A flaring X-ray pulsar in Dorado

A study of unusual gamma-ray bursts detected on March 5 and March 6, 1979 in the KONUS experiment on the Venera 11 and Venera 12 spacecraft shows their source to be flaring X-ray pulsar in Dorado

Preliminary results of a gamma-ray burst study in the Konus experiment on the Venera-11 and Venera-12 space probes

Twenty-one gamma-ray bursts and 68 solar flares in the hard X-ray range were detected on Venera-11 and Venera-12 space probes during the initial 50-day observation period. Major characteristics of the equipment used and preliminary data on the temporal structure and energy spectra of the gamma-ray bursts are considered. The pattern of gamma-ray burst frequency distribution vs. intensity, N(S), is established

Understanding Human and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Kola Arctic : A Participatory Integrated Study

The Lake Imandra watershed is located in one of the most developed regions in the Arctic - the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Approximately 300 000 people live on the roughly 27 000 km² watershed, making it one of the most densely populated areas of the Arctic. Most of the people are involved in large-scale mineral extraction and processing and the infrastructure needed to support this industry. This paper reports the results of a pilot project staged for the Lake Imandra watershed that has put human dynamics within the framework of ecosystem change to integrate available information and formulate conceptual models of likely future scenarios. The observation period is one of both rapid economic growth and human expansion, with an overall economic decline in the past decade. We are applying the Participatory Integrated Assessment (PIA) approach to integrate information, identify information gaps, generate likely future scenarios, and link scientific findings to the decision-making process. We found an increasingly vulnerable human population in varying states of awareness about their local environment and fully cognizant of their economic troubles, with many determined to attempt maintenance of relatively high population densities in the near future even as many residents of northern Russia migrate south. A series of workshops have involved the citizens and local decision makers in an attempt to tap their knowledge of the region and to increase their awareness about the linkages between the socioeconomic and ecological components.Le bassin hydrographique du lac Imandra est situé dans l'une des régions les plus développées de l'Arctique, soit la presqu'île de Kola, en Russie. Près de 300 000 personnes vivent dans la zone du bassin qui couvre environ 27 000 km², ce qui en fait l'une des régions les plus peuplées de l'Arctique. La plupart des habitants travaillent dans l'extraction et le traitement miniers à grande échelle ainsi que dans l'infrastructure qui soutient cette industrie. Le présent article rapporte les résultats d'un projet pilote mis sur pied pour le bassin du lac Imandra, projet qui a placé la dynamique humaine dans le cadre du changement des écosystèmes, afin d'intégrer l'information disponible et de formuler des modèles conceptuels de scénarios probables dans l'avenir. La période d'observation en est une à la fois de croissance économique et d'expansion démographique rapides, suivie d'un déclin général au cours de la dernière décennie. On a recours à la méthode d'évaluation participative intégrée (EPI) pour intégrer l'information, y dégager des lacunes, générer des scénarios probables dans l'avenir et établir un lien entre résultats de la recherche et processus décisionnel. On a trouvé qu'il y avait une population humaine de plus en plus vulnérable qui était sensibilisée à divers degrés aux problèmes locaux de l'environnement et pleinement consciente des difficultés économiques, population dont une bonne part était fermement décidée à tenter de maintenir à brève échéance des densités de population relativement élevées, alors même que les résidents du nord de la Russie migrent en grand nombre vers le Sud. On a tenu une série d'ateliers avec citoyens et décideurs locaux pour chercher à capter leurs connaissances de la région et à accroître leur sensibilisation aux liens existant entre les composantes socio-économiques et écologiques

Clinical and immunological characteristics of medical students depending on the duration and program of study

Chronic psycho-emotional stress can cause dysfunction of neuroimmunoendocrine dysregulation with consequences in the form of a violation of the functional potential of the immune system. Adaptation to new living conditions at the start of studies at a medical university is one of the inevitable circumstances that first-year students overcome. Education under the military training program at a medical university carries an additional stress load in this aspect. Research on the mechanisms of formation of adaptive reactions of the immune system during training under the military training program for officers of the medical service is of undoubted interest. The purpose of the study was to compare the clinical manifestations of immune-mediated pathology and the parameters of adaptive and innate immunity of medical students depending on the length of service and training program. Under observation were 104 medical students, all men, of which 37 were first-year students and 67 were third-year students of a medical university. The subjects of each course were divided into two subgroups depending on the training program. The group of first-year students consisted of 18 people from the military training center (VTC) and 19 people from the medical and preventive faculty (LPF). Among the third-year students of the VUC – 31, LPF – 36. For the clinical characterization of the incidence during the year of study, registration cards for the analysis of immune-mediated pathology were used, the parameters of the immune system at the end of the spring semester were studied using standard methodological approaches. The data obtained indicate that in the first year students with an additional load in the form of a military training program have a more difficult time adapting to learning in comparison with first-year students of the medical faculty. These differences consist in a more frequent and significant clinical manifestation of infectious pathology and are reflected in the functional potential of cellular parameters of innate immunity. The statement of signs of inhibition of the functional potencies of macrophage cells and natural killers in firstyear students of a military training center is an alarming factor in the possible disruption of the adaptive reserves of the immune response system, which probably suggests the need to develop programs to prevent the negative impact of stress-forming factors. By the third year of study, the students of the military training center have the best clinical and immunological indicators of the functioning of the immune system in comparison with the students of the standard educational program of general practitioners. It is likely that during this period the process of psychological adaptation of military medical students is completed

ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ПОДХОДА «РАЗВИВАЮЩИЙ ТАНЕЦ» В НЕЙРОРЕАБИЛИТАЦИИ

Dance movement therapy is a part of art therapy, which implements dance and movement to improve various aspects of a person’s daily functioning, improving his/her physical and emotional state. Dance therapy is especially applicable in older age, when intense stresses are beyond his/her physical capabilities. Elderly people who dance on the regular basis have better flexibility, postural stability, balance, reaction time and cognitive abilities, compared to people of the same age who do not dance. Published evidence support the positive experience of using dance therapy as a method of rehabilitation in elderly patients and subjects with various neurological and mental disorders. Argentine tango represents a promising tool of art therapy, because it is based on biomechanical schemes of movement that are physiological for the human body, includes an improvisation element that stimulates neuroplasticity, and activates social, cognitive, psychological and communicative abilities of the subject. The use of the “educational dance” approach in teaching allows solving several rehabilitation tasks: adaptation of the subject to the process of perception of new information; learning to realize body in motion and build motion on the basis of biofeedback; achievement of maximum comfort during movement and gain a unique manner of movement that is maximally functional for the subject. The acquired skill of conscious movement can become the foundation for further rehabilitation. Thus, argentine tango may be a useful rehabilitation tool for patients with diseases of the nervous system who need to improve motor skills, balance and coordination, and cognitive and communicative capacity. In addition, the use of argentine tango as a motivational factor in comprehensive rehabilitation programs seems promising. The influence of dance therapy on the mood and quality of life in the elderly requires further study in this population.Танцевально-двигательная терапия является направлением арт-терапии, в котором танец и движение используются для улучшения ряда параметров повседневного функционирования индивида, улучшая его физическое и эмоциональное состояние, в особенности в пожилом возрасте, когда интенсивные нагрузки находятся за пределами его физических возможностей. Регулярно танцующие пожилые люди обладают бóльшей гибкостью, постуральной стабильностью, балансом, временем реакции и когнитивными возможностями, по сравнению с людьми того же возраста, которые не занимаются танцами. Приводятся данные о положительном опыте применения танцевальной терапии как метода реабилитации у пациентов и субъектов пожилого возраста при различных неврологических и психических заболеваниях. Аргентинское танго является перспективным инструментом метода, поскольку основано на физиологичных для организма человека биомеханических схемах движения, включает элемент импровизации, чем стимулирует нейропластичность, а также задействует социальные, когнитивные, психологические и коммуникативные способности субъекта. Использование в обучении подхода «Развивающий танец» позволяет решать ряд реабилитационных задач: адаптировать субъекта к процессу восприятия новой информации, научиться осознавать свое тело в движении и строить движение на основе обратной связи, добиваться в движении максимальной комфортности, обрести свою уникальную манеру движения, максимально функциональную именно для него; полученный навык осознанного движения может стать фундаментом для дальнейшей реабилитации. Таким образом, аргентинское танго может быть полезным инструментом реабилитации для пациентов с заболеваниями нервной системы, нуждающихся в улучшении двигательных навыков, координации движений, когнитивных и коммуникативных способностей. Кроме того, многообещающим представляется использование аргентинского танго как мотивационного фактора в комплексных программах реабилитации. Влияние танцевальной терапии на психоэмоциональное состояние и качество жизни у пожилых людей требует дальнейшего изучения в этой популяции

T regulatory lymphocytes and FoxP3 nuclear translocation in various adipose tissue depots in patients with coronary artery disease

T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg) are present is adipose tissue. Their frequency, as well as the level of FoxP3 nuclear translocation, in epicardial and thymus adipose tissue remains unexplored. Properties of adiposeresident Tregs may be of high significance in patients with coronary artery disease as potential pathophysiological factor in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to compare frequency of FoxP3+Tregs and FoxP3 nuclear translocation in epicardial, thymus, subcutaneous adipose tissue and peripheral blood in patients with coronary artery disease. A pilot study was conducted in 11 patients with coronary artery disease scheduled for the coronary artery bypass graft surgery after prior selective coronary angiography. Frequency of CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ and CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ lymphocytes and FoxP3 nuclear translocation were evaluated by imaging flow cytometry in peripheral blood and in stromal vascular fraction of epicardial, subcutaneous and thymus adipose tissue. Frequencies of CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ and CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ lymphocytes were higher in epicardial adipose tissue compared to blood (3 and 5 times higher, p = 0.020); CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ cells frequency in subcutaneous adipose tissue was 4 times higher than in blood (p = 0.028). The level of FoxP3 nuclear translocation was the highest in blood and decreased in epicardial, subcutaneous and thymus adipose tissue (p = 0.020 both for CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ and CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ lymphocytes). Frequency of CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ cells was directly related to age in thymus (rs = 0.818; p = 0.002), and inversely in epicardial adipose tissue (rs = -0.618; p = 0.043). Frequencies of CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ and CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ with FoxP3 nuclear translocation in subcutaneous adipose tissue negatively correlated with age (rs = -0.827; p = 0.002 and rs = -0.648; p = 0.031, respectively). Frequency of CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ cells with FoxP3 nuclear translocation in thymus adipose tissue negatively correlated with waist-to-hip ratio (rs = -0.700; p = 0.016). The severity of atherosclerosis was related only to the frequency of CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ cells in subcutaneous adipose tissue (rs = -0.655; p = 0.029). Thus, epicardial and subcutaneous adipose tissue are enriched with Tregs, but factors that influence Treg accumulation and FoxP3 nuclear translocation in these fat depots may be different. The obtained results may further be used for personalized immunomodulatory therapy in patients with atherosclerosis

Macrophages in epicardial adipose tissue and serum NT-proBNP in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is widely considered a chronic inflammatory disorder, and dysfunction of epicardial adipose tissue could be an important source of the inflammation. Amino-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a known marker of cardiovascular disorders of cardiac origin. Recent studies show that inflammatory stimuli may influence its secretion. Our purpose was to evaluate NT-proBNP serum concentration in relation to immune cell ratios in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and cytokine levels in the patients with stable CAD. Patients with stable CAD and heart failure classified into classes II–III, according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) scale, scheduled for the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, were recruited into the study (n = 10; 59.5 (53.0-65.0) y. o.; 50% males). The EAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) specimens were harvested in the course of CABG surgery. Immunostaining with anti-CD68, anti-CD45, antiIL-1β and anti-TNFα monoclonal antibodies was performed to evaluate cell composition by differential counts per ten fields (400 magnification). Fasting venous blood was obtained from patients before CABG. Blood was centrifuged at 1500g, aliquots were collected and stored frozen at -40 °С until final analysis. Concentrations of NT-proBNP, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNFα were determined in serum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We have found increased production of IL-1β and TNFα cytokines in EAT compared to SAT. Concentrations of NT-proBNP exceeded 125 pg/ml in 4 patients, and correlations between the CD68+ macrophage counts in both EAT and SAT samples (rs = 0.762; p = 0.010 and rs = 0.835; p = 0.003, respectively). NT-proBNP levels showed positive relations with CD45+ leukocyte counts (rs = 0.799; p = 0.006), and with IL-1β+ cell numbers (rs = 0.705; p = 0.023) in EAT samples only. As for the serum biomarkers, NT-proBNP levels showed negative correlation with fasting glucose levels (rs = -0.684; p = 0.029), and positive correlation with serum IL-6 concentrations (rs = 0.891; p = 0.001). Increased serum concentrations of NT-proBNP in CAD patients correlate with accumulation of macrophages in EAT, which is associated with increased production of IL-1β in EAT and correlates with some metabolic parameters

ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ВПЕРВЫЕ ВЫЯВЛЕННЫХ БОЛЬНЫХ ТУБЕРКУЛЕЗОМ ЛЕГКИХ В АСПЕКТЕ ОКАЗАНИЯ ПСИХОТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКОЙ ПОМОЩИ В ПЕРИОД СТАЦИОНАРНОГО ЛЕЧЕНИЯ

The objective of the study: to compare psychological features of the patients referring for psychological care during treatment of tuberculosis and of those who did not need it.Subjects and methods. 78 new pulmonary tuberculosis patients (median age was 31.3 ± 10.6 years old) were included into the study; all of them were diagnosed with psychological disorders of various severity when admitted to Central Tuberculosis Research Institute for in-patient treatment. The main group included 33/78 (42.3%) patients who referred for psychological help during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. 45/78 (57.7%) patients didn't receive any psychological support during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy (comparison group). There was no significant difference between the number of patients in those groups (χ2 = 1.846; p > 0.1). In both groups, women significantly prevailed over men. Women made 89.5% of cases in the main group (χ2 = 18.944; p < 0.001), and 83.3% of cases in the comparison group (χ2 = 18.68; p < 0.001). The psychological status was assessed by the admission and completion of chemotherapy in the hospital using the Symptom Check List (SCL–90–R). In addition to assessing the current psychological status, we studied the forms of destructive responses, interpersonal interaction styles, quality of life, level of subjective control in various life aspects, and also assessed subjective well-being of the individual.Results. It was found out that the specific psychological features of the patients from the main group were significantly different from the ones of the comparison group (higher level of depressive disorders, less pronounced symptoms of negative affective states, suspicion and negativity towards other people); the difference also included a higher level of internality towards failures and family relations, lower psychological resources needed for positive functioning, and communication and emotional characteristics of the individual. It was demonstrated that patients referred for psychological support not only due to actual problems in the mental sphere, but also due to its specific features, as well as the patient’s personal qualities.Цель исследования: сравнительное изучение психологических особенностей пациентов, обращавшихся за психологической помощью в процессе противотуберкулезной терапии и не нуждавшихся в ней.Материалы и методы. В исследовании приняли участие 78 впервые выявленных больных туберкулезом легких (средний возраст 31,3 ± 10,6 года), у которых при поступлении на стационарное лечение в ФГБНУ «ЦНИИТ» диагностированы нарушения психологического статуса различной степени выраженности. Основную группу исследования составили 33/78 (42,3%) пациента, которые на фоне противотуберкулезной химиотерапии обращались за психологической помощью. Без психологического сопровождения противотуберкулезной химиотерапии (группа сравнения) было 45/78 (57,7%) пациентов. Число пациентов в указанных группах достоверно не различалось (χ2 = 1,846; p > 0,1). В обеих группах достоверно преобладали женщины относительно мужчин: ОГ – 89,5% случаев (χ2 = 18,944; p < 0,001), ГС – 83,3% случаев (χ2 = 18,68; p < 0,001). Оценка психологического статуса проводилась при поступлении и по окончании противотуберкулезной химиотерапии в условиях стационара с использованием клинической шкалы самоотчета Symptom Check List (SCL–90–R). Кроме оценки актуального психологического статуса, изучали формы деструктивного реагирования, стили межличностного взаимодействия, качество жизни, уровень субъективного контроля в различных жизненных сферах, а также проводили оценку субъективного благополучия личности.Результаты. Установлено, что пациенты основной группы достоверно отличались от пациентов группы сравнения особенностями психологического статуса (более высоким уровнем депрессивных расстройств, менее выраженными симптомами негативных аффективных состояний, подозрительности и негативизма по отношению к другим людям), более высоким уровнем интернальности в области неудач и семейных отношениях, меньшим объемом психологических ресурсов, необходимых для позитивного функционирования, а также коммуникативными и эмоциональными характеристиками личности. Показано, что запрос на психологическое сопровождение со стороны пациента определяется не только наличием актуального неблагополучия в психической сфере, но и его спецификой, а также личностными качествами пациента

ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ВПЕРВЫЕ ВЫЯВЛЕННЫХ БОЛЬНЫХ ТУБЕРКУЛЕЗОМ ЛЕГКИХ В АСПЕКТЕ ОКАЗАНИЯ ПСИХОТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКОЙ ПОМОЩИ В ПЕРИОД СТАЦИОНАРНОГО ЛЕЧЕНИЯ

The objective of the study: to compare psychological features of the patients referring for psychological care during treatment of tuberculosis and of those who did not need it.Subjects and methods. 78 new pulmonary tuberculosis patients (median age was 31.3 ± 10.6 years old) were included into the study; all of them were diagnosed with psychological disorders of various severity when admitted to Central Tuberculosis Research Institute for in-patient treatment. The main group included 33/78 (42.3%) patients who referred for psychological help during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. 45/78 (57.7%) patients didn't receive any psychological support during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy (comparison group). There was no significant difference between the number of patients in those groups (χ2 = 1.846; p > 0.1). In both groups, women significantly prevailed over men. Women made 89.5% of cases in the main group (χ2 = 18.944; p < 0.001), and 83.3% of cases in the comparison group (χ2 = 18.68; p < 0.001). The psychological status was assessed by the admission and completion of chemotherapy in the hospital using the Symptom Check List (SCL–90–R). In addition to assessing the current psychological status, we studied the forms of destructive responses, interpersonal interaction styles, quality of life, level of subjective control in various life aspects, and also assessed subjective well-being of the individual.Results. It was found out that the specific psychological features of the patients from the main group were significantly different from the ones of the comparison group (higher level of depressive disorders, less pronounced symptoms of negative affective states, suspicion and negativity towards other people); the difference also included a higher level of internality towards failures and family relations, lower psychological resources needed for positive functioning, and communication and emotional characteristics of the individual. It was demonstrated that patients referred for psychological support not only due to actual problems in the mental sphere, but also due to its specific features, as well as the patient’s personal qualities.Цель исследования: сравнительное изучение психологических особенностей пациентов, обращавшихся за психологической помощью в процессе противотуберкулезной терапии и не нуждавшихся в ней.Материалы и методы. В исследовании приняли участие 78 впервые выявленных больных туберкулезом легких (средний возраст 31,3 ± 10,6 года), у которых при поступлении на стационарное лечение в ФГБНУ «ЦНИИТ» диагностированы нарушения психологического статуса различной степени выраженности. Основную группу исследования составили 33/78 (42,3%) пациента, которые на фоне противотуберкулезной химиотерапии обращались за психологической помощью. Без психологического сопровождения противотуберкулезной химиотерапии (группа сравнения) было 45/78 (57,7%) пациентов. Число пациентов в указанных группах достоверно не различалось (χ2 = 1,846; p > 0,1). В обеих группах достоверно преобладали женщины относительно мужчин: ОГ – 89,5% случаев (χ2 = 18,944; p < 0,001), ГС – 83,3% случаев (χ2 = 18,68; p < 0,001). Оценка психологического статуса проводилась при поступлении и по окончании противотуберкулезной химиотерапии в условиях стационара с использованием клинической шкалы самоотчета Symptom Check List (SCL–90–R). Кроме оценки актуального психологического статуса, изучали формы деструктивного реагирования, стили межличностного взаимодействия, качество жизни, уровень субъективного контроля в различных жизненных сферах, а также проводили оценку субъективного благополучия личности.Результаты. Установлено, что пациенты основной группы достоверно отличались от пациентов группы сравнения особенностями психологического статуса (более высоким уровнем депрессивных расстройств, менее выраженными симптомами негативных аффективных состояний, подозрительности и негативизма по отношению к другим людям), более высоким уровнем интернальности в области неудач и семейных отношениях, меньшим объемом психологических ресурсов, необходимых для позитивного функционирования, а также коммуникативными и эмоциональными характеристиками личности. Показано, что запрос на психологическое сопровождение со стороны пациента определяется не только наличием актуального неблагополучия в психической сфере, но и его спецификой, а также личностными качествами пациента