Reflex Activity Research Articles

Preventive Effects of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Treatment on Urinary Bladder and Kidney Damage in Spinal Cord Injured Rats.

One of the main causes of a neurogenic bladder is spinal cord injury (SCI),(SCI), which induces little or no bladder reflex activity. Because of this alteration, there is an increased risk of developing urinary tract infections and kidney damage. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) treatment has been shown to improve micturition in a rat model of SCI. The present study was aimed at determining whether GnRH administration is capable to reduce bladder and kidney damage in rats with SCI. Ovariectomized female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham, SCI with saline solution (SCI), and SCI treated with GnRH (SCI+GnRH) for 6 weeks. SCI was induced by compression at the T10 spinal level. At the end of the experiment, bladders and kidneys were processed for morphological and immunofluorescence analysis. For morphometric analysis, the thickness of the urothelium and the muscular layer of the bladder was measured, as well as the intensity of staining related to collagen in the kidney. At the end of the experiment, all animals in the sham group showed normal urination (100%), in contrast, the percentage of untreated injured rats (SCI) that did not require manual stimulation for micturition was 19%, while the treated group (SCI+GnRH) was 68%. A significative increase in bladder weight, urothelial and muscle thickness, and collagen-related coloration in the kidney was observed in SCI when compared to sham rats. GnRH administration decreased damage to the urinary bladder and kidneys after SCI in rats. These results suggest that this hormone could be a potential preventive treatment for SCI patients at risk of neurogenic bladder and kidney damage. Not applicable.

Threatening an Illusory Limb: An Event-related Potential Study of the Rubber Hand Illusion.

The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a well-established method for studying body ownership: Given adequate concordance of visual, sensory, and proprioceptive stimuli, the individual experiences a rubber hand as his or her own. To study the effects of a threat to the rubber hand. We created a typical RHI paradigm but added threatening pain: Both the real hand of an individual and the rubber hand were stroked with a brush, either synchronously (RHI-inducing condition) or asynchronously (control condition), but only the rubber hand was then pricked with a needle to create a threatening pain condition. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a group of 23 typically-developed individuals. ERP effects were source-localized using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography. The individuals consistently reported experience of the RHI during the experiment when the brush strokes were applied synchronously to both the real hand and the rubber hand. ERP analysis revealed that synchronous brush stroking gave rise to higher amplitude of frontal ERPs in the 100-200 ms range than asynchronous brush stroking, which was interpreted as reflecting the RHI. In the threatening pain condition, ERPs showed a greater positivity at frontocentral electrodes, source localized in the supplementary motor area (SMA). SMA activation could reflect a control mechanism over reflexive motor activity, facilitating a possible threat-related response. Further studies should address ERP effects and the extent of the RHI to standard and threat stimuli in a correlative fashion to further elucidate the functional significance of the neurophysiological findings.

Knowledge levels of oncology nurses regarding evidence-based practices in the assessment and management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

ObjectiveThe study aimed to determine the level of oncology nurses' knowledge of evidence-based practice for assessing and managing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). MethodsThis study employed a descriptive and cross-sectional research design. It was carried out with oncology nurses who were working at a university hospital in the Western Region of Turkey and who were members of the Oncology Nursing Association. The sample of the study consisted of 96 nurses who met the inclusion criteria. ResultsThe study sample comprised 94.8% female oncology nurses, 57.3% of whom held an undergraduate degree, and over half (58.5%) of whom were employed as clinical nurses. A majority of nurses (76.0%) indicated that they had not received any training in peripheral neuropathy. 35.4% of the nurses assessed patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy for peripheral neuropathy at each visit/each chemotherapy cycle. A total of 43.8% of nurses indicated that they frequently assessed patients for peripheral neuropathy at the conclusion of the treatment protocol. The oncology nurses assessed the patient-reported symptoms of motor neuropathy (58.3%), sensory neuropathy (56.3%), autonomic neuropathy (51.0%), neuropathic pain (55.2%), and co-occurring symptoms (52.1%) on a frequent basis. The nurses reported that they assessed muscle strength (56.3%), gait and balance (58.3%), and quality of life (52.1%) “frequently”. In contrast, they assessed deep tendon reflex (41.7%), neurological tests (36.5%), and social activities (46.8%) “rarely”. ConclusionsThe study findings indicated that oncology nurses require further education and training in evidence-based practices for the assessment and management of CIPN.

Neuroinflammatory Approach to Surgical Trauma: Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Immune and Neuroendocrine Responses.

The severity and invasiveness of clinical outcomes from organic responses to trauma are influenced by individual, surgical, and anesthetic factors. A stress response elicits neuroendocrine and immune reactions that may lead to multi-organ dysfunction. The degree of neuroinflammatory reflex activation from trauma can increase pro-inflammatory cytokine production, leading to endothelial dysfunction, glycocalyx damage, neutrophil activation, and multisystem tissue destruction. A shift in patient treatment towards a neuroinflammatory perspective has prompted a new evaluation protocol for surgical patients, required to understand surgical pathogenesis and its link to chosen anesthetic-surgical methods. The goal of this study is to summarize and disseminate the present knowledge about the mechanisms involved in immune and neuroendocrine responses, focusing on video laparoscopic surgeries. This article outlines various measures cited in the literature aimed at reducing the burden of surgical trauma. It reviews anesthetic drugs, anesthetic techniques, and intensive care procedures that are known to have immunomodulatory effects. The results show a preference for more sensitive inflammatory mediators to tissue trauma serving as care tools, indicators for prognosis, and therapeutic outcomes.

PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR THE EFFECTIVE FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ REFLECTIVE COMPETENCE

The article presents a study on the problem of developing reflective competence of university students. The purpose of the article is to determine pedagogical conditions aimed at the effective formation of students’ reflective competence. The methodological basis of the process under consideration is the competency-based and reflexive-activity approaches. As the main research methods, the author used analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, conceptual analysis, and analysis of regulatory documents, testing, surveys, and statistical methods of primary processing of materials, generalization of experience at universities. The authors identified a connection between the concepts of “professional competence” and “reflective competence” of students. They substantiated the need to develop the reflective competence of students as one of the fundamental professional competencies. We identified external and internal pedagogical conditions as circumstances of the learning process that influence the preparation of students for subsequent professional activities and ensure the effectiveness of the training process. The article shows the stages of the formation process; the levels of formation of reflexive competence; indicators that characterize each level are presented. The authors describe diagnostic tools that allow determining the level of reflective competence of students. The relationship between the achieved level of development of reflective competence and the success of students in educational and cognitive activities has been revealed. It is noted that for the successful formation of reflexive competence as a component of the professional competencies of graduates of a university, it is necessary to organize in a special way the conscious reflexive cognitive activity of students.

Behavioral and electrophysiological study in Colossoma macropomum treated with different concentrations of Nepeta cataria oil in an immersion bath revealed a therapeutic window for anesthesia.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the activity of essential oils from Nepeta Cataria (EON) at concentrations of 125 L-1, 150 L-1, 175 L-1, and 200 L-1 on the behavior of loss of the posture reflex and recovery of the posture reflex and electrocardiographic activity and recording of the opercular beat of Colossoma macropomum during immersion bathing for a period of 5min, in order to obtain a window for safe use during anesthesia. The fish (23.38 ± 3.5g) were assigned to the following experiments: experiment 1 (latency to loss and recovery of the posture reflex): (a) 125 L-1, (b) 150 L-1, (c) 175 L-1, and (d) 200 L-1 (n = 9) per group. Experiment 2 (electrocardiographic and heartbeat recordings): (a) control group; (b) vehicle control group (2ml of alcohol per liter of water), (c) 125 L-1, (d) 150 L-1, (e) 175 L-1, and (f) 200 L-1 (n = 9), per group. All the concentrations used showed efficacy in inducing loss of the posture reflex and reversibility with recovery of the posture reflex, but the electrocardiographic recordings indicated morphographic changes such as bradycardia during induction and p wave apiculation during recovery at the highest concentrations tested. In this way, we suggest a safe use window for short-term anesthesia with EON in the concentration range of 125 to 150 L-1 for juvenile Colossoma macropomum.

Targeting Adenylate Cyclase: A Novel Concept for Stimulation of Neurogenesis and Pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's Disease.

The low effectiveness of existing pharmacotherapy strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) makes it necessary to develop a new concept for the treatment of this type of dementia. This search is promising to be carried out within the framework of the paradigm of targeting intracellular signaling pathways in Regenerative-Competent Cells (RCCs). The purpose of the research is to study the impact of adenylate cyclase (AC) inhibitor on disorders of the psychoemotional status in aged male C57BL/6 mice, as well as on the dynamics of the content and functioning of RCCs nervous tissue. We examined the effect of the AC inhibitor (2',5'-Dideoxyadenosine) on conditioned reflex activity, behavioral and emotional profile in a mouse AD model (16-month-old (aged) male C57BL/6 mice), as well as the functioning of neural stem cells (NSCs), neuronal-committed progenitors (NCPs), and neuroglial cells in the subventricular zone of the cerebral hemispheres (SVZ). In aged C57BL/6 mice, we found impairments in exploratory behavior, emotional reactivity, and memory, which are the characteristics of senile dementia. Therapy based on AC inhibition led to an increase in the number of NSCs and NPCs in the SVZ due to an increase in their proliferative activity. These changes were more pronounced in NCPs. At the same time, a decrease in the specialization intensity was recorded in NSCs. These phenomena developed against the background of increased secretion of neurotrophic growth factors by oligodendrocytes and microglial cells. The neuroregenerative effects of 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine correlated with the correction of age-related disorders of the psychoemotional status in aged mice. The results provide the basis for the development of targeted drugs based on AC inhibitors to stimulate neurogenesis as an approach for the effective treatment of AD.

Influence of endogenous and exogenous hormones on the cardiovascular response to lower extremity exercise and group III/IV activation in young females.

Oral contraceptive (OC) use can increase resting blood pressure (BP) in females as well as contribute to greater activation of group III/IV afferents during upper body exercise. It is unknown, however, whether an exaggerated BP response occurs during lower limb exercise in OC users. We sought to elucidate the group III/IV afferent activity-mediated BP and heart rate responses while performing lower extremity tasks during early and late follicular phases in young, healthy females. Females not taking OCs (NOC: n = 8; age: 25 ± 4 yr) and those taking OCs (OC: n = 10; age: 23 ± 2 yr) completed a continuous knee extension/flexion passive stretch (mechanoreflex) and cycling exercise with subsystolic cuff occlusion (exercise pressor reflex), which was followed by a 2-min postexercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) (metaboreflex). Data collection occurred on two occasions: once during the early follicular phase (days 1-4) and once during the late follicular phase (days 10-14) of their menstrual cycle (NOC) or during the placebo and active pill phases (OC). Resting mean arterial BP and heart rate were not different between phases in NOC and OC participants (P > 0.05). Hemodynamic responses to metaboreflex, mechanoreflex, and collective exercise pressor reflex activation were not different between phases in both groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, although OCs are known to increase BP at rest, our findings indicate that neither endogenous nor exogenous (OC) sex hormones modulate BP during large, lower limb muscle exercise with or without group III/IV afferent activation in young, healthy females.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Sex differences in the cardiovascular response to exercise have been demonstrated and may be dependent on sex hormone levels. Furthermore, oral contraceptives (OCs) have been shown to exaggerate the blood pressure response to upper extremity exercise. The results of this study indicate that neither endogenous nor exogenous (OC) sex hormones modulate BP during lower extremity dynamic exercise or with group III/IV afferent activation in young, healthy females.

Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder: Persistence of Primitive Reflexes and Related Motor Activity Issues

To identify which primitive reflex is higher and its associated problem with motor performance in children with ADHD.14 children with ADHD (4–6 years old) from pediatric clinic of Surat were checked for the presence of the asymmetric tonic neck reflex, symmetric tonic neck reflex, tonic labyrinthine reflex, Palmer, Galant, and Moro reflex test method given by sally Goddard. Motor skills were checked with the motor proficiency test (MOT 4–6 test) in those18 tasks. A child with ADHD has reflex activity in the following areas: ATNR right (42.9%), Galan right (21.4%), STNR extension (28.6%), and Moro (35.7%). Motor skills are inversely related to retained permeative reflex. ADHD Children with increased reflex activity facing difficulty on the MOT test. This study shows that ADHD symptoms are closely linked with persistence of primitive reflexes. The association between persisting primitive reflexes and motor skills suggests that ADHD symptoms may represent a compensation for unfinished developmental phases related to declining reflexes.

Bedside electromyography for clinical assessment of sacral motor and reflex activity adapted for patients hospitalized with acute neurological conditions: a pilot study.

Pilot cohort study. To develop and implement a sacral electromyographic (sEMG) technique at bedside to ascertain sparing of sacral motor activity and reflexes in patients hospitalized for acute neurological conditions. Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal a Canadian Level-1 university trauma center specialized in SCI care. Nine patients underwent digital rectal examination (DRE) and sEMG, assessing voluntary anal contraction and sacral spinal reflexes (bulbocavernosus reflex and the anal wink). Our sEMG technique utilized surface recording electrodes and tactile elicitation of reflexes. EMG signal was acquired at bedside through the Noraxon MR3 system. It was quick, well accepted and did no harm. We found that contrary to the DRE, sEMG detected subclinical sacral motor activity and reflexes in 20% of cases for voluntary anal contraction and 40% of cases for the anal wink. We believe our sEMG technique is a powerful tool able to enhance management of patients suffering from acute neurological impairments and requiring sacral function assessment.

Prenatal LPS leads to increases in RAS expression within the PVN and overactivation of sympathetic outflow in offspring rats

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) are two major blood pressure-regulating systems. The link between the renal and cerebral RAS axes was provided by reflex activation of renal afferents and efferent sympathetic nerves. There is a self-sustaining enhancement of the brain and the intrarenal RAS. In this study, prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to increased RAS activity in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and overactivation of sympathetic outflow, accompanied by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disturbances between inhibitory and excitatory neurons in PVN. The AT1 receptor blocker losartan and α2 adrenergic receptor agonist clonidine in the PVN significantly decreased renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and synchronously reduced systolic blood pressure. Prenatal LPS stimulation caused H3 acetylation at H3K9 and H3K14 in the PVN, which suggested that epigenetic changes are involved in transmitting the prenatal adverse stimulative information to the next generation. Additionally, melatonin treatment during pregnancy reduced RAS activity and ROS levels in the PVN; balanced the activity of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in the PVN; increased urine sodium secretion; reduced RSNA and blood pressure. In conclusion, prenatal LPS leads to increased RAS expression within the PVN and overactivation of the sympathetic outflow, thereby contributing to hypertension in offspring rats. Melatonin is expected to be a promising agent for preventing prenatal LPS exposure-induced hypertension.

Cardiac arrest during alveolar recruitment manoeuvre under general anaesthesia for laparoscopic surgery.

A 67-year-old woman with no history of cardiovascular disease, undergoing an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, experienced severe bradycardia and cardiac arrest immediately following an alveolar recruitment manoeuvre under general anaesthesia. Prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation restored cardiac output within 2-3 min. Postoperatively, she remained stable and was discharged following 24 h of monitoring. The cardiac arrest was likely triggered by vagal nerve stimulation and activation of intrinsic cardiac reflexes by the alveolar recruitment manoeuvre. The event emphasises a rare, but significant, risk of the routine management of pulmonary atelectasis.

In Defense of Narrative Identity

Over the past few decades, a number of philosophers, psychologists, and other scholars have used the concept of narrative as a basis for thinking about personal identity and ethical responsibility. It has been argued that, ethically, we should strive to achieve the unity that we discover in creating narratives about our lives. More recently, critical reactions to narrative theories have taken the form of a specific anti-narrative discourse. This article presents arguments in defense of the theory of narrative identity, based on the philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre and Charles Taylor, in whose thinking narrative is a central concept. The presented study defends the thesis that narrative identity is not an arbitrary contingent mental construct, but is necessarily present in human existence and is associated with the hermeneutic understanding of man as a temporary being capable of reflexive activity, constructing meanings, assessments, and goals. It is argued that narrative identity theory successfully addresses the problem of personal identity and the related question of the ethical responsibility of the subject by creating a narrative unity of the life project of an individual, in which the interrelationship between the concepts of personal identity, narration and evaluation is built. Section 1 analyses MacIntyre's concept of narrative and explains its significance for solving the problem of personal identity. Section 2 explicates the key characteristics of narrative identity: holisticity, intelligibility, teleology and the principle of self-care; it also provides responses to the criticisms of opponents who oppose the narrative concept of personal identity. Section 3 presents arguments in defence of Taylor's assertion that the ethical horizon of our existence presupposes the desire for narrative unity of the individual.

Rest and stress aortic flow analysis by CMR in MyoFit46

Abstract Background Aortic stiffness is a strong predictor of future cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Aortic stiffness has never been measured during adenosine stress perfusion before, and may provide valuable relationship about this relationship. Aim To investigate if there are differences between aortic stiffness and conditions of rest and stress perfusion, in an older age-homogenous population-based cohort. Methods 203 participants from the longitudinal 1946 Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development British birth cohort were included. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) imaging was performed at rest and during adenosine stress perfusion. 3 established and validated biomarkers of aortic stiffness were reported - pulse wave velocity, distensibility and beta stiffness, at rest and stress perfusion. All variables were non-normally distributed, therefore the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to look for significant differences between rest and stress. Results Aortic stiffness increased significantly during adenosine stress perfusion, shown by all biomarkers of aortic stiffness used: pulse wave velocity (p = <0.001), distensibility (p = <0.001), and beta stiffness (p = <0.001). However, the aortas of participants with a higher resting aortic stiffness at baseline were less dynamic (little if any aortic stiffness change with stress) when compared to those with low resting aortic stiffness. Conclusion It is feasible to measure aortic stiffness during adenosine stress perfusion. In healthy aortas, aortic stiffness increases in the acute phase of adenosine stress suggesting a new potential mechanism for the body response to adenosine – peripheral chemoreceptor reflex activation. Stiffer arteries at baseline are less modifiable and stress aortic flow CMR has the potential to identify these persons permitting early targeted therapy. Change in aortic stiffness, measured by stress aortic flow CMR is therefore a potential non-invasive biomarker of aortic health.

Molecular organization of adrenergic and noradrenergic neurons in the mouse ventrolateral medulla

Catecholaminergic neurons in the ventrolateral medulla (VLM) regulate many important aspects of physiology, including the sympathetic control of blood pressure, glucose homeostasis, immune function, and the neuroendocrine responses to inflammation and stress. Previous studies have parsed catecholaminergic VLM neurons into distinct sub-populations based on neurochemical content, connectivity, and distinct response to the activation of autonomic reflexes. However, there is no consensus for the molecular organization of catecholaminergic neurons. In this study, we used high-throughput single nuclei RNA sequencing combined with anatomically- and genetically-targeted cell-sorting of spinally-projecting and catecholaminergic neurons to systematically characterize C1 and A1 neurons in the mouse VLM. Our results, based on an analysis of 894 catecholaminergic neurons derived from a dataset of 114,805 single-nuclei transcriptomes, indicate that the VLM contains 7 molecularly distinct subpopulations of catecholaminergic neurons, including 5 adrenergic subtypes and 2 noradrenergic subtypes identified by the expression of enzymes involved in the production of catecholamine ( Th, Dbh) and the vesicular transporters for glutamate ( Slc6a17) and noradrenaline ( Slc6a2). Neurons with projections to the spinal cord were present in 4 of 5 adrenergic cell clusters, and 1 noradrenergic cell cluster. We histologically verified two novel markers of the adrenergic ( Hk2) and noradrenergic ( Eya1) neurons using RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization. Hk2 expression was found primarily in Dbh+ neurons in the rostral VLM, including both bulbospinal and non-bulbospinal neurons, as well as majority of Pnmt+ neurons in the rostral VLM and C2/C3 regions. Eya1 co-localized with Dbh and Slc6a2 consistently in the caudal VLM, aligning with the location of the A1 neurons, whereas Eya1 signal was diffuse in the rostral VLM. Collectively, this shows that Hk2 expression is enriched in adrenergic neurons as judged by conventional criteria irrespective of the cell's location in the medulla, whereas Eya1 is enriched in brainstem noradrenergic neurons and provides a marker for A1 neurons. These data show molecularly distinct adrenergic and noradrenergic neurons are spatially intermixed in the VLM, and provides novel gene markers for distinct subtypes of catecholaminergic neurons that can be used to dissect the function in future studies. This work was supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) R01 HL148004 to SBGA; and R01 HL153916, Pathway to Stop Diabetes Initiator Award 1-18-INI-14, and UVA 3Cavaliers grant to JNC. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Factor Model of Life-Planning Competence in High School Students

Life-planning competence is an integral personality trait that characterizes one’s desire and ability to implement one’s potential, i.e., knowledge, skills, experience, character traits, etc., in order to achieve one’s life objectives. It consists of motivational, cognitive, emotional, volitional, axiological, semantic, operational, reflective, and proactive components. The present research featured the life-planning competence in high school students (n = 200; 2019–2022) of the city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The resulting strategies demonstrated a connection with the concept of being-inthe-world by M. Heidegger and L. Binswanger, as well as A. Längle’s concept of fundamental existential motivations. The statistical analysis involved the principal component method with Varimax rotation and Kaiser sampling. The factor analysis revealed eight factors: 1) purposefulness, meaningfulness, and readiness for life planning; 2) cooperation; 3) reflexive activity control; 4) correlation with the world; 5) control of oneself and the situation; 6) self-awareness; 7) dynamic balance; 8) self-development. These factors connected the process of life-planning with the four existential fundamental motivations identified by A. Längle and the forms of being-in-the-world described by M. Heidegger and L. Binswanger. The high school students demonstrated a motivation for physical survival and spiritual overcoming of existence, as well as a desire to enjoy life, experience values, find self-identity, and seek justice. As teenagers, they lacked the fourth existential motivation, i.e., motivation to obtain existential meaning.

Measuring the Acoustic Reflex through the Tympanic Membrane

Introduction: The acoustic reflex is the active response of the middle ear to loud sounds, altering the mechanical transfer function of the acoustic energy into the inner ear. Our goal was to observe the effect of the acoustic reflex on the tympanic membrane by identifying a significant nonlinear increase in membrane oscillations. Methods: By using interferometric spectrally encoded endoscopy, we record the membrane oscillations over time in response to a loud, 200-ms-long acoustic stimulus. Results: A gradual reflex activation is measured between approximately 40 and 100 ms, manifested as a linear 42% increase in the umbo oscillation amplitude. Conclusion: The measured oscillations correlate well with those expected from a mechanical model of a damped harmonic oscillator, and the results of this work demonstrate the potential of interferometric spectrally encoded endoscopy to observe unique dynamical processes in the tympanic membrane and in the middle ear.

Russia Abroad vs Russian Diaspora in the Interwar Period

This article considers a relevant issue of modern historiography, i. e. the expediency of introducing the concept of “Russia Abroad” in the study of Russian emigration of the 1920s–1930s, along with the definition of “diaspora”. The task is complicated by the lack of a unified categorical apparatus and a variety of interpretations. The problem is solved based on structural and constructivist approaches, as well as comparative analysis. The authors propose their own classification of identifying features of the diaspora, highlighting the geographical (territorial), social, political, cultural, and mental blocks. The phenomenon of Russia Abroad is analysed through the prism of diasporisation. The article shows the process of institutionalisation of the Russian emigration of the 1920s, which brings it closer to the diaspora. However, its composition, unlike that of diaspora, was polyethnic. The dominant trend was the preservation of not ethnic but cultural and civic identity, which determined the structure-forming leitmotif of activity aimed at constructing its “Russia Abroad”. However, having renounced the citizenship of Soviet Russia/USSR and recognising the Soviet government as illegitimate, the emigrants unsuccessfully tried to consolidate a legal connection with the state that had disappeared from the political map of the world, trying to defend the old passports. The vectors of reflexive activity with a myth-generating potential were an ostentatious opposition to all things Soviet, the preservation of national identity and traditional values (unlike those born in the revolution), the “ethical code”, social norms, and the justification of the missionary role of emigration. Of the many institutions that claimed to have become a successor authority, the Council of Former Ambassadors headed by M. N. Girs stands out. He concentrated human, financial, material, and organisational potential in his hands and had representation at international organisations, including the League of Nations, in Geneva. The foreign diplomatic corps became the guardian of the idea of all-Russian statehood. Well-established communication links helped him to carry out tasks that were not typical of him, adapted to the new situation and focusing primarily on the settlement of the legal situation of refugees. The article concludes about the consolidating function of both mythmaking and activities aimed at reproducing the attributes of statehood. The Russian “state-like form of being” contributed to the preservation of the Russian language, national identity, and the creation of a system of Russian educational institutions and institutes of historical memory. The doom of Russia Abroad was due to both its conservatism and confrontation with the motherland. The division into two Russias could not carry a positive potential. Foreign Russia can be characterised as a diaspora, but this phenomenon goes beyond even the wide range of identification features that are given to the diaspora today.

REFLEXIVE ACTIVITY AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The article examines the problem of the quality of education in the open society, which is gaining new momentum. After all, quality education is currently the key to determining competition in the domestic and foreign markets on the path to creating a New Kazakhstan. It also reveals the importance of reflective activities to improve the strategy for developing the quality of education in the conditions of creating a new Kazakhstan. The study of reflexive activity based on the concept of a “listening state” allows us to analyze the educational activities of higher educational institutions in accordance with the interests of the individual, society and the state. The article, based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results of reflective reports of students of higher educational institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, identifies such indicators as methods of motivating teachers, methods of stimulating professional growth, cognitive aspects, emotional mood and pleasure, and also structures students’ opinions regarding the actions and attitudes of teachers. It is noted that students' opinions about the quality of education largely depend on themselves, their perceptions and ability to reflect on their actions. Therefore, we can say with confidence that reflective activity is the main factor not only in personal development, but also in improving the quality of education

Evaluation of prenatal calabash chalk geophagy on the developing brain of Wistar rats

Calabash chalk (CaC) is an aluminium silicate hydroxide compound with heavy metal constituents, making it a potential neurotoxicant. Pregnant women often consume CaC as an antiemetic, which may interfere with the normal development of the foetal brain. Here, we evaluated the effects of CaC administration in pregnant rats on the brain of the offspring. Wistar rat dams were assigned to one of three groups: control, 200 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of a CaC suspension. Administrations lasted 14 days (gestation days 7–20). On day 14, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered and dams were allowed to term. Behavioural tests were performed on different days as the pups matured, and they were sacrificed on post-natal days 30 and 60. Brains were processed for histology and Western blotting. Results showed no significant differences in surface righting reflex, cliff avoidance, negative geotaxis and open-field activity. No hippocampal and somatosensory cortical cytoarchitectonic alterations and no significant signs of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) activation were observed. Neuronal nuclei counts showed variability in the somatosensory cortex and hippocampus of the CaC group. BrdU-positive cells were significantly lower in the 200 mg/kg group and higher in the 800 mg/kg group. Doublecortin-X-positive cells were not different in all the CaC groups. Astrocytes and microglia Western blotting quantification confirmed no significant increase in pup glial cells in adulthood. Prenatal consumption of CaC at indicated dosages may not be deleterious to the developing brain, especially after cessation of exposure and during maturation of the animal. However, the differences in neuronal and glial populations may be due to their ability to cope with CaC.