The article is devoted to identifying the current image of Russia in the mirror of the German media after the Ukrainian crisis. The role of the media is noted, the crisis situation in Ukraine is ...characterized. Analyzed publications in the leading print media of Germany on the topic of Russian foreign policy in Ukraine and the role of the Russian Federation in the political crisis in Ukraine (2013–2014). The authors have identified and identified key approaches in the formation of German society a certain idea of Russia and its foreign policy. As conclusions, it is noted that both for objective reasons, and not least thanks to the German media, which use a lot of negative characteristics when constructing the image of Russia, relations between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany go through a zone of mutual exclusion. However, relations between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany can go to a new level, taking into account the possible pragmatic cooperation of the two states, and provided, among other things, a reduction in the degree of anti-Russian rhetoric in the German media.
Human industrial activity is accompanied by the formation of vast volumes of water contaminated with radionuclides, including radium-226, which create serious danger to people. Graphene ...nanostructures are among the most promising materials for purifying water from radionuclides. This work has been devoted to investigating the efficiency of few-layer graphene synthesized under conditions of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis from cellulose and wastes of the woodworking industry (technical lignin, tree bark) for purifying water from radium-226. The key advantage of the method chosen for synthesis of few-layer graphene is the possibility to synthesize large volumes of the material at an acceptable cost, which is extremely important for industrial applications. It has been found that the synthesized samples of few-layer graphene can efficiently purify water from radium-226 (the degree of sorption is higher than 99%). It has also been shown that the degree of desorption upon repeated washing with water does not exceed 0.5%.
Background
Our previous studies revealed cyclicity in the incidence rate of skin malignant melanoma (SMM; ICD9, Dx:172) in the Czech Republic (period
T
=7.50∼7.63 years), UK (
T
=11.00 years) and ...Bulgaria (
T
=12.20 years). Incidences compared with the sunspot index
Rz
(lag-period d
T
=+2, +4, +6, +10 or +12 years) have indicated that maximal rates are most likely to appear on descending slopes of the 11-year solar cycle, i.e., out of phase. We summarized and explored more deeply these cyclic variations and discussed their possible associations with heliogeophysical activity (HGA) components exhibiting similar cyclicity.
Methods
Annual incidences of SMM from 5 countries (Czech Republic, UK, Bulgaria, USA and Canada) over various time spans during the years 1964∼1992 were analyzed and their correlations with cyclic
Rz
(sunspot number) and
aa
(planetary geomagnetic activity) indices were summarized. Periodogram regression analysis with trigonometric approximation and phase-correlation analysis were applied.
Results
Previous findings on SMM for the Czech Republic, UK and Bulgaria have been validated, and cyclic patterns have been revealed for USA (
T
=8.63 years,
P
<0.05) and Canada (Ontario,
T
=9.91 years,
P
<0.10). Also, various ‘hypercycles’ were established (
T
=45.5, 42.0, 48.25, 34.5 and 26.5 years, respectively) describing long-term cyclic incidence patterns. The association of SMM for USA and Canada with
Rz
(d
T
=+6 and +7 years, respectively) and
aa
(d
T
=−10 and +9 years, respectively) was described. Possible interactions of cyclic non-photic influences (UV irradiation, Schumann resonance signal, low-frequency geomagnetic fluctuations) with brain waves absorbance, neuronal calcium dynamics, neuro-endocrine axis modulation, melatonin/serotonin disbalance and skin neuro-immunity impairment as likely causal pathways in melanoma appearance, were also discussed.
Conclusion
The above findings on cyclicity and temporal association of SMM with cyclic environmental factors could not only allow for better forecasting models but also lead to a better understanding of melanoma aetiology.
Introduction: Over the past decades, different medicinal products have been used for treatment of multiple myeloma in clinical studies, including new generations of proteasome inhibitors and ...immunomodulating agents, monoclonal antibodies, histone deacetylase inhibitors etc. The use of these treatment modalities results in improvement of overall survival (OS). However, taking into account high cost of these drugs, their availability in real clinical practice remains limited.
Aims: to determine OS in MM patients in real clinical practice in Russia.
Materials and methods: 2494 patients aged 24 to 90 years (median age=63 years) with newly diagnosed MM were enrolled into the prospective multicenter registration study from January 1, 2015 till July 1, 2017. The patients received treatment at 43 hematology clinics in Russia. The diagnosis was made based on the IMWG 2014 criteria. Most patients (78%) had stage III of the disease (Durie-Salmon) at the moment of the diagnosis, while stage II and stage I disease was diagnosed in 12% and 10% of cases, respectively. Kidney injury at the time of the disease onset was revealed in 22% of patients; renal replacement therapy (programmed hemodialysis) at the moment of the diagnosis was required in 9% of patients (GFR Cockcroft-Gault Formula <15 mL/min). Bone plasmacytomas detected by CT scan or MRI were observed in 25% of patients; extramedullary lesions were revealed in 5% of cases. Evaluation of antitumor response and survival analysis were carried out for 1042 patients enrolled in the registration trial in 2015. Bortezomib-based first-line therapy regimen was used in 92% of patients; 7% of patients received chemotherapeutic agents only; 1% of patients refused to receive any treatment. Autotransplantation was performed in 92 (16%) patients under 65 years of age at 12 centers for transplantation. In most cases (70%), the second-line therapy regimens included immunomodulating agents (lenalidomide); in 15% of cases, only chemotherapeutic agents were used for treatment of the disease recurrence; repeated treatment with bortezomib was used in 10% of cases; further generations of drugs (pomalidomide, carfilzomib) were prescribed in 5% of cases. Statistical survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier estimate. Statistical software package SAS 9.1 was applied for calculations.
Results: overall anti-tumor response as a result of the induction therapy was achieved in 64% of patients. Two-year OS was 72%; median period of observation was 17 months. During the study period, 192 fatal outcomes were registered: disease progression - 55%; hemorrhagic complications - 21%; infections - 12%. In the course of the study, the values of OS in MM patients registered in 2015 were compared to the archive data of the registry - 170 patients registered in 2009-2011 who had received treatment at five hematology clinics in Russia. Two-year OS in patients registered in 2015 was statistically significantly higher (p=0.02; log-rank test) compared to patients registered in 2009: 72% versus 60% (Fig. 1).
Discussion: The results of this prospective study represent real clinical practice of therapy for MM in Russia. High frequency of newly diagnosed advanced stages of the disease was observed. The first-line therapy regimens in the vast majority of MM patients in Russia include bortezomib, the efficacy of which is comparable to that observed in other regions of the world. The results of the study have demonstrated significant improvement of OS in patients with MM diagnosed in 2015.
Display omitted
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The present work concerns the electrochemical deposition of aluminium doped ZnO nanostructured thin films on SnO2:F covered glass substrates. Doped with Al nanostructured ZnO (ZnO:Al) films are ...obtained by an electrochemical process using a three-electrode potentiostatic system with a saturated calomel electrode as reference electrode, in aqueous solution containing ZnCl2, KCl and Al2(SO4)3. The influence of the deposition parameters on the structural properties of the obtained ZnO:Al layers is investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) is applied for measurement of the Al content in the films. The SEM micrographs and AFM pictures show that the ZnO:Al films consist of nanograins with a shape of walls. The XRD spectra demonstrate (100), (002), (101), (110) and (103) the characteristic reflexes of the ZnO. Influence of the Al concentration on the IR reflectance spectra and haze ratio of ZnO:Al thin films are presented and discussed.
This report gives a better emphasis on the role of targeted effectors (e.g. a combination of 5-FC with CD-NSPCs as compared to the application of NSPCs alone) and how such delivery of pro-drug ...activating enzymes and other tumor-killing substances may overcome melanocytic defence system, interact with and promote the host defence and immune response modulations not only in melanoma but, potentially, in other highly-metastatic cancers.
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