Everything below concerns ACTH analog. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Last reviewed on 2026-07-14. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in the Soviet Union during the 1980s by researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow. It was designed as a truncated analog of adrenocorticotropic hormone, retaining only the fragment spanning residues four through ten. Investigators sought a peptide that would preserve the cognitive effects associated with ACTH while eliminating the hormonal stimulation of the adrenal cortex. The compound entered clinical use in Russia during the following decade.
Russian regulatory authorities approved the peptide for nasal administration, and it remains listed in the national pharmacopoeia under several trade names. Documented indications include acute ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attacks, traumatic brain injury, and certain ophthalmological and neurological conditions. Physicians also prescribe it for cognitive complaints in older patients, although the evidence base for that use is thinner. Outside Russia and a few neighboring states, the substance is not an approved medicine and is sold instead as a research chemical.
Later generations of the molecule include an N-acetylated form and an amidated form, both marketed online alongside the parent peptide. These variants differ in terminal chemistry and stability, and they are frequently discussed in the same breath even though they have not been compared in controlled trials. Supply outside formal healthcare systems comes largely from laboratories that synthesize peptides to order. Purity and identity of these materials vary widely, and no single body oversees the international trade.
The mechanisms attributed to semax are inferred from animal and cell studies rather than traced to one confirmed target. The most frequently cited pathway involves increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in hippocampal and cortical tissue. Some work points to engagement of melanocortin receptors, particularly MC4, which the parent ACTH fragment can activate. Effects on dopaminergic and serotonergic signalling have also been reported. No single account explains all observed results, and the relative weight of each pathway remains unsettled.
Published studies examine a fairly narrow set of endpoints. Rodent experiments commonly measure maze learning, infarct volume after induced ischemia, and tissue levels of neurotrophic factors. Clinical reports from Russian centres describe attention, memory and recovery scores in patients after stroke or transient ischemic attack. Most of those human studies are small and few have been repeated by independent groups. Outcome measures differ between studies, which limits direct comparison.
Circulation time for the peptide is short because peptidases cleave it readily. The Pro-Gly-Pro tail is thought to slow breakdown compared with the bare ACTH fragment, but the gain appears modest. Absorption after intranasal dosing is limited, and only a fraction of a dose is expected to reach the central nervous system. Laboratory concentrations therefore sit well above levels achieved systemically, a gap that complicates translation from bench findings to clinical claims.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular class | Synthetic heptapeptide | Analog of an ACTH fragment |
| Amino acid length | Seven residues | Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro |
| Origin | Moscow, 1980s | Institute of Molecular Genetics |
| Approved regions | Russia and some neighboring states | Not cleared in Western markets |
| Common trade names | Multiple national brands | Sold as a nasal formulation |
Semax 是人工设计的七肽，序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro，骨架取自促肾上腺皮质激素片段 ACTH(4-10)。它于二十世纪八十年代在苏联的分子遗传学研究机构内合成。设计目标是保留该片段与注意力和记忆相关的活性，同时剔除促皮质激素释放等内分泌作用。此后俄罗斯将其登记为药品并进入临床使用。
当时的短肽研究普遍关注能否穿越血脑屏障、在低剂量下产生中枢效应，Semax 属于这一路线。鼻内给药是其主要使用方式，俄语文献报道的适应症涵盖缺血性卒中、短暂性脑缺血发作、认知功能减退以及视神经病变。这些研究大多发表在当地期刊上，样本规模与终点设置同西方试验惯例存在差异，国际同行对其临床证据的强度看法不一。
Once dissolved, the peptide is considerably less stable than the solid. Aqueous solutions are usually prepared at neutral to slightly acidic pH, filtered, and divided into single-use aliquots before freezing. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are a common cause of avoidable loss and are best prevented by never refreezing a thawed aliquot. Adsorption to plastic and glass surfaces can lower the measured concentration of dilute solutions, particularly below roughly 0.1 mg/mL. Buffer choice, salt content, and container material all influence how much peptide remains detectable after storage.
Identity and purity are established with standard peptide methods. Reversed-phase HPLC with ultraviolet detection near 214 nm resolves the parent peak from deletion and truncation byproducts, and reports typically quote a main-peak percentage. Mass spectrometry by electrospray or MALDI-TOF confirms the expected molecular mass, while amino acid analysis or peptide mapping can verify composition when the sequence itself is in question. A certificate of analysis that pairs a chromatogram with a mass spectrum is more informative than a purity figure alone. Counter-ion content and residual solvents are separate specifications and are frequently omitted.
Antibiotics for bacterial infections. Antivirals for viral infections. Antifungals for fungal infections. Antiprotozoals for protozoan infections. Antihelminthics for infections caused by parasitic worms. Infectious diseases remain a significant global health concern; communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases together accounted for an estimated 18.6% of global deaths in 2017. The branch of medicine that focuses on infections is referred to as infectious diseases.
However, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv had "nothing to do" with the attack and said Russian anti-Kremlin guerrilla groups were responsible. The Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) later claimed responsibility for the attack, with the Legion claiming to have taken the border town of Kozinka and reached Graivoron. Evacuations were ordered in nine villages and a counter-terrorist operation were ordered in the affected areas by the regional government, while the Russian military dispatched fighter jets and artillery to the scene. The Institute for the Study of War later assessed that two "all-Russian pro-Ukrainian" groups had crossed the border with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other armoured vehicles. Attacks were also reported on offices of the Interior Ministry and the FSB in Belgorod city. Gladkov later said 13 civilians were injured, damage was recorded in 29 houses and three cars were damaged and electricity was lost in 14 settlements. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly issued a declaration recognizing Russian atrocities in Ukraine as "genocide" according to the head of the Ukrainian delegation Yehor Cherniev. He said that the declaration included support for an international tribunal for Russian war crimes, helping Ukraine win the war and a commitment to help restore the country's territories by implementing more sanctions.
In clinical terms, a potentiator is a reagent that enhances sensitization of an antigen. Potentiators are used in the clinical laboratory for performing blood banking procedures that require enhancement of agglutination to detect the presence of antibodies or antigens in a patient's blood sample. Examples of potentiators include albumin, LISS (low ionic-strength saline) and PEG (polyethylene glycol). Potentiators are also known as enhancement reagents. Albumin acts as a potentiator by reducing the zeta potential around the suspended red blood cells, thus dispersing the repulsive negative charges and enhancing agglutination. Low ionic strength saline (LISS) is a potentiator that acts by not only reducing the zeta potential, but also by increasing the amount of antibody taken up by the red blood cell during sensitization. LISS is a solution of glycine and albumin. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a LISS solution removes water from the system and thus concentrates the antibodies present. PEG can cause non-specific aggregation of cells, thus eliminating the necessity for centrifugation after 37 °C (98.6 °F) incubation. PEG is not appropriate for use in samples from patients with increased plasma protein, such as patients with multiple myeloma. False-positive results may occur more frequently with the use of polyethylene glycol due to its strong agglutination capabilities.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
27 March The Event Horizon Telescope team confirms that strong magnetic fields are spiralling at the edge of the Milky Way's central black hole, Sagittarius A*. A new image released by the team, similar to M87*, suggests that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes. A study calculates the production costs of diabetes medications such as insulin and ozempic and finds them to be much lower than market prices. 28 March – LHS 3844 b is confirmed as the first tidally locked super-Earth exoplanet. Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: researchers demonstrate simultaneous radiative cooling and solar power generation from the same area (13 Mar). Promising results of health and medical research are reported: a blood test against colon cancer (13 Mar), mice-tested antibody-mediated depletion of myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cells against immune system aging (27 Mar). Hazard research is published: a small trial links micro- and nanoplastics in carotid artery plaque to higher cardio and mortality risks (6 Mar), U.S. land area of ~1200 km² is threatened by coastal subsidence by 2050 due to sea level rise (6 Mar), an EEA risk assessment finds Europe underprepared for climate risks across five broad clusters (11 Mar), a preprint trial suggests large language models could be used for tailored manipulation, being more persuasive than humans when using personal information (21 Mar).
=== Neonicotinoids === Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine, with much lower acute mammalian toxicity and greater field persistence. These chemicals are acetylcholine receptor agonists. They are broad-spectrum systemic insecticides, with rapid action (measured in minutes or hours). They are applied as sprays, drenches, seed and soil treatments. Treated insects exhibit leg tremors, rapid wing motion, stylet withdrawal (aphids), disoriented movement, paralysis and death. Imidacloprid, of the neonicotinoid family, is the most widely used insecticide in the world. In the late 1990s neonicotinoids came under increasing scrutiny over their environmental impact and were linked in a range of studies to adverse ecological effects, including honey-bee colony collapse disorder (CCD) and loss of birds due to a reduction in insect populations. In 2013, the European Union and a few non EU countries restricted the use of certain neonicotinoids. and its potential to increase the susceptibility of rice to planthopper attacks.
In contrast, sleep-related hypoventilation occurs when there is a malfunction of the brain's drive to breathe. The underlying cause of the loss of the wakefulness drive to breathe encompasses a broad set of diseases from strokes to severe kyphoscoliosis.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
genotyping The process of determining differences in the genotype of an individual by examining the DNA sequences in the individual's genome using bioassays and comparing them to another individual's sequences or a reference sequence.
Solutions of hypochlorites can be produced in-situ by electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution in both batch and flow processes. The composition of the resulting solution depends on the pH at the anode. In acid conditions the solution produced will have a high hypochlorous acid concentration, but will also contain dissolved gaseous chlorine, which can be corrosive; at a neutral pH the solution will be around 75% hypochlorous acid and 25% hypochlorite. Some of the chlorine gas produced will dissolve forming hypochlorite ions. Hypochlorites are also produced by the disproportionation of chlorine gas in alkaline solutions.
where ρ is the resistivity; i.e. the resistance R is inversely proportional to the cross section area S of the resistor. The reason why Poiseuille's law leads to a different formula for the resistance R is the difference between the fluid flow and the electric current. Electron gas is inviscid, so its velocity does not depend on the distance to the walls of the conductor. The resistance is due to the interaction between the flowing electrons and the atoms of the conductor. Therefore, Poiseuille's law and the hydraulic analogy are useful only within certain limits when applied to electricity. Both Ohm's law and Poiseuille's law illustrate transport phenomena.
A later vertebrate study identified protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor F (PTPRF), a member of the LAR family, as a conserved cognate receptor for the glucogenic actions of asprosin. In zebrafish, two Ptprf paralogs (ptprfa/b) are expressed in liver, bind asprosin with nanomolar affinity, and are required for asprosin-induced hyperglycemia and upregulation of gluconeogenic genes; soluble Ptprf ligand-binding domains neutralize the glucogenic effects and lower basal glucose, while ptprfa/b knockout fish show hypoglycemia and a blunted response to asprosin but normal responses to glucagon. In mice, PTPRF is expressed in liver and binds asprosin; Ptprf-deficient animals exhibit impaired asprosin-induced glucose production and reduced hepatic G6pc and Pck1 induction, and Ptprf deletion improves glucose tolerance without altering Olfr734 expression. Mechanistically, the same study showed that asprosin promotes insulin receptor and Akt dephosphorylation via PTPRF, counteracting insulin's suppression of gluconeogenesis and suggesting that chronic asprosin–PTPRF signaling contributes to hepatic insulin resistance. Several other independent studies have confirmed asprosin's glucogenic function.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It originated at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow during the 1980s. The work was carried out by a Russian research group that specialized in peptide neuropharmacology.
It is registered as a medicine in Russia and has been used clinically there for decades. No regulatory agency in Western Europe or North America has approved it for any indication.
Semax corresponds to the four-to-ten fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Because it omits the first three residues, it lacks the adrenal-stimulating action of the full hormone.
It consists mainly of animal experiments and small clinical reports, with much of the clinical material published in Russian-language journals. Large independent trials are scarce. Separating reliable effects from chance findings is consequently difficult.