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One of the important aspects of institutionalization of the religious studies in 1870– 1910s was the publishing of the fi rst handbooks on history of religion and comparative religion. The aim of the paper is to analyze methods and approaches of religious studies, as they described in these handbooks. The main characteristic of religion for the historians of religion was its universality. The most important methods, according to them, were historical approach, comparative approach, using of the notion «development». It is important, that we deal foremost with the «history of religion» in these handbooks, not with the «history of religions». Primitive religions were usually excluded from these handbooks, because they «have not history». First handbooks on history of religion often were edited in the series of theological handbooks, that’s why Christianity was described in them quite often as «higher» religion. Researches on comparative religion were based upon the history of religion. One of the main principles of comparative religion was that it should not deal with religious values, but only with a comparison of facts. The author concludes that scholars of religion nowadays should not only collect the facts, but also realize projects on the general history (theory) of religion.

The article defines the possibilities and character of complex application of essentialist and constructivist approaches in the study of socio-humanistic processes and phenomena. Modern scientific methodology should abandon the “shallow”, one-sided rational thinking, incapable of encompassing and comprehending multi-faceted, complex and ambivalent social and individual reality. The study of productivity of interrelated essentialism and constructivism methodologies in concrete scientific inquiry is one of the steps in this direction. The subgoal of this article is to broaden and refine the knowledge regarding the potential linking of essentialist and constructivist attitudes in specific scientific socio-humanistic research. The general goal and novelty of the article is the preparation of theoretical background to develop the current modern version of the multidimensional rationality concept of the human with multifaceted objectives and activity. These goals are reached by determining the productivity/unproductivity of one-sided absolutization of the above approaches in the analysis of modern socio-humanistic processes and phenomena and by clarifying their complementarity and its character. On the basis of addressing essentialist and constructivist traditions of describing Orthodoxy and Christianity at large, consideration of fundamentalism phenomenon in various denominations, comparison of essential and constructivist-mythological approaches to ethic phenomena analysis, the conclusion is made that the tradition of clear division between essentialism and constructivism is becoming irrelevant; comprehensive and therewith multi-criteria analysis of modern socio-humanistic range of problems suggests defining both its permanent essential component and its dynamic, constructing trends. These approaches should be used in their dialectic unity: inviolability of fundamental cultural values and their new “integration” in changing social life conditions every time constitute the most important condition for creative constriction and study of social reality.

The effect of nootropic drug citicoline on visual functions, perimetric indexes of static automated perimetry, morphometric characteristics of retinal tomography and life quality of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) stage I-III and normalized intraocular pressure (IOP) was studied. 40 patients aged 46-78 years old with POAG stage I-III and normalized IOP were treated with citicoline. Among them there were 24 female and 16 male. The patients were divided into 2 equal groups--experimental and control. Patients of both groups were treated with intravenous citicoline for 10 days. The dose of citicoline in experimental group was 1000 mg/day, in control--500 mg/day. After treatment in both groups visual functions, perimetric indexes of static automated perimetry, morphometric characteristics of retinal tomography and life quality showed improvement. Citicoline has significant neuroprotective effect preventing apoptosis.

The technique of penetrating deep sclerectomy with suprachoroidal explanto-drainage as well as the results of postoperative follow-up, exceeding 2 years, and of the early-described sinustrabeculectomy with regulated filtration are presented in the article. Operations were made on 59 eyes (58 patients aged 13 to 70) with the below forms of secondary glaucomas: new-vascular, postuveal, dystrophic (at retinal detachment), posttraumatic (contusion-type), phakotopic, postoperative (aphakic), and hemolytic. The below goals were set while elaborating the methods: the possibility to regulate postoperatively the intraocular pressure, elimination of the pain syndrome, the organ-preserving effect, stabilization of the clinical cause and shaping-up of reliable drainage paths. The authors registered a positive effect in 87.5% of cases.

Remote results evidence high refraction efficiency of tunnel keratoplasty, stable results being observed for up to 15 years. A total of 104 operations (58 patients) were analyzed for a period of observation of more than 10 years. The patients' ages varied from 17 to 52 years, there were 34 women and 24 men. The main advantage of interlamellar refraction meridional keratoplasty is easiness of operation. At present it is the operation of choice for dosed reduction of eye refraction aimed at correction of high myopia and astigmatism. The possibility of correcting residual myopia after keratotomy and repair of refraction abnormalities resultant from perforating keratoplasty is particularly interesting. The possibility of regulating the corrective effect in remote periods by replacing the implants also deserves attention. Hence, low traumatism, high efficiency, and stability of the refraction effect once more confirm our recommendation to use tunnel keratoplasty in clinical practice.

A new method for surgical treatment of secondary glaucoma (neovascular, postuveal, traumatic, and aphakic) is described. The aims of the new method are as follows: regulation of ophthalmic tone in the postoperative period, pain relief, organ preservation, stabilization of the process, and creation of reliable routes of intraocular fluid discharge with formation of a stable diffuse functional pad. Seven patients (8 eyes) aged 13-70 years were operated on and followed up for up to 6 months. Preliminary results are presented. Positive shifts were observed in all cases.

Results of 236 sclera-fortifying surgeries are followed up for more than 25 years. Progressive myopia stabilized in 95.8% cases after bandaging scleroplasty and in 87.03% cases after chondroplasty. Clinical refraction and posteroanterior axis of the eye did not increase after surgery; visual functions stabilized, and brightness sensitivity threshold was lowered. The technique of operation and clinical course of the postoperative period are described. Based on analysis of the clinical material, the authors propose the optimal approach to scleroplastic operations aimed at stabilization of progressive myopia.

An African student developed bilateral relapsing iridocyclitis with increased intraocular pressure. General examinations and parasitological studies revealed tropical malaria. Etiotropic and local therapy normalized intraocular pressure and improved vision acuity of both eyes. This case should be borne in mind by general practitioners as a possibility of transportation of various tropical diseases.

Problems in complex surgical treatment of myopia are discussed. Extensive clinical data and long follow-up of the patients permitted the authors to develop a well-based system of care which helps not only arrest the progress of myopia, but correct it within a rather wide range. The pathogenesis of tissue process in progressive myopia is discussed basing on the regularities revealed experimentally. The main modern operations on the cornea and sclera are described. Data on the inter-layer transplantation of the cornea, developed at the Chair of Ophthalmic Diseases of the Russian University of Peoples' Friendship are presented.

A new original method of interlamellar sectorial keratoplasty is proposed for surgical correction of astigmatism. Eleven operations were carried out in 8 patients (11 eyes) with astigmatism of 4 to 7.0 diopters. Vision acuity without correction was 0.6 to 1.0 in 5 patients (7 eyes, 63.6%). In 2 patients (2 eyes, 18.2%) vision acuity without correction was 0.3 to 0.5 diopters, and in 2 more patients (2 eyes, 18.2%) it was from 0.1 to 0.3 diopters, that is, equal to the maximal vision acuity with the optimal correction. The refraction effect stabilized in 3-4 months. The highest refraction effect attained was 7.0 diopters. The patients were followed up for 3 months to 4 years. Clinical analysis of the operations confirmed the efficacy and reliability of the method and stability of refraction. Interlamellar sectorial keratoplasty is recommended for surgical correction of astigmatism.

A case with toxocariasis of the eye is described. The diagnosis was confirmed serologically. Vision acuity improved to 100% as a result of treatment. The authors emphasize that toxocariasis should ruled out in all ocular involvements of obscure etiology.

A new method is proposed for the correction of high myopia: Interlamellar circular keratoplasty. This method has been used in 15 patients (17 eyes) aged 18 to 54 with 9 to 17 diopters myopia. Vision acuity attained was at least 0.5 in 10 (60.3%) patients; in 7 (35.2%) patients vision acuity was 0.3 without correction, that is, was equal to the maximal vision acuity with the optimal correction. The highest refraction effect was 15.0 diopters. The patients were followed up for 3 months to 16 years. The proposed method for the correction of high myopia is highly effective, simple, and is recommended for clinical practice.