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Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has unique properties due to its special anatomical structure, thermoregulation, and metabolic activity. Dysregulated EAT provokes the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, disorders in the metabolism of fats and glucose, as well as contributes to fatty degeneration of the myocardium and heart failure development. EAT may serve as a risk factor and biomarker for cardiovascular diseases, and is also a potential therapeutic target. The purpose of this review was to highlight current research data on EAT, secreted adipokines, their effect on target tissue metabolism, and to systematize the relationship between EAT and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, its function, role in heart failure, atrial fibrillation, as well as the prognostic value of various microRNAs determined in EAT are highlighted.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects not only the respiratory system, but also the cardiovascular system in 20-28% of cases, causing endothelial dysfunction, vasculitis, hyper- and hypocoagulation, myocarditis, endothelial dysfunction and other adverse effects. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases has been shown to worsen the disease severity and increase mortality from COVID-19. Recent studies have also found that elevations in some serum cardiovascular biomarkers can stratify the disease severity, in particular rates of hospitalizations to an internal medicine or intensive care unit, intubation, and mortality. They can be divided into markers of damage (TnT/I, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and CPK-MB, myoglobin, NT-proBNP), coagulation (prothrombin time, fibrinogen and D-dimer), as well as prospective biomarkers for which the available evidence base is limited but there is a pathophysiological rationale (homocysteine and sST2). This review presents studies on the use of above serum biomarkers to stratify the risk of death in patients with COVID-19.

Aim: to assess the efficacy and side-effect risk of the surgical treatment of seborrheic k eratosis (SK) using a copper vapour laser (CVL).Patients and methods. 3980 patients (1214 men and 2766 women aged 20 to 78 years) suffering from SK were treated using a CVL (Yakhroma-Med model, Russian producer) equipped with a laser pen and a scanning nozzle. The laser treatment was performed without anaesthesia in one to four sessions. During the treatment procedure, the following radiation parameters were applied: wavelengths ranging from 511 to 578 nm (in the ratio of 3 to 2), an average power of 0.6–1.2 W and an exposure duration ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 s. The diameter of the light spot on the skin surface was 1 mm. The follow-up observation lasted 24 months.Results. The computer simulation of tissue heating by CVL and other laser systems showed that CVL is an optimal treatment choice for seborrheic keratosis in terms of the energy deposition depth. According to our clinical data and the results of computer simulation, the CVL is established to be the safest and the most effective for seborrheic keratosis treatment.

An increase in life expectancy in developed countries is inevitably accompanied by an increase in the number of nonmelanoma skin diseases, which are primarily represented by basal cell cancer (BCC) occurring in elderly and old-age patients. The pathogenesis of such diseases is associated both with impaired proliferation and differentiation of the keratinocytes of the epidermal basal layer, as well as with the transformation of the vasculature in the papillary dermis in the vicinity of BCC. In recent years, such conditions have been increasingly treated using CO2 , neodymium, diode and pulsed-dye lasers. In many cases, these devices allow malignant BCC cells to be successfully eliminated. However, the use of near-infrared lasers in the periorbital area is limited due to a higher risk of damaging the organs of the visual system. Therefore, a search for new laser surgery methods that can be used for treating malignant skin tumours seems to be a prospective research direction.Methods. 3 male and 9 female patients diagnosed with primary BCC were treated using a copper vapour laser (Yakhroma-Med). The age of the patients varied from 34 to 77 years. Laser treatment was carried out in one session under the following irradiation parameters: the wavelength of 511 and 578 nm, the average power of up to 3 W and a series of 15 ns pulses. The pause between the pulses was 60 μs, with the exposure time ranging from 200 to 600 ms. The light spot diameter on the skin surface was 1 mm. The follow-up monitoring duration was 24 months.Results. In all the BCC patients, one session of copper vapour laser treatment allowed malignant cells in the disease area to be completely eliminated without relapses during 2 years after the therapy. The duration of skin healing in the irradiated area was 2 weeks in patients under the age of 40 years, compared to 3–4 weeks in elderly patients. After the treatment, short-term side effects, such as a slight edema, erythema and peeling, were observed.

Introduction. When a pathological process emerges in a part of the cardiac conduction system, it results in various cardiac arrhythmias causing cardiac activity disorders affecting the entire body and posing a threat to the patient’s life.Today, the endovascular treatment of arrhythmias has replaced many open heart surgeries becoming a widely accepted alternative to drug therapy. The key techniques of x-ray-guided endovascular treatment of arrhythmias includes the implantation of various devices, transcatheter radiofrequency ablation of arrhythmogenic zones and cryoablation. An excellent comparison of ablation techniques has been presented in the most extensive international randomized clinical trial FIRE AND ICE.The implantation of single-and two-chamber pacemakers, electrophysiological research, radio frequency ablation are all performed at the Bashkir State Medical University Clinic.Material and methods. The electrophysiological research and transcatheter radiofrequency endocardial ablation using the Carto 3 system for complex rhythm disorders have been carried out at the Bashkir State Medical University Clinic since 2013.Results and discussion. 159 EPIs and RFAs have been performed at the Bashkir State Medical University Clinic.Conclusions. X-ray guided endovascular surgery is the method of choice in the treatment of various forms of arrhythmias.

Background. Rhinophyma is considered to be the most severe stage of rosacea, associated with the proliferation of the nose skin epithelium, hyperproduction of the sebaceous glands and telangiectasia.The treatment of rhinophyma remains a difficult task. One of the problems associated with rhinophyma is thickened and lumpy skin, penetrated with telangiectasias. The use of laser radiation in the treatment of rhinophyma seems to be promising, since this method allows blood vessels to be selectively heated.For the first time, we describe the treatment of rhinophyma using a copper vapour laser (CVL) equipped with a computerized scanner.Patient description. A 63-year-old male with Fitzpatrick skin type II was treated using an CVL (‘Yakhroma-med' model, RaS P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute). The clinical manifestations of the disease were typical of the phymatous or hypertrophic rhinophyma type, including significant thickening of the tissues and an uneven roughness of the skin surface. The treatment was carried out using a radiation wavelength of 578 nm, exposure duration of 0.2 s and energy exposure (fluence) of 15-30 J/cm2. Operational parameters used for the CVL in the scanner mode were the average power of 0.6-1.2 W and the focusing size of the light spot on the skin of 0.6 mm. The hexagonal mode of the scanning head was used with a maximum size of 12 mm and 1 mm distance between the centres of the laser spots. The treatment resulted in the restoration of the natural nose shape without redness. No side effects were noted.Conclusion: CVL radiation provided a selective photodisruption of the vessels with increased diameter.Due to the remodelling of the vasculature, the described method showed excellent results in the treatment of rhinophyma without side effects.

Introduction. Robot surgery is one of the most high-demand and dynamic developing realms of medicine. It is widely used in urology, proctology, thoracic, cardiovascular surgery and gynecology. In February 2018 a robot surgery centre opened in Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation based on the clinic of the Bashkir State Medical University (city of Ufa).Materials and methods. The present paper demonstrates the first successful robot-assisted vascular operations within a master-class called "Aorto-Femoral Shunting with the use of robot-assisted surgical system Da Vinci".Results. Exemplified with three operations: two linear aorto-femoral shunting and lumbar sympathectomy demonstrate technical peculiarities and advantages of robot-assisted vascular surgery. The findings show positive short-term results of the performed surgical interference that combine minimal injury and blood loss which help to reduce hospital stay in an intensive therapy department and intestinal distention duration. These clinical effects enabled to provide early activization of patients and possibility to adequately correct nutritional status with enteral feeding. The above-mentioned advantages eventually resulted in reduction of post-operation stay of patients in in-patient department and of cost of treatment.Conclusion. Robot-assisted surgical system Da Vinci being the most cutting-edge in the realm of endoscopic surgery, enables to carry out operational interference with minimal blood loss and injury of tissues which helps to reduce postoperation and recovery periods.

A key role in measuring the level of blood oxygenation is played by a dependence of the signal being measured on the wavelength at which measurements are performed. This paper presents a study of the blood oxygenation effect on the signal of diffusely scattered radiation in the range of 590-860 nm wavelengths. On the basis of previous studies the spectral characteristic of backscattered signal for different levels of blood oxygenation was obtained by the Monte Carlo modeling. In this model photon is characterized by coordinates and weight. The size, step and direction of photon motion from the initial point are determined at each step and specified by means of the random number generator. At each step the photon loses some weight due to absorption. Reducing of the photon weight is also taken into consideration as a result of Fresnel reflection and total internal reflection at two media borderland (the air and blood). The optimal wavelengths range for application in oximeters for sufficiently accurate non-contact measurements of blood oxygenation level by detecting scattered radiation is 650-750 nm. The adequacy of suggested model has been tested by comparing calculated characteristic with experimental results obtained by means of double integral sphere. The highest relative backscattered signal (0.17-0.21) is recorded at 700 nm.

The paper presents a study of the effect of laser irradiation of crystalline chalcogenide films of lead selenide (PbSe) on their electrical characteristics caused by irreversible modification of the structure due to valence reconfiguration of lead as a result of its oxidation. The study of the modification features of the electrical properties of the films was carried out because of laser exposure to nanosecond pulses with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Measurements of the electrical characteristics of PbSe films were carried out using the four-probe method. It was shown that when the current was directed parallel to the laser tracks recorded in the darkening mode, the resistance of the modified film decreased by 44 % compared to the original sample, and with the perpendicular direction of the current, the resistance increased by 153 %. The resistance of the film increased more than 27 times after laser irradiation in the bleaching mode, regardless of the direction of the current relative to the laser tracks. The experimentally measured temperature and its gradient along the laser spot on the film in the darkening and bleaching modes turned out to be in good agreement with the proposed mathematical model of the thermal effect of laser pulses. It has been shown that the processes of laser modification of films occur at lower temperatures than during standard heat treatment in a furnace. The obtained results can be applied in the development of photodetectors in the middle IR range of the spectrum based on PbSe film.

Numerical simulation was used to select the most efficient, safe and secure scanner operating modes when treating port-wine stains with a copper vapor laser. Scanner operating modes for selective heating of dysplastic vessels in port-wine stains were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation was introduced to study selective vessel heating using diode laser, Nd:YAG laser, copper vapor laser and pulsed dye laser radiation. The vessels’ location depth and size were determined, which could ensure selective heating of the vessels to the coagulation temperature. These results are in good agreement with clinical findings, and the validity of our model is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computer simulation technique was employed to study the selective heating of a tissue vessel using emission from a pulsed copper vapor laser and a pulsed dye laser. The depth and size of vessels that could be selectively and safely removed were determined for the lasers under examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than five decades, research has been conducted at Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard, Norway, to understand the structure and functioning of High-Arctic ecosystems and the profound impacts on them of environmental change. Terrestrial, freshwater, glacial and marine ecosystems are accessible year-round from Ny-Ålesund, providing unique opportunities for interdisciplinary observational and experimental studies along physical, chemical, hydrological and climatic gradients. Here, we synthesize terrestrial and freshwater research at Ny-Ålesund and review current knowledge of biodiversity patterns, species population dynamics and interactions, ecosystem processes, biogeochemical cycles and anthropogenic impacts. There is now strong evidence of past and ongoing biotic changes caused by climate change, including negative effects on populations of many taxa and impacts of rain-on-snow events across multiple trophic levels. While species-level characteristics and responses are well understood for macro-organisms, major knowledge gaps exist for microbes, invertebrates and ecosystem-level processes. In order to fill current knowledge gaps, we recommend (1) maintaining monitoring efforts, while establishing a long-term ecosystem-based monitoring programme; (2) gaining a mechanistic understanding of environmental change impacts on processes and linkages in food webs; (3) identifying trophic interactions and cascades across ecosystems; and (4) integrating long-term data on microbial, invertebrate and freshwater communities, along with measurements of carbon and nutrient fluxes among soils, atmosphere, freshwaters and the marine environment. The synthesis here shows that the Ny-Ålesund study system has the characteristics needed to fill these gaps in knowledge, thereby enhancing our understanding of High-Arctic ecosystems and their responses to environmental variability and change.

Background. Pyogenic granuloma (PG) or lobular capillary hemangioma, ICD10 code: L98.0. appears as a single bright red or violet papule up to 20 mm in size, on the face, fingers, skull surface, arms, and intergluteal fold, as well as on the oral mucous membranes. Surgical removal of facial PG is not always possible due to insufficient thickness of the dermis. Treatment of PG with a pulsed dye laser (PDL) or neodymium laser (Nd:YAG) can achieve a noticeable elimination of the lesion but is reported to be accompanied by such side effects as purpura or scarring. It determines the feasibility of introducing into clinical practice the methods of laser treatment of PG using the radiation of a copper vapor laser (CVL) with a wavelength of 578 nm, which effectively absorbed by the blood. Aim. The assessment of the clinical efficacy and safety of the CVL treating PG. Methods. 26 adult patients with PG in various parts of the face, including the lips, limbs, and trunk, were included in this study. PG treatment was carried out in one session with CVL (Yakhroma-Med, FIAN) at an average power of 0.71.0 W, at a wavelength of 578 nm, exposure time 0.20.3 s. The diameter of the light spot is 1 mm. Results. Immediately after the single laser treatment, the PG involved area became grey. In 710 days, the irradiated area was utterly similar to the adjacent intact skin. No postoperative bleeding or infection was noted. Side effects included mild skin atrophy. During the follow-up observation for five years, no side effects were found. Conclusion. The high efficiency of PG elimination using CVL in the absence of pronounced side effects allows suggesting this method for introducing into dermatologists and cosmetologists' clinical practice as a highly effective and inexpensive method of treatment.

Introduction.Congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) is detected at birth or shortly after birth in 1% of infants. The localization of CMN in aesthetically significant areas causes a decline in child self-esteem and causes concern for his parents. Surgical excision of skin areas with CMN is associated with an increased risk of cosmetic side effects and is often followed by long-term stress conditions after the invasive intervention. Aim of the study.To evaluate the efficacy of the CMN removal in infants, children and adolescents with the dual-wavelengths copper vapor laser (CVL) radiation. Patients and Methods.Medium-sized (up to 9 cm) single CMN was treated in nine fair-skinned patients: seven girls and two boys, aged from 2 months to 16 years. The procedures were carried out at an average CVL power of 0.61.0 W, with a power ratio of 3:2 at 511 nm and 578 nm wavelengths, and an exposure time of 0.20.3 s. Light spot diameter 1 mm. The treatment was carried out during 210 sessions with an interval of 12 months between sessions. Results.In children and adolescents, the treatment of CMN with CVL dual-wavelengths radiation made it possible to achieve significant clarification of the involved area without hypertrophic scars. The duration of the healing of the irradiated area lasted 23 weeks. Side effects were manifested with subtle skin atrophy. Conclusion.The high efficacy of CVL removal of medium-sized CMN in infants and children using the dual-wavelengths CVL radiation without pronounced side effects allows introducing such an approach in the clinical practice of pediatric dermatologists and cosmetologists.

Aim. Comparison of effectiveness of the application of copper vapor laser (CVL) and pulsed dye laser (PDL) in clinical practice. Development of choice criteria of the more effective method of treatment.Materials and methods. The clinical data using CVL and PDL in the treatment of skin vascular malformations are presented. The treatment gave good results in removing of dysplastic skin vessels in 2 and 6 months. The treatment was not painful, and patients did not need general and local anesthesia. The results were presented concerning computer modeling of selective heating of vessels in tissue with CVL and PDL radiation. These results allowed to determine the depth of location and dimensions of vessels for selective and secure removing and the safe dosage ranges were found.Results. On the base of the calculated data, one could conclude that the mode of heating of dysplastic vessels with micropulse series of CVL is more safe and effective than the mode of powerful short pulses in the case of PDL.

Skeletal muscle strength and mass, major contributors to sprint/power athletic performance, are influenced by genetics. However, to date, only a handful of genetic variants have been associated with sprint/power performance. The ACVR1B A allele (rs rs2854464) has previously been associated with increased muscle-strength in non-athletic cohort. However, no follow-up and/or replications studies have since been conducted. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the genotype distribution of ACVR1B rs2854464 between endurance athletes (E), sprint/power (S/P) athletes, mixed athletes (M), and non-athletic control participants in 1672 athletes (endurance athletes, n = 482; sprint/power athletes, n = 578; mixed athletes, n = 498) and 1089 controls (C) of both European Caucasians (Italian, Polish and Russians) and Brazilians. We have also compared the genotype distribution according to the athlete's level of competition (elite vs. sub-elite). DNA extraction and genotyping were performed using various methods. Fisher's exact test (adjusted for multiple comparisons) was used to test whether the genotype distribution of rs2854464 (AA, AG and GG) differs between groups. The A allele was overrepresented in S/P athletes compared with C in the Caucasian sample (adjusted p = 0.048), whereas there were no differences in genotype distribution between E athletes and C, in neither the Brazilian nor the Caucasian samples (adjusted p > 0.05). When comparing all Caucasian athletes regardless of their sporting discipline to C, we found that the A allele was overrepresented in athletes compared to C (adjusted p = 0.024). This association was even more pronounced when only elite-level athletes were considered (adjusted p = 0.00017). In conclusion, in a relatively large cohort of athletes from Europe and South America we have shown that the ACVR1B rs2854464 A allele is associated with sprint/power performance in Caucasians but not in Brazilian athletes. This reinforces the notion that phenotype-genotype associations may be ethnicity-dependent.