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Background: The neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common types of dementia worldwide, mostly affects the cholinergic neurotransmitter system and, to a lesser extent, the monoaminergic one. The antioxidant acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and triple monoamine reuptake inhibitory activity of Sideritis scardica (S. scardica) and other Sideritis species has already been reported. Objective: To investigate the effects of S. scardica water extracts on the learning and memory processes, anxiety-like behavior, and locomotor activities in scopolamine (Sco)-induced dementia in mice. Methods: Male Albino IRC mice were used. The plant extract was administered for 11 consecutive days in the presence or absence of Sco (1 mg/kg, i.p). The behavioural performance of the animals was evaluated by passive avoidance, T-maze, and hole-board tests. The effects of extract on AChE activity, brain noradrenalin (NA), and serotonin (Sero) content, and antioxidant status were also monitored. Results: Our experimental data revealed that the S. scardica water extract caused a reduction in degree of memory impairment and anxiety-like behaviour in mice with scopolamine-induced dementia. The extract did not affect changed by the Sco AChE activity but impact reduced brain NA and Sero levels and demonstrated moderate antioxidant activity. In healthy mice we did not confirm the presence of anxiolytic-like and AChE inhibitory effects of the S. scardica water extract. The extract did not change the control Sero brain levels and reduce those of NA. Conclusion: S. scardica water extract demonstrated memory preserving effect in mice with scopolamine-induced dementia and deserve further attention.

The relevance of community-acquired pneumonia is due to its widespread prevalence in pediatric practice, due to high level of morbidity and mortality in this pathological condition. Anti-infectious protection is of great importance in prevention of community-acquired pneumonia, primarily, the state of innate immunity, including cellular and humoral immune response. Among the factors of innate immunity, cytokines play an important role, being the most important mediators that control and regulate immune and inflammatory responses via complex networks and serve as biomarkers of many diseases. A single cytokine may be secreted by different cells and exhibit both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory activity, depending on its context, thus causing multiple immune responses. Among cytokines, interferons play a significant role, being among sufficient factors of innate immunity. The study determined the level of type III interferons (IFN2 (IL-28A) and IFN3 (IL-28B)) in blood serum of 117 children with community-acquired pneumonia aged 1 to 18 years with an X-ray confirmed diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia, hospitalized at the Departments of Respiratory Infections at the Pediatric Clinical Hospitals No. 7 and 8 in Chelyabinsk. All children were represented by 3 age groups, according to the generally accepted critical periods of immune system maturation, i.e., 1 to 3 years old; 4 to 7, and 8 to 18 years old. The comparison group was recruited during routine medical examination of healthy children and consisted of 28 subjects who did not show any signs of acute respiratory viral infection at the time of examination, and had no detectable chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of type III interferons in blood serum of children with community-acquired pneumonia at different ages, and to assess changes in indices, depending on the severity of the disease. According to the results of the study, we have revealed that the serum concentrations of type III interferons, in particular, IFN2 (IL-28A) and IFN3 (IL-28B) among the children with community-acquired pneumonia, were significantly higher in the subgroup of children with severe pneumonia. Significant differences in concentrations of type III interferons were shown for the children in different age groups, which may be due to peculiar features of immune system activation at different age periods and immaturity of immune system in children.

Aim. To identify the features of the function of the cardiovascular system in newborns with cerebral ischemia (CI) of hypoxic origin. Materials and methods. In the neurological department of the children's hospital in 64 newborns coming from maternity hospitals with CI, a clinical and instrumental examination confirmed the diagnosis of CI of hypoxic origin after excluding structural damage to cardiomyocytes, infectious, traumatic and dysmetabolic causes of its occurrence; 12.2% of children were diagnosed with CI of easy degree, 81.2% CI of moderate severity; the control group consisted of 24 healthy full-term children, comparable in age. All patients were examined by a pediatric cardiologist with an electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiographic ultrasound screening assessment of the heart (ECHO-CG), Holter electrocardiogram monitoring, cardiointervalography. Results. In newborns, who underwent CI, there is a higher heart rate, more often there is a single supraventricular extrasystole. Bradycardia with heart rate less than 100 beats/min, sino-atrial block II degree, atrioventricular block II degree were recorded only in newborns after CI. According to ECHO-CG data, a hypokinetic type of hemodynamics takes place in newborns with CI. A decrease in cardiac output reflects a narrowing of the adaptive range of its regulation. In every second child with CI, homeostasis is achieved by a sharp overstrain of the autonomic nervous system regulatory systems, which is most likely based on a shift in regulation from the reflex vegetative to the humoral-metabolic type. As the severity of CI progresses, depletion of reserves to support reflex and humoral homeostasis has been established. Conclusion. In connection with the revealed clinical and instrumental features of the cardiovascular system, newborns with CI who came under the supervision of pediatricians at children's clinics, at the age of one month, in addition to a neurological examination, an examination of a pediatric cardiologist with an ECG is shown. If, according to ECG data, heart rhythm and conduction abnormalities, fluctuations in the duration of the QT interval are detected, CI and/or HM-ECG are indicated to determine further observation tactics.

This article is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Olga Nikolaevna Mizernitskaya, it is devoted to her contribution into the Russian pulmonology and allergology of children, it reveals little-known pages in the history of Russian pediatrics. Professional and creative path of Olga Nikolaevna reflects a difficult time. She made a significant contribution to the scientific development of pediatrics, pediatric allergology and pulmonology, for more than 16 years she was the main freelance pediatric allergologist and pulmonologist in Moscow, she brought up a galaxy of students, left an indelible mark in the history of the Scientific Research Clinical Institute of Pediatrics and in the pediatric science in general. The main areas of scientific, practical and organizational activities of Olga Nikolaevna Mizernitskaya were infectious-inflammatory (pneumonia) and allergic (bronchial asthma) lung diseases in young children. She published more than 130 scientific works, including a monograph and chapters in 7 monographs, a variety of methodological letters and recommendations, she prepared 6 candidates of medical sciences. The article presents the most significant aspects of the scientific and organizational activities of O.N. Mizernitskaya, bibliographic data, the paper notes her extraordinary merits of extremely responsive and kind person. Her difficult biography and creative path are consonant with the steps of the country and serve as an example for modern generations of physicians.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the history and structure of the pathology of premature infants with extremely low body weight and very low body weight under dynamic follow up in the monitoring department for children of the perinatal risk group. Using the method of continuous sampling we analyzed observation maps of 95 premature infants with extremely low body weight and very low body weight of gestation age from 24 to 36 weeks.All newborns have a low Apgar score at birth and at the 5th minute, and Apgar score was lower in children with extremely low body weight as compared with children with very low body weight. All children had congenital anomalies of the organs and systems, marked signs of immaturity, with prevailing changes in the cardiovascular system, passability of the renal pelvis, and congenital deformity of thigh.Among the conditions that occurred in the perinatal period, the authors diagnosed intraventricular hemorrhage in 50.5% of patients, 89.6% of them had hemorrhage of grade II – III, all children had respiratory distress syndrome. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was diagnosed in 60% of premature infants, its moderate and severe forms in 1/3 of the patients. All children had anemia, and 13.7% of children had a neonatal syndrome from mothers with diabetes mellitus. 1/3 of premature infants had retinopathy; its frequency did not depend on the body weight at birth. All children had a combination of pathologies. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was combined with respiratory distress syndrome and anemia in 100% of children. The combination of bronchopulmonary dysplasia with intraventricular hemorrhage was more often recorded in patients with extremely low body weight than in patients with very low body weight.

Echocardiographic parameters were analyzed in newborn infants who had experienced cerebral ischemia. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) 30-50% packed cell volume; 2) 51-68% packed cell volume. Group 2 was found to have reductions in left ventricular linear dimensions and volume indices, which might suggest that there was a trend for higher rigidity and lower contractility of the myocardium. The findings of neonatal infants who have experienced cerebral ischemia and have a packed cell volume of more than 50% may be interpreted as the preclinical manifestations of myocardial dysfunction.

Peripheral pulmonary tumours are often quite difficult to diagnose and treat. Their detection brings immediately the problem of whether clinicians should just wait and observe or operate the patients. The AIM of this study was to determine if there is a direct correlation between tumour size and the risk for malignancy and whether the tumor size should be considered a risk factor for malignancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1997 and 2009, 145 patients with peripheral pulmonary tumours of less than 3 cm in diameter underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) resection for the purpose of histologic examination of the tumor. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 62.60 ± 0.95 years. The youngest patient was 17 years old and the oldest - 82. The study sample included 61 women and 84 men; the men were statistically signifi cantly more than the women (57.3% and 42.07%, respectively) (t = 2.74 , P < 0.01). The total number of patients we operated were 145 with 198 resected tumours. The diameter of the lesions ranged between 0.30 cm and 3 cm (mean 1.41 ± 0.06 cm). We found that 108 (54.55%) of the tumours were malignant, and 90 (45.45%) were benign, the difference between them failing to reach statistical signifi cance (t = 1.82, P > 0.05). The mean size of malignant lesions was statistically signifi cantly greater than that of benign tumours (1.62 ± 0.08 cm vs 1.15 ± 0.06 cm). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the bigger the diameter of the nodule, the greater the percentage share of malignant tumours, which means that the size of the tumour is an important risk factor for malignancy.

There was made a determination of the correlation relationships (CR) between indices of physical and sexual development (SD) of 1997 adolescents aged from 11 years 6 months to 17 years 5 months 29 days residing in the industrial center of the Southern Urals characterized by high levels of air pollution (API 7-13). Benzo(a)pyrene and formaldehyde contribute the greatest part to air pollution. The level of SD, time of appearance of secondary sexual characteristics was revealed to be interrelated with the pace of physical development of adolescents, regardless of the gender Children with an accelerated pace of physical development (macrosomatotype) are characterized by advancing sexual development and the earlier appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. Slow pace of physical development (microsomatotype) is characterized by SD retardation and the later appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. The degree of intensity of secondary sexual characteristics and such anthropometric indices as height, body mass are interrelated and have age and gender differences: the maximal CR for these indices is typical for boys aged from 13 to 16 years as for girls--of 13 and 14 years old.

Exposure of barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L.) to soil flooding for 2 to 24 h reduced the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate. Stomatal conductance also decreased in flooded plants. Stomatal closure started within 2 - 6 h and stomata remained closed up to 24 h of treatment.

We report a case of primary pulmonary paraganglioma (PPP) in a 19-year-old female. The patient was admitted to the Clinic with high fever, cough, right chest pain, severe fatigue and elevated WBC count. Antibiotic treatment was ineffective. A control chest X-ray showed a 5 x 6-cm tumor formation in the right thoracic cavity which required surgical treatment. Tumorectomy with partial resection of the lobe was performed. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged in good general condition, afebrile, with no complaints. Histological and immunohistochemical studies revealed nests of oval cells positive for chromogranin A, surrounded by elongated cells positive for S-100 protein, which was accepted as a definitive trait for PPP. At the control examination six months later the patient was in good general condition and had no complaints. The presented case of PPP (the first ever in the Bulgarian medical literature) is reported because it is exceedingly rare and difficult to diagnose.

Physical and sexual developments were determined in 285 schoolchildren aged 12 to 17 years from the town of Karabash, an area of ecological ill-being in the environmental levels of heavy metal salts. The atmospheric air pollution was in parallel monitored at route observational stations. It was found that 39% of the schoolchildren had disharmonic physical development; of them a fourth had lower body weight and decreased chest circumference with normal growth indices. The girls were observed to have a high frequency of a microsomatotype of harmonic physical development and disharmonic physical development mainly at the expense of underweight (52.9% of all the disharmonically developed girls) as compared with the boys. There was a preponderance of female adolescents with sexual retardation. In the population of Karabash girls, the mean age at menarche was 12 years and 9 months +/- 1.5 months.

Microwave magnetoresonance therapy (MMT) was performed in 50 preschool children who had frequent respiratory infections. The assessment of local antiinfectious defense factors registered a significant decrease in the total number of circulating immune complexes (CIC) with disappearance of small CIC; enhancement of total complementory activity and C2, C4-fragments of the complement indicating activation of mucosa of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue inductive zone providing specific antibacterial defense of the upper respiratory tract.

As many as 249 children (age range 1 month--3 years) with acute pneumonia admitted to the department for intensive care were examined for the hemocoagulation system. Three types of changes were revealed: hypercoagulation associated with low fibrinolytic activity, coagulopathy of consumption, and hypocoagulation coupled with active fibrinolysis. Clinicomorphological correlations were done in 50 cases which eventuated in an unfavourable outcome. Circulatory disturbance which was more pronounced in hypocoagulation coupled with active fibrinolysis was the most frequently occurring morphological equivalent of hemostatic disorders. The concepts are advanced of the role played by hemocoagulation disorders in the pathogenesis of acute pneumonia in children.