DNA-polymer complexes for gene therapy

The condensation of DNA induced by vinyl saccharide graft copolymers of N-methacryloy-lamino-D-glucose with N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and N-vinylpyrrolidone with N-vinylamine and induced by the linear polycation poly(L-lysine) in solution, as well as the conformational changes of a DNA molecule during its interaction with polycations in solution, is studied by atomic-force microscopy, low-gradient viscometry, dynamic birefringence, spectrophotometry, circular dichroism, and electrophoresis. The differences in the conformational changes of DNA related to the effect of polycations and other agents inducing its condensation are discussed.     

Energy and Spectral Characteristics of Radiation during Filtration Combustion of Natural Gas

Energy and spectral characteristics of infrared radiation of a porous ceramic metal burner fabricated by the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis technology are studied. Radiant energy release of the burner in the regime of filtration combustion of natural gas is demonstrated to be greater than a similar parameter of plume combustion up to two times and to be determined by the intensity of radiation of the ceramic metal open surface and gaseous products of combustion. More than 70% of the radiant flux energy are concentrated in the wavelength range from 3 to 11 ?m. The maximum density of radiation reaches 0.31 MW/m2 for the burner power density of 1.32 MW/m2.     

Alkylation of poly(n-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinylamine) with esters of phosphorous acids

Alkylation of amino groups bounded to a polymer chain with esters of phosphorous acids was studied in order to obtain physiologically active polymers. Poly(N-vinyl-pyrrolidone-co-vinylamine) was chosen as a polymer-carrier. The phosphorous acid esters used were dimethyl hydrogen phosphonate, dimethyl methanephosphonate, trimethyl phosphate and bis-(2-chloroethyl)-hydrogen phosphonate. The composition and structure of the isolated final products was proved by IR- and NMR-spectroscopy and elemental analysis. It is established that alkylation takes place to various extents. The obtained alkylated phosphorous-containing polymers exhibit herbicidal activity and could find application as plant growth retardants.     

New water-soluble copolymers of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine for surface modification

New copolymers of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine with 2-Deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose, N-vinylpyrrolidone, and N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide were synthesized and characterized; the obtained copolymers contained 10–50 mol% of phosphorylcholine moieties, and their molecular masses ranged from 1.05 × 10⁵ to 4.40 × 10⁵. Reactivity ratios of the monomers were estimated. Conformational states of the copolymers in aqueous solutions were studied. The synthesized copolymer was grafted onto the surface of carbon fiber biosorbent using γ-radiation.     

Prospects and Challenges of the Study of Anti-Glycan Antibodies and Microbiota for the Monitoring of Gastrointestinal Cancer

Over the past decades, a large amount of data has been accumulated in various subfields of glycobiology. However, much clinically relevant data and many tools are still not widely used in medicine. Synthetic glycoconjugates with the known structure of glycans are an accurate tool for the study of glycan-binding proteins. We used polyacrylamide glycoconjugates (PGs) including PGs with tumour-associated glycans (TAGs) in immunoassays to assess the prognostic potential of the serum level of anti-glycan antibodies (AG Abs) in gastrointestinal cancer patients and found an association of AG Abs with survival. The specificity of affinity-isolated AG Abs was investigated using synthetic and natural glycoconjugates. AG Abs showed mainly a low specificity to tumour-associated and tumour-derived mucins; therefore, the protective role of the examined circulating AG Abs against cancer remains a challenge. In this review, our findings are analysed and discussed in the context of the contribution of bacteria to the AG Abs stimulus and cancer progression. Examples of the influence of pathogenic bacteria colonising tumours on cancer progression and patient survival through mechanisms of interaction with tumours and dysregulated immune response are considered. The possibilities and problems of the integrative study of AG Abs and the microbiome using high-performance technologies are discussed.