Tactics for treating young children with pyelonephritis and vesicoureteral reflux associated with impaired fibrillogenesis

The purpose of this study is to substantiate the choice and evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic tactics aimed at suppressing collagen formation and improving metabolic processes in the kidney parenchyma in young children with pyelonephritis against the background of vesicoureteral reflux associated with undifferentiated tissue dysfunction. 67 children from 2 weeks to 3 years old with pyelonephritis and vesicoureteral reflux were examined. All children during the period of remission of the inflammatory process were examined for the content of oxyproline in the urine. Urine crystallinity and urinary excretion were determined, and markers of the morphofunctional state of the cytomembranes of the renal epithelium were determined: calcification test-the presence of polar lipids in the urine and test for the presence of lipid peroxidation products in the urine. Children with high urinary hydroxyproline excretion prior to protocol treatment of pyelonephritis during the remission of the inflammatory process at the stage of maintenance therapy were recommended to receive metabolic preparations that can inhibit collagen formation and improve parenchyma metabolic processes during the month-vitamin E 10% and L-carnitine in age-related doses. After 6 months, a study was made on the functional state of the renal parenchyma in the dynamics of treatment. After metabolic antihypoxic and membrane-protective therapy, there was a significant positive dynamic of all markers of tissue hypoxia and membrane destruction in the kidney parenchyma, which confirms the inhibition of collagen formation processes and a decrease in tissue hypoxia with vitamin E and L-carnitine in age-related doses.

An inclusive trend study of techno-economic analysis of biofuel supply chains

Biofuels have gained much attention as a potentially sustainable alternative to fossil fuels to tackle climate change and energy scarcity. Hence, the increasing global interest in contributing to the biofuel supply chain (BSC), from biomass feedstock to biofuel production, has led to a huge amount of scientific production in recent years. In this vein, techno-economic analysis (TEA) of biofuel production to estimate total costs and revenues is highly important for transitioning towards a bioeconomy. This research aims to provide a comprehensive image of the body of knowledge in TEA evolution within the BSC domain. To this end, a systematic science mapping analysis, supported by a bibliometric analysis, is carried out on 1104 articles from 1986 to 2021. As a result, performance indicators of the scientific production within the target literature are presented to explain how this literature has evolved. Besides, thematic trends and conceptual structures of TEA of biofuel production are discovered. The results show that (i) biofuel production and consumption need promotion through tax measures and price subsidies, (ii) the development of cost-competitive algal biofuels has faced many challenges over recent years, and (iii) TEA of algal biofuels to identify commercial improvements and increase the economic feasibility is still lacking, which calls for more in-depth investigations. Consequently, current challenges and future perspectives of TEA in the BSC domain are rendered. The provided insights enable researchers and decision-makers involved in BSCs to (i) capture the most influential contributors to the field and (ii) identify major research hotspots and potential directions for further development.

Occurrence and Characterization of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Found in Mono- and Mixed Infection with High Plains Wheat Mosaic Virus in Winter Wheat in Ukraine

Although wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is a well-known pathogen inducing significant crop losses and endangering wheat production worldwide, the recent discovery of High Plains wheat mosaic virus (HPWMoV) in Ukraine raises questions on the co-existence of these two viruses having a similar host range and the same mite vector. Here we report on the screening of winter wheat industrial plantings in several important regions of Ukraine for WSMV and HPWMoV. WSMV was identified in an extremely high number of symptomatic plants (>85%) as compared to HPWMoV detected in 40% of wheat samples. Importantly, the preferred mode of HPWMoV circulation in Ukraine was mixed infection with WSMV (>30%) as opposed to WSMV, which was typically found in monoinfection (60%). Screening wheat varieties for possible virus resistance indicated that all but one were susceptible to WSMV, whereas over 50% of the same varieties were not naturally infected with HPWMoV. Overall, phylogenetic analysis of the collected WSMV and HPWMoV isolates indicated their high identity and similarity to other known isolates of the respective viruses. Here we first characterize WSMV isolates found in winter wheat plants in mono- or mixed infection with HPWMoV, which was recently reported as a typical wheat pathogen in Ukraine.

Perception of Benefits and Barriers Associated with the Management Systems Integration - A Comparative Study of Slovak and Ukrainian Organizations

The article discusses the benefits and barriers associated with the implementation of integrated management systems. The results of a questionnaire survey conducted in Slovak and Ukrainian companies with implemented IMS confirm that Ukrainian and Slovak companies generally perceive the introduction of IMS positively, regardless of the length of the period (number of years) IMS is implemented. The most frequently reported benefits were (1) increased quality of products and services, (2) a competitive, and (3) customer acquisition and retention. With regard to barriers perceived, Ukrainian companies generally perceive the introduction of IMS positively, although slightly larger barriers were overcome by larger companies, the opposite was true for Slovak companies. However, the dependence of the perception of barriers in the IMS implementation on the size of the company was not statistically proven. The most frequently reported barriers were an administrative burden and a lack of tools for IMS auditing and evaluation. The study expands the empirical evidence on perceived benefits and barriers of IMS implementation and can serve managers in their effort to overcome the difficulties and take full advantage of IMS implementation.

Mapping healthcare waste management research: Past evolution, current challenges, and future perspectives towards a circular economy transition

Improper healthcare waste (HCW) management poses significant risks to the environment, human health, and socio-economic sustainability due to the infectious and hazardous nature of HCW. This research aims at rendering a comprehensive landscape of the body of research on HCW management by (i) mapping the scientific development of HCW research, (ii) identifying the prominent HCW research themes and trends, and (iii) providing a research agenda for HCW management towards a circular economy (CE) transition and sustainable environment. The analysis revealed four dominant HCW research themes: (1) HCW minimization, sustainable management, and policy-making; (2) HCW incineration and its associated environmental impacts; (3) hazardous HCW management practices; and (4) HCW handling and occupational safety and training. The results showed that the healthcare industry, despite its potential to contribute to the CE transition, has been overlooked in the CE discourse due to the single-use mindset of the healthcare industry in the wake of the infectious, toxic, and hazardous nature of HCW streams. The findings shed light on the HCW management domain by uncovering the current status of HCW research, highlighting the existing gaps and challenges, and providing potential avenues for further research towards a CE transition in the healthcare industry and HCW management.

MIXED VIRAL INFECTIONS IN VEGETABLES IN UKRAINE

Aim. Screening of vegetable crops for mixed viral infections caused by 8 viruses, and evaluation of relative share for different combinations of pathogens using serological methods for plant virus diagnostics. Methods. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) was performed for detection of viral antigens. Results. For this study, the samples from plants with virus-like symptoms were collected from the agroecosystems in 4 regions of Ukraine during three vegetative seasons in 2019-2021. Plant samples were tested for presence of the following viruses: cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), watermelon mosaiс virus 2 (WMV2), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), tobacco rattle virus (TRV), potato virus Y (PVY), potato virus X (PVX), and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Among the screened plants with virus-like symptoms, three viruses were the most common: CMV, WMV2 and ZYMV, with the incidence rate of 32%, 33% and 29%, respectively. Apart from monoinfected plants, several patterns of mixed infections were shown typically induced by two and less commonly by three viruses (CMV+WMV2+ZYMV). From these patterns of mixed infections, five groups of pathogens were registered. Conclusions. In this work, we have analyzed cucurbit and solanaceous vegetable crops with virus-like symptoms for viral infections caused by 8 pathogens, and established virus combinations inducing mixed infections in the field. Five groups of pathogens were demonstrated as such combinations: CMV+ToMV, CMV+PVY, CMV+WMV2, CMV+ZYMV, and WMV2+ZYMV, with CMV+ToMV being the most common for tested plants. Also, there was one group of pathogens formed by three viruses CMV+WMV2+ZYMV. CMV has been shown present in every group of mixed viral infections in plants from both families, Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae. The incidence rate for these combinations differed from 4 to 8%. The presented results are important in the context of ecology and epidemiology of viral diseases of vegetables.

Focused ultrasound and microbubbles for enhanced extravasation

The permeability of blood vessels for albumin can be altered by using ultrasound and polymer or lipid-shelled microbubbles. The region in which the microbubbles were destroyed with focused ultrasound was quantified in gel phantoms as a function of pressure, number of cycles and type of microbubble. At 2MPa the destruction took place in a fairly wide area for a lipid-shelled agent, while for polymer-shelled agents at this setting, distinct destruction spots with a radius of only 1mm were obtained. When microbubbles with a thicker shell were used, the pressure above which the bubbles were destroyed shifts to higher values. In vivo both lipid and polymer microbubbles increased the extravasation of the albumin binding dye Evans Blue, especially in muscle leading to about 6-8% of the injected dose to extravasate per gram muscle tissue 30 min after start of the treatment, while no Evans Blue could be detected in muscle in the absence of microbubbles. Variation in the time between ultrasound treatment and Evans Blue injection, demonstrated that the time window for promoting extravasation is at least an hour at the settings used. In MC38 tumors, extravasation already occurred without ultrasound and only a trend towards enhancement with about a factor of 2 could be established with a maximum percentage injected dose per gram of 3%. Ultrasound mediated microbubble destruction especially enhances the extravasation in the highly vascularized outer part of the MC38 tumor and adjacent muscle and would, therefore, be most useful for release of, for instance, anti-angiogenic drugs.

pH changes in frog rods upon manipulation of putative pH-regulating transport mechanisms

Rod intracellular pH (pHi) in the intact frog retina was measured fluorometrically with the dye 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein under treatments chosen to affect putative pH-regulating transport mechanisms in the plasma membrane. The purpose was to relate possible pHi changes to previously reported effects on photoresponses. In nominally bicarbonate-free Ringer, application of amiloride (1 mM) or substitution of 95 mM external Na+ by K+ or choline triggered monotonic but reversible acidifications, consistent with inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange. Bicarbonate-dependent mechanisms were characterized as follows: (1) Replacing half of a 12 mM phosphate buffer by bicarbonate caused a sustained rise of pHi. (2) Subsequent application of the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2',2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS, 0.2 mM) set off a slow acidification. (3) Substitution of external Cl- by gluconate (95 mM) caused a rapid pHi rise both in normal Na+ and low-Na+ perfusion. (4) This effect was inhibited by DIDS. The results support a consistent explanation of parallel electrophysiological experiments on the assumption that intracellular acidifications reduce and alkalinizations (in a certain range) augment photoresponses. It is concluded that both Na+/H+ exchange and bicarbonate transport control rod pHi, modulating the light-sensitive current. Part of the bicarbonate transport is by Na(+)-independent HCO3-/Cl- exchange, but a further Na(+)-coupled bicarbonate import mechanism is implicated.

Rod phototransduction modulated by bicarbonate in the frog retina: roles of carbonic anhydrase and bicarbonate exchange

1. Effects on rod phototransduction following manipulation of retinal CO2-HCO3- and H+ fluxes were studied in dark-adapted retinas of the frog and the tiger salamander. 2. Rod photoresponses to brief flashes of light were recorded from the isolated sensory retina as electroretinogram mass receptor potentials and from isolated rods by the suction-pipette technique. The experimental treatments were: (1) varying [CO2] + [HCO3-] in the perfusion fluid: (2) applying acetazolamide (AAA), which inhibits the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA); and (3) applying 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) which blocks exchange mechanisms transporting HCO3- across cell membranes. 3. The concentration of the internal transmitter of the rods, cyclic GMP, was biochemically determined from the rod outer segment layer of retinas that had been incubated in the same solutions as were used for perfusion in the electrophysiological experiments. 4. The introduction of 6 mM-sodium bicarbonate to replace half the buffer of a nominally CO2-HCO3(-)-free (12 mM-phosphate or HEPES, [Na+] constant) Ringer solution doubled the cyclic GMP concentration in the rod outer segment layer and increased the saturating response amplitude and the relative sensitivity of rods in the intact retina. 5. The introduction of 0.5 mM-AAA into bicarbonate-containing Ringer solution accelerated the growth of saturated responses and sensitivity. Incubation of the retina in AAA-bicarbonate Ringer solution elevated the concentration of cyclic GMP ninefold compared with the phosphate control. 6. No effects of switching to bicarbonate-AAA Ringer solution were observed in the photocurrent of isolated rods drawn into suction pipettes with only the outer segment protruding into the perfusion fluid. The target of AAA is probably the CA-containing Müller cell. 7. The introduction of DIDS into the perfusate (at normal pH 7.5) set off a continuous decay of photoresponses which finally abolished light sensitivity completely. The decay proceeded regardless of whether bicarbonate and AAA were present or not. 8. Rods that had lost their photosensitivity in DIDS recovered almost fully when the pH of the DIDS perfusate was raised to 8.5. They also recovered when DIDS was washed out with bicarbonate Ringer solution at constant pH (7.5). 9. It is proposed that all our treatments ultimately modulate the intracellular pH of the rods which is determined by the relative rates of H+ leakage and HCO3- transport into the cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)