The level of air pollution in the impact zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using the data of geochemical snow survey (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Coal-fired power plants emissions impact the air quality and human health. Of great significance is assessment of solid airborne particles emissions from those plants and distance of their transportation. The article presents the results of air pollution assessment in the zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using snow survey. Based on the mass of solid airborne particles deposited in snow, time of their deposition on snow at the distance from 0.5 to 4.5 km a value of dust load has been determined. It is stated that very high level of pollution is observed at the distance from 0.5 to 1 km. there is a trend in decrease of dust burden value with the distance from the stacks of coal-fired power plant that may be conditioned by the particle size and washing out smaller ash particles by ice pellets forming at freezing water vapour in stacks of the coal-fired power plant. Study in composition of solid airborne particles deposited in snow has shown that they mainly contain particulates of underburnt coal, Al-Si- rich spheres, Fe-rich spheres, and coal dust. The content of the particles in samples decreases with the distance from the stacks of the coal-fired power plant

Relevant Issues of Epidemiological Safety Provision as Regards Natural-Focal Infections during the XXII Olympic and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi

The paper contains the data on the morbidity rates as regards natural-focal infectious diseases and results of epizootiological monitoring in the locality of the XXII Olympic and XI Paralympic Winter Games-2014 in Sochi. It is demonstrated that the significant ones in the infectious disease incidence chart are hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, Ixodidae tick-borne borrelioses, pseudotuberculosis, intestinal yersiniosis, leptospiroses, rabies, rickettsiosis, and tularemia. Represented are the data on the peculiarities of a number of regional pathogenic strains. Noted is fact that complex activities, which were carried out by the agencies and institutions of the Rospotrebnadzor, Krasnodar Territory and Sochi resort-town Administration, allowed for the stabilization of the situation on natural-focal infections

Determination of water content in clay and organic soil using microwave oven

The article deals with the techniques of soil water content determination using microwave radiation. Its practical application would allow solving the problems of resource efficiency in geotechnical survey due to reduction of energy and resource intensity of laboratory analysis as well as its acceleration by means of decreasing labour intensity and, as a result, cost reduction. The article presents a detail analysis of approaches to soil water content determination and soil drying, considers its features and application. The study in soil of different composition, typical for Western Siberia including organic and organic-mineral ones, is a peculiarity of the given article, which makes it rather topical. The article compares and analyzes the results of the investigation into soil water content, which are obtained via conventional techniques and the original one developed by the authors, consisting in microwave drying. The authors also give recommendation on microwave technique application to dry soil

Device to determine the level of peripheral blood circulation and saturation

The paper evaluated the diagnostic value of laser photoplethysmography when examining patients with chronic lower limb ischemia. A statistical analysis of the research results was made, and diagrams of relationship between the degrees of ischemia and blood flow are presented. Development of the device to determine the level of peripheral blood circulation and saturation was presented. Also additional accessories in the form of optical fibers for different applications were suggested

Клинический статус и трудоспособность пациентов, включенных в Общероссийский регистр пациентов с псориатическим артритом

Objective: to study the clinical characteristics of PsA and working capacity in patients included in the All-Russian PsA Registry.Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 614 patients aged 19–84 years with psoriasis from 39 subjects the Russian Federation, who were followed up in the All-Russian PsA Registry. On the basis of the assessment of demographic data, the spectrum of comorbidities, the degree of activity of the underlying disease according to Disease Activity Index for PsA (DAPSA) and Disease Activity in 28 joints (DAS28), clinical, functional, and social indicators were analyzed in the patients. The investigators studied information on the patients employment, working capacity, and disability, by assessing the group of the latter. The health status and the presence and severity of functional impairment in the patients were analyzed using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), while their working efficiency was estimated according to the Workers Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP questionnaire), by calculating the following parameters: absenteeism, presenteeism, an overall decrease in labor productivity, and impairment in daily functional activity.Results and discussion. The analysis of the All-Russian PsA Registry showed that most of them were of working age (30 to 59 years); 48.4% had concomitant diseases. Data on DAPSA changes were obtained in 349 patients, who were recorded to have mainly moderate (34.7%) or high (42.7%) disease activity, multiple dactylitides and enthesitides, and limited joint function. The registry reflects information on the social status of 521 patients: employed (61.2%) and unemployed (22.1%) persons, pensioners (15.2%), and students (1.5%). More than one third (37.1%) of patients with PsA had disability, mainly of Group III. The changes in the HAQ disability index were assessed in 326 patients; mild, moderate, and severe functional impairments were observed in 36, 26.4, and 3.7%, respectively. Absenteeism was detected in less than one third of patients with PsA, presenteeism was found in about half; there was an overall decrease in labor productivity in more than 60% and daily activity impairment in 68.8%. Statistically significant direct moderate correlations were established between the indicators of PsA activity (DAPSA and DAS28) and the level of productivity impairment in the patients; this was mostly related to an overall decline in labor productivity and to a decrease in daily activity.Conclusion. The data obtained from real clinical practice suggest that half of the PsA patients had high disease activity and a third had severe functional impairment, which led to a lower quality of life and to disability. The overall decrease in labor productivity and daily activity, which was detected in more than half of the patients, was associated with high PsA activity. The follow-up in the All-Russian PsA Registry, regular anti-inflammatory therapy with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents can improve the clinical and functional status and, consequently, working capacity in patients with PsA.Цель исследования – изучить клинические характеристики ПсА и трудоспособность пациентов, включенных в Общероссийский регистр ПсА.Пациенты и методы. В исследование вошли 614 пациентов с ПсА в возрасте 19–84 лет из 39 субъектов Российской Федерации, наблюдающихся в Общероссийском регистре ПсА. На основании оценки демографических данных, спектра коморбидных заболеваний, степени активности основного заболевания по индексам DAPSA и DAS28 у пациентов проанализированы клинические, функциональные и социальные показатели. Изучены сведения о занятости и трудоспособности, наличии инвалидности с оценкой ее группы. Состояние здоровья пациентов, наличие и выраженность функциональных нарушений анализировали с помощью опросника HAQ, производительность труда – с помощью опросника WPAI-SHP с расчетом следующих параметров: абсентеизма, презентеизма, общего снижения производительности труда и нарушений повседневной функциональной активности.Результаты и обсуждение. Как показал анализ Общероссийского регистра пациентов с ПсА, большинство из них были трудоспособного возраста (от 30 до 59 лет), 48,4% имели сопутствующие заболевания. Данные о динамике индекса DAPSA получены у 349 пациентов, у которых зарегистрированы в основном умеренная (34,7%) или высокая (42,7%) активность заболевания, множественные дактилиты и энтезиты, ограничения функции суставов. В регистре отражены сведения о социальном статусе 521 пациента: 61,2% работали, 22,1% не работали, 15,2% были пенсионерами и 1,5% – учащимися. Более трети (37,1%) больных ПсА имели инвалидность, преимущественно III группы. Динамика индекса HAQ оценена у 326 больных: минимальные функциональные нарушения отмечались в 36% случаев, умеренные – в 26,4%, выраженные – в 3,7%. Абсентеизм определялся менее чем у трети больных ПсА, презентеизм – примерно у половины, общее снижение производительности труда – более чем у 60%, а нарушения повседневной активности – у 68,8%. Установлено наличие статистически значимых прямых корреляций умеренной силы между показателями активности ПсА (DAPSA и DAS28) и уровнем нарушения трудоспособности пациентов, в большей степени это касалось общего снижения производительности труда и снижения повседневной активности.Заключение. Полученные данные реальной клинической практики свидетельствуют о том, что у половины больных ПсА имелась высокая активность болезни, а у трети – серьезные функциональные нарушения, которые привели к снижению качества жизни и инвалидизации. Общее снижение производительности труда и повседневной активности, выявленное более чем у половины больных, ассоциировалось с высокой активностью ПсА. Динамическое наблюдение в Общероссийском регистре пациентов с ПсА, регулярная противовоспалительная терапия базисными противовоспалительными препаратами и генно-инженерными биологическими препаратами позволяют улучшить клинический и функциональный статус, а следовательно, и трудоспособность больных ПсА

The HITRAN2020 Molecular Spectroscopic Database

The HITRAN database is a compilation of molecular spectroscopic parameters. It was established in the early 1970s and is used by various computer codes to predict and simulate the transmission and emission of light in gaseous media (with an emphasis on terrestrial and planetary atmospheres). The HITRAN compilation is composed of five major components: the line-by-line spectroscopic parameters required for high-resolution radiative-transfer codes, experimental infrared absorption cross-sections (for molecules where it is not yet feasible for representation in a line-by-line form), collision-induced absorption data, aerosol indices of refraction, and general tables (including partition sums) that apply globally to the data. This paper describes the contents of the 2020 quadrennial edition of HITRAN. The HITRAN2020 edition takes advantage of recent experimental and theoretical data that were meticulously validated, in particular, against laboratory and atmospheric spectra. The new edition replaces the previous HITRAN edition of 2016 (including its updates during the intervening years). All five components of HITRAN have undergone major updates. In particular, the extent of the updates in the HITRAN2020 edition range from updating a few lines of specific molecules to complete replacements of the lists, and also the introduction of additional isotopologues and new (to HITRAN) molecules: SO, CH3F, GeH4, CS2, CH3I and NF3. Many new vibrational bands were added, extending the spectral coverage and completeness of the line lists. Also, the accuracy of the parameters for major atmospheric absorbers has been increased substantially, often featuring sub-percent uncertainties. Broadening parameters associated with the ambient pressure of water vapor were introduced to HITRAN for the first time and are now available for several molecules. The HITRAN2020 edition continues to take advantage of the relational structure and efficient interface available at www.hitran.org and the HITRAN Application Programming Interface (HAPI). The functionality of both tools has been extended for the new edition

Результаты неинтервенционного наблюдательного многоцентрового исследования тактики ведения пациентов с аксиальным псориатическим артритом в условиях реальной клинической практики (NiSaXPA)

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic immunoinflammatory disease of the joints, spine and entheses from the group of spondyloarthritis, which is usually observed in patients with psoriasis. In recent years, the axial form of PsA (axPsA) has been actively researched. However, there is insufficient data on approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with axPsA in real-life clinical practice. This article presents the results of an interim analysis of data from a non-interventional multicenter observational study on the treatment of patients with axPsA in real-life clinical practice (NiSaXPA) in Russian centers.Objective: to identify patients with axPsA, their characteristics and describe treatment tactics in real-life clinical practice.Material and methods. Patients with PsA who met the inclusion criteria were prospectively followed up during routine visits to a rheumatologist. Participants' axial radiographs were uploaded to a database in order for it to be confirmed the presence or absence of axPsA by two independent experts, a rheumatologist and a radiologist. Patients with a confirmed axPsA diagnosis participated in a further data collection phase (Visit 2, week 24).Results and discussion. Six hundred patients were enrolled into the study. At the time of analysis, 386 (64.3%) of them (209 men and 177 women) were screened for axPsA. The diagnosis of axPsA was confirmed in 241 (62.4%) cases; these patients formed the Per Protocol (PP) population. The mean age of patients with axPsA in the PP population was 46.30±12.6 years and the body mass index (BMI) was 27.4±5.2 kg/m2 . In 14.9% of patients, the duration of psoriasis was less than 1–5 years, in 21.5% – 5–10 years and in 63.6% – more than 10 years. The duration of PsA symptoms was less than 1–5 years in 31.2 % of patients, 5–10 years in 31.6 % and more than 10 years in 37.2 %. Low disease activity (BASDAI ˂ 4) was achieved in 33.3 % of patients with axPsA at visit 1 and in 64.3 % at visit 2; the BASDAI index declined on average from 4.67±1.95 to 3.31±1.89 points.In real-life clinical practice, patients were most frequently prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – 88.7% and 71.7% (visits 1 and 2, respectively), and synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (sDMARDs) –79.1% and 70.7%, respectively; therapy with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) was initiated in 40.2% and 60.6% of patients, respectively.Conclusion. The results of the interim analysis of this observational study showed that in 87.2% of patients who met the CASPAR criteria for PsA there was a suspicion of axial manifestations of PsA on the primary care level. However, only 62.4% of them had a confirmed diagnosis of axPsA on centralized expert assessment, which may indicate a possible overdiagnosis of axial lesions in real-life practice and emphasizes the importance of collaboration between a rheumatologist and a radiologist when analyzing the results of imaging studies. 33.3% of patients with axPsA had low disease activity according to BASDAI at baseline and 64.3% after 24 weeks, meaning that the disease was only adequately controlled in one third of cases despite therapy; the number of these patients doubled after a change in therapy. In real-world clinical practice, patients with axPsA are most commonly prescribed drugs from the NSAID and sDMARD groups; the frequency of use of biologic drugs varied between 40.2 and 60.6% by the end of the observation period.Псориатический артрит (ПсА) – хроническое иммуновоспалительное заболевание суставов, позвоночника и энтезисов из группы спондилоартритов, которое обычно наблюдается у больных псориазом. В последние годы активно изучается аксиальная форма ПсА (аксПсА). Вместе с тем данных о подходах к диагностике и ведению пациентов с аксПсА в реальной клинической практике недостаточно. В настоящей публикации представлены результаты промежуточного анализа данных неинтервенционного наблюдательного многоцентрового исследования тактики ведения пациентов с аксПсА в условиях реальной клинической практики (NiSaXPA) в российских центрах.Цель исследования – выявление пациентов с аксПсА, их характеристика и описание тактики ведения в условиях реальной клинической практики.Материал и методы. Во время плановых визитов к ревматологу проводилось проспективное наблюдение пациентов с ПсА, соответствовавших критериям включения. Аксиальные рентгенограммы участников были загружены в базу данных для подтверждения наличия или отсутствия аксПсА двумя независимыми экспертами – ревматологом и рентгенологом. Пациенты с подтвержденным диагнозом аксПсА участвовали в дальнейшей фазе сбора данных (визит 2, неделя 24).Результаты и обсуждение. В исследование включено 600 пациентов. На момент проведения анализа с целью выявления аксПсА обследовано 386 (64,3%) из них (209 мужчин и 177 женщин). Диагноз аксПсА подтвержден в 241 (62,4%) случае; эти больные составили популяцию по протоколу (PP, Per Protocol). У 145 (37,6%) пациентов аксПсА не выявлен. Возраст пациентов с аксПсА в популяции РР составил в среднем 46,30±12,6 года, индекс массы тела (ИМТ) – 27,4±5,2 кг/м2 . У 14,9% пациентов длительность псориаза была менее 1–5 лет, у 21,5% – 5–10 лет и у 63,6% – более 10 лет. Давность симптомов ПсА у 31,2% пациентов составляла менее 1–5 лет, у 31,6% – 5–10 лет и у 37,2% – более 10 лет. Низкой активности заболевания (BASDAI ˂ 4) к визиту 1 достигли 33,3% больных аксПсА, к визиту 2 – 64,3%; было отмечено снижение индекса BASDAI в среднем с 4,67±1,95 до 3,31±1,89 балла. В реальной клинической практике пациентам наиболее часто назначали нестероидные противовоспалительные препараты (НПВП) – 88,7% и 71,7% (визиты 1 и 2 соответственно) и синтетические базисные противовоспалительные препараты (сБПВП) – 79,1% и 70,7% соответственно; терапия генно-инженерными биологическими препаратами (ГИБП) была инициирована 40,2% и 60,6% больных соответственно.Заключение. Результаты промежуточной оценки данного наблюдательного исследования показали, что у 87,2% пациентов, отвечавших критериям CASPAR для ПсА, исходно при обследовании по месту жительства были заподозрены аксиальные проявления ПсА. Однако при центральной экспертной оценке диагноз аксПсА был верифицирован только у 62,4% из них, что может свидетельствовать о возможной гипердиагностике аксиального поражения в реальной практике и подчеркивает важность кооперации ревматолога и рентгенолога при анализе результатов визуализационных методов обследования. 33,3% пациентов с аксПсА имели низкую активность заболевания по BASDAI исходно и 64,3% – через 24 нед. Таким образом, несмотря на проводимую терапию, адекватно контролировать заболевание удавалось только в трети случаев, после смены терапии число таких пациентов увеличилось вдвое. В реальной клинической практике пациентам с аксПсА наиболее часто назначают препараты из группы НПВП и сБПВП, частота использования ГИБП варьировалась от 40,2 до 60,6% к концу наблюдения