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The article presents the results of the influence of anthropogenic factors on the changes in anatomo-morphological and physiological features of the structure of pine needles (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in different habitat conditions in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region. Necrosis and desiccation of needles in places with the most intensive motor transport traffic exceeded the control variant by 30.0-72.0 %, respectively. The experimental variant showed changes in the anatomical structure of pine leaf: epidermis thickness increased (by 60%), the area of assimilation tissue decreased by 34.6%, the diameter of resin passages decreased (by 5.0%) and their number (by 60.0%), the distance between conductive bundles (by 26.7%) and their diameter (by 37.8%), compared to the control variant. Under conditions of anthropogenic load, changes in the pigment composition of pine needles were observed: the content of chlorophyll a decreased by 9.1%, chlorophyll b - increased by 29.1%, carotenoids did not change, compared to the control variant. Thus, the results obtained expand the understanding of morphology, anatomy and pigment composition of needles of common pine growing under urban conditions. Quantitative changes in these indicators depend on the growing area.

The influence of natural antioxidants from different types of vegetable raw materials on the processes of oxidative and hydrolytic spoilage of sunflower oil during storage is studied. Plant antioxidants are more environmentally friendly and safer than synthetic ones. Green tea leaves and oak bark were used as vegetable raw materials. Water-ethanol extracts from vegetable raw materials were added to oil samples in experimental concentrations. The samples were stored in the laboratory conditions at the temperature of (20±2) °C. The study was performed for 5 months. The values of the acid and peroxide numbers were determined. The most effective blend of antioxidants showed the increase in the acid number from 0.12 to 0.20 mg KOH/g (concentration of green tea extract - 0.05 %, without the addition of oak bark extract). According to the values of the peroxide number, the most effective blends of antioxidants were the experiment points with the following green tea extract:oak bark extract ratio: (0.05:0.05) %, (0.025:0.025) %,(0.025:0.05) %, (0.05:0.025) %. To determine the induction period of oil and, accordingly, its shelf life under experimental conditions, the values of the peroxide numbers were used. It is rational to use extractives from oak bark and green tea under the following conditions: the concentration of each of the antioxidant extracts in terms of dry matter - (0.025 0.04) %. The maximum induction period is 100 days. The efficiency of natural antioxidants in terms of the concentration of oak bark and green tea extracts is 0.05 and 0.025 %, respectively, was compared to the effectiveness of the corresponding concentration of one of the synthetic antioxidants - butylhydroxyanisole. When using butylhydroxyanisole, the induction period of oil was 65 days, and when using natural antioxidants - 74 days [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection and quantitative accounting of heavy metals, toxicants in urban soils are the urgent tasks required for maintenance of sanitary and hygienic specifications, conservation of valuable plants, simulation and development of environmental protection measures. Soil contamination as a function of urbanization level was determined using soil samples obtained in Vologda, Vytegra and Belozersk districts. In total, the environmental situation in Vologda Oblast is considered satisfactory and stable. Despite the industrial development, the level of environmental contamination gradually decreases. Significant impact on all environmental spheres is exerted only in the vicinity of large cities and industrial centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under greenhouse conditions the effect of silicon-containing preparation with complex action, capable of simultaneously stimulating plant ontogenesis, photosynthetic processes and increasing the productivity and quality of plants was studied. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of the silicon-containing preparation Siliplant on the productivity and quality of minitubers of early maturity potato varieties Vineta in the system of virus-free (original) potato seed production. Results demonstrated that Siliplant causes an increase in biometric and physiological parameters such as plant height (by 5.7%), the number of stems in the bush (by 30%), weight of roots (by 16.7%), leaf area (by 23.7%), net photosynthetic productivity (by 37%) compared with the control variant.Root treatments with the preparation increased the yield by 19.3 % and the multiplication factor by 20.0 % compared to the control. Also, the use of Siliplant contributed to a slight increase in quality indicators (17.7 - 2.5 %), respectively, compared to the control. Thus, the use of Siliplant in the double root treatment of potato microplants in protected soil conditions is a promising agricultural technique in the conditions of Nizhny Novgorod region, allowing to increase the productivity of photosynthesis, yields and its quality.

Philosophy performs an integrating role in multidisciplinary study of the biosphere and enables people in different fields to have certain forms of intercourse, to work out a common language comprehensible to everyone, say, in analysis of problems of population or chemical processes in the natural environment, etc. Thus, in my opinion, a philosophical round table discussion is very effective at the present propaedeutic stage of optimization of the biosphere through which we are now living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problems of the relationship between man and nature are becoming a steadily increasing portion of the questions facing modern civilization. Moreover, their character is changing significantly. Only two or three decades ago, the most acute problems were an unending list of "shortages" of one type or another, while the environment in which men lived was regarded primarily as a set of resources without which things could not be produced. Today it is the threat of excessive human influences on nature that has taken center stage. The biosphere is beginning to be perceived on the level of its capacity to assimilate what has been produced, and the growing question is how best to combine the scientific-technological creations of man with the objective processes occurring in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the circumstances of the revolution in science and technology, the problem of separating out general tendencies in the cognition of objective reality is acquiring increasing philosophical significance, and is becoming the subject of many interesting studies. In these researches, the "eternal" question of the distinctive features of philosophical knowledge has taken on a new character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To inform strategies aimed at improving blood pressure (BP) control and reducing salt intake, we assessed educational inequalities in high blood pressure (HBP) awareness, treatment and control; physician's advice on salt reduction; and salt knowledge, perceptions and consumption behaviours in Eastern Europe and Central Asia., Design: Data were collected in cross-sectional, population-based nationally representative surveys, using a multi-stage clustered sampling design. Five HBP awareness, treatment and control categories were created from measured BP and hypertension medication use. Education and other variables were self-reported. Weighted multinomial mixed-effects regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to assess differences across education categories., Settings: Nine Eastern European and Central Asian countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan)., Participants: Nationally representative samples of 30 455 adults aged 25-65 years., Results: HBP awareness, treatment and control varied substantially by education. The coverage of physician's advice on salt was less frequent among participants with lower education, and those with untreated HBP or unaware of their HBP. The education gradient was evident in salt knowledge and perceptions of salt intake but not in salt consumption behaviours. Improved salt knowledge and perceptions were more prevalent among participants who received physician's advice on salt reduction., Conclusions: There is a strong education gradient in HBP awareness, treatment and control as well as salt knowledge and perceived intake. Enhancements in public and patient knowledge and awareness of HBP and its risk factors targeting socio-economically disadvantaged groups are urgently needed to alleviate the growing HBP burden in low- and middle-income countries.

The objective of this study was to characterize fruit and vegetable consumption in 9 selected countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. We analyzed data on fruit and vegetable intake and participant sociodemographic characteristics for 30,455 adults in 9 Eastern European and Central Asian countries via standardized STEPS survey methodology. Fruit and vegetable consumption across all countries was suboptimal, with a high percentage of populations not meeting the WHO-recommended intake of at least 5 servings (400 g) per day. Strengthened implementation of evidence-based policies to increase intake of fruit and vegetables is needed to reduce the burden of and disparities in NCDs.

Objectives: As unrecorded alcohol use contributes to a substantial burden of disease, this study characterises this phenomenon in newly independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union with regard to the sources of unrecorded alcohol, and the proportion of unrecorded of total alcohol consumption. We also investigate associated sociodemographic characteristics and drinking patterns., Design: Cross-sectional data on overall and unrecorded alcohol use in the past 7 days from WHO STEPwise Approach to NCD Risk Factor Surveillance (STEPS) surveys. Descriptive statistics were calculated at the country level, hierarchical logistic and linear regression models were used to investigate sociodemographic characteristics and drinking patterns associated with using unrecorded alcohol., Setting: Nine NIS (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) in the years 2013-2017., Participants: Nationally representative samples including a total of 36 259 participants., Results: A total of 6251 participants (19.7%; 95% CI 7.9% to 31.5%) reported alcohol consumption in the past 7 days, 2185 of which (35.1%; 95% CI 8.2% to 62.0%) reported unrecorded alcohol consumption with pronounced differences between countries. The population-weighted average proportion of unrecorded consumption in nine NIS was 8.7% (95% CI 5.9% to 12.4%). The most common type of unrecorded alcohol was home-made spirits, followed by home-made beer and wine. Older (45-69 vs 25-44 years) and unemployed (vs employed) participants had higher odds of using unrecorded alcohol. More nuanced sociodemographic differences were observed for specific types of unrecorded alcohol., Conclusions: This contribution is the first to highlight both, prevalence and composition of unrecorded alcohol consumption in nine NIS. The observed proportions and sources of unrecorded alcohol are discussed in light of local challenges in policy implementation, especially in regard to the newly formed Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as some but not all NIS are in the EAEU., Competing Interests: Competing interests: IR reports grants from WHO is funded by all Governments of Member States. WHO NCD Office is funded by voluntary donation from the Government of the Russian Federation during the conduct of the study. All other authors declare no competing interests., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

This analysis of the Belarusian health system reviews the developments in organization and governance, health financing, healthcare provision, health reforms and health system performance since 2008. Despite considerable change since independence, Belarus retains a commitment to the principle of universal access to health care, provided free at the point of use through predominantly state-owned facilities, organized hierarchically on a territorial basis. Incremental change, rather than radical reform, has also been the hallmark of health-care policy, although capitation funding has been introduced in some areas and there have been consistent efforts to strengthen the role of primary care. Issues of high costs in the hospital sector and of weaknesses in public health demonstrate the necessity of moving forward with the reform programme. The focus for future reform is on strengthening preventive services and improving the quality and efficiency of specialist services. The key challenges in achieving this involve reducing excess hospital capacity, strengthening health-care management, use of evidence-based treatment and diagnostic procedures, and the development of more efficient financing mechanisms. Involving all stakeholders in the development of further reform planning and achieving consensus among them will be key to its success., (World Health Organization 2013 (acting as the host organization for, and secretariat of, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies).)

The spindle pole body (SPB) is the microtubule organizing center of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Its core includes the proteins Spc42, Spc110 (kendrin/pericentrin ortholog), calmodulin (Cmd1), Spc29, and Cnm67. Each was tagged with CFP and YFP and their proximity to each other was determined by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). FRET was measured by a new metric that accurately reflected the relative extent of energy transfer. The FRET values established the topology of the core proteins within the architecture of SPB. The N-termini of Spc42 and Spc29, and the C-termini of all the core proteins face the gap between the IL2 layer and the central plaque. Spc110 traverses the central plaque and Cnm67 spans the IL2 layer. Spc42 is a central component of the central plaque where its N-terminus is closely associated with the C-termini of Spc29, Cmd1, and Spc110. When the donor-acceptor pairs were ordered into five broad categories of increasing FRET, the ranking of the pairs specified a unique geometry for the positions of the core proteins, as shown by a mathematical proof. The geometry was integrated with prior cryoelectron tomography to create a model of the interwoven network of proteins within the central plaque. One prediction of the model, the dimerization of the calmodulin-binding domains of Spc110, was confirmed by in vitro analysis.

ECG parameters were examined in 62 families with a history of arterial hypertension. A genetical-and-dispersion analysis of ECG parameters were made. There was a high genetic determination with X-chromosomal effect, R-R interval duration, and Makruse index values. A high degree of inheritance of P-Q interval duration, left ventricular activation time and R wave height in the lead V6 was ascertained. The household more frequently displayed the early ventricular repolarization syndrome and the partial preexcitation syndrome. There was a genetic determination of these electrocardiographic phenomena. The findings provide evidence for the fact that search for genetic markers of arterial hypertension among ECG parameters seems to be promising.

Arterial pressure was studied by ++tacho-oscillography, and the central and peripheral hemodynamics were examined by tetrapolar rheography in members of 62 families with essential arterial hypertension. A geneticodispersion analysis was made of phenotypic dispersion of the parameters under study. The genetic determinant with an X-chromosome effect was established for minimal and lateral systolic pressure; that with a maternal effect for mean pressure. A high degree of the inheritance of the varieties of the central hemodynamics was discovered. Analysis of the peripheral hemodynamics points to an important role played by venoconstriction in the establishment of arterial hypertension. A high level of genetic determination with an X-chromosome effect was found for the readings of the leg rheogram (beta, alpha + alpha, alpha + beta/RR), responsible for the blood content and venous outflow. The data obtained provide evidence in favour of the prospective + search for genetic markers among the parameters of arterial pressure, the central and peripheral hemodynamics.

Genetic relationship of six blood group (A, B, C, D, E, x5), three egg (G2, G3, Ov) and one serum (Alb) protein loci and two plumage colour (I-dominant white, E-extended black) loci were investigated. 3250 gametes have been analysed for 21 loci combinations, 11 from them have never been studied on linkage. Blood group loci A, B, C, D, E, x5 segregated independently on egg protein loci G2, G3, and Ov, serum protein locus Alb and plumage colour locus E. No linkage was observed between blood group locus B and dominant white locus I. Close linkage for two egg protein loci G3 and Ov is confirmed. Independent segregation of investigated blood group, egg and serum protein loci suggests their localization on different autosomes in the chicken genome. The recent literature and the authors' data on genetic relationship between blood group, polymorphic protein loci and morphological traits are reviewed.