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Objective: To study the relationship between serum creatine phosphokinase and outcomes of injury in victims with electrical burns., Material and Methods: Among 40 patients with electrical injury, 7 (18%) ones underwent upper limb amputation. There were 37 (92.5%) men and 3 (7.5%) women aged 37 (28; 47) years. We analyzed total serum creatine phosphokinase and MB fraction on the first day in patients with and without amputations., Results: Total serum creatine phosphokinase exceeded the upper reference value in 11 out of 33 patients without amputation and in all 7 patients with limb amputation ( p =0.001). Patients with limb amputation had significantly higher total serum creatine phosphokinase and MB fraction ( p <0.001 and p =0.030, respectively). Logistic regression equation showed that high total serum creatine phosphokinase significantly influenced amputation rate ( p <0.001), as evidenced by odds ratio (42.7, 95% CI 3.5-514.8). ROC analysis revealed the cut-off value of total serum creatine phosphokinase (950 IU/L). Sensitivity was 100% (63; 100), specificity - 94% (86; 94), positive predictive value - 78% (49; 78), negative predictive value - 100% (92; 100)., Conclusion: Total serum creatine phosphokinase depends only on severity of electrical and flame burns. Serum creatine phosphokinase is a predictor of upper limb amputation in patients with electrical injury. Total serum creatine phosphokinase ≥ 950 IU/L is significant for upper limb amputation (in CK-MB fraction within the reference values).

Background: Thoracoscopic clipping of the patent ductus arteriosus is an alternative to conventional surgical closure via thoracotomy in low birth weight infants. The aim of this study is to compare of these two groups of patients for the last 11 years., Methods: We reported the data of 127 small children's who underwent standard transaxillary thoracotomy (101 patients - Group I) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for patent ductus arteriosus clipping (26 patients - Group II). The two groups were compared for patients demographics, operative report and postoperative parameters., Results: The groups were similar in terms of demographics and preoperative parameters. There was significant difference in mean operative time between open and thoracoscopic procedure (44.65 min vs 38.46 min; p<0.05). Duration of care in neonatal intensive unit and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in the Group II (16.44 d vs 8.77 d; p<0.05 and 40.13 d vs 33.65 d; p<0.05). Early complication rates were equivalent between groups (6.93% vs 3.85%; p>0.05). Rate of long-term complications was dominated in the thoracotomy group (19.80% vs 0%; p=0127)., Conclusion: Thoracoscopic ligation of the patent ductus arteriosus in infants less than 2500 g gave results better than open surgery.

On the base of clinical psychological and electrophysiological studies of 34 patients with primary manifestations of brain circulation insufficiency good tolerance and high efficiency of Tanakan course treatment (3 x 40 mg/day for 3 months) were showen. Tanakan decreased manifestations of clinical syndrome, improved psychological functions and electrophysiological parameters. Prospective study supported the stability of positive changes in the status of patients for 12 months after Tanakan course treatment.

160 patients over 60 years of age appealed to gerontologic unit of out-patient psychiatric clinic for the first time. The patients were divided into two main groups: with organic mental disorders (OMD) and with functional mental disorders (FMD) (79 and 81 patients, respectively). In the group of OMD the main form of disturbances were cases with dementia (74.4%) mainly of the Alzheimer's type, and cerebral vascular dementia. In 25.3% of the patients the cognitive disturbances didn't attain the level of dementia. In a group of patients with different forms of dementia a high frequency of comorbid mental pathology was observed (83%)--confusional states, delusions, depressive conditions as well as disturbed behavior (67.7%) that was one of the reasons for consulting a psychiatrist. In FMD group the prevailing pathology were depressions, both of the major (37.1%) and mild (34.6%) forms. The remaining cases were characterized by delusions (10.1%), anxiety-phobic (7.6%) states and somatoform disturbances (5.1%). Among the patients both of OMD and FMD groups it was possible to diagnose approximately 3-4 different somatic diseases; vascular and gastrointestinal disorders were met more frequently. The study of contribution of brain computer tomography (CT) to diagnosis of mental pathology (according to ICD-10), has demonstrated that in 30.8% of the cases it was decisive, in 41% it confirmed the clinical data and in 21.8% CT provide additional data (detecting latent cerebral vascular damage). And only in 6.4% of the cases CT fails to give definite information in diagnostically complicated cases. In 26.6% of the patients with FMD, CT of brain had detected symptoms of mild vascular pathology.

Open study was performed concerning the efficiency of cerebrolysin in treatment of tardive dyskinesia and parkinsonism. 30 patients of middle (18-41 years) and old (60-82 years) age were examined by means of Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Cerebrolysin was administered intravenously by drops every other day in a dose of 5-10 ml during 28 days. Significant decrease of the severity of extrapyramidal symptoms (according to the Scales used) was observed by the end of the course of therapy. The number of the responders was 46.6%, of the partial responders--26.6%. Efficiency of cerebrolysin was the same both in the groups of patients with drug-induced parkinsonism (number of the responders--54.5%) and in patients with tardive dyskinesia (the responders' number--60%). The efficiency of cerebrolysin was lower in patients with combination of symptoms of parkinsonism and tardive dyskinesia as well as in ones with pronounced negative schizophrenic disorders in clinical picture. Efficacy of cerebrolysin was also the same in patients of both middle and old age. Its efficiency was equally high independently on the duration of extrapyramidal disorders' existence.

Evoked cortical activity in response to acoustic stimuli (oddball paradigm) was studied in patients with different paranoid disorders. The analysis covered the N150 negative wave and positive complex P300. In patients with paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid form of involutional psychosis cortical responses to the stimuli and cortex effects were not recorded. Such cognitive deficiency is believed to be typical for schizophrenia.