Vol 144, No 4 (2024)

In this part of the article, the formation of a theory of the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors (carcino-evo-devo) in the monograph “Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization” is discussed. In 2014 our monograph “Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization” Elsevier Academic Press. The monograph generalized the results of thirty years of work. It contained twelve chapters and over one thousand references — an order of magnitude more than in previous theoretical papers. New chapters appeared as compared to previous papers. The structure of the book corresponds to the current structure of the carcino-evo-devo theory. Thus, in the monograph the concept of the possible evolutionary role of hereditary tumors acquired the structure of the theory. The monograph was later published in Russian and Chinese.

In the functioning of living systems, intermolecular contacts, including protein-protein interactions, play a crucial role. One of the main methods for studying them is affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry (AP-MS). This approach relies on the refinement of epitope tags, short genetic modifications of proteins, which subsequently enable the “capture” of target molecules. The review aims to compare the most popular epitope tags and discuss traditional and innovative studies in which they are used. The primary goal of this manuscript is to assess how close the scientific community is to creating a “perfect” tag that meets the needs of most researchers applying tags to address a wide range of molecular biology tasks.

A study of structural changes in lung tissue during the formation of organ edema due to inhalation of a lipotropic poison, carbonic acid dichloride, showed the peculiarities of the formation of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The point of application of the poison is the distal bronchioles, the epithelium of which is subject to dystrophic and necrotic changes followed by goblet metaplasia. The absorbed poison causes pronounced changes in blood microcirculation, steroid-resistant NO-mediated endothelial dysfunction with blood deposition in dilated capillaries, aggregation and lysis of erythrocytes. Changes in the vascular bed in the interalveolar septa precede the formation of an acute inflammatory reaction with the accumulation of alveolar effusion and dystrophic changes in the alveolar epithelium with cell desquamation. Among the cells of the alveolar lining, type II alveolocytes are the most vulnerable. Plasma permeation of the connective tissue of the interalveolar septa interstitium is accompanied by their infiltration with polymorphonuclear leukocytes and activation of macrophages. Desquamation of epithelial cells of the distal bronchioles leads to obstruction of their lumens and, through the valve mechanism, contributes to overextension of the alveoli with the formation of emphysema and reduction of capillary blood circulation in the alveolar septa. The observed changes determined the directions for improving the treatment of poisoning by asphyxiating poisons.

The study of changes in blood clotting parameters under in vitro conditions with different incubation durations (5 min and 30 min) of chitosan with normal and with hypocoagulation plasma of rats was carried out. The addition of chitosan to the plasma of normal animals led to an increase in its procoagulant activity regardless of the duration of incubation. However, an increase in the incubation time to 30 min contributed to a more significant decrease in the fibrin-depolymerization activity of the blood. Incubation of chitosan with hypocoagulation plasma obtained after administration of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to animals (once, orally at a dose of 2 mg / kg) for both 5 minutes and 30 minutes led to pronounced activation of blood clotting. Under these conditions, the lengthening of the incubation time caused more pronounced effects of this drug: a significant increase in the concentration of fibrinogen, ADP-dependent platelet aggregation, the degree of fibrin polymerization and a decrease in non-enzymatic fibrinolysis. At the same time, most of the studied hemostasis parameters approached values corresponding to the normal level. The results obtained in this work indicate the high effectiveness of chitosan as a means of restoring normal blood clotting, blocking the phenomena of bleeding in hypocoagulation conditions.

The investigation includes the analysis of nootropic effects of dimeric dipeptide, substance GK-2, nerve growth factor mimetic, in the cognitive test (elementary logic task) in mice of two strains selected for large and small relative brain weight (strains LB and SB). The influence of dipeptide (0.5 mg/kg, injected i.p., sub chronically) on cognitive test solution in mice of different genotypes had been opposite by “sign” — the proportion of mice, which solved the test successfully in LB strain was lower than that in controls, while it was higher in SB mice. It was also demonstrated that in neophagophobia test the dipeptide infusion induce more active reaction to the novel food with more clear cut reaction in LB mice. The data on genotype-dependent changes in behavior after GK-2 infusion are important for more extensive characteristic of GK-2 pharmacological properties as the plausible therapeutic drug.