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Relevance. Urogenital chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Chlamydia often presents with minimal or no symptoms. However, it can be a major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and ectopic pregnancy in women, as well as epididymitis, orchitis, and infertility in men. Aim. To study the territorial patterns of incidence of urogenital chlamydia, gonorrhea, and their associated complications in the Russian Federation in 2011 to 2019. Materials and methods. Official statistics on the incidence of urogenital chlamydia, gonorrhea, PID, female and male infertility in the Russian Federation were analyzed. Statistical analysis, graphing, table creation, data visualization, and research results analysis were conducted using Microsoft Excel 2010 and IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software. GIS mapping was performed using the GIS «Axioma». Results and discussion. From 2011 to 2019, the Russian Federation observed a decrease in the incidence of urogenital chlamydia, gonorrhea, and PID, while there was an increase in the incidence of male and female infertility. The geographical distribution remained stable, with areas characterized by consistently low and high incidence rates. A correlation was found between the incidence of urogenital chlamydia, gonorrhea, and their complications. The association between gonorrhea and PID was found to be more significant than the association between chlamydia and PID, possibly due to the higher risk of complications associated with gonorrhea. However, no correlation was found between gonorrhea and infertility, possibly because this complication manifests with a time delay and has multifactorial causes. Conclusions. Based on the presented data, it can be concluded that the incidence of urogenital chlamydia and gonorrhea affects the frequency of male and female infertility. Therefore, the implementation of screening examinations for sexually active individuals of reproductive age using appropriate laboratory diagnostic methods, along with the development of preventive measures for sexually transmitted infections, including urogenital chlamydia, is justified and should be widely practiced.

Introduction. The issue of calculation of an arched road structure made of corrugated metal on the basis of numerical modeling using the finite element method (FEM) using the actual cross-sectional parameters of metal corrugated structures (MCS) is considered. Problem Statement. In past years, for the calculations and tests of road constructions from MCS, a simple rectangular cross-section, equivalent in terms of bending stiffness to a corrugated profile, was considered. This was adopted to simplify calculations and research. Such an approach is also used in modern norms for the design of buildings with MCS. But this is not quite a correct simplification. Purpose. To show the possibility to avoid unnecessary convention and simplification of the calculation scheme and to obtain more correct and more informative results of the calculation of structures with MCS. Research methods and results. The purpose and tasks are realized by calculation-theoretical analysis and numerical modeling according to FEM using a specific example of calculating a road structure (small bridge) from the MCS.

Mechanisms of beta-endocrinocyte differentiation involving c-kit may be associated with a number of processes, including signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms. Such factors as activation of the c-kit signaling pathway, an increase or decrease in cell proliferation and survival, regulation of differentiation gene programs and stem cells are important in controlling self-preservation and regulating the cellular number and types, that are differentiated being impacted by intermittent hypoxic hypoxia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The aim of the work is to determine the dynamics of c-kit proliferative factor in beta cells under an exogenous influence (intermittent hypoxic hypoxia) and endogenous pathology (arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus). Materials and methods. The study was conducted using 15 white Wistar rats and 5 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which were divided into 4 groups of 5 animals each. Group 1 – control (intact) rats, group 2 – animals with experimental diabetes mellitus, group 3 – rats with hereditary arterial hypertension (SHR), group 4 – animals exposed to the effect of intermittent hypoxic hypoxia. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanized, organs were harvested and processed, serial histological pancreatic sections 5 µm thick were deparaffinized and retrieved. Insulin and c-kit+ beta progenitor cells were detected by the immunofluorescence method using antibodies. Immunofluorescent reactions were studied using an AxioImager-M2 fluorescence microscope. Results. The quantitative indicator of beta cells was almost 6 times decreased in rats with diabetes mellitus. Concentrations of insulin in animals of this group were increased compared to intact animals and the marker of proliferative activity was decreased without changes in the percentage of c-kit-immunopositive beta cells. The course of hereditary arterial hypertension in SHR was accompanied by an 8-fold decrease in the number of beta cells per 1 cm2, an increase in insulin in beta cells as compared to the animals of both intact and experimental diabetes groups. Regarding the c-kit expression in beta cells, it was significantly reduced only in the group of intact animals and the number of c-kit-immunopositive beta cells was almost 2.8 times decreased. In the experimental group of animals exposed to hypoxic hypoxia, the number of beta cells per measurement unit was significantly increased, the concentration of insulin in beta cells was increased as compared to the intact animals, but lower than that in rats with diabetes and hypertension. The marker of proliferative activity c-kit was decreased compared to both intact and diabetic animals. As for the number of c-kit-immunopositive beta cells, it did not differ statistically from that in intact and diabetic animals, but was higher than that in SHR. Conclusions. The development of experimental diabetes in Wistar rats and hereditary hypertension in SHR results in a significant decrease in the specific density of beta cells in the pancreas in contrast to the effect of multiple-day hypoxic training, which stimulates an increase in the density of insulin-synthesizing endocrinocytes. Experimental conditions, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and adaptation to hypoxia, are accompanied by an increase in insulin and a decrease in the c-kit expression in beta cells. However, the number of c-kit-immunopositive beta cells in the pancreatic islets significantly decreases only with the development of hereditary arterial hypertension.

Therapy of malignant tumors still represents a huge problem for healthcare, since these diseases lead to a high rate of disability and premature death of the population. The main problems of adoptive cell therapy for malignant tumors are a low rate of migration of effector lymphocytes into tumors, as well as their low activity in tumors due to suppressive tumor microenvironment. In addition, it should be noted that systemic intravenous administration of a large number of activated lymphocytes may be accompanied by a pronounced cytokine release syndrome, which leads to significant negative side effects, including high temperature, blood clotting disorders, aggression of immune cells against their own tissues, even neurotoxicity. Functional nanomaterials, such as magnetic nanoparticles with various surface modifications (PEG, PEI, DMSA, citrate, etc.) are highly promising agents for targeted delivery of different anti-tumor substances. Magnet-driven enrichment of effector anti-tumor lymphocytes in tumors would highly increase the effectiveness and enhance safety of adoptive lymphocyte therapy. However, different research groups obtained opposing data about the feasibility and efficiency of such approach. Thus, this review is focused on experimental details of the contradicting studies and aims to elucidate the possible reasons of these controversies and the best practices to efficiently target lymphocytes into tumors.

Express methods for estimating the intensity of heat treatment of milk are necessary in industry and in research work. For this reason, there are many ways to measure this parameter, which are based on different physical principles, including turbidimetric methods. The Harland & Ashworth turbidimetric method has been developed for a long time, however, due to its high reliability and ease of implementation, it is still used in practice. However, this method has a drawback: it takes a long time to perform the analysis. In this regard, the aim of the work is to develop an express method for evaluating the thermal class of milk based on the principle of measuring the concentration of soluble whey proteins. The result is achieved through the use of a turbidimetric measurement method with optimized sample preparation parameters and parameters for measuring the optical density of a suspension of protein aggregates. The method is implemented as follows. The milk sample is mixed with 0.1 N acetate buffer (pH 4.6) in a ratio that allows to obtain a concentration of soluble milk whey proteins from 0.05% to 0.1%. Recommended dilution coefficients: 1:3 for samples of ultra-pasteurized milk and pasteurized milk with high heat treatment intensity; 1:7 for samples of pasteurized milk with low heat treatment intensity and 1:14 for raw milk samples. The solution is filtered on a membrane filter with a pore size of 0.45 microns. The resulting filtrate is mixed with 24% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in a 1:1 ratio to coagulate soluble whey proteins and form protein aggregates. After holding for 5–10 minutes, the optical density of the suspension of protein aggregates is measured at a wavelength of 650 nm. The content of water-soluble whey proteins in the sample can be calculated according to the calibration curve. The developed method allows to obtain the measurement result in less time than the Harland & Ashworth turbidimetric method.

Background. Given the difficulties in identifying absences and assessing the level of consciousness in epilepsy patients, it is extremely relevant to develop digital programs for automatic registration and testing of this type of epileptic seizures and related electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns, including those based on artificial intelligence.Objective: development of an algorithm for automatic detection of absence seizures to test real time patient's consciousness level during long-term video-EEG monitoring.Material and methods. The work on creating an algorithm was carried out during joint doctor/engineer cooperation. Doctors prepared a set of labeled EEG recordings of patients with verified absence epilepsy. Two independent experts in the generated examinations database mapped typical episodes of absence seizures that allowed to develop training and testing samples for a neural network algorithm to detect EEG absence epiactivity. Next, trained neural network was incorporated into Neuron- Spectrum.NET software to compare its accuracy with similar approaches published elsewhere.Results. A neural network algorithm was developed and trained using a mapped database to detect EEG absence epiactivity. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness for the proposed method vs. other approaches showed that the former is comparable in quality, whereas in some aspects – even superior to the latter. Accuracy was assessed using a publicly available database with mapped epiactivity episodes.Conclusion. A hardware and software system for automated assessment of patient’s consciousness level during absence seizure in continuous video-EEG monitoring was proposed. Potentially, neural networks may be applied not only to assess patient’s consciousness level, but also to stop stimulation-mediated seizure onset in the future.

Rosai–Dorfman disease is the most frequent variant of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Local forms can be resected or irradiated. If the process involves multiple organs, systemic chemotherapy can cure some patients. This article includes literature review and a case report of a 34-year-old patient with multifocal, multisystemic form of Rosai–Dorfman disease with bone and pleural involvement. The diagnosis was based on histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular studies of tumor tissue. Since November 2021, 6 courses of chemotherapy with cladribine and 8 infusions of zolendronic acid were carried out with achievement of durable remission. The tolerance was acceptable.

In modern medical science great attention is paid to the clarification of the molecular mechanisms, which are the basis of adaptation to environmental factors of unusual origin and/or extraordinary strength. The aim of the study is to determine the features of a group of genes with low expression level, associated with hypoxia in the pancreas of Wistar rats under conditions of intermittent hypoxia. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on 10 white, sexually mature Wistar rats, which were divided into 2 groups (5 animals in each). Animals of group 1 were part of the control (intact) group. The animals of the 2nd group were subjected to hypoxic training according to the following scheme: for 15 days, 6 hours daily, namely on days 1–5 they simulated an ascent to a height of one to five kilometers above sea level under the conditions of a barometer, and the last 10 days 6 km above the sea level. To analyze gene expression, we used the polymerase chain reaction method with real-time reverse transcription (PCR) CFX-96 Touch™ (Bio-Rad, USA) and the RT2 Profiler™ PCR Array Rat Hypoxia Signaling Pathway kit (QIAGEN, Germany), where 84 genes were the subject of research in experimental animals. Results. According to the results of the PCR study of genes in the pancreas samples of intact animals and animals exposed to hypoxic training, it was established that out of 84 genes associated with hypoxia, a group of 5 genes with a low expression level (∆∆Ct < 30) was found. This pattern includes Bhlhe40 genes, Ctsa, Hif1a, Lox, and Slc16a3, the expression of which is statistically reduced. Thus, compared to the level of their expression in intact animals, the expression of Bhlhe40 decreased by 2.59 times, Ctsa by 6.02 times, Hif1a by 3.85 times, Lox by 3.01 times, and Slc16a3 by 2.40 times. Conclusions. Intermittent hypoxia reduces the expression of the Bhlhe40 gene by 2.59 times, which can be considered as an element of adaptation of cells to a low level of oxygen and modulation of genetic programs. The decrease in Ctsa gene expression by 6.02, Hif1a by 3.85, and Lox by 3.01 times during intermittent hypoxia demonstrates, that these effects can be used as sanogenic factors in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The 2.40-fold decreased expression level of Slc16a3 is probably an element of metabolic adaptation and adaptation of the metabolic pathway of cells to hypoxia conditions.

Many countries seek to improve their pension systems by introducing corporate and individual savings plans to address the challenges of demography, social security, and economy. However, the establishing of a long-term, reliable savings system encounters multiple impediments. The retrospective analysis of Russian pension reforms offers some recommendations on solving the typical problems faced by reformers. Thus, in 2002 the Russian pension system was implemented by a mandatory savings pillar, which 20 years later the Ministry of Finance substituted by voluntary savings. As this period appeared shorter than the average life span, this measure proved ineffective in increasing pension payouts for future retirees. The frequent regulatory changes and the shrinking workforce coverage as the state prioritized the welfare of the current pension recipients also infringed upon the interests of future retirees. Pension savings investments were further affected by the economic policy aimed at the minimal return requirements which resulted in a more conservative asset allocation strategy and inefficient active management in non-state pension funds. The study demonstrates that policy actions to overcome these impediments and to raise the replacement rates for future retirees should include (a) steady regulations within a pension savings system of no shorter than 40 years; (b) the savings pillar covering no less than 80% of the workforce; and (c) the asset allocation strategy involving a bigger share of equity, longer time horizon and clear benchmarks. These recommendations can be applied to emerging market economies concerned with improving and reforming their pension systems.

Diversity of economic activities and their diversification determine the key factors of sustainable development of the Russian regions. The relevance of this study lies in the search of connection between the present economic process and such parameters of sustainable development as social well-being, economic and environmental stability. The research is based on examination of data of the Federal State Statistics Service, its publications, and other scien tific sources. The methodology includes a comprehensive analysis of economic indicators of diversification and their correlation with the three indices described above. The presented results demonstrate a direct connection between the level of economic diversification in the regions and their sustainable development. It is shown that regions with a more varied economic structure have higher indicators in the field of social stability, economic growth, and environmental safety. The authors determine that diversification as a whole does not depend on the production orientation or the traditional industrial equipment of a region. It is identified that innovative practices may be implemented in almost all subjects in case if a number of administrative barriers will be overcome. It is revealed that the level of sustainability of regional development directly depends on the degree of diversification of economic processes.

Microproteins (MPs) are a potentially rich source of uncharacterized metabolic regulators. Here, we use ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) to curate 3,877 unannotated MP-encoding small ORFs (smORFs) in primary brown, white, and beige mouse adipocytes. Of these, we validated 85 MPs by proteomics, including 33 circulating MPs in mouse plasma. Analyses of MP-encoding mRNAs under different physiological conditions (high-fat diet) revealed that numerous MPs are regulated in adipose tissue in vivo and are co-expressed with established metabolic genes. Furthermore, Ribo-seq provided evidence for the translation of Gm8773, which encodes a secreted MP that is homologous to human and chicken FAM237B. Gm8773 is highly expressed in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, and intracerebroventricular administration of recombinant mFAM237B showed orexigenic activity in obese mice. Together, these data highlight the value of this adipocyte MP database in identifying MPs with roles in fundamental metabolic and physiological processes such as feeding.