[Features of neurological manifestations of the COVID-19 in children and adults]. / Osobennosti nevrologicheskikh proyavlenii COVID-19 u detei i vzroslykh.

The number of COVID-19 patients is increasing worldwide and the number of patients with neurological manifestations of a new coronavirus infection is increasing as well. Pathognomonic for COVID-19 is the presence of cephalgic syndrome, infectious-toxic encephalopathy, hypo- and anosmia and ageusia. Inducing of pathological autoimmune response contributes to the development of Miller Fischer and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Hyperergic reaction with the generation of the so-called «cytokine storm¼ provokes multisystem hemorrhagic complications such as Kawasaki disease and acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalopathy. There is also a special form of COVID-19-associated stroke. Almost all post-COVID-19 patients complain of severe fatigue, emotional lability, and sometimes have features of asthenic-neurotic, anxiety-phobic disorders and apato-abulic syndromes, which require rehabilitation measures, as well as courses of restorative neurotrophic and nootropic therapy.

[Potential of peptidergic nootropic therapy in developmental dysphasia in children]. / Vozmozhnosti peptidergicheskoi nootropnoi terapii pri disfazii razvitiia u detei.

AIM: To study the therapeutic efficacy of peptidergic nootropic medication Cortexin during two-month follow-up in children with developmental dysphasia aged 3-4 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-four children with developmental dysphasia were randomized into two equal groups. The cortexin group received the drug once daily intramuscularly during 10 days. After this course, children did not receive any pharmacotherapy and were examined two months after the beginning of treatment. The control group did not receive pharmacotherapy and was examined twice in two months interval. All the parents were provided with recommendations for the stimulation of speech development in dysphasic children. Before treatment and two months later, speech development was assessed by special scales and questionnaires for parents. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After treatment with Cortexin, a significant improvement was achieved not only on the 'expressive language' scale but also on the 'attention to speech' and 'impressive language' scales. The volume of active vocabulary was increased by 2.3 times, the number of articulated phrases by 3.6 times. The evaluation of parents' questionnaires demonstrated the decrease of cerebrasthenic, psychosomatic problems, motor clumsiness, hyperactivity, attention deficit and problems with emotional control in children. The therapy contributed to the reduction of difficulties in communication and social adaptation. The positive effect of Cortexin was observed after the completion of treatment (the protracted effect).

[Human prion diseases: current issues]. / Prionnye zabolevaniia cheloveka: sovremennye aspekty.

Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are a group of neurodegenerative diseases with progressive dementia and movement disorders. There are three variants of prion diseases pathogenesis: direct contamination, genetic and sporadic forms. The following clinical forms are known: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (common type), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, fatal insomnia and fatal familial insomnia, kuru, prion disease associated with diarrhea and autonomic neuropathy. Clinical characteristic of prion diseases, molecular-genetic aspects of their pathogenesis and current diagnostic approaches are discussed. Because of the lack of effective treatment, prevention of both alimentary prion infections (consumption of contaminated meat products) and transmissible iatrogenic infections (the use of biopreparations from animal tissues) is important. The safety of such biopreparations should be ensured by modern manufacturing technologies and specially developed procedures that meet international requirements and standards.