Search

Detailed geological and petrogeochemical studies carried out using the techniques developed by the authors have made it possible to complete the picture of the formation of supracrustal complexes of the Keivy structure. The studies have shown that the metasedimentary complexes of the Chervurt and Vykhchurt suites were formed mainly due to the material of the underlying strata. In the development of the Vykhchurt Formation, starting from its upper part, the material of the domains surrounding the Keivy takes an active part. The authors have come to the conclusion that at least the middle part of the Keivy section was formed as a result of washing and redeposition of the material of the structure itself, it confirms the conclusions about the presence of redeposited weathering crusts within the Keivy. The results obtained testify to the correctness of the earlier conclusion about the formation of the Keivy structure under conditions most similar to the middle massifs, and to a certain extent explain the formation of a giant deposit of aluminum raw materials within the Keivy.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease characterized by increased dynamic muscleweakness. Patients with myasthenia gravis are united by the phenomenon of deterioration of the clinicalcondition after infection, refusal of treatment or taking certain medications, surgical intervention, exposureto heat and stress. In the context of the COVID‑19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the study ofpatients with myasthenia gravis and a new infectious disease may reveal new pathogenetic patterns andchange the therapeutic strategy. Objective — to identify clinical and paraclinical, therapeutic regularities in patients with MG and COVID‑19. Methods and subjects. From April 2021 to November 2021, the course of MG against the background ofCOVID‑19 in 11 patients was analyzed. The control group consisted of 7 patients with COVID‑19, butwithout MG. General clinical, neurological, instrumental, laboratory and statistical examination methods,scales Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA), The Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMGS), Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG‑ADL), The National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and questionnaires were used. Results. In the experimental and control groups, the level of SpO2 when breathing atmospheric air wascorrelated with the presence of bronchial asthma (BA) (r = –0.791), diabetes mellitus (DM) (r = –0.553),hypertension (r = –0.301). A positive correlation (r = 0.271) was found between the presence of MG and the level of SpO2 when breathing atmospheric air, which may be associated with the intake of pyridostigmine anda decrease in muscle mass in patients with MG. Presence of a relationship between the NEWS2 indicatorwith DM (r = 0.501), BA (r = 0.483), obesity (r = 0.376), hypertension (r = 0.352), multinodular goiter (r = 0.204), hydrothorax (r = 0.204) and MG (r = 0.120). In the myasthenia group, a relationship was established between the duration of treatment for COVID‑19 and body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.523), age (r = 0.504), pyridostigmine intake (r = –0.243) and weight (r = 0.228). NEWS2 in the experimental group was correlated with pyridostigmine intake (r = –0.386), weight (r = 0.355) and BMI (r = 0.256). Duration of treatment for COVID‑19 was associated with duration of MG (r = 0.570), obesity (r = 0.572), and BMI (r = 0.526). NEWS2 is related to the level of SpO2 when breathing atmospheric air (r = — 0.907), hemoglobin (r = –0.847) and vital capacity of the lungs (VC) (r = –0.699). Obesity (r = 0.787), anemia (r = 0.684) and BA were correlated with NEWS2. The finding of an inverse correlation between NEWS2 and pyridostigmine intake (r = –0.684) was promising. Soft palate paresis (r = –0.614), dysphagia (r = –0.614) and nasality (r = –0.545) were correlated with a decrease in VC. A correlation was found between VC and the NEWS2 (r = –0.699). The duration of COVID‑19 (r = –0.646) and patient age (r = –0.626) were correlated with VC. Conclusions. MG with the addition of COVID‑19 tends to worsen the course, progress of muscle weakness,development of respiratory failure and hypoxia. Aggravating factors are age, duration of MG, duration ofCOVID‑19, BMI, concomitant pathology (DM, hypertension, BA, obesity, anemia). Constitutional features(lower BMI and weight) may contribute to shortening the duration of treatment. Taking pyridostigmineallows to reduce not only the duration of treatment, but also the risk of worsening of the condition, whichmay be associated with the suppression of the inflammatory process when taking an anticholinesteraseagent.

The Keivy domain (the northeastern part of the Arctic zone of the Fennoscandian Shield) during the period of the maximum manifestation of the Late Archean collisional processes was overlapped by tectonic allochthons of adjacent microcontinents thrust over it, submerged relative to other blocks of the continental crust, and acquired the features of a classical middle massif. In the process of studies that allow a detailed description of the formation of the supracrustal complexes of the Keivy structure, it has been found that the formation processes of the Kola orogeny had a pronounced spatial and temporal zoning and impulsive character. The maximum degree of orogeny was experienced by the rock associations of the Murmansk domain, as a result of which terrigenous material transported from its mountain slopes prevailed in the metasedimentary complexes of the Keivy domain throughout the entire period of their formation. The substance removed from the Murmansk domain was more actively accumulated in the metasedimentary rocks of the Lebyazhinsky suite; then a regular attenuation was observed within all domains, but at the last stage of the formation of the section of the Keivy sedimentary strata, the structural-material complexes of the Murmansk domain again begin to degrade more actively. A detailed study of the compositional features of the supracrustal complexes of the Keivy structure refutes the currently emerging point of view on the coeval formation of alkaline granites and felsic metavolcanics of the Lebyazhinsky suite. It can be argued with a high degree of probability that the rocks used to draw this conclusion (for which the age of 2.678 ± 7 Ma) is not typical of the supracrustal section of the metavolcanics of the Lebyazhinsky suite and are metasomatites.

A multicomponent MoVSbNbCeOx/SiO2 oxide catalyst exhibiting high catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene is synthesized by spray drying of a suspension of aqueous solutions of the precursors and the subsequent heat treatment in He at 350 and 600°C. At a temperature of 400–450°С in a wide ethane conversion range, the catalyst exhibits a fairly high activity and ethylene selectivity. In the presence of this catalyst, the maximum ethylene yield achieves 74% (ethane conversion of 91%, ethylene selectivity of 81.5%); this value significantly exceeds the yield in the presence of Sb-containing catalysts known from the literature. The catalyst exhibits a long-term stable on-stream behavior under reaction medium conditions without any change in the phase composition and a deterioration of the catalytic characteristics. It is shown that the catalytic properties of the synthesized catalyst are comparable to the properties of MoVTeNbOx, which is one of the best catalysts for this process. However, the use of a Te-containing catalyst is limited, because tellurium exhibits a high toxicity and volatility during the synthesis and use of the catalysts. According to X-ray diffraction analysis, the main components of the catalyst are M1 and M2 phases stabilized on a SiO2 surface. The HRTEM data show that a structural feature of the catalyst is the presence of an interface formed by the coherently intergrown crystals of the M1 and M2 phases.

Geodynamic and petrogeochemical study of the Keivy domain in the Baltic Shield has shown that it was overlapped by surrounding microcontinents in the Archean. As a result, the Baltic Shield was subject to cratonization. Thus, the Keivy microcontinent can be considered as the most ancient known median massif of the continental crust. Specific features of its geodynamic evolution predetermined conditions for formation of unique in scale stratiform deposits of alumina raw materials on the surface of the microcontinent. The paper describes and justifies the mechanism of alumina formation by physical-chemical decomposition of Archean and early Proterozoic metamorphosed sedimentary complexes in the Kola region of the Baltic Shield. Besides, the study of metallogenic features of transformation processes in the Archean continental crust of the Keivy microcontinent and its rimming suggests that carbonaceous schists of the Keivy domain that formed in the sedimentary cover can be significantly rich in nanogold. It will allow considering the central part of the Kola region as a major gold-bearing province. The authors believe that the metallogenic forecast based on geodynamic reconstructions is promising for further research of early Precambrian complexes. This work continues a series of publications on structural-material study of the Keivy domain.

Acquired myasthenia gravis is a rare pathology of the spectrum of neuromuscular disorders and is characterized by the production of autoantibodies to various components of the neuromuscular synapse. The clinical picture is based on typical symptoms: dynamic ptosis, oculomotor dysfunction, diplopia, masticatory muscle weakness, pathological muscle fatigue, in case of dominance of oropharyngeal muscle weakness, patients complain of dysphagia, dysarthria, dyspnea resulting from insolvency.. This variant of the disease is the most dangerous, as it is characterized by a high risk of myasthenic crisis. In addition, the course of myasthenia gravis may be complicated by the development of comorbid pathology, which can be classified into four main groups. These include causal conditions in the development of diseases with a single mechanism of development for myasthenia gravis, such as cross‑autoimmune damage to the heart muscle. The group of complications of myasthenia includes myasthenic, cholinergic and mixed crises. Unrelated diseases are competitive, so in the elderly, myasthenia gravis is accompanied by a wide range of chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and others. The last group that should be targeted is intercurrent diseases — acute pathologies that develop against the background of myasthenia. Infectious diseases involving the most vulnerable respiratory system are potentially dangerous in the latter group. Knowledge of these potential factors of decompensation of myasthenia gravis will predict the development and timely diagnose the pathology. Timely treatment in a life‑threatening condition can be critical, since myasthenia gravis differs significantly from other diseases of the neuromuscular system in the rate of critical decompensation and the difficulty of normalizing the patient’s severe condition.

VMoNbTeO catalysts show high activity in the reactions of selective oxidation of ethane and propane. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction is used to study structural transformations of a mixed oxide with the composition (TeO)0.18(Mo0.7V0.22Nb0.08)20O56 and the structure of the active M1 phase upon heating in a hydrogen atmosphere (1% H2 in helium). It is shown that the structure of the M1 phase is destroyed in the presence of a reducing agent above 480 °C. The process is accompanied by structural distortions, diminishing of the size of crystalline blocks, elimination of tellurium (due to the reduction and sublimation), and the reduction by molybdenum and vanadium cations. As a result, VMoNb oxides with a disordered structure are formed and rapidly crystallized at T > 480 °C into the rutile-type monoclinic oxide (Mo,V,Nb)O2 with a variable composition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy data confirm heterogeneous compositions of oxides formed by the decomposition of the initial phase. The surface of the formed particles is enriched with vanadium and niobium present in the composition of the oxides with disordered structure.

The Keivy domain differs from the other structures of the Kola region by the specific composition of the metamorphic complexes, the presence of the oldest for the region alkaline granites and gabbroanorthosites associated with them as well as by the presence of unique mineral deposits. The previous studies of the Keivy structure showed that within this structure there are metasedimentary formations that differ from both Early Precambrian metasedimentary rock associations of the Kola region and Phanerozoic sedimentary complexes in the content of titanium and the ratio Al2O3/SiO2. The present study confirms the correctness of this conclusion. The authors have attempted the search of the generalized indicator (trend) describing the nature of changes in the chemical composition of rocks in the transition from Low-Ti to High-Ti varieties of rocks (with simultaneous increase in the ratio Al2O3/SiO2). To solve this problem the method of search of differences in the specified number of sets has been used with the partial order relation introduced by the researcher. The formations of the same type and age, namely metapelites of the Chervurtskaya suite of the Keivy series, have been chosen as the informational basis. Such indicator has been found. It describes the process which besides a significant titanium input was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the content of CaO and decrease in the content of Al2O3, ΣFe, and Na2O. It must be emphasized that the obtained trend is not related to the supergene processes characterized by the similar behavior of titanium with aluminum and iron which is especially clearly exhibited in the formation of crusts of weathering. The location on this generalized indicator of the points of rock compositions of all strata of the geological section of the Keivy domain taken far or close to alkaline granites corresponds to the position of less or more titaniferous rocks, thus confirming the assumption of a metasomatic alteration of the latter. The fact that all the metasedimentary Keivy formations are subjected to metasomatic alteration most probably related to the Archean complexes of alkaline granites, which is confirmed by direct geological observations of the relationships of the Lebyazhinskiye and Chervurtskiye rock complexes with alkaline granites, allows us to speak about their Archean age.

У статті досліджено психолого-педагогічні особливості формування патріотичних якостей у старших дошкільників. Виокремлено три основних складових патріотизму дошкільника – когнітивний, емоційний і діяльнісний компоненти. Обґрунтовано, що під поняттям патріотичне виховання у дошкільному навчальному закладі слід розуміти взаємодію вихователя і дітей, що спрямована на розкриття і формування в здобувачів дошкільної освіти загальнолюдських моральних якостей, залучення їх до джерел національної культури України. //In the article the psychological and pedagogical peculiarities of the formation of patriotic qualities in senior preschool children are researched. There are three main components of patriotism preschooler – cognitive, emotional and activity components. It is substantiated that under the concept of the patriotic education in a preschool educational establishment it is necessary to understand the interaction of the educator and the children, aimed at the disclosure and formation of the universal qualities of pre-schoolers in the pre-schoolers' education, their attraction to the sources of the national culture oftheUkraine.

Purpose: To evaluate germline variants in hereditary cancer susceptibility genes among unselected cancer patients undergoing tumor–germline sequencing. Experimental Design: Germline sequence data from 439 individuals undergoing tumor–germline dyad sequencing through the LCCC1108/UNCseq™ (NCT01457196) study were analyzed for genetic variants in 36 hereditary cancer susceptibility genes. These variants were analyzed as an exploratory research study to determine whether pathogenic variants exist within the germline of patients undergoing tumor–germline sequencing. Patients were unselected with respect to indicators of hereditary cancer predisposition. Results: Variants indicative of hereditary cancer predisposition were identified in 19 (4.3%) patients. For about half (10/19), these findings represent new diagnostic information with potentially important implications for the patient and their family. The others were previously identified through clinical genetic evaluation secondary to suspicion of a hereditary cancer predisposition. Genes with pathogenic variants included ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, and CHEK2. In contrast, a substantial proportion of patients (178, 40.5%) had Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS), 24 of which had VUS in genes pertinent to the presenting cancer. Another 143 had VUS in other hereditary cancer genes, and 11 had VUS in both pertinent and nonpertinent genes. Conclusions: Germline analysis in tumor–germline sequencing dyads will occasionally reveal significant germline findings that were clinically occult, which could be beneficial for patients and their families. However, given the low yield for unexpected germline variation and the large proportion of patients with VUS results, analysis and return of germline results should adhere to guidelines for secondary findings rather than diagnostic hereditary cancer testing. Clin Cancer Res; 22(16); 4087–94. ©2016 AACR. See related commentary by Mandelker, p. 3987

Changes in the crystal structure of [Co(NH3)5NO2]Br2 – including a previously unknown single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition above 6.0 GPa – were followed from ambient pressure to 6.9 GPa and discussed in relation to the structural mechanism of homogeneous linkage photoisomerisation that is accompanied by photomechanical effects in the same compound.

Background— The genetic variation underlying many heritable forms of cardiovascular disease is incompletely understood, even in patients with strong family history or early age at onset. Methods and Results— We used whole exome sequencing to detect pathogenic variants in 55 patients with suspected monogenic forms of cardiovascular disease. Diagnostic analysis of established disease genes identified pathogenic variants in 21.8% of cases and variants of uncertain significance in 34.5% of cases. Three patients harbored heterozygous nonsense or splice-site variants in the nucleoporin genes NUP37 , NUP43 , and NUP188 , which have not been implicated previously in cardiac disease. We also identified a heterozygous splice site variant in the nuclear envelope gene SYNE1 in a child with severe dilated cardiomyopathy that underwent transplant, as well as in his affected father. To confirm a cardiovascular role for these candidate genes in vivo, we used morpholinos to reduce SYNE1, NUP37, and NUP43 gene expression in zebrafish. Morphant embryos displayed cardiac abnormalities, including pericardial edema and heart failure. Furthermore, lymphoblasts from the patient carrying a SYNE1 splice-site variant displayed changes in nuclear morphology and protein localization that are consistent with disruption of the nuclear envelope. Conclusions— These data expand the repertoire of pathogenic variants associated with cardiovascular disease and validate the diagnostic and research use of whole exome sequencing. We identify NUP37 , NUP43 , and NUP188 as novel candidate genes for cardiovascular disease, and suggest that dysfunction of the nuclear envelope may be an under-recognized component of inherited cardiac disease in some cases.

Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome 5 (MIM 612073) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous pathogenic variants in the beta subunit of the succinate-CoA ligase gene located within the 13q14 band. We describe two siblings of Hispanic descent with SUCLA2-related mitochondrial depletion syndrome (encephalomyopathic form with methylmalonic aciduria); the older sibling is additionally affected with trisomy 21. SUCLA2 sequencing identified homozygous p.Arg284Cys pathogenic variants in both patients. This mutation has previously been identified in four individuals of Italian and Caucasian descent. The older sibling with concomitant disease has a more severe phenotype than what is typically described in patients with either SUCLA2-related mitochondrial depletion syndrome or Down syndrome alone. The younger sibling, who has a normal female chromosome complement, is significantly less affected compared to her brother. While the clinical and molecular findings have been reported in about 50 patients affected with a deficiency of succinate-CoA ligase caused by pathogenic variants in SUCLA2, this report describes the first known individual affected with both a mitochondrial depletion syndrome and trisomy 21.

BACKGROUND Existing anti-epileptic drugs (AED) have limited efficiency in many patients, necessitating the search for alternative approaches such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and followed by stem cell therapy to improve results of previous treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS From 2016 to 2017, a prospective study included 6 patients with a combined pathology, a median of 56 years of age, in the past TBI - 3 patients, a solitary metastatic focus in the brain (GM) - 2 patients. The indications for stereotactic intervention were both the presence of a metastatic lesion of the GM, and the bitemporal epilepsy with generalized convulsive, complex and simple partial attacks, regardless of the presence of an organic focus on CT or MRI GM. SRS was undertaken in patients undergoing a course of anticonvulsant drug therapy in combination with other types of symptomatic therapy in the absence of therapeutic effect. The frequency of generalized convulsive seizures ranged from 2–3 to 7–10 per month, complex partial from daily to 2–3 per month. SRS was performed on a stereotactic irradiation system with conical “BrainLab” collimators mounted on a linear CLINAC accelerator and allowing the session of SRS arc arches. Total dose was 12–30 Gy in isocenter, 1 fraction. After 2–3 monthes from SRS the patients received AED supplemented with single intravenous administration of undifferentiated autologous MSC (target dose of 1 × 106 cells/kg), followed by a single intrathecal injection of neurally induced autologous MSC (target dose of 0.1 × 106 cells/kg). RESULTS duration of epilepsy at the time of surgery ranged from 3 to 42 years. Cessation of attacks after 2–3 months after SRS with followed MSC therapy in 2 out of 6 patients was achieved remission (no seizures for one year and more), and 3 patients became responders to AEDs additionally, reduction of the pathological EEG pattern (disappearance of beta focusing, reduction of theta2-index to 23.6). Persistent clinical onco- and neurological remission 18 months. Reduction of the dose of enkorata-chrono - 3 patients, complete abolition of anticonvulsant therapy - 2 patients. MSC injections were well tolerated and did not cause any severe adverse effects. CONCLUSION MSC possess unique immunomodulatory properties and are a safe and promising candidate for cell therapy in AED resistant epilepsy patients in the frame of combined treatment.

As whole exome sequencing (WES) becomes more widely used in the clinical realm, a wealth of unanalyzed information will be routinely generated. Using WES read depth data to predict copy number variation (CNV) could extend the diagnostic utility of this previously underutilized data by providing clinically important information such as previously unsuspected deletions or duplications. We evaluated ExomeDepth, a free R package, in addition to an aneuploidy prediction method, to detect CNVs in WES data. First, in a blinded pilot study, five out of five genomic alterations were correctly identified from clinical samples with previously defined chromosomal gains or losses, including submicroscopic deletions, duplications, and chromosomal trisomy. We then examined CNV calls among 53 patients participating in the NCGENES research study and undergoing WES, who had existing clinical chromosomal microarray (CMA) data that could be used for validation. For unique CNVs that overlap well with WES coverage regions, sensitivity was 89% for deletions and 65% for duplications. While specificity of the algorithm calls remains a concern, this is less of an issue at high threshold filtering levels. When applied to all 672 patients from the exome sequencing study, ExomeDepth identified eleven diagnostically relevant CNVs ranging in size from a two exon deletion to whole chromosome duplications, as well as numerous other CNVs with varying clinical significance. This opportunistic analysis of WES data yields an additional 1.6% of patients in this study with pathogenic or likely pathogenic CNVs that are clinically relevant to their phenotype as well as clinically relevant secondary findings. Finally, we demonstrate the potential value of copy number analysis in cases where a single heterozygous likely or known pathogenic single nucleotide alteration is identified in a gene associated with an autosomal recessive condition.

The present study investigated occurrence of environmental estrogens (EEs) in waterways managed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (‘District’) — one of the largest and most complex water districts in the United States. The objectives of the study were: (i) to document spatial and temporal occurrence of EEs in the Chicago Area Waterways (CAWs); (ii) to determine whether water reclamation plant (WRP) effluents contribute to estrogenic pollution of the receiving streams; (iii) to determine whether the mandated water quality monitoring data could be used to predict estrogenic pollution in the receiving streams; and (iv) to determine whether snow melt, storm runoff and combined sewer overflows may also be contributors of estrogenic activity to these systems. The estrogenic potency of the waterways was assessed using a cell-based reporter gene assay. The water quality data was readily available as part of the District's regular monitoring program. Our findings indicate that EEs are commonly found in the CAWs, and that WRP effluents are one of, but not the only important contributor to estrogenic activity. Mean estrogenic activities in CAWs (11 ng estradiol equivalents (EEQs/L)) are well within the values reported for other urban areas and WRP effluents. The estrogenic activity exhibited significant seasonal variation with highest values noted during the spring and summer months. When comparing the mean estrogenic activity of general use waters, secondary contact waters and WRP effluents, we found that general use waters had significantly lower estrogenic activity (ca 5 ng EEQ/L) than the other two matrices (ca 15 and 17 ng EEQ/L respectively). Our analyses indicate that estrogenic activity of the waterways was not reliably associated with mandated water quality parameters, and that such measurements may not be useful for predicting estrogenic activity, especially so in the complex urban systems. One of the prominent findings of this study is that EEs do not follow predictable spatial patterns — many of the upstream sites in the heavily urbanized areas had levels of estrogenic activity comparable to those found in the effluents and downstream locations. Our data suggest that surface runoff and snow melt are estrogenic (0–9 ng EEQ/L), and given that their estrogenic activities are similar to those of their receiving waterways (0–7 ng EEQ/L), we conclude that these non-WRP sources are important contributors to estrogenic activity of the CAWs. Keywords: Water quality, Estrogen, Stormwater, Runoff, Effluent, Combined sewer overflow

Despite rapid technical progress and demonstrable effectiveness for some types of diagnosis and therapy, much remains to be learned about clinical genome and exome sequencing (CGES) and its role within the practice of medicine. The Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) consortium includes 18 extramural research projects, one National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) intramural project, and a coordinating center funded by the NHGRI and National Cancer Institute. The consortium is exploring analytic and clinical validity and utility, as well as the ethical, legal, and social implications of sequencing via multidisciplinary approaches; it has thus far recruited 5,577 participants across a spectrum of symptomatic and healthy children and adults by utilizing both germline and cancer sequencing. The CSER consortium is analyzing data and creating publically available procedures and tools related to participant preferences and consent, variant classification, disclosure and management of primary and secondary findings, health outcomes, and integration with electronic health records. Future research directions will refine measures of clinical utility of CGES in both germline and somatic testing, evaluate the use of CGES for screening in healthy individuals, explore the penetrance of pathogenic variants through extensive phenotyping, reduce discordances in public databases of genes and variants, examine social and ethnic disparities in the provision of genomics services, explore regulatory issues, and estimate the value and downstream costs of sequencing. The CSER consortium has established a shared community of research sites by using diverse approaches to pursue the evidence-based development of best practices in genomic medicine.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the electret effect in low-dimensional micas with different degrees of dispersion and adsorption are carried out at temperatures in the range 20–140°C. The results obtained allow the electric activity of the mica particles comprised in these systems to be determined and the efficiency of application of low-dimensional micas for fillers of composite materials to be estimated.

Thermally stimulated spectra of hydrated dispersed mica in the range of temperatures (20–140)оС are analyzed to study the electret properties of the system subject to water content. It was found that electret and relaxation parameters of the samples depend on the amount of adsorbed water. Peculiarities of the electret state of mica particles low-dimensional system and the influence of adsorbed water on charge relaxation in the system have been established. Obtained results can be applied for developing new composite materials that contain dispersed mica as a filling compound.

A new method is proposed for determining the fraction of the particles interacting with the field in multiphoton excitation of molecules. The method is based on saturation of the infrared absorption due to acceleration of the rotational relaxation by a buffer gas, and was used to measure the true excitation spectrum of the SF6 molecule in an infrared laser field. Estimates were made of the rotational and translational relaxation parameters in the SF6–N2 system.

A comparative evaluation is presented of the efficacy of complex treatment in health resort conditions of cerebral circulatory insufficiency associated with vertebrogenic cervicoalgia. Treatment included climatic factors, diet, exercises, radon baths, massage, acupuncture and supplementation of this complex by manual therapy and electric stimulation of muscles of the collar system. Inclusion of manual therapy and electric stimulation allowed to improve treatment results.

Intestinal ischaemia with ensuing gangrene has been a serious clinical problem. Delay in diagnosis has inevitably led to either massive gut resection or death. It has been shown that the bowel contains high concentrations of both organic and inorganic phosphate. With gut ischaemia, phosphate is released from the bowel and elevated concentrations may be measured in peripheral blood, peritoneal fluid and urine. Associated leucocytosis and acidosis constitute a diagnostic laboratory triad. The alteration in gut phosphate metabolism has been studied extensively in dogs and humans. Under hypoxic conditions, a time period exists before irretrievable gut necrosis ensues. During this vital interval serum phosphate is elevated. In 20 clinical cases an accurate diagnosis of bowel ischaemia was made utilizing phosphate measurements. Three cases had an early diagnosis which led to embolectomy with no loss of gut. Elevated serum phosphate is an accurate diagnostic finding in early cases of massive gut ischaemia. It is hoped that this simple test may help lower the staggering mortality and morbidity associated with massive intestinal ischaemia.