Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Ameliorates Lipid Metabolic Abnormalities in Diabetic Kidney Disease

Background: Patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) were often accompanied with dislipidemia. Gynostemma pentaphyllum can ameliorate insulin resistance and reduce the synthesis of triglycerides and cholesterol, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, we used the network pharmacologic strategies to evaluate potential therapeutic effects and protective mechanisms of gynostemma pentaphyllum on diabetic kidney disease. Methods: Gynostemma pentaphyllum's potential targets were predicted using the TCMSP databases. The pathogenic factors involved in DKD and dislipidemia were screened by the OMIM and Gene Cards databases. The common targets of gynostemma pentaphyllum, DKD and dislipidemia were used to establish a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to explore the potential molecular pathways. Results: The key targets for the therapeutic effects of gynostemma pentaphyllum included IL-6, AKT1, VEGFA, PTGS2, CCL2 and CASP3. Enrichment analysis showed that the underlying mechanism were mainly the involved in inhibition of inflammatory response, negative regulation of apoptotic process and angiogenesis. TNF, PI3K-Akt, and HIF-1 signaling pathways were considered as the key pathways. Conclusion: Gynostemma pentaphyllum played a therapeutic role in DKD complicated with dislipidemia, mainly through influencing inflammation response, apoptosis and angiogenesis.

Estudio de política experimental de tecnologías preservadoras de salud: sobre el ejemplo de rehabilitación sistémica de jóvenes estudiantes

The aim of the article was to conduct an experimental study and provide evidence for systemic rehabilitation of student youth with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychodiagnostic methods that are valid and reliable with standard test forms were used. It was stated that psychological protective mechanisms such as displacement, regression, substitution, compensation, and reactive formation were more active in psychological youth with PTSD (n=112). Assimilation (n=38; 33.93%), accommodation (n=48; 42.86%), and disharmonious (n=26; 23.21%) disorders were identified. A comparison of the control and experimental groups was carried out. A cluster structural model of respondents’ PTSD types was constructed. Respondents with a high level of PTSD manifestations were shown to have excessive internal tension, dysphoria, explosiveness, and a low level of integration with the environment. It was established that the proposed systemic rehabilitation is an essential component of working with the affected contingent. It was generalized that the application of experimental results from the study of health technologies operationalizes the educational process’s work with students who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.

Akt Inhibition as Preconditioning Treatment to Protect Kidney Cells against Anoxia

Lesions issued from the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) stress are a major challenge in human pathophysiology. Of human organs, the kidney is highly sensitive to I/R because of its high oxygen demand and poor regenerative capacity. Previous studies have shown that targeting the hypusination pathway of eIF5A through GC7 greatly improves ischemic tolerance and can be applied successfully to kidney transplants. The protection process correlates with a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. Because the protein kinase B Akt is involved in ischemic protective mechanisms and glucose metabolism, we looked for a link between the effects of GC7 and Akt in proximal kidney cells exposed to anoxia or the mitotoxic myxothiazol. We found that GC7 treatment resulted in impaired Akt phosphorylation at the Ser473 and Thr308 sites, so the effects of direct Akt inhibition as a preconditioning protocol on ischemic tolerance were investigated. We evidenced that Akt inhibitors provide huge protection for kidney cells against ischemia and myxothiazol. The pro-survival effect of Akt inhibitors, which is reversible, implied a decrease in mitochondrial ROS production but was not related to metabolic changes or an antioxidant defense increase. Therefore, the inhibition of Akt can be considered as a preconditioning treatment against ischemia.

Influence of cognitive styles on coping behaviour and protective mechanisms of personality

The article presents theoretical and empirical studies of cognitive styles, mental representation, coping behaviour and mechanisms of psychological defence. The influence of cognitive styles is described: rigid/flexible cognitive control, narrow/wide range of equivalence, cognitive simplicity/complexity on coping behaviour and defence mechanisms. The tendency of respondents with flexible cognitive control to assess a difficult life situation through time characteristics, to associate it with solvability and safety is revealed. In coping behaviour, they choose Self-control, Social support, Acceptance of responsibility. Cognitive simplicity/complexity is characterised by predictability, solvability and the possibility of changing the situation. Respondents belonging to a narrow range of equivalence assess the situation in terms of completeness and saturation. It is revealed that the protective and coping behaviour in a difficult life situation depends on the specifics of the mental representation of those possessing cognitive-style characteristics. It is concluded that mental representation can be a link between cognitive styles and coping behaviour.

The Legal Frameworks of Protecting Archaeology in Africa

Archaeological heritage is fragile and nonrenewable. In Africa, it is vulnerable to developmental projects in construction, mining, and agriculture as well as intentional and unintentional vandalism through everyday use and tourism. Looting, illegal trade of antiquities, and terrorism have also emerged as other significant threats to archaeological heritage in Africa. Looting and vandalism of sites and objects result from lax monitoring mechanisms and a general lack of awareness of archaeological matters among the public. Although most African countries have the legal protection of archaeological heritage, the effectiveness of these has been under question. African heritage legislations have been criticized for the lack of predevelopment assessments that would ensure the protection of recorded and unrecorded archaeological heritage. They have also been censured for protecting just the physical aspects of archaeological heritage, leaving out the intangible aspects that actually give the heritage value, especially among African communities. Another challenge was the exclusion of local communities and customary management systems in the protection of archaeological heritage. Provisions for counteracting looting and illegal trade in antiquities, coming especially from archaeological sites, were also considered weak and requiring improvements. The response to the debate on the effectiveness of the legal protection of heritage has been varied across the continent. Some African countries have responded by writing new laws, amending old ones, or providing other supporting legal provisions such as national cultural policies or regulations. Countries that have instituted new legal provisions include Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Egypt, Mauritania, and the Republic of the Congo. Those who reworked their protective mechanisms have attempted to address many of the issues raised. Countries such as Namibia, Botswana, and Mali have included clearly defined provisions for predevelopment assessments. Others such as Liberia included archaeological heritage in their environmental protection laws. Although fewer countries have had legislation to protect intangible aspects, supporting legal provisions such as national cultural policies have helped in this regard. However, very little has been done on the inclusion of customary laws and systems of archaeological protection. Going forward, African nations have to quickly consider emerging issues such as digital manipulation, heritage-based product development, increased need for intervention conservation, and sustainable economic utilization of heritage for the development of individuals, communities, and nations. The legislative process in Africa has to be expedited to quickly and efficiently deal with these issues before they cause harm to the archaeological heritage.

Engineering selectivity of Cutibacterium acnes phages by epigenetic imprinting

Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is a gram-positive bacterium and a member of the human skin microbiome. Despite being the most abundant skin commensal, certain members have been associated with common inflammatory disorders such as acne vulgaris. The availability of the complete genome sequences from various C. acnes clades have enabled the identification of putative methyltransferases, some of them potentially belonging to restriction-modification (R-M) systems which protect the host of invading DNA. However, little is known on whether these systems are functional in the different C. acnes strains. To investigate the activity of these putative R-M and their relevance in host protective mechanisms, we analyzed the methylome of seven representative C. acnes strains by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing. We detected the presence of a 6-methyladenine modification at a defined DNA consensus sequence in strain KPA171202 and recombinant expression of this R-M system confirmed its methylation activity. Additionally, a R-M knockout mutant verified the loss of methylation properties of the strain. We studied the potential of one C. acnes bacteriophage (PAD20) in killing various C. acnes strains and linked an increase in its specificity to phage DNA methylation acquired upon infection of a methylation competent strain. We demonstrate a therapeutic application of this mechanism where phages propagated in R-M deficient strains selectively kill R-M deficient acne-prone clades while probiotic ones remain resistant to phage infection.

Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Process of Development of the Onomastic Space of Almaty City in the Conditions of Globalization

The process of globalization affects literally all spheres of public life of society, in which, undoubtedly, the protective mechanisms of the language are included, aimed at strengthening the national immunity of the language, strengthening the national identity of the state. The problem of language, including onomastics, is one of the strategically important areas of state policy. The article reveals semantic and word-forming features, quantitative and qualitative indicators of ergonyms as an important linguistic element that makes up the onomastic space of the Almaty city. These names require a comprehensive study, since they are an important factor that forms the linguistic, cultural and socio-ethical consciousness of the masses, residents and guests of the metropolis, foreign tourists, and also play an important role in the education of the younger generation. The study of the linguistic features of signage on the streets of the city,commercial enterprises, expressed in different languages as a result of the merger of many cultures and languages in the linguistic landscape of the city, will allow us to determine the modern cultural and social appearance of the metropolis, the quantitative and qualitative ratio of national content names, general directions of development. The positive influence of the globalization process can be called the fact that the onomastic names of Kazakhstan, including the onomasticon of the mega polis, are actively involved in the world, international information space. However, on the other hand, excessive Americanization, the tendency of Westernization, and the predominance of the English language weaken the mechanisms of nominating onomastic names in the state language; minimize the ethno-cultural component and the national content of the semantics of ergonyms. As a result of a comparative statistical analysis of the names of commercial enterprises (some shopping and entertainment complexes, business centers, restaurants, cafes), financial, educational institutions (banks, exchange offices, pawnshops and kindergartens), primarily attracting the attention of consumers on the streets of Almaty, the proportion of foreign-language names and ergonyms in the Kazakh language was revealed and comments were made. Recommendations on the ordering and coordination of urban onomastics for a more effective organization of the language space of the metropolis are given.