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ObjectiveHuman biomonitoring is a tool used for the assessment of total exposure to chemicals. This approach considers exposure from any pathway and measures the detection or concentration of pesticides directly in human samples, mainly urine. It is not feasible to measure all chemicals in the human body; therefore, a prioritization strategy is crucial to determine which chemicals will be measured and evaluated in the study.Materials and MethodsIn the HBM4LV project, an adaptation of the Hanlon method is used to score and categorize pesticides. Information on problem size (max 60 points), characteristics of hazardousness (max 30 points), exposure (max 30 points), national importance (max 15 points), and societal concern (max 15 points) are the components of the adapted Hanlon equation. Additionally, weights are applied. The substances are then ranked and discussed with experts from the Human Biomonitoring Council to reach a consensus on the chemicals that should be monitored in Latvian citizens.ResultsSeven pesticides have been evaluated so far. Previous research focused on Latvian citizens' exposure to halogen-containing pesticides suggests that Acetamiprid, Chlorpropham, Boscalid, and Triclosan were detected in at least 15% of all samples. Additionally, the three most distributed pesticides are Glyphosate, Chlormequat chloride, and MCPA, so they were evaluated as well. After evaluation, Glyphosate (129.3 points), Acetamiprid (103.5 points), and MCPA (79.8 points) are of the highest priority for inclusion in the Latvian human biomonitoring program.ConclusionsOur approach suggests a modified Hanlon method that takes into account national importance and thus could be used by other countries for a chemical prioritization strategy of a nationwide study/program.AcknowledgementsThis study is funded by the State Research Program ‘Development of Human Biomonitoring Program for Latvia - HBM4LV’, project nr. VPP-VM-Sabiedrības_Veselība-2023/4- 0001.

The orthopedia homeobox ( OTP ) gene encodes a homeodomain-containing transcription factor involved in brain development. OTP is mapped to human chromosome 5q14.1. Earlier we described transcription in the second intron of this gene in wide variety of tumors, but among normal tissues only in testis. In GeneBank these transcripts are represented by several 300–400 nucleotide long AI267901-like ESTs. We assumed that the AI267901-like ESTs belonged to the longer transcript(s). We used the Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) approach and other methods to find the full-length transcript. The transcript we found was a 2436 nucleotide polyadenylated sequence in antisense to OTP gene. The corresponding gene consisted of two exons separated by an intron of 2961 bp. The first exon was found to be 91 bp long and located in the third exon of OTP . The second exon was 2345 bp long and located in the second intron of OTP . We have shown the expression of this gene in many human tumors but as few as a single sample of normal testis. The transcript lacked significant ORFs suggesting that we discovered a new antisense cancer/testis (CT) sequence OTP-AS1 ( OTP —antisense RNA 1), which belongs to the class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). According to our findings we assume that OTP-AS1 and OTP genes may be a CT-coding gene/CT-ncRNA pair, or sense-antisense gene pair involved in regulatory interactions.

We report here a study examining the effects of acute normobaric hypoxia in the early postnatal period of development (postnatal day 2) on learning ability and the expression of GABAB receptors in the neocortex (medial prefrontal cortex) of adolescent rats (postnatal days 55–60) and also addressing the possibility of correcting identified disorders with the Russian-made drug salifen, a GABA derivative. Perinatal hypoxia has been shown to impair the formation and retention of memory traces in the novel object recognition and conditioned passive avoidance reflex tests and to reduce spatial learning ability in the Morris water maze test. Analysis of Western blot results revealed an increase in the quantity of GABAB receptor protein in the medial prefrontal area of the neocortex of rats exposed to perinatal hypoxia. Administration of salifen 15 mg/kg for 14 days after exposure to hypoxia improved the cognitive abilities of rats and normalized the level of GABAB receptor protein expression in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats. The results obtained here are of interest for solving an applied challenge in neonatology – the search for effective pharmacological correction of the sequelae of perinatal hypoxia.

The degree of release of amoxicillin (AM) microparticles from composite gelatin-amoxicillin films at pH range 1-11 was investigated. Composite gelatin-amoxicillin films were fabricated by both Langmuir-Blodgett and spin-coating techniques. Microparticles prepared by spray drying method. It was established that the release degree of amoxicillin is maximum at pH=7.

Optimization of the stage of fractioning of nucleotide material has been performed, and a technology for purification and obtaining of plasmid DNAs for pharmaceutical purposes has been developed. Plasmid DNAs can be used for construction of DNA vaccines to urgent viral infections. Conditions for extraction and preliminary purification of DNA by salt and alcohol precipitations were determined. An effective gel-filtration procedure of separation of plasmid DNA from contaminants was suggested.

Background and Objective Blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive patients remains poor worldwide, particularly in high-risk patients with hypertension and diabetes. Guidelines recommend that such patients receive prompt pharmacological therapy at maximal doses to rapidly control BP. We aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of single-pill combination (SPC) perindopril/indapamide (PER/IND) at full dose (10/2.5 mg) in hypertensive patients, including diabetics, with BP uncontrolled by previous medication. Methods Twelve-week prospective, observational study in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (≥160–200 mmHg systolic BP [SBP] and <110 mmHg diastolic BP [DBP]) on a previous SPC or free-dose combination of renin-angiotensin system blocker plus thiazide diuretic, substituted with PER/IND 10/2.5 mg. Office BP, quality of life, and blood parameters were evaluated in the whole cohort and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results 2120 ambulatory hypertensive patients were enrolled, including 307 with type 2 diabetes. Two weeks after substitution, SBP significantly decreased from 171.0 ± 13.3 to 148.6 ± 13.4 mmHg, and DBP from 98.6 ± 8.3 to 88.8 ± 7.9 mmHg (both p  < 0.00001). A similar rapid decrease was noted in the diabetes subgroup. After 12 weeks, BP had reduced by 42/19 mmHg in the whole cohort (diabetes subgroup: 41/18 mmHg). Most (84%; diabetes subgroup: 77%) patients reached BP target (<140/90 mmHg). Laboratory tests and quality of life improved in the whole cohort and the diabetic subgroup. Conclusions Switching to PER/IND at full dose (10/2.5 mg) was well tolerated, leading to fast BP reduction and control in the majority of patients with uncontrolled hypertension, including difficult-to-treat patients with diabetes.

The intensity of the earthquake of August 27, 2008 registered 7–8 points on the MSK-64 scale at its epicenter. It was the strongest earthquake in the Pribaikalie in the last 50 years. The main causes of damage in buildings were the considerable depreciation of their construction and the low quality of the construction. The most typical macroseismic characteristics were the failures of brick chimneys and of ovens in one- and two-story wooden buildings.