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Abstract: In this paper the author discusses Boris Akuninʼs novel Altyn-tolobas. The two plot lines in the novel (the seventeenth-century journey of Kornelius von Dorn and the journey to the “new Russia” by his descendant) are shown to run parallel, as they both appear to involve the transfer from “civilized” European cultural space to “uncivilized” Russia. However, it is demonstrated that this simple opposition of “Russia” and “The West” is much more ambiguous and complicated than it might seem at first glance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper deals with problems of using the Latin and French languages under the highbrows. Both languages functioned as a special means of conversation within the groups where they meant the group identity of the speakers. Russian Linguist E. D. Polivanov nominated such languages social group dialects. Latin was the language of the literate in the early Middle Ages and later till the 18th century. French served as a mean of communication of the social elite in Europe in 18th and 19th centuries. Many abstracts from belles-lettres show the social usage of Latin and French in European states and in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of diagnostics of congenital hearing impairment has acquired special importance in the light of new possibilities for the early rehabilitation of the patients presenting with this condition. The implementation of the programs of universal audiological screening into the clinical practice of Russia and many other countries made it possible to significantly reducethe time necessary to confirm congenital impairment of hearing and begin the rehabilitative treatment. The present paper was designed to analyze the international experience with the implementation of the programs of universal audiological screening of the newborn infants as exemplified by such countries as Great Britain, USA, Germany, and Poland. The main indicators of the quality and the efficiency of such programs are considered taking into account the results of the epidemiological studies on the prevalence of congenital hearing impairment. A total of 1.8 mln newborn infants were examined in Russia during 2013. The first stage of screening involved 96.7% of the children, and only 2.9% of them remained uncovered by the examination. As many as 5,659 children were found to present with the congenital loss of hearing,with the prevalence of this condition being 3 per 1.000 newborn infants and the prevalence of deafness 0.6 per 1.000. The principal problem to be resolved for the organization of the management of these patients, both in Russia and other countries, remains the enhancement of the availability of comprehensive diagnostic examination and the timelyreferral of the patients to such examination (if appropriate based on the results of the screening). The successful solution of this problem requires personalized recording of the screening data with the use of the commonly accepted medical information systems.

The paper deals with etiopathogenetic and clinical peculiarities, and also therapeutic methods during the pathological processes in the thyroid system in the childhood. The most common of these processes is the diffuse nontoxic goiter, which results in abnormality of metabolic processes regulation in the child's growing organism and often signals to the beginning of many thyropathies.

The paper contains consideration of the problem of compliance to treatment of arterial hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Various aspects of compliance to treatment related to patients, physicians, special features of diseases and character of drug and nondrug recommendations.

The paper describes the most important developmental stages of phthisiomorphology in chronological order, by using as an example the work of the Pathomorphology Laboratory, Central Tuberculosis Research Institute, since its organization. It also shows the stages of phthisiosurgery with the inestimable scientific and practical contribution of the works by L. K. Bogush and his followers from the formation of lung surgery to today's achievements. The authors give examples of the long-term working partnership of surgeons and morphologists in the development of these two disciplines, which was fruitful in deciding many issues of phthisiology.

The medical-and-demographic processes as a starting point for the planning of means and resources for the short- and average-term future are forecasted in the paper on the basis of long-term peculiarities of the natural-science data and with respect for the social-and-economic crisis now underway in the country.

The approach of a country to persons with limited physical abilities is an important component of country's social-and-cultural policy. Blindness is a most severe variety of health disorders leading to social defect and social insufficiency. The role of adaptive physical culture is important within the system of the social-and-medical rehabilitation of the blind because the sedentary life mode has a negative effect on organisms of the disabled due to vision. Sports is not only a method for correcting the general somatic condition, but it is also an important social-and-physiological factor that enables the blind to comprehend their abilities as an example for others. As for our country, the information about the modern sports activities among the disabled due to vision is absolutely insufficient for the public at large. An analysis of results of examination (conducted by using the computer data base of the International Blind Sportsmen Association--IBSA) of 2386 blind and impaired vision sportsmen is presented in the paper. Data about sport disciplines and types of ophthalmic pathologies encountered among the high-class blind and impaired vision athletes from different world countries are described. The above data can be helpful in elaborating the rehabilitation programs for persons with severe disorders of the organ of vision to be used in rehabilitation centers, sport federations and clubs of the disabled as well as in other institutions dealing with rehabilitation of the disabled due to vision in our country.

Many years' experience with complex supervision of the environmental radiation situation, the specific features of the population's physiological and health status after radiation accidents (the Chernobyl, Kyshtym and other accidents). The paper emphasized the necessity of having a knowledge of the specific features of the influence of a radiation factor (and its components) on establishing the radiation dose for the population due to the environmental peculiarities of the radiation background in different regions and abnormal zones of the Earth. The paper provides evidence for the need to apply an environmental and physiological approach to working out the standards of radiation doses for the inhabitants of post-accident polluted areas. To this end, a concept of the regional standard of exposure is proposed for different regions of the Earth with regard to the specific natural radiation background, technogenic and medical "additives" on making diagnostic and therapeutical efforts by using X-rays and radiation therapy. A new concept is offered to develop the life-support systems in the areas exposed to radiation contamination, whose main goal is to minimize radiation exposures with regard of data on each area-specific data on the regional standard of the pre-accident radiation background, technogenic background, medical additives and prediction of future radiation doses. Exposure of the population to radiation is minimized by reasonably operating its components and making special life regimens in the contaminated areas.