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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults. One of the best established CLL prognostic markers is the somatic hypermutational status of the IGHV gene which is a part of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region. Technology for IGHV genotyping has been optimized and has been applied in routine diagnostics for the first time in Bulgaria. A total of 105 patients with CLL from different Bulgarian regions were tested. IGHV mutational status was determined by Sanger sequencing on total genomic DNA (gDNA) or RNA extracted from mononuclear cells. All sequencing profiles were analyzed with the IMGT/V-QUEST tool. Within the course of the analysis a high percentage of IGHV unmutated status was established in the Varna district on the Black Sea (Northeast Bulgaria). In addition, the IGHV genotyping performed on gDNA revealed a rare case with multiple rearrangements. The present data from IGHV genotyping will help in choosing the proper treatment for the benefit of Bulgarian CLL patients.

About 20-50 % of patients with diabetes and about 60 % of those with diabetic neuropathy develop neuropathic pain, which is characterized by tingling, burning, sharp, shooting, or stabbing sensations, and even electric shock-like sensations. Painful diabetic neuropathy can significantly affect the quality of life of patients with diabetes, the ability to perform daily activities and negatively affect mood. According to the 2021 consensus of an international panel of experts regarding the treatment of painful distal symmetric polyneuropathy, non-pharmacological forms of treatment should also be considered due to unsatisfactory pharmacotherapy. A number of studies have demonstrated the role of photobiomodulation as a non-pharmacological method of treating painful diabetic neuropathy. The purpose of this placebo-controlled, longitudinal study was to investigate the effect of high-energy MLS-laser therapy on neuropathic pain. Material and methods: A total of 69 cases of patients with type 2 diabetes and painful diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities were followed, divided into two groups: an experimental - 41 patients received high-energy laser radiation and a control (placebo) group - 28 patients, with a "mock" laser treatment. For objectification of pain, the Bulgarian version of the short form of the McGill pain questionnaire, version SF-MPQ-2, which includes the visual analog scale (VAS), was used. Comparisons between groups were performed with parametric or non parametric tests depending on the distribution of the variables, the number of the compared groups and the study pre test – post test design. Results: The pain index, reported by the McGill questionnaire, in the experimental group, decreased by - 63.2 % at the end of the nine-day treatment and by - 56.1 % at the 90th day after the start of treatment compared to the value before therapy. In the control group, there was a minimal change at the end of treatment (day 21), which did not persist until the end of the observation period (day 90). Conclusions: MLS laser therapy significantly increases the pain threshold and should be considered a safe, non-pharmacological adjunct to standard therapy in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Background: Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disease dependent on immunoglobulin E and causes inflammation of the nasal mucosa, leading to decreased quality of life for affected patients. Since common treatments, including corticosteroids and antihistamines, have temporary therapeutic effects and numerous side effects, investigating natural compounds effective in improving allergic rhinitis with low complications and high efficacy can be significant and necessary. Purpose: This study aims to present a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the effect of natural compounds in improving allergic rhinitis. Methods: Studies were identified through systematic searches of ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases. Eligibility checks were conducted based on predefined selection criteria. Forty-six articles were included in this study. Results and discussion: Phytochemicals, including flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and other compounds showed significant anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic effects. These compounds alleviate allergic rhinitis symptoms by inhibiting inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and key signaling pathways such as MAPK/NFκB and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB. Conclusion: Phytochemicals exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgaria has an abundance of diverse anthropogenic tourist resources. Although it occupies less than 2% of the area of Europe, more than 40,000 historical monuments are registered in the country. Apart from the generous cultural and historical heritage, the country also has attractive modern sites. Tourist resources should not be taken for granted. They can be valuable and effective only with proper management. The main goal of the study is to analyze the administration, management and supervision of anthropogenic tourist resources in Bulgaria. The research considers the subjects, the normative regulation, as well as the techniques through which the management process of the anthropogenic tourist resources in Bulgaria is carried out. The iztitutions responsible for the management are the Ministry of tourism, the Ministry of culture, the National institute for immovable cultural heritage (NIICH), tourist associations, non-governmental organizations, etc. Laws, regulations, plans, programs, strategies, conventions and other normative documents occupy an important place in the management process. Determinants in thisrespect are the Law of cultural monuments and museums, the Law of cultural heritage, as well as the Strategy for sustainable development of tourism in Bulgaria (2014 - 2030). The techniques applied in the management of anthropogenic tourist resources are valorization, zoning, capacity control, concession granting, etc.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus was reported for the first time in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and causes respiratory infection. This pandemic pneumonia killed about 1,437,835 people out of 61,308,161cases up to November 27, 2020. The disease’s main clinical complications include fever, recurrent coughing, shortness of breath, acute respiratory syndrome, and failure of vital organs that could lead to death. It has been shown that natural compounds with antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral activities and RNA interference agents could play an essential role in preventing or treating coronavirus infection by inhibiting the expression of crucial virus genes. This study aims to introduce a summary of coronavirus’s genetic and morphological structure and determine the role of miRNAs, siRNAs, chemical drugs, and natural compounds in stimulating the immune system or inhibiting the virus’s structural and non-structural genes that are essential for replication and infection of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Studies on the efficacy of artichoke administration on anthropometric indices gave different outcomes. Hence, a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis were accomplished to understand the effects of artichoke administration on anthropometric indices. Methods: Related clinical trials were found by searching in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Scopus databases up to 29 February 2020. Weighted Mean Differences (WMD) were analyzed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity, publication bias and sensitivity analysis were assessed for anthropometric indices. Results: Pooled analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggested that the artichoke administration has effect on waist circumference (WMD: -1.11 cm, 95 % CI: -2.08 to - 0.14), as opposed to the other anthropometric indices including weight (WMD: -0.62 kg, 95 % CI: -1.86 to 0.61) or BMI (WMD: -0.12, 95 % CI: -0.43 to 0.20). However, the analysis of the subgroups according to the health status showed that artichoke supplementation in hypertensive patients significantly reduced weight (WMD: -2.34 kg, 95 % CI: -3.11 to -1.57) but not the other indicators (WMD: -0.06 kg, 95 % CI: 0.78 to 0.67). Conclusions: The artichoke supplementation has effect on the waist circumference, but not on the other anthropometric indices. For establishment of more accurate conclusion more studies with longer administration duration are need to be done.

BackgroundPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease that is associated with pulmonary arteries remodeling, right ventricle hypertrophy, right ventricular failure and finally death. The present study aims to review the medicinal plants and phytochemicals used for PH treatment in the period of 1994 – 2019.MethodsPubMed, Cochrane and Scopus were searched based on pulmonary hypertension, plant and phytochemical keywords from August 23, 2019. All articles that matched the study based on title and abstract were collected, non-English, repetitive and review studies were excluded.ResultsFinally 41 studies remained from a total of 1290. The results show that many chemical treatments considered to this disease are ineffective in the long period because they have a controlling role, not a therapeutic one. On the other hand, plants and phytochemicals could be more effective due to their action on many mechanisms that cause the progression of PH.ConclusionStudies have shown that herbs and phytochemicals used to treat PH do their effects from six mechanisms. These mechanisms include antiproliferative, antioxidant, antivascular remodeling, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory and apoptosis inducing actions. According to the present study, many of these medicinal plants and phytochemicals can have effects that are more therapeutic than chemical drugs if used appropriately.

The national and international accounting standards state that the equity of an entity is the residual interest in the assets of the entity that remains after deducting all of its liabilities. For that reason in the accounting theory could also be found the terms “net worth” and “net assets” which are used as synonyms. The term “equity” is not used adequately in this wording in respect of the budgetary entities because of some specific characteristics these entities possess. The purpose of this paper is, based on the legislative framework now in force in Bulgaria and the characteristic features of the public sector entities, to present the specific features of the capital reporting in these organizations.

The paper analyzes the credit risk disclosure in the annual financial statements of Bulgarian banks for 2015 and 2016. Banks are ranked according to the level of credit risk disclosure, in accordance with the requirements of international accounting regulations and in relation to financial and regulatory ratios linked to capital adequacy. As a result of the conducted empirical study, it is concluded that banks' management is not particularly inclined to make full disclosures and actively to declare internal qualitative and quantitative information. However, the level of disclosure of credit risk for banks in Bulgaria is high. Banks with a low degree of capital adequacy tend to make a more complete disclosure of credit risk, and vice versa. There were no indications of a link between the size of the bank assets, the existence of the bank as a public company and the disclosure of credit risk. We believe that, in the context of increased competition, the disclosure of credit risk from a formal requirement may become one of the many tools to stabilize the position of certain banks and create a positive image of the bank for public information users.

In the Republic of Bulgaria, as a member of the EU, possessing a strategic geographical position through which five of the 10 Pan-European transport corridors pass, road freight transport occupies a leading place. It has a significant role in contributing to the country's GDP, but at the same time, it has a strong negative impact on society and the environment, given its serious climatic footprint. In the specialized literature, data on research conducted looking for the presence or rejection of dependence between nonfinancial disclosures and ex-post financial performance in the road freight transportation industry are highly limited or almost absent. The lack of a legal obligation for non-financial disclosure by enterprises in Bulgaria creates the necessity to research and confirm the relationship between non-financial disclosure and the ex-post financial performance of the companies in the short-term or medium-term future. In the course of the analysis carried out in this article, the two largest Bulgarian enterprises from the road freight transportation industry by default and a major environmental polluter are examined. By applying key environmental and social disclosure indicators in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative standards calculated on the basis of real empirical data, a statistical analysis is performed. A multiple regression model is built based on a value analytical approach, which is focused on the economic value added of the enterprise, and the economic value added indicator is used as an efficiency measurement of the enterprises' activity. The results of the analysis establish a certain dependence between non-financial disclosure and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces some of the leading works on loan impairment published by supervisory authorities, auditing companies and researchers. It makes analysis of the impairment model on the basis of the expected credit losses introduced with the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 9 Financial Instruments effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. There are a number of research works which show that the senior bankers may in some ways manage the financial result through the impairment, where it is assumed that the new impairment model will bring higher recognized losses. It also makes a comparative analysis of the announced information on the loan impairment and the preparation for the introduction of the IFRS 9 Financial Instruments requirements into the annual financial statements of the public banks in Bulgaria for the period 2013 – 2016.

As the leading causes of human disability and mortality, neurological diseases affect millions of people worldwide and are on the rise. Although the general roles of several signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders have so far been identified, the exact pathophysiology of neuronal disorders and their effective treatments have not yet been precisely elucidated. This requires multi-target treatments, which should simultaneously attenuate neuronal inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. In this regard, astaxanthin (AST) has gained growing interest as a multi-target pharmacological agent against neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), brain and spinal cord injuries, neuropathic pain (NP), aging, depression, and autism. The present review highlights the neuroprotective effects of AST mainly based on its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti-apoptotic properties that underlies its pharmacological mechanisms of action to tackle neurodegeneration. The need to develop novel AST delivery systems, including nanoformulations, targeted therapy, and beyond, is also considered.

The paper observes the newest innovative technologies regarding buildings energy efficiency like passive building and smart home technologies. The market situation in Europe and in Bulgaria for these types of technologies is analyzed. The outcome of the research will serve as a milestone in developing of a methodology for determining Bulgarian society’s awareness and attitude towards their using in home, business and production buildings.

The paper discusses the boron carbide properties. Two methods are used to examine and control the sintering process of micro/nano boron carbide. For achieving sintering is used a Tammann furnace. First, it is used an electric furnace with the thermal couple for determining transmission coefficient of ZnSe infrared window, observed with an infrared thermal camera. Analysis of the temperatures with and without infrared glass are discussed. After setting the transmission coefficient to the camera, the material is sintered to desired temperatures and for the temperature control is used an infrared camera. The result of the temperature control is achieved boron carbide material, obtained in strict temperature environment.