Propagation of cosmic rays through the atmosphere in the quark-gluon strings model

The quark-gluon strings model succeeds in the description of multiple hadron production in the central rapidity region of nucleon-nucleon interctions. This model was developed for hadron-nucleus interactions and used for calculation of the cosmic ray propagation through the atmosphere. It is shown that at energies 10 to the 11th power to the 12th power eV, this model gives a satisfactory description of experimental data. But with the increase of the energy up to approximately 10 to the 14th power eV, results of calculations and of experiments begin to differ and this difference rises with the energy. It may indicate that the scaling violation in the fragmentation region of inclusive spectra for hadron-nucleus interactions is stronger than in the quark-gluon strings model

X-ray film chamber with carbon target of Tien-Shan complex array

X-ray films were exposed inside the ionization calorimeter under 74g/sq cm of carbon and 5 cm of lead. The X-ray film chamber area is 35 sq. m. Moving X-ray films were used, 50% of the events, which succeeded to determine incidence time, were identified with corresponding extensive air showers (EAS). For such events the size spectrum of associated EAS was derived. Two methods of energy measurement using X-ray films and ionization calorimeter were compared. The energy transfer from selected hadron to electromagnetic component is illustrated. It is found that in cascades with high energy release into electromagnetic components the hadron component is practically absent

Clinical significance of sensitization to house dust mite allergens using flow cytometry-based basophil activation test

Respiratory allergy takes a significant place among allergic diseases. Similar clinical manifestations occur in sensitized patients in response to various airborne allergens. Accordingly, the allergen testing by means of in vivo and in vitro techniques is necessary to identify a causally significant allergen. The main laboratory assay to estimate sensitization to the airborne allergens is based on detection of specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE). However, clinical manifestations cannot be always confirmed by this test. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of basophil activation test (BAT) using flow cytometry, in order to confirm sensitization to house dust mite allergens. The BAT was carried out with allergens from Dermatofagoides in 34 volunteers, 130 patients were examined at the Russian Centre of Emergency and Radiation Medicine (33 people with household and 97 people with polysensitization), and 10 patients with allergy to house dust mites confirmed by skin testing. The sensitization was assessed using two laboratory kits (Allergenicity and BD FastImmune). The total IgE and sIgE to house dust mites, as well as concentrations of eosinophilic cationic protein, were determined. Specificity of the BAT with Allergenicity kit for the house dust mites was 94%. The sensitivity was 88% in the patients with household sensitization, thus being comparable with skin testing results available from the literature. An absolute correlation was found between positive results of skin testing and the BAT. In patients with household sensitization, sIgE levels > 0.35 UA/mL were detected in 39% of cases. A positive correlation was shown between the indices of basophil activation in response to testing allergens, and total immunoglobulin E and sIgE concentrations. High degree of correlation was found between the results of Dermatofagoides sensitization testing with both BAT kits. It was shown that the use of H1 histamine receptor blockers had no effect on BAT results. A decrease in sensitivity assay for airborne allergens was revealed upon therapy with glucocorticosteroids. Due to the proven clinical significance of the basophil activation test for diagnosing sensitization to inhaled allergens, one may require to supplement the range of approved assays in Russian Clinical Guidelines with BAT testing to prove sensitization in patients with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma, thus contributing to better diagnosis of causally significant allergens and, accordingly, administration of proper therapy

Gender-Specific Renal Function and Urinary Syndrome in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis of Alcoholic Etiology: Observational Study

Background. Gender has now been proven to have a significant impact on the development, course and outcome of a large number of diseases, including alcoholic liver disease. Alcohol consumption is one of the leading risk factors for various diseases. Alcohol-related diseases cause 10% of all deaths worldwide among young and middle-aged people. The occurrence of renal dysfunction in cirrhosis of the liver is an integral part of the natural course of the disease. At the moment, the diagnosis of gender-specific renal dysfunction that occurs against the background of liver cirrhosis is essential for the development of effective treatment strategies and the improvement of survival.Objectives. The study is aimed at identifying the features of the gender-specific renal function and urinary syndrome in patients with liver cirrhosis of alcoholic etiology and assessing the comprehensive prognostic significance of the indicators of common urine analysis in the diagnosis of renal dysfunction.Methods. An observational study was carried out using data from medical records of 158 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (95 men and 63 women), aged 36 to 72 years, who were inpatients between February 2016 and March 2020. Physical examination and laboratory diagnostic data were taken into account. Binary predictors of renal dysfunction progression in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis were determined based on the analysis of descriptive statistics. Statistical data processing was performed using computer program Statistica 10 (StatSoft, Inc., USA) and standard Microsoft Excel software package (Microsoft Office 2016). Non-parametric statistical methods were used to describe the results. Quantitative results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test; comparison of two samples by a qualitatively defined feature was performed by means of the Fisher angular transformation method. Differences were considered significant at p ˂ 0.05. A multilayer neural network function from the Statistica 10 Neural Networks software was used to construct a classification scheme for renal dysfunction (yes/no). Neural network performance was assessed using descriptive and inductive statistics, calculating sensitivity, specificity, performing ROC analysis and constructing cumulative gains charts.Results. A renal function test revealed a significant decrease in glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.029) and a significant increase in urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (p < 0.0001) in women with alcoholic liver cirrhosis as compared with men. Women are also reported to have a high incidence of proteinuria, leukocyturia and bacteriuria. According to ROC-analysis, the urinalysis indicators have a high prognostic significance in identifying renal dysfunction in men and women with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (AUROC = 0.902 and sensitivity 81.82%, AUROC = 0.881 and sensitivity 75.00%, respectively).Conclusion. Renal dysfunction develops earlier and occurs twice as often in women with alcoholic cirrhosis than in men of the same age. The application of a neural network mechanism to predict renal dysfunction in men and women with alcoholic liver cirrhosis according to the indicators of urinalysis provides a high prognostic ability

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЭКСПЕРТИЗЫ «ПОЛЬЗА/РИСК» ЛЕКАРСТВЕННЫХ РАСТИТЕЛЬНЫХ ПРЕПАРАТОВ: АНАЛИЗ РЕГИСТРАЦИОННЫХ ДОСЬЕ

The use of medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes (herbal medicine) is still popular nowadays. The aim of the present paper was to analyse registration dossiers for herbal medicines submitted for expert evaluation in accordance with the current national legal requirements for dossier compilation and methodological approaches to the examination of the benefit-risk ratio of herbal medicinal products. The article describes specific features of the preclinical and clinical sections of the common technical document for herbal medicinal products. The article also considers current national requirements for safety and efficacy evaluation of herbal medicinal products. It analyses specific aspects of preclinical (toxicological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacological) and clinical trials of medicines. Based on the results of the analysis the authors elucidate the main mistakes in the preparation of the necessary documents for registration dossiers for herbal medicinal products, namely: lack of complete information on the preclinical toxicological study of the product; inconsistencies in the product composition as specified in different documents; lack of statistical analysis of the results of studies; errors in draft patient information leaflets for herbal medicinal products. The materials presented in the article are high on the agenda and will help applicants properly compile registration dossiers for herbal medicinal products.Применение лекарственных растений в лечебных целях (фитотерапия) остается актуальным и в настоящее время. Целью работы является анализ поступивших на экспертизу регистрационных досье на лекарственные растительные препараты в соответствии с требованиями, предъявляемыми к их формированию на основе действующего российского законодательства и методологических подходов к экспертизе отношения ожидаемой пользы к возможному риску применения лекарственных растительных препаратов. Представлены особенности структуры общего технического документа, формируемого для регистрации лекарственных растительных препаратов, в отношении документации по доклиническим и клиническим исследованиям. Рассмотрены современные требования, предъявляемые к оценке безопасности и эффективности лекарственных растительных препаратов в Российской Федерации. Проанализированы особенности проведения доклинических (токсикологических, фармакокинетических и фармакологических) и клинических исследований препаратов. На основании результатов анализа выявлены основные ошибки в подготовке необходимых документов при формировании регистрационного досье на лекарственный растительный препарат, а именно: отсутствие полной информации по доклиническому токсикологическому изучению заявляемого препарата; наличие несоответствий в отражении состава препарата, указанного в различных документах; отсутствие статистического анализа результатов проведенных исследований; ошибки в разработке проектов инструкции по медицинскому применению лекарственного растительного препарата. Представленные материалы являются актуальными и будут способствовать надлежащему формированию заявителями регистрационных досье на лекарственные растительные препараты

Protein p16 as a marker of dysplastic and neoplastic alterations in cervical epithelial cells

BACKGROUND: Cervical carcinomas are second most frequent type of women cancer. Success in diagnostics of this disease is due to the use of Pap-test (cytological smear analysis). However Pap-test gives significant portion of both false-positive and false-negative conclusions. Amendments of the diagnostic procedure are desirable. Aetiological role of papillomaviruses in cervical cancer is established while the role of cellular gene alterations in the course of tumor progression is less clear. Several research groups including us have recently named the protein p16(INK4a )as a possible diagnostic marker of cervical cancer. To evaluate whether the specificity of p16(INK4a )expression in dysplastic and neoplastic cervical epithelium is sufficient for such application we undertook a broader immunochistochemical registration of this protein with a highly p16(INK4a)-specific monoclonal antibody. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded samples of diagnostic biopsies and surgical materials were used. Control group included vaginal smears of healthy women and biopsy samples from patients with cervical ectopia. We examined 197 samples in total. Monoclonal antibody E6H4 (MTM Laboratories, Germany) was used. RESULTS: In control samples we did not find any p16(INK4a)-positive cells. Overexpression of p16(INK4a )was detected in samples of cervical dysplasia (CINs) and carcinomas. The portion of p16(INK4a)-positive samples increased in the row: CIN I – CIN II – CIN III – invasive carcinoma. For all stages the samples were found to be heterogeneous with respect to p16(INK4a)-expression. Every third of CINs III and one invasive squamous cell carcinoma (out of 21 analyzed) were negative. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of the protein p16(INK4a )is typical for dysplastic and neoplastic epithelium of cervix uteri. However p16(INK4a)-negative CINs and carcinomas do exist. All stages of CINs and carcinomas analyzed are heterogeneous with respect to p16(INK4a )expression. So p16(INK4a)-negativity is not a sufficient reason to exclude a patient from the high risk group. As far as normal cervical epithelium is p16(INK4a)-negative and the ratio p16(INK4a)-positive/ p16(INK4a)-negative samples increases at the advanced stages application of immunohisto-/cytochemical test for p16(INK4a )may be regarded as a supplementary test for early diagnostics of cervical cancer

Genome-wide association study for frozen-thawed sperm motility in stallions across various horse breeds

Objective: The semen quality of stallions including sperm motility is an important target of selection as it has a high level of individual variability. However, effects of the molecular architecture of the genome on the mechanisms of sperm formation and their preservation after thawing have been poorly investigated. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the sperm motility of cryopreserved semen in stallions of various breeds. Methods: Semen samples were collected from the stallions of 23 horse breeds. The following semen characteristics were examined: progressive motility (PM), progressive motility after freezing (FPM), and the difference between PM and FPM. The respective DNA samples from these stallions were genotyped using Axiom™ Equine Genotyping Array. Results: We performed a GWAS search for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and potential genes related to motility properties of frozen-thawed semen in the stallions of various breeds. As a result of the GWAS analysis, two SNP markers, rs1141327473 and rs1149048772, were identified that were associated with preservation of the frozen-thawed stallion sperm motility, the relevant putative candidate genes being NME8, OR2AP1 and OR6C4. Potential implications of effects of these genes on sperm motility are herein discussed. Conclusion: The GWAS results enabled us to localize novel SNPs and candidate genes for sperm motility in stallions. Implications of the study for horse breeding and genetics are a better understanding of genomic regions and candidate genes underlying stallion sperm quality, and improvement in horse reproduction and breeding techniques. The identified markers and genes for sperm cryotolerance and the respective genomic regions are promising candidates for further studying the biological processes in the formation and function of the stallion reproductive system

Контроль знань студентів при вивченні дисципліни «Акушерство та гінекологія»

Висвітлені основні види оцінювання знань студентів включно з різноманітними видами контролю: поточний, підсумковий і державна атестація. The article covers the basic types of assessment of students' knowledge, including various forms of control: current, final and state certification

SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF BENEFIT-RISK EVALUATION OF HERBAL MEDICINAL PRODUCTS: ANALYSIS OF REGISTRATION DOSSIERS

The use of medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes (herbal medicine) is still popular nowadays. The aim of the present paper was to analyse registration dossiers for herbal medicines submitted for expert evaluation in accordance with the current national legal requirements for dossier compilation and methodological approaches to the examination of the benefit-risk ratio of herbal medicinal products. The article describes specific features of the preclinical and clinical sections of the common technical document for herbal medicinal products. The article also considers current national requirements for safety and efficacy evaluation of herbal medicinal products. It analyses specific aspects of preclinical (toxicological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacological) and clinical trials of medicines. Based on the results of the analysis the authors elucidate the main mistakes in the preparation of the necessary documents for registration dossiers for herbal medicinal products, namely: lack of complete information on the preclinical toxicological study of the product; inconsistencies in the product composition as specified in different documents; lack of statistical analysis of the results of studies; errors in draft patient information leaflets for herbal medicinal products. The materials presented in the article are high on the agenda and will help applicants properly compile registration dossiers for herbal medicinal products

Considerations regarding demonstration of efficacy and safety of homeopathic medicines

The article analyses the regulatory and legal framework for medicines evaluation in the Russian Federation and abroad, as well as guidelines, scientific literature and practical experience to justify criteria for evaluation of efficacy and safety of homeopathic medicines. When selecting appropriate evaluation criteria the authors took into account specificity of homeopathic medicines composition and dosage form formulation, specific characteristics of pharmaceutical substances and therapeutic action, as well as known limitations on the use of standard test methods. The key criteria for homeopathic medicines evaluation are: compliance of the substance quality and the drug production technology with corresponding pharmacopoeial requirements, substantiation of the drug composition safety, and confirmation of the proposed efficacy and safety by the evidence-based pre-clinical and clinical programme