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Background. The results of local destruction methods in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPCa) are contradictory. Radiation therapy is the most commonly used. Other methods are used much less frequently, irreversible electroporation (IRE) is one of them. Most authors indicate an acceptable level of complications and mortality, but without an improvement in long-term results. The results of two meta-analyses have been published, the authors indicate the possibility of using the IRE in selected patients. The authors also point out that minimally invasive methods of using the IRE be preferred. Some experience has been gained in the use of percutaneous access for IRE in LAPCa. Computed tomography, ultrasound guidance can be used for navigation. The level of complications can reach 50 %. Mortality with percutaneous access, as a rule, is absent or does not exceed 5 %. Long-term results are the same with the results of open IRE.Aim. To share authors experience of using percutaneous irreversible electroporation in pancreatic cancer, because there are no references to the use of percutaneous IRE in LAPCa in Russia.Materials and methods. The IRE was performed for 53-year female patient with LAPCa after successful induction therapy. A step-by-step pulse effect of electrodes installed under ultrasound control on the tumor infiltrate was carried out. Magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and other types of studies were used for diagnostic purposes.Results. The involvement of the common hepatic artery and portal vein remained after the induction therapy, which did not allow performing pancreatoduodenal resection. Ultrasonic navigation and flat-detector computed tomography allowed to install the electrodes adequatly and safely. The impact zone almost completely blocked the infiltrate zone, a more optimal location of the electrodes was limited by the wide network of venous collaterals. Magnetic resonance imaging data performed before and after the procedure showed no progression of the disease within more than three months after the procedure, including in the affected area. Tumor shrinkage was noted as a partial response.Conclusion. The first experience confirmed the safety and the absence of subsequent complications when using the percutaneous access method of IRE for LAPCa. Follow-up monitoring of the patient will allow to say more correctly about the possibility of the method to provide long-term local control.

The article proposes an original approach to the identification and risk management of the environmental management system in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 14001:2015, taking into account the specifics of the activities of industrial organizations. Algorithms for identifying and assessing environmental aspects and related environmental risks, as well as developing measures to reduce environmental risks and evaluating the effectiveness of these actions are presented. The proposed approaches and examples can be applied in various industries and may be of interest to researchers and specialists in the field of environmental management and risk management.

We present a rare clinical case of a 37-year-old man who had intrahepatic splenosis (IHS) mimics hepatocellular carcinoma on CT/MRI imaging. The patient with a history of splenectomy 14 years ago had no specific complains and the lesion was found incidentally during follow up imaging for the chronic pancreatitis. Definitive diagnosis of IHS was possible with post-operative histopathological analysis of the resected liver.

We present a rare clinical case of a 66-year-old woman who had two different synchronuos tumors of pancreas: intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and neuroendocrine cancer. The preoperative CT/MRI diagnosis was not too difficult, because of the typical presentations, but the combination of features was very unusual. A morphological examination after surgical operation followed by fine-needle biopsy confirmed the preoperative diagnosis of combined the two different tumors.

In connection with the ongoing geopolitical transformations and the increase in the importance of information technologies in world politics, there is an increase in the terminological apparatus of international and scientifi c discourse. The article analyzes such “new” concepts as: smart power, normative power, sharp power, which are a kind of hybrid of traditional concepts of “soft” and “hard” power.

Some changes and details of the last WHO liver tumors classification (2019) in comparison with the previous WHO classification (2010) are being discussed. Using different methods of investigations allow us to get better understanding of pathologic processes and their evolution. It is highly recommended to use WHO classification of tumours. 5th Edition. Digestive System Tumours. Еdited by the WHO Classification of Tumours Editorial Board. Lyon, IARC Press, 2019 in everyday clinical practice and scientific activity.

The article proposes a rationale to expand the concept of humanitarian diplomacy. Based on scientific research, the author proposes to escape from a narrow understanding of humanitarian diplomacy as providing humanitarian assistance and assistance to vulnerable groups of the population. An attempt is made to form a single umbrella concept of diplomacy, which would include all types of modern diplomacy that are aimed at protecting a person, his values of ideals.

Objective: to investigate joint damage and laboratory and instrumental features in Löfgren's syndrome (LS) in patients referred to the Rheumatology Center.Patients and methods. The five-year investigation enrolled 142 patients of both sexes (31 men and 111 women; mean age, 39.3±11.1 years) with erythema nodosum (EN) accompanied by polyarthralgias or arthritis. All the patients underwent comprehensive clinical, laboratory and instrumental examinations, including joint ultrasound and chest computed tomography.Results and discussion. Disseminated EN that was correlated with the level of CRP was detected in 96% of cases (p=0.006; r=0.38). The signs of joint damage with predominantly periarticular changes in the ankle joints were observed in 124 (87%) patients. There was a relationship of the duration of the articular syndrome to that of inflammatory changes in subcutaneous tissue and to the number of nodules (p=0.02; r=0.45). The level of CRP had a significant direct correlation with the number of nodules (p=0.008; r=0.29) and the severity of the articular syndrome (p=0.003; r=0.29). Elevated levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme were found in 97 (78%) patients. Joint damage was significantly more frequently combined with X-ray Stage I sarcoidosis (Sr) (p=0.03). The Stage II Sr showed a male preponderance (p=0.04) and a 4.8-fold increase in the merging of subcutaneous nodes into conglomerates (p=0.002).Conclusion. Joint damage may be one of the first signs of LS, which requires that physicians of various specialties should coordinate their actions to timely diagnose, assess activity, and choose an adequate therapeutic approach.

The purpose of this case report is to present a value of gadoxetic acid¬enhanced MRI in the detection of an early recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with synchronous multiple malignant tumors. The specific indications of using liver-specific contrast agents were introduced.

Isotropic melts of nine metallomesogenic complexes with a smectic-А phase have been studied by the electric birefringence method. Complexes include Dy, Tb, Gd, and Er rare-earth ions, Schiff bases as ligands, and alkyl sulfate or nitric-acid counterions. It has been shown for the first time that both the magnitude and the sign of the electro-optical effect in the isotropic phase for the studied substances are determined by the length of counterions. This means that the dielectric anisotropy of smectic lanthanide complexes can vary widely depending on counterions: it can be positive, negative, or close to zero.

A TDDFT study of energy transfer processes in luminescence composite materials based on mesogenic europium (III) complexes with substituted β-diketones and Lewis bases and some semiconducting polymers is presented. The calculated energies of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states of ligands and polymers were used to construct the energy level diagrams and indentify the main channels of intramolecular energy transfer. A system of a complex and a polymer, which is most preferable for practical application in optoelectronics, was selected. The simulated data agree well with the experiment.

A new series of neutral proto-mesogenic EuIII tris(β-diketonate) adducts with different Lewis bases has been synthesized. Only one of the complexes is liquid crystalline, displaying smectic A and nematic mesomorphism over a broad temperature range. Quantum chemistry and small-angle X-ray scattering methods have permitted to evaluate the influence of the Lewis base structure on the anisometry of EuIII adducts molecules and on their subsequent supramolecular organization. The structural features of the presented compounds allow to create vitrified optically isotropic and self-organized films with effective red luminescence. The luminescence spectra of aligned thin films of liquid crystalline EuIII complex are also described.

Colloid systems modified by luminescent ions in situ are highly attractive for the design of new molecular architectures and adaptable for monitoring and visualizing soft drug delivery systems. This paper presents original results on the characterization of the self-organization process and the structure of vesicles formed by tetraethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C12EO4) in the presence of lanthanide ions and decanol additives. Detailed characterization of surface activity, aggregation properties and microstructure of individual and mixed aggregates has been carried out based on surface tension, electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering analysis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The small-angle scattering results in combination with quantum-chemical calculations assume the multishell vesicle formation in C12EO4/C10H21OH/H2O media. In the C12EO4 solution the presence of Ln(III) ions and decanol initiate the formation of multilamellar vesicles with a size of about 100 nm. The luminescence analysis of the Eu(III) and Tb(III) complexes has shown the efficient solubilization in the C12EO4/C10H21OH/H2O vesicles, which leads to increase in the lifetime. The resulting outcome is the possibility to control micro and macro properties of a molecular organized system to give it the desired functionality.

The complexing of protonated chitosan with dodecyl sulfate ions in water solutions is studied using IR spectroscopy data and quantum-chemical calculations. It is established that the electrostatic interaction between the protonated amino groups of chitosan and dodecyl sulfate ions is apparent in the IR spectrum as a band at 833 cm−1. The need to consider the effect the solvent has on the formation of hydrogen-bound ion pairs [CTS+ ⋅ C12H25O3-] is shown via a quantum-chemical simulation of the equilibrium geometry and the energy characteristics of complexing and hydration.

Quantum cascade lasers based on semiconductor InGaAs/AlInAs and InGaAs/AlAsSb quantum wells exhibit electronic intersubband transitions within conduction bands and attract much attention due to their operation at room-temperature short wavelengths. In this work we performed a theoretical simulation of such quantum cascade lasers and studied the influence of their construction and application conditions on optical behaviour. The intersubband absorption processes in these quanta well structures were studied. Electronic properties and the conduction band edge profiles were simulated as well as the probability densities of the Wannier-Stark states were determined. The simulation results showed that with the rise of the temperature the threshold current density increases which also leads to a decrease in the optical gain. An increase of the applied electric field is accompanied by the optical gain rising and decrease of the threshold current density that results in a blue shift of laser frequency.

Paraganglioma is hormonally active tumor originating from chromaffin tissue of sympathoadrenal system that secrete large amounts of catecholamines. Paraganglioma of the urinary bladder is a rare neoplasm, constituting approximately 0.06 % of all tumors of this localization. It is believed that this disease arises from embryonic remnants of chromaffin cells in the sympathetic plexus of the detrusor. Up to 10 % of these tumors have malignant origin. Diagnosis and tactics of treatment of patients with malignant paragangliomas of the bladder presents certain difficulties. The article describes 2 clinical observations of patients with this bladder pathology.

This paper provides the results of POM, DSC and XRPD methods characterizing the liquid crystalline behaviour, thermal properties and structural parameters of lyotropic systems based on a nonionic surfactant and lanthanum nitrate (La(3+)). The systems based on tetraethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12EO4) and lanthanum nitrate have been demonstrated to form a lamellar phase. The concentration and temperature ranges of the existence of mesophases as well as thermodynamic parameters of phase transitions have been estimated. The structural parameters of the lamellar phase of the C12EO4/La(3+)/water systems have been determined using X-ray diffraction. The model of molecular packing in lamellar lanthanide-containing lyotropic mesophases was proposed for the observed patterns of structural parameters obtained at various water contents. NMR (1)H with a pulsed magnetic field gradient has been used to characterize molecular motions in the C12EO4/La(3+)/H2O systems with different water contents.

Europium(III) complexes that are the anisometric analogues of a well-known Eu(DBM)3Phen (DBM = dibenzoylmethane; Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) complex were synthesized. Quantum-chemical calculations of the excited states of new Eu(III) complexes and some conjugated polymers showed that poly(N-vinylcarbazole) provides the most efficient energy transfer in polymer films doped with synthesized Eu(III) complexes. These new composite films were prepared, and their luminescence properties were studied. The results of experimental data confirmed theoretical prediction about significant influence introduced in molecular structure long terminal alkyl chains and cyclohexane on the luminescence efficiency of “Ln(III)–polymer” composite. As the result a substantial contribution of complex anisometry to the luminescence efficiency of composite was revealed due to the increase of the complex limit concentration before self-quenching more than twofold.

Luminescent properties of liquid-crystalline tris(β-diketonate) europium(III) complexes with Lewis bases (substituted 2,2′-bipyridine and 1,10-phenantroline) are investigated. Absolute and relative quantum yields and lifetimes are determined. Absorption, excitation, and emission spectra of the complexes are investigated.

A new series of europium adducts with the general formula Eu(CPDk3-CnH2n+1)3Phen, where CPDk3-CnH2n+1 denotes β-diketones and Phen is 1,10-phenanthroline, was synthesized. The obtained mesogenic complexes were heated to the temperatures of the isotropic liquid state and then cooled. The complexes having short CH3 and C2H5 substituents crystallized upon cooling, and the complexes with longer substituents from C3H7 to C6H13 underwent a glass transition with the formation of optically transparent amorphous films. Inside the series the complexes with C7H15 and C8H17 substituents exhibited a unusual smectic C mesomorphism for lanthanidomesogens. On the basis of quantum-chemical simulations and the results of small-angle X-ray scattering the dependence between the anisotropy of Eu(III) complexes with various ligand environments and their supramolecular organization was found. The synthesized Eu(III) complexes in the solid state show intense red photoluminescence upon irradiation by ultraviolet light (λmax - 337 nm).

The paper gives information on current approaches to diagnosing and treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHC), its microscopic and macroscopic varieties. It details the specific features of images of IHC by ultrasonography, X-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including those by diffusion-weighted MRI. Dynamic intravenous contrast enhancement and analysis of tumor hemodynamic features are emphasized to play a crucial role in different examination (arterial, venous, and delayed) phases. Diffuse heterogeneous enhancement of the whole volume of the tumor in the arterial phase with pronounced peripheral and progressing centripetal enhancement in ensuing phases is considered to be the most common type of an IHC image, which can recognize with confidence this comparatively rare neoplasm.

It has been found that nitroaryl derivatives of diazahomoadamantane can be reduced selectively by hydrazine. New data are presented on the noncatalytic reduction of p-nitrophenyldiazahomoadamantane by hydrazine hydrate.

Heating 1,5-dinitro-3,7-di(tert-butyl)-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]-nonane with concentrated hydrobromic acid gives 1,5-dinitro-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane. Cyclization of the latter with various aldehydes and ketones gave a series of 2,2-disubstituted 5,7-dinitro-1,3-diazaadamantanes. The behavior of the synthesized compounds under electron impact has been studied.

The basicities of the geometrical isomers of some piperidine derivatives in 50% (by volume) aqueous methanol at 25° were studied. Compounds with an axial OH group have higher basicities than their epimers with an equatorial OH group. The observed principles can be explained either by the existence of two other effects that are responsible for the different effectiveness of transmission of the induction effect from the axial and equatorial positions or by the variable magnitude of the stereopolar effect, which changes as a result of geminal interaction of the substituents attached to C4 of the piperidine ring.

The corresponding stereoisomeric p-nitrobenzoates were obtained by reaction of the geometrical isomers of 1,3-dimethyl-, 1,2,5-trimethyl-, and 1-tert-butyl-3-methyl-4-hydroxypiperidines with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride. The stereoisomers of the corresponding benzoates were also synthesized from the geometrical isomers of 1,3-dimethyl-4-hydroxypiperidines. The primary conformations of the investigated compounds in solution were established by means of their PMR spectra.

In order to study the interrelationship between the structure, reactivity, and spectroscopic characteristics of the stereoisomeric piperidines, starting from 1-tert-butyl-3-methylpiperidin-4-one the synthesis has been performed of the geometric isomers of some 4-substituted 1-tert-butyl-3-methylpiperidin-4-ols and 4-acyloxy-1-tert-butyl-3-methylpiperidines. The spatial structures of the compounds obtained have been determined by IR and PMR spectroscopy.