Central muscle relaxants in rheumatology practice

The article describes the general principles of the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, discusses modern approaches to the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and nonspecific back pain (NBS). The issues discussed are: the efficacy and tolerability of the combined use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) of predominantly selective action (aceclofenac) and a centrally acting muscle relaxant (tolperisone) in the treatment of OA and NBS. Two clinical observations are presented that confirm the benefits of combined administration of NSAIDs and muscle relaxants in the treatment of OA and NBS. The efficacy and favorable safety profile of aceclofenac has been demonstrated in patients with comorbid diseases. Tolperisone has shown its efficacy both as a mean of controlling pain associated with muscle tension, and as an element of combination therapy not only for NBS, but also for OA.

On the question of the appointment of separate parameters of the roadheaders gathering-stars loading organs

Most modern roadheaders of selective action are equipped with loading devices with gathering-stars, which have a simpler drive design and increased reliability. As a result of the experimental studies carried out at SRSPU (NPI), it was found that under certain conditions, it is possible to transfer large lump material of a pile into a fluidized state, which reduces the energy consumption of material loading. An increase in the number of beams of the gathering-stars reduces the influence of the other parameters of the loader. Analysis of the process of interaction of the gathering-star’s beam with the receiving conveyor’s side edge to avoid jamming of the picking gathering-star by a lump of material with the implementation of high dynamic loads, it is necessary to set the gathering-beams at an angle of at least 60 degrees against rotation.

Poly(thioether phenyl acrylate) Based Micelles Show Exclusively ROS-triggered Breakdown

In certain tumor and diseased tissues, reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as H2O2, are produced in higher concentrations than in healthy cells. To date, only few examples of drug delivery and release systems responds selectively to these small but significantly elevated ROS concentrations. In addition, assuring the stability of the polymer-based carrier in “healthy” biological conditions is still a challenge in the field of oxidation-sensitive materials. Here, we present ROS-responsive block copolymer micelles capable of achieving micellar disruption over days in the presence of 2 mM H2O2 and within hours under higher concentrations of H2O2 (60 – 600 mM). At the same time, these micelles are stable for over two weeks in oxidant-free physiological (pH = 7.4, 37°C) and for at least six days in mildly acidic (pH = 5.0 and pH = 6.0, 37°C) conditions. The observed selectivity is programmed into the material using a 4-(methylthio)phenyl ester based logic gate. Here, oxidation of the thioether moiety results in a large increase in ester hydrolytic lability, effectively switching the ester hydrolysis from off to on. The concept represents a step forward to realize signal responsive drug delivery materials capable of selective action in biological environments.

SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF SOVEREIGNTY IN THE CONTEXT OF PRESERVING THE CONSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY OF RUSSIA

The article discusses ways to protect constitutional identity in the face of serious pressure on the traditional sociocultural values of the peoples of Russia. The author proves the need for a comprehensive theoretical justification of optimal legal methods to counter modern geopolitical threats, including by protecting constitutional sovereignty and ensuring constitutional security. According to the author, the constitutional-legal model of the organization of life of society and the state should be based on solidarity of public notions and traditional sociocultural values. The partial synchronization of legal systems, necessary for the normal coexistence of various states, does not imply their complete unification. However, the development of clear criteria for classifying these or those norms as defining national constitutional identity requires a serious ideological and scientific-theoretical justification. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Russia is a multinational and multiconfessional state, which greatly complicates the identified problem. The author believes that the protection of constitutional sovereignty should not harm world cooperation in the field of protecting human rights and create the prerequisites for using constitutional identity as an instrument of «selective» action. Having positively assessed the constitutional legal consolidation and justification of the mechanism for overcoming constitutional and conventional conflicts, the author advocates the need to continue the «dialogue» between the bodies of constitutional and conventional justice.

Instruction-based selective action pattern (IBSAP): a novel method for talent identification in sports

Background and Study Aim: Talent identification/development programs are utilized by sports federations to select or train elite athletes. In addition to the established tests that assess perceptive and motor skills, it was deemed significant that cognitive skills should be evaluated as well. The present study was undertaken to assess the utility of Instruction-Based Selective Action Pattern (IBSAP), a novel method that we developed, in estimating perceptive, motor as well as cognitive skills of athletes in order for talent identification. We also investigated the relationship between IBSAP and auditory reaction times (ARTs). Material and Methods: Forty-three students (average age: 12.6 years) participated in the study. Random/fixed-interval ARTs were recorded. IBSAP was applied using a table tennis robot that was set up to throw 30 balls in three different colors to different spots on the table with a frequency of 1 ball/s. The subjects were instructed to ignore the white balls, to touch the yellow balls, and to catch the pink balls before the first trial and their scores were calculated in two consecutive trials according to a scoring system. Results: Our results showed that motor learning, adaptation and reinforcement of the participants were significantly greater in second trial compared with the first trial and that IBSAP values were correlated with ARTs. Conclusions: We conclude that the IBSAP method reliably provides quantitative data on perception, motor as well as cognitive skills and it can be considered as a useful tool for talent identification.

Selectivity of herbicides in the post-emergence sugarcane seedlings in primary selection fields

The hypothesis here proposed is that, in primary fields of mass selection (F1) of sugarcane, herbicides exert a selective action when applied in the early post-emergence of seedlings (POST-i) and supplemented after their establishment phase (POST-l) even in sandy soils. To verify such hypothesis, the selectivity of herbicides was studied on seedlings of three sugarcane families, after their application both at early and late post-emergence in primary selection fields (F1). The field had a randomized blocks design, with five replications, and the subdivided plots scheme was used. Twelve herbicide treatments were allocated in the plots (27 m-2), whereas the sub-plots (9 m-2) contained three families of seedlings. Each sub-plot consisted of a transplanted row (0.5 x 1.50 m) with 12 individuals of the same family. Six treatments were employed, namely, T1: tebuthiuron (1200 g ha-1) post-i + ametryn (3000 g ha-1) post-l; T2: diuron (1404 g ha-1) + hexazinone (396 g ha-1) post-i + ametryn (3000 g ha-1) post-l; T3: sulfentrazone (800 g ha-1) post-i + ametryn (3000 g ha-1) post-l; T4: diuron (1404 g ha-1) + hexazinone (396 g ha-1) post-i + metribuzin (1920 g ha-1) post-l; T5: sulfentrazone (800 g ha-1) post-i + metribuzin (1920 g ha-1) post-l, and T6: weeded plot. The sugarcane families were: F400 (♀IAC086155 x ♂unknown), F43 (♀IACBIO264 × ♂IAC911099), and F14 (♀IACSP991305 × ♂GlagaH). We concluded that the herbicides tebuthiuron (1200 g ha-1), diuron (104 g ha-1) + hexazinone (396 g ha-1), or sulfentrazone (800 g ha-1), when applied in the early post-emergence and supplemented with ametryn (3000 g ha-1) or metribuzin (1920 g ha-1) in late post-emergence (60 days from planting) of the sugarcane families studied, were selective to the seedlings. That is, no toxicity symptoms with a potential to impede the final selection of seedlings occurred.