Practical use of electromyography in veterinary medicine – A review

Electromyography (EMG) is a sophisticated electrodiagnostic-neurophysiological method, which serves to diagnose neuromuscular system diseases. It is based on the measurement of the electrical potentials created by the skeletal muscle activity. For this technique, surface electrodes and needle electrodes can be used, which read the action potential of a large number of motor units and read a small number of motor units, respectively. The wide-spectrum application of this method extends our diagnostic possibilities of the clinical examination in veterinary practice. Together with a clinical neurological examination and imaging methods, EMG forms a part of the diagnosis of nervous system diseases and it is a useful diagnostic technique for differentiating neuropathies, junctionopathies, and myopathies. The results of the neurophysiological examination inform us about the functional state of the peripheral and central nervous system; it can demonstrate subclinical diseases and monitor the dynamics of changes in the functional state of individual nervous systems over time. In this article, we review the electromyographic method and its use in veterinary practice.

Search for a way to improve the serum albumin binding function and the functional state of the liver when hypertension combined with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Recently, there has been a significant increase in interest in research on hypertension (HT), primarily due to its high prevalence. The interest in studying this problem is also exacerbated by the often insufficient effectiveness of existing treatments. The effect of concomitant pathologies on HT, in particular non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), remains poorly understood. The aim of the study – to evaluate the changes in the serum albumin binding function (SABF) and its relationship with the biochemical parameters of the blood when HT and HT combined with NAFLD and to suggest ways of medical correction of the detected disorders. Material and methods. 76 individuals with stage 2 HT with degree 2–3 arterial hypertension were examined. They were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 28 patients with HT without concomitant diseases who received basic hypertension therapy, and group 2 included patients with concomitant NAFLD. The latter in turn was divided into two subgroups: 2a – 27 patients who in addition to basic HT therapy received additional Antral hepatoprotector 200 mg three times a day for 2 months, and 2b – 21 patients who received only basic HT therapy. All of them underwent a standard clinical examination, as well as SABF, protein fractions, and liver function indicators. The comparison group consisted of 25 healthy individuals, comparable in age and sex. Results and Discussion. Patients in group 1 showed moderate changes in the functional state of the liver, but they did not exceed the norm, patients in group 2 – a significant decrease in SABF, as well as protein metabolism (decrease in total protein, albumin, albumin-globulin ratio and increase globulins) and liver function (increased activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, thymol levels, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin). After treatment, the majority of patients in subgroup 2 had a statistically significant increase in SABF and a quantitative improvement in protein fractions and functional state of the liver. In subgroup 2-b, where hepatoprotective treatment was not performed, significant changes in most indicators did not occur. The results may be related to the positive effect of the drug on the liver, which leads to improved functional status of hepatocytes and their protein-synthesizing ability. In subgroup 2 b, where hepatoprotective treatment was not performed, significant changes in most indicators did not occur. The results may be related to the positive effect of the drug on the liver leading to improved functional status of hepatocytes and their protein-synthesizing ability. Conclusions. Changes of the functional state of the liver are observed when HT without concomitant pathology. HT with NAFLD is accompanied by a significant decrease in SABF, changes in protein metabolism and the functional state of the liver. Prescribing Antral to such patients helps to increase SABF, normalize protein metabolism and improve the functional state of the liver.

Unconventional metabolites in chromatin regulation

Chromatin, the complex of DNA and histone proteins, serves as a main integrator of cellular signals. Increasing evidence links cellular functional to chromatin state. Indeed, different metabolites are emerging as modulators of chromatin function and structure. Alterations in chromatin state are decisive for regulating all aspects of genome function and ultimately have the potential to produce phenotypic changes. Several metabolites such as acetyl-CoA, S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) have now been well characterized as main substrates or cofactors of chromatin modifying enzymes. However, there are other metabolites that can directly interact with chromatin influencing its state or that modulate the properties of chromatin regulatory factors. Also, there is a growing list of atypical enzymatic and non-enzymatic chromatin modifications that originate from different cellular pathways that have not been in the limelight of chromatin research. Here, we summarize different properties and functions of uncommon regulatory molecules originating from intermediate metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids. Based on the various modes of action on chromatin and the plethora of putative, so far not described chromatin regulating metabolites, we propose that there are more links between cellular functional state and chromatin regulation to be discovered. We hypothesize that these connections could provide interesting starting points for interfering with cellular epigenetic states at a molecular level.

Supervised Classification of Operator Functional State Based on Physiological Data: Application to Drones Swarm Piloting

To improve the safety and the performance of operators involved in risky and demanding missions (like drone operators), human-machine cooperation should be dynamically adapted, in terms of dialogue or function allocation. To support this reconfigurable cooperation, a crucial point is to assess online the operator’s ability to keep performing the mission. The article explores the concept of Operator Functional State (OFS), then it proposes to operationalize this concept (combining context and physiological indicators) on the specific activity of drone swarm monitoring, carried out by 22 participants on simulator SUSIE. With the aid of supervised learning methods (Support Vector Machine, k-Nearest Neighbors, and Random Forest), physiological and contextual are classified into three classes, corresponding to different levels of OFS. This classification would help for adapting the countermeasures to the situation faced by operators.

Lipopolysaccharide From E. coli Increases Glutamate-Induced Disturbances of Calcium Homeostasis, the Functional State of Mitochondria, and the Death of Cultured Cortical Neurons

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a fragment of the bacterial cell wall, specifically interacting with protein complexes on the cell surface, can induce the production of pro-inflammatory and apoptotic signaling molecules, leading to the damage and death of brain cells. Similar effects have been noted in stroke and traumatic brain injury, when the leading factor of death is glutamate (Glu) excitotoxicity too. But being an amphiphilic molecule with a significant hydrophobic moiety and a large hydrophilic region, LPS can also non-specifically bind to the plasma membrane, altering its properties. In the present work, we studied the effect of LPS from Escherichia coli alone and in combination with the hyperstimulation of Glu-receptors on the functional state of mitochondria and Ca2+ homeostasis, oxygen consumption and the cell survival in primary cultures from the rats brain cerebellum and cortex. In both types of cultures, LPS (0.1–10 μg/ml) did not change the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in resting neurons but slowed down the median of the decrease in [Ca2+]i on 14% and recovery of the mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm) after Glu removal. LPS did not affect the basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of cortical neurons; however, it did decrease the acute OCR during Glu and LPS coapplication. Evaluation of the cell culture survival using vital dyes and the MTT assay showed that LPS (10 μg/ml) and Glu (33 μM) reduced jointly and separately the proportion of live cortical neurons, but there was no synergism or additive action. LPS-effects was dependent on the type of culture, that may be related to both the properties of neurons and the different ratio between neurons and glial cells in cultures. The rapid manifestation of these effects may be the consequence of the direct effect of LPS on the rheological properties of the cell membrane.

Ethnic characteristics of bone remodeling in female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Structural and metabolic disorders of bone tissue in women with T2DM have no clinical manifestations, but they are accompanied by the risk of fractures.Aim: To study the parameters of bone metabolism, BMD and microarchitectonics in female patients with T2DM in the Buryat population.Materials and methods: The observational single-center one-stage controlled study included 73 women with T2DM, which were divided into 2 groups depending on the functional state of the ovaries (reproductive and postmenopausal periods). In each group, subgroups of the Buryat and Russian populations were identified. The first group included 34 patients with T2DM of the reproductive period: 16 from the Buryat population and 18 from the Russian population. The second group consisted of 39 postmenopausal patients with T2DM: 17 from the Buryat population and 22 from the Russian population. The study of BMD in the lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck (Neck), in the proximal femur (Total hip), trabecular bone score (TBS), serum osteocalcin (OC), N-terminal propeptide type 1 procollagen was carried out (P1NP), vitamin D 25 (OH), blood plasma type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (β-Cross laps) and ionized calcium (iCa).Results: In female patients with T2DM of the reproductive age of the Buryat population, an increase in both markers of osteosynthesis P1NP (p=0.035), OC (p=0.047), and bone resorption β-Cross laps (p=0.040) was found relative to the similar group of the Russian population. In women with T2DM in the postmenopausal period of the Buryat population, there was also an increase in P1NP (p = 0.016), OC (p = 0.048), β-Cross laps (p = 0.020) compared with the group of postmenopausal women in the Russian population. Structural disorders, characterized by a decrease in TBS, were detected only in the postmenopausal period in female patients of the Buryat population compared to women in the Russian population (p = 0.029).Comparative analysis among women with T2DM of the Buryat population, depending on the functional state of the ovaries, showed that activation of bone remodeling with an increase in P1NP (p = 0.019), OC (p = 0.004) and β-Cross laps (p = 0.004) is characteristic of postmenopausal women accompanied by a decrease in BMD Neck (p = 0.006), BMD Total hip (p = 0.003), BMD L1-L4 (p = 0.049) and TBS (p = 0.020) relative to female patients with T2DM in the reproductive period.Conclusion: In women with T2DM in the Buryat population, both in the reproductive and postmenopausal periods, an increase in bone remodeling markers and BMD stability was found when compared with the corresponding groups of patients in the Russian population. The postmenopausal period was characterized by an additional decrease in TBS in patients with T2DM in the Buryat population relative to women in the Russian population.

The state of estrogen-dependent organs of women with surgical menopause and hormone replacement therapy

The research aims at studying the dynamics and character o f disorders in the target-organs and appraisingthe quality оf life in women with surgical menopause (SM ) on the background o f hormonal replacement therapy (HRT).Application o f Femoston as the preferable preparation was determined by functional state оf estrogen-dependent organs (cardiovascular system, bone tissue, and mamma) and accompanying extragenital diseases.Hormonal replacement therapy effectively reduces early climacterics disorders connected with menopause and promotes prophylaxis o f late complications o f menopause development (cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis). Femoston is the preparation o f choice fo r women with surgical menopause as it exerts minimum influence on the metabolism and doesnt have anabolic or glucocorticoid effects.

Results of chalazion cryosurgery with an increased risk of complications

Background. At an appointment with an ophthalmologist, patients with pathological conditions of the eyelids are often dissatisfi ed with the effectiveness of the traditional surgical treatment.The aim: assessment of the functional state of the eye adnexa after cryodestruction of the chalazion with an increased risk of complications using modern cryosurgical equipment.Material and methods. Clinical studies were carried out in 254 patients (277 eyes) with chalazion, including a complicated course of the disease, with cryodestruction of the chalazion using an autonomous cryoapplicator made of porous-permeable titanium nickelide.Results. Cryosystems of the new generation, in comparison with the well-known industrial cryoapparatus, diff er in new properties. They can signifi cantly improve the quality of cryotherapy in surgery due to a clearer localization of cryotherapy and a high rate of heat removal from the surface of altered tissues without damaging the surrounding tissues. Depending on the size of the pathological formation, the duration of the exposure, the frequency of repetitions of the applications during the session, the regression of the chalazion occurred within 1–1.5 months with the preservation of the integrity of the intermarginal space and the functional state of the eyelid.Conclusion. Analysis of the data obtained indicates a high clinical and cosmetic effi ciency of cryosurgery of the eyelid chalazion using an autonomous cryoapplicator made of porous-permeable titanium nickelide.

Functional changes of the respiratory system by female students of a higher educational institution engaged in various physical culture and sports directions

В статье рассмотрено влияние различных физкультурно-спортивных направлений, реализуемых в рамках «Элективных дисциплин по физической культуре и спорту» в Тверском государственном университете, на функциональное состояние дыхательной системы у студентов в период эпидемиологической ситуации по заболеванию новой коронавирусной инфекции COVID - 19. The article considers the influence of various physical culture and sports directions implemented within the framework of “Elective disciplines in physical edication and sports” at Tver State University on the functional state of the respiratory system of students during the epidemiological situation of the new coronavirus infection COVID - 19.

FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE MARINE MICROALGAE CULTURES AS AN INDICATOR OF THE WATER POLLUTION LEVEL OF THE SEVASTOPOL BAY

The possibility of using cultures of Black Sea planktonic microalgae of different taxonomic affiliation to assess the quality of the aquatic environment based on the assessment of their functional state is shown. The research was carried out on the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, three dinoflagellates species Prorocentrum cordatum, Prorocentrum pusillum and Gyrodinium fissum, as well as the coccolithopho-ride Emiliania huxleyi. It was found that the waters of the Sevastopol Bay in the period from May to August 2021 in 50% of cases had a weak inhibitory effect on the growth of the tested species. In other cases, algae growth was either stimulated or the effect of pollution on cultures was not revealed. The need for using several types of algae in carrying out complex work on water biotesting of the coastal are-as of the Black Sea is highlighted.