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Bioclaustrations are among the best ways that parasitic associations are preserved. A new bioclaustration, Haplorygma productidophilia csp. nov., is here described from the ventral interior of the Carboniferous productid brachiopod Eomarginifera lobata. The location and morphology of the structures in the ventral valve differ from the structure in the dorsal valve, suggesting that two different organisms infested the shells of Eomarginifera lobata. It is possible that whether it was ventral or dorsal valve was an important selection criterion for the infesting organisms, which were likely parasites. The proportion of infested productids was low in the population (5.8%). This low infestation rate could indicate that productids had effective methods for resisting parasites, or that the parasites were ineffective in spreading through the brachiopod population.

Introduction. Vaccination could be the most effective means of preventing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which is one of the leading zoonoses and a major cause of natural disease in humans. Therefore, research to develop an effective vaccine and the search for new non-toxic and effective adjuvants that can enhance and prolong the immune response, reduce the antigen concentration and reduce the frequency of dose administration is an urgent task. The aim of the study was to determine the dependence of the immunogenic activity of an experimental hantavirus vaccine based on Puumala virus (HV) on the antigen dose both in native form and in combination with carbohydrate adjuvants. Materials and methods. The immunoadjuvant effect of Ac3-LPS S. sonnei and S. flexneri 1B and emulsions of nanoemulsified squalene Sepivac SWE (SWE) as part of HV at the optimal and minimal doses was investigated by induction of neutralising antibodies after 3-fold immunisation (day 0, 14, 182) of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Differences in the immunogenic activity of HV were assessed in the neutralisation reaction by 50% suppression of focal units in Vero E6 cell cultures. Results. A statistically significant increase in neutralising antibodies levels was observed after immunization both with HV at the optimal dose and for its combination with adjuvants. Ac3-LPS S. sonnei and SWE showed the most pronounced immunoadjuvant effect at concentrations of 50 and 100 μg/dose, respectively. The immunoadjuvant effect of the combination of the hantavirus vaccine with Ac3-LPS S. sonnei and SWE contributed to both an enhanced immune response and its duration. The tenfold reduction of the antigen dose in the presence of SWE allows optimization of the immune response to the vaccine. Conclusion. The results of this study show the prospects of using Ac3-LPS S. sonnei and Sepivac SWE in the vaccine for the prevention of HFRS.

Background. The fungus causing tan spot on wheat leaves, Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), continues to expand its range and inflict severe damage to the crop. Development of resistant cultivars remains the most effective and environmentally friendly way of disease control. The objective was to characterize modern domestic cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) according to their seedling resistance to geographically different Ptr populations, identify sources of Ptr resistance, locate the presence of dominant Tsn1 alleles in cultivars, and assess their relationship with Ptr susceptibility. Materials and methods. Ptr resistance was assessed in 76 winter bread wheat cultivars from the VIR collection, and 4 winter and 43 spring bread wheat cultivars from the Volga region. Isolates from the Krasnodar, Tambov, Tatarstan and Altai Ptr populations (2022) served as the inoculum. Dominant Tsn1 alleles were identified by PCR using the Xfcp623 marker. Results. Bread wheat cultivars were characterized for the type of response in the leaves of their seedlings to isolates from Ptr populations and the presence/absence of dominant Tsn1 alleles. Resistance to isolates from two or three Ptr populations was observed in 11 winter and 13 spring cultivars. Differences between winter and spring forms in their resistance levels wereshown. Dominant Tsn1 alleles were identified in 26 cultivars. No statistically significant association was found between the presence/absence of dominant Tsn1 alleles and the manifestation of resistance/susceptibility to Ptr. Conclusion. The disclosed diversity of bread wheat cultivars in their responses to the infection with isolates of different Ptr populations may be due to their differences in the alleles of Ptr resistance/susceptibility genes as well as the presence of still unknown effector genes in the pathogen’s genome. Cultivars resistant to two or three Ptr populations can be used by breeders as sources of seedling resistance.

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Extimia® (empegfilgrastim, JSC "BIOCAD") in reducing the frequency, duration of neutropenia, the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) and infections caused by FN in patients with solid tumors receiving myelosuppressive therapy. Materials and methods. The paper presents the final results of a multicenter prospective observational post-marketing study of the safety and effectiveness of Extimia® (empegfilgrastim) in patients with solid tumors receiving cytotoxic therapy. For the primary prevention of FN, all patients received empegfilgrastim at 7.5 mg subcutaneously once per course of chemotherapy (CT) 24 hours after the end of CT administration. The primary endpoint included an assessment of the relative dose-intensity (RDI) of the CT courses administered. The endpoints of interest included the assessment of the RDI of CT courses by nosology and CT regimen, the frequency of dose-limiting neutropenia, and the incidence of all adverse events (AEs) in patients who received at least one dose of the study medication, including serious AEs. Results. From February 2021 to December 2022, 3218 patients with various malignancies were included in 41 study centers of the Russian Fede- ration. Of these, 3217 (99.97%) patients received at least one dose of the study drug, and 2663 (82.8%) patients were included in the RDI evaluation population according to the study protocol. The mean age in this group was 56.9 (18–84) years. RDI ≥85% was achieved in 2,415 (90.7%) patients. The mean RDI was 96.2%, with a median of 100%. FN risk factors were present in 1216 (45.7%) patients, with age ≥65 years being the most common risk factor at 761/2663 (28.6%). It should be noted that in patients younger than 65 years, the RDI was 91.5%, and in elderly patients (≥65 years) 88.7%. Dose-limiting neutropenia was reported in 19 (0.7%) patients. There were 74 cases of grade 3–4 AEs (according to CTCAE v.5) in 59 (1.8%) patients. The most common were neutropenia, anemia, and diarrhea in 19 (0.7%), 7 (0.2%), and 6 (0.2%) patients, respectively. Serious AEs were reported in 17 patients (0.5%). Conclusion. Primary prophylaxis of FN with long-acting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor empegfilgrastim effectively maintains RDI in various nosological and therapeutic groups of patients with different CT regimens in real-world clinical practice.

The efficacy and safety of levilimab (LVL) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been confirmed in controlled clinical trials. This article presents the results of a preliminary analysis of a non-interventional observational study of LVL in RA patients. Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LVL in the treatment of patients with RA in real-world clinical practice. Materials and methods. The HELIOS study is a retrospective-prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study of retention rate of LVL therapy and the safety of LVL in patients with RA in real-world clinical practice. Patients received medical care, including LVL, according to routine clinical practice for the treatment of RA and Russian instructions for medical use of the drug. This article presents the results of an analysis of the efficacy and safety of LVL after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment. Efficacy was assessed using the DAS28-CRP/ESR, SDAI, CDAI and patient assessment of pain, fatigue and morning stiffness according to VAS (0–100 mm). Results and discussion. 524 patients from 42 medical centers in the Russian Federation were enrolled in the study from June 2022 to November 2023. The majority of patients were female (83.2 %) and the mean age of patients was 53 years. A statistically significant decrease in DAS28-CRP/ESR, SDAI, CDAI, patient assessment of pain, fatigue and morning stiffness (VAS) was observed after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment, regardless of previous treatment with biologics or Jak inhibitors (JAKi). LVL was well tolerated by patients, the most frequently reported adverse events were infections, changes in peripheral blood and laboratory abnormalities characteristic of treatment with IL-6R inhibitors. Conclusion. In real-world clinical practice, LVL has been shown to be highly effective and well tolerated in patients with RA when prescribed as the first biologic disease-modifying antirheaumatic drus (bDMARD) and after switching from other bDMARDs or JAKi.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine, from March 2020 to June 2022, witnessed distinct waves, each characterized by an increase in cases and fatalities. Next-generation sequencing has been used to understand the impact of viral variants on the pandemic situation in Ukraine. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing data to identify viral variants circulating during each wave. By integrating epidemiological information, we established associations between viral variants and disease spread. The adoption of next-generation sequencing for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Ukraine, despite limited resources, yielded adequate and trustworthy results, reflecting the pandemic situation. After the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a large number of refugees crossed the border with neighboring countries. Mutation analysis on sequencing data from Ukraine and Poland was used to estimate the exchange of SARS-CoV-2 variants between the countries during this period. Omicron subvariants detected in both countries were similar. The analysis of SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Poland and Ukraine revealed shared nucleotide mutations that can be used to identify the directions of spreading.

Enisamium is an orally available therapeutic that inhibits influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 replication. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of enisamium treatment combined with standard care in adult, hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 requiring external oxygen. Hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were randomly assigned to receive either enisamium (500 mg per dose, four times a day) or a placebo. The primary outcome was an improvement of at least two points on an eight-point severity rating (SR) scale within 29 days of randomization. We initially set out to study the effect of enisamium on patients with a baseline SR of 4 or 5. However, because the study was started early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and COVID-19 had been insufficiently studied at the start of our study, an interim analysis was performed alongside a conditional power analysis in order to ensure patient safety and assess whether the treatment was likely to be beneficial for one or both groups. Following this analysis, a beneficial effect was observed for patients with an SR of 4 only, i.e., patients with moderate COVID-19 requiring supplementary oxygen. The study was continued for these COVID-19 patients. Overall, a total of 592 patients were enrolled and randomized between May 2020 and March 2021. Patients with a baseline SR of 4 were divided into two groups: 142 (49.8%) were assigned to the enisamium group and 143 (50.2%) to the placebo group. An analysis of the population showed that if patients were treated within 4 days of the onset of COVID-19 symptoms (n = 33), the median time to improvement was 8 days for the enisamium group and 13 days for the placebo group (p = 0.005). For patients treated within 10 days of the onset of COVID-19 symptoms (n = 154), the median time to improvement was 10 days for the enisamium group and 12 days for the placebo group (p = 0.002). Our findings suggest that enisamium is safe to use with COVID-19 patients, and that the observed clinical benefit of enisamium is worth reporting and studying in detail.

The Beck mine, located in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, is an abandoned mining site with significant potential for environmental contamination due to the presence of potential pollutants in its waste rocks. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of mine waters and waste rocks and developed a theoretical model to understand waterrock interactions and the release of potential pollutants. Water samples collected from various locations on the Beck mine property were analyzed for chemical composition and showed low concentrations of total dissolved solids with pH values ranging from 6.42 to 7.74. The chemical composition of natural waters was determined by ICP-MS, ICP-AES, ion chromatography, potentiometric titration, and spectrophotometry. Equilibrium kinetic modeling was used to simulate water-rock interactions. The model predicted the concentrations of major and trace elements, demonstrating that dissolution-precipitation and complexation are the primary mechanisms shaping the chemical composition of mine waters. The dynamics of dissolution-precipitation of Fe-containing minerals highlighted the importance of the duration of water-rock interaction, with stagnant mine waters exhibiting higher concentrations of heavy metals. In addition, the presence of dissolved organic matter played a critical role in the accumulation of iron and arsenic in the studied mine waters. Overall, this study highlights the utility of equilibrium kinetic modeling in understanding the behavior of heavy metals during water-rock interactions and provides valuable insights into the potential environmental impacts of abandoned mine sites such as the Beck mine.

To date, soft-tissue remains of extinct incirrate octopods have been described exclusively from Upper Cretaceous deposits. Here, three specimens of an incirrate octopodid with well-preserved soft tissue imprints are described for the first time from Paleogene strata. This material originates from the upper Ypresian (lower Eocene) fish-bearing levels of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte in the Pesciara of Bolca in north-eastern Italy. Previously, these specimens had tentatively been interpreted as teuthids. Based on a detailed study of their anatomical structure, a new genus and species of octopodid, Bolcaoctopus pesciaraensis, belonging to the extant family Octopodidae, are here erected. Bolcaoctopus gen. nov. may be distinguished from the Late Cretaceous genus Styletoctopus by the presence of long and thin arms and an elongated body shape with a narrowed apical end and covered by longitudinal wrinkles. Although finds of fossil octopuses in the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte remain extremely rare, it is worth noting that Cenozoic marine vertebrate localities constitute an important potential source of additional finds of coleoid cephalopods, the study of which may shed light on a poorly understood period in the evolutionary history of these molluscs.

Introduction. Beta interferons are effective and safe agents for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). PEGylated interferons have been developed in order to increase patient adherence. Direct comparisons of the efficacy and safety of PEGylated interferons have not yet been conducted. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SamPEG-IFN-β1a versus PEG-IFN-β1a in adult patients with RRMS. Materials and methods. We conducted a systematic search of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) using the PubMed, Embase and eLIBRARY.RU databases. Efficacy was assessed based on the proportion of patients with disease relapses and the annualized relapse rate (ARR) during the 1st and the 2nd years of treatment. Safety was assessed by the number of patients with adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), and any AEs that led to the treatment discontinuation. We conducted pairwise matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) to assess comparative efficacy of PEGylated IFNs. To evaluate the efficacy, hypotheses of non-inferiority of SamPEG-IFN-β1a to PEG-IFN-β1a and superiority of SamPEG-IFN-β1a over PEG-IFN-β1a were tested. Results. Based on results of the systematic review, four articles were selected wherein the results of phase 3 clinical trial of PEG-IFN-β1a and phase 2–3 clinical trial of SamPEG-IFN-β1a were described. In PEG-IFN-β1a group (n = 512) the agent was administered once every 2 weeks, in SamPEGIFN-β1a group (n = 114) the agent was administered at a dose of 240 μg. The analysis results confirmed the hypothesis of SamPEG-IFN-β1a non-inferiority to PEG-IFN-β1a in efficacy, while SamPEG-IFN-β1a superiority over PEG-IFN-β1a in efficacy was not confirmed. The hypothesis of SamPEG-IFN-β1a superiority over PEG-IFN-β1a in safety was also confirmed based on a significantly lower incidence of SAEs and any AEs that led to treatment discontinuation. Conclusions. The proportion of patients with relapses and the ARR in 1 year and in 2 years of therapy indicates that SamPEG-IFN-β1a is non-inferior to PEG-IFN-β1a in efficacy. SamPEG-IFN-B1a demonstrated a more favourable safety profile than PEG-IFN-B1a as showing less odds of SAEs and AEs leading to treatment discontinuation.

Continuous-wave diode lasers (DLs) with tunable emission wavelengths have become extensively used in various fields of analytical spectroscopy and diagnostics. Working in the near and mid-IR spectral region, tunable diode lasers are particularly effective in detecting simple molecules, making them invaluable for environmental monitoring, industrial process control, and diagnostics of subsonic and supersonic gas flows. However, the lack of commercial diode lasers operating in the spectral region shorter than 400 nm has restricted their applicability to elemental analysis, as many resonance lines of free atoms of elements lie in the region 250-400 nm. This review aims to highlight various applications of continuous diode lasers, which are lesser-known to analytical chemists. We briefly overview their main characteristics and discuss their advantages, enabling their successful implementation in traditional analytical spectroscopy tasks, as well as for diagnosing parameters of remote gas objects, including combustion processes in mixing gas flows., Author(s): M. A. Bolshov [sup.1] , Yu. A. Kuritsyn [sup.1] , V. V. Liger [sup.1] , V. R. Mironenko [sup.1] , Ya. Ya. Ponurovskii [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.465320.6, 0000 [...]

Background. Netakimab has shown high efficacy in controlled clinical trials in the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This article presents results of an observational study of netakimab using in routine clinical practice.Methods. Patients were recruited for the study from August 2020 to December 2021 at 23 centers in the Russian Federation. The study included patients who were prescribed netakimab therapy before enrollment, so clinical and medical history data for the first visit were entered retrospectively, and following visits at weeks 12, 24 and 52 of therapy were collected within the study. Drug survival rate has been calculated according to Kaplan – Meier analysis.Results. The study included 137 patients (93 men and 14 women) with AS. The average age of patients was 42.3 (±11.9) years, 34.3% of patients had previously received therapy with genetically engineered biologic drugs, mainly tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. At the end of the analyzed period (52 weeks of therapy), 90.4% [95% CI: 85.4–95.7] of patients continued treatment with netakimab. The BASDAI and ASDAS-CRP showed statistically significant decreases in scores from baseline at all time points. Netakimab was well tolerated by patients; adverse effects (AEs), related to therapy according to the investigator’s opinion, were reported in 7 (5.1%) patients. 2 patients stopped taking netakimab due to AEs: terminal ileitis and chronic colitis.Conclusions. In real-world clinical practice, netakimab demonstrated high retention rates, a favorable safety profile, and sustained efficacy throughout the first year of therapy.

Abstract Predicting wildfire spread behavior is an extremely important task for many countries. On a small scale, it is possible to ensure constant monitoring of the natural landscape through ground means. However, on the scale of large countries, this becomes practically impossible due to remote and vast forest territories. The most promising source of data in this case that can provide global monitoring is remote sensing data. Currently, the main challenge is the development of an effective pipeline that combines geospatial data collection and the application of advanced machine learning algorithms. Most approaches focus on short-term fire spreading prediction and utilize data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for this purpose. In this study, we address the challenge of predicting fire spread on a large scale and consider a forecasting horizon ranging from 1 to 5 days. We train a neural network model based on the MA-Net architecture to predict wildfire spread based on environmental and climate data, taking into account spatial distribution features. Estimating the importance of features is another critical issue in fire behavior prediction, so we analyze their contribution to the model’s results. According to the experimental results, the most significant features are wind direction and land cover parameters. The F1-score for the predicted burned area varies from 0.64 to 0.68 depending on the day of prediction (from 1 to 5 days). The study was conducted in northern Russian regions and shows promise for further transfer and adaptation to other regions. This geospatial data-based artificial intelligence (AI) approach can be beneficial for supporting emergency systems and facilitating rapid decision-making.

Background. The most effective and environmentally safe way to combat wheat diseases is to produce cultivars resistant to their pathogens. For this purpose, old landraces are often used as genetically diverse sources of traits important for breeding. In the process of wheat breeding for resistance to tan spot caused by the fungus Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Died.) Drechs. (abbr. Ptr), selection is carried out against the dominant allele of Tsn1, the gene of sensitivity to the toxin Ptr ToxA, which induces necrosis and represents the main pathogenicity factor of Ptr controlled by the ToxA gene. The aim of the study was to characterize a set of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions from the VIR collection for resistance to various Ptr populations, genotype these accessions using Xfcp623 – a DNA marker of the Tsn1 gene, and identify sources of tan spot resistance.Materials and methods. Sixty-seven accessions of winter bread wheat landraces were studied. Seedling resistance to two Ptr populations was assessed using a 5-point scale adopted at VIZR. The allelic state of Tsn1 was identified by PCR.Results. Dominant alleles of Tsn1 were found for 55% of the studied accessions. Seventeen accessions were resistant or moderately resistant to two Ptr populations and an isolate from Krasnodar Territory previously used for their characterization. Nine of them had the tsn1tsn1 genotype, and 8 had Tsn1Tsn1. The accessions mainly belonged to three agroecological groups proposed by N. I. Vavilov: “steppe winter bread wheat (Banatka wheats)”, “North European forest awnless bread wheats (Sandomirka wheats)”, and “Caucasian mountain winter bread wheat”.Conclusion. The identified 17 accessions resistant to Ptr are potential breeding sources of resistance. In the studied set of accessions, no significant relationship was found between the allelic state of the Tsn1 gene in the accession and its response to the infection with pathogen populations, including isolates with the ToxA gene.

The article proposes models for assessing the level of socioeconomic development and economic security of regions, on the basis of a synthesis of the proxy variable technique and cluster analysis, which allow to assess changes in interregional differentiation, spatial economic transformations, identify «pivotal» regions, assess the level of economic security of regions under conditions of limited data. The system of proxy-variables of socioeconomic development of regions is substantiated; classifications of regions by the level of socioeconomic development on the basis of methods of hierarchical, agglomerative and iterative cluster analysis have been developed; a dynamic analysis of the structure of clusters is carried out; changes in the characteristics of the distribution of proxy-variables are analyzed; an assessment of interregional differentiation and asymmetry of development is carried out. The results of the carried out cluster analysis based on proxy variables helped to conclude that recent years have led to significant transformations of the economic space in the regional aspect. In the cluster of «pivotal» regions, there is a strengthening of the positions of Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regions, convergence with regions with an average level of development – Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa regions. The most critical situation is typical for Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kherson regions. Donetsk region has moved from a cluster of regions with an average level of development to a cluster of regions with crisis development. The relocation of enterprises and smoothing out the asymmetry in the variable of «Growth of legal entities» currently affects the indicators of budget security of the regions to a lesser extent. Kharkiv region, despite the deterioration of the socioeconomic situation, maintains its position in the cluster of «pivotal» regions. The obtained results can be used in the system of anticipative management of regional development to adapt regional strategies to new realities.

It is shown that the cause of the systemic difficulties experienced by the international mainstream of psychology in developing the problem of agency as a human ability to initiate a change in the environment is that the latter is a phenomenon that has not previously been the focus of attention for international psychology, and thus, for the analysis of which the old methodological optics of the Western-centric mainstream, which took shape in the second half of the 20th century and which is based on the theoretical model of the “universal” human, endowed with “universal” human qualities, is not applicable. In the light of the theory of de-structuration (neo-structuration), focusing on qualitative and radical changes in the social world over the past decades, more promising approaches to understanding contemporary human personality are those grounding on considering personality as a culturally dependent and changeable entity, primarily the subjekt-activity approach which is developing in the Russian discourse and in the international science is not enough known. We consider the subjekt-activity approach not as one of those constituting the global mainstream, but as an alternative to the mainstream for theoretical and methodological grounds. The prospects of developing the problem of agency from the standpoint of the subjekt-activity approach, both in terms of the theory and methodology of psychology, and in terms of practical applications, are substantiated. The relevance of practical applications of the subjekt-activity approach in the field of education is determined by the logic of social macro-processes. As a constructive approach to the development of the problem of agency in psychology, we propose to abandon the two dispositions that dominate in the mainstream: a) the search for the “center of agency” as a separate component and substructure of the psyche, which implements certain functions, skills, etc., - shifting to considering agency as a systemic and integral attribute of the individual, individually specific and developing during the lifetime (a “higher” psychic function); b) the search for the foundations of agency in the sphere of cognition and reflection - changing the focus of research to motivational and volitional sphere.

Wild hops are abundant in the southern regions of Western Siberia, Russia, where the natural conditions are favorable for growing commercially valuable varieties. The genetic diversity present in wild hop populations serves as a valuable source of beneficial genes for developing new genotypes. However, before harnessing these traits, it's crucial to test the wild hops for the presence of harmful phytopathogenic viruses, which tend to accumulate in natural repositories. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of viral and viroid infections in wild hop populations in the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. Plant material from wild hops (Humulus lupulus L. 1753) was collected during expeditions from July 15 to August 15 in both 2022 and 2023, covering 18 districts. Using DAS-ELISA and real-time RT-PCR, we assessed 243 samples for the presence of 16 viruses and 1 viroid. The frequency of infected plants varied based on the sampling location and the specific pathogen. Notably, three particularly damaging hop viruses – Hop latent virus (HpLV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), and Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) – were identified, infecting 24.5%, 8.2%, and 5.5% of the studied plants, respectively. HpLV was found throughout the region, primarily in the moderate-arid steppe and forest-steppe, while ApMV was detected in three adjacent districts with a frequency ranging from 11.2% to 45.5%. ArMV was found in half of the plants in a single location. Additionally, minor viruses such as Strawberry latent ringspot (SLRSV), Tobacco necrosis virus (TNV), and Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) appeared sporadically in different zones. Potato mosaic viruses S and Y, as well as Potato leafroll virus (PLRV), were widely distributed in wild hop populations, with high frequencies in all natural zones except the foothills. Potato viruses M (PVM), Potato viruses A (PVA), and Potato viruses X (PVX) were common in the steppe and forest-steppe zones. It's important to note that the presence of viral infection in plants did not necessarily correlate with the expression of disease symptoms. Notably, Hop mosaic virus (HpMV), Petunia asteroid mosaic virus (PetAMV), Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), and Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) were not detected. The existence of natural reservoirs of viral infection poses a threat to commercial hop cultivars in areas where they coexist. As such, it is imperative to monitor and control the spread of these dangerous viruses.

Background The potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is the smallest of all known potato pathogens. PSTVd is a circular, single-stranded RNA molecule that does not code for proteins. Symptoms caused by PSTVd lead to a significant reduction in tuber yield or death of the plant. PSTVd infection triggers the silencing of host-plant genes and induces disease symptoms in the plant via vd-sRNA. The StTCP23 potato gene which encodes a transcription factor is one of the targets of PSTVd. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of inoculation of potato plants of cv. ‘Colomba’ with the PSTVd viroid NicTr-3 strain on the StTCP23 expression in infected plants.Materials and methods. Potato plants of cv. ‘Colomba’ were inoculated with leaf sap of the tomato cv. ‘Rutgers’ in which the PSTVd viroid NicTr-3 strain was propagated. RT-PCR with specific primers was used to confirm the infection of potato plants with the viroid. Diversity of RNA molecules in the PSTVd population was revealed using RT, cloning, and sequencing of the viroid. The expression of the StTCP23 gene in infected potato plants was assessed by quantitative PCR with the ef1α gene as a reference.Results. Symptoms of infecting ‘Colomba’ plants with the PSTVd viroid strain NicTr-3 were not detected, while the presence of the viroid in potato leaves was confirmed by molecular methods. Ten mutations were found in individual variants of the PSTVd strain NicTr-3, responsible for reducing the viroid’s aggressiveness. An increase in the expression of StTCP23 was shown at 3 time points in ‘Colomba’ plants inoculated with the NicTr-3 strain compared to the control.Conclusion. The mechanism of interaction between PSTVd and the StTCP23 gene in an infected potato plant is not universal and depends both on the potato genotype and viroid strain. Additional studies are required to prove the existence of specific interaction mechanisms between the host-plant and viroid strain genotypes.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of patients with primary multiple malignant tumors, which not only affect one or more organs, but also differ in their histological structure. At the same time, melanoma of the skin is a rare localization among primary malignant neoplasms. This nosology accounts for only 3–5 % of all skin tumors. Melanoma is associated with high mortality due to the development of a pronounced metastatic potential, and therefore the study of this malignant formation is of the greatest relevance. Over the past 50 years, the incidence of multiple primary melanoma has increased significantly. At the same time, the number of patients with more than 2 lesions has increased to 18 % of the number of primary multiple melanomas over the past 50 years. This emphasizes the importance of monitoring patients with melanoma and regularly examining patients for new lesions. This article demonstrates a clinical case of a patient with a confirmed diagnosis of a primary multiple disease with melanoma of the skin and rectum. For skin melanoma, the patient underwent a wide excision of the tumor with inguinal-femoral lymph node dissection on the right. Subsequently, radiation therapy and chemotherapy were performed. Further, during a comprehensive examination, the patient was diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm of the lower ampullar rectum with a transition to the anal canal. The patient underwent laparoscopic-assisted abdominoperineal extirpation of the rectum. Histological analysis revealed nodular melanoma. From the anamnesis of the patient, among the comorbidities, breast cancer, uterine myoma, hemangioma of the liver and lung hamartoma were also identified. The clinical course of all malignant tumors was favorable, without the development of relapses and metastases. The greatest interest in this situation is the primary multiple melanoma in connection with successful treatment with the most unfavorable prognosis. The described clinical observation indicates the need for an in-depth study of cases of primary multiple malignant tumors and the search for mechanisms for a favorable course of malignant neoplasms in this case.

Background. Potatoes are considered to be easily susceptible to infections, including viral diseases, which is one of the reasons for the decrease in yield. To date, the only ways to obtain and reproduce healthy potato material are technologies based on meristem-tissue cultures. Purpose. The aim of this study was to improve approaches to the release of potato from viral infection using in vitro culture. Materials and methods. The objects were tubers, microplants and microtubers of six cultivars of potato affected by PVS, PVA, PVM, PVX and PVY viruses in various combinations. Viruses were eliminated from plant material by thermotherapy at a temperature of 38.0±0.5°C. Depending on the cultivar and object, the exposure was 10-25 days. Results. The study showed that the use of potato microtubers as an object for thermotherapy makes it possible to release plant material from viruses in 25.0-50.0% of cases, depending on the pathogen. The advantage of this virus eradication scheme is, firstly, in the increase in the regenerative capacity of explants up to 32.9% due to the exclusion of the sterilization stage after thermotherapy and the absence of apical meristem culture as an additional method of sanitation. Secondly, the efficiency of the release of plant material from viruses increases due to a longer exposure to high temperature up to 25 days. Conclusion. The use of this approach made it possible to eliminate not only individual viruses, but also their complex, for example, PVA + PVX, PVM + PVX, PVX + PVS, PVM + PVX + PVS.