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The purpose of the study is to justify and prove the feasibility of taking regional measures to support small and medium-sized businesses by public authorities under current conditions of foreign economic sanctions. Based on the online survey methodology by the example of Volgograd region, the following problems and risks were identified which include: problems and risks for business entities in the region under sanctions pressure; the level of awareness of small and medium-sized businesses about the measures of state support; the level of satisfaction of small and medium-sized businesses with state support measures; the effectiveness of government support measures for business in the region under sanctions pressure. The study resulted in a comprehensive analytical insight. As small and medium-sized enterprises face various problems in the current conditions of foreign economic sanctions, therefore it is necessary to improve and develop (in view of successful experience of other regions) regional measures to support small and medium-sized businesses by public authorities. Particularly, this concerns maintaining reduced tax rates and rates for microfinance programs. A set of priority areas for leveling the main reasons why entrepreneurs cannot take advantage of measures to support business by public authorities in the context of foreign economic sanctions is proposed by the authors. The scientific novelty of the article is due to the rationale for prioritizing the use of regional support measures based on the methods of economic statistics to support small and medium-sized businesses by public authorities aimed at the development of financial (material) and information resources of business entities in the current conditions of foreign economic sanctions.

Background. Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that exerts a toxic and detrimental influence on brain and other body organs. It is a risk factor for many chronic diseases such as liver dysfunctions, cancers, ulcers and gastrointestinal problems. According to the statistics released by WHO and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, a Ukrainian, over the age of 15, consumed in 2016 at average 8.6 liters of pure alcohol. It is generally acknowledged that genetics, environmental surroundings, cultural background, and other factors make the essential contribution to emergence of alcohol dependence. The combination of multiple genetic polymorphisms increases the risk for alcohol dependence. The objective of current study was to identify the associations of polymorphic variants of genes and their combinations with susceptibility to alcohol dependence in Ukrainian population. Methods. We recruited 300 volunteers resident in Ukraine (mean age 32.6±9.6 years). All individuals gave the informed consent to participate in the study and filled in the questionnaires including AUDIT-C and CAGE screening tests. We collected buccal epithelium of the volunteers, isolated and analyzed DNA for SNPs in the GABRA2 (rs279858), BDNF (rs6265), DRD2 (rs1800497), OPRM1 (rs1799971), DAT1(rs28363170) genes and ADH1B-ADH1C (rs1789891) intergenic locus. [The] Individuals with F10 diagnosis (“Alcohol abuse “) were defined as cases (54 people) and those who acquired low AUDIT-C and CAGE values were defined as controls. Additionally, AUDIT-C was used to seek the association with amount of alcohol consumed. In case of binary phenotypes, we performed data analysis via APSampler algorithm using Monte Carlo Markov Chain method and Bayesian nonparametric statistics with the aim to find out the phenotypic association with alleles, genotypes and their combinations as well as to verify the statistical significance with Fisher’s exact test. For assessment of continuous phenotypes, we constructed Multiple General Linear Regression models in R. The associations were considered significant when the p-values for them were less than 0.05 (for single associations) or less than 0.01 (for allelic ones). Results. The alleles and genotypes of the studied genes have frequencies similar to other European populations and are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The carriage of allele A at ADH1B-ADH1C locus is associated with an increased risk of alcohol abuse (р=0.03, OR [95 % CI] = 2.15 [1.04 - 4.45]). Likewise, [a] combination of allele A of ADH1B-ADH1C and allele A of GABRA2 gene (p = 0.002, OR [95 % CI] =3.41[1.56-7.44]) is associated with alcohol dependence (at higher significance). No associations with the alcohol consumption level were identified, probably as a consequence of insufficient sample size. Conclusions. We have shown an association of SNPs in ADH1B-ADH1C and GABRA2 loci with alcohol abuse in Ukrainians. The findings demonstrate polygenicity and gene-gene interactions in the alcohol dependence development. The results should be validated in a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Tobacco consumption is currently responsible for the death of about six million people across the world each year. The active substance for cigarette dependence is nicotine, a naturally occurring drug found in all forms of tobacco. Nicotine is as highly addictive as heroin and cocaine. According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2017, 20.1 % of the Ukrainian population were daily smokers. The probability of initial use of nicotine and progression toward a pathologic pattern of use are influenced by interaction of genotype, gender, age, drug availability, parenting style, socioeconomic status, etc. The relative importance of these factors varies across the lifespan and at different stages of addiction. Aim. To identify SNPs in the genes associated with cigarette smoking and the heaviness for nicotine addiction among Ukrainian population. Methods. 171 volunteers (mean age 32.6 ± 9.6 years) from Ukraine with no psychiatric diagnoses were enrolled in the study. All individuals gave the informed consent, collected buccal epithelium, filled in [the Cigarette Dependence Scale] CDS-5 questionnaire. We selected SNPs in the following genes: DNMT3B (rs910083), HTR2A (rs6313), CYP2A6 (rs4105144), COMT (rs4680), BDNF (rs6265), CHRNA5 (rs16969968), which had been implicated in nicotine dependence. Individuals with high CDS-5 score (present time or former smokers) were defined as cases and people with low values were defined as controls. CDS-5 score and its part describing heaviness of smoking based on the consumption of cigarettes per day (CPD) were used as continuous characteristics among all individuals. The carriage of individual alleles/genotypes and their combinations were compared in case/control samples using APSampler software, which is based on Bayesian MCMC method and provides validation by means of Fisher’s exact test. We have built generalized linear regression models in R to analyze continuous phenotypes. Associations were considered significant when the p-values for them were less than 0.05 (for single associations) or less than 0.01 (for allelic combinations) Results. Genotype frequencies for all studied loci in the Ukrainian population are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and correspond to frequencies in European populations. The allele HTR2AС carriage was associated with nicotine dependence (p = 0.011, OR [95 % CI] =2.28 [1.18 - 4.41]). In the generalized linear models HTR2AС allele was associated with heaviness of nicotine addiction (p= 0.046 for CPD and p=0.028 for CDS-5). Conclusion. We demonstrated the association of HTR2A rs6313 with smoking status and quantity. The obtained data indicate the relationship between serotonergic system and nicotine addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence was previously provided for sex-related differences in the human gut microbiota composition, and sex-specific discrepancy in hormonal profiles was proposed as a main determinant of these differences. On the basis of these findings, the assumption was made on the role of microbiota in the sexual dimorphism of human diseases. To date, sex differences in fecal microbiota were demonstrated primarily at lower taxonomic levels, whereas phylum-level differences between sexes were reported in few studies only. In the present population-based cross-sectional research, sex differences in the phylum-level human gut microbiota composition were identified in a large (total n = 2301) sample of relatively healthy individuals from Ukraine., Results: Relative abundances of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, as determined by qRT-PCR, were found to be significantly increased, while that of Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in females compared to males. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Females had 31 % higher odds of having F/B ratio more than 1 than males. This trend was evident in all age groups. The difference between sexes was even more pronounced in the elder individuals (50+): in this age group, female participants had 56 % higher odds of having F/B ratio > 1 than the male ones., Conclusions: In conclusion, sex-specific differences in the phylum-level intestinal microbiota composition were observed in the Ukraine population. The F/B ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Further investigation is needed to draw strong conclusions regarding the mechanistic basis for sex-specific differences in the gut microbiota composition and regarding the role of these differences in the initiation and progression of human chronic diseases.

Background: Gut microbiota plays an important role in physiological and pathological processes of the host organism, including aging. Microbiota composition was shown to vary significantly throughout the life course. Age-related changes in the composition of microbiota were reported in several human studies. In present study, age-related dynamics of phylogenetic profile of gut microbiota was investigated in 1550 healthy participants from Ukrainian population., Results: Significant changes in the microbiota composition determined by qRT-PCR at the level of major microbial phyla across age groups have been observed. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes phyla increased, while that of Bacteroidetes decreased from childhood to elderly age. Accordingly, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was shown to significantly increase until elder age. In both sexes, odds to have F/B > 1 tended to increase with age, reaching maximum values in elder age groups [OR = 2.7 (95% CI, 1.2-6.0) and OR = 3.7 (95% CI, 1.4-9.6) for female and male 60-69-year age groups, respectively, compared to same-sex reference (0-9-year) age groups]., Conclusions: In conclusion, data from our study indicate that composition of the human intestinal microbiota at the level of major microbial phyla significantly differs across age groups. In both sexes, the F/B ratio tends to increase with age from 0-9-year to 60-69-year age groups. Further studies are needed for a better understanding of mechanisms underlying age-related dynamics of human microbiota composition.

Background: Gut microbiota composition is known to depend on environmental (diet, day length, infections, xenobiotic exposure) and lifestyle (alcohol/drug intake, physical activity) factors. All these factors fluctuate seasonally, especially in areas with highly variable climatic conditions between seasons. Seasonal microbiota changes were reported in several previous studies. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether there is a seasonal variability in the gut microbiota composition in Ukrainian population. In contrast to previous studies performed on small-size samples using a longitudinal design, we used cross-sectional design with a large sample size (n = 769). Determination of microbial composition at the level of major microbial phyla was performed by qRT-PCR., Results: The relative abundance of major taxonomic groups of gut microbiota was found to be affected by month of sampling. Actinobacteria were more abundant and Bacteroidetes were less abundant in summer-derived samples compared to those obtained during other seasons, whereas Firmicutes content was seasonally independent. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was significantly higher in summer-derived samples than in winter-derived ones. Odds to have F/B > 1 were 3.3 times higher in summer samples and 1.9 times higher in autumn samples than in winter ones; neither age, nor sex were significant confounding factors., Conclusions: Seasonality of sampling could influence results of human microbiome research, thereby potentially biasing estimates. This factor must be taken into consideration in further microbiome research.

Tobacco smoking is known to be a strong risk factor for developing many diseases. The development and severity of smoking dependence results from interaction of environmental and lifestyle factors, psycho-emotional predispositions, and also from genetic susceptibility. In present study, we investigated polymorphic variants in genes contributed to nicotine dependence, as well as to increased impulsivity, known to be an important risk factor for substance use disorders, in Ukraine population. The genotype frequencies at CYP2A6 , DNMT3B , DRD2 , HTR2A , COMT , BDNF , GABRA2 , CHRNA5 , and DAT1 polymorphisms were determined in 171 Ukraine residents, and these data were compared with data for several other European populations and main ethnic groups. It has been found that genotype frequencies for all studied loci are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the Ukrainian population and correspond to the respective frequencies in European populations. These findings suggest a similar impact of these loci on nicotine dependence in Ukraine. Further studies with larger sample sizes are, however, needed to draw firm conclusions about the effect size of these polymorphisms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2019 Vitalina Bashynska et al.)

Background: Metagenomic studies confirm that obesity is associated with a composition of gut microbiota. There are some controversies, however, about the composition of gut microbial communities in obese individuals in different populations. To examine the association between body mass index and microbiota composition in Ukrainian population, fecal concentrations of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio were analyzed in 61 adult individuals., Results: The relative abundance of Actinobacteria was small (5-7%) and comparable in different BMI categories. The content of Firmicutes was gradually increased while the content of Bacteroidetes was decreased with increasing body mass index (BMI). The F/B ratio also raised with increasing BMI. In an unadjusted logistic regression model, F/B ratio was significantly associated with BMI (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1,09-1,38). This association continued to be significant after adjusting for confounders such as age, sex, tobacco smoking and physical activity (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1,11-1,60)., Conclusions: The obtained data indicate that obese persons in Ukraine adult population have a significantly higher level of Firmicutes and lower level of Bacteroidetes compared to normal-weight and lean adults.