediate) left ventricular ejection fraction (HFmrEF).Material and methods 40 patients with HFpEF (n=20) and HFmrEF (n=20) were evaluated. At baseline, parameters of the morpho-functional state of large blood vessels and of microvessels were evaluated with photoplethysmography, and levels of E-selectin and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were measured. The patients were prescribed perindopril, and after 12 months of treatment, photoplethysmographic parameters and endothelial dysfunction markers were determined again.Results After 12 months of the perindopril treatment, improvements in the endothelial function of both large blood vessels and microvessels were noted. The phase shift increased from 10.1 to 10.9 ms in the HFpEF group (р=0.001) and from 8.35 to 9.65 ms in the HFmrEF group (р=0.002). Furthermore, the occlusion index increased from 1.45 to 1.75 in patients with HFpEF (р=0.004) and from 1.5 to 1.75 in patients with HFmrEF (р=0.010). The Е-selectin concentration decreased in both groups, from 57.25 to 42.4 ng/ml (р=0.00008) and from 40.5 to 35.7 ng/ml (р=0.010) in patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF, respectively. The ET-1 concentration decreased from pg/ml (р=0.010) in patients with HFpEF whereas in patients with HFmrEF, there was no significant change in the ET-1 concentration after 12 months of the perindopril treatment.Conclusion At 12 months, the endothelial function improved and E-selectin and ET-1 levels decreased in patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF.
Myelotoxicity is a serious side effect of anticancer drugs. The search for drugs that can reduce the hematological complications of chemotherapy through modulation of hematopoietic stem cells is an ...urgent task of oncopharmacology. In the present study we showed that administration of
Tussilago farfara
L. polysaccharides to C57BL/6 mice treated with cyclophosphamide can increase the number of hematopoietic stem cells (CD117
+
34
+
) in the bone marrow.
The object of the study of the present work is to establish the dependence of the ratios of recipe components and the parameters of production of a new type of meat product. The solution of the ...problem of creating a model formulation of a meat product containing a functional composite mixture with a significant content of dietary fiber is presented. The study was aimed at creating mathematical support, which can be used as a basis in assessing the component composition and parameters of preparing meat semi-finished products with specified structural and technological characteristics. During the work, peculiarities of the process of preparation of meat semi-finished products using a composite mixture of non-traditional vegetable raw materials were revealed. The mathematical model was developed, reflecting dependence of quality indices of finished meat semi-finished products on quantity of composite components in formula and conditions of the preparation process. Optimal dosages of composite mixture and values of preparation parameters are determined. A comprehensive approach was used to study the mechanisms of formation of structural and technological effects in ready-made meat systems under different conditions of their production process. The main result of the work is a model describing nonlinear dependencies of the structural parameters of the meat semi-finished product (moisture binding capacity and moisture retaining capacity), technological indices (mince yield and mince color) on the production process conditions (temperature). The authors have analysed dosages of the components of the composite mixture introduced in order to improve not only the physical properties of the meat product, but also the macro- and micronutrients enriching it.
Rabies virus is endemic to Russia, among other countries. It is therefore critical to develop a high-quality and high-precision diagnostic procedure for the control and prevention of infection.
The ...main objective of the research presented here was to develop a reliable RT-qPCR assay for rabies diagnostics.
For this purpose, a RABV strains from various biological and geographical origins were used. In addition, rabies-positive and rabies-negative samples, as well as nucleic acids from other viruses and DNA extracted from the brain tissues of mice, dogs, cats, bats and humans, were studied using the developed assay.
The analytical sensitivity of the assay, as assessed using armored recombinant positive control dilutions, was 103 copies/ml, and the sensitivity measured using characterized strains was between 0.1 LD50/ml and 1.0 LD50/ml. A broad range of RNA from RABV strains circulating in different regions of Russia, as well as RNA from RABV-positive primary brain samples from 81 animals and two humans, was detected using the developed assay. No false-positive or false-negative results were obtained.
Given that high analytical and diagnostic sensitivities and a high specificity were verified for this assay, it has high potential as a screening test that may be suitable for the epizootiological monitoring of animals and for the fast postmortem diagnosis of rabies.
•Reliable qRT-PCR assay for RABV detection was developed and evaluated•Analytical sensitivity of the assay was 103 copies/ml, and the sensitivity measured using characterized strains was between 0.1 LD50/1ml and 1.0 LD50/1ml.•Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were both 100%
This article presents the results of a comprehensive survey of the burden of tick-borne infectious diseases (TBIDs) in the Altai region of Russia. Official data for TBID incidence were analyzed and ...201 samples from patients with suspected TBID were studied. Furthermore, questing ticks and ticks recovered from humans were examined to estimate prevalence of TBID-causative agents. The Altai region was determined to have a heightened risk for TBIDs in Russia. The most epidemiologically significant tick-borne illness in this area is spotted fever group rickettsiosis, while nationally in Russia, the leading TBID is Lyme borreliosis. The prevalence of mixed infection was 12.4% among the studied cases. Additionally, the prevalence of poorly studied pathogens - Kemerovo virus (KEMV) and Rickettsia tarasevichiae - in ticks from the Altai region was determined.
A possibility for correction of damaging effects of polychemotherapy on the intestinal epithelium with
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L. polysaccharides was studied on C57Bl/6 mice with Lewis lung carcinoma. The ...polysaccharides had protective and/or stimulating effects on the intestinal epithelium during polychemotherapy and promoted reparative regeneration in the intestine.
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