Educational robotics as an Innovative teaching practice using technology: minimization of risks

This research is focused on studying educational robotics, specifically robots which provide functions of educational activity. We have considered the questions of intelligent agents' behavior and have studied their educational opportunities. Educational robotics is a powerful tool of developing person's skills and abilities in various fields of technical creativity and professional activity. The evolutionary development of robotics is connected with development of artificial intelligence, where emotions play a great role in operations. Nowadays the main thing is to form the ability and skills of optimum interaction with social environment when a person, based on gained knowledge, is capable to put goals of the activity in strict accordance with laws and society conditions and using current technology

Etiology of chronic esophagitis in children

Chronic esophagitis in children is heterogeneous in etiology. A study covered 83 patients aged 3 to 17 years with histologically defined chronic esophagitis, 58 of them suffered from food and respiratory allergies. All children underwent endoscopy, morphological and immune-histochemical study of biopsies of esophagus to check presence of mucosal IgE, IgA, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein – Barr virus. Chronic infection was found in 77 of 83 (92.8%) children. All the patients underwent daily pH meter. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was diagnosed in 33 children, characterized by typical symptoms combined with gastroduodenal pathology, usually HP-associated, and increased gastric secretion. Mild inflammation was morphologically identified in 15% of patients with gastric metaplasia. Allergic esophagitis was not associated with either clinical or endoscopic obvious manifestations; eosinophilic infiltration was observed in several patients, inflammatory activity was lower than at gastroesophageal reflux disease or infections. Esophagitis in chronic viral infection was characterized by higher frequency of erosive changes and more marked inflammation. The combination of three etiological factors is associated with a more severe lesion of esophagus

Predictors of Cardiac Complications of Abdominal and Small Pelvic Surgery in Elderly and Senile Patients

In elderly and senile patients, extracardiac surgery frequently leads to cardiovascular complications. For their prevention, it is necessary to early detect patients with a potentially poor postoperative period. Routine preoperative examination is of limited prognostic value and instrumental techniques are inaccessible. Objective: to reveal the predictors of cardiac complications of abdominal and small pelvic surgery in elderly and senile patients. Subjects and methods. The study covered 82 patients (63 men and 19 women) aged over 60 years who had undergone at least one-hour open operations on the abdomen and small pelvis at the A. A. Vishnevsky Central Military Hospital Three in 2008—2011. In addition to routine procedures, the preoperative examination comprised the calculation of the Lee, Goldman, and Detsky scores and, in 35 patients, determination of NT-proBNP concentrations. Results. The logistic regression method applying the values routinely measured prior to surgery was used to make a cardiac complication-predicting model that included the Detsky index and blood glucose levels. Its dividing capacity proved to be satisfactory – AUC 0.75. Inclusion of echocardiographic data in the model failed to substantially improve its prognostic capacity. The cardiomarker NT-proBNP was the most effective predictor of postoperative complications. As its value became higher, there was an increase in the frequency of cardiac complications (p<0.001); AUC was 0.96. Conclusion. NT-proBNP is a highly effective predictor of postoperative complications in elderly and senile patients and may be included into preoperative screening. Key words: elderly and senile age, abdominal surgery, heart failure, surgery risk assessment, natriuretic peptides, Lee index, Goldman index, Detsky index, NT-proBNP