Corruption factor through the prism of social-demographic aspects: political and economic context

Objective: to determine the impact of socio-demographic factors and characteristics of political and economic changes on corruption.Methods: the work uses the methods of comparative analysis, construction of conjugation tables, and the index method; the information base is the public opinion monitoring data in Vologda oblast, with 1,500 respondents filling in questionnaires at their place of residence. The sample is random and quota; representativeness is ensured by the proportions observed between the residents of settlements of different types, gender and age structure of the population; sampling error does not exceed 3 %.Results: manifestations of corruption have been the subject matter of scientific discourse for quite a long time, but the research approaches have been constantly expanding from the historical, legal, and economic points of view. The article considers corruption as a multidimensional phenomenon and analyzes it from the perspective of an integrative approach, which implies taking into account territorial aspects, socio-demographic factors, and the citizens’ perception of the political and economic situation in the country and in the region. The analysis of the assessment results of the public opinion about the corruption level in the region showed that the authorities and the health care system are the most susceptible to corruption. The assessment of the territorial prevalence of corruption showed that the corruption index values along the “center – periphery” line are higher in the regional center than in the districts. It was also revealed that differences in the socio-demographic characteristics insignificantly influence the perception of changes in the corruption level, unlike the perception of corruption depending on the economic and political situation in the region.Scientific novelty: Based on the analysis of the results of the corruption level monitoring in the region, it is shown that positive assessments of the political and economic situation are associated with an unchanged or decreased level of corruption perception. Hence, good and very good assessments of the economic situation were more often associated with a decrease in the corruption level last year.Practical significance: the identified links between corruption, socio-demographic, political and economic factors can serve as a basis for adjusting and improving anti-corruption policy at the regional and state level

Experience of Organization and Holding Festival of Youth Cultures in Nizhny Tagil

The authors of the article share the experience of implementing a social project, during which a platform was created to meet the needs of creative youth in self-improvement and demonstration of their achievements, etc. Series of events - exhibition projects, competitions, screenings, concerts, performances, lectures, master classes, etc. allowed to unite artists, musicians, actors, directors, etc. for creative communication.Авторы статьи делятся опытом реализации социального проекта, в ходе которого была создана площадка для реализации потребностей творческой молодежи в самосовершенствовании и демонстрации своих достижений т. д. Цикл мероприятий - выставочные проекты, конкурсы-просмотры, концерты, спектакли, лекции, мастер-классы и т. д. позволили объединить художников, музыкантов, артистов, режиссеров и т.д. для творческого общения

Influence of the aftereffect of mineral fertilizers on the productivity of a long-term phytocenosis in the conditions of the Privilyui agrolandscape of the middle taiga subzone of Yakutia

The article provides the research of 2011-2019 on studying the long-term influence of the aftereffect of 36-year application of mineral fertilizers on the productivity and nutritional value of long-term meadow phytocenoses. In a stationary experiment with a radical improvement of meadows, the following variants for applying mineral fertilizers were studied from 1974 to 2010: the minimum level was N62P60K11 (control), the average level was N202P175K43, and the maximum level was N318P362K189. In the conditions of the Privilyui agrolandscape of the middle taiga subzone of Yakutia, a long-term aftereffect of fertilizers (from 2011 to 2019) contributed to the preservation of the main dominant in the grass stand - couch grass (Elymus repens (L.) Nevski) up to 27.4-42.1 % and codominant – short-awned barley (Hordeum brevisubulatum (Trin) Link.) up to 14.7-24.3 %. During the aftereffect of fertilizers, the yield of cereal-forb phytocenosis averaged 1.71-2.03 t/ha of hay, which is 2.1-2.5 times higher than the yield of natural meadows. At the same time, hay forage contained up to 8.9-9.1 MJ of exchange energy, up to 0.62-0.65 feed units, and up to 80-90 g of digestible protein, which corresponds to the zootechnical norm

Здоровье молодого поколения в контексте модернизации территории

The study focuses on estimating the health status of youth population and determining its influence on labor potential, labor productivity and wages that are examined with regard to one of the major economic development issues that is the necessity to modernize territorial entities in the Russian Federation. Applying system approach to research that implies the use of time series of statistical as well as sociological data (broken down territory and with due regard to age groups of population) allowed to increase the representativeness of quantitative characteristics received in the course of generalization. The results of the comparative analysis of workplace requirement and labor potential indices identify that the values of these indicators among youth are more differentiated than among the other population. The results also reveal that young people whose health status and labor potential are good or excellent are more productive and earn more compared to the rest of the youth.Авторы акцентируют внимание на оценке состояния здоровья населения, в том числе молодежи, и определении его влияния на качество трудового потенциала, производительность и оплату труда, рассматриваемых, в свою очередь, с учетом одной из важнейших задач экономического развития - необходимости модернизации территориальных образований в Российской Федерации. Применение системного подхода к исследованию, предполагающего использование динамических рядов как статистических, так и социологических данных (в территориальном разрезе и с учетом возрастных групп населения), позволило повысить репрезентативность полученных в ходе обобщения количественных характеристик. Результаты сравнительного анализа индекса требований рабочих мест и индекса качества трудового потенциала свидетельствуют о большем различии между значениями данных показателей у молодежи по сравнению с другими группами населения. По результатам исследования не только установлено, что молодежь с отличным и хорошим состоянием здоровья определяет более высокое качество трудового потенциала, но и получены количественные характеристики, позволяющие оценить величину превышения показателей производительности и оплаты труда по сравнению с аналогичными показателями для других групп молодых людей

The Role of TLR4 in the Paclitaxel Effects on Neuronal Growth In Vitro

Paclitaxel (Pac) is an antitumor agent that is widely used for treatment of solid cancers. While being effective as a chemotherapeutic agent, Pac in high doses is neurotoxic, specifically targeting sensory innervations. In view of these toxic effects associated with conventional chemotherapy, decreasing the dose of Pac has been recently suggested as an alternative approach, which might limit neurotoxicity and immunosuppression. However, it remains unclear if low doses of Pac retain its neurotoxic properties or might exhibit unusual effects on neuronal cells. The goal of this study was to analyze the concentration-dependent effect of Pac on isolated and cultured DRG neuronal cells from wild-type and TLR4 knockout mice. Three different morphological parameters were analyzed: the number of neurons which developed neurites, the number of neurites per cell and the total length of neurites per cell. Our data demonstrate that low concentrations of Pac (0.1 nM and 0.5 nM) do not influence the neuronal growth in cultures in both wild type and TLR4 knockout mice. Higher concentrations of Pac (1-100 nM) had a significant effect on DRG neurons from wild type mice, affecting the number of neurons which developed neurites, number of neurites per cell, and the length of neurites. In DRG from TLR4 knockout mice high concentrations of Pac showed a similar effect on the number of neurons which developed neurites and the length of neurites. At the same time, the number of neurites per cell, indicating the process of growth cone initiation, was not affected by high concentrations of Pac. Thus, our data showed that Pac in high concentrations has a significant damaging effect on axonal growth and that this effect is partially mediated through TLR4 pathways. Low doses of Pac are devoid of neuronal toxicity and thus can be safely used in a chemomodulation mode. © 2013 Ustinova et al

Up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in primary afferent pathway regulates colon-to-bladder cross-sensitization in rat

Background In humans, inflammation of either the urinary bladder or the distal colon often results in sensory cross-sensitization between these organs. Limited information is known about the mechanisms underlying this clinical syndrome. Studies with animal models have demonstrated that activation of primary afferent pathways may have a role in mediating viscero-visceral cross-organ sensitization. Methods Colonic inflammation was induced by a single dose of tri-nitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) instilled intracolonically. The histology of the colon and the urinary bladder was examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. The protein expression of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel of the vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were examined by immunohistochemistry and/or western blot. The inter-micturition intervals and the quantity of urine voided were obtained from analysis of cystometrograms. Results At 3 days post TNBS treatment, the protein level of TRPV1 was increased by 2-fold (p \u3c 0.05) in the inflamed distal colon when examined with western blot. TRPV1 was mainly expressed in the axonal terminals in submucosal area of the distal colon, and was co-localized with the neural marker PGP9.5. In sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), BDNF expression was augmented by colonic inflammation examined in the L1 DRG, and was expressed in TRPV1 positive neurons. The elevated level of BDNF in L1 DRG by colonic inflammation was blunted by prolonged pre-treatment of the animals with the neurotoxin resiniferatoxin (RTX). Colonic inflammation did not alter either the morphology of the urinary bladder or the expression level of TRPV1 in this viscus. However, colonic inflammation decreased the inter-micturition intervals and decreased the quantities of urine voided. The increased bladder activity by colonic inflammation was attenuated by prolonged intraluminal treatment with RTX or treatment with intrathecal BDNF neutralizing antibody. Conclusion Acute colonic inflammation increases bladder activity without affecting bladder morphology. Primary afferent-mediated BDNF up-regulation in the sensory neurons regulates, at least in part, the bladder activity during colonic inflammation

НЕОАДЪЮВАНТНАЯ И АДЪЮВАНТНАЯ ХИМИОГОРМОНАЛЬНАЯ ТЕРАПИЯ У БОЛЬНЫХ РАКОМ ПРЕДСТАТЕЛЬНОЙ ЖЕЛЕЗЫ ВЫСОКОГО И КРАЙНЕ ВЫСОКОГО РИСКА ПРОГРЕССИРОВАНИЯ: СОБСТВЕННЫЙ ОПЫТ

Background. The approach to the management of prostate cancer with lymph node metastases has recently moved towards aggressive multimodal treatment with the use of the most rational combinations that are currently available.Objective: to assess the efficacy and tolerability of chemohormonal therapy (CHT) in patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer.Materials and methods. An open prospective clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of neoadjuvant and adjuvant CHT in patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer was initiated in 2016 at the P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute. Patient recruitment is still ongoing.A total of 64 patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer (сT3N0–T3N+М0, prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≥20 ng/mL, and Gleason score of 8–10)  were recruited since July 2016. All patients were examined prior to treatment initiation and after 3 and 6 courses of therapy. The examination included pelvic magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging of the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal space, transrectal ultrasound imaging, and chest radiography or computed tomography. Serum PSA level was evaluated before each course of therapy. Bone scintigraphy was performed before treatment and after its completion. Study participants were divided into two groups. Group A included patients that initially underwent surgical treatment and then 6 courses of CHT no later than 6 weeks after surgery: docetaxel 75 mg/m2 given intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle and oral prednisolone 10 mg/day. Patients also received hormonal therapy with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (aLHRH) given in depot injections every 28 days.Group B included patients that initially received 6 courses of CHT: docetaxel 75 mg/m2 given intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle and oral prednisolone 10 mg/day. After that, patients underwent radical prostatectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy no later than 4 weeks after the completion of chemotherapy. Patients also received hormonal therapy with aLHRH given in depot injections every 28 days. The total treatment duration was 6 months.Results. The group of adjuvant CHT included 24 patients with high-risk prostate cancer (T3b–4N+М0 with at least 5 regional lymph node metastases detected by morphological examination of surgical specimens). All patients had Gleason score 8–10 tumors. Mean age of patients was 63.0 ± 7.7 years (range: 46–72 years). In total, all patients received 142 courses of CHT. By the time of publishing this article, 23 (96 %) of patients completed their treatment.The group of neoadjuvant CHT included 40 patients with very high-risk prostate cancer (T3b–4N+М0 with metastases to pelvic and retroperitoneal lymph nodes detected by instrumental examination). All patients had Gleason score 8–10 tumors. Mean age of patients was 61.0± 6.4 years (range: 43–69 years). In total, all patients received 236 courses of CHT. By the time of publishing this article, 36 (90 %) of patients completed their treatment. Thirty-five patients (87 %) underwent radical prostatectomy with extensive pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Routine pathological examination demonstrated that all patients had signs of tumor destruction. Thirty-three participants (94 %) had grade II therapeutic pathomorphosis, whereas 2 patients (6 %) had grade III therapeutic pathomorphosis.Median PSA relapse-free survival (PSA-RFS) rate in the neoadjuvant CHT group was 10 months. Serum PSA of 0.1 ng/mL 1 month postoperatively correlated with longer RFS (р = 0.04). Biochemical relapse (PSA level >0.2 ng/mL) was observed in 6 patients (15 %) from this group. Later these patients received hormonal therapy with aLHRH. Median PSA-RFS in the adjuvant CHT group was 11 months.The main adverse events in the two groups were hematological toxicity, observed in 24 patients (34.29 %), and gastrointestinal toxicity, observed in 9 patients (12.86 %) (diarrhea (n = 6) and stomatitis (n = 3)). Only grade I–II toxicity was registered so far. Two patients (3.1 %) had febrile neutropenia, which required cytostatic dose reduction by 20 %. Relatively good tolerability and acceptable quality of life allowed the vast majority of patients to be treated on an outpatient basis.Conclusion. So far, we can make only a preliminary conclusion that adjuvant and neoadjuvant CHT is a promising treatment strategy for high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer.Введение. На сегодняшний день взгляд на проблему лечения рака предстательной железы (РПЖ) с наличием метастазов в лимфатических узлах изменился в сторону применения агрессивного мультимодального подхода с использованием наиболее рациональных комбинаций среди всех имеющихся методов воздействия.Цель исследования – оценка переносимости и эффективности химиогормональной терапии (ХГТ) у больных РПЖ высокого и крайне высокого риска прогрессирования.Материалы и методы. В МНИОИ им. П.А. Герцена в 2016 г. инициировано и продолжает набор открытое проспективное клиническое исследование по оценке эффективности и переносимости неоадъювантной и адъювантной ХГТ у больных РПЖ высокого и крайне высокого риска прогрессирования.За период с июля 2016 г. по настоящее время в исследование включены 64 больных РПЖ высокого и очень высокого риска прогрессирования (сT3N0–T3N+М0, уровень простатического специфического антигена (ПСА) ≥20 нг/мл, сумма баллов по шкале Глисона 8–10).  Всем больным обследование проводили перед началом лечения, после 3 и 6 курсов в объеме: магнитно-резонансная томография органов малого таза, ультразвуковое исследование органов брюшной полости, забрюшинного пространства, трансректальное ультразвуковое исследование, рентгенография или компьютерная томография органов грудной клетки. Исследование уровня ПСА выполняли перед каждым курсом терапии, остеосцинтиграфию проводили перед лечением и по его завершению. Больные разделены на 2 группы.Группа А – пациенты, которым на 1-м этапе лечения выполняли хирургическое вмешательство, далее не позднее 6 нед проводили 6 курсов ХГТ в режиме: доцетаксел в дозе 75 мг/м2 внутривенно в 1-й день 21-дневного цикла на фоне перорального приема преднизолона в дозе 10 мг/сут. Гормональную терапию осуществляли депо-формой аналога лютеинизирующего гонадотропин-рилизинг-гормона (аЛГРГ) в виде инъекций каждые 28 дней.Группа В – пациенты, которым на 1-м этапе лечения проводили 6 курсов ХГТ в режиме: доцетаксел в дозе 75 мг/м2 внутривенно в 1-й день 21-дневного цикла на фоне перорального приема преднизолона в дозе 10 мг/сут с последующим выполнением хирургического вмешательства в объеме радикальной простатэктомии с тазовой лимфаденэктомией не позднее 4 нед после завершения лекарственного лечения. Гормональная терапия включала депо-форму аЛГРГ в виде инъекций каждые 28 дней.Длительность лечения в группах составила 6 мес.Результаты. В группу адъювантной ХГТ включены 24 больных РПЖ очень высокого риска прогрессирования (T3b–4N+М0 с наличием не менее 5 метастазов в регионарных лимфатических узлах по результатам планового морфологического исследования операционного материала). По данным гистологического исследования у всех больных верифицированы опухоли с суммой баллов по шкале Глисона 8–10.  Средний возраст пациентов составил 63,0 ± 7,7 года (46–72  года). Всего проведено 142 курса ХГТ. На момент подведения результатов 23 (96 %) больных завершили весь объем лекарственного лечения.В группу неоадъювантной ХГТ включены 40 больных РПЖ крайне высокого риска прогрессирования (T3b–4N+М0 с наличием метастазов в тазовых, забрюшинных лимфатических узлах по результатам инструментального обследования). По данным гистологического исследования у всех больных верифицированы опухоли с суммой баллов по шкале Глисона 8–10.  Средний возраст пациентов составил 61,0 ± 6,4 года (43–69  лет). Всего проведено 236 курсов ХГТ. На момент анализа 36 (90 %) пациентов завершили весь объем лекарственного лечения. Хирургическое лечение в объеме радикальной простатэктомии с расширенной тазовой и парааортальной лимфаденэктомией проведено 35 (87 %) больным. По данным планового патоморфологического исследования у всех больных зафиксированы признаки поражения опухоли. Так, у 33 (94 %) пациентов отмечен лекарственный патоморфоз II степени, у 2 (6 %) больных – III степени.Медиана ПСА-безрецидивной выживаемости (ПСА-БРВ) в группе неоадъювантной ХГТ составила 10 мес. Уровень ПСА 0,1 нг/мл через 1 мес после операции коррелировал с более длительной БРВ (р = 0,04). Биохимический рецидив (уровень ПСА >0,2 нг/мл) зарегистрирован у 6 (15 %) больных в данной группе. В дальнейшем эти пациенты получали гормональную терапию аЛГРГ. Медиана ПСА-БРВ в группе адъювантной ХГТ составила 11 мес.Основными нежелательными явлениями в 2 группах были гематологическая токсичность у 24 (34,29 %) пациентов и гастроинтестинальная токсичность у 9 (12,86 %) (диарея (n = 6), стоматит (n = 3)), однако они не превышали I–II степень. Гематологическая токсичность III степени была зарегистрирована у 6 (8,57 %) больных. У 2 (3,1 %) пациентов была отмечена фебрильная нейтропения, потребовавшая редукции дозы цитостатика на 20 %. Относительно удовлетворительная переносимость и приемлемый уровень качества жизни позволили подавляющему числу больных проводить лечение в амбулаторных условиях.Заключение. Небольшое число наблюдений позволяет сделать только предварительное заключение о практическом применении адъювантной и неоадъювантной ХГТ как перспективном направлении в лечении РПЖ высокого и крайне высокого риска прогрессирования

Integrative genetic map of repetitive DNA in the sole Solea senegalensis genome shows a Rex transposon located in a proto-sex chromosome

Repetitive sequences play an essential role in the structural and functional evolution of the genome, particularly in the sexual chromosomes. The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a valuable flatfish in aquaculture albeit few studies have addressed the mapping and characterization of repetitive DNA families. Here we analyzed the Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and Transposable elements (TEs) content from fifty-seven BAC clones (spanning 7.9 Mb) of this species, located in chromosomes by multiple fluorescence in situ hybridization (m-BAC-FISH) technique. The SSR analysis revealed an average density of 675.1 loci per Mb and a high abundance (59.69%) of dinucleotide coverage was observed, being 'AC' the most abundant. An SSR-FISH analysis using eleven probes was also carried out and seven of the 11 probes yielded positive signals. 'AC' probes were present as large clusters in almost all chromosomes, supporting the bioinformatic analysis. Regarding TEs, DNA transposons (Class II) were the most abundant. In Class I, LINE elements were the most abundant and the hAT family was the most represented in Class II. Rex/Babar subfamily, observed in two BAC clones mapping to chromosome pair 1, showed the longest match. This chromosome pair has been recently reported as a putative sexual proto-chromosome in this species, highlighting the possible role of the Rex element in the evolution of this chromosome. In the Rex1 phylogenetic tree, the Senegalese sole Rex1 retrotransposon could be associated with one of the four major ancient lineages in fish genomes, in which it is included O. latipes

Long-term outcomes of combined coronary bypass surgery and carotid endarterectomy in patients with type 2 diabetes

At present, there are no studies on the analysis of the incidence of complications in patients with concomitant lesions of the coronary and internal carotid arteries (ICA) after combined operation of carotid endarterectomy (CE) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) against the background of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is no doubt that this condition can be a predictor of cardiovascular and wound complications during in-hospital and long-term postoperative periods.Aim. To study in-hospital and long-term outcomes of combined CABG+CE in patients with and without type 2 diabetes.Material and methods. This multicenter retrospective study for the period from January 2015 to December 2019 included 653 patients with concomitant atherosclerotic lesions of ICA and coronary arteries, who underwent combined CE+CABG. Depending on presence of type 2 diabetes, 2 groups were formed: group 1 (n=183) — patients with type 2 diabetes; group 2 (n=471) — patients without type 2 diabetes. The duration of postoperative follow-up was 37,8±14,9 months.Results. During hospitalization, significant differences in the incidence of death (group 1 =1,1%; group 2 =1,0%; p=0,97), myocardial infarction (MI) (group 1 =1,1%; group 2 =0,8%; p=0,76), bleeding events (group 1 =1,1%; group 2 =0,8%; p=0,76) were not detected. However, stroke (group 1 =3,8%; group 2 =0,4%; p=0,0008), sternal wound infection and mediastinitis (group 1 =3,3%; group 2 =0,2%; p=0,0006) were significantly more often developed in patients with type 2 diabetes.In the long-term follow-up period, death (group 1 =6,6%; group 2 =1,1%; p<0,0001), MI (group 1 =4,9%; group 2 =0,8%; p=0,0008), stroke (group 1 =7,7%; group 2 =1,5%; p<0,0001), ICA restenosis (group 1 =8,8%; group 2 =1,6%; p<0,0001), repeated emergency myocardial revascularization (group 1 =7,2%; group 2 =1,5%; p=0,0002), repeated emergency cerebral revascularization (group 1 =8,8%; group 2 =1,6%; p<0,0001) were significantly more often recorded in patients with type 2 diabetes.Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and its comparison using the log rank test revealed that the death, MI, and stroke were also significantly more often observed in patients with type 2 diabetes (p=0,0007, p=0,003, p<0,0001, respectively).Conclusion. Patients with type 2 diabetes who are referred for combined CE+CABG are at an increased risk of stroke, sternal wound infection and mediastinitis in the in-hospital postoperative period, as well as all adverse cardiovascular events in the long-term follow-up period