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The article examines the criminological and socio-psychological characteristics of suicidal terrorism as a type of political violence at the present stage. The use of the historical method of scientific research allows concluding that although suicidal terrorism manifests itself in different historical epochs, only since the second half of the 20th century, suicidal terrorism has become a widely used violent practice. The analysis of the positions on this topic allows defining suicidal terrorism as a violent practice aimed at causing maximum damage to the population and (or) civilian items, as well as state authorities, institutions, or international organizations to intimidate the population and influence official authorities, which is accompanied by a conscious refusal of the perpetrator to save his/her life. At the same time, suicidal terrorism itself is represented in two forms: classic suicidal terrorism and high-probability suicidal terrorism. Based on the analysis of statistical data on the spread of suicidal terrorism in the world, a sharp trend in the growth of this type of terrorism in the 21st century is determined, as well as correlation changes in the specific coefficient of harm caused depending on the tactics of suicidal terrorism. Two key approaches to understanding the causes of suicidal terrorism are considered. As to the first approach, suicidal terrorism is explained from the perspective of religious self-consciousness and the crisis of cultural and national values that have been historically developed in traditional society. Within the second approach, the determination of suicidal terrorism is due to social protest against an unfair system of social organization and established social relations.

Here, we present the draft whole-genome sequence of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strains 76 and M3265/80, isolated in Mariupol, Ukraine, and Moscow, Russia. The presence of various mutations detected in virulence-associated mobile elements indicates high genetic similarity of the strains reported here with new highly virulent variants of the cholera agent V. cholerae ., (Copyright © 2017 Smirnova et al.)

The review contains some brief information on cholera epidemics in Africa. Based on the results of the whole genome sequencing of 30 clinical strains isolated in Africa in different periods of the 7th cholera pandemic (1985-2012), extensive genetic diversity has been revealed. It is demonstrated that at present cholera epidemics in Africa are caused by new variants of the agent, which emerged in South- Eastern Asia in consequence of not only new genes acquisition, but also genome alterations of pandemicity and pathogenicity islands. SNP analysis of 53 strains circulating at different times in the territory of the continent, as well as isolated in South-Eastern Asia, has been carried out. Phylogenetic relations between the majority of the African and Asian strains have been established. In addition, strains were shown to exist that are, apparently, endemic to the African region. Identified genetic diversity of the strains with varying virulence and drug resistance points out the necessity of continuous molecular monitoring of the cholera agent in Africa.

Draft whole-genome sequencing of the Vibrio cholerae О1 El Tor clinical strain L3226, isolated in Moscow in 2010, was carried out. Various mutations in the virulence-associated mobile elements were determined in its genome that differentiated this strain from the reference V. cholerae О1 El Tor strain N16961., (Copyright © 2014 Smirnova et al.)

An immunochromatographic assay was developed to detect fluoroquinolone antibiotic ofloxacin based on the competitive binding of ofloxacin and the membrane-immobilized ofloxacin-protein conjugate to colloidal gold-labeled antibodies in the course of the labeled antibodies, and to test sample flow through the membrane. The specific feature of labeling by colloidal gold is that native antiserum is used instead of purified immunoglobulins or specific antibodies. This makes the synthetic procedure easier, with no sacrifice in the detection limit. The proposed test makes it possible to detect down to 30 ng mL(-1) of ofloxacin, which corresponds to the demands of food safety assessment. The assay time is 10 min. The assay provides reliable information on the ofloxacin content in milk without the sample preparation and in chicken and pork meat with the minimum sample preparation (the separation of the insoluble fraction of the homogenate by centrifugation). The high degree of detection of ofloxacin in foodstuffs by the proposed assay (70-112%) was shown by a comparison with the data obtained with the use of a commercial immunoenzymatic kit., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Molecular-genetic properties of classical biotype Vibrio cholerae strains that caused the Asiatic cholera outbreak in 1942 in Russia have been investigated for the first time. Being characterized by high-level production of cholera toxin and toxin-coregulated adhesion pili both of which are the major virulence factors, all the strains studied, in contrast to the typical cholera pathogens, were autographic requiring purine and/or amino acids added to the minimal medium for their growth. Moreover, these strains containing the structural gene hapA, as shown by the polymerase chain reaction, produced no soluble hemagglutinin/protease, which enables the vibrios to get disseminated in the environment. The peculiarities of the natural V. cholerae strains elucidated in the work are likely to be responsible for the unusual infectious and epidemic processes observed during that cholera outbreak.

The presence of a temperate phage was demonstrated in a strain of Vibrio cholerae O139 isolated from a patient. Spontaneous variants with translucent colonies had lost this phage. The loss of the phage was associated with increased hydrophobicity, indicating the loss of the capsule. These clones were sensitive to serum bactericidal activity, showed decreased expression of such presumed virulence factors as proteases, motility and mannose-sensitive pili. Furthermore, excision of the phage made the strain dependent on purines for growth.

In an attempt to study the effect of heterologous genes on the virulence of Vibrio cholerae 01 and non-01, rfb genes encoding biosynthesis of non-01 antigens were introduced by homologous recombination into the chromosome of V. cholerae 01 strain 569B (serotype Inaba, biotype classical). Recombinant strains were obtained which were not agglutinated with the diagnostic cholera 01 antiserum and were not sensitive to the cholera diagnostic bacteriophage, but produced as much cholera toxin as 569B and were highly virulent in the infant rabbit intraintestinal injection model. These data indicate that the rfb genes from the studied V. cholerae non-01 did not alter the virulence phenotype of V. cholerae 01. In contrast, cloned ctxAB genes from V. cholerae 01 encoding cholera toxin introduced into a non-pathogenic strain lead to efficient secretion of cholera toxin but to only low virulence in the infant rabbit model.