Peat humic acids are well known for their wide range of biological effects which can be attributed to the complex chemical structure of naturally occurring humic substances. One of the promising tools is an ontology-based quantitative analysis of the relationship between physical and chemical parameters describing a chemical structure of peat humic acids and their biological activity. This article demonstrates the feasibility of such an approach to estimate the antioxidant and cell protective properties of the peat humic acids. The structural parameters of the peat humic acids were studied by electronic, fluorescence, infrared, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, titrimetric analysis, elemental C,H,N, and O- analysis, and gel chromatography. Antioxidant and antiradical activities were assessed by physicochemical methods of analysis: electronic paramagnetic resonance, cathodic voltammetry, ABTS^•+ scavenging, assay of DPPH radical-scavenging activity, assay of superoxide radical-scavenging activity, iron chelating activity, and scavenging of hydroxyl radicals. Cytoprotective activity was evaluated by the neutral red-based cytotoxicity test in 3T3-L1 cell culture in a wide range of concentrations. Assessment of intracellular ROS production was carried out using a 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluoresceindiacetate (DCFDA) fluorescent probe. Intracellular ROS production was induced using two common prooxidants (tert-butyl hydroperoxide, Fe²⁺ ions). We suggested an ontology-based model for the antioxidant and cytoprotective activity of humic acids based on experimental data and numerical models. This model establishes the way to further research on the biological effects of humic acids and provides a useful tool for numerical simulation of these effects. Remarkable antioxidant and cell protective activity of humic acids makes them a promising natural source of new pharmaceutical substances that feature a wide range of biological effects.

This literature review is devoted to the study of recent advances in the field of neurorehabilitation using robotic technologies. Objective: to study best practices of applying robotic rehabilitation technologies in stroke patients, its clinical efficacy and influence on the molecular mechanisms of neuroplasticity. Keywords were searched in the Web of Science, Core Collection, Scopus and PubMed databases.Results.Robotic neurorehabilitation occupies a certain place in the comprehensive rehabilitation of patients with motor deficiency after stroke. An interdisciplinary patient-oriented approach and consistency at all stages of medical rehabilitation are especially important when using rehabilitation methods that implement advances in robotics and information technologies in patients after stroke. Rehabilitation with the use of high-tech computerized rehabilitation systems operating in the biofeedback mode is one of the promising areas and requires further neurophysiological and laboratory studies to create scientifically based methodological approaches. It will have great social significance and tangible economic effects from improving the quality of neurorehabilitation and reducing its duration.

The genus Saussurea has been used in the preparation of therapies for a number of medical problems, yet not much is known about the therapeutic high-molecular-weight compounds present in extracts from these plants. Since polysaccharides are important in immune modulation, we investigated the chemical composition and immunomodulatory activity of Saussurea salicifolia L. and Saussurea frolovii Ledeb polysaccharides. Water-soluble polysaccharides from the aerial parts of these plants were extracted using water at pHs of 2 and 6 and subsequently precipitated in ethanol to obtain fractions SSP2 and SSP6 from S. salicifolia and fractions SSF2 and SSF6 from S. frolovii. The molecular weights of fractions SSP2, SSP6, SFP2, and SFP6 were estimated to be 143.7, 113.2, 75.3, and 64.3 kDa, respectively. The polysaccharides from S. frolovii contained xylose (67.1–71.7%) and glucose (28.3–32.9%), whereas the polysaccharides from S. frolovii contained xylose (63.1–76.7%), glucose (11.8–19.2%), galactose (4.7–8.3%), and rhamnose (6.8–9.4%). Fractions SSP2, SSP6, and SFP2 stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production by murine macrophages, and NO production induced by SSP2, SSP6, and SFP2 was not inhibited by polymyxin B treatment of the fractions, whereaspolymyxin B treatment diminished the effects of SFP6, suggesting that SFP6 could contain lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS-free fractions SSP2, SSP6, and SFP2 had potent immunomodulatory activity, induced NO production, and activated transcription factors NF-κB/AP-1 in human monocytic THP-1 cells and cytokine production by human MonoMac-6 monocytic cells, including interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon-γ, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). These data suggest that at least part of the beneficial therapeutic effects reported for water extracts of the Saussurea species are due to the modulation of leukocyte functions by polysaccharides.

This paper focuses mainly on the in vitro study of a five-week biodegradation of a-C:H:SiO_x films of different thickness, obtained by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition onto Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrate using its pulsed bipolar biasing. In vitro immersion of a-C:H:SiO_x films in a solution of 0.9% NaCl was used. It is shown how the a-C:H:SiO_x film thickness (0.5–3 µm) affects the surface morphology, adhesive strength, and Na⁺ and Cl⁻ precipitation on the film surface from the NaCl solution. With increasing film thickness, the roughness indices are reducing a little. The adhesive strength of the a-C:H:SiO_x films to metal substrate corresponds to quality HF1 (0.5 µm in thickness) and HF2-HF3 (1.5–3 µm in thickness) of the Rockwell hardness test (VDI 3198) that defines strong interfacial adhesion and is usually applied in practice. The morphometric analysis of the film surface shows that on a-C:H:SiO_x-coated Ti-6Al-4V alloy surface, the area occupied by the grains of sodium chloride is lower than on the uncoated surface. The reduction in the ion precipitation from 0.9% NaCl onto the film surface depended on the elemental composition of the surface layer conditioned by the thickness growth of the a-C:H:SiO_x film. Based on the results of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the multiple regression equations are suggested to explain the effect of the elemental composition of the a-C:H:SiO_x film on the decreased Na⁺ and Cl⁻ precipitation. As a result, the a-C:H:SiO_x films successfully combine good adhesion strength and rare ion precipitation and thus are rather promising for medical applications on cardiovascular stents and/or friction parts of heart pumps.