Search

In 2021 July, PKS 1510−089 exhibited a significant flux drop in the high-energy γ -ray (by a factor 10) and optical (by a factor 5) bands and remained in this low state throughout 2022. Similarly, the optical polarization in the source vanished, resulting in the optical spectrum being fully explained through the steady flux of the accretion disk and the broad-line region. Unlike the aforementioned bands, the very-high-energy γ -ray and X-ray fluxes did not exhibit a significant flux drop from year to year. This suggests that the steady-state very-high-energy γ -ray and X-ray fluxes originate from a different emission region than the vanished parts of the high-energy γ -ray and optical jet fluxes. The latter component has disappeared through either a swing of the jet away from the line of sight or a significant drop in the photon production efficiency of the jet close to the black hole. Either change could become visible in high-resolution radio images.

GRB 221009A is the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever detected. To probe the very-high-energy (VHE; >100 GeV) emission, the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) began observations 53 hr after the triggering event, when the brightness of the moonlight no longer precluded observations. We derive differential and integral upper limits using H.E.S.S. data from the third, fourth, and ninth nights after the initial GRB detection, after applying atmospheric corrections. The combined observations yield an integral energy flux upper limit of ${{\rm{\Phi }}}_{\mathrm{UL}}^{95 \% }=9.7\times {10}^{-12}\,\mathrm{erg}\,{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}$ above E _thr = 650 GeV. The constraints derived from the H.E.S.S. observations complement the available multiwavelength data. The radio to X-ray data are consistent with synchrotron emission from a single electron population, with the peak in the spectral energy distribution occurring above the X-ray band. Compared to the VHE-bright GRB 190829A, the upper limits for GRB 221009A imply a smaller gamma-ray to X-ray flux ratio in the afterglow. Even in the absence of a detection, the H.E.S.S. upper limits thus contribute to the multiwavelength picture of GRB 221009A, effectively ruling out an IC-dominated scenario.

We report on multiwavelength target-of-opportunity observations of the blazar PKS 0735+178, located 2.°2 away from the best-fit position of the IceCube neutrino event IceCube-211208A detected on 2021 December 8. The source was in a high-flux state in the optical, ultraviolet, X-ray, and GeV γ -ray bands around the time of the neutrino event, exhibiting daily variability in the soft X-ray flux. The X-ray data from Swift-XRT and NuSTAR characterize the transition between the low-energy and high-energy components of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED), and the γ -ray data from Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and H.E.S.S. require a spectral cutoff near 100 GeV. Both the X-ray and γ -ray measurements provide strong constraints on the leptonic and hadronic models. We analytically explore a synchrotron self-Compton model, an external Compton model, and a lepto-hadronic model. Models that are entirely based on internal photon fields face serious difficulties in matching the observed SED. The existence of an external photon field in the source would instead explain the observed γ -ray spectral cutoff in both the leptonic and lepto-hadronic models and allow a proton jet power that marginally agrees with the Eddington limit in the lepto-hadronic model. We show a numerical lepto-hadronic model with external target photons that reproduces the observed SED and is reasonably consistent with the neutrino event despite requiring a high jet power.

We report on pulse profile decomposition analysis of bright transient X-ray pulsar 1A 0535+262 using broadband Insight-HXMT observations during a giant outburst of the source in 2020. We show that the observed pulse profile shape can be described in terms of a combination of two symmetric single-pole contributions for a wide range of energies and luminosities for a fixed geometry defining the basic geometry of the pulsar. This corresponds to a slightly distorted dipole magnetic field, i.e., one pole has to be offset by ∼12° from the antipodal position of the other pole. We reconstruct the intrinsic beam patterns of the pulsar assuming that the geometry is recovered from the decomposition analysis, and we find evidence for a transition between “pencil” and “fan” beams in energy ranges above the cyclotron line energy, which can be interpreted as a transition from sub- to supercritical accretion regimes associated with the onset of an accretion column. At lower energies, however, the beam pattern appears to be more complex and contains a substantial “fan” beam and an additional “pencil” beam component at all luminosities. The latter is not related to the accretion rate and is stronger in the fading phase of the outburst. We finally discuss the results in the context of other observational and theoretical findings earlier reported for the source in the literature.

Background. The main purpose of the Her2/neu status determination in clinical practice is to determine the indications for the appointment of targeted therapy. The main methods for detecting the Her2/neu status are the immunohistochemical method (IHC) and the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); however, despite their widespread use, they have a number of significant disadvantages. Over the past few years, radionuclide diagnostics using a new class of alternative scaffold proteins that meet all the requirements for optimal delivery of radionuclides to tumor cells has become widespread.Aim. To study the possibility of clinical use of a radiopharmaceutical based on technetium-99m-labeled target molecules for the diagnosis of breast cancer with the Her2/neu overexpression in humans.Materials and methods. The study included 11 patients with breast cancer (T1–4N0–2M0) before systemic therapy: 5 with Her2/neu overexpression; expression of the marker was not detected in 6. In all cases, morphologicaland immunohistochemical studies were performed. In case of Her2/neu 2+, FISH analysis was performed. The radiopharmaceutical was prepared immediately before administration, after which it was slowly injected intravenously into the patient. Scintigraphic studies in the “WholeBody” mode and SPECT of the chest organs were performed 2, 4, 6 and 24 hours after injection.Results. Radiochemical yield, radiochemical purity and activity before administration were (80 ± 4)%, (98 ± 1)% and (434 ± 19.5) MBq, respectively. The greatest uptake by normal organs was observed at a time interval of 6 hours in the kidneys and at a moderate activity in the liver and lungs at the same time interval. The organ with the highest absorbed dose was the kidneys; significant accumulation was also detected in the adrenal glands, gallbladder, liver, pancreas and spleen. The smallest accu mulation of the studied drug was observed in the brain (0.001 ± 0.000) mGy and skin (0.001 ± 0.000) mGy. The effective dose was (0.009 ± 0.002) mGy. The difference between tumors with positive and negative Her2-neu expression was found at all time points. In this case, the best indicator was determined after 2 hours of drug injection (р < 0.05).Conclusion. Based on the results obtained, it can be indicated that the investigated radiopharmaceutical can be considered as a new additional method for the diagnosis of Her2-positive breast tumors.

The system for trading permits for greenhouse gas emissions is currently being presented as one of the most promising mechanisms for influencing climate problems. However, the regulatory function of this mechanism is not as positively unambiguous as it is represented by international organizations, and its creation, operation and distribution on a global scale are facing many obstacles. The article presents the main results of a study on the process of creating and developing a system for trading in permits for CO2 emissions, implemented in the EU for more than 15 years. In order to identify problems in the functioning of the mechanism for trade in permits for CO2 emissions, a phased analysis of development within the EU has been carried out, and the main institutional obstacles in the existing mechanism have been detected. The analysis of the features of its application is then performed, the strengths and weaknesses of the functioning are determined, and the development prospects are assessed. As a result of the study, it is concluded that, due to the presence of objective contradictions and shortcomings in the existing mechanism for trading permits for CO2 emissions, its validity in its current form does not allow one to achieve the results on reducing emissions and pollution recorded in the UN and EU planning documents on environmental regulation. The main obstacle is the inability to reach, in modern conditions, coordination of the interests of many stakeholders in reducing emissions, which provokes the effect of “carbon leakage”.

We studied the association between the presence of 2 or more stemness gene amplifications as well as copy number aberrations (CNAs) of WNT signaling genes in residual breast tumor and metastasis. WNT pathway genes associated with metastasis were identified.Material and Methods. The study included 30 patients with breast cancer, who had 2 or more stemness gene amplifications in the residual tumor after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Fifteen of the thirty patients developed hematogenous metastases; they constituted a group with metastases, the remaining 15 patients entered the second group without metastases. The tumor DNA was examined using a CytoScanHD Array microarray (Affymetrix, USA).Results. By subtracting amplification and deletion frequencies in 852 cytobands between groups with metastases and without metastases, 21 cytobands were identified with the largest difference in deletion and amplification frequencies. They contain 19/150 of WNT genes (12 activators: SKP1, WNT8A, MAPK9, CCND3, FZD9, WNT8B, CCND1, PLCB2, PRKCB, FZD2, WNT3, WNT9B and 7 negative regulators: GSK3B, APC, CSNK2B, SFRP5, BTRC, TCF7L2, CSNK2A2). A point system was developed: when amplifying WNT-signaling activators or deletion of negative regulators, one point was added to the total score, and vice versa when deleting WNT-signaling activators or amplification of negative regulators, one point was taken from the total amount. It was shown that 93% (14/15) of patients with metastases had a total score higher than 0, while 93% (14/15) of patients without metastases had a total score of zero or less than zero. The differences between the groups were statistically significant according to the two-sided Fisher test with a high level of confidence probability (p=0.000003) and the log-rank test (p=0.00004) when assessing non-metastatic survival by the Kaplan-Mayer method.Conclusion. Nineteen WNT signaling genes were identified. Copy number aberrations of these genes in combination with stemness gene amplifications in residual tumors were associated with metastasis. A new highly effective prognostic factor for breast cancer was identified.

The problems of modeling the stress-deformed state of erosion or corrosion-worn rectilinear sections and the ball-shaped bends of pipeline systems are proposed to solve in a cylindrical coordinate system. For this purpose, formulas of Christophell type II, non-zero components of the strain tensor and a system of equilibrium equations in the framework of linear torsional theory are given. The system of equilibrium equations is reduced to one equation, which is the basic equation of the Lame’s problem. Formulas for the calculation of ring stresses that occur in the wall of erosion or corrosion worn rectilinear sections, and the removal of pipelines from the action of internal pressure are derived. The influence of the change in the wall thickness of the pipeline bends in the place of their erosion or corrosion wear on the amount of ring stresses is determined.

This paper is devoted to studying the composite material of the aluminum–alumina–carbon nanofiber (CNF) system. The paper considers in detail the process of preparation of the specified composite by ball milling, as well as the process of synthesis of a solid object (coating) by the cold spray method. The synthesized objects were studied using optical and electron microscopy, and the hardness of objects of various compositions was measured. The processes of interaction of composite particles are discussed in detail. The influence of CNF on the distribution of particles in a solid object and on the hardness of objects has been considered and discussed.

Ultrasonic based inspection of thin-walled structures often requires prior knowledge of their mechanical properties. Their accurate estimation could be achieved in a non-destructive manner employing, e.g., elastic guided waves. Such procedures require efficient approaches for experimental data extraction and processing, which is still a challenging task. An advanced automated technique for material properties identification of an elastic waveguide is proposed in this investigation. It relies on the information on dispersion characteristics of guided waves, which are extracted by applying the matrix pencil method to the measurements obtained via laser Doppler vibrometry. Two objective functions have been successfully tested, and the advantages of both approaches are discussed (accuracy vs. computational costs). The numerical analysis employing the synthetic data generated via the mathematical model as well as experimental data shows that both approaches are stable and accurate. The influence of the presence of various modes in the extracted data is investigated. One can conclude that the influence of the corruptions related to the extraction of dispersion curves is not critical if the majority of guided waves propagating in the considered frequency range are presented. Possible extensions of the proposed technique for damaged and multi-layered structures are also discussed.

Concerning the construction of a solar water-thermal collector – the analysis of the applied polymeric materials has been performed in relation to manufacturing of its main parts – the heat absorber and the transparent cover. The use of polymers in the construction of the solar water-thermal collector allows one to lower the manufacturing costs, make the collector light-weight and reduce its price. An analytical review based on the domestic and foreign research and development, published in scientific journals over the past few years, which the authors hope shall be a useful reading in the design-engineering departments responsible for constructing the polymeric solar collectors is the goal of the present work, along with the comparative analysis provided further on the collectors’ efficiency for making a choice of material and the solar energy capture systems’ testing methodology. As the fundamental direction of further improvement of the polymeric solar collectors, the authors aim at: elimination of the air gap between the heat absorber and the transparent cover, leading to construction of a monoblock solar collector; optimization of the heat absorber’s and the transparent cover’s flow channels in solar water-thermal collectors, which concern their compages as well as the size and geometry of the hydraulic collector; optimization of the transparent cover’s channels size as the means of air circulation, which lowers summary heat losses in solar water-thermal collectors; studying the evenness of the heating agent’s distribution in the heat absorber’s channels out in the field, to pursue the improvements in efficiency of the solar water-thermal collectors, and to avoid the heat shock of a solar water-thermal collector’s structural elements upon uneven warming-up. In the present work the analysis has been performed on the summary heat losses (convective and radiation losses realized from the solar collector’s heated-up elements) which depend on a polymeric solar collector’s operating conditions and geometrics as well as on a solar energy capture system’s external environment; a tryout facility has been built, affording a comparative analysis of various solutions; and the main objectives of further research in the field of polymeric solar collectors, particularly, the questions on improvement of their assembly realisation, and reliability of multifunctional solar energy capture systems have been formulated.

Adjuvant hormone therapy is considered the gold standard of therapy for hormone receptor-positive operable breast cancer. The approach to adjuvant hormone therapy in premenopausal patients has changed significantly in recent years. This change was caused by clinical trials, which have confirmed the advantage of adding ovarian suppression to tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors monotherapy. Individual approach to choosing an appropriate regimen of adjuvant hormone therapy in premenopausal patients with breast cancer should be based on the assessment of risks for relapse, expected effectiveness of treatment and evaluation of drug safety.

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the relations between economic growth, living standards of the population and the impact on the environment in the EAEU countries. The data of the Eurasian economic Commission, as well as the data of the state statistics of the EAEU countries were used as an information base of the study. The article substantiates the position that economic growth can lead not only to an increase in the standard of living, but also to its relative reduction and increase in the load on the environment. According to the analysis results, all the EAEU countries are divided into three groups, characterized by the ratio of the economic growth dynamics, living standards, environmental impact and the amount of research funding in the environmental sphere. This has allowed some governments to be encouraged to increase the innovative activity of the industrial sector.

Проблематика. Погіршення екологічного стану водних ресурсів унаслідок підвищення вмісту неорганічних та органічних токсикантів зумовлює розвиток наукових досліджень у напрямі синтезу сорбційних матеріалів з покращеними сорбційною ємністю та селективністю. Одним із перспективних методів синтезу сорбентів є модифікування шаруватих силікатів, використання яких стримується важкістю їх відділення від рідкої фази. Мета дослідження. Синтез нанокомпозитів на основі монтморилоніту та силікату натрію, дослідження особливостей структуроутворення в таких системах і сорбційних властивостей одержаних гранульованих матеріалів відносно важких металів і органічних барвників. Методика реалізації. Вивчення особливостей структуроутворення вихідних систем методами реометрії та рентгенофазового аналізу. Дослідження умов синтезу нанокомпозитів, а також встановлення взаємозв’язку між складом вихідних систем і сорбційними властивостями. Результати дослідження. Досліджено особливості структуроутворення у вихідних системах вода–монтморилоніт–силікат, встановлено вплив концентрації силікату натрію на реологічні властивості дисперсій. Показано вплив складу вихідних систем на порувату структуру синтезованих матеріалів та їх сорбційні властивості при вилученні кобальту (II) і метиленового блакитного з водних розчинів. Висновки. Встановлено, що залежність граничного напруження зсуву та пластичної в’язкості системи монтморилоніт–розчин силікату натрію має екстремальний характер (екстремум за вмісту 0,1–1 % SiO2), який пов’язаний з переходом коагуляційних контактів у кристалізаційні за рахунок утворення силоксанових зв’язків. Експериментально підтверджено, що збільшення вмісту монтморилоніту в одержаних матеріалах покращує їх сорбційну ємність (до 450 мкмоль/г) до вилучення кобальту (II) та метиленового блакитного.

The basic principles of the design and schematics of alternative life support systems, whose operation is based on the implementation of the open absorption cycle with solar regeneration of the absorbent. Such systems allow to ensure the sustainability of the use, reduction of energy losses, possibility of complex life support, which includes heating, hot water supply, cooling and air conditioning for residential and industrial premises. The number of variants of such circuitry quite diverse and determined by the specific conditions of the tasks of cooling media and air-conditioning. All heat and mass transfer devices included in the system, double-circuit, providing non-contact cooling of the coolant. Applied new means to use heat and mass transfer devices with a movable nozzle, providing the ability to operate in extreme conditions (polluted environment, sharp fluctuations in loads), increasing extreme loads, high lateral uniformity (scale of problem simplification), undemanding to the quality of flow distribution.

The widespread of composite structures demands efficient numerical methods for the simulation dynamic behaviour of elastic laminates with interface delaminations with interacting faces. An advanced boundary integral equation method employing the Hankel transform of Green’s matrices is proposed for modelling wave scattering and analysis of the eigenfrequencies of interface circular partially closed delaminations between dissimilar media. A more general case of partially closed circular delamination is introduced using the spring boundary conditions with non-uniform spring stiffness distribution. The unknown crack opening displacement is expanded as Fourier series with respect to the angular coordinate and in terms of associated Legendre polynomials of the first kind via the radial coordinate. The problem is decomposed into a system of boundary integral equations and solved using the Bubnov-Galerkin method. The boundary integral equation method is compared with the meshless method and the published works for a homogeneous space with a circular open crack. The results of the numerical analysis showing the efficiency and the convergence of the method are demonstrated. The proposed method might be useful for damage identification employing the information on the eigenfrequencies estimated experimentally. Also, it can be extended for multi-layered composites with imperfect contact between sub-layers and multiple circular delaminations.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the 10-year outcomes after breast-conserving surgery with electronbeam intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) followed by external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in patients with breast cancer. Material and methods. The study included 905 patients with stage T1–2N0–1M0 breast cancer, who underwent breast-conserving surgery. Group I consisted of 746 patients who received IORT at a single dose of 10 Gy, biologically equivalent to 24.8 in standard fractionation, followed by EBRT at a total dose of 46 ± 8.1 Gy. A combined IORT and EBRT photon-equivalent dose delivered to the tumor bed was 60 Gy. Group II (control group) comprised 159 who received EBRT at a total dose of 40–44 Gy delivered to the remaining breast tissue and electron therapy delivered to the area of postoperative scar (a single 3–4 Gy fraction, 3 days per week, to the total photon-equivalent dose of 15-18 Gy). The combined photon-equivalent dose was 58 Gy. Results. According to RTOG/EORTC toxicity criteria, grade 1 radiation-induced damage was observed in 413 (55.3 %) patients of Group I and in 71 (44.6 %) patients of Group II (р=0.2); grade 2 radiation-induced damage in 76 (10.1%) and 43 (27 %) patients (p=0.0002) and grade 3 in 18 (2.4 %) and 9 (5.7 %) patients, respectively (р=0.1). Late radiation-induced injuries (grade I and 2) were mostly observed in the control group. Local recurrence was diagnosed in 11 (1.47 %) patients of Group I and in 14 (8.8 %) patients of Group II. The 10-year disease-free survival rates were 97.3 ± 1.08 % and 88.96 ± 2.8 % in Group I and Group II patients, respectively (р

In this prospective study, a new strategy for the prescription of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was prospectively tested and depended on the presence of stemness gene amplifications in the tumor before treatment, which in our early studies showed a connection with metastasis. The study included 92 patients with grade IIA–IIIB luminal B breast cancer. Patients underwent a biopsy before treatment, and with the use of a CytoScan HD Array microarray (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA), the presence of stemness gene amplifications (3q, 5p, 6p, 7q, 8q, 13q, 9p, 9q, 10p, 10q21.1, 16p, 18chr, 19p) in the tumor was determined. In group 1 (n = 41), in the presence of two or more amplifications, patients were prescribed a personalized NAC regimen. In group 2 (n = 21), if there was no amplification of stemness genes in the tumor, then patients were not prescribed NAC, and treatment began with surgery. Group 3 (n = 30) served as a historical control. The frequency of an objective response to NAC in groups 1 and 3 was 79%. Nonmetastatic survival was found in 100% of patients in group 2, who did not undergo NAC. In patients in group 1, the frequency of metastasis was 10% (4/41). At the same time, in patients in group 3, who received NAC, the rate of metastasis was 47% (14/30). The differences between group 1 and group 3 and between group 2 and group 3 were statistically significant, both by Fisher’s criterion and a log-rank test. The appointment of NAC was most feasible in patients with clones with stemness gene amplifications in the primary tumor, while in the absence of amplifications, preoperative chemotherapy led to a sharp decrease in metastasis-free survival. This strategy of NAC prescription allowed us to achieve 93% metastatic survival in patients with breast cancer.

The characteristics of calpain and proteasome systems in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer were studied. Tumor samples were obtained from 147 breast cancer patients, who were not previously treated with neoadjuvant therapy. Changes in the chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity and the correlation between proteasome and calpain activities were shown in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. No changes in the calpain activity and proteasome subunits specific for various molecular subtypes of breast cancer were found. Our results show that the proteasome function undergoes changes depending on the receptor expression by tumor cells and this aspect should be further investigated.

Massive pulmonary thromboembolism is presented in this article on example of clinical case. Clinical investigation, prognosis evaluation tools, diagnosis and acute phase treatment along with prevention of recurrent episode of pulmonary embolism presented. Observed and described clinical case of pulmonary embolism in older patient, when patient was mistakenly diagnosed in emergency department as acute coronary syndrome patient.

The purpose of the study is to develop an effective radiological symptom-complex of small-sized breast cancer affected by fibrocystic breast disease by using multivariate statistical methods.Materials and methods. Radiological findings of small-sized breast cancer affected by fibrocystic mastopathy were analyzed in 100 patients with histologically verified diagnosis.Results. It was revealed that the conventional approach to the analysis of mammograms based on the detection of the primary, secondary and indirect mammographic signs of small-sized breast cancer is not effective enough - the sensitivity of mammography is only 62%. Fibrocystic disease and moderate-to-severe sclerosing adenosis make small-sized breast cancer hard to visualize by mammography. The detailed analysis of mammograms allowed us to identify the additional manifestations of small-sized breast cancer affected by mastopathy. The computer program allowing us to evaluate the risk of small-size breast cancer and the diagnostic algorithm for detecting small size breast cancer with sensitivity of 92% were developed.

The purpose of the study: to evaluate the response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy depending on the presence of deletions and amplifications of different chromosomal loci and the expression level of topoisomerase 2а in tumor tissue of breast cancer patients. Materials and methods. The study included 46 patients with stage T2–4N0–3M0 breast cancer, who received 2–6 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FAC and CAX regimens. Results. The relationship between the expression level of Тор2а>5, deletions of ABCB1, ABCB3, 18р11.21, 11q22.1 loci and amplification of 1q24.1-43 and the response to preoperative treatment was found. Of the 34 patients having at least one of these markers in the tumor tissue, 85.3 % of them demonstrated partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (> 50 % reduction of tumor) and 14.7 % had stable disease and disease progression. No above markers were found in the tumor tissue of 12 patients, who did not respond to preoperative treatment. Conclusion. High levels of Тор2а>5 expression, deletions of ABCB1; ABCB3; 18р11.21; 11q22.1 loci and 1q24.1-43 amplification were shown to be predictive markers of response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. The presence of at least one of these markers allowed us to predict response to preoperative treatment in 85 % of cases.

The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy including capecitabine and long-term treatment outcomes in patients with operable breast cancer. material and methods. The study included 139 patients with stage T2-3N0-2M0 breast cancer, who received 2-4 courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the FAC and САХ regimens. Immediate response was assessed using the RECIST criteria. Long-term treatment outcomes and metastasis-free survival rates were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. By assessing the relationship between long-term treatment outcomes and the immediate response to adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine, we identified the group of patients with tumor regression ≥ 80%, who had the 7-year metastasis-free survival rates similar to those observed in patients with pathologic complete response. Such factors as the primary tumor size, regional tumor spread, receptor status of tumor tissue and the number of chemotherapy courses were found to have no impact on the frequency of hematogenous metastasis. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate that ≥ 80% tumor regression after neoadjuvanch chemotherapy including capecitabine can be considered as a predictive parameter for assessing metastasis-free survival in patients with operable breast cancer.

Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that the immune system when exposed to conventional cancer chemotherapy is involved in the antitumor effect. A study is conducted to assess the relationship between immunological parameters and effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer (BC) patients. The study included 269 patients with BC (T1–4N0–3M0) and 24 practically healthy comparable age women. The estimation of the subpopulation composition of blood mononuclear cells, their functional activity, apoptosis markers, allelic polymorphism of cytokine genes, depending on the presence or absence of clinical response to NAC was done. Complete tumor regression was associated with an increase in the number of cytotoxic CD8+-cells, high functional activity of lymphocytes (proliferation in response to mitogen, the secretion of cytokines TNFα, IL-1β and IL-10, IFN-γ) and neutrophils. Close relation of highly functional cytokine genotype and high cytokine secretion in blood cells with an objective clinical response to chemotherapy was revealed. Thus, the findings suggest that an objective clinical response to NAC is associated with structural and functional preservation of the immune system. Constitutive characteristics of the patient’s organism, responsible for the level of expression of pathogenetically relevant cytokines that play a key role in the functioning of the immune system are have important meaning.