Prevention of infections by vaccines and immune modulators

Откриването и внедряването на ваксините и имуномодулаторите в медицинската практика е огромна крачка напред в предотвратяване на инфекциозните заболявания, някои от които са завършвали фатално при миналите векове. С прогреса в медицинската наука непрекъснато се усъвършенства имунопрофилактиката, като се разработват по-модерни технологии за по-безопасни и ефективни ваксини, което повишава здравния статус на обществото, изчезват смъртните и инвалидизиращи тежко протичащи случаи, намаляват разходите за лечение. Цел на тази разработка е да представи класификацията на видовете ваксини и имуномодулатори, както и съвременното състояние на ефекта от приложението им за превенция на инфекциозни заболявания. Материал и методи: Събрана е актуална информация от научни източници на информация по темата ваксинопрофилактика и имуномодулатори. Тя е анализирана, систематично представена и илюстрирана с подходящи графики. Резултати и обсъждане: Показано е значението на ваксините и имуномодулаторите за ограничаване на редица опасни вирусни и бактериални инфекции, напр. успешната ерадикация на вариола. Представена е съвременна класификация на тези средства за имунопрофилактика. Изброени са използваните понастоящем в България ваксини и имуномодулатори, разгледан е актуалният към момента на проучването имунизационен календар. Обективно са разгледани както полезните ефекти от приложението им, така и някои нежелани, странични ефекти. Проследени са тенденции за бъдещото развитие на имунопрофилактиката в България и в света. Изводи: Ефектът от прилагането на ваксини и имуномодулиращи средства не само за профилактика, но и при терапия на някои инфекциозни заболявания през последните две столетия е доказан в медицинската наука и в практиката. Силно ограничени и облекчени по протичане са инфекции, причинени от силно патогенни вируси и бактерии. Наблюдава се ефект и срещу някои туморни образувания. За повишаване на ефективността от прилагането им, в световен мащаб, се изискват планирани и координирани усилия на здравните институции в отделните страни, a това се постига благодарение на обединяващата дейност на СЗО.Introduction: The discovery and implementation of vaccines and immune modulators in medical practice is a huge step forward towards the prevention of infectious diseases, some of which have lead to a fatal outcome during the past centuries. Immune prophylaxis has been continuously improving along with the progress in medical sciences by developing more advanced technologies for safer and more effective vaccines, which increases the health status of the population of our society. The deaths and severely debilitating cases have disappeared and the cost of treatment has been reduced. Aim: The aim of this work is to present the classification of vaccines and immune modulators, as well as the current state of the effect of their application on the prevention of infectious diseases. Materials and Methods: Current information from scientific sources on the prevention by vaccines and immune modulators has been accumulated. It has been analyzed, systematically presented and illustrated by appropriate graphics. Results and Discussion: The importance of vaccines and immune modulators for limiting a number of dangerous viral and bacterial infections, such as successful eradication of smallpox, is shown. Contemporary classification of these agents for immune prophylaxis is presented. The vaccines and immune modulators used nowadays in Bulgaria are listed, the up-to-date immunization calendar is considered. Both the beneficial effects of their application and some undesirable side effects are objectively presented. Trends for the future development of immune prevention in Bulgaria and in the world are traced.Conclusions: The effect of application of vaccines and immune modulating agents in medical science and practice has been proved to be useful not only for prophylaxis but also for therapy of some infectious diseases during the last two centuries. Very limited and relieved are infections caused by strong pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Also, an effect against some tumor formations has been established. To increase the effectiveness of their implementation worldwide, planned and coordinated efforts of healthcare institutions in all the countries are required, and this is achieved thanks to the unifying activity of WHO

Tuberculosis Through The Eyes Of Students From The Medical College Stara Zagora

Despite past successes in the field of infectious pathology and the treatment of tuberculosis over the past century, it remains important and still a serious challenge, and remains a nationwide social, medical and economic problem. It is possible to isolate, identify and determine the drug sensitivity of each particular M. tuberculosis strain and to monitor the response to the treatment of each patient only by microbiological methods. Timely diagnosis and treatment is also essential for the restriction of multidrug-resistant forms (MDRs) of the disease and the treatment of patients. Objective: To study and analyze the self-assessment of the knowledge of the laboratory assistant specialty students in Medical College - Stara Zagora for Tuberculosis. Materials and methods: An anonymous poll was conducted in June 2018 among 30 students (15 from the second and 15 from the third course). The statistical processing of empirical data has been done with the STATISTICA package for statistical analysis in social sciences. The results indicate a good knowledge of the sources of infection, the risk groups and the transmission mechanisms. Students are well acquainted with the methods for proving and monitoring the disease (including non-laboratory)

Historical and contemporary aspects of auriculotherapy

The modern patient's interest in acupuncture, as an alternative method of treating pathological symptoms, is also transferred to auriculotherapy. Medical specialists are adaptive to these new needs of the patient. Especially since auriculotherapy, with its various application techniques, is an economically effective way of treatment. Scientific knowledge seeks and finds an explanation for the effectiveness of auriculotherapy by exploring its ancient roots and analyzing modern scientific evidence. The purpose of this article is to explore and present the historical roots of auriculotherapy and its current application

Innovation activity of Russian business entities and its determinants

Market growth prospects of the entities during the innovation activity could not be sized up due to lack of systematized and shared view at factors defining the innovation activity of business entities. The paper presents key factors of innovation activity along with its classification by levels (macro, meso, and micro). Authors suggested a specific innovation activity evaluation framework as well as multivariate regression model of assessing the structure and key-factors’ effect on business activity is developed.peer-reviewe

Annulation of Perimidines with 5-Alkynylpyrimidines en Route to 7-Formyl-1,3-Diazopyrenes

Unusual rearrangements were shown to accompany Brønsted acid-assisted peri-annulations of 1H-perimidines with 5-alkynylpyrimidines. These transformations take different routes depending on the nature of acetylene precursor, and lead to the formation of 7-formyl-1,3-diazopyrenes

Changes in Body Fat and Related Biochemical Parameters Associated With Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Treatment in Schizophrenia Patients With or Without Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common problem in schizophrenia patients and associated with increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) play an important role in facilitating MetS. Objective: The study aimed to assess weight changes and alterations of indicators of body fat composition and lipid-glucose metabolism induced by reinitiating atypical antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia when with or without MetS. Methods: After giving informed consent, newly admitted patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10: F20) and an age between 18 and 55 years were included. MetS was diagnosed according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. At entry and after 6 weeks of treatment, anthropometry and biochemical analysis were carried out. Total and visceral fats were measured with the use of non-invasive bioimpedance analysis and subcutaneous fat with calculation of total adipose tissue with the use of caliperometry. Based on biochemical assessments low density (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), atherogenic index and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (IR-HOMA) were calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and chi-squared test. Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 114 patients (59M/55F) with schizophrenia were examined; they were divided into two groups with (n = 43; 37.7%) and without (n = 71; 62.3%) MetS. After a 6-week SGA treatment, only the total fat fold, waist circumference, triglyceride level, and atherogenic index underwent statistically significant changes in patients with MetS. In those without MetS, statistically significant changes across all fat indicators were noted. Also, a significant increase in blood glucose and HOMA-IR parameters, triglyceride, and VLDL levels and atherogenic index was observed in this group. Discussion: The study illustrates the benefits of estimating both anthropometric and biochemical parameters shortly after (re)installing treatment of schizophrenia in order to minimize the risk of MetS development

Body Fat Parameters, Glucose and Lipid Profiles, and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Schizophrenia Patients with or without Metabolic Syndrome

In this study, we aim to investigate associations between body fat parameters, glucose and lipid profiles, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroid hormones (THs) levels in Tomsk-region schizophrenia patients depending upon the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). A total of 156 psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia who had been treated with antipsychotics for at least six months before entry were studied: 56 with and 100 without MetS. Reference groups consisted of general hospital inpatients with MetS and without schizophrenia (n = 35) and healthy individuals (n = 35). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, multiple regression analyses, and descriptive statistics. Patients with schizophrenia and MetS had significantly higher levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyroxine (FT4) compared to schizophrenia patients without MetS (3.68 [3.25; 5.50] vs. 3.24 [2.81; 3.66], p = 0.0001, and 12.68 [10.73; 15.54] vs. 10.81 [9.76; 12.3], p = 0.0001, in pmol/L, respectively). FT3 maintained an association with MetS (p = 0.0001), sex (p = 0.0001), age (p = 0.022), and high-density lipoproteins (p = 0.033). FT4 maintained an association with MetS (p = 0.0001), sex (p = 0.001), age (p = 0.014), and glucose (p = 0.009). The data obtained showed body fat parameters, glucose and lipid profiles, and THs levels in Western-Siberian schizophrenia patients depending on MetS presence or absence

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points