Does One Size Fit All? Drug Resistance and Standard Treatments: Results of Six Tuberculosis Programmes in Former Soviet Countries.

SETTING: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries in the region faced a dramatic increase in tuberculosis cases and the emergence of drug resistance. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the relevance of the DOTS strategy in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of one-year treatment outcomes of short-course chemotherapy (SCC) and results of drug susceptibility testing (DST) surveys of six programmes located in the former Soviet Union: Kemerovo prison, Russia; Abkhasia, Georgia; Nagorno-Karabagh, Azerbaijan; Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan; Dashoguz Velayat, Turkmenistan; and South Kazakhstan Oblast, Kazakhstan. Results are reported for new and previously treated smear-positive patients. RESULTS: Treatment outcomes of 3090 patients and DST results of 1383 patients were collected. Treatment success rates ranged between 87% and 61%, in Nagorno-Karabagh and Kemerovo, respectively, and failure rates between 7% and 23%. Any drug resistance ranged between 66% and 31% in the same programmes. MDR rates ranged between 28% in Karakalpakstan and Kemerovo prison and 4% in Nagorno-Karabagh. CONCLUSION: These results show the limits of SCC in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance. They demonstrate that adapting treatment according to resistance patterns, access to reliable culture, DST and good quality second-line drugs are necessary

Effects of the entrance channel and fission barrier in synthesis of superheavy element ZZ=120

The fusion and evaporation residue cross sections for the $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf and $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reactions calculated by the combined dinuclear system and advanced statistical models are compared. These reactions are considered to be used to synthesize the heaviest superheavy element. The $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf reaction is more mass asymmetric than $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm and the fusion excitation function for the former reaction is higher than the one for the latter reaction. The evaporation residue excitation functions for the mass asymmetric reaction is higher in comparison with the one of the $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reaction. The use of the mass values of superheavy nuclei calculated in the framework of the macroscopic-microscopic model by the Warsaw group leads to smaller evaporation residue cross section for both the reactions in comparison with the case of using the masses calculated by Peter M\"oller {\it et al}. The $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf reaction is more favorable in comparison with the $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reaction: the maximum values of the excitation function of the 3n-channel of the evaporation residue formation for the $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf and $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reactions are about 0.1 and 0.07 pb, respectively, but the yield of the 4n-channel for the former reaction is lower (0.004 pb) in comparison with the one (0.01 pb) for the latter reaction.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

Essential spectra and exponential estimates of eigenfunctions of lattice operators of quantum mechanics

This paper is devoted to estimates of the exponential decay of eigenfunctions of difference operators on the lattice Z^n which are discrete analogs of the Schr\"{o}dinger, Dirac and square-root Klein-Gordon operators. Our investigation of the essential spectra and the exponential decay of eigenfunctions of the discrete spectra is based on the calculus of so-called pseudodifference operators (i.e., pseudodifferential operators on the group Z^n) with analytic symbols and on the limit operators method. We obtain a description of the location of the essential spectra and estimates of the eigenfunctions of the discrete spectra of the main lattice operators of quantum mechanics, namely: matrix Schr\"{o}dinger operators on Z^n, Dirac operators on Z^3, and square root Klein-Gordon operators on Z^n

Essential spectra of difference operators on \sZ^n-periodic graphs

Let (\cX, \rho) be a discrete metric space. We suppose that the group \sZ^n acts freely on $X$ and that the number of orbits of $X$ with respect to this action is finite. Then we call $X$ a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. We examine the Fredholm property and essential spectra of band-dominated operators on $l^p(X)$ where $X$ is a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. Our approach is based on the theory of band-dominated operators on \sZ^n and their limit operators. In case $X$ is the set of vertices of a combinatorial graph, the graph structure defines a Schr\"{o}dinger operator on $l^p(X)$ in a natural way. We illustrate our approach by determining the essential spectra of Schr\"{o}dinger operators with slowly oscillating potential both on zig-zag and on hexagonal graphs, the latter being related to nano-structures

Modeling the registration efficiency of thermal neutrons by gadolinium foils

In the paper we present the results of mathematical modeling of the registration efficiency of thermal neutrons for the converters made of natural Gd and its 157 isotope plane-parallel foils. In the performed calculations four fixed energies of neutrons with the corresponding wavelengths of 1, 1.8, 3 and 4 $A^0$ are taken into account. We calculate the efficiencies of the converter for electron escapes to frontward and backward hemispheres and their sum, depending on thickness of converting foils. Results of comparison of our calculations with the experimental data are presented.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Конверсия на эверолимус с целью сохранения функции почек при трансплантации сердца, персонализированный подход при выборе иммуносупрессивной терапии

Heart transplantation is the «gold standard» of treatment severe heart failure. Patient survival after heart transplantation has improved dramatically since the  availability of calcineurin inhibitor (CNIs). However, nephrotoxicity of CNIs has been  largely responsible for the progressive development of renal dysfunction and  reduces long-term patient survival. Use mTOR inhibitor in immunosuppressive  therapy may improve renal function when everolimus is administered associated  with a progressive reduction of CNIs. The purpose of our report is to demonstrate  the successful case of conversion of the recipient after heart transplantation to  everolimus and to evaluate the effectiveness of this drug during the observation year after heart transplantation.На сегодняшний день трансплантация сердца остается «золотым стандартом» лечения терминальной стадии хронической сердечной недостаточности. Выживаемость пациентов после трансплантации сердца значительно улучшилась с момента внедрения в клиническую практику ингибиторов кальциневрина (CNI). Однако отдаленные результаты выживаемости ограничены,  что обусловлено развитием побочных эффектов на фоне длительного приема  иммуносупрессивной терапии. Нефротоксичность, обусловленная длительным приемом  ингибиторов кальциневрина, приводит к нарушению функции почек с развитием почечной  недостаточности, что ухудшает прогноз у реципиентов в отдаленном периоде. Применение сертикана в схемах иммуносупрессивной терапии позволяет редуцировать дозу ингибиторов  кальциневрина, тем самым оказывая положительное влияние на почечную функцию у  реципиентов после трансплантации сердца. Цель нашего сообщения: продемонстрировать  успешный случай конверсии на эверолимус у реципиента после трансплантации сердца и оценить эффективность использования данного препарата в течение года наблюдения