Estimation of the Impact of Basement Heterogeneity on Thermal History Reconstruction: The Western Siberian Basin

Some of the simplifying assumptions frequently used in basin modelling may adversely impact the quality of the constructed models. One such common assumption consists of using a laterally homogeneous crustal basement, despite the fact that lateral variations in its properties may significantly affect the thermal evolution of the model. We propose a new method for the express evaluation of the impact of the basement’s heterogeneity on thermal history reconstruction and on the assessment of maturity of the source rock. The proposed method is based on reduced-rank inversion, aimed at a simultaneous reconstruction of the petrophysical properties of the heterogeneous basement and of its geometry. The method uses structural information taken from geological maps of the basement and gravity anomaly data. We applied our method to a data collection from Western Siberia and carried out a two-dimensional reconstruction of the evolution of the basin and of the lithosphere. We performed a sensitivity analysis of the reconstructed basin model to assess the effect of uncertainties in the basement’s density and its thermal conductivity for the model’s predictions. The proposed method can be used as an express evaluation tool to assess the necessity and relevance of laterally heterogeneous parametrisations prior to a costly three-dimensional full-rank basin modelling. The method is generally applicable to extensional basins except for salt tectonic provinces.

Frequency and risk factors of surgical complications in patients with locally advanced cervical esophageal cancer

Objective. Analyze the frequency and prognostic factors of complications in patients with locally advanced cervical esophageal cancer after pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy with simultaneous reconstruction of the defect.Material and methods. The retrospective study included patients with a verified locally advanced cervical esophageal cancer who were treated at the N. N. Petrov National Research Institute of Oncology in the period from 2009 to 2018, who underwent surgical treatment followed by chemoradiotherapy. The end point of the study was the frequency of postoperative complications.Results. Forty-eight patients were included in the study. All patients underwent laryngopharyngoesophagectomy with simultaneous reconstruction of the digestive tract. Forty-one patients (85.4 %) underwent the reconstructive stage using a narrow gastric stalk, and a wide gastric stalk and a small intestine graft were used in 5 (10.4 %) and 2 (4.2 %) patients, respectively. The average duration of the operation was 390 (337.5–525.0) minutes, the volume of blood loss was 300 (200–500) ml, and the average time of hospitalization and the patient’s stay in the intensive care unit was 21.5 (16.00–36.00) and 3 (1.000–6.75) days, respectively. Complications within 30 days after surgical treatment were observed in 54.1 % of patients, while anastomosis failure, fistula formation and pneumonia were observed in 22.9 %, 12.5 % and 18.8 % of cases, respectively. Factors slightly increasing the likelihood of pneumonia in the early postoperative period were: duration of surgery [OR = 1.0 (95 % CI: 1.00–1.01), p = 0.0131] and intraoperative blood loss [OR = 1.0 (95 % CI: 1.00–1.01), p = 0.0017].Conclusion. The overall complication rate after pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy with simultaneous repair of the defect by bioengineered graft was 54.1 %. Intraoperative blood loss and duration of surgery were associated with an increased risk of complications.

Autologous dura mater grafts in reconstructive surgeries for breast cancer patients

Reconstructive surgeries have long been considered as an essential part of rehabilitation of breast cancer patients. The majority of patients tend to choose one-stage reconstruction, because this type of surgery ensures rapid emotional and physical recovery. Due to the lack of subcutaneous fat in a substantial proportion of cases, which leads to postoperative complications, the most common surgical tactics now is simultaneous reconstruction after subcutaneous mastectomy with subpectoral implant location and strengthening of the lower breast slope using different materials. So far, there has been no gold standard material for secure covering of the lower pole of the implant. Autologous acellular dura mater grafts are a promising material for breast reconstruction. Studies evaluating biointegration, compatibility, inertness, reactivity, and cost effectiveness of autologous acellular dura mater grafts have determined feasibility of using these grafts in reconstructive surgeries.

pH-Triggered Assembly of Endomembrane Multicompartments in Synthetic Cells

Bottom-up synthetic biology thrives to reconstruct basic cellular processes into a minimalist cellular replica to foster their investigation in greater details with a reduced number of variables. Among these cellular features, the endomembrane system is an important aspect of cells which is at the origin of many of their functions. Still, the reconstruction of these inner compartments within a lipid-based vesicle remains challenging and poorly controlled. Herein, we report the use of pH as external trigger to self-assemble compartmentalized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) by either bulk, or droplet-based microfluidics. By co-encapsulating pH sensitive small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), negatively charged SUVs and/or proteins, we show that acidification of the droplets efficiently produces GUVs while sequestrating the co-encapsulated material with flexibility and robustness. The method enables the simultaneous reconstruction of more than a single cellular phenotype from the bottom-up, corresponding to an important advancement in the current status quo of bottom-up synthetic biology.

The use of xenopericardium in reconstructive surgery in patients with breast cancer

Objective: to analyze the possibility of using xenopericardium for breast reconstruction in cancer Materials and methods: the article presents a clinical case of a patient diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent a subcutaneous mastectomy with simultaneous reconstruction with an endoprosthesis and a xenopericardium to strengthen the lower slope of the breast. Results: in our study, a good cosmetic result was obtained, and the presence of xenopericardium does not affect the conduct of postoperative courses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Conclusion: we present the first experience of using bovine pericardium in Russia for breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer. Xenopericardium BioLAB-PP/PA of domestic origin was used to strengthen the lower slope of the reconstructed MJ using a silicone implant.