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Recently, in addition to clinical, endoscopic and morphological studies, the algorithm for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also includes some serum and fecal biomarkers that help select patients for endoscopy, as well as distinguish between organic and functional (non‑inflammatory) diseases (for example, irritable bowel syndrome). Among the latter, the definition of fecal calprotectin (CP) is used mostly often, it is a well‑studied biomarker of inflammation due to its stability, reproducibility of analysis, low cost, and high diagnostic value. The presented review highlights the latest data on the main biological CP functions and the clinical application of its definition in inflammatory diseases of intestine, skin, joints, etc. It is shown that CP belongs to the family of calcium‑binding leukocyte S100 proteins and consists of two monomers: S100A8 and S100A9. CP is constitutively expressed by monocytes, dendritic cells, activated macrophages, keratinocytes of the oral cavity and squamous epithelium of the mucosa. Thus, the CP expression in a healthy person is limited by a small number of specialized cells and is usually activated during inflammation. Both subunits of CP, S100A8 and S100A9, have a wide range of intracellular and extracellular immunomodulatory properties, control the intracellular pathways of innate immune cells and are responsible for organizing the response to the inflammatory process. Determination of fecal CP enables distinguishing between non‑inflammatory and inflammatory bowel diseases, it is a non‑invasive inexpensive method, and the CP itself remains stable at room temperature in the feces for at least 3 days. In the diagnosis of IBD, fecal CP is a more sensitive marker than C‑reactive protein, which has made it an excellent (i.e., highly sensitive) biomarker for detecting intestinal inflammation in IBD and has contributed to its widespread use worldwide. The value of the level of fecal Cp 250 mg/g dictates the need for endoscopic examination of the patient for IBD or raises the suspicion of its recurrence.

Pandemic of COVID‑19 has brought significant changes not only to the daily life of mankind, but also to the course of many chronic diseases. In addition to lung damage, extrapulmonary manifestations may develop against the background of coronavirus disease progression. These changes often have multi‑organ nature, especially against the background of existing chronic diseases. Literature describes cardiac, neurologic, renal extrapulmonary SARS‑CoV‑2 lesions as well as eye damage. Gastrointestinal tract is one of the areas affected by SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. This impact is stipulated by the significant effects of virus on the microbiota and permeability of mucosal barriers, as well as important role of changes in the intestinal barrier function in the development of local and systemic immune response. Working group of the Ukrainian Gastroenterological Association (UGA) worked out a classification of intestinal post‑covid lesions, which was presented at the UGA congress in September 2021. The following types of damage have been outlined: COVID‑19 induced bacterial overgrowth syndrome, functional diarrhea after previous COVID‑19 infection, infection‑induced irritable bowel syndrome (post‑infectious IBS), antibiotic‑associated diarrhea (without Clostridium difficile and pseudomembranous colitis with confirmed Clostridium difficile), exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease), newly diagnosed (COVID‑induced) inflammatory bowel disease. The course of functional and inflammatory diseases can be modified by COVID‑19, affecting the gut microbiome. It is necessary to conduct a thorough differential diagnosis of exacerbation of functional, inflammatory and post‑covid lesions of the intestine. Complex therapy including agents to correct dysbiosis should be used to treat this group of patients.

Such widespread functional gastrointestinal disorders as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD), although not represented by any obvious structural lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, but they seriously affect quality of life of many patients. According to epidemiological data, 26.7 — 48.7 % of IBS patients and 20.0 — 42.1 % of patients with FD have a crossover of symptoms, also known as overlap IBS/FD syndrome. Overlap syndrome usually leads to more serious clinical manifestations, deterioration of quality of life and complications. Chronic low‑intensity post‑infectious inflammation or non‑infectious microinflammation and the immune response play an important role in the pathogenesis of both IBS and FD, leading to visceral hypersensitivity, dysfunction of «brain‑gut» axis and intestinal mucosal barrier, which are usually the cause of IBS or FD. However, whether inflammation has the same mechanism in the syndrome of the overlap of IBS and FD (IBS/FD) remains unclear. The presented review considers the latest advances in the study of inflammatory mechanisms in IBS/FD and proposes new treatment tactics. Current data on the role of gastrointestinal infection, secondary chronic inflammation and immune response, intestinal mucosal barrier damage associated with gastrointestinal infection, effects of gastrointestinal infections on the enteric nervous system and the «gut‑brain» axis, possible role of Helicobacter pylori infection at the overlap of IBS/FD are discussed. The role of non‑infectious inflammation, in particular, bacterial overgrowth syndrome, food allergy, psychological or mental stress in the pathogenesis of IBS, FD and IBS/FD overlapping is also considered. The modern tactics of treatment and management of such patients, which is based on the impact on inflammatory mechanisms also are presented.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is considered currently as one of the most effective therapeutic procedures for the treatment of recurrent pseudomembranous colitis associated with Clostridium difficile infection and some other intestinal and extraintestinal diseases associated with gut dysbiosis. Recent investigations gave the reason to believe that FMT success depends largely on the microbial diversity and composition of a donor’s stool. These data allowed us to develop concepts of the existence of so‑called FMT «superdonors», which include individuals from whom FMT was accompanied by high efficiency. The review also examines other possible mechanisms and factors that influence TFM success, such as the nature and severity of the pathology being treated, the frequency of procedures, the quality and quantity of donor material, FMT from one or more donors, and other factors. The authors also presented own data on the efficacy of FMТ from «superdonors» in 86 patients with various intestinal diseases. For the first time in Ukraine a comparative study was conducted to study TMF efficacy in 28 patients with mild to moderate non‑specific ulcerative colitis, in 8 patients with Crohn’s disease and 40 subjects with post‑infection irritative bowel disease (IBD) with diarrhea. All TMF procedures were performed by means of introduction of donor’s material in the dome of the cecum during colonoscopy. Clinical efficacy of the induction of remission during two months after TMF was registered in 17 (60.7 %) patients with non‑specific ulcerative colitis and 4 (50.0 %) patients with Crohn’s disease. Effectiveness of TMF from the same superdonors in 27 (67.5 %) patients with IBD with diarrhea was somewhat higher. Clinical improvement was achieved in a form of abdominal pain relief, decrease of diarrhea and bloating, and improvement in general condition. Consideration have been given to the possibility of predicting FMT efficacy based on the microbial and metabolic profiling, microbial interactions that affect the effectiveness of FMT, factors influencing the long‑term effects of FMT, new personalized approaches to FMT, which will allow to use FMТ more purposefully in future.

Blastocystis spp. - unicellular protozoa, widespread in the human population, the clinical significance of which is being discussed. The aim and objectives of the work: to study the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. in patients with gastrointestinal diseases and individuals with immunodeficiency states (HIV-positive patients), to determine the presence of specific gastrointestinal symptoms in blastocyst invasion (BI). Testing for Blastocystis spp. persons who have not been diagnosed with gastrointestinal tract disease (253) - comparison group (CG); patients who underwent inpatient or outpatient treatment for gastrointestinal diseases - GI-1 (182); people living with HIV (PLHIV) - GI-2 (294). With the consent of the patient, data on the duration of the illness and complaints were obtained. In IG-2 patients, the immune status, the level of HIV viral load, as well as the receipt and duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) were determined. Detection rate of Blastocystis spp. in the CG was (22.9 ± 3.0)%; in GI-1 - (29.7 ± 4.0)%, in the PLHIV group - (14.3 ± 2.0)%. In the comparison group, invasion was more often detected in people 20-29 years old, in GI-1 - in people 50-60 years old, GI-2 - in 30-39 years old. Statistically significant differences in the detection of Blastocystis spp. those related to sex and age were absent in all groups. BI was most often found in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases - (43.5 ± 8.4)%. In patients with irritable bowel syndrome, the of frequency of detection of Blastocystis spp. practically did not differ from the average indicator in the GI. Identification of Blastocystis spp. in PLHIV was associated with immune status, the level of HIV viral load in the patient, and also receiving ART. The «risk group» was PLHIV with a CD4-lymphocyte count of less than 200 cells / μl, who did not receive ART. Comparison of the patient survey data and the results of the parasitological examination indicates the absence of specific complaints in BI. BI often is а comorbid pathology in inflammatory bowel diseases or immunosuppressive conditions, which should be taken into account in the therapy of such patients. Key words: blastocyst infection; gastrointestinal diseases; HIV infection.

Metabolic syndrome is known to be acombination of metabolic abnormalities, such as abdominal obesity, abnormal glucose metabolism, elevated level of triglycerides, decreased level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hypertension. The presence of these abnormalities contributes to insulin resistance and increases the risk of diabetes mellitus development. The increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome worldwide is aconcern not only in terms of increasing overall and cardiovascular mortality, but also in the fact that it is apotential risk factor for specific types of gastrointestinal cancer. Recent investigations, in particular alarge-scale prospective study of the British Biobank cohort, which included 502.656 adults, showed that metabolic syndrome, independently of diabetes prevalence, directly correlated with an overall risk of gastrointestinal cancer as awhole and its individual components in both men and women. Metabolic syndrome closely correlated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer in women and esophageal adenocarcinoma in men. Possible mechanisms that are likely to affect gastrointestinal neoplasia include chronic inflammation associated with obesity, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia associated with metabolic syndrome, production by visceral adipose tissue of large numbers of adipokines that inhibit apoptosis and stimulate mitogenesis by promoting proliferation. It is generally concluded that metabolic syndrome and its individual components present the independent factors that increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancer, and various strategies (both surgical and therapeutic), impacting the metabolic syndrome and its individual components, are of great importance in the prevention of various gastrointestinal cancers., Як відомо, метаболічний синдром є сукупністю метаболічних аномалій, таких як абдомінальне ожиріння, аномальний метаболізм глюкози, підвищення рівня тригліцеридів, зниження вмісту холестерину ліпопротеїнів високої густини і артеріальна гіпертензія. Наявність цих відхилень спричиняє резистентність до інсуліну та підвищує ризик розвитку цукрового діабету. Збільшення поширення метаболічного синдрому в світі викликає занепокоєння не лише через підвищення загальної та кардіоваскулярної смертності, а і тому, що він є передбачуваним чинником ризику розвитку специфічних видів раку шлунково-кишкового тракту. Дослідження останніх років, зокрема, масштабне проспективне дослідження британської когорти Biobank (502 656 дорослих) показало, що метаболічний синдром, незалежно від поширеності діабету, був прямо пропорційно пов’язаний із загальним ризиком раку шлунково-кишкового тракту у чоловіків та жінок, так само, як і його компоненти. Метаболічний синдром тісно пов’язаний з підвищеним ризиком колоректального раку, гепатоцелюлярної карциноми, раку підшлункової залози у жінок і аденокарциноми стравоходу у чоловіків. Можливими механізмами, які з високою ймовірністю впливають на виникнення неоплазій шлунково-кишкового тракту, є хронічне запалення, асоційоване з ожирінням, гіперглікемія та гіперінсулінемія, пов’язані з метаболічним синдромом, продукція вісцеральною жировою тканиною великої кількості адипокінів, що інгібують апоптоз і стимулюють мітогенез, що спричиняє проліферацію клітин. Зроблено загальний висновок, що метаболічний синдром та його складові є незалежним чинником, який підвищує ризик виникнення гастроінтестинального раку, а різні стратегії (як хірургічні, так і терапевтичні) впливу на метаболічний синдром і його окремі компоненти, мають важливе значення у профілактиці різних видів раку шлунково-кишкового тракту.

We propose a mathematical model for the diffusion of opinions, which eventually leads to the attainment of the state of consensus. The theory of conflict dynamical systems with attractive interaction is used for the construction of a model. The behavior of the model in the case of making binary decisions is described in detail and the behavior of trajectories in the decision-making model with many alternative positions is investigated.

We aim at establishing safe membership and evolutionary status of 11 chemically peculiar (CP) stars that are residing in the domain of the open cluster NGC2516 and are frequently referred to as cluster members. We queried the Gaia EDR3 catalogue in an area with a radius of 1deg and selected 37508 stars brighter than G=19mag. The cluster membership was determined in parallax-proper motion-space and 719 probable and 764 possible members were found. The obtained average astrometric and photometric parameters of the cluster are in good agreement with the most recent literature data. The evolutionary status of the target stars was determined with respect to Padova isochrones. After minor adjustments including the metallicity, the reddening, and the transformation scale variation, a perfect fit of the model to the observations over the whole observed magnitude range was achieved. Only 5 of the 11 considered CP stars could be classified as highly probable cluster members. Among the Ap/Bp stars with previously detected magnetic fields HD65987 and HD65712 have a high membership probability and the magnetic star CPD-60 944B is a possible cluster member. Further we discuss the blue straggler nature of HD66194 and the magnetic star HD65987. To our knowledge, HD65987 is currently the only known blue straggler, with a field of the order of a few hundred Gauss. The most striking result of our study is that the strongly magnetic A0p star HD66318 with previously reported very low fractional age does not belong to the NGC2516 cluster at a high level of confidence., Comment: 12 pages, 4 tables, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal functional diseases, occurring in an average of 10 % of the adult population. Recently, much attention is being paid to the infectious factor in FD pathophysiology. In addition to H. pylori infection and acute gastrointestinal infections, consideration is given to the syndrome of intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), in which the number of bacteria in the small intestine increases significantly. Objective — to establish the SIBO prevalence in patients with different FD subtypes and to establish the clinical and microbiological efficacy of rifaximin‑a (Alpha Normix®) at this pathology. Materials and methods. To refine the SIBO prevalence, 118 patients with FD were examined in three gastroenterological centers, including 45 men, 73 women aged 22 to 45 years (mean age — 35 ± 10 years). The control group consisted of 30 clinically healthy people with the mean age 33 ± 12 years. The diagnosis of FD and establishment of its subtype was performed according to Rome IV criteria. All patients underwent upper endoscopy with biopsy and H. pylori testing, which did not show any structural abnormalities. To diagnose SIBO, all patients underwent H2‑breath test with lactulose (H2‑LBT). All patients, depending on the FD subtype, received basic therapy with either a proton pump inhibitor (Omeprazole 20 mg once a day) at FD with epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) (group 1, n = 37), or prokinetic (Itopride in a dose of 50 mg three times a day) at FD with postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) (group 2, n = 36) for two weeks. Patients with positive H2‑LBT result, which predicted SIBO presence, were administered monotherapy with rifaximin‑a (Alpha Normix®) in a dose of 1200 mg/day for 10 days. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed after 2 and 4 weeks based on the dynamics of the scores of SAGIS (Structured Assessment of Gastrointestinal Symptom) scale. Results. According to the positive H2‑LBT results, SIBO presence was recorded in 45 of 118 patients with FD (38.1 %) and 2 (6.6 %) subjects from the control group. Positive H2‑LBT result was significantly more often recorded in patients with FD‑PDS (45.4 %) compared with patients with FD‑EPS (28.8 %, p

Мета. Аналіз соціально-психологічної реабілітації учасників операції об’єднаних сил. Матеріали і методи дослідження. Обстежено 1043 учасники ООС для визначення стресового розладу за Місісіпським опитувальником. Для узагальнення даних використовувався статистичний метод. Результати. Стаття присвячена психологічній допомозі, що включає в себе психологічну підтримку і психологічну реабілітацію. Психологічна допомога необхідна всім військовослужбовцям, котрі беруть участь у військових діях. Розглядаються види психологічних станів. Доведена орієнтовна тематика бесід із військовослужбовцями в контексті психологічної просвіти: етапи переживання травмуючої події, обставини, що впливають на переживання психотравмівної події, шкідливість вживання алкоголю у стресовій ситуації, способи покращення фізичного та психічного здоров’я військових, профілактика постстресових розладів, особливості адаптації до умов перебування в зоні бойових дій, та ін. Проаналізований розвиток реакції нормальної людини на небезпечну подію. Розглянуті діагностичні критерії дезадаптації особистості. Проаналізована командна робота фахівців, що включає висококваліфікованих психологів, що сертифіковані у різних модальностях психотерапії: гештальттерапія, символдрама, психодрама, психосоматика, сімейна системна психотерапія, які спільно складали сценарій щоденної роботи з учасниками АТО, відповідно до їх запитів. Така різноманітність у підходах до психотерапії дала змогу більш системно підійти до вирішення конкретних психологічних проблем військових, які мають різний ступінь травматизації та особистісної дезінтеграції. Приділена увага психологічній реабілітації, спрямованій на компенсацію втрачених професійних і соціально-адаптивних якостей. Розглянуті види фізичної реабілітації. Фізична реабілітація включає: лікувальну фізичну культуру, лікувальний масаж, фізіотерапію, механотерапію, працетерапію, кінезотерапію, егротерапію, консультування, мануальну терапію, рефлексотерапію, фітотерапію, гомеопатичну терапію, ароматерапію, природні фізичні чинники, загартування. Дано визначення соціальній реабілітації, що означає систему заходів, спрямованих на створення і забезпечення умов для повернення особи до активної участі у житті. Висновки. Після проходження вищеописаних заходів демобілізовані ветерани почували себе краще, при опитуванні, як зазначають респонденти, їх психологічний стан покращився.

In recent years, the role of pathogens of infectious and parasitic diseases in human somatic pathology has been increasingly discussed. Blastocysts belong to the most common intestinal protozoa, but their role in intestinal parasitosis, as well as in some somatic diseases, is still poorly understood. An important question remains about the pathogenic potential of Blastocystis spp. because the parasite is detected in patients with symptoms and in asymptomatic carriers. At the same time, recent researches have shown a link between blastocyst invasion and various forms of gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, primarily irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as skin manifestations, such as urticaria. The main method used for the clinical diagnosis of blastocyst invasion remains microscopy, which, despite the intensive development of immunological and molecular genetic methods of diagnosis, is often not only the first, but also a sufficient stage of research. Stating from the year 2000, in Ukraine the reporting forms list the cases of Blastocystis spp. detection during parasitological surveys of the population, but the blastocystosis morbidity has not being registered. In general, the frequency of detection of Blastocystis spp. in the population of Ukraine corresponds to the prevalence of the pathogen in developed countries — the average long‑term indicator for 2009 — 2018 was 4.4 per 100 thousand population. The results of our own research indicate a higher frequency of detection of Blastocystis spp. among the adult population of Ukraine, mainly in patients with gastrointestinal diseases. During the examination of healthy adults, Blastocystis spp. was detected in 5.2 ± 0.8 %, in patients with chronic gastrointestinal tract lesions — 20.5 ± 6.5 %, including the cases among patients diagnosed with IBS — 28.6 ± 9.9 %. All IBS patients with detected Blastocystis spp. demonstrated dysbiotic disorders of the 1 or 2 degrees., В последние годы обсуждается значение возбудителей инфекционных и паразитарных болезней в соматической патологии человека. Бластоцисты относятся к наиболее распространенным кишечным простейшим, но их роль при кишечных паразитозах, а также при некоторых соматических заболеваниях изучена недостаточно. Важным является вопрос о патогенном потенциале Blastocystis spp., поскольку паразита выявляют как у пациентов с симптомами, так и у бессимптомных носителей. Современные исследования выявили наличие связи между бластоцистной инвазией и различными формами дисфункции желудочно‑кишечного тракта, в частности синдромом раздраженного кишечника, а также кожными проявлениями, например, уртикарной сыпью. Основным методом, который используется для клинической диагностики бластоцистной инвазии, остается микроскопия, которая, несмотря на интенсивное развитие иммунологических и молекулярно‑генетических методов диагностики, часто является не только первым, но и достаточным этапом исследования. В Украине с 2000 г. в отчетных формах приведены случаи выявления Blastocystis spp. при паразитологических обследованиях населения, но не регистрируется заболеваемость бластоцистозом. В целом частота обнаружения Blastocystis spp. у населения Украины соответствует распространенности патогена в развитых странах — средний многолетний показатель за 2009 — 2018 гг. составлял 4,4 на 100 тыс. населения. Результаты собственных исследований свидетельствуют о большей частоте выявления Blastocystis spp. среди взрослого населения Украины, преимущественно у пациентов с заболеваниями желудочно‑кишечного тракта. При обследовании здоровых взрослых лиц бластоцисты обнаружены у 5,2 %, при обследовании больных с хроническими заболеваниями желудочно‑кишечного тракта — 20,5 %, в том числе среди больных с синдромом раздраженного кишечника — 28,6 %. Все больные СПК, в которых были обнаружены Blastocystis ѕрр., имели дисбиотические нарушения І или ІІ степени., Останніми роками обговорюється значення збудників інфекційних та паразитарних хвороб у соматичній патології людини. Бластоцисти належать до найпоширеніших кишкових найпростіших, але їхню роль при кишкових паразитозах, а також при деяких соматичних захворюваннях вивчено недостатньо. Важливим є питання щодо патогенного потенціалу Blastocystis spp., оскільки паразита виявляють як у пацієнтів із симптомами, так і у безсимптомних носіїв. Сучасні дослідження виявили наявність зв’язку між бластоцистною інвазією і різними формами дисфункції шлунково‑кишкового тракту, зокрема синдромом подразненого кишечника, а також шкірними виявами, наприклад, уртикарною висипкою. Основ­ним методом, який використовують для клінічної діагностики бластоцистної інвазії, лишається мікроскопія, яка, незважаючи на інтенсивний розвиток імунологічних і молекулярно‑генетичних методів діагностики, часто є не тільки першим, але і достатнім етапом дослідження. В Україні з 2000 р. у звітних формах наводять випадки виявлення Blastocystis spp. при паразитологічних обстеженнях населення, але не реєструють захворюваність на бластоцистоз. У цілому частота виявлення Blastocystis spp. у населення України відповідає поширеності патогену в розвинених країнах — середній багаторічний показник за 2009 — 2018 рр. становив 4,4 на 100 тис. населення. Результати власних досліджень свідчать про більшу частоту виявлення Blastocystis spp. серед дорослого населення України переважно у пацієнтів із захворюваннями шлунково‑кишкового тракту. При обстеженні здорових дорослих осіб бластоцист виявлено у 5,2 %, при обстеженні хворих з хронічними захворюваннями шлунково‑кишкового тракту — 20,5 %, зокрема серед хворих із синдромом подразненого кишечника — 28,6 %. Всі хворі на СПК, в яких були виявлені Blastocystis spр., мали дисбіотичні порушення І або ІІ ступеня.

Background. The approach to the management of prostate cancer with lymph node metastases has recently moved towards aggressive multimodal treatment with the use of the most rational combinations that are currently available.Objective: to assess the efficacy and tolerability of chemohormonal therapy (CHT) in patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer.Materials and methods. An open prospective clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of neoadjuvant and adjuvant CHT in patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer was initiated in 2016 at the P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute. Patient recruitment is still ongoing.A total of 64 patients with high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer (сT3N0–T3N+М0, prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≥20 ng/mL, and Gleason score of 8–10) were recruited since July 2016. All patients were examined prior to treatment initiation and after 3 and 6 courses of therapy. The examination included pelvic magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging of the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal space, transrectal ultrasound imaging, and chest radiography or computed tomography. Serum PSA level was evaluated before each course of therapy. Bone scintigraphy was performed before treatment and after its completion. Study participants were divided into two groups. Group A included patients that initially underwent surgical treatment and then 6 courses of CHT no later than 6 weeks after surgery: docetaxel 75 mg/m2 given intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle and oral prednisolone 10 mg/day. Patients also received hormonal therapy with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (aLHRH) given in depot injections every 28 days.Group B included patients that initially received 6 courses of CHT: docetaxel 75 mg/m2 given intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle and oral prednisolone 10 mg/day. After that, patients underwent radical prostatectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy no later than 4 weeks after the completion of chemotherapy. Patients also received hormonal therapy with aLHRH given in depot injections every 28 days. The total treatment duration was 6 months.Results. The group of adjuvant CHT included 24 patients with high-risk prostate cancer (T3b–4N+М0 with at least 5 regional lymph node metastases detected by morphological examination of surgical specimens). All patients had Gleason score 8–10 tumors. Mean age of patients was 63.0 ± 7.7 years (range: 46–72 years). In total, all patients received 142 courses of CHT. By the time of publishing this article, 23 (96 %) of patients completed their treatment.The group of neoadjuvant CHT included 40 patients with very high-risk prostate cancer (T3b–4N+М0 with metastases to pelvic and retroperitoneal lymph nodes detected by instrumental examination). All patients had Gleason score 8–10 tumors. Mean age of patients was 61.0± 6.4 years (range: 43–69 years). In total, all patients received 236 courses of CHT. By the time of publishing this article, 36 (90 %) of patients completed their treatment. Thirty-five patients (87 %) underwent radical prostatectomy with extensive pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Routine pathological examination demonstrated that all patients had signs of tumor destruction. Thirty-three participants (94 %) had grade II therapeutic pathomorphosis, whereas 2 patients (6 %) had grade III therapeutic pathomorphosis.Median PSA relapse-free survival (PSA-RFS) rate in the neoadjuvant CHT group was 10 months. Serum PSA of 0.1 ng/mL 1 month postoperatively correlated with longer RFS (р = 0.04). Biochemical relapse (PSA level >0.2 ng/mL) was observed in 6 patients (15 %) from this group. Later these patients received hormonal therapy with aLHRH. Median PSA-RFS in the adjuvant CHT group was 11 months.The main adverse events in the two groups were hematological toxicity, observed in 24 patients (34.29 %), and gastrointestinal toxicity, observed in 9 patients (12.86 %) (diarrhea (n = 6) and stomatitis (n = 3)). Only grade I–II toxicity was registered so far. Two patients (3.1 %) had febrile neutropenia, which required cytostatic dose reduction by 20 %. Relatively good tolerability and acceptable quality of life allowed the vast majority of patients to be treated on an outpatient basis.Conclusion. So far, we can make only a preliminary conclusion that adjuvant and neoadjuvant CHT is a promising treatment strategy for high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer.

The presence of additional fully formed accessory breast (polymastia), accessory nipples (polythelia) or other options ectopically positioned breast tissue is fairly rare developmental anomalies. Its occurrence frequency is approximately 1% of the general population. This article describes a rare case of localization of additional mammary glands and their surgical correction.

Survival of bifidobacteria and preservation of their morphological characteristics after 12-month storage of lyophilized cells was studied for the strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum and B. animalis isolated and maintained in the microbial collection of the Department of Microbiology, Moscow State University. A combined approach to pre-lyophilization treatment of microorganisms and subsequent storage was developed in order to improve cell survival. Compared to the standard cryoprotector concentrations, sucrose and glucose (5% and higher) in skim milk, as well as freezing at ‒70°C with subsequent storage at the same temperature resulted in improved survival of bifidobacteria. Under such conditions, the number of viable cells (CFU) after 12 months of storage was two to three orders of magnitude higher than in the case of the standard lyophilization procedure. Investigation of dynamics of resistance of reactivated clones to such gastrointestinal stress factors as gastric juice and bile acids revealed preservation of these properties at all storage modes. However, since the number of surviving cells decreased during storage according to the standard procedure, the number of stress-affected cells was correspondingly lower. Reactivated cultures exhibited high resistance to oxygen, with survival decreasing to 35% of the initial level.

The study showed the results of univariate and multivariate analyses of treatment of patients with low-grade brain supra- tentorial infiltrative gliomas. It was reaffirmed the importance of the most significance of such adverse prognostic factors as histology, tumor size, displacement of midline structures of the brain, age and neurological deficit. When assessing the prognostic significance of severity of the debut of clinical symptoms in this category of neuro-oncological patients as well as radical surgical treatment of the primary tumor there were obtained data confirming the absence of their independent prognostic significance.

We present a study of complexes of young massive star clusters (YMCs), embedded in extragalactic giant HII regions, based on the coupling of spectroscopic with photometric and spectrophotometric observations of about 100 star forming regions in seven spiral galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, NGC 6946, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678). The complete observational database has been observed and accumulated within the framework of our comprehensive study of extragalactic star forming regions. The current paper presents the last part of either unpublished or refreshed photometric and spectrophotometric observations of the galaxies NGC 6217, NGC 6946, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678. We derive extinctions, chemical abundances, continuum and line emissions of ionised gas, ages and masses for cluster complexes. We find the young massive cluster complexes to have ages no greater than 10 Myr and masses between 10^4Msol and 10^7Msol, and the extinctions A(V) vary between ~ 0 and 3 mag, while the impact of the nebular emission on integrated broadband photometry mainly is not greater than 40% of the total flux and is comparable with accuracies of dereddened photometric quantities.We also find evidence of differential extinction of stellar and gas emissions in some clusters, which hinders the photometric determination of ages and masses in these cases. Finally, we show that young massive cluster complexes in the studied galaxies and open clusters in the Milky Way form a continuous sequence of luminosities/masses and colour/ages., 23 pages, 22 figures, 5 tables (high resolution jpeg Figure 15 is available in the source format). Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Currently, no molecular biological markers do exist for early diagnosis of breast cancer. One of the possible candidates for the marker of early breast cancer is mammaglobin (MGB1) or SCGB2A2 (secretoglobin, family 2A, member 2), characterized by the maximal expression level in early breast cancer. Using the RT-PCR method MGB1 mRNA expression was examined in 57 tumor tissue samples and 57 samples of morphologically non-malignant tissue (MNT) of breast cancer (BC) patients. Specificity and sensitivity of the MGB1 mRNA assay in peripheral blood of BC patients was evaluated by nested PCR. 169 blood samples (from 95 BC patients, 22 from patients with benign breast tumors, 28 from patients with tumors of other localizations, and 24 samples from healthy donors) have been analyzed. MGB1 expression was significantly higher in BC tissue samples compared to MNT (p=0.0019). The maximal expression level was in the samples T1 (p=0.013), stage I BC (p=0.037), GI (p=0.0019). The MGB1 expression positively correlated with expression of estrogen (p = 0,034) and progesterone (p=0.0004) receptors. Sensitivity and specificity of the MGB1 mRNA assay in peripheral blood were 60.6% and 92.3%, respectively. Expression of MGB1 was higher in BC than MNT and it decreased during BC progression. The sensitivity and specificity of the MGB1 mRNA assay may be used as an additional diagnostic method.

Currently, no molecular biological markers do exist for early diagnosis of breast cancer. One of the possible candidates for the marker of early breast cancer is mammaglobin (MGB1) or SCGB2A2 (secretoglobin, family 2A, member 2), characterized by the maximal expression level in early breast cancer. Using the RT-PCR method MGB1 mRNA expression was examined in 57 tumor tissue samples and 57 samples of morphologically non-malignant tissue (MNT) of breast cancer (BC) patients. Specificity and sensitivity of the MGB1 mRNA assay in peripheral blood of BC patients was evaluated by nested PCR. 169 blood samples (from 95 BC patients, 22 from patients with benign breast tumors, 28 from patients with tumors of other localizations, and 24 samples from healthy donors) have been analyzed. MGB1 expression was significantly higher in BC tissue samples compared to MNT (p=0.0019). The maximal expression level was in the samples T1 (p=0.013), stage I BC (p=0.037), GI (p=0.0019). The MGB1 expression positively correlated with expression of estrogen (p = 0,034) and progesterone (p=0.0004) receptors. Sensitivity and specificity of the MGB1 mRNA assay in peripheral blood were 60.6% and 92.3%, respectively. Expression of MGB1 was higher in BC than MNT and it decreased during BC progression. The sensitivity and specificity of the MGB1 mRNA assay may be used as an additional diagnostic method.V nastoiashchee vremia ne sushchestvuet molekuliarno-biologicheskikh markerov dlia diagnostiki rannego raka molochnoĭ zhelezy (RMZh). V kachestve vozmozhnogo markera rassmatrivaetsia mammaglobin (hMAM), uroven' ékspressii kotorogo maksimalen pri rannem RMZh. C pomoshch'iu metoda OT-PTsR opredelen uroven' ékspressii mRNK mammaglobina v 57 parnykh obraztsakh opukholevoĭ i morfologicheski neizmenennoĭ tkani (MNT) molochnoĭ zhelezy, poluchennykh ot bol'nykh RMZh. Otsenena spetsifichnost' i chuvstvitel'nost' analiza mRNK hMAM v perifericheskoĭ krovi bol'nykh RMZh metodom gnezdnoĭ PTsR. Proanalizirovano 169 obraztsov krovi (95 ot bol'nykh RMZh, 22 ot bol'nykh s dobrokachestvennymi opukholiami molochnoĭ zhelezy, 28 ot bol'nykh s opukholiami drugoĭ lokalizatsii i 24 obraztsa zdorovykh donorov). Ékspressiia hMAM byla znachitel'no vyshe v obraztsakh tkani RMZh po sravneniiu s MNT (r=0,0019). Maksimal'nyĭ uroven' ékspressii otmechen v obraztsakh T1 (r=0,013), stadii I (r=0,037), GI (r=0,0019). Vyiavlena polozhitel'naia korreliatsiia mezhdu ékspressieĭ hMAM i retseptorov éstrogena (p=0,034) i progesterona (r=0,0004). Chuvstvitel'nost' i spetsifichnost' opredeleniia ékspressii hMAM v perifericheskoĭ krovi sostavila 60,6 i 92,3% sootvetstvenno. Ékspressiia hMAM pri RMZh byla vyshe, chem v MNT i snizhalas' pri vysokoĭ rasprostranennosti zabolevaniia. mRNK mammaglobina obnaruzhena v 61% obraztsov krovi bol'nykh RMZh, v 22,7% – pri dobrokachestvennykh obrazovaniiakh molochnoĭ zhelezy i lish' v odnom obraztse krovi pri drugoĭ lokalizatsii opukholevogo protsessa – u bol'noĭ rakom legkogo. V obraztsakh krovi zdorovykh donorov mRNK mammaglobina ne obnaruzhena. Takim obrazom, opredelenie mRNK hMAM v perifericheskoĭ krovi, po-vidimomu, mozhno rassmatrivat' kak dopolnitel'nyĭ metod diagnostiki RMZh.

Survival of bifidobacteria and preservation of their morphological characteristics after 12-month storage of lyophilized cells was studied for the strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum and B. animalis isolated and maintained in the microbial collection of the Department of Microbiology, Moscow State University. A combined approach to pre-lyophilization treatment of microorganisms and subsequent storage was developed in order to improve cell survival. Compared to the standard cryoprotector concentrations, sucrose and glucose (5% and higher) in skim milk, as well as freezing at ‒70°C with subsequent storage at the same temperature resulted in improved survival of bifidobacteria. Under such conditions, the number of viable cells (CFU) after 12 months of storage was two to three orders of magnitude higher than in the case of the standard lyophilization procedure. Investigation of dynamics of resistance of reactivated clones to such gastrointestinal stress factors as gastric juice and bile acids revealed preservation of these properties at all storage modes. However, since the number of surviving cells decreased during storage according to the standard procedure, the number of stress-affected cells was correspondingly lower. Reactivated cultures exhibited high resistance to oxygen, with survival decreasing to 35% of the initial level.

The possibilities of creating an intellectual bridge between the data of systemic biology and systemic medicine are explored. It is shown that creation of imitation models in silico are required to determine the role of trigger reactions, trigger cascades in the appearance of pathology. It is necessary to structure the accumulated medical knowledge, build ontological models of knowledge of different levels.

Protective effect of Luteococcus japonicus subsp. casei exometabolites on the cells of transient probiotic Propionibacterium strains, Enterococcus faecium, and the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae Boulardii under exposure to bile salts (BS) and acid stress was studied. The extracellular peptide reactivating factor (RF) and the peptide component of the culture liquid (CL) after RF removal possessed a protective effect. Protective (preventive) and reactivating (after stress impact) application of RF resulted in 1.5- to 2.0-fold increased survival of the human transient probiotics P. freudenreichii, P. acidipropionici and E. faecium subjected to BS treatment of acid stress. The CL peptide fraction had a stronger protective effect. Its application for preincubation of P. acidipropionici cells resulted in 14-fold (BS treatment) and 8-fold (acid stress) increased survival compared to the control. Yeasts exhibited very high resistance to the stress factors used. Two active glycopeptide fractions with molecular masses of 1.8 and 2.4 kDa were found in RF. Analysis of their amino acid composition revealed the residues of glycine, leucine, proline, arginine, and aspartate/asparagine, while no residues of aromatic and sulfur-containing amino acids, or the disulfide bridge-type posttranslational modifications, were found. The possible mechanisms of reactivating and the protective effect of RF are discussed.

Six stably growing strains of bifidobacteria possessing probiotic properties were isolated from the feces of newborn children and animals. According to the results of molecular analysis, one strain was classified as Bifidobacterium bifidum, while five belonged to Bifidobacterium animalis. Initial identification of the strains was carried out using the primer pairs for the 16S rRNA gene (g-Bifid-F/R, Bif164/662) and for the xfp gene specific for bifidobacteria. Subsequent sequencing of complete genes encoding 16S rRNA synthesis in the isolates confirmed their species affiliation. The cultures exhibited high resistance to gastroenterological stress (5 ≤ RD ≤ 10) and may be therefore recommended as:potential probiotics.

The biological effect of the extracellular peptide reactivating factor (RF) from Luteococcus casei on cells of probiotic cultures was studied. The RF showed the protective and reactivating effects on the Bifidobacterium bifidum cells under the action of bile salts and an acidic stress. Also, it acted as a cryoprotector during lyophilisation and long-term culture storage. The RF and the L. casei culture liquid (CL) were shown to have bifidogenic properties. The degree of protection and reactivation of lactic-acid bacteria under the action of bile salts depended on the particular strain properties. The maximum degree of protection (more than thirteen-fold) and reactivation (close to three-fold) was found in Lactobacillus casei, while the minimum values were characteristic of Lactobacillus reuterii. The resistance of lactobacilli to bile was increased in the row of L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, and L. reuterii correlating with the RF protection degree.

We present the Milky Way Star Clusters (MWSC) survey based on 470 million stars extracted from the all-sky catalogues PPMXL and 2mass. The target list comprises 3784 entries and includes all open and globular clusters, as well as all cluster candidates, known at present. By means of a combined photometric/astrometric pipeline process, we determine individual membership probabilities for cluster stars and provide fundamental cluster parameters such as cluster centre coordinates, mean proper motions, radial velocity, distance, reddening, age and tidal radius. This sample includes ~ 700 clusters with fundamental parameters based on optical data and offers a good opportunity for a comparison of the near-infrared (NIR) and optical cluster distance scales. We find that distances and reddening values obtained from the colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) in the NIR agree well with earlier distance estimates based on optical CMDs. These newly obtained homogeneous distances, together with the other cluster parameters, allow us to study the properties of the open cluster population in the Galactic disk.

Precise pointing and stabilization of the T-170M telescope (World Space Observatory Ultraviolet, WSO-UV project) is provided by the Fine Guidance System (FGS) that uses a guide star catalogue (Master Catalogue). To verify the photometric system of the Master Catalogue we have carried out ground based observations with a CCD-camera in a spectral band, close to that of FGS. We have found, that the photometric quality of the Master Catalogue is sufficient for FGS operations. The mean photometric error in the range of 14–17 mag is ±0.23 mag; its variation over the sky does not exceed the factor of two. 2% of stars from the Master Catalogue have photometric errors higher than 2 mag. We have also found a correlation between large photometric errors and the Master Catalogue flags.

A test of the photometric calibration accuracy for the guide-star catalog (Master Catalog) of the Spectrum-UV project (World Space Observatory—Ultraviolet) has been performed using CCD observations in a spectral band close to that of the guide sensor system of the T-170M space telescope. The mean photometric uncertainty of the Master Catalog at 14 m –17 m is 0.23 m ; variations in this uncertainty over the sky are within a factor of two. About 2% of the stars in the Master Catalog were found to have photometric errors in excess of 2 m . We analyze the correspondence of large photometric errors to flags of the Master Catalog.

For conflict dynamical systems, we study the problem of the existence and description of initial measures that converge to measures with given spectral distributions.

A comparative analysis of the evolution of integrated photometric parameters for young star formation complexes in spiral and irregular galaxies and open star clusters in our Galaxy is performed. Extragalactic star formation complexes seen as giant H II regions and open star clusters in the Milky Way are shown to represent a single evolutionary sequence of objects at different stages of their evolution when the extinction is properly taken into account.

(abridged) We describe the discovery of an extremely wide pair of low-mass stars with a common large proper motion and discuss their possible membership in a Galactic halo stream crossing the Solar neighbourhood. (...) The late-type (M7) dwarf SSSPM J2003$-$4433 and the ultracool subdwarf SSSPM J1930$-$4311 (sdM7) sharing the same very large proper motion of about 860 mas/yr were found in the same sky region with an angular separation of about 6\degr. From the comparison with other high proper motion catalogues we have estimated the probability of a chance alignment of the two new large proper motions to be less than 0.3%. From the individually estimated spectroscopic distances of about $38^{+10}_{-7}$ pc and $72^{+21}_{-16}$ pc, respectively for the M7 dwarf and the sdM7 subdwarf, and in view of the accurate agreement in their large proper motions we assume a common distance of about 50 pc and a projected physical separation of about 5 pc. The mean heliocentric space velocity of the pair $(U,V,W)=(-232, -170, +74)$ km/s, based on the correctness of the preliminary radial velocity measurement for only one of the components and on the assumption of a common distance and velocity vector, is typical of the Galactic halo population. The large separation and the different metallicities of dwarfs and subdwarfs make a common formation scenario as a wide binary (later disrupted) improbable, although there remains some uncertainty in the spectroscopic classification scheme of ultracool dwarfs/subdwarfs so that a dissolved binary origin cannot be fully ruled out yet. It seems more likely that this wide pair is part of an old halo stream. (...), 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

We have derived a complete magnitude-limited sample of 440 Galactic open clusters in the solar neighborhood, with integrated V-magnitude brighter than 8 mag. This sample can be used to infer the present-day luminosity and mass functions of open clusters up to a given age; it can even be used to construct the initial mass and luminosity function (IMF, ILF) of clusters (defined as visible clusters with age 4 – 8 Myr). The high-mass end of the cluster IMF is a power-law with a slope of −2 or slightly shallower (−1.7) while the luminous cluster ILF has a power-slope of −1, in agreement with what is found for extragalactic clusters. Both distribution functions show a turnover, starting at 300 M⊙ and integrated magnitude −3 mag, respectively. The overall birthrate of clusters is 0.4 clusters per kpc2 and per Myr. The average present-day cluster mass is 700 M⊙, while the average initial cluster mass is 4500 M⊙. The difference of these two average masses indicates the high infant mortality and/or weight loss of Galactic open clusters (due to dynamical evolution).