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The paper discusses the need to develop an effective system of proficiency tests to be used in teaching oncology to general practitioners. Consideration should be made of both the state of the art of oncology teaching method and limited time assigned to it in medical college curricula.

The paper represents some results of a joint commission, organized by the USSR Ministry of Health by order of the USSR Council of Ministers at public requests. The commission worked in the area neighbouring the proving ground at Semipalatinsk in the period of May-July 1988. A radiological situation there was investigated after underground nuclear testing on July 8, 1989. The results of measurements and archive data were used to estimate doses of radiation exposure of the population in the period of 1949 (nuclear testing on the ground and in the atmosphere) and in the period of underground testing, It was shown that in the period of 1949-1963 approximately 10,000 people received increased doses of external and internal irradiation. A high level of radiation-induced chromosome aberrations was noted among them. The highest effective equivalent doses of external and internal irradiation were received by the residents in the villages of Folon' (1.6 Gy during the first testing in 1949), Karaul (0.37 Gy), Sarzhal (0.20 Gy), Semenovka (0.02 Gy). The annual effective equivalent doses at that period did not exceed 0.0056 Gy (the highest value) for the Semipalatinsk residents. Proceeding from the values of collective doses probable long-term effects (malignant tumors) were assessed. Recommendations and conclusions of the commission are presented.

There has been no information on cystogenous nematodes of the genus Heterodera injuring apple trees. The paper checks the first finding of these nematodes on the roots of a cultivated apple tree. The nematodes proved to be a new species, Heterodera mali sp. n. The apple cystogenous nematode resembles the potato cystogenous nematode H. rostochiensis Woll. in having a round body, small cleft of the vulva and similar sizes of eggs. It differs from H. rostochiensis in smaller sizes (on the average 5 against 9) very transparent and thin cuticle, a small distance between vulva and anus (on the average 43 against 86), a smaller value of the Granek's index (on the average 1.3 against 4.6), a smaller number of cuticular folds between vulva and anus (on the average 7 against 21) and different plant-hosts. A detailed description of H. mali sp. n. is given.

The question as to the prevalence of toxigenic microscopic fungi in foodstuffs originating in Kazakhstan is but little studied. In particular, no information on the microflora in the products coming from the south-western areas of the republic are available. The paper brings forth the results consequent upon the study of the problem in the Guriev and Dzhambul regions typical of this area. Microflora in 317 samples of various foodstuffs (wheat grains, flour and mealy products, rice, husket millet, dried meat, etc.) taken in rural families was studied by conventional methods. A highly frequent and intensive contamination of the vegetable and animal products with micomycetes, among which a definite prevalence of the species belonging to genus Aspergillus was noted. Aspergilli were represented mainly by the species known by their toxigenicity (A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. candidus, A. niger, A. versicolor and others). A conclusion is drawn as to a potential hazard of mycotoxicoses arising in the south-western part of Kazakhstan. Recommendations for instituting preventive measures are given.

In the course of studies on the ecological structure of acute febrile diseases in the season of activity of blood-sucking arthropods strains of a virus antigenically related to Sikhote-Alyñ virus were isolated from the blood of a patient and from Ixodid ticks. This paper presents the results of the study on the causative agent and the clinical picture of the disease caused by this virus. The virus was found to be a new one for science; its appurtenance to the family Picornaviridae, genus Cardiovirus, the antigenic group of encephalomyocarditis has been determined. The virus has been designated "Syr-Darya Valley fever virus" by the area of its isolation.