I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

About: I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University is a education organization based out in Moscow, Russia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Medicine & Population. The organization has 7984 authors who have published 9355 publications receiving 68997 citations.

A potential of terahertz solid immersion microscopy for visualizing sub-wavelength-scale tissue spheroids

Abstract: We have developed a method of the terahertz (THz) solid immersion microscopy for the reflection-mode imaging of soft biological tissues. It relies on the use of the solid immersion lens (SIL), which employs the electromagnetic wave focusing into the evanescent-field volume (i.e. at a small distance behind the medium possessing high refractive index) and yields reduction in the dimensions of the THz beam caustic. We have assembled an experimental setup using a backward-wave oscillator, as a source of the continuous-wave THz radiation featuring λ= 500 μm, a Golay cell, as a detector of the THz wave intensity, and a THz SIL comprised of a wide-aperture aspherical singlet, a truncated sphere and a thin scanning windows. The truncated sphere and the scanning window are made of high-resistivity float-zone silicon and form a unitary optical element mounted in front of the object plane for the resolution enhancement. The truncated sphere is rigidly fixed, while the scanning window moves in lateral directions, allowing for handling and visualizing the soft tissues. We have applied the experimental setup for imaging of a razor blade to demonstrate the advanced 0:2λ resolution of the proposed imaging arrangement. Finally, we have performed imaging of sub-wavelength-scale tissue spheroids to highlight potential of the THz solid immersion microscopy in biology and medicine.

New quaternary ammonium pyridoxine derivatives: synthesis and antibacterial activity

Abstract: A diverse library of 34 new quaternary mono-ammonium and bis-ammonium pyridoxine derivatives was synthesized, and their antibacterial activity against several clinically relevant bacterial strains was evaluated in vitro. Several mono-ammonium compounds demonstrated high antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations in the range of 0.5–8 µg/mL, which exceeded activity of miramistin and was comparable to that of benzalkonium chloride. SOS-chromotest in Salmonella typhimurium showed the lack of DNA-damage activity for all active compounds. A clear correlation has been observed between the lipophilicity of the obtained compounds and their activity against the studied Gram-positive bacterial strains. Cytotoxicity studies on HEK-293 cells demonstrated that some of the active compounds were less toxic than the reference drugs. Antibacterial activity studies in the presence of CaCl2 suggested that the cell wall damage associated with the removal of Ca2+ ions from the bacterial membrane is one of the possible mechanisms of antibacterial activity. The obtained results make the described active compounds a promising starting point for the development of new antibacterial therapies.