Cervical polyps

The work is the result of a comprehensive study of patients, in which, along with the usual clinical and morphological techniques, relatively new methods were used - phase contrast and luminescence microscopy.

PROLONGED IMMUNE-INFLAMMATORY REACTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19- ASSOCIATED SURGICAL PATHOLOGY IN THE POSTCOVID PERIOD

Summary. Introduction. The combination of pathogenetic factors of the main surgical pathology, multiple organ dysfunction, acute respiratory distress syndrome and cytokine storm against the background of SARS-Cov-2 infection justifies the relevance of this study. Materials and methods. We examined 13 patients with acute COVID-19 and 29 patients with SARS-Cov-2-associated urgent surgical pathology. Investigated the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) by latex agglutination, C3 and C4 components of the complement by immunoturbidimetry, the content of interleukins IL-6 and IL-18 by ELISA, determination of autoantibodies by luminescence microscopy. Results. In patients with SARS-Cov-2-associated urgent surgical pathology, certain patterns of changes in the markers under study were revealed: in all examined groups of patients, an increased concentration of C-reactive protein was observed, which indicated a systemic inflammatory response both in the acute and in the postcovid period. In the postcovid period of viral infection, the most significant are the high frequency of the maximum increase in the concentration of CRP, C3- and C4-complement components, and a significant or moderate increase in the content of interleukins IL-6 and IL-18, more pronounced than in the acute period of infection. The maximum increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines was found in patients with abdominal surgical pathology against the background of COVID-19 (postcoid period), while in the acute period of COVID-19, an increase in the concentration of IL-6 had no diagnostic value. A cytokine storm was detected in 20.5% of the examined patients with COVID-19-associated urgent surgical pathology. Conclusions. For COVID-19-associated surgical pathology, the formation of autoimmune conditions is characteristic, which is expressed in the presence of a wide range of autoantibodies to nuclear structures. Thus, for the prevention and complex treatment of COVID-19-associated urgent surgical pathology, it is advisable to use personified step-by-step immunotropic therapy.

Biomass and number of gene copies of fungi in the polar urban soils, Murmansk, Russia

<p>The anthropogenic impact on soil microbiota in polar climate remains overlooked and the comparison between microbiota in urban and natural soils in polar regions are highly interesting. Fungi are the key components of soil microbiota, responsible for improtant functions and ecsystem services and highly senstive to direct (e.g., pollution) and indirect (e.g., urban heat island) anthropogenic effects. Urban soils of Murmanks (68.967 N, 33.083 E) – the biggest polar city in the world – were studied in comparison to Podzols of the natural forest-tundra area. Soil fungi in urban and natural soils were analyzed by luminescence microscopy and PCR real time.</p><p>The fungal biomass in the upper horizon of Technosol varied from 0.50 to 0.75 mg/g of soil, which was 1.5-2 times less than in Podzol. Different profile distribution of fungal biomass was shown for urban and natural soils. In natural Podzol, the highest fungal biomass was observed in the upper organic O horizon, then decreased in the topsoil mineral elluvial E horizon, and then slightly increased in the subsoil mineral illuvial Bs horizon. In urban soils, the second maximum of number of fungi in the soil profile was not found. The biomass of fungi decreased exponentially in the soil profile.</p><p>The number of ITS ribosomal gene copies of fungi in the topsoil organic horizon of natural Podzol reached 10<sup>10</sup>gene copies/g of soil. In urban soils, there was a decrease in their number by 6 or more times. The number of fungal gene copies decreased sharply down the soil profile in both urban and natural soils. So, if the number of fungi in topsoil horizons was about 10<sup>8</sup>-10<sup>10</sup> gene copies /g of soil, in subsoil horizons it was 10<sup>6</sup>-10<sup>7</sup> gene copies/g of soil. First of all, this may be due to the mycorrhizal mycobiota, which has the largest extent of mycelium in the topsoil horizons of soil. In forest soil, the number of gene copies in horizon E was 37 times less than in the topsoil horizon; in urban soil, the content of gene copies in the subsoil BC horizon is 10 times less than in the topsoil horizon.</p><p>The proportion of fungal mycelium varied from 28 to 80%. A minimum of mycelium was found in the subsoil horizons, while the topsoil horizons were abundant with fungal hyphae, the length of which in them reached more than 160 m/g of soil. The maximum amount of mycelium (581.72 m/g of soil) was observed in natural Podzol. The number of single-celled fungal propagules (spores and yeasts) was 10<sup>4</sup>-10<sup>5</sup> cells/g of soil. Most of the propagules are represented by small-sized forms (2-3 microns), the proportion of which increased from the topsoil horizons (68-93%) to the deep ones (up to 100%). This trend was observed for both urban and background soils. Large propagules with a diameter of 5-7 microns were found exclusively in the topsoil horizons, and their number is no more than 10<sup>3</sup> cells/g of soil.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements </strong>This research was supported by<strong> </strong>state task AAAA-A18-118021490070-5 and Russian Foundation for Basic Research project № 19-29-05187.</p>

A first assessment of the microbiota of Taurida Cave

Caves are considered as ecosystems isolated from the surface in varying degrees. Hypogean habitats are mostly oligotrophic, with discretely distributed nutrients, where chemolithoautotrophic species can be found among the producers. In this case, vital activity is provided due to the nutrients of endogenous genesis. Of particular interest are the cavities, which were completely isolated from the surface impact for a long time. As a consequence, unique landscapes and mineral environments were formed in such cavities. An example is given by Taurida Cave, located on the Crimean Peninsula (Piedmont Crimea) and discovered during the construction of Taurida Highway. Samples of sediments were taken right after opening the cave in July 2018. For the cultivation of bacteria andmicrofungi, standard media, extracts from substrates were used. The number and biomass of microorganisms were determined by luminescence microscopy. Chemical composition of the main and trace elements of the cave deposits samples was determined by XRF WDS spectrometer. As a result, a difference in the number and biomass of microorganisms in different parts of the cave was revealed. The main contribution to the biomass of microorganisms is made by actinomycetes and microfungi. The bacteria were dominated by gram-positive bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Arthrobacter, Micrococcus. Among actinomycetes, species of the genus Streptomyces predominated. The species of microfungi Penicillium chrysogenum, Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus sp. were identified, Penicillium janczewskii dominated. The high abundance and biomass of microorganisms in the substrates of the cave may be related to the summer sampling period.

Building Accurate Intracellular Polarity Maps through Multiparametric Microscopy

The precise knowledge of intracellular polarity, a physiological parameter that involves complex and intertwined intracellular mechanisms, may be relevant in the study of important diseases like cancer or Alzheimer’s. In this technical note, we illustrate our recently developed, accurate method for obtaining intracellular polarity maps employing potent fluorescence microscopy techniques. Our method is based on the selection of appropriate luminescent probes, in which several emission properties vary with microenvironment polarity, specifically spectral shifts and luminescence lifetime. A multilinear calibration is performed, correlating polarity vs. spectral shift vs. luminescence lifetime, to generate a powerful and error-free 3D space for reliable interpolation of microscopy data. Multidimensional luminescence microscopy is then used to obtain simultaneously spectral shift and luminescence lifetime images, which are then interpolated in the 3D calibration space, resulting in accurate, quantitative polarity maps.

Site-selective mapping of metastable states using electron-beam induced luminescence microscopy

Metastable states created by electron or hole capture in crystal defects are widely used in dosimetry and photonic applications. Feldspar, the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust (> 50%), generates metastable states with lifetimes of millions of years upon exposure to ionizing radiation. Although feldspar is widely used in dosimetry and geochronometry, the creation of metastable states and charge transfer across them is poorly understood. Understanding such phenomena requires next-generation methods based on high-resolution, site-selective probing of the metastable states. Recent studies using site-selective techniques such as photoluminescence (PL), and radioluminescence (RL) at 7 K have revealed that feldspar exhibits two near-infrared (NIR) emission bands peaking at 880 nm and 955 nm, which are believed to arise from the principal electron-trapping states. Here, we map for the first time the electron-trapping states in potassium-rich feldspar using spectrally-resolved cathodoluminescence microscopy at a spatial resolution of ~ 6 to 22 µm. Each pixel probed by a scanning electron microscope provides us a cathodoluminescence spectrum (SEM-CL) in the range 600–1000 nm, and elemental data from energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. We conclude that the two NIR emissions are spatially variable and, therefore, originate from different sites. This conclusion contradicts the existing model that the two emissions arise from two different excited states of a principal trap. Moreover, we are able to link the individual NIR emission peaks with the geochemical variations (K, Na and Fe concentration), and propose a model that explains the quenching of the NIR emission by Fe4+. Our study contributes to an improved understanding of charge storage in feldspathic minerals, with implications for developing sub-single grain (micrometer scale) measurement techniques in radiation dosimetry.

Structural and functional indicators of bacterioplankton of the south stretch of lake Munozero (Karelia)

In article are presented the results of the state of the pelagic part of the south stretch of Lake Munozero (Karelia) according to microbiological indicators for the growing season of 2018. In the furtherance of this goal, 27 water samples were chosen in May, July and September at different strata. Munozero Lake is one of the unique lakes of Karelia due to its high salinity (100 mg/l), low-nutrient water sand organic substances. The total number, cell size dimensional structure and biomass of bacteria were determination by method of luminescence microscopy, by means of filtration through black nucleopore track membranes, after coloration bacteria by acridine orange. The total number of bacteria varied from 0.66 to 1,85 million cells/ml, and the biomass from 0,13 to 0,66 g/m3. The average cell volume varied in the range 0,18–0,34 μm3. Coccus form of bacteria prevailed in numbers. The doubling time and bacterial production were determined by the method of isolated samples. Bacterial production varied between 0.01 and 0.07 g/(m3•day-1). Specific growth rates (day-1) ranged around 0,05–0,2, giving doubling times of 70–364 h. The average daily production for the growing season was 0,65 g/m3•day-1. The physiological activity of bacteria was greatest at the end of the growing season. During the research period, the abundance of saprophytic bacteria growing on fish peptone agar was in the range of 19–550 CFU/ml. the abundance of oligotrophic bacteria growing on from starvation agar variable 200 to 850 CFU/ml. During the study period Water of the south stretch of the Lake Munozero was estimated as clean – moderately polluted with an intermediate quality class of 2–3. The south stretch of the Munozero is characterized as a mesotrophic water body.