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Background: In 2016, California transitioned from legalized medical cannabis use to adult-use. Little is known about how this policy change affected medicinal cannabis use among young adults. Objectives: To identify longitudinal groups of medicinal cannabis users and concurrent changes in health- and cannabis use-related characteristics among young adults in Los Angeles between 2014 and 2021. Methods: Cannabis users (210 patients and 156 non-patients; 34% female; ages 18-26 at baseline) were surveyed annually across six waves. Longitudinal latent class analysis derived groups from two factors - cannabis patient status and self-reported medicinal use. Trajectories of health symptoms, cannabis use motives, and cannabis use (daily/near daily use, concentrate use, and problematic use) were estimated across groups. Results: Three longitudinal latent classes emerged: Recreational Users (39.3%) - low self-reported medicinal use and low-to-decreasing patient status; Recreational Patients (40.4%) - low self-reported medicinal use and high-to-decreasing patient status; Medicinal Patients (20.3%) - high self-reported medicinal use and high-to-decreasing patient status. At baseline, Medicinal Patients had higher levels of physical health symptoms and motives than recreational groups ( p  < .05); both patient groups reported higher level of daily/near daily and concentrate use ( p  < .01). Over time, mental health symptoms increased in recreational groups ( p  < .05) and problematic cannabis use increased among Recreational Patients ( p  < .01). Conclusions: During the transition to legalized adult-use, patterns of medicinal cannabis use varied among young adults. Clinicians should monitor increases in mental health symptoms and cannabis-related problems among young adults who report recreational - but not medicinal - cannabis use.

Objective: To establish the characteristics of clinical manifestations and cognitive tests in patients with schizophrenia, with a predominance of cognitive and negative disorders., Material and Methods: We examined 76 patients, 66 in the main group, 10 in the comparison group, who were treated in Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 and Psychiatric Hospital No. 4 (Moscow). Clinical-psychopathological, psychometric and statistical methods were used. Features of cognitive functioning were studied using the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Screen (ECAS). Emotional intelligence scores were assessed using the Ekman Face Emotion Recognition (EFER) test., Results: Patients with schizophrenia showed dominance of one of 3 types of deficit symptoms: cognitive, emotional, and volitional. Cognitive functions were significantly reduced in patients with schizophrenia when compared with the comparison group (mean FAB score ( M ±SD) 13.44±2.97 in patients with schizophrenia vs. 16.10±1.70 in the comparison group; t =4.10; p <0.001). Cognitive functions were particularly reduced in patients with volitional deficit (mean EFER total score 42.40±9.0 in patients with volitional deficit vs. 47.21±633 in patients with cognitive deficit; t =2.12; p =0.039; mean FAB score 12.83±3.29 in patients with volitional deficit vs. 16.10±1.70 in the comparison group; t =4.24; p <0.001; mean ECAS score specific to ALS 78.80±9.07 in patients with volitional deficit vs. 84.50±6.71 in the comparison group; t =2.18; p =0.034)., Conclusion: The greatest contribution to the development of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is made by dysfunction of frontal (especially) and temporal cortex. Executive functions, speech skills and verbal fluency are most severely damaged.

Background: While growing evidence has identified mental and physical health-related cannabis use motives as significant mechanisms between childhood trauma and problematic cannabis use (PCU) for emerging adults (EA), there is a need to understand the longitudinal stability of these pathways and how they impact PCU as cannabis users age into later adulthood., Methods: The current study extends an analysis examining the impact of childhood trauma (e.g., emotional abuse, sexual abuse) on multiple indicators of PCU through a range of cannabis use motives. 339 medical cannabis patient and non-patient EA users from the Los Angeles area were sampled at baseline (mean age = 21.23; SD  = 2.48). The present analysis used four waves of follow-up data collected from 2016 to 2018 (W3, W4) and 2019-2020 (W5, W6)., Results: Use of cannabis to cope with nausea, sleep, pain, and emotional distress mediated the relationships between some types of childhood abuse and PCU at W4, though most associations attenuated by later adulthood (W6). Specifically, greater emotional distress and nausea motives were associated with greater PCU in models of emotional abuse and neglect and sexual abuse, with emotional distress continuing to mediate at W6. Conversely, sleep and pain motives were associated with lower PCU in models for emotional neglect., Conclusions: Mental and physical health-related motives reflect potential intervenable factors that predict PCU in emerging adulthood among EA cannabis users with histories of childhood trauma. Results highlight the importance of and value for assessing a wide range of motives and PCU outcomes to target and address areas for intervention.

Cannabis was legalized for adult use in California in 2016 for individuals 21 and older. Among 18-20-years-olds, who can possess cannabis legally as medical cannabis patients (MCP) but not as non-patient cannabis users (NPU), the impact of adult use legalization (AUL) on cannabis and other substance use is unknown. Two cohorts of 18-20-year-old cannabis users (MCP and NPU) were surveyed, one in 2014-15 ( n  = 172 "pre-AUL") and another in 2019-20 ( n  = 139 "post-AUL"), using similar data collection methods in Los Angeles, California. Logistic and negative binomial regressions estimated cohort and MCP differences for cannabis and other drug use outcomes based on past 90-day use. In both pre- and post-AUL cohorts, MCP were more likely to self-report medical cannabis use ( p  < .001) while the post-AUL cohort reported greater use of edibles ( p  < .01), but fewer mean days of alcohol ( p  < .05) and cigarette ( p  < .01) use in multivariate models. Notably, frequency of cannabis use (days or hits per day) did not significantly differ between the pre- and post-AUL cohorts, except for greater use of edibles, despite potentially greater access to cannabis.

Nitric oxide (NO) production in injured and intact brain regions was compared by EPR spectroscopy in a model of brain and spinal cord injury in Wistar rats. The precentral gyrus of the brain was injured, followed by the spinal cord at the level of the first lumbar vertebra. Seven days after brain injury, a reduction in NO content of 84% in injured brain regions and 66% in intact brain regions was found. The difference in NO production in injured and uninjured brain regions persisted 7 days after injury. The copper content in the brain remained unchanged one week after modeling of brain and spinal cord injury. The data obtained in the experiments help to explain the problems in the therapy of patients with combined brain injury.

It is crucial to understand COVID-19 vaccine uptake and attitudes among young adult cannabis users given the lowest vaccination rates among young adults and negative association between cannabis use and willingness to get vaccinated. 18-21-year-old and 26-33-year-old cohorts of cannabis users, recruited in California, were surveyed about the COVID-19 vaccine uptake/attitudes between March-August 2021. Cannabis use/demographic differences were investigated by vaccination status. Vaccine attitudes data were categorized and presented descriptively. 44.4% of the older and 71.8% of the younger cohorts were vaccinated. Non-Hispanic Black/African American race/ethnicity, lack of health insurance, and medicinal orientation towards cannabis use were negatively associated with vaccine receipt within the older cohort. For both cohorts, top reasons for vaccine hesitancy and rejection were concerns about speed of development, potential side effects, natural immunity, and lack of trust of vaccines. Our results highlight greater vaccine hesitance/rejection and need for targeted interventions among mid-20's-early-30's cannabis users., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused historic morbidity and mortality and disrupted young people's social relationships, little is known regarding change in young adults' social cannabis use following social distancing orders, or other factors associated with such changes before and during the pandemic., Methods: 108 young adult cannabis users in Los Angeles reported on their personal (egocentric) social network characteristics, cannabis use, and pandemic-related variables before (July 2019 - March 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020 - August 2021). Multinomial logistic regression identified factors associated with increasing or maintaining the number of network members (alters) participants used cannabis with before and during the pandemic. Multilevel modeling identified ego- and alter-level factors associated with dyadic cannabis use between each ego and alter during the pandemic., Results: Most participants (61%) decreased the number of alters they used cannabis with, 14% maintained, and 25% increased. Larger networks were associated with a lower risk of increasing (vs. decreasing); more supportive cannabis-using alters was associated with a lower risk of maintaining (vs. decreasing); relationship duration was associated with a greater risk of maintaining and increasing (vs. decreasing). During the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020 - August 2021), participants were more likely to use cannabis with alters they also used alcohol with and alters who were perceived to have more positive attitudes towards cannabis., Conclusions: The present study identifies significant factors associated with changes in young adults' social cannabis use following pandemic-related social distancing. These findings may inform social network interventions for young adults who use cannabis with their network members amid such social restrictions., (© 2023 Authors et al.)

Objective: The aim the study. To identify correlations between the development of blood vessel hyperplasia (GCS) and risk factors in pregnant women. To identify correlations between the development of blood vessel hyperplasia (GCS) and risk factors in pregnant women., Materials and Methods: A selective retrospective analysis of 173 case histories and outpatient records of patients of the Clinic of Pediatric Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry of the Central Research Institute of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery for 2011-2021 was carried out. The obstetric history of the mother, chronic diseases of mothers during pregnancy and bad habits were studied. The interrelation of the influencing unfavorable factor on the isolation, prevalence and vastness of foci of infantile hemangioma was determined., Results and Discussion: There was no statistically significant relationship between the harmful habits of the mother and the number of lesions, as well as the isolation of the lesion of the mandibular-facial region (CHLO) and the prevalence of the process in the child. It was found that the prevalence of the process, the isolation of the lesion and the number of foci of CHLO did not have a reliable relationship with the complicated course of pregnancy in the mother. A reliable relationship was revealed between the number of lesions in the CHLO and chronic hypoxia, between the number of defects of the cardiovascular system and the prevalence of the process. But there was no reliable relationship between the number of CCC lesions and the number of lesions. 24 patients out of 173 were premature. In these patients, a statistical severity to the occurrence of GCS was revealed. There was no reliable relationship between the genetic predisposition on the line of both parents and the prevalence of the process, with the isolation of the lesion of CHLO and with the number of foci of CHLO lesions., Conclusion: Prematurity, chronic hypoxia, multiple malformations of the fetal cardiovascular system are risk factors for the development of vascular hyperplasia in children.

Objective: Social factors play an important role in young adults' substance use behaviors, but little is known about how egocentric social network factors are related to young adults' cannabis use. Young adults also report medicinal and recreational uses of cannabis, which may alter the strength of these relationships. Therefore, medical cannabis patient status and medicinal/recreational orientation toward cannabis were examined as moderators of these relationships., Method: Young adult medical cannabis patients ( n = 182) and nonpatient users ( n = 157) were surveyed in Los Angeles in 2015-2016 about their cannabis use, orientation (medicinal and/or recreational), and egocentric networks (cannabis use network size, social support network size, descriptive and injunctive norms). Regression models examined associations between network characteristics and past-90-day use and problematic use, and tested interactions between network characteristics and both patient status and cannabis use orientation., Results: Only descriptive norms (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.06, 1.33]) were associated with more frequent use, but not problematic use. Descriptive norms interacted with cannabis use orientation: descriptive norms were positively associated with cannabis use days among medicinally oriented users (aIRR = 1.22, 95% CI [1.02, 1.46]). However, this relationship was stronger for recreationally oriented users (aIRR = 1.62, 95% CI [1.31, 2.01]). No interactions were found predicting problematic use., Conclusions: Descriptive cannabis use norms among one's personal network members are an important variable predicting young adults' cannabis use, but not problematic use. Perceived descriptive norms may be a stronger motivator to use for recreational users than medicinal users.

It is unknown how patterns of cannabis and other drug use changed among young adult cannabis users as they became, exited or stayed medical cannabis patients (MCPs) after California legalized cannabis for adult use in 2016. A cohort of 18-26 year-old cannabis users was recruited in Los Angeles in 2014-15 (64.8% male; 44.1% Hispanic/Latinx). Based on wave 1 (pre-legalization) and wave 4 (post-legalization) MCP status, four transition groups emerged: MCP, Into MCP, Out of MCP and NPU (non-patient user). Relationships between self-reported medical cannabis use, transition group membership, and cannabis/other drug use outcomes were examined. Changes in cannabis practices were consistent with changes in MCP status. Cannabis days, concentrate use, self-reported medical cannabis use and driving under influence of cannabis were highest among MCP , increased for Into MCP , and decreased for Out of MCP in wave 4. A majority of drug use outcomes decreased significantly by wave 4. Self-reported medical cannabis use was associated with more frequent cannabis use but less problematic cannabis and other drug use. Future studies should continue to monitor the impact of policies that legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use, and medical motivations for cannabis use on young adults' cannabis and other drug use.

Few qualitative studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on cannabis and alcohol use, and overall well-being among cannabis users. Cannabis users (aged 26-32) were surveyed quantitatively (n=158) and interviewed qualitatively (n=29) in April 2020-May 2021 in Los Angeles. 63.3% of the quantitative sample reported increasing use of either cannabis (29.1%) or alcohol (15.2%) or both (19.0%) following the COVID-19 outbreak. Qualitative data revealed that increases in cannabis and alcohol use were largely attributed to changes in employment and staying at home resulting in fewer impediments and boredom. Themes of loneliness and utilization of various coping strategies were more pronounced among those who increased cannabis and/or alcohol use. For some, increases in cannabis/alcohol use were temporary until participants adjusted to "a new normal" or embraced more adaptive coping strategies. Results suggest monitoring cannabis/alcohol use trends and identifying coping strategies to reduce the pandemic's impact on substance use and mental health., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Introduction: Cannabidiol (CBD) is purportedly a promising therapeutic agent to provide relief for a variety of medical conditions with mild or no psychoactive effects. However, little is known about young adults who use cannabis and CBD-dominant products, and associations between CBD use and other drug use., Methods: Young adults (aged 24-32) who currently used cannabis (n = 239) were surveyed in Los Angeles in March 2019 through March 2020. The sample was divided into CBD-dominant (at least 1:1 CBD:THC ratio) and THC-dominant product users. We described CBD forms, reasons and conditions for CBD use and examined between-group differences in sociodemographic characteristics, cannabis practices, health and other drug use., Results: CBD-dominant users were more likely to be female, use cannabis at lower frequency and amount (except for edible/drinkable/oral products), self-report medical motivation for cannabis use, use cannabis for pain and report more health problems. Oil, flower, topicals and sprays/drops/tinctures were the most prevalent CBD forms. Psychological problems and pain were commonly reported conditions and medical reasons for CBD use. CBD-dominant users were more likely to report illicit drug use, where psilocybin use was markedly different between the two groups., Conclusions: CBD use was associated with health histories and motivations linked to pain and psychological problems. Positive association between CBD use and illicit drug use may indicate self-medication for psychological conditions. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of various CBD forms and dose regimens for treatment of pain and psychological problems, and as a potential intervention for decreasing other drug use and associated harms., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Assessment of the frequency of reaching the target level of blood pressure (BP) and the factors affecting it in outpatients with arterial hypertension (AH)., Materials and Methods: An open, one-stage, comparative study involving 64 patients with hypertension and 47 without hypertension at the age of 40 to 59 years. All patients underwent physical examination, assessment of cardiovascular risk (CVR), 24-hour blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), echocardiography (ECHOCG), color duplex scanning of brachiocephalic arteries., Results: Patients with hypertension and comparison groups were comparable in age, sex, smoking, history of myocardial infarction. 1st degree of hypertension was present in 26.6%, 2nd in 40.6%, 3rd in 12.5% of patients. Obesity was detected in 24.3% of patients and all patients with obesity had AH. The SCORE score in individuals with hypertension was 4.94.5; in the comparison group, 2.32.6 (p0.001). Non-stenosing atherosclerosis was present in 54.8% and 88%, p=0.020, and atherosclerotic plaque in the vascular lumen was present in 45.3% and 12% of patients with and without hypertension, respectively (p0.001). 68.8% were constantly treated, and the target BP was reached in 31.3% of patients with hypertension. Male gender (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.6828.49; p=0.007), obesity (OR 4.78; 95% CI 1.1420.29; p=0.033), concomitant pathology (OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.029.37; p=0.046) were negative, and dyslipidemia (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.010.84; p=0.033) was positive, affecting the achievement of the target level of blood pressure., Conclusion: The target level of blood pressure was achieved in 31.3% of outpatients with hypertension, mainly in women. Among patients who did not reach the target level of blood pressure, men, individuals with high SSR and obesity predominated. Concomitant pathology and obesity are negative, and dyslipidemia was positively associated with the achievement of the target level of blood pressure, which must be taken into account when developing measures for prevention and treatment.

Background: Pain is a primary reason for medical cannabis use among young adults, however little is known about the patterns of pain in this group. This study identified pain profiles among young adult cannabis users and examined related antecedents and distal outcomes., Methods: Past 30-day cannabis users aged 18-26, both medical cannabis patients and non-patients, were enrolled in Los Angeles in 2014-2015. A latent class analysis was used to identify pain classes based on history of chronic pain conditions and recent non-minor pain. The study assessed the predictors of membership in pain classes and examined the association of classes with recent mental health characteristics, cannabis use motives and practices., Results: Three classes were identified: Low pain (56.3%), Multiple pain (27.3%), and Nonspecific pain (16.4%). In adjusted models, lifetime insomnia was associated with membership in Multiple pain and Nonspecific pain classes versus the Low pain class. Medical cannabis patients and Hispanics/Latinos were more likely to belong to the Multiple pain class than the other classes. Regarding recent outcomes, the Multiple pain and Nonspecific pain classes were more likely than the Low pain class to use cannabis to relieve physical pain. Additionally, the Multiple pain class had a higher probability of psychological distress, self-reported medical cannabis use, consuming edibles, and using cannabis to sleep compared to one or both other classes., Conclusion: Findings suggest that young adult cannabis users can be separated into distinct groups with different pain profiles. The Multiple pain profile was associated with medically-oriented cannabis use motives and practices.

Collective cell migration is a complex process that happens during normal development of many multicellular organisms, as well as during oncological transformations. In Drosophila oogenesis, a small set of follicle cells originally located at the anterior tip of each egg chamber become motile and migrate as a cluster through nurse cells toward the oocyte. These specialized cells are referred to as border cells (BCs) and provide a simple and convenient model system to study collective cell migration. The process is known to be complexly regulated at different levels and the product of the slow border cells ( slbo ) gene, the C/EBP transcription factor, is one of the key elements in this process. However, little is known about the regulation of slbo expression. On the other hand, the ubiquitously expressed transcription factor GAGA, which is encoded by the Trithorax-like ( Trl ) gene was previously demonstrated to be important for Drosophila oogenesis. Here, we found that Trl mutations cause substantial defects in BC migration. Partially, these defects are explained by the reduced level of slbo expression in BCs. Additionally, a strong genetic interaction between Trl and slbo mutants, along with the presence of putative GAGA binding sites within the slbo promoter and enhancer, suggests the direct regulation of this gene by GAGA. This idea is supported by the reduction in the slbo -Gal4-driven GFP expression within BC clusters in Trl mutant background. However, the inability of slbo overexpression to compensate defects in BC migration caused by Trl mutations suggests that there are other GAGA target genes contributing to this process. Taken together, the results define GAGA as another important regulator of BC migration in Drosophila oogenesis.

Introduction and Aims: Young adults have the highest rates of drug use and contribute significantly to the growing population of medical cannabis patients (MCP). This study examined relationships between longitudinal patterns of illicit/prescription drug use/misuse and cannabis practices among young adult cannabis users., Design and Methods: In 2014-2015, 210 young adult MCP and 156 nonpatient users were recruited in Los Angeles and surveyed annually over four waves. The analytical sample was limited to completers of all four waves (n = 301). Distinct developmental trajectories of illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse were identified. Fixed effects regression analysis evaluated changes in cannabis practices by trajectory groups., Results: Results supported two-trajectory solutions (high/low) for illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse. Decreases in use within all four trajectories occurred by wave 4. Low illicit drug use trajectory members were more likely to self-report medical cannabis use. Membership in both types of high-use trajectories was associated with use of concentrates and edibles. The prevalence of MCP, edibles use and cannabis days decreased significantly by wave 4., Discussion and Conclusions: While alternative cannabis forms use was associated with membership in high drug use trajectories, self-reported medical cannabis use (not MCP) was negatively associated with high illicit drug use trajectory membership. Reductions in the prevalence of MCP, cannabis days, edibles use and other drug use by wave 4 alongside stable levels of self-reported medical cannabis use might reflect the changing legal status of cannabis in California, maturing out phenomenon and safer patterns of cannabis use., (© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

This analysis examined the role of impactful life events/stressful contextual factors and cannabis use in the patterns of illicit drug use. It utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40 young adult medical cannabis patients and 22 non-patient users collected in Los Angeles during 2014-2015. Three patterns of illicit drug use emerged based on participants' narratives: regular/problematic, recreational/occasional, and never users. Among regular/problematic users, a common theme was the lasting impact of traumatic life events or stressful contextual factors on transition to and away from problematic drug use, and using cannabis to cope with negative after effects of drug use. In contrast, most recreational/occasional and never users, who reported impactful life events or stressful contextual factors, used cannabis to cope with those experiences. Family history of addiction and acceptance of cannabis use within a family as protective factors against illicit drug use among some recreational/occasional and never users was an unexpected finding., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

While a range of sources exist for marijuana users to acquire marijuana for medical or personal use, prior research on marijuana sources primarily focused on single sources. In this analysis, we longitudinally examined characteristics of multiple sources selected by marijuana users, motivations to use sources, and how a blend of marijuana sources accommodated users' needs. Young adult marijuana users (n=60) in Los Angeles, CA, where marijuana has been legal for medical use since 1996, completed two annual qualitative interviews on marijuana use practices and sources between 2014 and 2016. Approximately two-thirds were medical marijuana patients and one-third were non-patient users. Participants reported acquiring marijuana from the following primary sources across two interviews: dispensaries and delivery services, private sellers in the illicit market, friends and family, and marijuana events/conferences. While patients with legal medical access to marijuana typically purchased marijuana from dispensaries or delivery services, they often supplemented from other illicit sources. Non-patients often accessed marijuana through dispensary diversion but also other sources. As patients became non-patients and vice versa during the study period, source type changed too. Broad access to marijuana via legal and illicit sources in this sample is indicative of societal trends towards normalization of marijuana use., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

SertoliLeydig cell tumor is a rather rare type of ovarian neoplasms belonging to the group of sex cordstromal tumors. This malignancy is characterized by androgen overproduction, which results in the so-called virilization and can be accompanied by various metabolic disorders such as abdominal obesity, disturbances of carbohydrate and protein metabolism, and high blood pressure. During differential diagnosis, it is important to identify the source of androgen overproduction. An androgen-secreting ovarian tumor needs to be differentiated from androgen-secreting adrenal tumor, ovarian stromal thecomatosis (hyperthecosis), and endogenous hypercorticism (the Cushings syndrome). In most cases, the SertoliLeydig cell tumor is associated with DICER1 mutation carriership. If a patient is found to carry the DICER1 mutation, patients relatives need to undergo genetic testing as the individuals with mutations in this gene have an elevated risk of developing a broad range of benign and malignant tumors (most of these tumors are relatively rare in the overall population). The awareness of this rare ovarian neoplasm among medical specialists (obstetriciansgynecologists, endocrinologists, and oncologists) is supposed to ensure timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of this disease.

In this review we present analysis the European recommendations on hypertension - what's new and what has changed in the tactics of managing patients with arterial hypertension (AH). We compared recommendations on hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Society of hypertension (ESH) 2018 with European recommendations of previous years. In the updated version of guidelines, it is still recommended to determine AH as blood pressure (BP) ≥140 and / or ≥90 mm Hg; to subdivide BP levels into optimal, normal, and high normal, to classify severity of AH as 3 degrees, and to distinguish separately its isolated systolic form. Values for out-of-office BP remained unchanged, but recommendations emerged concerning wider use of ambulatory BP monitoring and self-measurement of BP. For initial therapy, it was recommended to use two drugs combinations preferably as single pill combinations. An increase of the role of nurses and pharmacists in teaching, supporting patients and controlling hypertension has been noted. This can improve the achievement of target BP and, as a result, reduce the cardiovascular risk. New European recommendations highlight the modern aspects of classification and diagnosis of AH, main stages of screening, and algorithm of drug treatment of AH.

Introduction: Young adults have the highest rates of cannabis and other drug use, as compared to other age groups, and contribute a significant proportion to the total population of medical cannabis patients (MCP). However, little is known about the relationships between various cannabis practices and illicit drug use/prescription drug misuse among young adult cannabis users with and without legal access to medical cannabis., Methods: 210 MCP and 156 non-patient cannabis users (NPU) aged 18-26 were recruited in Los Angeles in 2014-15 for a longitudinal study assessing the impact of medical cannabis on health and substance use among emerging adults. For the present analysis, only quantitative baseline survey data were used. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between past 90-day cannabis practices and other drug use, including illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse., Results: Illicit drug use was associated with being non-Hispanic white (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.8-5.1), use of cannabis concentrates (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.6-4.9), while self-reported medical cannabis use was associated with lower probability of illicit drug use (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.9). The odds of prescription drug misuse were increased for participants who reported use of cannabis edibles (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.5), and decreased with age (AOR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.8-1.0) and for those who used cannabis alone (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.9)., Conclusion: Use of alternative cannabis forms, but not cannabis use frequency, were associated with greater odds of other drug use. Self-reported medical cannabis use, but not MCP status, decreased probability of illicit drug use., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Investigation of Drosophila oogenesis provides the opportunity to understand conservative genetic mechanisms underlying fertile female gamete development. In this study, we showed that the Drosophila DNA-binding protein GAGA factor (GAF) had a multifunctional role in oogenesis and it is involved in the regulation of this process genetic program. We studied the influence on Drosophila oogenesis of a number of mutations in the 5' region of the Trl gene that encodes GAF. We found that our originally generated Trl mutations lead to a decrease in transcriptional gene activity and levels of GAF expression in both germline and follicular cells. Cytological (fluorescence and electron microscopy) analysis showed that GAF loss resulted in multiple oogenesis defects. Mutations affected the actin cytoskeleton, leading to decrease of cytoplasmic filaments in nurse cells and basal actin in follicular cells. GAF depletion also leads to abnormal follicular cells migration, both border and centripetal. In addition, mutant ovaries demonstrated abnormalities in germ cells, including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, karyosome organization, yolk granule formation and selective transport. Loss of GAF also promoted excessive cell death and egg chamber degradation. In sum, these defects caused very high or full female sterility. Since one of the main GAF activities is regulation of transcription, the complex phenotypes of the Trl mutants might be the consequence of its multiple target genes misexpression., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Border cell (BC) migration during Drosophila oogenesis is an excellent model for the analysis of the migratory and invasive cell behavior. Most studies on BC migration have exploited a slbo-Gal4 driver to regulate gene expression in these cells or to mark them. Here, we report that the slbo-Gal4 transgene present in the line #6458 from the Bloomington Stock Center is inserted within chickadee (chic), a gene encoding the actin-binding protein Profilin, which promotes actin polymerization and is known to be involved in cell migration. The chic 6458 mutation caused by the transgene insertion behaves as a null chic allele and is homozygous lethal. To evaluate possible effects of chic 6458 on the assessment of BC behavior, we generated new lines bearing the slbo-Gal4 transgene inserted into different second chromosome loci that do not appear to be involved in cell migration. Using these new lines and the slbo-Gal4-chic 6458 line, we defined the functional relationships between the twinfilin (twf) and chic in BC migration. Migration of BCs is substantially reduced by mutations in twf, which encodes an actin-binding protein that inhibits actin filament assembly. The defects caused by twf mutations are significantly suppressed when the slbo-Gal4-chic 6458 , but not the new slbo-Gal4 drivers were used. These findings indicate twf and chic interact and function antagonistically during BC migration in Drosophila oogenesis.

Aim: To detect faults in phagocytosis in peripheral blood cells of pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in cord blood of their newborns., Methods: Pregnant women fulfilled ≥ 4 American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE and their newborns were recruited. Pregnant women without SLE and their newborns constituted controls. Phagocytosis and respiratory burst were measured using PHAGOTEST and BURSTTEST kits (Biotechnology GmbH, Germany) on FACSCalibur™ flow cytometer. Expression of CD11b was estimated with antibodies (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA). Mann-Whitney rank-sum test was used to compare SLE group and controls., Results: Phagocytosis and respiratory burst were estimated in blood of 31 SLE women (29.5 ± 3.3 years) and in cord blood of 26 newborns. Controls were 21 health women (29.8 ± 2.8 years) and their 21 babies. Median reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was reduced in the SLE group versus controls (arbitrary units): women, 2315 versus 3316 (P = 0.034); babies, 1051 versus 1791 (P = 0.041), respectively. Proportion of ROS-producing granulocytes decreased in the SLE group: women, 72.5% versus 94.0% (P = 0.025); babies, 46.8% versus 90.7% (P = 0.008). Proportion of phagocytes which engulfed Escherichia coli and bacteria number per phagocyte also decreased in SLE women. Monocyte activity was suppressed in newborns from the SLE group (RLU): 224 versus 507 (P = 0.022). CD11b expression was reduced in SLE women (RLU): granulocytes, 588 versus 1448.5 (P < 0.001); monocytes, 1017 versus 1619 (P = 0.002)., Conclusion: Pregnant SLE women have low ingesting capacity of phagocytes. Suppression of phagocytosis in their newborns is mainly due to reduced number of cells producing ROS., (© 2017 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Little is known about young adult medical marijuana patients (MMP) and their marijuana using patterns and practices, which includes frequency of use, sourcing of marijuana products, forms/modes of administration, and patterns of illicit/prescription drug misuse, compared to non-patient marijuana users (NPU)., Methods: Young adults (N=366) aged 18-26 years old were sampled in Los Angeles in 2014-15 and segmented into NPU (n=156), marijuana users who never had a medical marijuana (MM) recommendation, and MMP (n=210), marijuana users with a current, verified MM recommendation. Differences regarding self-reported marijuana and other drug use during the past 90days are expressed as unadjusted risk ratios or differences in means., Results: MMP reported significantly greater mean days of use (76.4 vs. 59.2, p<0.001) and mean dollars spent on marijuana products (564.5 vs. 266.9, p<0.001) than NPU. Approximately one-quarter (22.6%) of both MMP and NPU report selling marijuana obtained from a dispensary to someone else in the past 90days. MMP were more likely to report vaporization modalities for concentrates (URR=1.5, 95% C.I.=1.2, 2.0) and for marijuana (URR=1.5, 95% C.I.=1.1, 2.1) than NPU. Though not significant, trends toward lower misuse of prescription drugs in the past 90days were observed among MMP compared to NPU., Conclusion: MMP reported greater access to marijuana via dispensaries, more frequent and intensive use of marijuana, and greater use of non-combustible forms of marijuana compared to NPU. MMP reported less recent misuse of prescription drugs compared to NPU., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

It is known that in various cell types bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes mitochondrial disfunction and promotes accumulation of triglycerides in intracellular lipid droplets. The precise mechanisms which mediate LPS-induced neutral lipid deposition remain poorly understood. In the present work performed on primary cultured epithelial cells isolated from the frog urinary bladder we studied the possible role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) in LPS-in-duced alteration of lipid metabolism. It was shown that LPS stimulated ROS production, decrea- 705 sed fatty acids oxidation, enhanced intracellular triglyceride deposition and promoted the formation of lipid droplets visualized by Nile red staining. Pretreatment of cells with mitochondrial-tar-geted antioxidant MitoQ at dose 25 nM for 2 h almost completely eliminated all the above effects of LPS. In contrast to MitoQ, a-tocopherol was ineffective. The data obtained indicate that increase of mROS level is a critical factor that mediates LPS-induced intracellular deposition of neutral lipids in epithelial cells.

The paper focuses on the assessment of the spectrum of biological activities (antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial) with PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances) for the major components of three macrophytes widespread in the Holarctic species of freshwater, emergent macrophyte with floating leaves, Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., and two species of submergent macrophyte groups, Ceratophyllum demersum L. and Potamogeton obtusifolius (Mert. et Koch), for the discovery of their ecological and pharmacological potential. The predicted probability of anti-inflammatory or antineoplastic activities above 0.8 was observed for twenty compounds. The same compounds were also characterized by high probability of antifungal and antibacterial activity. Six metabolites, namely, hexanal, pentadecanal, tetradecanoic acid, dibutyl phthalate, hexadecanoic acid, and manool, were a part of the major components of all three studied plants, indicating their high ecological significance and a certain universalism in their use by various species of water plants for the implementation of ecological and biochemical functions. This report underlines the role of identified compounds not only as important components in regulation of biochemical and metabolic pathways and processes in aquatic ecological systems, but also as potential pharmacological agents in the fight against different diseases.

The GAGA protein of drosophila is a factor involved in epigenetic transcription regulation of a large gene group controlling developmental processes. In this paper, the role of GAGA factor in germ cell migration is demonstrated as well as its effect on the gonad development in drosophila embryogenesis. Mutations in the Trl gene, encoding GAGA factor, prematurely induces the active migration program and relocation of the primordial cells inward the embryo before the beginning of gastrulation. The germ cells that prematurely separated from the main group migrate ectopically, lose orientation, and stay out of gonad development. Expression pattern of the Trl gene suggests its activity in epithelial cells of the embryonic blastoderm, part of which contact primordial cells. Thus, GAGA factor influences migration of these cells in an indirect manner via their somatic environment.

It was shown previously that colonization of the frog urinary bladder by gram-negative bacteria leads to decreased ability of antidiuretic hormone to reabsorb water from the urinary bladder (Fock et al. J. Exp. Zool., 2013, 319A: 487-494). In the present work performed on epithelial cells isolated from the frog urinary bladder the influence of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on neutral lipid metabolism and cellular energetics was studied. It was shown that incubation of cells with LPS led to decrease of fatty acids oxidation and to retention of triacylglycerols (TAG) followed by an increase of the cytoplasmic lipid droplets content and cellular amount of TAG. Fatty acid composition of TAG was not changed under LPS. LPS did not alter mitochondrial membrane potential, however, LPS decreased oxygen consumption rate both in basal and uncoupling conditions. Cellular ATP production was also reduced in the presence of LPS. The data obtained indicate that a decreased ability of antidiuretic hormone to reabsorb water from the urinary bladder induced by bacterial pathogens could be related to inhibition of fatty acids oxidation and impaired energy metabolism.

Neutral lipids are deposited in intracellular compartments called lipid droplets, which are known to be critically implicated in regulation of cellular lipid metabolism. These organelles consist of a core of neutral lipids, mainly triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesteryl esters, surrounded by phospholipid monolayer. Using Nile red lipid staining and [3H]-arachidonic and [3H]-oleic acids as precursors for lipid biosynthesis, we have evaluated the mechanisms of lipid body induction elicited by exogenous fatty acids within primary cultured epithelial cells from the frog urinary bladder. It was found that arachidonic and oleic acids at concentrations 10-50 tM stimulated lipid droplets formation accompanied by accumulation of TAG and by the significant increase of incorporation of fatty acids into TAG indicating an enhanced TAG biosynthesis. No changes of cholesteryl esters content were observed under these conditions. In cells, prelabelled with [3H]-oleic acids, etomoxir, an inhibitor of O-carnitine palmitroyltansferase 1, decreased oxidation of oleic acid and increased its incorporation into TAG leading to intracellular TAG accumulation. In cells, prelabelled with [3H]-arachidonic acid, diclofenac, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 1 and 2, led to significant decrease in cellular PGE2 production and to reesterification of free arachidonic acid to TAG but not to phospholipids. Taking together, these data evidence that in isolated frog urinary bladder epithelial cells, reacylation of unsaturated free fatty acids into TAG is a main route of their metabolic conversion under the conditions of the increased cytosolic level of free fatty acids.

The Drosophila Trithorax-like (Trl) gene encodes a GAGA factor which regulates a number of developmentally important genes. In this study, we identify a new function for Drosophila GAGA factor in male germ cell development. Trl mutants carrying strong hypomorphic alleles display loss of primordial germ cells during their migration in embryogenesis and severe disruption in mitochondria structure during early spermatogenesis. The mutation resulted in small testes formation, a deficit of germ cells, abnormal mitochondrial morphogenesis, spermatocyte death through autophagy, and partial or complete male sterility. Pleiotropic mutation effects can be explained by the misexpression of GAGA factor target genes, the products of which are required for germ cell progression into mature sperm., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Based on the data about structure and antidiabetic activity of twenty seven vanadium and zinc coordination complexes collected from literature we developed QSAR models using the GUSAR program. These QSAR models were applied to 10 novel vanadium coordination complexes designed in silico in order to predict their hypoglycemic action. The five most promising substances with predicted potent hypoglycemic action were selected for chemical synthesis and pharmacological evaluation. The selected coordination vanadium complexes were synthesized and tested in vitro and in vivo for their hypoglycemic activities and acute rat toxicity. Estimation of acute rat toxicity of these five vanadium complexes was performed using a freely available web-resource (http://way2drug.com/GUSAR/acutoxpredict.html). It has shown that the selected compounds belong to the class of moderate toxic pharmaceutical agents, according to the scale of Hodge and Sterner. Comparison with the predicted data has demonstrated a reasonable correspondence between the experimental and predicted values of hypoglycemic activity and toxicity. Bis{tert-butyl[amino(imino)methyl]carbamato}oxovanadium (IV) and sodium(2,2'-Bipyridyl)oxo-diperoxovanadate(V) octahydrate were identified as the most potent hypoglycemic agents among the synthesized compounds.

The review considers the biological role of vanadium, its participation in various processes in humans and other mammals, and the anti-diabetic effect of its compounds. Vanadium salts have persistent hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects and reduce the probability of secondary complications in animals with experimental diabetes. The review contains a detailed description of all major synthesized vanadium complexes having antidiabetic activity. Currently, vanadium complexes with organic ligands are more effective and safer than the inorganic salts. Despite the proven efficacy of these compounds as the anti-diabetic agents in animal models, only one organic complex of vanadium is currently under the second phase of clinical trials. All of the considered data suggest that vanadium compound are a new promising class of drugs in modern pharmacotherapy of diabetes.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are underserved by health providers but pharmacies may be their most accessible care settings., Methods: Studies in the U.S., Russia, Vietnam, China, Canada and Mexico employed a three-level (macro-, meso-, and micro-) model to assess feasibility of expanded pharmacy services for PWID. Studies employed qualitative and quantitative interviews, review of legal and policy documents, and information on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of key stakeholders., Results: Studies produced a mixed assessment of feasibility. Provision of information and referrals by pharmacies is permissible in all study sites and sale and safe disposal of needles/syringes by pharmacies is legal in almost all sites, although needle/syringe sales face challenges related to attitudes and practices of pharmacists, police, and other actors. Pharmacy provision of HIV testing, hepatitis vaccination, opioid substitution treatment, provision of naloxone for drug overdose, and abscess treatment, face more serious legal and policy barriers., Discussion: Challenges to expanded services for drug users in pharmacies exist at all three levels, especially the macro-level characterized by legal barriers and persistent stigmatization of PWID. Where deficiencies in laws, policies, and community attitudes block implementation, stakeholders should advocate for needed legal and policy changes and work to address community stigma and resistance. Laws and policies are only as good as their implementation, so attention is also needed to meso- and micro- levels. Policies, attitudes, and practices of police departments and pharmacy chains as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices of individual PWID, individual pharmacies, and police officers should support rather than undermine positive laws and expanded services. Despite the challenges, pharmacies remain potentially important venues for delivering health services to PWID.

Unlabelled: Objectives. To compare the results of laparoscopic and open heminephrectomy for kidneys duplication in children. Materials and methods. 42 patients underwent laparoscopic heminephrectomy and 20 patients underwent open heminephrectomy for non-functioning kidney moiety. Transperitoneal access with 3-4 trocars was used in the first group. Retrospective analysis of demographic, intra- and postoperative parameters, developed complications was performed., Results: The mean operative duration was 127 minutes (90-205) and 120 minutes (100-219) in laparoscopic and open surgery groups, respectively. There were not intraoperative complications and need for conversion in laparoscopic group. Two children required additional surgery for perirenal cyst and ureteric stump inflammation. Hemotransfusion after open surgery was performed in 2 cases. Complications included pleural sine laceration and complete function loss of remaining moiety. The mean hospital stay was 7.2 days (5-12) and 11.5 days (8-17) in laparoscopic and open surgery groups, respectively., Conclusions: Laparoscopic transperitoneal heminephrectomy can be successfully used in children. Duration of laparoscopic and open interventions is comparable. But hospital stay is less in case of laparoscopic interventions.

It is known that a lot of genes having a distinct expression pattern require the complex system of transcription regulation. The regulatory regions of such genes can include not only the 5'-flanking regions, but also other regions, particularly their intron sequences. The Drosophila melanogaster Trithorax-like (Trl) gene, encoding the GAGA protein, is one of the genes with complex expression pattern. GAGA is one of a few transcription factors that can regulate gene expression at multiple levels. The GAGA-mediated modulation of expression seems to be linked with modifications of the chromatin structure. Nowadays, the regulatory potential of the Trl 5'-flanking region that contains multiple GAGA binding sites has been analyzed, but the presence of the functionally significant elements in other Trl regions has not been examined. We found DNase I hypersensitive sites, evolutionary-conserved sequences and numerous GAGA binding sites in the second intron of the Trl gene. Interestingly, these sequences localize in two main regions of the intron in immediate proximity to preferred regions of transposon insertions. Additionally, we revealed that deletion of the intron fragment in the Trl(1-72) mutants caused an alteration of the Trl expression pattern. These results allow us to conclude that the second intron of the Trl gene contains functionally significant elements., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The HIV epidemic in Russia is concentrated among injection drug users (IDUs). This is especially true for St. Petersburg where high HIV incidence persists among the city's estimated 80,000 IDUs. Although sterile syringes are legally available, access for IDUs may be hampered. To explore the feasibility of using pharmacies to expand syringe access and provide other prevention services to IDUs, we investigated the current access to sterile syringes at the pharmacies and the correlation between pharmacy density and HIV prevalence in St. Petersburg., Methods: 965 pharmacies citywide were mapped, classified by ownership type, and the association between pharmacy density and HIV prevalence at the district level was tested. We selected two districts among the 18 districts--one central and one peripheral--that represented two major types of city districts and contacted all operating pharmacies by phone to inquire if they stocked syringes and obtained details about their stock. Qualitative interviews with 26 IDUs provided data regarding syringe access in pharmacies and were used to formulate hypotheses for the pharmacy syringe purchase test wherein research staff attempted to purchase syringes in all pharmacies in the two districts., Results: No correlation was found between the density of pharmacies and HIV prevalence at the district level. Of 108 operating pharmacies, 38 (35%) did not sell syringes of the types used by IDUs; of these, half stocked but refused to sell syringes to research staff, and the other half did not stock syringes at all. Overall 70 (65%) of the pharmacies did sell syringes; of these, 49 pharmacies sold single syringes without any restrictions and 21 offered packages of ten., Conclusions: Trainings for pharmacists need to be conducted to reduce negative attitudes towards IDUs and increase pharmacists' willingness to sell syringes. At a structural level, access to safe injection supplies for IDUs could be increased by including syringes in the federal list of mandatory medical products sold by pharmacies.

The article mentiones issues of preserving and strengthening the reproductive health of women workers, dealed by researchers of the laboratory, established in 1974. It describes the developed concept of the reproductive health problems and scientific research areas, developed documents, including legislative fields, formulates main prospects of the laboratory to meet the requirements of the present moment. Noted the role of the Problem Commission "Scientific basis for the reproductive health of workers", in the work of the Scientific Council on medical and environmental issues of workers' health.

Insects is a taxon surprisingly rich with species and varieties, and its representatives are considered as the most fitted and "evolutionary successful" living things. Insects are distinguished by diversity and abundance of adaptations to environmental conditions, representatives of this class inhabit different ecological niches, they can be found practically in every corner of the Earth and, in particular, in close adjacency to man. Among them are those who man benefits from and those who man struggles against. This determines man's interest in studying peculiarities of their development as well as adaptations formed by them in the course of evolution to become more viable. In the paper, data are presented on morphological structure of respiratory systems in insect egg envelopes that ensure respiration process of developing embryo. Variability of these systems and their dependence on environmental conditions are demonstrated for different insect species. The information about genes controlling development of respiratory systems in fruit fly eggs is brought together, and occurrence of evolutionary conservative genes participating in development of such systems in other insect species is ascertained.

Proteins encoded by genes of the groups Polycomb (PcG), trithorax (trxG), and the Enhancer of Trithorax and Polycomb Group (ETP) are important regulators of expression of most developmental genes. Data concerning all currently described genes assigned to these groups are summarized in the review. Genetic interactions of these genes and phenotypical manifestation of their mutations are described. Data on the PcG, trxG, and ETP proteins are systemized. Questions are considered concerning the formation of multimeric complexes containing proteins of these groups, recruitment of these complexes to regulatory elements of target genes, and the mechanisms of activation/repression of gene expression.

The study was aimed at upgrading the results of conservative treatment of children with urethral fistulas using methods of tissue engineering. A total of 126 operations for closure of urethral fistulas (UF) were made from 1986 to 2007. The patients were divided into four groups. A conservative therapy was given to 25 children of group 1 aged 5-15 years. Group 2 of 60 patients were operated according to Smith. 39 children entered group 3. They were treated conservatively with application of allogenic fibroblasts. In 1 child UF was closed by a combined method when application of fibroblasts was made upon the sutures. Use of cell technologies for closure of urethral fistulas demonstrates high efficacy of the method for conservative management of long urethral fistulas of a small diameter. Application of allogenic fibroblasts has definite indications and contraindications. In some cases it cannot be used for correction of postoperative complications. Adequate preoperative examination of the patients should be made to formulate optimal therapeutic policy.

The article revises the first experienced of laparoscopic geminephrouretherectomy in our country. 5 children aged 3-14 years were operated on. In 1 case of double ureter the laparoscopic ureterectomy was performed, the rest 4 patients experienced geminephrouretherectomy (2 left and 2 right).The operative time was 100-180 minutes. There were no intra- and postoperative complications. All children were discharged on 6-12th postoperative day. Follow-up examination verified perfect cosmetic and functional results.

Results of treatment of 62 children aged 1 to 15 years with non-parasitic cysts of kidneys using mini-invasive laparoscopic technologies are analyzed. Laparoscopic operations with original technique have been performed at all the patients with various cysts sizes (from 3 to 13 cm across diameter) and localization (including 12 cases of peripelvic cysts). The time of surgery ranged 25 to 110 min (43 min on average); there were no conversions to open surgery, intraoperative and postoperative complications. The follow-up ranged from 1 to 3 years, there were no cases of cyst recurrence, and the functional and cosmetic results were excellent. It is concluded that laparoscopic method should be regarded as "gold standard" for the treatment of non-parasitic kidneys cysts at children that permits to achieve the stable positive results regardless of patient age, size and localization of cyst.

We generated and characterized a new hypomorphic mutation of Drosophila melanogaster Trithorax-like (Trl) gene named Trl362. The Trl362 homozygous females are sterile and lay a small number of eggs; most embryos die at the early developmental stages. The transcriptional Trl level of adult Trl362 females was markedly lowered. Little or no GAGA protein, encoded by Trl@, was detected in the nurse cell nuclei. The ovaries of Trl362 females showed impairments, such considerable changes in the structure of both ovarioles and individual egg chambers. We believe that the observed ovarian defects in Trl362 mutants are mostly due to a decreased amount of GAGA protein in the germline cells. An increase of GAGA-519 protein caused by introduction of hsp83:GAGA-519 transgene against Trl362 background rescued partially the female fertility. It may well be that a decrease of GAGA protein in Trl362 germline cells leads to a defective expression of the genes regulated by transcription factor GAGA, whose products are essential for normal Drosophila oogenesis.

The Trithorax-like (Trl) gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes the multifunctional GAGA factor. The expression of Trl is known to depend on numerous factors, such as the organ, the tissue, the ontogenetic stage, and the ambient temperature. Apparently, this expression is controlled by a complex system of regulatory elements, which so far has been scarcely studied. Our preliminary results indicate that the second intron of the Trl gene bears functionally significant elements. To test this assumption, we generated 23 novel alleles of the gene via P-induced male recombination and analyzed them cytogenetically. Of these mutations, 13 (recessive lethals) are deletions, disrupting the coding gene region. Ten mutations (seven deletions and three duplications) remove parts of the second Trl intron only. Some of these mutant stocks exhibit lower viability at different temperatures. These results suggest that the second intron region harbors functionally significant elements. The deletion mapping results verified the localization of the Trl gene in the 70F1-2 region.

Silver foxes from a commercial population (farm bred or unselected for behavior control) and from populations selected for tame behavior and enhanced aggressiveness towards man have been investigated. Plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels, pituitary ACTH levels, POMC gene expression in the anterior pituitary, and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) gene expression in the hypothalamus were assessed. The results indicate that the males from the tame-behavior group have lower plasma cortisol and ACTH levels and POMC gene expression in the anterior pituitary in response to capture and handling in comparison with unselected ones. Foxes from the aggressive behavior group also have lower POMC expression, although plasma cortisol and ACTH levels remain the same as in unselected ones. The three groups of animals show no significant changes in the ACTH level in the pituitary and CRF expression in the hypothalamus.

The article covers analysis and summary of data on occupational traumatism among female workers engaged into various economic branches of RF. The authors analysed distribution of victims according to occupational accident types, causes of traumatism, studied dependence on the victims' age and length of service, followed the relationships with possible reproductive disorders.

The Drosophila melanogaster Trithorax-like (Trl) gene is classed with the trx-G genes and codes for several isoforms of the GAGA transcription factor (GAF) which regulates expression of homeotic and numerous other genes. GAF acts as a transcriptional antirepressor, i.e., its interaction with nucleosomal DNA results in the open chromatin conformation in promoter gene regions. The regions thereby become accessible to other transcription factors. As mutations of the Trl gene enhance position effect variegation and disturb chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis, GAF is thought to play another, more significant role in determining the chromatin structure. To study the molecular basis of its pleiotropic effect, the Trl gene was subjected to a structural analysis. The genomic Trl gene was sequenced, the sizes of its exons and introns was established, and a complex structure of the 5' and 3' gene regions was demonstrated. The Trl13C, Trl62, DfTrlR67, and DfTrlR85 mutations were exactly mapped. In addition, four insertions of the P element were identified as Trl alleles (Trll(3)s2325, TrlEP(3)3184, TrlEP(3)3191, and TrlEP(3)3609). The viability at various developmental stages was studied in homozygotes for the Trl mutations and in interallelic compounds. The following lethality stages were established: hatching, (Trl13C, DfTrlR85, TrlEP(3)3609), larval molts (Trll(3)s2325), pupation, metamorphosis (DfTrlR67, Trl62), and eclosion (several compounds).