Search

Background: Animal studies have demonstrated that fetal exposure to high maternal cholesterol levels during pregnancy predisposes to aortic atheroma in the offspring. In humans, little is known about the consequences of this exposure on the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease later in life. We wanted to assess whether maternal/paternal inheritance of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) gene mutation could be associated with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. Methods: We retrospectively included 1350 patients, followed in the French registry of FH, with a documented genetic diagnosis. We selected 556 age- and sex-matched pair of patients based on the sex of the parents who transmitted the FH gene mutation, free of coronary cardiovascular event, and with a subclinical coronary atherosclerosis evaluation assessed using coronary artery calcium (CAC) score. We performed univariate and multivariate analysis to assess the individual effect of parental inheritance of the FH gene mutation on the CAC score. Results: In the whole population, patients with maternal inheritance of FH gene mutation (n=639) less frequently had a family history of premature cardiovascular events (27.7% versus 45%, P P =0.02) than those with paternal inheritance (n=711). There was no difference in the prevalence of cardiovascular events between the two groups. In the matched subgroup, maternal inheritance was significantly associated with an increase in CAC score value by 86% (95% CI, 23%–170%; P =0.003), a 1.81-fold risk of having a CAC score ≥100 Agatston units (95% CI, 1.06–3.11; P =0.03), and a 2.72-fold risk of having a CAC score ≥400 Agatston units (95% CI, 1.39–5.51; P =0.004) when compared with paternal inheritance in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Maternal inheritance of FH gene mutation was associated with more severe subclinical coronary atherosclerosis assessed by CAC score and may be considered as a potential cardiovascular risk factor.

International audience; ObjectivesThis study aimed at investigating the additional contribution of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score to SAFEHEART (Spanish Familial Hypercholesterolemia Cohort Study) risk equation (SAFEHEART-RE) for cardiovascular risk prediction in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH).BackgroundCommon cardiovascular risk equations are imprecise for HeFH. Because of the high phenotype variability of HeFH, CAC score could help to better stratify the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).MethodsREFERCHOL (French Registry of Familial Hypercholesterolemia) and SAFEHEART are 2 ongoing national registries on HeFH. We analyzed data from primary prevention HeFH patients undergoing CAC quantification. We used probability-weighted Cox proportional hazards models to estimate HRs. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to compare the incremental contribution of CAC score when added to the SAFEHEART-RE for ASCVD prediction. ASCVD was defined as coronary heart disease, stroke or transient ischemic attack, peripheral artery disease, resuscitated sudden death, and cardiovascular death.ResultsWe included 1,624 patients (mean age: 48.5 ± 12.8 years; men: 45.7%) from both registries. After a median follow-up of 2.7 years (interquartile range: 0.4-5.0 years), ASCVD occurred in 81 subjects. The presence of a CAC score of >100 was associated with an HR of 32.05 (95% CI: 10.08-101.94) of developing ASCVD as compared to a CAC score of 0. Receiving-operating curve analysis showed a good performance of CAC score alone in ASCVD prediction (AUC: 0.860 [95% CI: 0.853-0.869]). The addition of log(CAC + 1) to SAFEHEART-RE resulted in a significantly improved prediction of ASCVD (AUC: 0.884 [95% CI: 0.871-0.894] for SAFEHEART-RE + log(CAC + 1) vs AUC: 0.793 [95% CI: 0.779-0.818] for SAFEHEART-RE; P < 0.001). These results were confirmed also when considering only hard cardiovascular endpoints. The addition of CAC score was associated with an estimated overall net reclassification improvement of 45.4%.ConclusionsCAC score proved its use in improving cardiovascular risk stratification and ASCVD prediction in statin-treated HeFH.

Customs officials must be able to act in terms of non-standard, crisis situations, bear social and ethical responsibility for decisions made, give moral assessment of corruption and other violations of professional ethics; work in a team, be tolerant to social, ethnic, religious and cultural differences; and carry out effective business communication. The authors substantiates the relevance of the process of increasing the level of conflict competence of Customs students (Samara State Technical University), heads and officials of customs authorities. The results of various sociological studies conducted among employees and officials of customs authorities are presented. The authors analyzed the relationship of job satisfaction with subjective factors of the organizational environment (stress of the organizational environment, moral and psychological climate, comfort level of the organizational environment, staff loyalty level, etc.). Methodological recommendations for the formation of conflict competence among customs officials have been offered. The effectiveness of the proposed measures was evaluated using the DEA-method.

Coprinellus deminutus is a very rare species that is known only from three localities in Europe. This paper presents new records of the species in Russia (two new localities in the protected areas of Orenburg Region, the European part of Russia). It expands this species geographic distribution to the Urals. A description of the species and its habitats is provided.

The organizational culture of customs authorities is understood by the authors as a set of norms, rules, customs and traditions that are supported by customs authorities and set a general framework for the behavior of officials. To determine the key characteristics and analyze the dynamics of the organizational culture of the customs authorities, the methodology of Robert E. Quinn and Kim S. Cameron Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was used. This methodology is based on the framework construction of competing values corresponding to four types of culture: clan, adhocratic, market, bureaucratic. According to the results of the survey, currently the bureaucratic type of organizational culture prevails in the Samara customs, the values of the other types of cultures are approximately equal to each other. At the same time, there are significant differences between the prevailing and preferred type of organizational culture. In the preferred state, the adhocratic type of culture predominates, bureaucracy is in second place in importance, then the clan and the market type of culture. At the second stage of the study, using the method of analyzing hierarchies, an expert assessment of the formation of the preferred adhocratic type of organizational culture of customs authorities was carried out. The factor analysis of the identified types of organizational cultures of the customs authority made it possible to determine which type of organizational culture contains the potential for increasing the effectiveness of personnel management. To solve this problem, a mathematical tool was used the method of analyzing hierarchies. The data obtained as a result of the application of the OCAI methodology and the hierarchy analysis method in the study of organizational culture made it possible to solve the problems of defining the type and strength of the culture dominant in the customs authorities, to establish profiles for the existing and intended organizational culture and to determine the scenario for further changes in the organizational culture of the customs authorities. contributing to improving the efficiency of personnel management.

Abstract Background Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare life-threatening condition that represents a therapeutic challenge. The vast majority of HoFH patients fail to achieve LDL-C targets when treated with the standard protocol, which associates maximally tolerated dose of lipid-lowering medications with lipoprotein apheresis (LA). Lomitapide is an emerging therapy in HoFH, but its place in the treatment algorithm is disputed because a comparison of its long-term efficacy versus LA in reducing LDL-C burden is not available. We assessed changes in long-term LDL-C burden and goals achievement in two independent HoFH patients’ cohorts, one treated with lomitapide in Italy (n = 30) and the other with LA in France (n = 29). Results The two cohorts differed significantly for genotype (p = 0.004), baseline lipid profile (p padj = 0.004). Yearly on-treatment LDL-C padj = 0.002). A trend towards fewer total cardiovascular events was observed in the Lomitapide than in the LA cohort. Conclusions In comparison with LA, lomitapide appears to provide a better control of LDL-C in HoFH. Further studies are needed to confirm this data and establish whether this translates into a reduction of cardiovascular risk.

The article analyzes accident rate on the roads in Rostov region. Among total number of accidents, one of the “first” leading places is a collision with a pedestrian. Consequently, work in the field of improving road safety at unregulated pedestrian crossings is relevant. Analysis of research and patent search for devices that increase safety of a pedestrian when moving on a pedestrian crossing showed that there is the need to expand the range of such devices. As a result, the article presents a description of the new way to improve safety of pedestrian traffic at unregulated pedestrian crossing.

The purpose of the study is to develop methodological and practical recommendations for the formation of stress competence of customs officials, which involves improving the system of educational work in customs authorities and implementing conflict-related counseling of officials in the performance of personnel management functions in customs authorities. The tasks of the diagnostic stage of the study included the identification of stress factors of the organizational environment of customs authorities, diagnostics of the level of organizational stress of officials, identification and assessment of personnel risks, determining the comfort of the organizational environment and diagnostics of coping strategies of officials (2014–2019). Empirical methods, such as pedagogical experiment, observation, questioning, testing, analysis of products of educational and professional conflictological activity of university professors, methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results obtained and methods of mathematical statistics were used in the study. The results of various sociological studies conducted of customs officials are presented.

Background and aims Patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) present elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk. Current CV risk stratification algorithms developed for the general population are not adapted for heFH patients. It is therefore of singular importance to develop and validate CV prediction tools, which are dedicated to the HeFH population. Methods Our first objective was to validate the Spanish SAFEHEART-risk equation (RE) in the French HeFH cohort (REFERCHOL), and the second to compare SAFEHEART-RE with the low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)-year-score for the prediction of CV events in the HeFH French population. Results We included HeFH (n = 1473) patients with a genetic or clinical diagnosis (DLCN score ≥8). Among them, 512 patients with a 5-year follow-up were included to validate the 5 year-CV-RE. A total of 152 events (10.3%) occurred in the entire population of 1473 patients during a mean follow-up of 3.9 years. Over the five-year follow-up, non-fatal CV events occurred in 103 patients (20.2%). Almost all the parameters used in the SAFEHEART-RE were confirmed as strong predictors of CV events in the REFERCHOL cohort. The C-statistic revealed a satisfactory performance of both the SAFEHEART-RE and LDL-C-year-scores in predicting CV events for all the patients (primary and secondary prevention) (C-index 0.77 and 0.70, respectively) as well as for those in primary prevention at inclusion (C-index 0.78 and 0.77, respectively). Conclusions This analysis represents the first external validation of the SAFEHEART-RE and demonstrated that both SAFEHEART-RE and the LDL-C-year-score are good predictors of CV events in primary prevention HeFH patients.

International audience; The article considers the factors influencing regional development on the part of start-ups, shows a cognitive model of such impact, and gives an analysis of scenario modeling in the Samara Region. The research results are aimed at creating favorable conditions for ensuring the progressive development of a single region and the entire Russian economy. To implement the goal, studies were carried out in the form of an expert survey aimed at assessing the impact of start-ups on regional development. The study included methods of systemic analysis, economic statistics, methods of sociological expert survey, a method of statistical data analysis, a method of qualitative peer review, and a method of cognitive modeling. The article presents the results of scientific research aimed at identifying the mutual influence of the basic factors of regional development and start-ups as an important element of the socioeconomic system. The works of many scholars are devoted to the analysis and research of the problem of innovative entrepreneurship. They reveal the aspects of studying innovative entrepreneurship in the context of improving the effectiveness of innovative activity and motivating entrepreneurship. This study highlights the importance of start-ups for the formation and development of effective regional innovation systems and actualizes investigations related to identifying the main directions in the activities of the region's start-ups. A comparative analysis of the scenarios was carried out and the most effective of them were determined for the Samara Region. The presented research results can be transferred and reproduced in any constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The obtained cognitive models can be used as basic models to back up large administrative decision-making in the field of managing the regional infrastructure for supporting small and medium-sized businesses to improve its adaptability to changes in external and internal factors and to determine the trajectories of sustainable development. In addition, the obtained models can be applied in the field of fundamental research on the functioning and development of regional socioeconomic systems, as well as in applied research in modeling options for sustainable development of regional socioeconomic systems.

Background and aims Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is a rare inherited condition characterized by elevated plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, severe, accelerated atherosclerosis and premature coronary heart disease. We evaluated cardiovascular complications in HoFH patients over extended follow-up and investigated their association with changes in cholesterol over time, as well as total cholesterol burden. Methods In this retrospective single-centre study, 53 patients (baseline mean ± standard deviation [SD], total cholesterol 15.5 ± 3.7 mmol/L and LDL-C 13.2 ± 2.6 mmol/L) were followed for up to 38 years (21.2 ± 10 years). The primary outcome was an adverse clinical event, defined as cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or angina. Results Twenty-eight patients experienced an event, of whom 8 died due to complications of major surgery (4), myocardial infarction (3) or stroke (1). While total cholesterol levels were comparable in patients with and without an event at baseline (20 mmol/L), those who subsequently experienced an event showed a slower decline in total cholesterol. Cumulative total cholesterol (i.e. total-cholesterol year score) was highly associated with the incidence of an adverse clinical event in a linear dose-response relation. A 100 mmol/L increase in cumulative total cholesterol (i.e. an average exposure of 10 mmol/L per 10 years or 20 mmol/L per 5 years) was associated with a doubling of the risk of a cardiovascular event (age-adjusted incidence rate ratio: 1.99, 95% CI, 1.16–3.41). Conclusions Our findings reinforce the importance of early diagnosis and initiation of maximal treatment, including lipoprotein apheresis, to ensure long-term reduction in the cholesterol burden, expressed as the total-cholesterol year score, and risk of cardiovascular complications in HoFH.

A high level of conflict competence is a crucial managerial proficiency characteristic in the staff management sphere, as constructive conflict and stress management positively contributes to the output of an organization. Research Objective: the rationale and development of methodological guidelines to improve conflict competence of master-students majoring in “HR management“, employees and executives; the creation of conflict counseling system. Research methods: surveys have been conducted to assess the relevance of conflict competence for the professional activities of HR managers. The paper contains the author’s concept of scientific methodological and educational support for the course “Conflict and Stress Management in an Organization”. The main problems of conflict competence development in the sphere of staff management are identified. Special attention is paid to the introduction of innovative active and interactive teaching methods that require motivational, methodological, technological, methodical and expertise willingness of the university lecturer. In this research study, the interrelation between the structural components of the lecturer’s methodical competence and the quality characteristics of master’s training programmes on staff management is revealed to prove their determinism. The paper provides the examples of various training assignments as well as the conflict competence development course description.

A model of human resources technology for conflict and stress management at customs offices, focused on a complex study of the causes of destructive conflicts and professional stresses and development of the administrative decision-making process for their prevention, is proposed. An urgent problem of developing the conflict competence of managers and staff as a strategic method for conflict and stress management in the process of public service in customs bodies is considered. An effective design of conflict counseling in customs bodies is provided. Theoretical background, development of methodological and practical recommendations on the establishment of a human resource technology for conflict and stress management, the formation of a conflict counseling system in the work of human resource management in customs authorities are proposed. A number of potential problems and risks associated with the introduction of conflict and stress management technology in the customs authorities are presented. The authors suggest considering conflict counseling as a method of human resources risks minimization in customs bodies. The results of various sociological surveys, including anxiety level, conflict intensity and the coping strategies, conducted among students of Samara State Technical University (specialty Customs) are presented. Integrated information maps of professional stress for various categories of staff in customs authorities are developed.

In a post-crisis society, the most valuable economic and social resources of an organization are human capital. Modern strategies of management employed by an organization need special management approaches that would base on analysis of activities’ mechanisms and processes associated with personnel risks. One of the organizational, methodological and pedagogical solutions to this problem is the educational technology for raising competence level of managers in risk management. The research is aimed at methodological, managerial and organizational recommendations for competence formation of MSc in personnel risks management (major "Human Resource Management"). Research methods: expert survey, questionnaires , interview. The main finding of the research study: respondents were interviewed (Bachelors and Masters of Samara National Research University named after academician SP Korolev, of Samara State Technical University, executives, managers, HR managers, employees of industrial enterprises and of organizations providing services) to assess the relevance of competence in management of personnel -related risks for professional activities of an HR manager; learning and teaching support material has been developed to be used in training and education organized at the university and for management consulting of employers and employees of various organizations; samples of tasks for “Evaluation Tools Fund” have been developed, aimed at identifying the level of formation of the components of professional competence in management of personnel -related risks .

Background: We evaluated the effect of 45 days of rosuvastatin or pravastatin treatment on the distribution of HDL subfractions in HIV-1-infected individuals receiving boosted protease inhibitors (PIs) with cardiovascular risk. Methods: The distribution of HDL subclasses by gradient gel electrophoresis was blindly assessed in 74 HIV-1-infected individuals receiving boosted PIs at baseline and at day 45 of statin treatment, and compared with the distribution obtained in 63 healthy normolipidemic individuals taken as controls. Results: No significant modification appeared in HDL distribution between the two arms of statins for the HIV-1-infected individuals. Nevertheless, when compared to controls, HDL subfractions showed a significantly lower HDL2b proportion and significantly higher proportions of HDL2a and HDL3b (P < 0.001). Conclusion: No difference was observed in HDL distribution between pravastatin and rosuvastatin after 45 days treatment, in HIV-1-infected individuals under PIs. Nevertheless, when compared to healthy normolipidemic subjects, HDL distribution is clearly different, with a distribution in HIV-infected individuals under PIs associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE HIV infection is associated with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile, and ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors exacerbate this phenotype. We evaluated the effect of 45 days of rosuvastatin versus pravastatin on the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size and the distribution of LDL subfractions in HIV-1 patients receiving boosted protease inhibitors with elevated LDL levels. DESIGN Substudy of the randomized double-blind multicentre ANRS 126 VIHstatine trial. SETTING Twenty clinical centres in France. PATIENTS HIV-infected patients receiving boosted protease inhibitors with dyslipidaemia (LDL cholesterol > 4.1 mmol/l and triglycerides < 8.8 mmol/l). INTERVENTION Rosuvastatin 10 mg/day (n = 39) or pravastatin 40 mg/day (n = 37) for 45 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) LDL size and distribution of LDL subfractions blindly assessed by gradient gel electrophoresis at baseline and at day 45. RESULTS Rosuvastatin was more effective than pravastatin in increasing the diameter of the LDL peak. The LDL diameter change was 0.33 ± 0.59 nm in the rosuvastatin group versus -0.01 ± 0.52 nm in the pravastatin group (P = 0.021). Rosuvastatin was also more effective in increasing significantly the percentage of large LDL (LDL1, P = 0.038; LDL2, P = 0.031) and in decreasing the percentage of small LDL (LDL3, P = 0.009). CONCLUSION Rosuvastatin was more effective than pravastatin in normalizing LDL size and LDL subfraction distributions, leading to a less atherogenic phenotype.

Background Lipid disorders are frequent in HIV-1-infected patients taking combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) that includes protease inhibitors (PIs). The presence of small dense low-density lipoprotein particles might be an important predictive marker of cardiovascular disease in this setting. This cross-sectional substudy of the ANRS 126 trial was designed to identify variables influencing LDL diameter. Methods We studied 81 stable HIV-1-infected patients with dyslipidaemia (LDL-cholesterol >4.1 mmol/l, triglycerides Results In univariate analysis, LDL diameter was related to demographic variables, triglyceride (TG) levels, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels, and the numbers and duration of exposure to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and PIs. In multivariable linear regression analysis, LDL diameter was negatively associated with the TG level ( PConclusions Higher TG and lower HDL-c levels are associated with smaller LDL particle diameter. Small-diameter LDL particles could contribute to early atherogenic processes in HIV-1-infected patients on cART.

BACKGROUND HIV infection and its treatment with protease inhibitors, especially when boosted with ritonavir, can cause lipid disorders. Statins, with the exception of fluvastatin, pravastatin and rosuvastatin, interact with protease inhibitor metabolism via CYP450. Pravastatin is recommended for patients with protease inhibitor-associated dyslipidemia. Rosuvastatin is the statin most effective on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) in non-HIV patients. METHODS HIV-1-infected patients treated with boosted protease inhibitor were randomized to receive either rosuvastatin 10 mg/day or pravastatin 40 mg/day for dyslipidemia (LDL-c >4.1 mmol/l and triglycerides

In 2004, researchers from the Department of phytodiversity of the Institute of the Ecology of the Volga River Basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Togliatti), the chair of botany of Samara State Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (Samara) and the Department of the biogeography and biodiversity monitoring of the Institute of Steppe UB RAS (Orenburg) started working on the development of the Vegetation Database of the Volga and the Ural Rivers Basins (GIVD ID EU-RU-003). This database uses TURBOVEG. At present the database contains data on plant communities of forest-steppe and steppe zones within Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Orenburg, Saratov and Astrachan regions. Information is collected in two groups with separate data on geobotanical releves and on the syntaxa uniting these releves. In the first case, each geobotanical releve includes the following parameters: the species composition with projective cover for each species of plants; total projective cover; plot size; ecotope and location, where the releve was made; information on publication of the releve (the reference, table number, releve number in the table); syntaxon which the releve belongs to; its position in the SynBioSys Europe syntaxa system; geographical coordinates. In the second case, each syntaxon is provided with its name, position in the SynBioSys Europe syntaxa system, number of releves and the permanence of each species. Currently, the database has information of halophytic (Thero-Salicornietea, Festuco-Puccinellietea), steppe (FestucoBrometea), meadow (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, Molinio-Arrhenetheretea) vegetation and karst relief vegetation (Festuco-Brometea, Querco-Fagetea, Galio-Urticetea, Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei) in the Volga and the Ural River Basins within forest-steppe and steppe zones, and includes results of our own research activities (since 1994) and data from literature sources (since 1968). The data is collected in each of the institutions mentioned above, and then the data is exchanged and summarized. The database is connected toEuropean Syntaxonomical Biological System SynBioSys Europe (http://www.synbiosys.alterra.nl/synbiosyseu) where the data on 917 published releves and 127 syntaxa has been currently sent to.