Multifarious trajectories in plant-based ethnoveterinary knowledge in northern and southern Eastern Europe

Over the last century in the European context, animal production has been transformed by the dynamics of centralization and decentralization due to political and economic factors. These processes have influenced knowledge related to healing and ensuring the welfare of domestic animals. Therefore, our study aimed to document and compare current and past ethnoveterinary practices, and to identify trajectories in ethnoveterinary knowledge in study regions from both northern and southern Eastern Europe. In the summers of 2018 and 2019, we conducted 476 interviews, recording the use of 94 plant taxa, 67 of which were wild and 24 were cultivated. We documented 452 use reports, 24 of which were related to the improvement of the quality or quantity of meat and milk, while the other 428 involved ethnoveterinary practices for treating 10 domestic animal taxa. Cattle were the most mentioned target of ethnoveterinary treatments across all the study areas, representing about 70% of all use reports. Only four plant species were reported in five or more countries (Artemisia absinthium, Hypericum spp., Linum usitatissimum, Quercus robur). The four study regions located in Northern and Southern Eastern Europe did not present similar ethnoveterinary knowledge trajectories. Bukovinian mountain areas appeared to hold a living reservoir of ethnoveterinary knowledge, unlike the other regions. Setomaa (especially Estonian Setomaa) and Dzukija showed an erosion of ethnoveterinary knowledge with many uses reported in the past but no longer in use. The current richness of ethnoveterinary knowledge reported in Bukovina could have been developed and maintained through its peculiar geographical location in the Carpathian Mountains and fostered by the intrinsic relationship between the mountains and local pastoralists and by its unbroken continuity of management even during the Soviet era. Finally, our results show some patterns common to several countries and to the veterinary medicine promoted during the time of the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet Union and its centralized animal breeding system, resulted in a decline of ethnoveterinary knowledge as highly specialized veterinary doctors worked in almost every village. Future research should examine the complex networks of sources from where farmers derive their ethnoveterinary knowledge

Безопасность и эффективность – основа выбора ингаляционных глюкокортикостероидов в терапии бронхиальной астмы у детей

Safety and efficacy as fundamental choice of inhaled steroids for treatment of childhood asthma.Безопасность и эффективность – основа выбора ингаляционных глюкокортикостероидов в терапии бронхиальной астмы у детей

Changes in the transcriptome of the prefrontal cortex of OXYS rats as the signs of Alzheimer’s disease development

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neuro­degenerative disease. It produces atrophic changes in the brain, which cause dementia. The incidence of AD is increasing with increasing life expectancy and gradual aging of the population in developed countries. There are no effective prophylactic inter­ventions because of insufficient understanding of the AD pathogenesis and the absence of adequate experimental models. Recently, we showed that senescence-accelerated OXYS rats represent a promis­ing model of AD; in these rats, accelerated aging of the brain is accompanied by the typical signs of AD: degenerative alterations and death of neurons, a de­crease in synaptic density, mitochondrial dysfunction, hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein, an increased level of amyloid β (Aβ1–42), and the formation of amyloid plaques. To elucidate how these signs develop, we used a nextgeneration RNA sequencing technique (RNA-Seq) to study the prefron­tal-cortex transcriptome of OXYS rats during the manifestation of AD signs (at an age of 5 months) and during their active progres­sion (at an age of 18 months), using age-matched Wistar rats (parental strain) as controls. At the age of 5 months, there were significant differences between OXYS and Wistar rats (p < 0.01) in the mRNA expression of more than 900 genes (> 2000 genes at the age of 18 months) in the prefrontal cortex. Most of these genes were related to neuronal plasticity, protein phosphorylation, Са2+ homeostasis, hypoxia, immune processes, and apoptosis. Between the ages of 5 and 18 months, there were changes in the expression of 499 genes in Wistar rats and changes in the expres­sion of 5500 genes in OXYS rats. Only 333 genes were common between these sets. This finding points to differences in the mechanisms and rates of age-related changes in the brain between normal aging and the period of development of AD-specific neuro­degene­rative processes

Небулайзерная терапия в педиатрической практике

Inhalation therapy is a modern and preferable method of drug delivery which is currently used for treatment of majority of acute and chronic respiratory diseases in children and adults. Recently, inhalation devices have evolved significantly. Scientific researches are focused on interaction between drug molecules and aerosol-producing device. The efficacy of inhalation therapy is generally depends on the drug, its dose and technical parameters of the device. Inhalation devices that are able effectively produce drug aerosol have been used for treatment of most pediatric diseases. Advantages of this therapy are quick onset of the action, the possibility to reduce a drug dose due to higher drug concentration in the airways and to decrease the risk of adverse events, and independence of the liver metabolism. Nebulized therapy has been currently used for therapy of the majority of pediatric respiratory diseases. Drug formulation diversity and ability to combine > 2 drugs could enhance the treatment efficacy.Предпочтительным методом доставки лекарственных препаратов в настоящее время является ингаляционная терапия, применяемая в большинстве случаев терапии не только острых, но и хронических рецидивирующих заболеваний респираторного тракта у детей и взрослых. За последние несколько лет ингаляционные системы получили значительное развитие. Научные исследования концентрируются на взаимодействии молекулы лекарственного вещества и прибора, генерирующего и доставляющего аэрозоль. Эффективность ингаляционной терапии во многом зависит не только от лекарственного препарата, его действующего вещества, назначенной дозы, но и от параметров ингаляционного устройства. В педиатрии для лечения большинства заболеваний используются ингаляционные устройства, позволяющие качественно продуцировать и распылять лекарственный раствор. Преимущества такой терапии связаны с быстрым началом действия лекарственного вещества, возможностью уменьшения дозы препарата за счет создания высокой концентрации непосредственно в дыхательных путях, снижения риска системных побочных эффектов, отсутствия зависимости от активности печеночного метаболизма. Сегодня в педиатрической практике небулайзерная терапия применяется для лечения большинства респираторных заболеваний, а многообразие лекарственных форм (могут быть использованы все стандартные растворы для ингаляций) и их комбинаций (возможность одновременного применения ≥ 2 лекарственных препаратов) способствуют эффективности терапии

Influence of Antioxidant SkQ1 on Accumulation of Mitochondrial DNA Deletions in the Hippocampus of Senescence-Accelerated OXYS Rats

Human and animal aging is associated with gradual decline of cognitive functions (especially learning ability and memory) and increased risk of development of neurodegenerative diseases 596 Abbreviations: bp, base pairs; mtDNA, mitochondrial DNA; ∆mtDNA, deletion in mitochondrial DNA; ∆mtDNA 4834 , 4834-bp mitochondrial DNA deletion; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SkQ1, antioxidant 10-(6′-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenylphosphonium. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Abstract-Reduction of efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation associated with aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease is thought to be linked to the accumulation of deletions in mitochondrial DNA (∆mtDNA), which are seen as a marker of oxidative damage. Recently, we have shown that mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (10-(6′-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenylphosphonium) can slow the development of signs of Alzheimer's disease in senescence-accelerated OXYS rats. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the development of neurodegenerative changes in the brain of OXYS rats and changes in the amount of mtDNA and the 4834-bp mitochondrial DNA deletion (∆mtDNA 4834 ) as well as the effect of SkQ1. We studied the relative amount of mtDNA and ∆mtDNA 4834 in the hippocampus of OXYS and Wistar (control) rats at ages of 1, 2, 6, 10, and 20 days and 3, 6, and 24 months. During the period crucial for manifestation of the signs of accelerated aging of OXYS rats (from 1.5 to 3 months of age), we evaluated the effects of administration of SkQ1 (250 nmol/kg) and vitamin E (670 mmol/kg, reference treatment) on the amount of mtDNA and ∆mtDNA 4834 and on the formation of the behavioral feature of accelerated senescence in OXYS rats -passive type of behavior in the open field test. In OXYS rats, the level of ∆mtDNA 4834 in the hippocampus is increased compared to the Wistar rats, especially at the stage of completion of brain development in the postnatal period. This level remains elevated not only at the stages preceding the manifestation of the signs of accelerated brain aging and the development of pathological changes linked to Alzheimer's disease, but also during their progression. However, at age of 24 months, there were no detectable differences between the two strains. SkQ1 treatment reduced the level of ∆mtDNA 4834 in the hippocampus of Wistar and OXYS rats and slowed the formation of passive behavior in OXYS rats. These results support the possible use of SkQ1 for prophylaxis of brain aging. Influence of Antioxidant SkQ1 o

The Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant SkQ1 Downregulates Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Dependent Genes in the Retina of OXYS Rats with AMD-Like Retinopathy

The mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 is a novel drug thought to retard development of age-related diseases. It has been shown that SkQ1 reduces clinical signs of retinopathy in senescence-accelerated OXYS rats, which are a known animal model of human age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The aim of this work was to test whether SkQ1 affects transcriptional activity of AhR (aryl hydrocarbon receptor) and Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), which are considered as AMD-associated genes in the retina of OXYS and Wistar rats. Our results showed that only AhR and AhR-dependent genes were sensitive to SkQ1. Dietary supplementation with SkQ1 decreased the AhR mRNA level in both OXYS and Wistar rats. At baseline, the retinal Cyp1a1 mRNA level was lower in OXYS rats. SkQ1 supplementation decreased the Cyp1a1 mRNA level in Wistar rats, but this level remained unchanged in OXYS rats. Baseline Cyp1a2 and Cyp1b1 mRNA expression was stronger in OXYS than in Wistar rats. In the OXYS strain, Cyp1a2 and Cyp1b1 mRNA levels decreased as a result of SkQ1 supplementation. These data suggest that the Cyp1a2 and Cyp1b1 enzymes are involved in the pathogenesis of AMD-like retinopathy of OXYS rats and are possible therapeutic targets of SkQ1

Опыт комбинированного использования бесфреонового ультрамелкодисперсного препарата беклометазона дипропионата и формотерола в терапии среднетяжелой бронхиальной астмы у детей

Open non-comparative 3-month study of efficacy of combined therapy with beclomethasone (Beclason ECO Easy Breathe) and formoterol (Foradil) was performed in children 6 to 11 years old with moderate bronchial asthma. The study involved 35 patients (the average age was 8.64 ± 0.65 yrs), 69 % were boys. The length of the disease was 2 to 10 yrs (6.01 ± 0.83 yrs). All the patients were given Beclason ECO Easy Breathe 200 meg and Foradil 9 meg twice a day. We evaluated inhalation technique, clinical and functional dynamics, possibilities of achieving the full asthma control, need in short-acting β1-agonists, tolerability and safety of the therapy. No one patient experienced technique problems when using Beclason ECO Easy Breathe. By the 8-th week of the treatment asthma symptoms disappeared in all the patients, breathing rate and lung auscultation became normal. Significant improvement in lung function was noted by the 12-th week of the therapy. The FEV1 growth under the bronchodilating test diminished indicating more bronchial stability. Peak expiratory flow rate increased even in children with initial normal parameters. The need in short-acting β2-agonists reduced from 1,9 ± 0,4 to 0,6 ± 0,2 doses daily. The treatment was well tolerated.Thus, the combination of Beclason ECO Easy Breathe and Foradil in moderate asthma children results in achieving the full asthma control, clinical stability, elimination of the asthma signs, improvement in lung function.Нами проведено открытое несравнительное исследование эффективности комбинированной терапии беклометазоном (Беклазон ЭКО "Легкое дыхание") и формотеролом (Форадил) у детей 6-11 лет с бронхиальной астмой (БА) средней тяжести в течение 3 мес. В исследование были включены 35 пациентов (средний возраст 8,64 ± 0,65 лет), 69 % составили мальчики. Длительность заболевания варьировалась от 2 до 10 лет (в среднем — 6,01 ± 0,83 года). Всем пациентам был назначен Беклазон ЭКО "Легкое дыхание" 200 мкг дважды в день в комбинации с Форадилом 9 мкг дважды в день. На фоне этой терапии каждые 3 мес. мы оценивали технику использования ингалятора "Легкое дыхание" и Аэролайзера; динамику клинического и функционального статуса, возможности достижения полного контроля; потребность в β2-агонистах короткого действия, переносимость и безопасность терапии. Ни у кого из пациентов не возникло трудностей в использовании Беклазона ЭКО "Легкое дыхание" и Аэролайзера. К 8-й нед. терапии у всех детей исчезли клинические проявления БА, нормализовалась ЧД, отсутствовали физикальные изменения в легких. Достоверное улучшение показателей функции внешнего дыхания, по сравнению с исходными, отмечалось через 12 нед. терапии. В пробе с бронхолитиком достоверно уменьшился прирост FEV1, что свидетельствует о нормализации бронхиальной проходимости и снижении бронхолабильности. Пиковая скорость выдоха в динамике увеличивалась даже у детей, исходно имевших нормальные показатели. Потребность в короткодействующих β2-агонистах в ходе исследования снизилась с 1,9 ± 0,4 до 0,6 ± 0,2 инг./сут. Отмечена хорошая переносимость терапии.Проведенное исследование показало, что комбинация Беклазона ЭКО "Легкое дыхание" и Форадила у детей со среднетяжелой БА приводит к достижению контроля заболевания, стабилизации состояния, исчезновению симптомов БА, улучшению функции внешнего дыхания

Child’s heart development and contractility from prenatal to postnatal period

This literature review analyzes current data on the main stages of child’s heart contractility development from prenatal to postnatal period. The presented information will expand the conventional ideas on the age-related cardiovascular physiology in children, supplementing with relevant knowledge about the patterns of left ventricular mechanics, and the mechanisms affecting child’s heart morphology. In addition, we consider the evolutionary feasibility of the simultaneous existence of various left ventricular mechanics models, which ensure the effective cardiac function in the postnatal period. This is very important for the work of neonatologists, pediatricians, pediatric cardiologists and therapists

Опыт применения тиамфеникола глицинат ацетилцистеината при остром бронхите у детей

The aim of this study was to analyze clinical efficacy and safety of inhaled thiamphenicol glycinate acetylcisteinate (TGA) compared to conventional systemic antibacterial therapy in children with acute bronchitis.Methods. This was a randomized open postmarketing parallel-group trial which involved 150 children (71 boys) aged 3 to 17 years with acute bronchitis. Children were included to the trial if they did not improve in 5–6 days of a symptomatic treatment or if they had bacterial respiratory infection. The patients were randomly assigned either to nebulized inhalations of TGA or oral macrolides plus oral N-acetylcysteine for 7 days. Efficacy of therapy was assessed by clinical sign scoring and lung function measured by computed bronchophonography.Results. In 3 days of the treatment, the body temperature decreased to low-grade fever in both the groups. Clinical signs of acute bronchitis improved significantly in 84% of the TGA group patients with statistically significant difference compared to the controls; cough and sputum production were 1.7 ± 0.06 and 2.1 ± 0.02, respectively (р < 0.05); wheezing reduced in 1.5 times in the TGA group to the 3rd day. To the 7th day of the treatment, improvement was equal in both the group and clinical efficacy (recovering, improvement, or no change) did not differ between the groups. Systemic antibacterial therapy was not required in the TGA group.Conclusion. The results have shown the high clinical efficacy of inhaled TGA in children with acute bacterial bronchitis. Systemic macrolides did not improve clinical outcomes and did not shortened the length of the disease, but caused more adverse events compared to the inhaled topic antibacterial therapy.Острые инфекции верхних и нижних дыхательных путей являются самыми частыми заболеваниями в амбулаторной практике, с которыми встречаются педиатры. Однако частота применения системной антибактериальной терапии (АБТ) при этих инфекциях у детей достаточно высока.Материалы и методы. Проведено открытое пострегистрационное рандомизированное исследование в параллельных группах по оценке эффективности и безопасности применения препарата тиамфеникола глицинатацетилцистеината (ТГА) у детей (n = 150: 71 мальчик, 79 девочек; средний возраст – 9,9 ± 0,8 года) с острыми респираторными заболеваниями, протекающими с клиническими явлениями бронхита.Результаты. По результатам проведенного исследования установлена высокая клиническая эффективность ТГА при лечении острых бактериальных респираторных инфекций в режиме ингаляционной терапии. Представлен опыт применения ТГА при остром бронхите у детей в сравнении с системными антибактериальными препаратами (АБП).Заключение. Рекомендовано широкое назначение препарата ТГА в качестве безопасной альтернативы системным АБП при остром бронхите у детей, особенно при необходимости проведения муколитической АБТ