Automated generation of test units for diagnosis and development of cognitive skills

The paper presents the architecture of a web-based system for automated generation of test units for diagnostics and development of cognitive skills. The system supports a database (DB) containing information objects of different type (text, images), including metadata used in the generation process. The database is updated through queries to external information sources (to supply the objects themselves) and with next addition of attributes. For example, an image can be accompanied by a textual description and metadata (as part of an e-learning process), a Bulgarian lexema - with automatically generated phonetic transcription and syllabicate, and so on. The supported and updated specific image metadata system (including color, size, purpose, etc.) and for lexams (composite sounds, syllables, etc.) provides an opportunity to generate test units for diagnosis and cognitive development. The selection of objects from DB suitable for insertion in a test unit of a certain type (for example, to distinguish objects with different characteristics) is performed by a query to the database for extraction of objects according to the value of the accompanying metadata

The impact of medical and psychological counseling with the use of remote technologies on the profile of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Introduction: The development of new preventive approaches using medical and psychological counseling and distance technologies may contribute to better control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (RF CVD). Aim: Evaluating the effectiveness of medical and psychological counseling using remote technologies for control and correction of the main RF CVD. Materials and methods: The study included 140 patients, average age was 53 ± 17 years (54% were men) who were included in the group of medical and psychological counseling using remote technologies (experimental group, n = 70) or in the group of standard care (control group, n = 70). At the beginning and end of the study, patients from both groups filled in specially created questionnaires. Patients of the experimental group received regular remote medical and psychological counseling by phone; information materials via internet messengers; SMS reminders. In 12 months, the severity of RF CVD in two groups was compared. Results: Medical and psychological counseling with the use of remote technologies during 12 months led to significant improvement in RF CVD: achievement of target blood pressure (p <0.01), physical activity (p <0.01), consumption of 400 g per day of vegetables and fruits (p <0.01), decrease in body mass index (p <0.001) and waist circumference (p <0.01), decrease in cholesterol level (p <0.01), in a subgroup of smoking patients - reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day. There were no statistically significant differences in blood glucose and volume of consumed alcoholic beverages between groups. Conclusions: Medical and psychological counseling of patients with cardiovascular diseases using remote technologies (telephone calls, internet messengers, SMS reminders) can be an effective tool for monitoring and correcting various RF CVD.Введение: разработка новых профилактических подходов с использованием медико-психологического консультирования и дистанционных технологий может способствовать лучшему контролю факторов риска сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний (ФР ССЗ). Цель исследования: оценка эффективности медицинского и психологического консультирования с применением дистанционных технологий для контроля и коррекции основных ФР ССЗ по сравнению со стандартным наблюдением. Материалы и методы: Исследование включило 140 пациентов, средний возраст которых составил 53 ± 17 лет (из них мужчин 54%), которые были включены в группу медико-психологического консультирования с использованием дистанционных технологий (экспериментальная группа, n = 70) или в группу стандартного наблюдения в общемедицинской сети (контрольная группа, n = 70). Пациентами обеих групп в начале и в конце исследования были заполнены специально созданные опросники. Пациентам экспериментальной группы проведено регулярное дистанционное медико-психологическое консультирование по телефону; пересылка информационных материалов посредством интернет-мессенджеров, смс-напоминаний. Через 12 месяцев была сопоставлена степень выраженности ФР ССЗ в двух группах. результаты: Медико-психологическое консультирование с применением дистанционных технологий в течение 12 месяцев привело к достоверному улучшению профиля ФР ССЗ: достижению целевых уровней артериального давления (p<0,01), физической активности (p<0,01), увеличение доли пациентов, употребляющих 400 г. в день овощей и фруктов (р<0,01), снижению индекса массы тела (р<0,001) и уменьшению окружности талии (р<0,01), снижению уровня холестерина (р<0,01), в подгруппе курящих пациентов – уменьшению количества выкуриваемых в день сигарет. Между группами через 12 месяцев наблюдения не было статистически значимых различий по уровню глюкозы крови и объему употребляемых алкогольных напитков. Выводы: Медицинское и психологическое консультирование пациентов с сердечно-сосудистыми заболеваниями с использованием дистанционных технологий (телефонные звонки, смс-сообщения, интернет-мессенджеры) может быть эффективным инструментом контроля и коррекции различных ФР ССЗ

Non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, health effects and protective measures

The aim of the study – to study aspects of public awareness of the dangers of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, as well as its effects on the human body.Цель исследования – изучение аспектов информированности населения об опасности неионизирующих электромагнитных излучений, а также их влияния на организм человек

Identification of Novel Candidate Markers of Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity in Russia by Exome Sequencing with a Limited Sample Size

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are common chronic disorders with multifactorial etiology. In our study, we performed an exome sequencing analysis of 110 patients of Russian ethnicity together with a multi-perspective approach based on biologically meaningful filtering criteria to detect novel candidate variants and loci for T2D and obesity. We have identified several known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers for obesity (rs11960429), T2D (rs9379084, rs1126930), and body mass index (BMI) (rs11553746, rs1956549 and rs7195386) (p &lt; 0.05). We show that a method based on scoring of case-specific variants together with selection of protein-altering variants can allow for the interrogation of novel and known candidate markers of T2D and obesity in small samples. Using this method, we identified rs328 in LPL (p = 0.023), rs11863726 in HBQ1 (p = 8 &times; 10&minus;5), rs112984085 in VAV3 (p = 4.8 &times; 10&minus;4) for T2D and obesity, rs6271 in DBH (p = 0.043), rs62618693 in QSER1 (p = 0.021), rs61758785 in RAD51B (p = 1.7 &times; 10&minus;4), rs34042554 in PCDHA1 (p = 1 &times; 10&minus;4), and rs144183813 in PLEKHA5 (p = 1.7 &times; 10&minus;4) for obesity; and rs9379084 in RREB1 (p = 0.042), rs2233984 in C6orf15 (p = 0.030), rs61737764 in ITGB6 (p = 0.035), rs17801742 in COL2A1 (p = 8.5 &times; 10&minus;5), and rs685523 in ADAMTS13 (p = 1 &times; 10&minus;6) for T2D as important susceptibility loci in Russian population. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of whole exome sequencing (WES) technologies for searching for novel markers of multifactorial diseases in cohorts of limited size in poorly studied populations

G-arylated hydrogen-bonded cyclic tetramer assemblies with remarkable thermodynamic and kinetic stability

The preparation and self-assembly of novel G-C dinucleoside monomers that are equipped with electron-poor aryl groups at the G-N2 amino group have been studied. Such monomers associate via Watson-Crick H-bonding into discrete unstrained tetrameric macrocycles that arise as a thermodynamically and kinetically stabilized product in a wide variety of experimental conditions, including very polar solvent environments and low concentrations. G-arylation produces an increased stability of the cyclic assembly, as a result of a subtle interplay between enthalpic and entropic effects involving the solvent coordination sphereFunding from the European Research Council (ERC-StG 279548) and MINECO (CTQ2011-23659) is gratefully acknowledge

The cost-effectiveness of procalcitonin for guiding antibiotic prescribing in individuals hospitalized with COVID-19: part of the PEACH study

Background Many hospitals introduced procalcitonin (PCT) testing to help diagnose bacterial coinfection in individuals with COVID-19, and guide antibiotic decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Objectives Evaluating cost-effectiveness of using PCT to guide antibiotic decisions in individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, as part of a wider research programme. Methods Retrospective individual-level data on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were collected from 11 NHS acute hospital Trusts and Health Boards from England and Wales, which varied in their use of baseline PCT testing during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. A matched analysis (part of a wider analysis reported elsewhere) created groups of patients whose PCT was/was not tested at baseline. A model was created with combined decision tree/Markov phases, parameterized with quality-of-life/unit cost estimates from the literature, and used to estimate costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Cost-effectiveness was judged at a £20 000/QALY threshold. Uncertainty was characterized using bootstrapping. Results People who had baseline PCT testing had shorter general ward/ICU stays and spent less time on antibiotics, though with overlap between the groups’ 95% CIs. Those with baseline PCT testing accrued more QALYs (8.76 versus 8.62) and lower costs (£9830 versus £10 700). The point estimate was baseline PCT testing being dominant over no baseline testing, though with uncertainty: the probability of cost-effectiveness was 0.579 with a 1 year horizon and 0.872 with a lifetime horizon. Conclusions Using PCT to guide antibiotic therapy in individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 is more likely to be cost-effective than not, albeit with uncertainty

Origins of philosophical and mythological conception of count Uvarov

The article is dedicated to European intellectual context on the edge of 18-19 centuries, particularly to the discovery of East by Europe, transfer to romantic paradigm of mentality; as well as to formation of philosophical and mythological views of count Sergey Semenovich Uvarov, whose work is inseparably connected to this context

PATHOMORPHOSIS OF FOCAL EPILEPSY AND ITS NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES

The specific EEG patterns in patients with epilepsy enable the objective assessment of changes in the brain function and, in conjunction with clinical data, determine the efficacy of treatment. Characteristics of the EEG spectral power have additional diagnostic values as they reflect the severity and spatial distribution of epileptiform activity. The standard EEG analysis combined with further mathematical processing helps reveal the neurophysiological markers of resistance to anti-epileptic drugs.The aim is to identify the neurophysiological correlates of drug-resistance.Materials and methods. We examined 160 patients with epilepsy: 80 with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and 80 with controlled epilepsy (CE). The subjects underwent a number of neurophysiological studies (EEG, EEG-video monitoring) including the spectral power analysis.Results. We established a correlation between the paroxysmal activity localization and drug-resistance. The secondary bilateral synchronization syndrome of different degrees of severity was found in the DRE group 1.91 times more often than in the CE group; this syndrome is seen as an unfavorable factor aggravating the course of epilepsy in the DRE patients. Using the spectral analysis we also found that patients with DRE differed from those with CE by the types of paroxysmal activity in the frontal-occipital areas. There, the involvement of diencephalic and mesencephalic structures in the paroxysms were similar in the DRE group, while only diencephalic structures played a significant role in the paroxysmal activity in CE patients.Conclusion. Neurophysiological factors correlating with resistance to antiepileptic drugs in patients with epilepsy were identified. The results can be used for the timely diagnosis of pathomorphism of epilepsy and the choice of therapy

PATHOMORPHOSIS OF FOCAL EPILEPSY AND ITS NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES

The specific EEG patterns in patients with epilepsy enable the objective assessment of changes in the brain function and, in conjunction with clinical data, determine the efficacy of treatment. Characteristics of the EEG spectral power have additional diagnostic values as they reflect the severity and spatial distribution of epileptiform activity. The standard EEG analysis combined with further mathematical processing helps reveal the neurophysiological markers of resistance to anti-epileptic drugs.The aim is to identify the neurophysiological correlates of drug-resistance.Materials and methods. We examined 160 patients with epilepsy: 80 with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and 80 with controlled epilepsy (CE). The subjects underwent a number of neurophysiological studies (EEG, EEG-video monitoring) including the spectral power analysis.Results. We established a correlation between the paroxysmal activity localization and drug-resistance. The secondary bilateral synchronization syndrome of different degrees of severity was found in the DRE group 1.91 times more often than in the CE group; this syndrome is seen as an unfavorable factor aggravating the course of epilepsy in the DRE patients. Using the spectral analysis we also found that patients with DRE differed from those with CE by the types of paroxysmal activity in the frontal-occipital areas. There, the involvement of diencephalic and mesencephalic structures in the paroxysms were similar in the DRE group, while only diencephalic structures played a significant role in the paroxysmal activity in CE patients.Conclusion. Neurophysiological factors correlating with resistance to antiepileptic drugs in patients with epilepsy were identified. The results can be used for the timely diagnosis of pathomorphism of epilepsy and the choice of therapy