Evaluation of the Clinical Efficacy of Prednisolone in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases with Different Dosage Methods

Aim: to investigate the clinical efficacy of two methods of oral dosing of prednisolone (in mg and mg/kg) for the induction of remission for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) using the technology of constructing and evaluating the effectiveness function (dose-effect relationship).Material and methods. In this study were included 86 patients aged from 18 to 65 years with moderate or severe active inflammatory bowel disease (61 — UC, 25 — CD). All patients were treated with prednisolone at an initial daily dose from 30 to 60 mg with a subsequent tapering of dose. The clinical response to treatment was evaluated at the time of complete withdrawal of prednisolone using the generally accepted criteria. Two efficiency functions were constructed, compared and analyzed: the first — at the initial dosage of prednisolone in mg and the second calculating the dose in mg/kg of patient weight. The patients' body weight ranged from 41 to 98 kg. The “dose-effect” relationship for prednisolone was constructed with statistical transformation of the baseline clinical data and a quantitative expression of the actual doses and alternative responses into a graph of the effectiveness function. The mean value at each point was estimated based on the regression kernel scoring method.Results. Two graphs of the “dose-effect” of prednisolone in mg and mg/kg of patient weight were constructed. The optimal clinically effective dose (OCED) when calculated in mg/kg of weight was 0.70 ± 0.01 (0.68 + 0.72) mg/kg with the corresponding effect 79.25 ± 6.26 (66.62 91.88) %. When two graphs in mg and mg / kg of weight were superimposed, it is shown that when an initial dose of 40 mg is prescribed without taking into account the patient's weight, the effect of therapy will be 25 % lower. Prescribing a dose of 60 mg per day without weight will be optimal for patients with a body weight of 85-90 kg. With a lower body weight, the clinical effect will not decrease, but the likelihood of recognized side effects of prednisolone should be expected in proportion to the decrease in body weight.Conclusion. The clinical efficacy of two methods of prednisolone dosing (mg and mg/kg) for patients with IBD during the first induction course was compared.Using a new technology for constructing and evaluating the effectiveness function (dose-effect relationship) allowed us to prove a reliable relationship between the body weight of patients with the clinical effect of prednisolone in patients with UC and CD. Based on the analysis of the dose-effect relationship, the optimal clinically effective dose of prednisolone for patients with UC and CD during the first induction course was established, equal to 0.70 mg/kg, which can be recommended for use in clinical practice for calculating individual doses

Epithets in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go status and perspectives

The paper focuses on the analysis of the status of the epithet in the contemporary literary text of K. Ishiguro. The pertinence of the study stems from the fact that in Western linguistics, there is no tradition to consider the epithet as a distinct and independent stylistic means, and its main features have not been widely distinguished; in some cases, researchers endow the epithet with the function of the characters’ personality descriptio

SEM and AFM studies of two-phase magnetic alkali borosilicate glasses

The morphology and composition of four types of two-phase alkali borosilicate glasses with magnetic atoms prepared by inductive melting have been studied. The results of scanning electron microscopy point to uniform distribution of Na, Si, and O atoms in these samples whilemagnetic iron atoms formball-shaped agglomerates. The magnetic properties of these agglomerates have been confirmed by magnetic force microscopy. Atomic force microscopy had shown that in these samples two different morphological structures, drop-like and dendrite net, are formed. The formation of dendrite-like structure is a necessary condition for production of porous magnetic glasses. The obtained results allowus to optimize the melting and heat treatment processes leading to production of porous alkali borosilicate glasses withmagnetic properties. The first results for nanocompositematerials on the basis ofmagnetic glasses containing the embedded ferroelectrics KH2PO4 demonstrate the effect of applied magnetic field on the ferroelectric phase transition. The morphology and composition of four types of two-phase alkali borosilicate glasses with magnetic atoms prepared by inductive melting have been studied. The results of scanning electron microscopy point to uniform distribution of Na, Si, and O atoms in these samples whilemagnetic iron atoms formball-shaped agglomerates. The magnetic properties of these agglomerates have been confirmed by magnetic force microscopy. Atomic force microscopy had shown that in these samples two different morphological structures, drop-like and dendrite net, are formed. The formation of dendrite-like structure is a necessary condition for production of porous magnetic glasses. The obtained results allowus to optimize the melting and heat treatment processes leading to production of porous alkali borosilicate glasses withmagnetic properties. The first results for nanocompositematerials on the basis ofmagnetic glasses containing the embedded ferroelectrics KH2PO4 demonstrate the effect of applied magnetic field on the ferroelectric phase transition.DAA

THE STUDY OF DIAGNOSTIC POTENTIAL OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC TO THE MEMBRANE PROTEIN OF CHOLERA AGENT IN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOASSAY

Objective of the study was to develop peroxidase conjugate on the base of monoclonal antibodies (MCA) H2F6 and to study the possibility of its application for the detection of tcp+ Vibrio cholerae O1/O139 strains using direct ELISA methods.Materials and methods. Utilized for the investigation was the hybrid H2F6 clone, which synthesized monoclonal antibodies specific to the outer membrane protein of cholera vibrio into culture medium.Results and conclusions. Peroxidase conjugate was designed on the base of MCA which allows for the detection of tcp+ V. cholerae O1 and O139 strains in direct solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dot-ELISA. The preparation was tested on a group of strains of V. cholerae and heterologous microorganisms and showed specificity in relation to V. cholerae O1 and O139. Monoclonal peroxidase conjugate H2F6 can be used for the detection of epidemically significant V. cholerae O1/O139 strains by means of immune-enzyme methods

The Role of Vesicles in Transporting of Cholera Toxin

The review reports on the secretion pathways of the main virulence factor of Vibrio cholerae, cholera toxin, both through the two-stage Sec-dependent type 2 secretion system and with the help of vesicles of the outer membrane of V. cholerae. The ways of toxin transfer into the host organism, depending on its form, are discussed. The well-studied free soluble cholera toxin is secreted extracellularly and transmitted in a GM1-dependent manner through cholesterolrich lipid rafts. The transfer of cholera toxin associated with vesicles has advantages over free toxin, because substances inside the outer membrane vesicles are protected from external proteases and host antibodies by the membrane that forms the vesicle. Vesicular transporting of cholera toxin into the target cell occurs via clathrin-dependent, caveolin-dependent and lipid raft-dependent endocytosis. The specific transport route is determined by the structure of the vesicles. Clathrindependent endocytosis is described for V. cholerae strains cultivated at low osmolarity of the medium, whose outer membrane vesicles contain the cholera toxin subunit A inside. Lipid raft-dependent endocytosis is characteristic of vesicles in which cholera toxin is located on the surface. In addition, endocytosis of V. cholerae outer membrane vesicles through structures known as caveolae is presented

Effect of Yb3+ doping level on the structure and spectroscopic properties of ZnO optical ceramics

This work was partly supported by the RFBR (Grant 19-03-00855).Zinc oxide optical ceramics with hexagonal structure doped with 0.6 –5.0 wt% Yb were fabricated by uniaxial hot pressing of commercial oxide powders at 1180 °C in vacuum. The ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, EDX, X-ray and optical spectroscopy. It is shown that Yb3+ ions are distributed between C-type Yb2O3 sesquioxide crystals and ZnO grain boundaries. The Yb3+ doping of ZnO ceramics enhances the near-band-edge emission of zinc oxide. ZnO:Yb optical ceramics are promising for optoelectronic applications. © 2021 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.RFBR (Grant 19-03-00855); The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2

СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН, ПРОБЛЕМИ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ВИКЛАДАННЯ ПЕДІАТРІЇ АНГЛОМОВНИМ СТУДЕНТАМ

The aim of the work – an analysis of the current state and experience of teaching Pediatrics to English-speaking students 4th and 5th years of study at the Department of Pediatrics No. 2 of the Kharkiv National Medical University.The main body. Teaching Pediatrics to English-speaking students requires a high level of professional training, pedagogical skills and fluency in English.  In order to improve the quality of foreign students’ training, permanent search and introduction of modern innovative technologies, regular updating of guidance papers, production of manuals and textbooks taking into account international standards for the delivering of medical care for children are required.Conclusion. Reducing the number of students in groups and cohorts, advancing the material and technical resources (computerization, development of phantom classes, etc.) will improve the quality of training and mastery of practical skills.Мета роботи – аналіз сучасного стану та досвіду викладання педіатрії англомовним студентам 4-го та 5-го років навчання на кафедрі педіатрії № 2 Харківського національного медичного університету.Основна частина. Викладання педіатрії англомовним студентам вимагає високого рівня професійної підготовки, педагогічної майстерності та вільного володіння англійською мовою. Для підвищення якості підготовки іноземних студентів на кафедрі проводиться постійний пошук та впровадження сучасних інноваційних технологій, регулярне оновлення методичних матеріалів, створення навчальних посібників та підручників з урахуванням міжнародних стандартів надання медичної допомоги дітям.Висновок. Зменшення кількості студентів у групах та лекційних потоках, удосконалення матеріально-технічної бази (комп’ютеризація, розвиток фантомних класів тощо) дозволить поліпшити якість навчання та оволодіння практичними навичками

Spatial tactile sensitivity among people working in service sector

В работе описывается использование психофизических методов в исследовании профессиональной деятельности, профессиональной пригодности. Исследованы пространственные пороги чувствительности у мастеров – парикмахеров и мастеров–маникюристов, показана их связь с продолжительностью работы в профессии. В рамках психофизического подхода выявлены различия в выборке парикмахеров и маникюристов по специфическим психофизическими характеристикам, в частности, по динамике тактильной дифференциальной чувствительности в ходе увеличения стажа работы, а также по внутренним взаимосвязям в структуре дифференциальной тактильной чувствительности.This research work is devoted to the using of psychophysical methods in professional activity, professional selection. Spatial tactile thresholds of hairdressers and manicurists are described. Interrelations between different types of spatial tactile sensitivity and duration of professional activity are shown. According to the psychophysical approach, there are some significant differences of specific psychophysical and psycho physiological characteristics, especially in dynamics of tactile differential sensitivity during increase of duration of professional activity, and in internal interrelations in structure of differential tactile sensitivity

Study of the Surface Antigenic Determinants of <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> Strains with Atypical Agglutinability Using the Panel of Monoclonal Antibodies

The aim of the work was to study surface antigenic determinants of V. cholerae R-variant strains using enzyme immunoassay and a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs).Materials and methods. 60 strains of V. cholerae R-variant isolated from ambient environment objects in the territories of the former USSR and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation over a 30-year period (1988–2019) were investigated in the slide agglutination reaction with cholera diagnostic sera, enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) using the panel of MAbs specific to membrane proteins and a set of reagents “Monoclonal diagnostic immunoglobulins labeled with horseradish peroxidase, dry, for serological identification of V. cholerae O1 and O139 (in vitro) through ELISA and dot-ELISA”.Results and discussion. The analysis of the surface structures of V. cholerae R-variant strains with atypical agglutinability has been carried out applying enzyme immunoassay. It showed that individual strains with different amounts of O-antigen are registered among the studied strains identified at isolation as V. cholerae R-variant (the optical density range is from 0.261±0.002 to 1.312±0.003). Epitopes of specific O-antigen were found in some “conservative” strains (30 %) that are agglutinated only with RO serum, and in several strains (20 %) that do not have the wbeT gene that determines its synthesis, and lost agglutinability with all diagnostic cholera sera, including RO. The protein epitopes recognized by complementary MAbs are represented with varying frequency in the composition of surface antigens of R-vibrios; a decrease in their representation or absence on the cell surface correlates with the modification or loss of R-LPS and is accompanied by a negative agglutination reaction