Bulletin of RSMU

ISSN Print 2500–1094 ISSN Online 2542–1204

Bulletin of RSMU

BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL OF PIROGOV UNIVERSITY (MOSCOW, RUSSIA)

Scopus

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Log In Registration RU

Issue 5, 2025

Topic Age-related alterations in the immune system

Contents Download
Issue 6, 2024

Topic Crigler-Najjar syndrome: approaches to therapy

Contents Download
Issue 1, 2025

Topic microRNA

Contents Download
Issue 2, 2025

Topic Salivary gland carcinoma

Contents Download
Issue 3, 2025

Topic Delivery of anti-tumor pharmaceuticals

Contents Download
Issue 4, 2025

Topic Chronic cerebral ischemia

Contents Download

PUBLICATION FEES

New articles

Adrianov MA, Gautier MS, Degtyareva AV, Marey MV, Manukhova LA, Rastorguev SM, Simonov VS, Ushakova LV, Vyssokikh MYu

The most common biochemical defect in Leigh syndrome is aberrations in proteins involved in the assembly of the electron transport chain (ETC) complex IV subunits — cytochrome C oxidase (COX). Among these, mutations in the SURF1 gene are the most common. The SURF1 protein is embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane and plays a crucial role in the COX complex assembly. All mutations in the SURF1 gene result in the truncated protein biosynthesis and damage to the COX complex. Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV9), which carry the not mutated SURF1 gene (AAV9-SURF1), are being investigated for the treatment of this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of SURF1 and MTCO1 proteins in whole blood from patients with Leigh syndrome compared to reference values obtained for a pool of patients without mutations, as well as to evaluate the expression of the MTCO1 cytochrome c oxidase subunit in skin fibroblast cultures from patients with Leigh syndrome treated with AAV9. To investigate the gene therapy efficacy, AAV9-SURF1 was added to fibroblasts derived from the skin of a patient with a mutation in the Surf1 gene and to control skin fibroblasts at an optimal dose that did not impair cell viability in the MTT assay. We used Western blot analysis and quantitative PCR to evaluate changes in the relative amounts of the studied proteins after the addition of AAV9-SURF1 to control cells and cells obtained from the patient and identified significant compensatory changes in skin fibroblasts from a patient with a SURF1 mutation.

Received: 2025-12-12

Published online: 2025-12-29

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.083

Comments 0

VIEWS 108

Zhygmitova EB, Kosykh AV, Gurskaya NG

Diseases associated with limbal stem cell deficiency, such as chronic epithelial erosion and corneal scarring, require new therapeutic approaches rooted in regenerative medicine. This study aimed to develop a protocol for obtaining progenitor cells of the epithelium of the limb and cornea from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We differentiated iPSCs toward eye organoids to obtain three-dimensional heterogeneous structures within three weeks. The resulting organoids contain corneal epithelial progenitor cells expressing keratin 3 and collagen 7, which confirms the possibility of generating functional epithelium in vitro. The protocol enables the generation of isogenic, patient-specific cell lines for treating limbal insufficiency and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, including applications following preliminary genome editing of iPSCs.

Received: 2025-11-25

Published online: 2025-12-27

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.070

Comments 0

VIEWS 90

Plotnikova MA, Oleynik VA, Klotchenko SA

Monoclonal antibody therapy is one of the most promising approaches to effective influenza control. This study aimed to evaluate the antiviral effect of intracellular scFv antibody fragments transfected as exogenous mRNA and capable of binding viral antigens with high affinity inside the cell. Two influenza virus proteins, hemagglutinin (antibody FI6) and nucleoprotein (antibody 2/3), were selected as viral targets. Each scFv fragment encoded by mRNA was produced in two variants: one containing a signal peptide (SP) for secretion into the extracellular space (scFv-SP), and one lacking it (scFv-WO) for cytosolic localization and function. We observed different localization of these proteins in the cell: scFv-SP were found in areas characteristic of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, while scFv-WO were diffusely distributed throughout the cytoplasm. mRNAs encoding scFv-FI6-SP and scFv-2/3-SP, as well as the mRNA encoding scFv-2/3-WO, exhibited antiviral effects against influenza A virus in a cellular model. The scFv-FI6-SP mRNA showed the greatest antiviral effect, reducing the viral load relative to the control by approximately tenfold. Regarding the influenza B virus, both mRNAs encoding scFv-2/3 — with or without the signal peptide (SP) — resulted in an average 50% reduction in viral load relative to the control. Thus, intracellular antibodies demonstrate significant antiviral potential and provide new opportunities for targeting viral mechanisms that were previously beyond the reach of conventional drug therapy.

Received: 2025-11-27

Published online: 2025-12-26

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.077

Comments 0

VIEWS 174

Polyakova VA, Davydova EE, Luparev AR, Matsvay AD, Gnusareva NI, Gordukova MA, Galeeva EV, Tolokonceva AA, Shipulin GA

The diversity and succession of epidemiologically significant enteroviruses (EV) lead to constant changes in the clinical presentation and morbidity levels. The aim of the study is to investigate cases of EV infection in hospitalized children during the resurgence of the epidemic process following the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected clinical samples from 156 patients with EV infection across a range of ages. Virus genotyping was performed using the Sanger sequencing of the 5’UTR-VP2 and VP1 genome fragments. Sixteen types of enteroviruses were identified, with one additional case identified only to the species level (EV-C). The dominant EV type was Coxsackie CV-A6, with a share of 80.6% (95% CI: 66.7–95.5) in 2021 and 36.1% (95% CI: 27.5–44.6) in 2022. Most commonly, CV-A6 caused skin lesions (exanthema or HFMD) and respiratory manifestations. In 2022, the proportion of CV-A10 cases increased considerably to 27.0% (95% CI: 19.2–34.9) compared with 6.4% (95% CI: 0–15.1) in 2021. The most common clinical manifestation of CV-A10 was herpangina. The most severe EV infection cases were associated with ECHO 6 — four out of 11 patients were diagnosed with meningitis, while the remaining patients exhibited neurological symptoms (meningism, intense headache, vomiting) accompanied by fever. We observed a large number of EV cases accompanied by the presence of other infectious agents in biological samples, which may result from immune suppression during EV infection development. The most common of these agents was human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). The nucleotide sequences of the characterized enteroviruses have been deposited in the NCBI database to enable subsequent epidemiological analysis of enterovirus circulation in the Russian Federation.

Received: 2025-11-24

Published online: 2025-12-25

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.082

Comments 0

VIEWS 247

Submit Manuscript

Popular articles

Ivanova AV, Lazareva PA, Kuzmichev IA, Vadekhina VV, Kosykh AV, Gurskaya NG, Abakumov MA

Due to the limited availability of advanced methods to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, small molecules and short peptides capable of specifically biniding β-amyloid are of special interest. The study aimed to perform comparative assessment of pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of two model peptides, HAEE (His-Ala-Glu-Glu) and HASS (His-Ala-Ser-Ser), as potential platforms for the development of diagnostic kits, as well as to determine the relationship between the peptide structure and organotropism. The study involving BALB/c mice (n = 10) was conducted using the fluorescence labeled compounds. We used in vivo IVIS imaging, ex vivo fluorescence microscopy, and pharmacokinetic analysis. The results showed fundamental differences: the negatively charged HAEE was accumulated mainly in the kidney (T½β = 4.39 h) due to tubular reabsorption, while neutral HASS was soon captured by the liver (T½β = 2.76 h). The data obtained demonstrate the key role of amino acid composition in determining organotropism and open prospects for the development of organ-specific peptide systems.

Received: 2025-07-10

Published online: 2025-07-31

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.036

Comments 0

VIEWS 1047

Al-Zirkan K

Bacteria found in the operating room can lead to surgical site and hospital-acquired infections. This study was conducted in Imam Hussein Hospital in Nasiriyah to investigate the contamination levels in the operating rooms. The main goal of the research was to identify the bacteria responsible for contamination and the factors contributing to it. The study also aimed to map these microorganisms' distribution across different operating room areas and their antibiotic resistance pattern using microbiological standards. We gathered 1358 samples for analysis from surfaces and objects in the operating room. The results showed that 3.1% tested positive for bacteria, and 96.9% were negative cultures. Six types of pathogenic bacteria have been identified; Coagulase-negative staphylococci 14.3%, Staphylococcus aureus 11.9%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 19.1%, E. coli 21.4%, Bacillus spp. 11.9%, and Enterobacter spp. 21.4%. We observed moderate to high resistance pattern to amoxicillin and ampicillin, Cefaclor, Cefuroxime, Cefadroxil, Erythromycin. The highest resistance pattern was detected in P. aeruginosa isolates followed by E. coli, it showed different resistance patterns to 14 antibiotics showing susceptibility to Amikacin only. Conclusion: the study at Imam Hussein Hospital found a generally low but notable level of bacterial contamination in orthopedic operating theaters, with specific pathogens posing risks to patients. These findings align with global data, underscoring common challenges in maintaining sterile surgical environments. Identifying contamination hotspots and patterns over time highlights the need for targeted interventions and continuous monitoring.

Received: 2025-06-01

Published online: 2025-07-15

DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2025.034

Comments 0

VIEWS 889

Special Project Author's Work

Secrets of a quality research study and a good manuscript

At the end of 2015, Bulletin of RSMU saw an important change in its typographic design and content. We formulated new editorial policies and established strict ethical standards for submitted manuscripts in accordance with the guidelines of reputable international bodies. As a result, about a quarter of the submitted works have been rejected, the primary reason being the author trying to submit a previously published article. Sometimes authors believe that by making slight changes to the introduction, excluding a few people from the study, performing a new statistical analysis, and thus obtaining totally new results they will turn their old manuscript into a novel work. That is why we would like to talk about scientific integrity, honesty, plagiarism, and self-plagiarism in our special project “Author’s work”.

American physicist Richard P. Feynman, a Nobel laureate, was always very scrupulous about the quality of a research study. During his commencement address at the California Institute of Technology in 1974, he talked about scientific integrity and honesty and warned young researchers “not to fool” themselves. A must-read for anyone who believes he/she is a true scientist.

In 1918, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, a Nobel laureate, delivered two lectures: on the mind in general and the Russian mind in particular; on those mind qualities that determine the success of a research work and on how these qualities are present in the Russian mind. Pavlov's thoughts are an effective vaccine against poor intellectual work.