Pathological Heart Rate Regulation in Apparently Healthy Individuals

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults worldwide. There is one common pathophysiological aspect present in all cardiovascular diseases—dysfunctional heart rhythm regulation. Taking this aspect into consideration for cardiovascular risk predictions opens important research perspectives, allowing for the development of preventive treatment techniques. The aim of this study was to find out whether certain pathologically appearing signs in the heart rate variability (HRV) of an apparently healthy person, even with high HRV, can be defined as biomarkers for a disturbed cardiac regulation and whether this can be treated preventively by a drug-free method. This multi-phase study included 218 healthy subjects of either sex, who consecutively visited the physician at Gesundheit clinic because of arterial hypertension, depression, headache, psycho-emotional stress, extreme weakness, disturbed night sleep, heart palpitations, or chest pain. In study phase A, baseline measurement to identify individuals with cardiovascular risks was done. Therefore, standard HRV, as well as the new cardiorhythmogram (CRG) method, were applied to all subjects. The new CRG analysis used here is based on the recently introduced LF drops and HF counter-regulation. Regarding the mechanisms of why these appear in a steady-state cardiorhythmmogram, they represent non-linear event-based dynamical HRV biomarkers. The next phase of the study, phase B, tested whether the pathologically appearing signs identified via CRG in phase A could be clinically influenced by drug-free treatment. In order to validate the new CRG method, it was supported by non-linear HRV analysis in both phase A and in phase B. Out of 218 subjects, the pathologically appearing signs could be detected in 130 cases (60%), p < 0.01, by the new CRG method, and by the standard HRV analysis in 40 cases (18%), p < 0.05. Thus, the CRG method was able to detect 42% more cases with pathologically appearing cardiac regulation. In addition, the comparative CRG analysis before and after treatment showed that the pathologically appearing signs could be clinically influenced without the use of medication. After treatment, the risk group decreased eight-fold—from 130 people to 16 (p < 0.01). Therefore, progression of the detected pathological signs to structural cardiac pathology or arrhythmia could be prevented in most of the cases. However, in the remaining risk group of 16 apparently healthy subjects, 8 people died due to all-cause mortality. In contrast, no other subject in this study has died so far. The non-linear parameter which is able to quantify the changes in CRGs before versus after treatment is FWRENYI4 (symbolic dynamic feature); it decreased from 2.85 to 2.53 (p < 0.001). In summary, signs of pathological cardiac regulation can be identified by the CRG analysis of apparently healthy subjects in the early stages of development of cardiac pathology. Thus, our method offers a sensitive biomarker for cardiovascular risks. The latter can be influenced by non-drug treatments (acupuncture) to stop the progression into structural cardiac pathologies or arrhythmias in most but not all of the patients. Therefore, this could be a real and easy-to-use supplemental method, contributing to primary prevention in cardiology.Peer Reviewe

Emotional intelligence and behavior styles of Russian middle managers in business communication

The study focuses on emotional intelligence and preferred negotiating styles of managers at work. There were 162 respondents (22 to 60 years old, MD=36.38) from a Russian food manufacturing company approached to study their negotiating experience with clients, customers, vendors, etc. The following methods were used: the Emotional Intelligence ("EQ") Test, the Emotional Intelligence ("EmIn") Test, negotiating style determination procedure, "Your Business Communication Style" test, the Conflict Mode Instrument, and authors' questionnaire. Data was processed with Pearson’s r correlation and regression coefficient and factor analysis (main component analysis). Results of the study revealed a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and the preferred negotiating styles. As a result, it was concluded that people-oriented interaction style correlates with developed interpersonal emotional intelligence; their relationship is indirect with other variables in between. Regression analysis revealed a relationship between emotional intelligence and process orientation in negotiations. This study was the first one to theoretically develop and empirically test the possibility of studying a relationship between the levels of emotional intellect and preferred negotiating styles.peer-reviewe

TARGET THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH NEUROFIBROMATOSIS (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Актуальность представленного обзора обусловлена высокой частотой нейрофиброматоза 1 типа (NF1) и нейрофиброматоз 2 типа (NF2) в популяции и частой ассоциацией с развитием злокачественных новообразований. Целью подготовки обзора является анализ данных литературы, которые описывают результаты применения таргетных препаратов лечения новообразований у пациентов с нейрофиброматозом Результатами литературного поиска стало обобщение современных подходов к проведению таргетной терапии нейрофброматоза как NF1, так и NF2 типов. Представлены данные о фармакогенетике и принципах этиопатогенетической терапии с использованием следующих препаратов таргетной терапии: бевацизумаб, эрлотиниб, иматиниб, сорафениб., сиролимус. Сводная таблица с результатами обзора содержит сведения из 39 литературных источников. По мнению большинства авторов, инновационная таргетная терапия нейрофиброматоза может оказаться эффективной у многих пациентов с распространёнными формами заболевания. The relevance of the presented review is due to the high incidence of type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1) and type 2 neurofibromatosis (NF2) in the population and frequent association with the development of malignant neoplasms. The purpose of the review is to analyze literature data that describe the results of the use of targeted drugs for the treatment of neoplasms in patients with neurofibromatosis. The results of the literary search became a generalization of modern approaches to targeted therapy of neurofromatosis both NF1 and NF2 types. The results of the literary search became a generalization of modern approaches to targeted therapy of neurofromatosis both NF1 and NF2 types. Data on pharmacogenetics and the principles of etiopathogenetic therapy with the use of the following targeted therapy are presented: bevacizumab, erlotinib, imatinib, sorafenib, sirolimus. The summary table with the results of the survey contains information from 39 literature sources. According to the majority of authors, innovative target therapy of neurofibromatosis can be effective in many patients with advanced forms of the disease

Сравнительная выявляемость плоскостных протяженных дефектов листового проката методами отражения и прохождения

Introduction. Currently, sheet metal is the main structural material for multi-purpose use. The actual task of the industry is to improve the quality of rolled sheet. It allows to ensure the necessary reliability of structures and products of especially critical use. The regulatory documents currently in force allow an ultrasonic testing of sheet metal by reflection or by transmission method. Due to lack of specific recommendations it becomes unclear which of the methods is preferable to use.Aim. An estimation of the maximum detectability of rolled sheet planar extended defects by reflection methods (echo method) and by transmission methods (shadow and mirror-shadow methods).Materials and methods. Based on analysis of the equations of acoustic paths, formulas were determined. The formulas allow one to evaluate an ultimate detectability of planar discontinuities of plate rolling by echo, shadow and mirror-shadow methods in a contact version by longitudinal waves. Experimental studies were conducted under computer simulation using the Mathcad mathematical package.Results. Integral expressions for calculating of amplitudes of echo signal from a plane defect, of bottom signal in defect-free and defective areas and their ratio for the echo method were obtained. The expressions for calculating of amplitudes of transmitted and bottom signals in defective and defect-free areas and their ratio for shadow and mirror-shadow methods were determined. Based on the numerical analysis, an estimation of the maximum detectability of planar extended defects of sheet metal was realized. It is possible to detect defects with a thickness of 5 pm by reflection methods and with a thickness more than 100 pm by transmission methods.Conclusion. It was established that reflection methods have better capabilities for detecting plane defects by longitudinal waves. The conditions for reducing of the thickness of the equivalent layer associated with an increase in transducers wave size were determined. It was shown that in order to detect defects with a small thickness, it is more expedient to give preference to the echo method of ultrasonic testing.Введение. В настоящее время листовой прокат является основным конструкционным материалом многоцелевого назначения. Актуальной задачей промышленности является повышение качества толстолистового проката. Это позволяет в дальнейшем обеспечивать необходимую надежность конструкций и изделий особо ответственного назначения. Действующие в настоящее время нормативные документы допускают проведение ультразвукового контроля листового проката методами отражения или прохождения. В силу отсутствия конкретных рекомендаций по применению того или иного метода становится неочевидным, какой из методов использовать предпочтительней.Цель работы. Оценка предельной выявляемости плоскостных несплошностей толстолистового проката методами отражения (эхометод) и методами прохождения (теневой и зеркально-теневой методы).Материалы и методы. На основании анализа уравнений акустических трактов определены соотношения, позволяющие оценивать предельную выявляемость плоскостных несплошностей толстолистового проката эхо-, теневым и зеркально-теневым методами с использованием продольных волн. Теоретические исследования проводились компьютерным моделированием с использованием математического пакета Mathcad.Результаты. Получены интегральные выражения для расчета амплитуд эхосигнала от плоскостного дефекта, донного сигнала на бездефектном и дефектном участках и их соотношение для эхометода. Определены выражения для расчета амплитуд прошедших и донных сигналов на дефектном и бездефектном участках и их соотношение для теневого и зеркально-теневого методов. На основе численного анализа выполнена оценка предельной выявляемости плоскостных дефектов листового проката: методами отражения возможно выявление дефектов раскрытием 5 мкм, методами прохождения - более 100 мкм.Заключение. Установлено, что методы отражения обладают лучшими возможностями по выявлению плоскостных дефектов продольными волнами. Определены условия уменьшения толщины эквивалентной прослойки, связанные с увеличением волнового размера преобразователей. Показано, что с целью выявления дефектов с малым раскрытием при контроле листового проката целесообразнее отдавать предпочтение эхометоду ультразвукового контроля

Energy Policy of the European Union: Challenges and Possible Development Paths

Energy policy is an important part of economic, environmental, and overall public policy of each country. For a long time, energy policy is being one of the most significant issues of each state and depends on many factors, including the availability of fossil energy sources and the geographic location of the country, access to natural resources, as well as political relations between energy exporters and importers. The article aims at analyzing the views of foreign authors on the assessment of the energy policy in the European countries in the context of further diversification and security of fuel supply, energy market liberalization, and renewable energy development. The article discusses the current state of energy policy of the EU member countries. The main tenet of this policy is the requirement to resolve the problems existing in the energy sector to ensure energy security. The EU countries import more than half of all energy consumed, and reducing this dependence provides for the completion of the gas market liberalization, the deployment of low-carbon technologies, renewable energy development, as well as enhancement of energy efficiency and energy saving. The authors analyze the energy policies of France and Germany, which are leaders in European energy policy. Besides, the article presents historical analysis of changes in the EU energy policy vector, as well as the main provisions of the new energy strategy to resolve European energy security problem. The article is prepared based on the analysis of works of foreign and Russian authors including politicians, officials, and researchers, as well as analysts and experts in the energy industry. Keywords: EU, energy policy, energy security, fuel sources, energy efficiency, energy conservation, energy intensity. JEL classifications: Q40, Q43, Q4

Ocean Modeling on a Mesh With Resolution Following the Local Rossby Radius

We discuss the performance of the Finite Element Ocean Model (FESOM) on locally eddy-resolving global unstructured meshes. In particular, the utility of the mesh design approach whereby mesh horizontal resolution is varied as half the Rossby radius in most of the model domain is explored. Model simulations on such a mesh (FESOM-XR) are compared with FESOM simulations on a smaller-size mesh, where refinement depends only on the pattern of observed variability (FESOM-HR). We also compare FESOM results to a simulation of the ocean model of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPIOM) on a tripolar regular grid with refinement toward the poles, which uses a number of degrees of freedom similar to FESOM-XR. The mesh design strategy, which relies on the Rossby radius and/or the observed variability pattern, tends to coarsen the resolution in tropical and partly subtropical latitudes compared to the regular MPIOM grid. Excessive variations of mesh resolution are found to affect the performance in other nearby areas, presumably through dissipation that increases if resolution is coarsened. The largest improvement shown by FESOM-XR is a reduction of the surface temperature bias in the so-called North-West corner of the North Atlantic Ocean where horizontal resolution was increased dramatically. However, other biases in FESOM-XR remain largely unchanged compared to FESOM-HR. We conclude that resolving the Rossby radius alone (with two points per Rossby radius) is insufficient, and that careful use of a priori information on eddy dynamics is required to exploit the full potential of ocean models on unstructured meshes

Modeling Cerebral Blood Flow Dependence on Carbon Dioxide and Mean Arterial Blood Pressure in the Immature Brain With Accounting for the Germinal Matrix

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is one of the most critical complications in the development of preterm infants. The likelihood of IVH is strongly associated with disturbances in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and with microvascular fragility in the germinal matrix (GM). The CBF value and its reactivity to changes in arterial carbon dioxide pressure (pCO2) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) are relevant indicators in the clinical assessment of preterm infants. The objective of the present study is mathematical modeling of the influence of pCO2 and MABP on CBF in immature brain, based on clinical data collected from 265 preterm infants with 23–30 gestational weeks. The model was adapted to the peculiarities of immature brain by taking into account the morphological characteristics of the GM capillary network and vascular reactivity, according to gestational and postnatal age. An analysis of model based values of CBF and its reactivity to changes in MABP and pCO2 was performed separately for each gestational week and for the first two days of life both for preterm infants with and without IVH. The developed model for the estimation of CBF was validated against equivalent experimental measurements taken from the literature. A good agreement between the estimated values of CBF, as well as its reaction on changes in MABP and pCO2 and the equivalent values obtained in experimental studies was shown

Вакцинопрофилактика пневмококковой инфекции у детей

Pneumococcal infection remains one of the leading reasons for infant mortality from vaccine-preventable infections. Today vaccination is the most effective way to prevent diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant pneumococci. In the article, authors present current approaches to vaccinal prevention of pneumococcal diseases. The plan of action for carrying out active immunoprophylaxis of pneumococcal infection is explained in detail for both healthy children and patients from risk groups for severe pneumococcal diseases development. The published work is based on key points of the guidelines of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on vaccinal prevention of pneumococcal infection (developed and approved by the professional association of pediatricians «The Union of Pediatricians of Russia»).Пневмококковая инфекция остается одной из ведущих причин детской смертности от вакциноуправляемых инфекций. Вакцинация на сегодняшний день является наиболее эффективным направлением профилактики заболеваний, вызываемых устойчивыми к антибактериальным препаратам пневмококкам. В статье коллективом авторов представлены актуальные подходы к вакцинопрофилактике болезней пневмококковой этиологии. Подробно разъяснен алгоритм действий при проведении активной иммунопрофилактики пневмококковой инфекции как здоровых детей, так и пациентов из групп риска по развитию тяжелых форм пневмококковых заболеваний. Публикация основана на ключевых позициях методических рекомендаций Министерства здравоохранения РФ по вакцинопрофилактике пневмококковой инфекции (разработанных и утвержденных профессиональной ассоциацией детских врачей «Союз педиатров России»).КОНФЛИКТ ИНТЕРЕСОВАвторы статьи подтвердили отсутствие конфликта интересов, о котором необходимо сообщить