Search

A middle-taiga iron-illuvial podzol (Glossic Endogleyic Albic Podzol) was studied on an ancient eolian dune in the Bol’shoi Yugan River basin (the Ob’ River tributary, Surgut region), near the large-scale archaeological research site. The radiocarbon age of 31 charcoals was determined, and 8 variants of the location of charcoal-containing soil zones relative to other morphological patterns were identified. It was proved that charcoal can help in dating the time of mosaic pattern formation, and the development of podzolic horizon coincided with intense wildfires in the second half of the Holocene. It was found that charcoal-containing soil zones first appeared in soils about 5 ka ago. Charcoals older than 5 ka cal. BP were not found. Pyrogenic events became twice more frequent at the beginning of the third millennium BP, with their maximum in the middle of the third millennium BP. The frequency of pyrogenic events decreased noticeably at the very end of the second millennium BP. Many peaks of pyrogenic events during the last five millennia coincided with the periods of archaeological cultures. An assumption that the continuous existence of forest environment leads to the permanent burial of charcoal due to fall of a tree accompanied by its uprooting was partially confirmed.

The protective actions which were carried out with the purpose to reduce public exposure to radiation derived from the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima-1 nuclear power plants have caused negative consequences of social – psychological both social-economic character and medical nonradiological consequences. The corresponding damage put to the population of involved territories and to the entire society has considerably exceeded hypothetical benefit of aversion of radiation exposure. In the present study some possible ways of aprioristic maintenance of mitigation of the social damage accompanying realization of anti-radiation protective actions at large-scale radiation accident are considered. For the characteristic of total amount of the damage caused by protective actions, the scale of radiation and social protection in terms of a population of officially involved territories is accepted. The analysis of decisions on protection of the population in the Russian Federation against consequences of Chernobyl accident shows that at concrete radiation situation scales of protective actions differ more than on the order of magnitude, depending on criteria of decision-making and their administrative realization. Another factor that determines the scale of the accident is the degree of conservatism in the assessment of the radiation situation. The analysis of results of individual dosimetric examination of inhabitants of the western districts of the Bryansk region has shown steady values of statistical characteristics of distribution of the individual doses of an external and internal radiation caused by Chernobyl accident, according to which the value of 95% quantile of distribution in 2–3 times exceeds the average value at an examined sample of the population. Thus, application of the concept of “representative person» leads to overestimation of projected doses concerning to those corresponding to stochastic radiation effects. The results of such overestimation are expansion of scales of protective actions, prolongation of emergency, increase in accompanying social damage. As one of the ways to maintain aprioristic mitigation of social damage accompanying protective actions, the following position is offered. At a stage of an emergency, when there is enough information to consider, that the maximal public exposure to radiation will not achieve thresholds of deterministic effects, the decisions on protective actions violating normal human beings and socioeconomic functioning of territory is justified to accept on the basis of doses for the average person, instead of those for the most exposed people.

Tactics for the management of patients with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is provided in the conclusion of the Advisory Board. It is demonstrated that HTG is quite prevalent in patients with excessive body weight and is an important component of residual risk. HTG creates additional conditions for the progression of atherosclerosis, and thus it is recommended to test triglyceride in patients with high, very high and extremely high cardiovascular risk. The indication for the pharmacological treatment to reduce the triglycerides concentration is their level more than 2.3 mmol/l. Statins are drugs of choice aimed to decrease the cardiovascular risk in patients with hypercholesterinemia and HTG. Fenofibrate is used to correct HTG; in case of its intolerance or if the triglyceride target level is not reached, ethyl esters of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid can be used in the dosage of 2-4 g daily. In patients with triglyceride level higher than 5.6 mmol/l, fenofibrate is the main option of treatment.

Basic measures of the Rospotrebnadzor emergency response during the early stage of the «Fukushima-I» NPP radiation accident are being analyzed in the article. Radiation monitoring of the environmental objects of the territories of the Russian Federation Far East Federal District, radiation control of arriving from Japan vehicles, freights and passengers as well as imported from Japan food products were promptly organized. This allowed to get reliable evaluations of the levels of radioactive contamination at the Russian Federation territory and population exposure doses due to the «Fukushima-I» NPP accident, timely exclude the possibility of import to the Russian territory for the freights, vehicles, food products having contamination exceeding established in the Russian Federation standards.

Regulation of decision making on protection of the public from radiation exposure caused by the Chernobyl accident is retrospectively reviewed. Decisions on prime countermeasures such as evacuation of population from 30 km zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were taken on the ground of a priori developed criteria. The next years, elaboration of a set of regulating documents was needed for implementation of countermeasures corresponding to real conditions of unprecedented scale and levels of radioactive contamination of large territory. Within several years the temporary permissible levels of radiation exposure and content of radionuclides in foodstuff were adopted for current operative decisions. The subsequent decisions made under a pressure of sociopolitical circumstances resulted in a compromise between radiation protection principles and inadequate public perception of radiological risk. Now a decision is needed to solve a problem of the return of radioactively contaminated territories to normal life. The analysis of experience gained in overcoming of consequences of the Chernobyl accident is of great importance for perfection of readiness for management of radiological emergencies.

Background Familial hypercholesterolemia is a human monogenic disease caused by population-specific mutations in the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene. Despite thirteen different mutations of the LDL receptor gene were reported from Russia prior to 2003, the whole spectrum of disease-causing gene alterations in this country is poorly known and requires further investigation provided by the current study. Methods Forty-five patients with clinical diagnosis of FH were tested for the apolipoprotein B (apoB) mutation R3500Q by restriction fragment length analysis. After exclusion of R3500Q mutation high-sensitive fluorescent single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and automatic DNA sequencing were used to search for mutations in the LDL receptor gene. Results We found twenty one rare sequence variations of the LDL receptor gene. Nineteen were probably pathogenic mutations, and two (P518P, T705I) were considered as neutral ones. Among the mutations likely to be pathogenic, eight were novel (c.670-671insG, C249X, c.936-940del5, c.1291-1331del41, W422X, c.1855-1856insA, D601N, C646S), and eleven (Q12X, IVS3+1G>A, c.651-653del3, E207X, c.925-931del7, C308Y, L380H, c.1302delG, IVS9+1G>A, V776M, V806I) have already been described in other populations. None of the patients had the R3500Q mutation in the apoB gene. Conclusions Nineteen pathogenic mutations in the LDL receptor gene in 23 probands were identified. Two mutations c.925-931del7 and L380H are shared by St.-Petersburg population with neighbouring Finland and several other mutations with Norway, Sweden or Denmark, i.e. countries from the Baltic Sea region. Only four mutations (c.313+1G>A, c.651-653del3, C308Y and W422X) were recurrent as all those were found in two unrelated families. By this study the number of known mutations in the LDL receptor gene in St.-Petersburg area was increased nearly threefold. Analysis of all 34 low density lipoprotein receptor gene mutations found in St.-Petersburg argues against strong founder effect in Russian familial hypercholesterolemia.