6615 research outputs found
Sort by
Molecular interaction and inhibitory activity of dandelion’s compounds on nucleoprotein: A therapeutic intervention in lassa fever
No full textLassa fever (LF) is an acute and sometimes fatal viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus (LASV). It is a major public health challenge and endemic exclusively in West Africa. Despite the large toll of human morbidity and mortality, no vaccine or effective drugs are available to treat this disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of novel and effective treatments and therapeutics. LASV nucleoprotein plays a vital role in several aspects of the viral life cycle. Therefore, an effective inhibitor of LASV nucleoprotein will potentially control the replication of LASV. To evaluate the inhibitory effect of Dandelion phyto-compounds on LASV nucleoprotein, Glide-SP, and – XP docking was performed for hit identification. The hit compounds were further subjected to Induced Fit Docking (IFD) followed by Prime MM-GBSA calculation and ADME studies. Dandelion phyto-compounds, carfentrazone, luteolin, caffeic acid, and riboflavin recorded better binding affinity than the reference drug, ribavirin, and interacted with key amino acids residues. ADME studies also showed that our hit compounds are drug-like. This study showed that phyto-compounds of dandelion could be a better and effective therapeutics in LF treatment
Current trends in the digital transformation of higher education institutions in Russia
No full textThis research aimed to analyze the current trends in the digital transformation of educational institutions. The investigation lasted from November 2019 to May 2020 and was based on three higher educational institutions (HEIs) in the Russian Federation: Belgorod State University, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and Kutafin Moscow State Law University. The number of respondents enrolled was 420 people. In an attempt to bring together views and experiences of different actors of the educational sector, three individual online surveys were conducted among administrative staff, teachers, and students of mentioned educational institutions. All respondents were provided with questionnaires aimed at identifying current trends in educational paradigm transformation and studying the extent to which digital strategies are applied in the process of HEIs’ development. The detailed analysis of survey outcomes allowed indicating positive and negative trends in digitalization of educational processes from the perspective of university administrative staff, teachers, and students. Positive trends were: ensuring the availability of higher education through the implementation of full-fledged distance learning courses; enhancing the students’ experience through the introduction of innovative teaching methods; providing open access to educational resources and research results; opportunity to participate in global “open science” initiatives; and reduction of higher education cost to ensure its accessibility and mass scale. The barriers to the digital transformation of the educational sphere were: lack of funds for the implementation of a comprehensive digital transformation strategy; resistance to changes on the part of the staff; and a low level of confidence in technological solutions used in teaching practice. As a result, the conducted investigation uncovered the essence of digital transformation in the institutional structures of the higher education sector. However, given that digitalization is a complex process affecting most spheres of socio-economic interaction, consideration of only positive and negative digital transformation trends is insufficient to thoroughly analyze global digital shifts and the formation of national vectors for digital society development
Imperatives of sustainable development in the shadow and in the light of the pandemic
No full textThe Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, 6, Miklukho-Maklaya Str., Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily overshadowed all the previous concerns of the world community, and among them even existential challenges. The attitude towards sustainable development issues has moved into the “deferred demand” zone. The pandemic pushed the offensive and exacerbated the effect of another crisis in the global economy. At the same time, it is symptomatic that during the pandemic a significant improvement in the environmental situation was felt as a result of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the release of other harmful production wastes. At the same time, the pandemic has accentuated the biomedical safety imperative and will inevitably make a corresponding adjustment to the list of top priorities for moving towards sustainable development goals. After the pause of the pandemic, the imperative of transition to a sustainable development regime will begin to act with significant intensification, bearing in mind the need to compensate for the loss of time and pace. Ensuring biomedical safety will be a special priority. The lessons of the pandemic convincingly confirm the understanding that real success in moving towards sustainable development goals in accordance with the 2030 Agenda cannot be imagined without the normalization of international relations and the establishment of broad cooperation in a global format. At the same time, the author proceeds from the integral perception of the concept of sustainable development. Summing up the pre-pandemic stage of the formation of the concept of sustainable development, its essence can be expressed as follows. Development will be sustainable if it is economically balanced, socially inclusive and balanced, environmentally responsible, biologically safe, institutionally oriented to the interests of the majority and respect for the rights of the minority. If at the same time it is assumed and guaranteed that the use of weapons of mass destruction will be excluded if the urge for military solutions to international conflicts fades. And, of course, on such a platform, debt to the future is unacceptable, as it was said. This, of course, is the ideal, and practice is determined and will be determined by a greater or lesser approximation to it
Secondary hemophagocytic syndrome in adult patients. Study of 91 patients
No full textBackground. Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohystiocytosis (sHLH) is a hyperinflammatory reaction provoked by some trigger (cancer, autoimmune or infection). The majority of affected patients are at high risk of fatal multiple organ failure without getting immunsupressive treatment. Objective. Clinical and laboratory profile of sHLH patients. Materials and methods. Retrospective study included clinical, instrumental and lab data from the 91 patients followed between June 2009 and June 2019. Diagnosis sHLH had been based on HLH-2004 and H-Score criteria. The analyzed parameters had been fever chart, liver and spleen enlargement, changes in the bone marrow; values levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, triglycerides, total ferritin with percentage of glycosylation. All patients with rheumatic disorders or malignancies had received either immunosuppressive or cytotoxic therapy. Febrile patients received anti-infective treatment according to the local routine protocols. Results. The data from 91 patients (41 male and 50 female) had been analyzed. Median age was 58 (2-90) years. The sHLH trigger-diseases spectrum included leukemia / lymphoma (n = 52), infection diseases (n = 11), autoimmune disorders (n = 5), allogenic bone marrow transplantation (n = 13), unidentified (n = 10). A fever with an unknown origin and refractory to antibacterial treatment had been observed in 87 (96 %) patients. Morphological hemophagocytic evidences in the bone marrow had been found in 83 %. Breath shortening, liver failure, neurologic disturbances, systemic effusions, rash, heart failure had been registered in 83 % patients. Detected splenomegaly presented in 56 %. Laboratory changes, median were as following: Serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (alanine aminotransferase, SGPT) - 92 (39.2-1060.8) IU / L; serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (aspartate aminotransferase, SGOT) - 105 (40-4177) IU / L; alkaline phosphatase - 225 (120.9-989) IU / L; bilirubin - 50.5 (22-559) μmol / L; triglycerides - 3.2 (1.95-8.6) mmol / L; total ferritin - 10 000 (597-255 000) ng / mL with glycosylation percentage - 20.45 (0-37.8) %. 71 patients received various of HLH-directed therapy courses. The overall survival rate was 27 %, median follow-up - 540 days. Conclusion. The main clinical and instrumental findings in sHLH are fever, refractory to anti-infective treatment, elevation of transaminases, serum alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, total ferritine with low glycosylated fraction. Early diagnosing and immunesupression are the main factors of survival
Using the experience of digital transformation of tax authorities to harmonize customs activities
No full textThe paper reveals the features and problems present in the process of implementing digital economy technologies that prevent the provision of a level of cooperation adequate to modern requirements between national and foreign customs structures, as well as representatives of the business community. Proposals are made to implement promising, structural, institutional and technological innovative approaches to creating customs activities using the positive experience of successful transformation of the Russian tax authorities, which allowed building a harmonious interaction with taxpayers, taking into account their expectations and needs. The current processes of globalization are characterized by complexity, inconsistency, uncertainty, and often the predominance of politics over common sense. Effective, highly professional reform of the Russian tax authorities is a convincing example, not so much of a technological breakthrough, but of the prospects and harmony of the new innovative thinking of country leaders, government representatives, businesses and citizens. In the face of various challenges, having overcome the "psychology of a besieged fortress"[1], the Russian leadership and the system of national tax authorities have found inclusive approaches to constructive dialogue and cooperation with the international Organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD). In turn, the OECD, clearly demonstrating the predominance of economic interests over politics, has provided an opportunity to study and implement the most advanced and promising world achievements in Russian tax administration, based on the highest level of human capital and the fruits of freedom and human creativity. The authors of the article, using a concrete example, defend the point of view that constructive transformations, stable, sustainable mutually beneficial development of international relations and socio-economic relations within any country, are achieved only through mutual dialogue, trust and exchange of achievements of civilization
New challenges to economy security: The convergence of energy and covid-19 risks – the demand for cosmopolitan politics
No full textThe article analyzes the new challenges to economy security expressed in the complication of risks, conditioned by the becoming complex socio-techno-natural realities and the nonlinearity. It is shown that nowadays the most significant risks to economy security are connected with the rise of ‘neo catastrophes’, the causes of which lie with the systematic and often perverse effects of human activities; the current confrontational vector of the development of the world energy system that has deep roots in the contradiction between the global consumption of energy while its production is practically implemented at the national level. All these factors facili-tated the convergence of the energy risks with the ones from other spheres – so, the convergence of energy and COVID-19 risks has been born. The author argues that the effective managing of the hybrid of the energy-pandemic risks lies in passing over from national to the cosmopolitan politics – in order to defend the national interests the nation-states need to act in a cosmopolitan way. The functional cosmopolitan politics could only be of a humanistic type – the preconditions of overcoming the existing confrontations in the development of the world energy system presuppose equal, codependent relations among the nations, friendly existence among humans and non-humans. There have appeared some grounds for it – humanely oriented economic practices based on the passage from the formal rationalism and pragmatism to the substantive rationality and val-ues of inter-connection of all nations
Особенности профилактики стресса в образовательных учреждениях у подростков в период пандемии
No full textв статье обозначены психологические и педагогические проблемы, с которыми сталкиваются обучающиеся в период пандемии и цифровизации. Для нивелирования части проблем, связанных с самим процессом обучения, авторы предлагают использование простых профилактическим мероприятиям, снижающих информационный стресс
Living in the “Bubble”: Athletes' Psychological Profile During the Sambo World Championship
No full textBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we conduct daily life, as well as sports training and sports competitions. Given the stress produced by COVID-19, and the “bubble” safety measures for the World Sambo Championship, held in Novi Sad, from the 6th to the 8th of November, 2020, athletes might have experienced more stress than athletes normally would in non-pandemic conditions. Therefore, the current study aimed to create a psychological profile of sambo athletes participating in the Sambo World Championship and living in this condition. Methods: One-hundred-fifteen participants took part in the study, completing the Profile of Mood Scale (POMS), the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. A mediation model with Fear of COVID-19 predicting both stress level directly and stress level through mood disturbance was hypothesized. Gender differences were evaluated through t-test. Results: The results showed that the sample presented higher levels of stress but no problems in sleeping. In particular, data analysis confirmed an indirect effect of Fear of COVID on Perceived stress through mood disturbance (β = 0.14, Z = 2.80, and p = 0.005), but did not have a significant impact on the direct effect (β = −0.04, Z = −0.48, and p = 0.63). Gender differences emerged in the perceived stress level (t = −2.86, df = 114, and p = 0.005) and daytime dysfunction (t = −2.52, df = 114, and p = 0.01) where females scored higher than males for both aspects. Conclusion: The athletes participating to the World Sambo Championship experienced stress levels determined by the mood disturbance produced by the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. Female athletes were more stressed and showed higher daytime dysfunction. The findings of the current study are useful to understand the psychological profile of the athletes competing in the “bubble” conditions during COVID-19 pandemic
Site-Selective Artificial Ribonucleases: Renaissance of Oligonucleotide Conjugates for Irreversible Cleavage of RNA Sequences
No full textRNA-targeting therapeutics require highly efficient sequence-specific devices capable of RNA irreversible degradation in vivo. The most developed methods of sequence-specific RNA cleavage, such as siRNA or antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), are currently based on recruitment of either intracellular multi-protein complexes or enzymes, leaving alternative approaches (e.g., ribozymes and DNAzymes) far behind. Recently, site-selective artificial ribonucleases combining the oligonucleotide recognition motifs (or their structural analogues) and catalytically active groups in a single molecular scaffold have been proven to be a great competitor to siRNA and ASO. Using the most efficient catalytic groups, utilising both metal ion-dependent (Cu(II)-2,9-dimethylphenanthroline) and metal ion-free (Tris(2-aminobenzimidazole)) on the one hand and PNA as an RNA recognising oligonucleotide on the other, allowed site-selective artificial RNases to be created with half-lives of 0.5-1 h. Artificial RNases based on the catalytic peptide [(ArgLeu)2Gly]2 were able to take progress a step further by demonstrating an ability to cleave miRNA-21 in tumour cells and provide a significant reduction of tumour growth in mice
Curbing the Unemployment in Modern Conditions: State Response
No full textSocio-economic stability, good living standards, and low unemployment are the key aspects of the state development strategy in modern economic conditions. They have a direct impact on the national competitiveness and security. The current pandemic and global economic crisis made it important to curb the growing unemployment and protect the unemployed population. The study featured the global labor market with its structural and economic relations, trends and patterns. The research objective was to identify the potential problems of unemployment growth and provide recommendations for their localization and leveling. The authors analyzed the forecasts made by Russian and international experts about the state of the global labor market during the pandemic, assessed its features and main trends, studied the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the unemployment rate, and systematized measures of social support for unemployed population in different countries. The paper introduces some measures that can prevent the growth of global unemployment