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Background. The main method of treatment of desmoid fibromatosis is surgical, especially in patients with symptomatic disease or in cases of progression during the Look and Stay period. Due to the rarity of the disease, different localization, unpredictability of the clinical course, the lack of generally accepted clear criteria for choosing a treatment method and/or a sequence of treatment methods, the determination of prognostic criteria for the course of the disease is of great scientific and practical interest. Aim. To study the immediate and long-term outcomes of surgical treatment in patients with retroperitoneal and abdominal desmoid fibromatosis. Materials and methods. The study analyzed the data of 121 patients with histologically verified retroperitoneal and abdominal desmoid fibromatosis who underwent surgical treatment at the Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology from 1999 to 2022. Results. In 89% of cases, desmoid tumors are resectable; however, resections of adjacent organs are often required to remove the tumor mass completely. The frequency of combined interventions in the abdominal and retroperitoneal groups was 7.0 and 60.4%, respectively. Tumor cells along the edge of the incision are identified in 15.8% of patients, including 10% of patients with macroscopically detectable residual tumors. Surgical treatment of patients with desmoid tumors is associated with an acceptable complication rate and provides high rates of overall and relapse-free survival. Risk factors for disease-free survival of operated patients are retroperitoneal localization, multicentric tumor growth, and R2 category. Conclusion. The treatment of patients with retroperitoneal and abdominal desmoid tumors should be carried out in specialized clinics with sufficient experience in performing surgical interventions, including combined ones. The treatment approach in patients with desmoid tumors should be selected by a multidisciplinary team based on personalized oncological and functional prognoses in accordance with the prognostic risk groups.

Background. The study of the reaction of tissue (epidermis and dermis) to the medication of regeneration stimulants (МSR) in injuries is relevant both for the development of wound coatings and treatment regimens for the traumatic process. In this study, special attention is paid to the process of stimulation of stem cells in the hair papilla, which play an important role in the restoration of skin structures. The aim of the study was also to study the morphological changes of the epidermis and dermis in the dynamics of trauma. Materials and methods. To conduct the experiment, experimental groups were formed: a burn model without treatment; a burn model with a МSR preparation (oral administration and wound coating); an experimental group with a linear wound with МSR treatment, an experimental group similar reproduction of a wound without suturing with МSR, a control group similar reproduction of a wound without treatment with suturing, a control group - similar reproduction of the wound without treatment and without suturing. Animals were removed from the experiment by inhalation of ether vapors in accordance with the "Rules for carrying out work using experimental animals" and in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board). Tissue fragments were taken from the site of thermal trauma and healthy tissue for the preparation of histological preparations. The production of paraffin histological sections with a thickness of 5-7 microns was carried out according to generally accepted standard methods. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The photos were taken using the Vision Bio system (Epi 2014) and stained with hematoxylin-eosin, which were examined under x100 magnification. The obtained data were processed using MS Excel and Statgraphics software packages using generally accepted methods of statistics. Results. When reproducing thermal trauma In the control group on day 14, there is no epidermis in part of the visual fields within the studied material, the layers are replaced by connective tissue strands, scar tissue is visualized. The dermis is moderately edematous, with neutrophilic and lymphocytic infiltration is weakly expressed, in the papillary and reticular layer it is evenly represented, there are single apoptotic corpuscles. No areas of hemorrhage were detected, but the blood vessels were dilated. While in the experimental group there are signs of restoration of microcirculation with a large number of vessels and a more pronounced layer of the epidermis. When examining scars after a linear wound, it was found that animals who did not receive therapy have a thin scar, and in animals who received МSR, the consequences of surgical intervention are not visualized. Conclusion. The dynamics of the wound process was studied when using a prototype ointment containing a regeneration complex in the treatment of burn and linear wounds in an experiment. The effectiveness of the regenerative complex of a prototype ointment for the treatment of experimental burn and linear wounds in laboratory animals in comparison with the control group was revealed. It has been established that in the treatment of burn and linear wounds with experimental ointment, the healing period of burn wounds is reduced due to more active formation of the microcirculatory bed and the early onset of epithelization.

Synthesis of nanoparticles is typically carried out in batch procedures, which offer limited control of parameters, and a narrow range of possible batch volumes. In contrast, flow synthesis systems, usually having a microfluidic chip as a crucial part, are devoid of these drawbacks. However, large scale devices – millifluidic systems – may offer several advantages over microfluidic systems, such as easier and cheaper production, enhanced throughput, and reduced channel clogging. Here we report a millifluidic system for the generation of protein nanoparticles, using the flow format of the original swift thermal formation technology (STF), which can process batch volume ranging from 100 µl to any practically significant amount. Capabilities of the system are demonstrated with model synthesis of Epirubicin-encapsulated BSA nanoparticles. A better degree of scalability of the synthesis over batch procedure is shown: with a 10-fold working volume increase, hydrodynamic diameter and loading capacity changed by only 10 % and 1 % respectively, compared to 60 % and 30 % for the batch synthesis. Additionally, we provide all engineering drawings, electrical circuits, programming code and nuances of assembly and operation, so that our findings can be easily reproduced. The ease of construction of the device and the superior characteristics of the resulting nanoparticles compared to the batch method indicate application potential in both the biomedical research and industrial spheres.

Cancer is unquestionably a global healthcare challenge, spurring the exporation of novel treatment approaches. In recent years, nanomaterials have garnered significant interest with the greatest hopes for targeted nanoformulations due to their cell-specific delivery, improved therapeutic efficacy, and reduced systemic toxicity for the organism. The problem of successful clinical translation of nanoparticles may be related to the fact that most in vitro tests are performed at pH values of normal cells and tissues, ranging from 7.2 to 7.4. The extracellular pH values of tumors are characterized by a shift to a more acidic region in the range of 5.6–7.0 and represent a crucial target for enhancing nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells. Here we show the method of non-active protein incorporation into the surface of HER2-targeted nanoparticles to achieve optimal cellular uptake within the pH range of the tumor microenvironment. The method efficacy was confirmed in vitro and in vivo showing the maximum binding of nanoparticles to cells at a pH value 6.4. Namely, fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles, modified with HER2-recognising affibody ZHER2:342, with proven specificity in terms of HER2 recognition (with 62-fold higher cellular uptake compared to control nanoparticles) were designed for targeting cancer cells at slightly acidic pH values. The stabilizing protein, namely, bovine serum albumin, one of the major blood components with widespread availability and biocompatibility, was used for the decoration of the nanoparticle surface to alter the pH response of the targeting magnetic conjugates. The optimally designed nanoparticles showed a bell-shaped dependency of interaction with cancer cells in the pH range of 5.6–8.0 with maximum cellular uptake at pH value 6.4 close to that of the tumor microenvironment. In vivo experiments revealed that after i.v. administration, BSA-decorated nanoparticles exhibited 2 times higher accumulation in tumors compared to magnetic nanoparticles modified with affibody only. Thus, we demonstrated a valid method for enhancing the specificity of targeted nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells without changing the functional components of nanoparticles.

Hemophilia B is a hereditary, X-linked recessive disease caused by a violation of plasma homeostasis, resulting from a deficiency or absence of coagulation factor IX (FIX). The cause is a mutation of the Xq27 gene encoding FIX. A serious complication of this pathology is the inhibitory form, clinically manifested by the presence of IgG allo-antibodies neutralizing exogenous FIX. The article describes a clinical case of an inhibitory form of hemophilia B in a 12-year-old child.

Counter-current spontaneous imbibition of water is a critical oil recovery mechanism. In the laboratory, the Amott test is a commonly used method to assess the efficacy of brine imbibition into oil-saturated core plugs. The classic Amott-cell experiment estimates ultimate oil recovery, but not the recovery dynamics that hold fundamental information about the imbibition mechanisms. Retention of oil droplets at the outer core surface and initial production delay are the two key artifacts of the classic Amott experiment. This retention, referred to here as the “external-surface oil holdup effect” or simply “oil holdup effect”, often results in stepwise recovery curves that obscure the true dynamics of spontaneous imbibition. To address these holdup drawbacks of the classic Amott method, we modified the Amott cell and experimental procedure. For the first time, using water-wet Indiana limestone cores saturated with brine and mineral oil, we showed that our improvements of the Amott method enabled accurate and reproducible measurements of oil recovery dynamics. Also for the first time, we used the generalized extreme value (GEV) statistics to describe oil production histories from water-wet heterogeneous limestone cores with finite initial water saturations. We demonstrated that our four-parameter GEV model accurately described the recovery dynamics, and that optimal GEV parameter values systematically reflected the key characteristics of the oil–rock system, such as oil viscosity and rock permeability. These findings gave us a more fundamental understanding of spontaneous, counter-current imbibition mechanisms and insights into what constitutes a predictive model of counter-current water imbibition into oil-saturated rocks with finite initial water saturation.

We have described a variant of the structure of the vertebral artery. In the V3 segment, the vertebral artery bifurcated and then joined again. This building looks like a triangle. Such anatomy has not been previously described in the world literature. By the right of the first description, this anatomical formation was called the «vertebral triangle of Dr A.N. Kazantsev». This discovery was made during stenting of the V4 segment of the left vertebral artery in the most acute period of stroke.

Background. Desmoid fibromatosis (DF) is a rare mesenchymal tumor with invasive growth, a high relapse rate, and low incidence (24 cases per 1 million people per year). Given the small number of patients with DF and, as a result, the lack of knowledge of this disease, the search for molecular predictors of the disease course and the individualization of treatment and prevention is relevant. Aim. To study tumor cells' molecular genetic and immunohistochemical profile and determine their clinical significance in patients with abdominal and retroperitoneal DF. Materials and methods. A comprehensive analysis of clinical and laboratory data of 31 patients with abdominal and retroperitoneal DF, a molecular genetic and morphological study of tumor samples was performed, including next-generation sequencing (NGS) using the Onconetix oncology panel and an immunohistochemical study using antibodies to -catenin and estrogen and progesterone receptors. Results. NGS testing showed somatic mutations in 28 (90%) of the 31 tumor samples. Somatic mutations in the CTNNB1 gene were detected in 26 (84%) tumor samples: 21 (68%) patients had c.121AG (p.Thr41Ala, rs121913412), 3 (10%) patients had c.134CT (p.Ser45Phe, rs121913409), 1 (3%) patient had c.133TC (p.Ser45Pro, rs121913407), and 1 (3%) patient had c.122CT (p.Thr41Ile, rs121913413). Two (6%) patients had mutations in the APC gene: c.4381GT (p.Glu1461Ter, COSM30779) and c.4634CA (p.Ser1545Ter, rs863225356). In 3 (9%) patients, no mutations were detected in the studied genes. The immunohistochemical study showed the expression of -catenin in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumor cells in 16 (51.6%) samples. Nuclear expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors was detected in 6 (19%) and 1 (3.2%) samples, respectively. Of 10 patients with established relapses, sequencing (NGS) showed a c.121AG mutation (p.Thr41Ala, rs121913412) in 7; 1 patient had a c.134CT mutation (p.Ser45Phe, rs121913409), and 2 patients had no mutations in tumor samples. Conclusion. The combination of factors such as the retroperitoneal DF, the presence of the c.121AG mutation (p.Thr41Ala, rs121913412) in the CTNNB1 gene, female gender, and young age, can warrant assigning the patient to the group with an unfavorable DF prognosis.

Introduction Diagnostic algorithms are used for detection of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) including sampling for histological evaluation (HE). The purpose was to assess the diagnostic significance of emergency HE of fresh-frozen intraoperative biomaterial as part of preoperative PJI screening of patients undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty (RTKA). Material and methods The prospective study included 83 patients who were admitted to two trauma and orthopaedic centers for RTKA. The European Bone and Joint Infection Society 2021 (EBJIS21) algorithm was used to detect PJI of the knee joint. The diagnostic value of screening PJI with/without regard to the results of an emergency HE was compared with the results of a microbiological study (MBI) of all types of biomaterials obtained from each patient. Subanalysis was additionally performed in patients with aseptic instability and antimicrobial spacer. Results Pathomorphological examination of freshly frozen and paraffin-embedded tissues showed the difference of 7.2 %, which did not significantly affect the interpretation of the results (p > 0.05). Diagnostically significant pathogens were identified in 83.3 % of cases with PJI confirmed by emergency HE (p < 0.001). A positive emergency HE result increased the chances of isolating diagnostically significant organisms by 34 times (95 % confidence interval (CI): 4.721 – 244.859) as compared with negative HE cases. The proportion of detected cases with emergency HE included in the screening increased from 2.4 to 8.4 %. The inclusion of emergency HE in the screening improved the diagnostic value both in the general cohort of patients and in the subanalysis of comparison groups due to a two-fold increase in sensitivity. Conclusion Relevance of the emergency HE results and the PJI criteria should be considered as a significant prognostic factor for an infectious process, however, this technique should be used only in a complex algorithm for PJI detection. Poor outcomes in 18.2 % of cases of probable PJI necessitated a change in the approach to managing this cohort of patients.

In this paper, the applicability of machine learning for predicting the elastic properties of binary and ternary bcc Ti and Zr disordered alloys with 34 different doping elements is explored. The original dataset contained 3 independent elastic constants, bulk moduli, shear moduli, and Young’s moduli of 1642 compositions calculated using the EMTO-CPA method and PAW-SQS calculation results for 62 compositions. The architecture of the system is made as a pipeline of a pair of predicting blocks. The first one took as the input a set of descriptors of the qualitative and quantitative compositions of alloys and approximated the EMTO-CPA data, and the second one took predictions of the first model and trained on the results of the PAW-SQS calculations. The main idea of such architecture is to achieve prediction accuracy at the PAW-SQS level, while reducing the resource intensity for obtaining the training set by a multiple of the ratio of the training subsets sizes corresponding to the two used calculation methods (EMTO-CPA/PAW-SQS). As a result, model building and testing methods accounting for the lack of accurate training data on the mechanical properties of alloys (PAW-SQS), balanced out by using predictions of inaccurate resource-effective first-principle calculations (EMTO-CPA), are demonstrated.

Background. Peripheral nerve sheath malignancies (PNSM) are a rare and aggressive group of sarcomas that can occur sporadically, after radiation therapy, or related to neurofibromatosis type 1. Loss of function of NF1, TP53, and CDKN2A genes is thought to contribute to the progression of benign neurofibroma to PNSM and is a poor prognostic sign. The optimal management of patients with this disease is currently unresolved, and specific prognostic factors have not been established. Aim. To analyze the results of surgical treatment in patients with PNSM and establish prognostic factors of overall and recurrence-free survival rate. Materials and methods. The retrospective and prospective studies enrolled adult patients with histologically confirmed PNSM treated between 1998 and 2021 at the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center for Oncology. Surgical intervention was performed on 61 patients, 38 (62%) females and 23 (38%) males. The most common PNSM localization was paravertebral (22 [36%] patients), followed by retroperitoneal (14 [23%] patients), and upper and lower extremities (13 [21%] and 12 [20%] patients, respectively). Results. For PNSM patients with a history of surgery, the median overall survival (OS) was 46 months (95% confidence interval 26.165.9). The 3-year and 5-year OS was 46% and 31%, respectively. The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 27 months (8.745.3), and 3-year and 5-year RFS was 26% and 13%, respectively. Median OS for grade 1 malignancies was not achieved, while grade 2 and grade 3 malignancy was 53 and 33 months, respectively (p=0.033). The median RFS for grade 1, 2, and 3 tumors was 119, 43, and 15 months, respectively (p=0.078). Patients who underwent radical (R0) surgery had higher RFS (p=0.006) and OS (p0.0001). After radical (R0) surgery, the median OS was not achieved; after nonradical (R1/R2) surgery, the median was 34 months. The median RFS was 124 months after R0-resection and 48 months after R1/R2. Conclusion. The most significant prognostic factors in PNSM patients are the radicality of the surgery performed and the malignancy grade. In our study, tumor size and localization did not affect the long-term treatment results.

Abstract Background The present multicenter retrospective study included 7148 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) between 2010 and 2021. Based on the results of angiography (AG)/multislice computed tomography (MSCT) angiography, 3 types of carotid bifurcation were identified depending on the projection of the carotid sinus to the cervical vertebrae: type I (high)—from the upper edge of the body of the II cervical vertebra to the lower edge of intervertebral disc located between III and IV cervical vertebrae; type II (medium)—from the upper edge of the body of the IV cervical vertebra to the lower edge of the body of the V cervical vertebra; and type III (low)—from the upper edge of the intervertebral disc located between the V and VI cervical vertebrae to the lower edge of the body of the VII cervical vertebra. Purpose of the study To develop a new classification of the types (high, medium, low) of carotid bifurcations (based on the level of cervical vertebrae) with analysis of the results of CEA depending on the type. Results The largest number of ischemic strokes (n = 15; 1.1%; p = 0.0001) was found in type I (high) bifurcation of the carotid artery. The majority of bleedings of type 3b and higher according to the BARC scale with the formation of acute hematomas in the intervention area (n = 14; 1.2%; p = 0.0029) were recorded in type III carotid bifurcation (low). Conclusions Type II (medium) carotid bifurcation may be the most preferred for CEA.

Abstract Magnetic nanoparticles are widely used in biomedicine for MRI imaging and anemia treatment. The aging of these nanomaterials in vivo may lead to gradual diminishing of their contrast properties and inducing toxicity. Here, we describe observation of the full lifecycle of 40-nm magnetic particles from their injection to the complete degradation in vivo and associated impact on the organism. We found that in 2 h the nanoparticles were eliminated from the bloodstream, but their initial biodistribution changed over time. In 1 week, a major part of the nanoparticles was transferred to the liver and spleen, where they degraded with a half-life of 21 days. MRI and a magnetic spectral approach revealed preservation of contrast in these organs for more than 1 month. The particle degradation led to the increased number of red blood cells and blood hemoglobin level due to released iron without causing any toxicity in tissues. We also observed an increase in gene expression level of Fe-associated proteins such as transferrin, DMT1, and ferroportin in the liver in response to the iron particle degradation. A deeper understanding of the organism response to the particle degradation can bring new directions to the field of MRI contrast agent design.

The use of stage-wise schemes in the development of deep quarries is one of the ways to increase the economic efficiency of mining a deposit and determining the optimal stage parameters remains an urgent task. Such parameters are stage depth, bench height, block length, etc. However, there is a wide range of values for these parameters. Therefore, to select the optimal values and evaluate the effectiveness of design solutions, it is advisable to use the net present value, which is an international notion. As a result of the analysis of data on deposits, a large number of variable indicators can be identified that presumably affect the efficiency of mining. The article proposes to divide all parameters of the quarry mining into two types: mine engineering and economic. The importance of each of them is determined by the measure of influence on the net present value. Thus, to assess the measure of influence of mining indicators, the average values of each of them are taken, and as a result of the alternating change of one parameter under study, the measure of its influence on the discounted income received is estimated. The results of the analysis of relevant factors, their evaluation and comparative analysis are important indicators that significantly affect the design decisions made and the effectiveness of the investment project.

Abstract Background Hazardous substances at the workplace can cause a wide variety of occupational incidents. This study aimed to investigate the nature and circumstances of acute occupational intoxications reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center. Methods During a one-year prospective study, data on the circumstances and causes of the incident, the exposure(s) and clinical course, were collected by a telephone survey with victims of an acute occupational intoxication. Results We interviewed 310 patients. Most incidents occurred in industry (25%), building and installation industry (14%) and agriculture (10%). Patients were often exposed via multiple routes (ocular contact 40%, inhalation 34% and dermal contact 33%). Acids and alkalis were often involved. Exposure often occurred during cleaning activities (33%). The main root causes of these accidents were: technical factors such as damaged packaging (24%) and defective apparatus (10%), organizational factors such as lack of work instructions (44%) and poor communication or planning (31%), and personal factors such as disregarding work instructions (13%), not (adequately) using personal protective equipment (12%) and personal circumstances (50%) such as inaccuracy, time pressure or fatigue. The majority of the patients only reported mild health effects and recovered quickly (77% within 1 week). Conclusions Poison Center data on occupational exposures provide an additional source of knowledge and an important basis for poisoning prevention strategies related to hazardous substances at the workplace. These data are useful in deciding which risk mitigation measures are most needed in preventing future workplace injuries.

The article provides primary data on repeated tree measurements collected during two censuses on a permanent sampling plot (440 m × 200 m) established in the old-growth polydominant broad-leaved forest in the Kaluzhskie Zaseki State Nature Reserve (centre of European Russia). The time span between the inventories was 30 years, and a total of 11 578 individuals of ten tree, one shrub species, and several undefined tree species of three known genera were registered. During the surveys, tree identity, stem diameter at breast height (DBH) of 1.3 m, and life status (alive or dead) were recorded for every tree individual with DBH ≥ 5 cm. Additional attributes were determined for some individuals. Field data were digitised and compiled into the PostgreSQL database. An accurate data quality assessment, validation, and cleaning (with documentation of changes) have been performed before data standardisation according to the Darwin Core standard. Standardised data were published through the GBIF repository. From 1986 to 1988, 9811 individuals were recorded within the initial census, including 3920 Corylus avellana individual shrubs. Corylus avellana shrubs were recorded without measuring DBH. From 2016 to 2018, 7658 stems were recorded in the recensus, including 3090 living trees marked during the initial census, and 1641 other living trees reaching the DBH of at least 5 cm. Corylus avellana was not included in the recensus. Thus, over 30 years, about 65% of living tree individuals have survived, but the total number of living trees has not changed considerably. The mean diameter of shade-intolerant tree species (Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Populus tremula, and Betula spp.) has increased the most remarkably during 30 years. For these species, the increase in average diameter, along with the decrease in numbers, is associated with the death of young trees, presumably due to low illumination under the canopy. Contrastingly, shade-tolerant tree species (Ulmus glabra, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides) increased in number, while their mean diameter increased slightly or even decreased, that evidences the successful regeneration of these species under the canopy. These data are relevant for investigating forest ecology questions at spatiotemporal scales as a model of natural succession.

One of the approaches for the production of polymer composite materials with a biocidal effect is based on the use of dispersed particles of some metal oxides as a filler (for example, copper oxide or zinc oxide). Such an approach allows not only providing a biocidal effect, but also increasing such mechanical characteristics as the modulus of elasticity, hardness, and abrasion resistance. The mechanical characteristics of such polymer composite materials can be controlled by formation of a sheath (for example, from polylactide) of a given thickness on the surfaces of dispersed particles. Polylactide is a biodegradable polymer, widely used as coating material for particles with biocidal properties. The parameters of the methods for forming a polylactide sheath are determined by the sheath’s thickness and the sheath’s adhesion to the particle surface. The purpose of the study was to determine the parameters of the polymer sheath’s formation on the surfaces of dispersed submicron copper oxide (I) particles during coacervation of polylactide from the solution. The encapsulation of copper (I) oxide particles was carried out by the coacervation process in a solution. Polylactide was displaced from the solution in benzene by hexane in the presence of copper (I) oxide particles. It was shown that a sheath thickness of about 250 nm can be obtained by using the polylactide sheath formation method. The recommended parameters of the polylactide sheath formation method were determined: solution temperature of 35÷38 °C, hexane volume not more than 30±2 ml. The sheath had weak adhesion to particle surfaces: adhesion was determined by the roughness of the particle surface. The mechanical characteristics of the epoxy resin ED-20 polymer composition filled with the encapsulated particles were considered in the study. The increase in the mechanical properties of the polymer composition with encapsulated particles in comparison with the samples of polymer composition with non-encapsulated particles was revealed. That can indicate the increased adhesion of encapsulated particles to such polymer matrix.

The ground-based surveys of areas affected by storms might be difficult or even impossible because of the limited ability to move within the damaged area. Therefore, this work was aimed to estimate storm damage based on aerial photography and open biodiversity data available via the Internet. The study was carried out in the old-growth hemiboreal forests of the Kologrivsky Forest State Nature Reserve (Kostroma Region, Russia), which was affected by a catastrophic windthrow caused by a storm on 15.05.2021. The sampling area was 100 000 m2. We used our previous ground-survey studies and open-access biodiversity data available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility for describing the forest stands composition before the catastrophic event. The aerial photography data were used for estimating tree stands damages after the windthrow. For remote data collecting, we used an unmanned aerial vehicle – quadrocopter DJI Phantom 4. Agisoft Metashape software was used for aerial photographs processing. The obtained photogrammetric digital elevation model (DEM) and orthophoto-mosaic were processed with QGIS software. Damaged areas were detected automatically based on the DEM. Individual fallen trees were visually detected using the orthophoto-mosaic. We found before the windthrow the study area was covered by old-growth stands developed naturally over a long time. The stand structure was multi-layered and uneven-aged. The ontogenetic spectra of late-successional tree species Picea abies (hereinafter – spruce) and Tilia cordata (hereinafter – linden) were normal. The old-growth stands were heterogeneous before the windthrow: the canopy closed multi-layered and uneven-aged stands, decaying spruce stands and areas where spruce completely fell out and the tree stand was absent. In addition, old-growth linden stands were present. According to the obtained results, the stand structure was critically changed caused by the windthrow. The DEM-processing results showed the windthrow strongly damaged 33.1% stands in the study area. Using the orthophoto-mosaic, we visually detected 759 fallen trees. Among them, 82.9% were associated with strongly-damaged areas. According to the DEM classification, the rest of the visually detected fallen trees were in non-damaged areas and canopy gaps established before the windthrow. The analysis showed that these were less damaged areas with survived stands or groups of trees after the storm. Thus, our results showed that it is necessary to use both the DEM and the orthophoto-mosaic for more accurate estimates. Our exploratory analysis of different tree stand damages found that apparently, spruce stands were more affected by the storm than linden stands. It is explained by the different wind resistance of spruce and linden and differences in regrowth density and species composition in these stands.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common type of mesenchymal malignancies of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Almost 10% of them are originated outside of the GI tract (extra-GIST), while GIST of the greater omentum constitutes about 1% among stromal tumors. More than 80% of GIST have mutations in c-KIT and PDGFRA genes. Herein we demonstrate the case of successful treatment of patient with giant omental GIST with c-KIT exon 11 mutation. 64-years-old woman, was admitted to the Department of abdominal oncology with complaints of shortness of breath and abdominal enlargement in volume. CT-scan revealed a large tumor in the abdominal cavity with tumor size of 543422 cm. The patient underwent left thoraco-abdominal approach. It was found that the tumor was originated from the greater omentum with several metastases located on the peritoneum of the left lateral channel. Resection of the large omentum, splenectomy, liver resection and was done. Postoperative immunohistochemical study showed the expression of CD117, CD34 in tumor cells. Ki-67 index was 1215%. Genetic study revealed c-KIT exon 11 mutation. Treatment with imatinib 400 mg per day was started. Patient has been treated with imatinib for 12 years. On control examination we have found a metastasis in the anterior abdominal wall 3,532,5 cm in diameter. Afterwards we performed resection of anterior abdominal wall with metastasis on 9 November 2017. Immunohistochemical study confirmed metastasis of GIST. The index of tumor proliferation activity (Ki-67) was 45%. Patient prolonged imatinib treatment at the dose of 400 mg per day after operation. No signs of progression have been revealed on control examination 72 months after the operation. 12-year progression-free survival during imatinib treatment is unique in our practice. Moreover, in the case of further progression, we have second and third-line targeted therapy (sunitinib and regorafenib) and surgery treatment in local progression.

Different nanomaterials possessing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) such as Ag, Au, Cu, Ti are considered as valuable tools in biomedicine and biotechnology, especially as signal enhancers in different immunoassays. In particular, silver nanoparticles as one of the most effective plasmonic metamaterials are widely used for the development of analytical detection methods, where nanoparticles either act as labels or exhibit intrinsic enzymatic activity (e.g., peroxidase or catalase-like). Silver nanowires (AgNWs) synthesized through polyol synthesis are stable nanomaterials with a highly reactive surface. Here we show that AgNWs possess intrinsic peroxidase-like activity with three commonly used substrates – 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethybenzidine (TMB), o-phenylenediamine (OPD), or diaminobenzidine (DAB) both in precipitating and non-precipitating modes. Moreover, we showed that AgNWs together with OPD can serve as a robust hydrogen peroxide sensor and pH-sensor: AgNW peroxidase-like activity increases linearly with pH. The capabilities of AgNWs as enzyme-like labels were demonstrated in competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay with chloramphenicol (CAP) biosensing with the 0.36 µM (0.15 µg/mL) detection limit. Moreover, the LSPR property of AgNW allows using them as optical labels for the visualization of antibody-hapten interaction – the fact was confirmed with CAP detection in the lateral flow test within the 0.12 ÷ 88 µM working concentration range. Taking into account the unique stability of AgNWs (AgNW were stable for more than two years at room temperature in water without any preservatives and light protection), AgNWs should be considered as robust, convenient, and reliable optical labels for the development of different commercial assays for the wide spectrum of biological applications.

In this paper, we investigated three pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest plots (each of 50 × 50 m), different by age and composition, located in the Prioksko-Terrasny State Nature Biosphere Reserve (Moscow Region, Russia). This study was aimed to evaluate the forest stand attributes based on the photogrammetric point clouds and canopy height models (CHM). For aerial photography, we used the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) quadrocopter DJI Phantom 4. At the first step, we used Agisoft Metashape software for the building of dense photogrammetric point clouds and orthophotoplans. Then we used the lidR package in the R environment for processing of dense point clouds. We used a cloth simulation filter for classification of ground points, spatial interpolation algorithm tin for creating a normalised dataset, and the algorithm lmf (local maximum filter) for individual tree detection and tree height assessment. For accuracy assessment, we collected field-based data, and calculated recall (r), precision (p), and F-score (F). Finally, we calculated CHMs (30 cm/pixel) derived from dense point clouds using the pit-free algorithm. To address the value of UAV data for delineating tree crowns, we compared the outputs of CHM data using two common algorithms (watershed and region-growing), and the result of manual orthophotoplans vectorisation. We obtained a high accuracy of individual tree detection. The algorithm found 46.7% to 87.5% of trees accounted on the sample plots by the field-based surveys. The recall (r) value varied from 0.5 to 0.9. The value of p varied from 0.9 to 1.0. The F-score, considering both factors (p and r), varied from 0.7 to 0.9. The highest accuracy was obtained in the site with a single-layer stand, where large trees with well-distinct tree crowns dominated. Spatial heterogeneity of tree stands reduces the accuracy of tree detection. We also found that tree heights estimated on the dense clouds were well matched with tree heights measured in the field. This dependency was described by the linear regression of y = 0.99x, R2 = 0.99. With both the watershed and region-growing algorithms, the total crown area estimation often exceeded the results of orthophotoplans manual vectorisation, where differences reached 25.1%. Differences between two delineation algorithms varied from 0.2% to 19.7% for the same sites. More accurate results were obtained for plots with lesser density of tree stands. Overall, our results have shown the potential of using photogrammetric point clouds for estimating tree attributes (heights and density) in single-layer pine stands. Widely used tree crown segmentation algorithms do not provide reliable estimates of the crown projection area, and more accurate results could be obtained after further improvement of the technique.

Abstract Over the past decades, there has been a steady increase in the incidence of osteomyelitis. It is associated with an increased use of implants in traumatology and orthopedics. The social aspects of osteomyelitis are, on the one hand, significant financial costs for the healthcare system, and on the other hand, high recurrence and re-infection in the treatment of joint pathology associated with long-term loss of work ability and a high risk of patient’s disability. Purpose To conduct a search and analysis of publications in Russian and English, devoted to the problem of osteomyelitis and periprosthetic infection, on the basis of which to summarize the main current notions about the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of osteomyelitis. Materials and methods The search was carried out in the Pubmed and CyberLeninka databases of literature sources over the past 10 years. The data were analyzed and compared with the materials from earlier publications. Only publications from peer-reviewed journals were considered for analysis. Results and discussion Success in the treatment of peri-implant infection with prosthesis re-implantation and satisfactory joint function has been achieved in only just more than a half of patients. Recent studies have significantly changed the understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of osteomyelitis. It has been proven that in osteomyelitis and implant-associated infection, four reservoirs of infection are formed in the patient's body: abscesses in soft tissues and bone marrow canal, biofilms on the surface of implants and necrotic tissues, intracellular colonization with bacteria of the macroorganism and lacunar-canalicular system. Understanding the mechanisms of osteomyelitis development and its course forces the specialists to take a fresh look at the causes of failures in the fight against such a severe pathology and change approaches to its prevention, diagnosis and treatment.