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22 pages.-- Under a Creative Commons license, With the depletion of many commercial fish stocks and an increasing demand for marine protein for human consumption, cephalopods have become more important as a fishery resource. In EU waters, cephalopod stocks are not routinely assessed and exploitation of these species by large-scale fisheries is largely unregulated. For sustainable exploitation, adequate assessment and scientifically-supported management strategies are needed. However, there is still a lack of data on stock status and inadequate knowledge of the life history and ecology of these species. The present review examined more than 200 scientific articles, on life history and ecology of European cephalopods, published since 2013. It describes recent contributions to knowledge in the context of previously identified research priorities, along with recent advances towards sustainable fishing and aquaculture. It also identifies outstanding knowledge gaps. While some priority areas, such as the development of the species identification guides and evaluation of climate change impacts on cephalopods, have seen significant advances, other challenges remain for the future. These include monitoring of the life history traits and fishery status for the main commercially exploited species in the area, implementation of improved species identification methods during scientific surveys and fisheries monitoring, development of tools to identify stock units, and the study of the environmental and anthropogenic impacts on the stocks of cephalopods inhabiting European waters, This review was conducted under the auspices of ICES WGCEPH. GJP, AMP, CPR and AL were supported by the Cephs & Chefs project of the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme grant number EAPA_282/2016

Josephson junctions (JJs) with non-hysteretic I-V characteristic and high critical parameters are required for many applications; in particular, they are needed to create tunable THz range oscillators. We fabricated and studied shunted superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Nb-AlOx-Nb tunnel junctions with an area of about 1m2, estimated their parameters, and compared them with theoretical models. To assess the performance of shunted junctions in the terahertz range, their characteristics were studied under the influence of a high-frequency signal; the estimated value of the characteristic voltage for the shunted junction at a high frequency is about 1 mV. To improve the circuit parameters, a new type of the shunting based on application of NIS junctions was proposed, which reduces the influence of parasitic inductance, expands the frequency range of the generator, and decreases the size of the structure. The JJs with a new type of shunting have been fabricated and studied. The niobium integrated circuits intended for matching the superconducting oscillator and an SIS junction as a microwave detector were designed, fabricated, and tested. Such structures are required for studying the spectral characteristics and analyzing the operation of the oscillator. The developed circuits have demonstrated efficient operation at frequencies from 300 to 700 GHz; the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulated characteristics. The results obtained will be implemented for further development of the THz range oscillators.

Injury to the facial nerve can occur after different etiologies and range from simple transection of the branches to varying degrees of segmental loss. Management depends on the extent of injury and options include primary repair for simple transections and using autografts, allografts, or conduits for larger gaps. Tissue engineering plays an important role to create artificial materials that are able to mimic the nerve itself without extra morbidity in the patients. The use of neurotrophic factors or stem cells inside the conduits or around the repair site is being increasingly studied to enhance neural recovery to a greater extent. Preclinical studies remain the hallmark for development of these novel approaches and translation into clinical practice. This review will focus on preclinical models of repair after facial nerve injury to help researchers establish an appropriate model to quantify recovery and analyze functional outcomes. Different bioengineered materials, including conduits and nerve grafts, will be discussed based on the experimental animals that were used and the defects introduced. Future directions to extend the applications of processed nerve allografts, bioengineered conduits, and cues inside the conduits to induce neural recovery after facial nerve injury will be highlighted. IMPACT STATEMENT: Recovery after facial nerve injury is a complex process, which involves different management options such as primary repair or the use of nerve grafts or conduits. Various tissue-engineered approaches are increasingly studied on preclinical models with limited, but promising, translation to the clinical setting. Herein, preclinical models focusing on different recovery methods after facial nerve injury are comprehensively reviewed based on the experimental animals used. The review provides key insights into current developments and future directions on this highly relevant topic to help researchers further expand the field of tissue engineering and facial nerve recovery.

Longstanding epilepsy can lead to modulation of cortical networks over time and unexpected seizure onset zones. Frontal lobe seizures, in particular, can have diverse semiologies and evolution patterns. We present a male patient with drug-resistant epilepsy secondary to severe traumatic brain injury who underwent bilateral stereo electroencephalography (SEEG) for surgical planning. SEEG localized an ictal circular head roll to the right anterior prefrontal region. This was followed by spread to the left orbitofrontal region and later the left amygdala and hippocampus, at which point a different semiology with behavioral arrest, lip smacking and oral automatisms began. This case, in which an ictal circular head roll was localized to the anterior prefrontal region, demonstrates the complexity of broad seizure networks that develop over time, leading to remote seizure spread.

Multiple myeloma (MM) measurable residual disease (MRD) persisting after treatment is an adverse prognostic factor for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival.1Genomic mutations occurred in the remaining clonal aberrant plasma cells (A-PCs) are linked to the development of drug resistance and disease relapse.2 Thus, personalised treatment based on the genomic profile of MRD could be highly beneficial and ultimately increase patients’ survival. However, while large-scale sequencing studies have characterised the genome of many malignancies including MM,3–8 the genomic mutations present in MM MRD are at the beginning of investigation.9 Here, we set up an exome sequencing analysis to identify genomic mutations characteristic for MM MRD and explore if they could mediate drug response, resistance or disease progression.

Relevance. Retaining walls are common structures that are part of waterworks. They have the characteristic features of hydraulic structures, such as large dimensions, low percentages of reinforcement (up to 1.0%), horizontal interblock joints. The listed features determine the nature of the work and the stress-strain state of the retaining walls. The main loads on the rear faces of the retaining walls are loads from the action of the backfill soil. The incomplete consideration of the design features and the nature of the loads action in the design of a number of retaining walls that are in the stage of long-term operation has caused the need to strengthen them. One of the reinforcement methods was to install reinforcement rods in drilled inclined holes in the zones of horizontal interblock joints. It was necessary to conduct experimental studies of reinforced concrete retaining walls under the action of various loads, in particular conside- ring the reinforcement by inclined rods. The aim of the experimental research was to study the effect of variable load on the stress-strain state of these structures, among others with due regard to inclined reinforcement installed in the zones of horizontal interblock joints. When solving the set tasks, proven experimental methods of researching reinforced concrete structures of hydrotechnical structures were used. Results. Experimental data from the study of models of retaining walls, including those with reinforcement by inclined reinforcement, at different locations of the resultant load on rear faces of models were obtained. An experimental substantiation of the reinforcement of reinforced concrete structures of retaining walls with an inclined reinforcement crossing horizontal construction joints has been carried out.

The modern dynamics of the global processes unfolding in the financial and economic sphere is currently experiencing a wide range of crises of different profiles (which forms the crisis-generating nature of global development), requiring the development of new approaches to overcome them. This determines the relevance of the description of a crisis dynamic, specific examples of its evolution and growth. The purpose of the study is to identify the main contours of the transformation of the world financial and economic architecture (WFEA) in such conditions. For this, the methodology of systems analysis, the dialectical method of scientific knowledge, methods of historical, logical and comparative analysis were used. As a result, it was concluded that the monetary methods used only make it possible to stop the spread of the crisis, but do not remove its root causes, since the crisis dynamics has a steady growing nature, which occurs with a parallel increase in emission volumes. The comparison of two world economic structures of the established imperial and new integral ones is carried out. The issue of the process of gradual renewal of the entire world system, WFEA, its reboot with elements of transformation, but in the general outlines of evolution, is considered. The revolutionary nature of development will be associated only with technological leaps, including due to the manifestation of the sixth wave of technological development, which will also adjust the transformation of the entire WFEA to itself.

Lung cancer has the highest morbidity rate among all malignant tumors in men and the highest mortality rate in men and women in Russia. In total, 49 145 new cases of lung cancer were registered (diagnosed) in Russia in 2019. The majority of cases are related to exogenic carcinogens and mainly tobacco smoke. For several decades surgical resection with preoperative cytotoxic therapy was an optimal approach for maximal cure rate. This year recommendations were updated with new strategies including adjuvant anti-PD-L1 atezolizumab following completion of chemotherapy in PD-L1 positive patients and osimertinib for EGFR mutated cases. For this moment available data suggest the increase in disease free survival. Strategic approach to treatment for inoperable patients varies according to the status of driver mutations. New approach includes pretreatment option of testing for a wide spectrum of alterations with NGS based panels. Significant changes were incorporated into treatment of ALK mutated NSCLC with two new options of brigatinib for TKI naive patients and lorlatinib for those who progress on second generation drugs. Treatment strategy for patients without activating mutations is based on PD-L1 status. Tsis year recommendations included atezolizumab as a new monotherapy option for patients with high depression of PD-L1. Also treatment options for pembrolizumab, nivolumab and atezolizimab were widened with prolonged treatment schedules.

The tumor microenvironment is a dynamic ecosystem where malignant cells interact with the stromal cells sustaining and promoting tumor growth and metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the major component of tumor stroma. CAFs control key tumorigenic activities by participating in immune evasion and suppression, extracellular matrix remodeling, neo-angiogenesis, and drug resistance. Therefore, targeting CAFs emerges as an attractive anti-cancer strategy. This review summarized recent advancements in targeting CAFs with diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals using clinically-promising biomarkers. The efforts to improve clinical outcomes via the application of new radiotheranostic compounds are discussed in the context of radionuclide, the pharmacophore, and, more generally, in terms of biomarker specificity and expression across different cancers and CAF phenotypes.

Background The initial COVID-19 pandemic shutdown led to the canceling of elective surgeries throughout most of the USA and Canada. Objective This survey was carried out on behalf of the Parkinson Study Group (PSG) to understand the impact of the shutdown on deep brain stimulation (DBS) practices in North America. Methods A survey was distributed through RedCap® to the members of the PSG Functional Neurosurgical Working Group. Only one member from each site was asked to respond to the survey. Responses were collected from May 15 to June 6, 2020. Results Twenty-three sites participated; 19 (83%) sites were from the USA and 4 (17%) from Canada. Twenty-one sites were academic medical centers. COVID-19 associated DBS restrictions were in place from 4 to 16 weeks. One-third of sites halted preoperative evaluations, while two-thirds of the sites offered limited preoperative evaluations. Institutional policy was the main contributor for the reported practice changes, with 87% of the sites additionally reporting patient-driven surgical delays secondary to pandemic concerns. Pre-post DBS associated management changes affected preoperative assessments 96%; electrode placement 87%; new implantable pulse generator (IPG) placement 83%; IPG replacement 65%; immediate postoperative DBS programming 74%; and routine DBS programming 91%. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic related shutdown resulted in DBS practice changes in almost all North American sites who responded to this large survey. Information learned could inform development of future contingency plans to reduce patient delays in care under similar circumstances.

The pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA) includes the destruction of subchondral bone tissue and inflammation of the synovium. Thus, an effective disease-modifying treatment should act on both of these pathogenetic components. It is known that cSrc kinase is involved in bone and cartilage remodeling, and SYK kinase is associated with the inflammatory component. Thus the aim of this study was to characterize the mechanism of action and efficacy of a small molecule multikinase inhibitor MT-SYK-03 targeting SYK and cSrc kinases among others in different in vitro and in vivo arthritis models. The selectivity of MT-SYK-03 kinase inhibition was assayed on a panel of 341 kinases. The compound was evaluated in a set of in vitro models of OA and in vivo OA and RA models: surgically-induced arthritis (SIA), monosodium iodoacetate-induced arthritis (MIA), collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA). MT-SYK-03 inhibited cSrc and SYK with IC50 of 14.2 and 23 nM respectively. Only five kinases were inhibited > 90% at 500 nM of MT-SYK-03. In in vitro OA models MT-SYK-03 reduced hypertrophic changes of chondrocytes, bone resorption, and inhibited SYK-mediated inflammatory signaling. MT-SYK-03 showed preferential distribution to joint and bone tissue (in rats) and revealed disease-modifying activity in vivo by halving the depth of cartilage erosion in rat SIA model, and increasing the pain threshold in rat MIA model. Chondroprotective and antiresorptive effects were shown in a monotherapy regime and in combination with methotrexate (MTX) in murine and rat CIA models; an immune-mediated inflammation in rat AIA model was decreased. The obtained preclinical data support inhibition of cSrc and SYK as a viable strategy for disease-modifying treatment of OA. A Phase 2 clinical study of MT-SYK-03 is to be started.

This study aimed to analyze changes in the plasma concentration of EGFR-mutated DNA occurring immediately after the start of therapy with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The study included 30 patients with EGFR mutation-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Serial plasma samples were collected before intake of the first tablet and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours after the start of the therapy. EGFR-mutated plasma DNA (EGFR+ ctDNA) was detectable at diagnosis in 25 out of 30 study participants. There were different patterns of changes of the amount of circulating tumor DNA, i.e., the consistent decline of ctDNA content, or continuing increase of the number of circulating EGFR mutant copies, or alternating spikes and drops in the ctDNA concentration. Correlation with the disease outcome was observed only for the measurement performed at 48 hours. Twelve (50%) out of 24 informative patients showed >25% reduction of the ctDNA content at 48 h time point; all these patients demonstrated disease control after 4 and 8-12 weeks of therapy. The remaining 12 individuals showed either stable content of circulating EGFR+ DNA (n = 5) or the elevation of ctDNA concentration (n = 7). 10 of 12 patients with elevated or stable ctDNA level achieved an objective response at 4 weeks, but only 5 of 10 evaluable patients still demonstrated disease control at 8-12 weeks (p = 0.014, when compared to the group with ctDNA decrease). The decline of the amount of circulating EGFR mutant copies also correlated with longer progression-free survival (PFS; 14.7 months vs. 8.5 months, p = 0.013). Conclusion: Monitoring of plasma EGFR-M+ concentration within the first hours of the TKI therapy may be used as an immediate predictor of tumor response to the treatment.

The work is devoted to the organization of postcovid rehabilitation by developing a strategy of adative phage therapy, which is the production and application of a complex of bacteriophages for a specific medical institution/department based on an up-to-date collection of hospital bacterial strains isolated from the biomaterial of patients of the same institution. Bacteriophages were actively used in the world in the 2040s of the twentieth century in various fields of medicine, but the rapid discovery of antibiotics and the lack of understanding of bacteriophage biology limited their use. The use of complex preparations of bacteriophages from the collection pure lines of bacteriophages of the SPC "MicroMir" a set of various phages aimed at restoring the human microbiome after a covid infection allowed to sharply reduce the number of antibiotics used in intensive care units and reduce antibiotic resistance with proven safety of phage therapy.

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a potentially life-threatening condition that develops in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) at or above the T6 segment. First of all this condition is characterized by uncontrolled arterial hypertension, which can lead to catastrophic complications and even death. The trigger for the development of AD is often urological complications, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic manipulations on the lower urinary tract. It is important for urologists to be aware of the AD syndrome, clinical features of AD, acute and chronic management, as well as prevention episodes of AD in patients with neurogenic lower urinary dysfunction. AD is defined as an increase of systolic blood pressure of 20 mmHg from baseline in response to various afferent stimuli originating below the level of spinal cord injury. AD is based on exaltation of spinal reflex activity with irradiation of impulses in the spinal cord under conditions of dennervation preganglionic sympathetic neurons located above the T6 segment and hyperactivity of peripheral -adrenergic receptors. The main pathophysiological mechanism of AD is hypernoradrenalinemia, leading to vasoconstriction of the vessels of the skin, abdominal cavity, muscles below the level of neurological injury.

Despite the lack of information in the medical literature on endometrioid disease complicated by infectious and inflammatory diseases, past community-acquired pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus infection may cause purulent-septic complications of endometriosis. The effect of the virus on endometrioid cysts was hematogenous in this clinical case. The information presented in this report can help clinicians in conducting differential diagnostics in patients with a history of endometriosis and previous SARS-CoV-2, establishing a diagnosis, as well as determining the tactics of examination and treatment. © Eco-Vector, 2021

Funding Information: A.A.M. and A.G.N. thanks RFBR research project ? 20-32-90233 for support in experimental part of the work. D.V.K. thanks Russian Science Foundation grant No. 20-73-10256 for support in synthesis of aerosol SWCNT films. V.D. thanks the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 17-72-30006) for the support in characterization of pulse laser generation. Funding Information: A.A.M. and A.G.N. thanks RFBR research project № 20-32-90233 for support in experimental part of the work. D.V.K. thanks Russian Science Foundation grant No. 20-73-10256 for support in synthesis of aerosol SWCNT films. V.D. thanks the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 17-72-30006 ) for the support in characterization of pulse laser generation. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are widely explored for the ultrashort pulse generation in the fiber lasers enabled by pronounced saturable absorption (SA) effect. Despite many remarkable results demonstrated in the area, degradation of the samples inside the laser cavity limits the widespread use of SWCNT-SA. In the present work, we investigate the degradation mechanism by measuring the temperature of the carbon nanotubes in an operating laser cavity in accordance with the Raman G-band position. We identify the process behind the sample degradation by comparing the burning temperature of the sample with results of thermogravimetric analysis. We apply this approach for the SWCNTs in polyvinyl alcohol polymer matrix and polymer-free SWCNT thin film and demonstrate that these samples undergo different degradation mechanism. Proposed technique provides a useful instrument for optimization of SWCNT-SA for desired ultrafast laser generation.

The role of factors of individual differences in user activity in the Russian social network VKontakte is analyzed. At the moment, in Russian psychology, there are several directions for the study of user activity in social networks. However, none of them has considered user sex and age differences. There are also limitations due to the predominance of subjective indicators in assessing user activity. The aim of this work is to study sex and age differences through the analysis of objective data on the profiles of social network users. The paper also provides an overview of modern Russian studies on sex and age differences in user activity. Using a comparative analysis of groups and analysis of the structure of relationships between indicators of user activity, the 9699 profiles of users of the social network VKontakte at the ages from 18 to 55 were examined. As a result, multiple individual differences were found in relation to the sex and age of the users. Additionally, the structure of user activity was obtained, consisting of two components: Self-presentation and Utilitarianism. These components characterize the personal orientation in the use of the social network. Sex and age play a significant role as factors of individual differences. The most important thing has turned out to be that men are more focused on expanding the circle of acquaintances, which is an attribute of status. Women, on the contrary, are generally characterized by greater activity in the social network, a greater desire to present themselves and a greater focus on other people. Young people - aged 18-25 years - are less active users, they often use the social network as a source of video content. Users belonging to the older age groups differ slightly from one another.

Patients may have headache due to pathological issues occurring in the cervical spine and resulting in compression of the vertebral artery passing nearby. This comes along with disturbed blood supply to the brain. The aim of this study is to offer reliable grounds, and evaluate osteopathic correction when treating headache of tension (HAT) caused by a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). A comprehensive examination involved 26 patients aged 18 to 65. The study outcomes allow recommending to include soft osteopathic techniques in the set of therapeutic measures. In order to make osteopathic treatment available for patients with HAT caused by the TMJ dysfunction, computed tomography (CT) of the TMJ and cranio-cervical junction is a typical choice. Given the high efficiency of the combined work of an osteopath joining effort with an orthopedic dentist and an orthodontist who has a good command of neuromuscular correction approaches, it appears a feasible option to use such combined treatment in patients with the TMJ dysfunction-caused HAT. To improve the quality of osteopathic correction and maintain the positive outcome we recommend using a supporting teeth protector — an elastopositioning corrector or TMJ trainer. This enables to decompress the TMJ.

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a viral respiratory infection accompanied by systemic endotheliitis. COVID-19 patients usually encounter changes related to hypercoagulability, hypofibrinolysis, and increased intravascular platelet aggregation. There is also a vascular wall thromboresistance decrease and impaired vasomotor function, which significantly increase the risk of thromboembolic complications. Currently, pathogenic aspects of the relationship between COVID-19 and vascular and inflammatory conditions of the optic nerve and retina are actively investigated. One of the triggers of impaired blood flow in ocular vessels may be a perfusion pressure decrease, observed in the acute period of the infectious process. This is related to both COVID-19 clinical course features and to resuscitation specificity as well. Secondary autoimmune inflammation is being considered as a mechanism of damage to the vascular wall in the post-infectious period. In this publication, possible pathogenic links of these diseases are considered for the first time in a specific context of the example of ischemic optic neuropathy associated with coronavirus infection.

Public response to energy projects affects the emergence of new technologies and the distribution of their risks and benefits. Here we use thousands of individually authored comments submitted during a regulatory review of unconventional shale gas development in New York State to reconcile previous, inconsistent results about the relationship between proximity and opposition to energy projects. We find that members of the public opposed unconventional shale gas development for different reasons, which varied systematically with proximity to unconventional gas wells. Public discourse in proximate communities was diverse, invoking environmental, social, economic and political impacts, and was anchored by concerns specific to a particular place. By contrast, a few nationally salient environmental concerns dominated public discourse in communities farther from development. Our results demonstrate that public response reflects the mobilization of alternative constituencies with unique understandings of the issue. Distinguishing among these is critical for understanding the nature of public response. Public response to energy projects plays a critical role in the development of energy technologies. Fedor Dokshin analyses individually authored comments submitted during a regulatory review of fracking in New York to understand the diversity of public discourse and how it varies with project proximity.

A hardware and software system for point-of-care (bedside) testing of the functional state of the hemostasis system using the patient’s native blood has been developed. The block diagram of the system is presented and the main hardware and software solutions are described. A piezotransducer for low-frequency piezotromboelasto-graphy has been designed. The developed hardware and software system has been used for real-time monitoring of vascular platelet hemostasis in volunteers. The test has demonstrated a high degree of compliance with the standard methods for assessing the functional state of the hemostasis system. An advantage of the system is that it provides point-of-care testing of whole blood.

Background Remission duration and treatment response following phototherapy for psoriasis are highly variable and factors influencing these are poorly understood. Objectives Our primary outcome was to investigate whether selected clinical/serum biomarkers were associated with remission duration, and secondly with psoriasis clearance at the end of phototherapy. In addition, we looked at whether early trajectory of UVB clearance was associated with final clearance outcome. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of 100 psoriasis patients, routinely prescribed Narrowband UVB and measured selected clinical and biochemical biomarkers, including weekly PASI (psoriasis area and severity index) scores. Patients were followed up for 18 months. Results The median time to relapse was 6 months (95% CI 5-18) if PASI90 was achieved, and 4 months (95% CI 3-9) if less than PASI90 was achieved. Achieving PASI100 did not result in prolonged remission. On UVB completion, the median final PASI (n = 96) was 1.0 (IQR 0.5, 1.6) with 78 (81%) achieving PASI75 and 39 (41%) achieving PASI90. Improved PASI90 response was significantly associated with lower BMI, higher baseline PASI, non-smoking status and lower cumulative NbUVB. Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and vitamin D were not associated with clearance or remission duration. Early treatment response from weeks 2-3 was predictive of final outcome. For example, achieving PASI30 at week 3 was significantly associated with PASI90 at the end of the course [36/77 (51%) vs. 2/24 (8%), P Conclusions Raised BMI and positive smoking status predicted poorer phototherapy response. For the first time, we have shown that PASI clearance trajectory over the first 2-3 weeks of UVB, can predict psoriasis clearance. This is an important new step towards developing psoriasis personalized prescribing, which can now be formally tested in clinical trials. These simple clinical measures can be used to inform patient treatment expectations; allowing treatment modifications and/or switching to alternative therapies.

Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is characterized by an aggressive course, a high recurrence rate and fast progression. For a long time, the survival prognosis for the most patients suffering from this disease remained unfavorable. The situation changed with the appearance of chemoimmunotherapy in clinical practice. Chemotherapy based on durvalumab in comparison with the standard chemotherapy demonstrated the statistically and clinically significant increase in median overall survival in patients with previously untreated ES-SCLC in the CASPIAN international trial. This article deals with the case of the application of standard chemotherapy in combination with durvalumab as a first-line ES-SCLC therapy. The patient started receiving durvalumab therapy in June 2017 as a part of the CASPIAN international trial. In March 2021 the duration of therapy was 45 months, the patient had a complete regression of the disease.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral transboundary disease seen in small ruminants, that causes significant damage to agriculture. This disease has not been previously registered in the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK). This paper presents an assessment of the susceptibility of the RK's territory to the spread of the disease in the event of its importation from infected countries. The negative binomial regression model that was trained on the PPR outbreaks in China, was used to rank municipal districts in the RK in terms of PPR spread risk. The outbreak count per administrative district was used as a risk indicator, while a number of socio-economic, landscape, and climatic factors were considered as explanatory variables. Summary road length, altitude, the density of small ruminants, the maximum green vegetation fraction, cattle density, and the Engel coefficient were the most significant factors. The model demonstrated a good performance in training data (R2 = 0.69), and was transferred to the RK, suggesting a significantly lower susceptibility of this country to the spread of PPR. Hot spot analysis identified three clusters of districts at the highest risk, located in the western, eastern, and southern parts of Kazakhstan. As part of the study, a countrywide survey was conducted to collect data on the distribution of livestock populations, which resulted in the compilation of a complete geo-database of small ruminant holdings in the RK. The research results may be used to formulate a national strategy for preventing the importation and spread of PPR in Kazakhstan through targeted monitoring in high-risk areas.

Key message We present a comprehensive survey of cytogenetic and genomic diversity of the GGAtAt genepool of wheat, thereby unlocking these plant genetic resources for wheat improvement. Abstract Wheat yields are stagnating around the world and new sources of genes for resistance or tolerances to abiotic traits are required. In this context, the tetraploid wheat wild relatives are among the key candidates for wheat improvement. Despite its potential huge value for wheat breeding, the tetraploid GGAtAt genepool is largely neglected. Understanding the population structure, native distribution range, intraspecific variation of the entire tetraploid GGAtAt genepool and its domestication history would further its use for wheat improvement. The paper provides the first comprehensive survey of genomic and cytogenetic diversity sampling the full breadth and depth of the tetraploid GGAtAt genepool. According to the results obtained, the extant GGAtAt genepool consists of three distinct lineages. We provide detailed insights into the cytogenetic composition of GGAtAt wheats, revealed group- and population-specific markers and show that chromosomal rearrangements play an important role in intraspecific diversity of T. araraticum. The origin and domestication history of the GGAtAt lineages is discussed in the context of state-of-the-art archaeobotanical finds. We shed new light on the complex evolutionary history of the GGAtAt wheat genepool and provide the basis for an increased use of the GGAtAt wheat genepool for wheat improvement. The findings have implications for our understanding of the origins of agriculture in southwest Asia.

Since the very beginning of its proliferation, the Homeric epic has been subject to various ways of interpretation and modes of understanding. Particular attention has been paid to those passages from Homeric poems in which the gods commit obscene, absurd, or comical actions. In the opinion of critics of Iliad and Odyssey, such myths were not worthy of the appropriate faith in the Greek gods. Therefore, my article focuses on the third, “comical” group of these Homeric grey areas, and deals with the following questions: how and why did Homer’s comical passages move from a discourse of the ridiculous and the funny to a discourse of the serious by means of philosophical interpretation over the centuries? I will try to uncover the general principles and conditions of that hermeneutical mechanism which made it possible to translate Homer’s comical plots from the language of Olympic “domestic” nonsense into the language of the most important physical, ethical, and metaphysical truths. To achieve this task, my article will conditionally distinguish two ways of transition from the comical to the serious: the first, which was carried out in ancient allegorism, was to directly produce a translation, and to declare that the “superficial” meaning of the myth is false, and its deep level is true. The second way – ancient symbolism – was to turn the comical into the serious through the immediate translation of comical myths into the religious discourse of the sacred, which did not imply a stark contrast between the comical and the serious but, on the contrary, harmonized them.

Introduction: Common purulent peritonitis is one of the most formidable complications in abdominal surgery. Evidence of this is the continuing high mortality rate, which according to various authors, ranges from 11% to 83%. According to modern concepts, the leading role in the development and progression of widespread purulent peritonitis is assigned to enteric insufficiency syndrome (EIS), which occurs in 90-100% of cases. Aim: The aim of the study was to improve the treatment outcomes of patients with peritonitis complicated by the development of enteric insufficiency syndrome and also by developing and introducing into clinical practice a complex of therapeutic measures, including the combined use of enterosorption in combination with antioxidant and antihypoxant therapy. Materials and Methods: The evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed complex therapeutic measures was carried out on the basis of a prospective examination of 83 patients (26 men and 57 women) aged 24 to 76 years with diffuse peritonitis with III-IV degree of operational risk for ASA. The comparison group included 37 healthy people aged from 20 to 54 years. : All examined patients were divided into two clinical groups. The first clinical group consisted of 67 patients with EI of the first degree and second clinical group comprising 16 patients with II degree EI. Before the operation, a suspension of enterosorbent was preliminarily prepared. Suspension of DS was injected through the inserted probe using a Janet syringe, creating an exposure for 10-15 minutes; and then restored the free outflow of the contents of the probe. After completion of the surgical intervention, in the conditions of the intensive care unit, enterosorption continued to perform every 8 hours (3 times a day). The study was carried out before the operation and in the terms of the 1-3rd and 10-14th days in the postoperative period. Anti-endotoxin antibodies of classes A, M and G (respectively anti-LPS-IgA, anti-LPS-IgM, anti-LPS-IgG) were determined by ELISA. Results: When used in the postoperative period for the treatment of enteric insufficiency with detoxification and antihypoxic therapy according to the developed method, a favorable effect is noted, which is confirmed by an assessment of the state of antiendotoxin immunity associated with the development of bacterial translocation and enterogenic toxemia. Conclusion: The use of the proposed intestinal therapy in combination with antioxidant and antihypoxic therapy helps to prevent the progression of endogenous intoxication, through inactivation and effective clearance of toxic metabolites, reducing the effects of hypoxia, which leads to a significant decrease in membrane-destabilizing effects from the intestinal cell structures and leads to a significant decrease in the expressed specific antigen of the immune system and better clinical outcomes.

There is a growing need for valid tools for assessing skills and certifying qualifications in the context of increasing labour migration and mobility. Due to the growing internationalization of business activities, companies are interested in standardized skills assessments that ensure valid and comparable ratings of job applicants and employees. At the same time, assessment of professional or vocational skills, which are highly domain-specific and numerous, remains challenging, especially in terms of comparability. Therefore, objective skills assessment tops the list of challenges faced by national VET systems. This paper presents an overview of practices and tools for assessing vocational skills and VET learning outcomes, and covers the following issues: a) current practices and challenges in measuring vocational skills and learning outcomes in VET; b) initiatives for internationally comparable assessment of vocational skills, including PISA-VET and WorldSkills competitions; c) national initiatives for assessment of VET learning outcomes in the cases of Germany and Russia; d) labor market- and industry-driven initiatives in skills assessment for job seekers and qualification assurance. This paper contributes to the literature on skills assessment by providing a more comprehensive picture of approaches to skills assessments, including well-established ones and emerging initiatives outside the field of measuring learning outcomes in education.

Objective Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG), despite its established usefulness, has not been thoroughly evaluated for its adverse events profile. In this study, hemorrhage rates were evaluated both per patient and per lead placed not only in the immediate postoperative period, but also over the course of admission and after explantation when available. Methods This is a single-center retrospective study of pediatric and adult patients undergoing sEEG lead placement at a large urban hospital. All available postoperative imaging was reviewed for the presence of hemorrhage, including any imaging occurring throughout admission as well as within 1 month of lead explantation. Age and number of leads placed per procedure were compared using an unpaired t test assuming unequal variance. Results A total of 1855 leads were placed in 147 cases. The mean age was 30.4 ±15.0 and the male/female ratio was 47:53. 9 leads (0.49%) in 9 cases (6.12%) were involved with postimplantation hemorrhage occurring on postoperative day 0.44 on average. Postexplantation imaging was available for 45 cases. Seven leads (1.40%) in 7 cases (15.56%) were involved with postexplantation hemorrhage occurring on average on postoperative day 1.42. There was a significant difference in mean age between patients with postexplantation hemorrhage versus control (45.0 vs. 32.2; P = 0.0277). No cases of hemorrhage required surgical intervention and no patients had permanent neurologic deficit. Conclusions Hemorrhage after sEEG lead implantation and explantation may be more common than previously reported. Consistent postexplantation imaging may be of clinical benefit in detecting hemorrhage that precludes patients from immediate discharge, particularly in older patients.

Multiple sclerosis is a complex, autoimmune-mediated disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal/neuronal damage. The approval of various disease-modifying therapies and our increased understanding of disease mechanisms and evolution in recent years have significantly changed the prognosis and course of the disease. This update of the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Consensus Group treatment recommendation focuses on the most important recommendations for disease-modifying therapies of multiple sclerosis in 2021. Our recommendations are based on current scientific evidence and apply to those medications approved in wide parts of Europe, particularly German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).Die Multiple Sklerose ist eine komplexe, autoimmun vermittelte Erkrankung des zentralen Nervensystems, charakterisiert durch inflammatorische Demyelinisierung sowie axonalen/neuronalen Schaden. Die Zulassung verschiedener verlaufsmodifizierender Therapien und unser verbessertes Verständnis der Krankheitsmechanismen und -entwicklung in den letzten Jahren haben die Prognose und den Verlauf der Erkrankung deutlich verändert. Diese Aktualisierung der Behandlungsempfehlung der Multiple Sklerose Therapie Konsensus Gruppe konzentriert sich auf die wichtigsten Empfehlungen für verlaufsmodifizierende Therapien der Multiplen Sklerose im Jahr 2021. Unsere Empfehlungen basieren auf aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen und gelten für diejenigen Medikamente, die in weiten Teilen Europas, insbesondere in den deutschsprachigen Ländern (Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz), zugelassen sind.

Background The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in pressure over time under three different compression bandages and compare the temporal patterns of pressure changes among them. Methods The 4-hour changes in interface pressure were investigated in 10 volunteers with no venous disease or leg swelling. In 20 patients with venous ulcers, the change in interface pressure was measured after 4 hours, 1 day, and 7 days of bandage wearing. The three bandages tested were the Smart Sleeve compression system (SSB; Carolon, Rural Hall, NC), Coban 2 (C2; 3M, St Paul, Minn), and Profore Lite (PL; Smith & Nephew, London, United Kingdom). Pressure measurements were performed using the PicoPress transducer (Microlab, Padua, Italy) and the Juzo Pressure Monitor (Juzo, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio). Results In the 10 volunteers, the mean pressure loss during the first 4 hours under the SSB, C2, and PL were 4.5, 3.7, and 6.6 mm Hg, respectively. No significant differences were seen in the pressure loss among the three bandages, whether in the supine (P = .59) or standing (P = .47) position. In the 20 patients with venous ulcers, the pressure had decreased gradually over 7 days under the C2 bandages. For the SSB and PL bandages, however, the interface pressure was relatively stable during the first day but decreased significantly afterward. The mean pressure loss during the 7 days was 4.7, 7.7, and 8.6 mm Hg for the SSB, PL, and C2, respectively (P = .017). Only the SSB maintained a desirable mean pressure >30.0 mm Hg on the seventh day in the patients with venous ulcers. Conclusions The interface pressure had decreased over time under all three studied bandages. However, the temporal pattern of the pressure changes varied among the different bandages. Therefore, monitoring the interface pressure, allowing for adjustment or changes of the bandage at an accurate point, is essential to maintain a desirable interface pressure during compression therapy.

Different schemes of parametric amplification (PA), aimed at designing a source of femtosecond near-IR (1.3 – 2.2 μm) radiation, are compared by solving a system of truncated equations describing three-wave mixing. A terawatt Ti : sapphire laser with an energy of 60 mJ and a pulse duration of 50 fs is used as a pump source for PA schemes. The dependences of the output energies, pulse durations, and spectral widths of signal and idler waves on the BBO crystal length for two types of phase matching and on the group-delay dispersions for the pump and signal waves is investigated. It is shown that in the case of direct PA, using a type-II phase-matching BBO crystal of optimal length, one can obtain signal (1.333 μm) and idler (2 μm) waves with pulse durations of 34 and 32 fs, respectively, with a total energy conversion efficiency up to 40 %. The application of double chirping scheme increases the total conversion efficiency to 60 %; however, the spectral width of generated pulses decreases. The spectral width can only be increased by reducing the conversion efficiency. In this case, a more simple and compact solution is the scheme of direct PA with a transform-limited pump pulse.

The 2019 Coronavirus disease outbreak leads to negative psychological outcomes not only for healthcare workers and patients, but also for the general public. S. Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources theory is one of the most applicable models for conceptualizing and evaluating natural and social catastrophes and their impact. A web-based screening has been conducted at the end of May, 2020. A representation of resource loss, threat of loss, gain, and value data was collected three months after first patient and restrictions. After meeting an inclusion criterion, data of 1100 respondents have been selected for the analysis. Basing on literature review, four comparison groups were formed: COVID-19 patients (N=65); single male respondents aged from 18 to 34 with low financial income (N=42); female respondents aged from 18 to 34 with low financial income who share living space with more than two persons (N=32); a “resourceful” group of male participants aged from 35 to 54 with high income and ongoing relationships (N=54). Descriptive statistics and Cohen’s d criteria are applied. Measures: social-demographic questionnaire and modified COR-E questionnaire. Resource change due to the pandemic circumstances in general population appears to be modest. Threat of resource loss is higher than real resource loss. The COVID-19 situation mostly impacted following resources: Financial Stability, Feeling of Safety, Sense of Control in Life, Sense of Independence, Intimates’ Health, and Work Stability. Comparison groups show significant differences in resource change constellations consistent with similar data from other countries.

This article considers the problem of finding text documents similar in meaning in the corpus. We investigate a problem arising when developing applied intelligent information systems that is non-detection of a part of solutions by the TF-IDF algorithm: one can lose some document pairs that are similar according to human assessment, but receive a low similarity assessment from the program. A modification of the algorithm, with the replacement of the complete vocabulary with a vocabulary of specific terms is proposed. The addition of thesauri when building a corpus vector model based on a ranking function has not been previously investigated; the use of thesauri has so far been studied only to improve topic models. The purpose of this work is to improve the quality of the solution by minimizing the loss of its significant part and not adding “false similar” pairs of documents. The improvement is provided by the use of a vocabulary of specific terms extracted from the text of the analyzed documents when calculating the TF-IDF values for corpus vector representation. The experiment was carried out on two corpora of structured normative and technical documents united by a subject: state standards related to information technology and to the field of railways. The glossary of specific terms was compiled by automatic analysis of the text of the documents under consideration, and rule-based NER methods were used. It was demonstrated that the calculation of TF-IDF based on the terminology vocabulary gives more relevant results for the problem under study, which confirmed the hypothesis put forward. The proposed method is less dependent on the shortcomings of the text layer (such as recognition errors) than the calculation of the documents’ proximity using the complete vocabulary of the corpus. We determined the factors that can affect the quality of the decision: the way of compiling a terminology vocabulary, the choice of the range of n-grams for the vocabulary, the correctness of the wording of specific terms and the validity of their inclusion in the glossary of the document. The findings can be used to solve applied problems related to the search for documents that are close in meaning, such as semantic search, taking into account the subject area, corporate search in multi-user mode, detection of hidden plagiarism, identification of contradictions in a collection of documents, determination of novelty in documents when building a knowledge base.

The paper discusses the main components of the modern system of risk management in medicine. Using the ISO 31000 standard of risk management and the ARIS integrated modeling environment, the authors have built a model of the risk management process in a medical organization, including the accounting subsystem, the risk analysis subsystem, and the risk processing subsystem. The concept of risk management proposed in the article is formulated on the basis of a system safety model, which assumes that adverse events related to the provision of medical care are based on systemic causes that under certain conditions turn into a hazard, and the latter is used to receive active threats and incidents. The risk management system is an executive block of the safety management system in a medical organization, which includes (in addition to risk management) an ideological block (a new safety culture) and an educational block (an organizational learning subsystem).

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: Veseátültetést követően a graft és a beteg túlélésére hatással lehetnek a posztoperatív intervenciót igénylő szövődmények. Fontos szempont a műtéttechnikai eredményesség monitorozása. Többek között az irodalomban számos lehetőség ismert a veseátültetés sarokpontjának számító ureteranastomosis elkészítésére is, de az éranastomosisok technikája szintén döntő lehet. Célkitűzés és módszer: Retrospektíven vizsgáltuk a 2010 és 2020 között végzett veseátültetéseket a Debreceni Egyetem Sebészeti Klinikáján. Célul tűztük ki a sebészeti szövődmények vizsgálatát, melyeket rendszereztünk, a módosított Clavien-féle beosztás alapján. A legnagyobb figyelmet az ureteranastomosisokra fordítottuk. Minden betegnél az adott kategóriában legsúlyosabb szövődményt vettük alapul a beosztáshoz. A minimális utánkövetési idő 1 év volt. Az adatokat az SPSS statisztikai program segítségével elemeztük. Eredmények: A vizsgált periódusban 406 veseátültetés történt, melyből 24,4% (n = 99) vesetranszplantáltnál alakult ki intervenciós (sebészeti, radiológiai, urológiai) szövődmény. A betegek átlagéletkora 49,5 ± 13,7 év, 60,8% férfi volt. A kumulatív mortalitás 10,1% volt. Grade 4-es szövődmény a betegek 6,9%-ánál (n = 28), Grade 3-as a 6,7%-ánál (n = 27), Grade 2-es a 3%-ánál (n = 12), Grade 1-es a 7,9%-ánál (n = 32) jelentkezett. A veseátültetés után 20,4%-ban (n = 83) alakult ki későn induló graftfunkció. Következtetés: A legenyhébb kategóriába (Grade 1.) került a legtöbb beteg, a szövődmények jelentős része sebészi, intervenciós radiológiai és urológiai közreműködéssel megoldható volt. Az ureteranastomosisok műtéti technikája és a releváns szövődmények kialakulása között nincs szignifikáns összefüggés. Megfelelő és időben alkalmazott korrekciós kezelés mellett a graft- és betegtúlélést nem rontja szignifikánsan az enyhe és középsúlyos (Grade 1–3.) szövődmények kialakulása. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(26): 1038–1051. Summary. Introduction: Complications associated with postoperative intervention may affect graft and patient survival after kidney transplantation. Monitoring the effectiveness of surgery is an important aspect. Ureter anastomosis can be the pivot of kidney transplant, the same as vascular anastomosis, so efficiency of the surgical technique is important to follow up. Objective and method: We retrospectively examined kidney transplants performed between 2010 and 2020 at the Department of Surgery of the University of Debrecen. Data were analyzed by the SPSS statistical program. We aimed to investigate surgical complications, which were systematized based on the modified Clavien classification. In one patient, the most severe complication was used as the basis for the schedule. The minimum follow-up time was 1 year. Results: 406 kidney transplants were performed in the examined period, of which 24.4% (n = 99) developed renal transplant complications (surgical, radiological, urological). The mean age of the patients was 49.5 ± 13.7 years, and 60.8% were male. The cumulative mortality was 10.1%. Grade 4 complication developed in 6.9% (n = 28) of the recipients, Grade 3 in 6.7% (n = 27), Grade 2 in 3% (n = 12), and Grade 1 in 7.9% (n = 32). 20.4% of the recipients had delayed graft function. Conclusion: The Grade 1 group had the biggest case number, so a significant part of the complications could be solved with the help of interventional radiology and urologists. There is no significant association between the surgical technique of ureteral anastomoses and the development of related complications. With appropriate therapy, graft and patient survival are not significantly impaired by the development of Grade 1–3 complications. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(26): 1038–1051.