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The effect of small amounts of chemically modified nanosized clays (from 0.05 to 1 %) on the morphological, physical-mechanical and thermophysical characteristics of rigid polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) foams has been studied. The effect of these additives on the structure of the resulting material, the change in its compressive strength, Young’s modulus, mass loss during combustion, and thermal conductivity are evaluated. Based on the results obtained, it is noted that the addition of small amounts (up to 0.2 %) of chemically modified Cloisite 30B nanoclay effectively reduces the average cell size of nanocomposite foams, which leads to an improvement in their performance.

Objective: Evaluation of the effectiveness of a multimodal scheme of postoperative analgesia based on a fixed combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac against the background of patient-controlled analgesia with morphine in the early postoperative period in cardiac surgery patients., Material and Methods: A prospective, randomized, comparative study evaluated two analgesic regimens. In 20 patients (group 1), «Neodolpasse» (a fixed combination of 30 mg Orphenadrine and 75 mg Diclofenac) was administered immediately after trachea extubation. The second injection was performed at VAS>50 mm not earlier than 12 hours after the first one. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine was started 2 hours after extubation, 20 patients of group 2 who were used PCA with Morphine as monotherapy. The intensity of pain taking into account the motor activity of patients was assessed a 100 mm visual-analog scale (VAS), as an additional objective criterion for the effectiveness of analgesia, the method of incentive spirometry was used., Results: A decrease in the severity of pain according to VAS from an average of 41 to 19 mm ( p =0.036) was achieved already by the 1st hour from the start of Neodolpasse infusion, and in 80% of patients this effect persisted for 24 hours. 2 patients (10%) needed the administration of the 2nd dose after 12 hours. The infusion of Morphine was started 2 hours after extubation, a significant decrease in pain intensity was noted only at 4th hour, a significant decrease in pain intensity was noted only by 4 hours, and significant differences in the severity of pain in the comparison groups persisted at almost all stages of the study. The analgesic effect of the combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac had a positive effect on the function of respiration system with an increase in MILC by 1.5 times from the beginning of the study. In group 2, the observed adverse effects were associated with the use of Morphine and depended on its dose. No adverse effects of Neodolpasse were noted. The total 24 hour consumption of Morphine at PCA averaged 22.6 mg, and in the Neodolpasse group - 9.35 mg ( p <0.001)., Conclusion: There were demonstrated high analgesic efficacy, safety and significant opioid-sparing effect of a fixed combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac in the early postoperative period of cardiac surgery patients.

Objective: Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of the use of a fixed combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac for analgesia in the early postoperative period of cardiac surgery patients., Material and Methods: There were two analgesia regimens evaluated in a retrospective comparative study. In 23 patients (group 1), Neodolpasse (a fixed combination of 30 mg orphenadrine and 75 mg diclofenac) was administered immediately after trachea extubation. When the severity of pain in VAS increased to more than 50 mm, so 20 mg trimeperidine was administered. In group 2 of 20 patients analgesia in group 2 was performed with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with Promedol (trimeperidine) as monotherapy. The intensity of pain was assessed a 100 mm visual-analog scale (VAS) and 5-channel verbal scale (VS) for assessment the severity of the pain syndrome during the patient's moving activity., Results: A decrease in the severity of the pain syndrome according to VAS from 68.31 to 21.96 mm ( p <0.001) was achieved by the first hour after the start of the infusion of Neodolpasse persisted for 24 hours of 65% patients. 4 patients (35%) needed the administration of the 2nd dose after 12 hours. The infusion of trimeperidine was started 2 hours after extubation, a significant decrease in pain intensity was noted only at 6th hour, and further differences in the severity of pain in the comparative groups did not significantly differ. In group 2, the observed adverse effects were associated with the use of trimeperidine and depended on its dose. No adverse effects of Neodolpasse were noted. In the Neodolpasse group no adverse effects of the treatment was noted. The total 24 hour consumption of trimeperidine at PCA averaged 72.3 mg, and in the Neodolpasse group - 6.96 mg ( p =0.00042)., Conclusion: There were demonstrated safety, high analgesic efficacy and significant opioid-sparing effect of a fixed combination of Orphenadrine and Diclofenac in the early postoperative period of cardiac surgery patients within the framework of the inclusion and exclusion criteria accepted in the study.

Postoperative respiratory complications in cardiac surgery patients occur in 22-30% of cases, mostly associated with ineffective cough and evacuation of bronchial secretion., Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cough stimulation using the mechanical in- and exsufflator in the early postoperative period in cardiac surgery patients., Material and Methods: The study included 37 patients; mean age was 57±12.3 years. Inclusion criteria: age over 18 years; post-extubation spontaneous breathing; fully conscious and cooperative; adequate gas exchange with oxygen therapy; adequate pain control (2 points or less on 10-point visual analogue scale). Exclusion criteria: need for re-intubation and mechanical ventilation; noninvasive mask ventilation; high-flow oxygen therapy; acute cerebrovascular event; uncontrolled bleeding; heart failure (inotropic score over 10); shock; need of extracorporeal blood purification; neuromuscular disease; pneumothorax, hydro- or hemothorax. Cough stimulation was performed using the mechanical in- and exsufflator Comfort Cough Plus («Seoil Pacific Corporation», Republic of Korea). The device provides cough stimulation after high-frequency vibrations transmitted through a special vest and lung tissue recruiting by changing the airways pressure of the gas mixture, delivered through the anesthesia face mask., Results: Cough stimulation device use was associated with an increase in the cough effectiveness; the number of patients with productive cough increased 8-fold, from 4 (10.8%) to 32 (86.4%), p =0.0000. The increase of blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) on room air from 92% to 96% ( p =0.000001) and inspiratory capacity (IC) from 750 mL to 1200 mL ( p =0.000002) was observed. The number of patients with IC of 1200-1500 mL increased 3-fold, and those with an IC over 1500 mL increased 2.6-fold. The proportion of patients with low oxygenation (SpO 2 less than 92%) decreased 5-fold after the procedure ( p =0.0011). Good tolerability and no side effects of the procedure were noted in all patients., Conclusion: Impaired sputum expectoration early after cardiac surgery is observed in most patients and may cause low oxygenation. The main effects of the cough stimulation device were improvement of sputum expectoration and an increase in oxygenation. An increase in blood oxygen saturation and inspiratory capacity after a single procedure with this device was demonstrated. It resulted in a significantly decreased proportion of patients with respiratory insufficiency. No adverse effects of the procedure were observed.

Plant signaling hormones such as ethylene have been shown to affect the host response to various pathogens. Often, the resistance responses to necrotrophic fungi are mediated through synergistic interactions of ethylene (ET) with the jasmonate signaling pathway. On the other hand, ET is also an inducer of senescence and cell death, which could be beneficial for some invading necrotrophic pathogens. Fusarium graminearum , a causative agent in Fusarium head blight of wheat, is a hemibiotrophic pathogen, meaning it has both biotrophic and necrotrophic phases during the course of infection. However, the role of ET signaling in the host response to Fusarium spp. is unclear; some studies indicate that ET mediates resistance, while others have shown that it is associated with susceptibility. These discrepancies could be related to various aspects of different experimental designs, and suggest that the role of ET signaling in the host response to FHB is potentially dependent on interactions with some undetermined factors. To investigate whether wheat genotype can influence the ET-mediated response to FHB, the effect of chemical treatments affecting the ET pathway was studied in six wheat genotypes in detached-head assays. ET-inhibitor treatments broke down resistance to both initial infection and disease spread in three resistant wheat genotypes, whereas ET-enhancer treatments resulted in reduced susceptibility in three susceptible genotypes. The results presented here show that the ET signaling can mediate FHB resistance to F. graminearum in different wheat backgrounds.

Key Message: Chemical agents such as trichostatin A (TSA) can assist in optimization of doubled haploidy for rapid improvements in wheat germplasm and addressing recalcitrance issues in cell culture responses. In wheat, plant regeneration through microspore culture is an integral part of doubled haploid (DH) production. However, low response to tissue culture and genotype specificity are two major constraints in the broad deployment of this breeding tool. Recently, the structure of chromatin was shown to be linked with cell transitions during tissue culture. Specifically, repression of genes that are required for cell morphogenesis, through acetylation of histones, may play an important role in this process. Reduction of histone acetylation by chemical inhibition may increase tissue culture efficiency. Here, the role of trichostatin A (TSA) in inducing microspore-derived embryos was investigated in wheat. The optimal dose of TSA was determined for wheat cultivars and subsequently validated in F 1 hybrids. A significant increase in the efficiency of DH production was observed in both cultivated varieties and F 1 hybrids. Thus, the inclusion of TSA in DH protocols for wheat breeding programs is advocated.