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The search for new therapeutic options for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an urgent issue in rheumatology. The article presents the results of the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial BCD-132-5/LIBERIUS on the efficacy and safety of divozilimab (BCD-132) in the treatment of SSc.Objective: to investigate the efficacy and safety of divozilimab in patients with SSc compared to placebo.Material and methods. After enrolment in the study, patients received divozilimab or placebo for 48 weeks, after which they were switched to an open-label divozilimab therapy until week 96.Results and discussion. Divozilimab was superior to placebo regarding the primary endpoint change in mRSS at week 48 compared to baseline, and the therapy had a positive effect on respiratory function parameters. Divozilimab treatment was well tolerated.Conclusion. Thus, divosilimab may represent a new therapeutic option for patients with SSc.

Assessment of tumor infltrating lymphocytes (TiLs) has been recognized as an additional tool for predicting survival in triple negative (TN) and HER2/neu positive (HER2+) subtypes of breast cancer (BC). Recently, BC, including the above-mentioned subtypes and characterized by low/undefined expression of HER2/neu, has been isolated into a separate group, designated HER2-low BC. The relationship between clinical and morphological parameters of HER2-low breast cancer and infiltration by immunocompetent cells, including tumor associated macrophages (TAM), has not been studied to date. The purpose of the study was to identify significant relationships between the level of subpopulations of immunocompetent cells (Tils + TAM) and the clinical and morphological parameters of HER2-low BC.Material and Methods. The study examined the surgical specimens of 33 patients with HER2-low BC. Visual counting of TILs and assessment (IHC) of the level of T-helpers, T-killers, M1 and M2 macrophages were carried out in intratumor sites and the invasive edge of the primary tumor.Results. The study of mastectomy specimens showed that infiltration of Tils (Me=5 [5; 10] %) was observed in all 33 patients. The level of M2 of macrophages was found to be the highest both in the invasive margin and in the intratumor sites (CD163inv: Me=20 [10; 40] %; CD163c: Me=15 [7; 30] %, respectively). In patients with high (≥20 %) levels of M2 macrophages in the invasive margin, there was also a high level of other immunocompetent cells, and perineural invasion was detected significantly more often (р=0.019).Conclusion. A high level of infiltration by M2 macrophages of the invasive margin is combined with the detection of perineural invasion in primary HER2-low breast cancer, which is one of the predictors of a high risk of progression. In combination with other clinical and morphological parameters, the level of M2 macrophages in HER2-low breast cancer may become another factor in predicting disease prognosis.

Currently, primary and secondary school education quality is a major source of concern for educators. A significant number of factors, such as the development of scientific and technological progress, technological innovations, and digitalization, affect the quality of education. In recent years, teachers have come to believe that the textbook they choose has a big influence on their students' academic performance. To determine the difficulties of selecting e-learning materials for primary school students, a quasi-experimental study was conducted. The challenge of choosing instructional materials was examined using the example of a teacher's selection of a mathematics textbook. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the teacher's selection of an e-textbook for mathematics instruction affected the performance of fourth-grade students. The two selected test groups of the same size (140 students) included students from an elementary city school in Russia. The participants were nine years old on average. Participants in the second experimental group performed better on the final test (74.71) than those in the first (65.9), per ANCOVA analysis. There was a significant difference between the two groups' test results (F = 10.84, p < 0.05). The findings demonstrated that primary school students' performance levels can be significantly impacted by the choice of electronic textbooks to teach them. Additionally, the study indicated useful criteria for the selection of high-quality e-textbooks by teachers. These criteria allow educators to make a choice that may significantly influence the educational process. The findings of this study demonstrate that using e-textbook approval guidelines based on theoretically sound quality indicators can help prevent the use of subpar textbooks in classrooms and raise the standard of textbooks in general. The educational opportunities offered by primary school textbooks may also have an impact on students' performances in higher grades.

Objective. To study in vitro activity of antimicrobials against clinical isolates obtained from patients with community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) in various regions of Russia in 2023. Materials and Methods. The study included 1098 isolates obtained from the urine of children and adults of both sexes of all age groups with acute and exacerbation of recurrent community-acquired UTIs, including pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria. Isolates were collected in 29 centers in 21 cities of Russia in 2023 as part of a multicenter prospective epidemiological study of the dynamics of antibiotic resistance of pathogens causing community-acquired UTIs in different subsets of patients ("DARMIS-2023"). The categories of susceptibility of isolates to antimicrobial drugs were based on the breakpoint values of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in accordance with the Russian recommendations "Determination of susceptibility of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs" (Version 2024-02) and the updated EUCAST criteria (v. 14.0, 2024). Results. Enterobacterales accounted for a total of 88.1% of all isolated bacterial pathogens (89.6% in the adult subpopulation; 82.8% in the pregnant subpopulation and 89.6% in the subpopulation of children and adolescents under 18 years of age). The most prevalent species were Escherichia coli (72.2% in the adult subpopulation; 72.8% in the pregnant women subpopulation and 68.9% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.8% in the adult subpopulation; 4.8% in the pregnant women subpopulation and 9.8% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation). Of the oral drugs, the minimal resistance in E. coli was demonstrated for nitrofurantoin (0.4% of isolates in the adult subpopulation; 0.0% in the pregnant women subpopulation and 1.6% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation) and fosfomycin (9.6% of isolates in the adult subpopulation; 4.4% in the pregnant women subpopulation and 1.6% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation). Of the parenteral agents, meropenem and amikacin had the highest activity: 0.8% and 1.0% resistant E. coli in the adult subpopulation; no resistant E. coli in the pregnant subpopulation; 0.0% and 0.8% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation, respectively. For each patient subpopulation, antimicrobial resistance of E. coli to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, cefixime, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was more than 20%. Rates of E. coli resistance to ciprofloxacin were 36.7% in the adult subpopulation; 22.1% in the pregnant subpopulation; and 22.2% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation. The rate of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production based on phenotypic test results was 29.6% in the adult subpopulation; 23.6% in the pregnant subpopulation and 33.3% in the children and adolescents under 18 years of age subpopulation. Conclusions. In community-acquired UTIs the main clinical problem is the persistent high rate of E. coli resistance to cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, aminopenicillins/beta-lactamase inhibitors, as well as the increase of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamases production. Remaining high in vitro activity of fosfomycin and nitrofurans allows to consider them as drugs of choice in uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections.

Introduction. The role of antiphospholipid antibody (APA) carriage in the pathogenesis of pregnancy failure is one of the most recently debated issues. To date, no unified therapeutic approach to immunotherapy of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in pregnancy exists. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) have become the drugs of choice to treat this pathology in pregnant women.Aim: to evaluate an effectiveness of preventing placenta-associated complications (PACs) in patients with recurrent miscarriage and circulating APAs.Materials and Methods. A prospective study was conducted to analyze the course of pregnancy and outcomes in 150 patients who had diagnostic APA titers and aggravated obstetric and gynecological anamnesis. All pregnant women received therapy with low-dose aspirin (LDA) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWHs). In addition to combining LMWHs and LDA, 126 (84.0 %) pregnant women received IVIG courses administered at gestational age of 6-8, 12-14, and 22-24 weeks.Results. Based on the data obtained, gestational complications such as chronic placental insufficiency, hemodynamic disorders, fetal growth retardation, gestational arterial hypertension, moderate preeclampsia (PE) were significantly more frequent in patients receiving no IVIG during pregnancy. It should be noted that development of severe obstetric complications, such as severe PE, premature detachment of a normally located placenta, massive blood loss, and antenatal fetal death were not observed in any case. No patient developed venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Comparing relative expression area of annexin V, CD 34+, KiSS-peptine and its receptors (KiSS1R), there were revealed significant differences. The relative expression area for anticoagulant protein annexin V was 2.3-fold higher in IVIG-treated patients in pregnancy; endothelial marker CD34+ - 4-fold higher, KiSS-peptine - 2.3-fold higher, and KiSS1R - 5.4-fold higher in placenta from women treated with IVIG starting from early pregnancy stage.Conclusion. In order to assess the effectiveness of PAC prevention in patients with habitual miscarriage and circulating APAs, it is possible to estimate relative expression area for placental anticoagulant protein annexin V, endothelial marker CD 34+, KiSS-peptine and KiSS1R.

This article presents the results of the 3-year use of netakimab (NTK), a monoclonal antibody against interleukin 17, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) as part of the phase III PATERA study. Objective: to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of NTK in patients with PsA over a period of 3 years. Material and methods. PATERA is a double-blind, multicenter, randomized, phase III clinical trial. 194 patients with active PsA were randomized 1:1 to NTX or placebo/NTX. NTX/placebo was administered at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14. Placebo patients who did not achieve a 20% improvement according to ACR criteria (ACR20) at week 16 received NTX at weeks 18 and 22. Patients who achieved ACR20 received placebo at weeks 18 and 22. Subsequently, all patients received NTX. At week 54, patients who did not meet ACR20 criteria were withdrawn from the study and the remaining patients were treated in the extension phase. The total duration of NTX use in all groups was 3 years. Results and discussion. Therapeutic response achieved in the first year of treatment was maintained in the extended phase of the study. Against the background of NTX use, a significant long-term decrease in clinical manifestations of PsA was observed. Adverse events occurred mainly in the form of laboratory abnormalities and infectious diseases, which were mostly mild to moderate. Antibodies against NTK were detected in 9.3% of patients and in most cases they were formed at the end of the first and beginning of the second year of therapy. Conclusion. NTK showed a favorable safety profile with long-term use over 3 years. The clinical effect on all manifestations of PsA was maintained in most patients over a long period of time without significant loss of response.

Background: This scoping review provides a baseline summary of the current records of the ticks, fleas, and mites of public health importance that are present in Bangladesh. It summarizes their geographic distributions and reports the levels of their infestation of livestock, pets, wildlife, and humans, and the clinical and epidemiological studies pertinent to these vectors and their pathogens. Methods: Sixty-one articles were identified in a literature search, including 43 published since 2011. Results: Twelve articles contained reliable information on ticks and their associated hosts. However, information on fleas and mites in Bangladesh is very limited. Seventeen species of ixodid ticks that commonly parasitize peridomestic animals and can bite humans are described: Rhipicephalus microplus, R. appendiculatus, R. sanguineus, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, Hyalomma anatolicum, and Amblyomma testudinarium. Thirty-eight veterinary articles describe livestock pathogens, including Babesia, Anaplasma, and Theileria, and the diseases they cause. Few of those studies used modern molecular techniques to identify these pathogens. Eleven articles reported human diseases or surveillance studies, 10 from the last 10 years. Two country-wide serosurveys of 1,209 and 720 patients, using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA), respectively, reported human exposure to Orientia tsutsugamushi (8.8%–23.7%), typhus and spotted-fever group rickettsiae (19.7%–66.6%), and Coxiella burnetii (3%). The seropositivity rates varied regionally. PCR-based studies confirmed that febrile patients in Bangladesh may be infected with O. tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, Rickettsia felis, or Bartonella elizabethae. Only limited molecular research has been done with dogs and cats. These studies have reported PCR-confirmed canine infections with Babesia gibsoni (30%), Anaplasma bovis (58%), or Rickettsia monacenis (14%, n=50), and feline infections with Rickettsia felis (21%, n=100). Similarly, fleas from cats tested positive for Rickettsia felis (20.6%). Conclusions: These findings indicate that diseases borne by non-mosquito vectors in Bangladesh urgently require more attention from public health, medical, and veterinary specialists to establish their true occurrence.

The arrival of the new phenomenon “industrial ecosystem” to the field of production organisation makes investigating it particularly relevant. The paper focuses on describing its essence, indispensable structural elements, as well as delves into the practical significance allowing for the trends in Russia’s technological and ecological development. Methodologically, the paper is based on the concepts of industrial revolution, circular and digital economies. Methods of desk research and systematisation are used. According to the findings, the concept “industrial ecosystem” appeared within industrial ecology and represents a kind of a business ecosystem. In Kleiner’s systems concept, this type of ecosystem is considered as a total of an industrial cluster, a platform, a network, and an incubator. Comparative analysis of various forms of production organisation allows identifying industrial cluster as the most appropriate basis of the ecosystem. It is proved that the digital platform, the communication and logistics network, and the business incubator (technology park) are important for ensuring efficient operation of an industrial cluster. The paper validates the treatment of industrial ecosystems as a transitional form between natural (biological) and non-natural (business) ecosystems. The goal orientation of industrial ecosystem is handling both socioeconomic and environmental problems due to setting up closed-loop industrial cycles. The paper presents an original scheme of an ecosystem taking into account the principles of circular economy: industrial enterprise – circular industrial cluster – industrial ecosystem.

In the conducted research, the authors describe the features of brand promotion using Internet marketing tools. The key types of online advertising and their differences are given alongside with the data on the Internet advertising market and its specifics. The purpose of the study was to determine the features of brand promotion with the help of online advertising. To achieve it, the following objectives were set: to consider the available types of online advertising; to analyse the cases of 5 Russian companies; to determine the specifics of promoting companies through advertising on the Internet. The research methodology was based on the works on Internet marketing and brand promotion. The authors analysed 5 cases of large Russian companies related to Internet marketing: Aviasales, Yota, Dodo Pizza, Tinkoff Bank, Samokat. In particular, the effective influence marketing of Aviasales and its integration with Yandex were noted alongside with the use of contextual, targeted and unusual advertising by Yota to increase awareness. In addition, the features of managing SMM (social media marketing) by Dodo Pizza, effective advertising campaigns of Tinkoff Bank and commercials based on the research of the target audience of Samokat were highlighted. The following characteristics of brand promotion using online advertising were identified: interactivity, the ability to test advertising creatives, simplicity of calculating results, the need to create bright advertising campaigns in order to increase brand competitiveness.

Monitoring the condition of rolling bearings is a crucial task in many industries. An efficient tool for diagnosing bearing defects is necessary since they can lead to complete machine failure and significant economic losses. Traditional diagnosis solutions often rely on a complex artificial feature extraction process that is time-consuming, computationally expensive, and too complex to deploy in practice. In actual working conditions, however, the amount of labeled fault data available is relatively small, so a deep learning model with good generalization and high accuracy is difficult to train. This paper proposes a solution that uses a simple feedforward artificial neural network (NN) for classification and adopts the linear predictive coding (LPC) algorithm for feature extraction. The LPC algorithm finds several coefficients for a given signal segment containing information about the signal spectrum, which is sufficient for further classification. The LPC-NN solution was tested on the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and South Ural State University (SUSU) datasets. The results demonstrated that, in most cases, LPC-NN yielded an accuracy of 100%. The proposed method achieves higher diagnostic accuracy and stability to load changes than other advanced techniques, has a significantly improved time performance, and is conducive to real-time industrial fault diagnosis.

In the modern conditions of the growing consumer market for environmentally friendly industries, the issue of optimizing resource-intensive and energy-intensive technological chains is acute. One of the most expensive stages is the storage of grain—raw materials for the production of biodiesel. This is due to there being no unified temperature control system. In this paper, the authors have developed a mathematical model and a hardware–software complex that allows for the measurement of the temperature field in grain storage areas. To address this challenge, the authors employed methodologies derived from spatial distributed systems to construct a mathematical model. The development of a technical device and the implementation of a software module for processing the measured data in C++ Builder were then undertaken.

Background: Scrub typhus, an acute febrile disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is transmitted to humans through infected chigger mites. We present a case of scrub typhus in a previously healthy man from Shandong Province diagnosed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and PCR and review recent literature on NGS for scrub typhus diagnosis. Methods: NGS was utilized for testing whole blood collected on admission. Confirmatory testing was done by detecting IgM and IgG antibodies to Orientia in acute and convalescent sera by ELISA. Orientia 47-kDa protein gene TaqMan and standard PCR of the 56-kDa protein gene and Sanger sequencing were performed on eschar scab DNA. Results: The NGS diagnosis was confirmed by 47-kDa protein gene TaqMan and sequencing of a fragment of the O. tsutsugamushi 56-kDa protein gene from the eschar scab. Analysis of this sequence and the NGS data indicated O. tsutsugamushi strain Cheeloo2020 is a novel genotype. Mapping of the NGS data against the O. tsutsugamushi Gilliam strain genome sequence identified 304 reads with high similarity. Conclusions: NGS is not only useful for multiplex diagnosis of scrub typhus, but also provides insight into the genetic diversity of O. tsutsugamushi. The common failure to submit sequences to databases makes it difficult to determine the minimal quantity and quality of NGS data being used for the positive identification of Orientia DNA in clinical specimens.

The article presents the results of the three-year use of netakimab (NTK) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as part of the phase III BCD-085-5/ASTERA study.Objective: to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of NTK over a three-year period in patients with active AS.Material and methods. BCD-085-5/ASTERA – double-blind, multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial that enrolled patients with active AS (BASDAI ≥4) and a back pain intensity ≥4 on a numeric rating scale with inefficacy or intolerance of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or biologic drugs. A total of 228 patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio and assigned to either the NTK group or the placebo/NTK group. Starting at week 16, patients who did not achieve ASAS20 (20% improvement according to ASAS criteria) received NTK 120 mg once every 2 weeks in an open-label regimen. Patients who achieved ASAS20 response at week 52 in the NTK group and week 68 in the placebo/NTK group continued to receive NTK (120 mg every 2 weeks) until week 156 in the NTK group and until week 172 in the placebo/NTK group.Results and discussion. Over the course of three years of NTK use, most patients experienced a sustained decline in AS activity (according to ASDAS-CRP, BASDAI) with sustained response (ASAS20/40, ASAS5/6) to therapy. Most adverse events reported were mild to moderate. 36.7% of patients had adverse events, which were mainly laboratory abnormalities, blood and lymphatic system abnormalities and infectious complications.Conclusion. The clinical effect of NTK was maintained in most patients with AS over a three-year period, with no significant loss of response. NTK was well tolerated and the safety profile remained favorable.

Nanotechnology is important in food packaging because it increases shelf life, enhances food safety, and improves sensory characteristics and nutrient availability. We aimed to review scientific publications on the synthesis of nanoparticles, as well as their properties and applications in the food industry. Research and review articles published from 2020 to 2022 were obtained from the database using the keywords “nanoparticles”, “film”, and “food”. They were on the synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and their uses in food films and coatings. We reviewed methods for synthesizing inorganic nanoparticles from metals and their compounds (silver, zinc, iron, etc.), as well as described their antimicrobial action against foodborne pathogens. By incorporating nanoparticles into films, we can create new materials with strong antimicrobial properties in vitro. Nanoparticles can be used to develop both polymer and biopolymer films, as well as their mixtures. Composite coatings can work synergistically with metal nanoparticles to create multifunctional food packaging systems that can act as compatibilizers. Particular attention was paid to metal nanoparticles in food coatings. We found that nanoparticles reduce the rate of microbial spoilage and inhibit lipid oxidation, thereby increasing the shelf life of raw materials and ready-to-eat foods. The safety of using nanoparticles in food coatings is an important concern. Therefore, we also considered the migration of nanoparticles from the coating into the food product. Incorporating nanoparticles into polymer and biopolymer films can create new materials with antimicrobial properties against foodborne pathogens. Such composite films can effectively extend the shelf life of food products. However, the undesirable migration of metal ions into the food product may limit the use of such films.

The article is devoted to the issue of educational interaction and cooperation between teachers and students. The purpose of the study is to show the need for dialogic communication in educational activities, form knowledge, and develop educational cooperation skills, allowing students to take an active position in the educational process to help them adapt to interactive learning. The study's methodological base is the technology of sign-contextual learning, the implementation of which involves the use of active teaching methods. The article gives definitions of the concepts "communication", "dialogic communication", "subject". The principles of dialogic communication are highlighted. Experimental work was carried out in pedagogical classes with students of non-pedagogical specialties. Based on the thesaurus, questions, and tasks of the module, "Teaching Methods" were compiled, training was carried out using active methods. Systematic control was achieved by combining different types of work; however, a special role was played by testing, including computer testing. The result of developing communication-dialogue was the emergence of the participants' subjective positions in the dialogue, the formation of their experience of dialogic communication.

Aim. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Polyoxidonium® in patients with inflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases in real clinical practice. Materials and methods. This retrospective multicenter study included data from adults and children over 6 months old with inflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases (n=16 365). The exploratory endpoints included: the proportion of patients with complete relief of symptoms, demographic characteristics of patients, the frequency of prescriptions of Polyoxidonium® by disease groups, determination of the groups of concomitant drugs, most commonly prescribed treatment regimen, frequency of prescribing different Polyoxidonium® dosage forms, duration of the most common specific symptoms of acute respiratory infections during therapy, the incidence of treatment-related adverse events. Results. After treatment completion, the proportion of patients with complete relief of symptoms was 40%, with positive dynamics – 99.77%. Polyoxidonium® in combination therapy was also effective in the treatment of COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 syndrome. The median patient age was 28 years. Polyoxidonium® was most frequently prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases in combination with antibiotics or symptomatic drugs in dosage form solution. The primary routes of administration were intranasal and sublingual. The resolution of infection symptoms occurred predominantly within the first 5 days after the initiation of therapy. The therapy appeared to be equally effective across all age groups. No Polyoxidonium®-related adverse events occurred. Conclusion. Treatment with Polyoxidonium® contributes to achieving favorable outcomes in patients with inflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases. The study drug has a high safety profile.

Modern highly sensitive and selective sensors are able to determine biologically active substances, which makes this direction one of the most popular areas of analytical chemistry. The study featured the electrochemical properties of new fiber materials based on single-wall carbon nanotubes with prospects of using them in the voltammetry of ascorbic acid. The authors developed a new technology to synthesize films from disordered single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition. Fibers were produced from a solvent by wet-pulling of single-wall carbon nanotubes networks. Thin films of randomly oriented single-wall carbon nanotube bundles were deposited downstream of a floating aerosol CVD reactor, which included a high temperature furnace with a quartz tube. The synthesis of the single-wall carbon nanotube samples was performed at 825°C. Ethanol served as carbon source while ferrocene was used as catalyst precursor. The single-wall carbon nanotubes were collected on a nitrocellulose filter in the form of films with transmittances of 10% in the middle of the visible wavelength (550 nm). The method was optimized to involve air annealing at 300–320°C and a treatment with strong inorganic acids, i.e., HCl, HNO3 + H2 SO4 . The voltammetric curves recording included background electrolyte, scan rate, and preconditioning. These parameters were selected experimentally to obtain the maximal sensor response to ascorbic acid content. The anodic peak of ascorbic acid in the phosphate buffer electrolyte (pH 6.86) was observed at a potential of +0.2 V. The current and peak area of ascorbic acid oxidation depended neither on the time nor on the conditioning potential of the sensor. The linear dependences of these parameters on the concentration of ascorbic acid stayed within 50–500 μmol/L (8.8–90 mg/L) at а scan rate of 0.1 mV/s. The single-wall carbon nanotube microsensor had a length of 0.5 cm and an average width of 400 μm. Its sensitivity was two times as high as that of a disk glassy carbon electrode with a diameter of 5 mm. The experimental sensors proved effective in determining ascorbic acid in food products, pharmaceuticals, and biological fluids.

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) has been diagnosed clinically in the Crimean Peninsula since the 1930s. We describe the recent illness of an elderly patient from Crimea who had developed a classic triad of MSF symptoms consisting of fever, maculopapular rash, and eschar. Clinical diagnosis of rickettsiosis was confirmed using real-time PCR and sequencing of 4 Rickettsia protein genes. The strain causing clinical illness was characterized as Rickettsia conorii subspecies conorii Malish 7. This report corroborates the utility of eschar swab material as a source of DNA for PCR-based diagnostics that enables timely patient treatment and management.

The article is devoted to the study of consumer expectations influence on the volume of produced spending within the framework of consumer preferences. The relevance of the study is related to the current processes in consumer market, which are characterized, on the one hand, by decrease in population income real volume, and on the other hand, by withdrawal of major international brands from Russia due to sanctions pressure. The classical theory of William Strauss and Neil Howe developed in 1991 was chosen as a methodological basis for demographic division of respondents of different generations. The purpose of the study is to analyze consumer preferences within two demographic generations (generations X and Z) related to spending due to expectation of crisis phenomena in consumer market. To test this hypothesis, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the representatives of the two generations. The respondents were students aged 17–21 (generation Z) and their parents aged 45–55 (generation X).

Purpose of the study. Evaluation of the diagnostic value of vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) based on pathomorphological studies in patients with breast cancer (BC) who have achieved a complete clinical response (cCR) after neoadjuvant polychemotherapy (NACT).Patients and methods. In the study, conducted from 2021 to 2023 at the P. A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – a branch of the National Medical Research Radiology Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia, 35 patients with BC cT1–3N0–3M0 of various molecular-biological types who were diagnosed with cCR after NACT were included. All patients underwent VAB (needle size 7–10 G) of the breast followed by histological examination, after which surgical treatment was performed. Subsequently, histological conclusions of VAB and surgical materials were compared with each other for the presence and degree of pathomorphological response.Results. According to the pathomorphological conclusion when conducting VAB, the following results were obtained: 1 – true positive, 29 – true negative, 3 – false negative, and 0 – false positive. No statistically significant results of the association between complete pathomorphological response and the molecular-biological type of breast cancer were obtained (p > 0.05), however, there is a tendency towards the greatest number of complete pathomorphological responses in Her2-neu-positive (luminal – 100 %, non-luminal – 90.9 %) and triple-negative (87.50 %) types of breast cancer. The overall sensitivity of the method was 25.0 % (CI 6.8–60.2 %); specificity – 100 % (CI 88.1–100 %); false-negative result (presence of tumor cells in the surgical material and a negative result of VAB) – 9.1 % (CI 3.4–20.2 %); false-positive result (absence of tumor cells in the surgical material and a positive result of VAB) – 0 % (CI 0–10.6 %). The overall diagnostic accuracy of the method was 90.9 % (CI 79.8–96.6 %).Conclusion. The results of the conducted research allow for the consideration of excluding surgical treatment when a complete pathomorphological response is obtained by VAB. However, further research is required with the inclusion of a larger number of patients.

Teaching the discipline «Epidemiology» to foreign students is associated with certain difficulties due to both the lack of equivalents in the English language of terms and concepts used in Russia and the historically established difference in approaches to studying the occurrence and spread of diseases in human society. Schematically, in English-language literature and textbooks on epidemiology, the process of the occurrence of diseases is described on the model of the epidemiological triangle, in Russian literature – historically on the model of the epidemic process, the founder of the doctrine of which is L.V. Gromashevsky. The epidemiological triad is represented by the interaction of a human host, agent and environment – the basis of the epidemic process are 3 elements: the source of infection, the transmission mechanism and the susceptible organism. At first glance, the model of the epidemic process and the epidemiological triangle are somewhat similar. However, the model of the epidemic process according to L.V. Gromashevsky more clearly indicates the population level of the phenomenon, and the epidemiological triangle pays more attention /emphasis on the properties of the pathogen and its interaction with the human body (the level of organism) in the external environment. Teaching in the section «General epidemiology of infectious diseases» teaching about the epidemic process for foreign students is advisable to build from universal models such as the epidemiological triad, harmoniously combining the epidemiology of infectious and non-communicable diseases, followed by the separation of these concepts and the introduction of specific terminology adopted in Russia (source of infection, epidemic focus, transmission mechanism, transmission pathways). At the same time, along with non- communicable diseases, the processes of the spread of infections associated with the provision of medical care, sapronoses are most significantly illustrated with the help of an epidemiological triangle.

Balloon dilatation of the Eustachian tube (BET) is a surgical treatment method for Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), which relieves the symptoms in the majority of cases. However, there are potential intraoperative risks associated with BET; the decision-making process with regard to indications for BET is not standardized up to date. The objective of this study was to review the role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative planning of BET. The literature review is based on a database search performed in August 2022.

Acute flaccid myelitis is a syndrome characterized as the development of acute flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs due to lesions of the anterior horns of the spinal cord, which occurs against the background of a viral infection. More than 300 acute flaccid paralysis cases are registered in the Russian Federation annually, most of them are of a non-infectious etiology. In some cases, patients develop a complex of symptoms similar to poliomyelitis, but without isolation of polioviruses from stool samples. Clinical characteristics of such cases include acute onset, fever, persistent peripheral asymmetric paresis/paralysis of predominantly proximal parts of the limbs, and absence of pathological reflexes, pelvic disturbances, or pyramidal symptoms. In literature, such complex of symptoms is referred as acute flaccid myelitis. We provide an analysis of 18 cases of acute flaccid myelitis detected in the Russian Federation in the period from 2015 to 2019. A clear seasonality of the disease from July to November was noted. Studies of faecal samples, cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples did not reveal the pathogen. In all patients, regardless of therapy, there was a positive trend, but complete recovery was not achieved: paresis of varying severity persisted, mainly in the proximal extremities Therefore, acute flaccid myelitis cases as acute flaccid paralysis cases of unknown etiology require an additional observation and an expanded algorithm of laboratory investigation aimed to finding a possible pathogen.

The article considers features of modern Russian youth media preferences transformation against the activity’s restrictions of digital social platforms as Instagram, TikTok, etc. The authors have assumed that the “flow” of youth audience to other platforms would occur at a very rapid pace, and new platforms would be mastered in the shortest possible time, i.e. adaptation would be maximally effective. It has also been hypothesized that new platforms creation would attract youth audience, which would seek to “close” their consumer preferences through the newly emerging digital platforms in Russia, replacing those that were legally restricted. To test the above hypotheses, we have surveyed young people aged 18–24, who are the main audience that, according to the hypothesis of this study, would be most affected by media environment transformation. The main hypotheses have been tested by means of several blocks of questions to which the respondents gave answers first within the framework of a standardized questionnaire and then in free form within the framework of interviewing by the researchers. As a result of the study, it has been found out that the specifics of media preferences transformation among young people is not so significant compared to general changes in society, and therefore recommendations for further research directions have been put forward.

The article identifies six main types of content: communication, entertainment, situational, news, sales, and reputation. The study analyzes changes in content plan structure of companies providing various categories of consumer goods in 2022. The reviewed companies operate in Russia, have official accounts VK and actively interact with users. These companies’ activity on VK has been reviewed and analyzed and trends in various types of content placement considered. The regularities in companies’ content plan change and types of prevailing content for 2022 have been highlighted. The article concludes that Russian companies are facing a serious challenge related to the vacated market niches due to a number of foreign brands market withdrawal. Companies that change their content plan in the direction of active interaction with users and effective use of available social network opportunities will have a clear advantage over those ones that continue to focus their efforts on Western resources, access to which is significantly hindered, and advertising placement and use of paid promotion tools are illegal.