Effect of weightlessness on some indices of brain development (results of residence of pregnant rats aboard the Cosmos-1514 biosatellite and investigation of subsequent development of their offspring on earth)

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology -     

Synthesis and study of anticonvulsive properties of phenylcycloalkylmethyl ureas

Communication XVIII from the series Synthetic Anticonvulsants, Antihypoxants, and Hepatic Monooxygenase System Inducers Based on Amides and Ureas. For communication XVII see [1].     

Opportunity of operative traumatism decrease in patients with complicated tricuspid valve defect

This study examined the results of surgical trivalve of 44 patients with trivalve heart defect. In all the patients the heart defect was combined with two and more complicating factors: advanced III-degree calcinosis of the valves, cardiomegaly, cardiac fibrillation, left atrium thrombosis, high pulmonary hypertension. In 20 patients the operative intervention on the heart was repeated. The analysis of the results allowed to recommend some surgical techniques which allowed to decrease surgical traumatism in patients with complicated trivalve heart defect. Low traumatism was possible because of incomplete removal of the calcium masses extending on the fibrotic ring and outside, use of two-row counter U-suture on linings for the prosthesis fixing, transdoubleatrial approach without isolation of the heart from the adhesions in dense pericardial obliteration, correction even insignificant trivalve heart defect or relative valve incompetence.     

Labial Adhesion with Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Bartholin's Abscess

Labial adhesions are usually seen in early childhood or in the postmenopausal years, but this clinical entity is rarely seen in the reproductive years. We report a case of labial adhesion with acute urinary retention secondary to Bartholin's abscess in a reproductive‐aged woman with normal menstrual periods. We emphasize the possible occurrence of labial adhesion following Bartholin's abscess in the reproductive years with normal estrogen levels.     

Sera from patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia generate platelet-derived microparticles with procoagulant activity: an explanation for the thrombotic complications of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is characterized by moderate thrombocytopenia and thrombotic complications, whereas quinine/quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia usually presents with severe thrombocytopenia and bleeding. Using flow cytometry and assays of procoagulant activity, we investigated whether sera from patients with these immune drug reactions could stimulate normal platelets to generate platelet-derived microparticles with procoagulant activity. Sera or purified IgG from patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia stimulated the formation of platelet-derived microparticles in a heparin-dependent fashion. Further studies showed that heparin-induced thrombocytopenia sera also produced a marked increase in procoagulant activity. In contrast, sera from patients with quinine- or quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia did not generate platelet-derived microparticles nor generate increased procoagulant activity. However, quinine/quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia sera produced a significant increase in the binding of IgG to platelets in a drug-dependent fashion, whereas sera from patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia demonstrated no drug-dependent binding of IgG to platelets. We also observed increased levels of circulating microparticles in patients with acute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia compared with control patients. Our observations indicate that the generation of procoagulant platelet-derived microparticles in vivo is a plausible explanation for the thrombotic complications observed in some patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.     

A humanised tissue‐engineered bone model allows species‐specific breast cancer‐related bone metastasis in vivo

Bone metastases frequently occur in the advanced stages of breast cancer. At this stage, the disease is deemed incurable. To date, the mechanisms of breast cancer‐related metastasis to bone are poorly understood. This may be attributed to the lack of appropriate animal models to investigate the complex cancer cell–bone interactions. In this study, two established tissue‐engineered bone constructs (TEBCs) were applied to a breast cancer‐related metastasis model. A cylindrical medical‐grade polycaprolactone‐tricalcium phosphate scaffold produced by fused deposition modelling (scaffold 1) was compared with a tubular calcium phosphate‐coated polycaprolactone scaffold fabricated by solution electrospinning (scaffold 2) for their potential to generate ectopic humanised bone in NOD/SCID mice. While scaffold 1 was found not suitable to generate a sufficient amount of ectopic bone tissue due to poor ectopic integration, scaffold 2 showed excellent integration into the host tissue, leading to bone formation. To mimic breast cancer cell colonisation to the bone, MDA‐MB‐231, SUM1315, and MDA‐MB‐231BO breast cancer cells were cultured in polyethylene glycol‐based hydrogels and implanted adjacent to the TEBCs. Histological analysis indicated that the breast cancer cells induced an osteoclastic reaction in the TEBCs, demonstrating analogies to breast cancer‐related bone metastasis seen in patients.