Antioxidants and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia

Аim: development of an algorithm for the use of antioxidant cognitive-behavioral therapy in adult patients with functional dyspepsia.Material and methods. The study included 112 adult patients with functional dyspepsia receiving the antioxidant drug Cytoflavin containing succinic acid, inosine, nicotinamide and riboflavin, and cognitive behavioral therapy according to the method of Beck and Jacobson in addition to the main therapy (prokinetics, proton pump inhibitors, psychotropic drugs).Results. Of the total group, 74 patients had an optimal response to the inclusion of an antioxidant and psychotherapy in the treatment regimen (increased quality of life and reduced anxiety) and 38 patients had the insignificant response. It has been established that the main predictors of the successful use of an extended treatment regimen are the patient's disadaptation in relation to the disease, a recent stress factor, the duration of functional dyspepsia, the presence of an overlap syndrome (combination with other functional gastrointestinal disorders).Conclusions. Based on the collection of a small amount of anamnestic information (the duration of functional dyspepsia, the presence of an acute stress factor in the anamnesis), the assessment of the presence of an overlap syndrome and disadaptation in relation to the patient to his illness, the value of the discriminant function is calculated. After comparing it with a threshold, the probability of a positive response to a combination of antioxidant and cognitive-behavioral therapy is estimated. The developed prediction algorithm is valid (sensitivity — 91 %, specificity — 73 %, accuracy — 84.8 %) and allows to optimize the definition of treatment tactics for a patient with functional dyspepsia

A Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki

Amphibians are in global decline, and anthropogenic activities are known leading causes of their demise. Thus the interaction between agriculture and amphibian health has been examined for decades. Many facets of amphibian physiology and ecology place them at high risk among the nontarget organisms affected by agricultural byproducts. Research has shown that many chemicals and fertilizers affect amphibian growth, reproduction, and survival. The impacts differ based on the type of agricultural byproduct (e.g., chemical pesticide or nutrient-heavy fertilizer) and amphibian species, but the effects are usually negative. However, minimal research exists on how organic biopesticides interact with amphibian populations. Biopesticides utilize insecticidal bacteria as the active ingredient in lieu of synthetic chemicals. The inert ingredients present in biopesticide commercial products are considered safe to nontarget organisms. The present study tested the impacts of a commercial biopesticide on the survival of amphibian embryos and larvae. We found that expected environmental concentrations of the microbial biopesticide Monterrey B.t. did not significantly reduce survival in embryos or larvae. However, the higher doses used to assess threshold toxicity levels caused significant mortality. Our data suggest that biopesticides are not directly harmful to amphibian embryos or larvae in concentrations regularly applied for pest control. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;39:155–161. © 2019 SETAC