Search

In a situation of rapidly changing environmental conditions and the growth of stress of different strengths and orientations, people are more likely to experience anxiety. The results of epidemiological studies show that up to 33.7% of the population suffers from lifelong anxiety disorders. According to large population-based surveys, comorbidity among people with this pathology is high: three out of four people with anxiety disorder experience at least one other mental disorder during their lifetime. The pathogenetic mechanisms of anxiety and insomnia are closely related, mutually aggravating each other’s influence. The difficulty of sleep generation and regulation makes this process very vulnerable to sleep and circadian rhythms disturbances, which include problems with the quality, time and quantity of sleep. Some researchers suggest that anxiety acts as an endogenous factor that affects the manifestations of the sleep-wake cycle, and the irregularity of this cycle contributes to anxiety. Recent studies display that chronotype may also be an important occurrence marker of chronic primary insomnia and a risk factor for anxiety disorders.The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major challenge for the mental health of people around the world. Numerous scientific publications have covered the prevalence of mental and behavioural disorders, including anxiety and dyssomnia, both in the context of psychosocial stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and in patients with long-term consequences after coronavirus disease. The term “Long COVID” covers a number of features that indicate damage to many organs, and lasts for weeks and months after the onset of the disease. An analysis of the literature shows that although physical symptoms are given the most attention, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health is no less important. At present, the long-term COVID-19 syndrome has not been definitively identified, but the leading signs of mental disorders after coronavirus disease, including sleep problems, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties, have been described.

In the article, the authors analyzed the results of a survey of individuals who referred to a plastic surgeon for cosmetic rhinoplasty, as well as the authors evaluated the satisfaction of the operation. All patients, depending on the presence or absence of cosmetic defects of the nose, were divided into two groups: the first (I) – 69 individuals (men – 30, women – 39, aged 19 to 50 years), with visible defects and deformations of the external nose, which deviated from the established aesthetic norms accepted in cosmetology, but did not distort the appearance of the face and did not violate the physiological functions of the nose; the second group (II) – 30 individuals (men – 14, women – 16, aged 19 to 30 years) who do not have cosmetic defects of the nose, however these individuals fixed unreasonably great attention on their nose, were categorically dissatisfied with it, as well as persistently demanded to change its shape. In accordance with the results of the study, the authors showed that the vast majority of the examined individuals, who referred to a plastic surgeon for rhinoplasty, have mental disorders of the nonpsychotic register, which differed depending on the presence or absence of defects and deformities of the nose. Based on the results of the study, the authors determined the predictors of the negative psychological consequences of rhinoplasty and dissatisfaction with its results (dysmorphophobia, limitation of social functioning, repeated rhinoplasty with an unrealistic expectation of results, high levels of depression and anxiety) and suggested a screening questionnaire for the timely identification of patients who would not be satisfied with a successful surgical intervention.

Inhibitors of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) are currently used to treat advanced metastatic breast cancer. However, whether an aggressive phenotype is sustained through adaptation or resistance to mTOR inhibition remains unknown. Here, complementary studies in human tumors, cancer models and cell lines reveal transcriptional reprogramming that supports metastasis in response to mTOR inhibition. This cancer feature is driven by EVI1 and SOX9. EVI1 functionally cooperates with and positively regulates SOX9, and promotes the transcriptional upregulation of key mTOR pathway components (REHB and RAPTOR) and of lung metastasis mediators (FSCN1 and SPARC). The expression of EVI1 and SOX9 is associated with stem cell-like and metastasis signatures, and their depletion impairs the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. These results establish the mechanistic link between resistance to mTOR inhibition and cancer metastatic potential, thus enhancing our understanding of mTOR targeting failure.

Porous materials occupy an important place among the materials of electronic equipment. Nanopores, which are obtained by ion irradiation of materials, have a complex internal structure that depends on the interaction of fast ions with the substance. Obtaining such structures is important, in particular, in the manufacture of biosensor devices based on them. The most effective methods of studying their properties are computer simulations. However, effective computer models of track structures, necessary for the development and improvement of modern biosensors, are not being created actively enough. The approach proposed here involves a detailed study of the interaction of ion flows with the inner surface of the nanotrack. This approach takes into account the structural features of the inner surface of the track as well as the role of adsorption and scattering centers and other local centers. In the existing approaches, the processes mentioned above are mainly described phenomenologically, which does not indicate the ways of modifying the characteristics of the material that is necessary for the device improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative approach based on the effect of bio-mineralization as a response reaction of cells to decrease their damage under stress was applied to Juniperus communis (JC) and JC-based biomaterials (Nefrovil and Immunostan drugs with properties increasing the antioxidant activity and improving the immune system of human organism, respectively). Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), also called electron spin resonance (ESR), was used as the main experimental tool for detecting paramagnetic species resulted from the existence of antioxidant activity system, represented by superoxide dismutase with manganese, catalase etc., as well as formation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The influence of temperature and microwave power on the intensity of EPR signals detected in JC, Nefrovil and Immunostan was examined. Obtained g-factor values of EPR signals from JC shell and seeds as well as from Nefrovil and Immunostan were attributed to the paramagnetic species of Mn (g = 2.0), Fe3O4 SPIONs (g = 2.17...2.60), Fe aggregates (g = 3.22...3.94) and Fe3+ ions (g = 4.3). The EPR signals from SPIONs and Fe3+ ions in Immunostan were found to be fully correlated, showing an additional experimental evidence of the bio-mineralization effect (i.e., transformation of Fe3+ ions to Fe3O4 SPIONs). The results of the EPR study of Fe3O4 SPIONs incorporated into polymer matrix were taken into account in comparative analysis. The results reported in the present work support well self-organization of magnetic nanoparticles in the investigated biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]