[Cognitive functions and modifiable risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in ageing in a Russian population sample.]

We aimed to investigate the relationship between the indicators of cognitive functions (CF) and modifiable risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) in a cross-sectional analysis in the urban Russian population sample aged 55-84 years. The study investigated a random sample of 3 153 people (men and women 55-84 years old) from a general population cohort of Novosibirsk residents; a sample was examined within the international project HAPIEE. The study protocol included standardized neuropsychological tests (quantitative assessment of memory, semantic verbal fluency, attention and processing speed) and standardized assessment of risk factors, history and treatment of cardiovascular disease and NCD. In cross-sectional analysis we observed a positive relationship of CF indices with level of education and an inverse relationship with metabolic risk factors and smoking in both sexes. The level of total cholesterol and moderate alcohol consumption had positive relationship with CF indices in women. These associations were independent from age and other factors.

[Association of decreased external pulmonary function with cognitive impairments].

AIM: To examine the association between the basic indicators of external respiratory function (ERF) and cognitive impairments (CIs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials of a population-based cross-sectional study were used in the investigation; a representative sample consisted of 3818 men and women aged 45-69 years. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) were determined to assess ERF. CIs were evaluated using the 10-word test described by A.R. Luria, Cog-sum indices (the sum of correctly reproduced words with 3 attempts), and Cog-mean=Cog-sum/3. RESULTS: In patients with an FEV1/FVC <70%, the probability of a Cog-sum of <20 scores was twice higher than in those with an FEV1/FVC ≥70%; in patients with an FEV1 <80%, the probability of a Cog-sum of <20 scores was also 2 times higher than in those with an FEV1 ≥80%. Multiple regression analysis revealed no significant associations between Cog-sum index and smoking index, body mass index, and blood pressure. Cog-sum was inversely related to age and directly related to FEV1 and female sex. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, and FEV1 were statistically significant variables. The relative risk of a Cog-sum of <20 that was 1.7 times higher in the men than in the women, 1.8 times higher in the patients with an FEV1 <80% than in those with an FEV1 ≥80% (model 1), 1.7 times higher in the patients with an FEV1/FVC <70% than in those with FEV1/FVC ≥70% (model 2) increased with age. CONCLUSION: The decrease in the basic indicators of ERF (FEV1, FEV1/FVC) is an independent predictor of CIs.

Tenoten in the therapy of patients with moderate cognitive impairment.

Tenoten is a new anxiolytic and antidepressant based on antibodies to brain-specific protein S-100B. Experimental studies demonstrated the effect of tenoten on mechanisms of neuronal plasticity and manifestations of higher nervous activity. Tenoten is clinically comparable with amitryptiline, sertraline, and phenazepam, but does not produce potent sedative relaxation effect typical of these drugs. The study demonstrated considerable improvement of the control over brain frontal compartment effector functions. Tenoten is recommended not only at the stage of moderate cognitive impairment, but also in manifest cerebrovascular pathologies characterized by pronounced impairment of the regulatory functions of the frontal compartments of the brain.

Chemical characterization of element 112.

The heaviest elements to have been chemically characterized are seaborgium (element 106), bohrium (element 107) and hassium (element 108). All three behave according to their respective positions in groups 6, 7 and 8 of the periodic table, which arranges elements according to their outermost electrons and hence their chemical properties. However, the chemical characterization results are not trivial: relativistic effects on the electronic structure of the heaviest elements can strongly influence chemical properties. The next heavy element targeted for chemical characterization is element 112; its closed-shell electronic structure with a filled outer s orbital suggests that it may be particularly susceptible to strong deviations from the chemical property trends expected within group 12. Indeed, first experiments concluded that element 112 does not behave like its lighter homologue mercury. However, the production and identification methods used cast doubt on the validity of this result. Here we report a more reliable chemical characterization of element 112, involving the production of two atoms of (283)112 through the alpha decay of the short-lived (287)114 (which itself forms in the nuclear fusion reaction of 48Ca with 242Pu) and the adsorption of the two atoms on a gold surface. By directly comparing the adsorption characteristics of (283)112 to that of mercury and the noble gas radon, we find that element 112 is very volatile and, unlike radon, reveals a metallic interaction with the gold surface. These adsorption characteristics establish element 112 as a typical element of group 12, and its successful production unambiguously establishes the approach to the island of stability of superheavy elements through 48Ca-induced nuclear fusion reactions with actinides.

Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease in Russia: a case-control study.

No reliable data on risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are available in Russia. We aimed to evaluate the relative importance of various putative environmental and medical risk factors of AD in a Russian population. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study. Two hundred and sixty consecutive AD patients and an equal number of cognitive impairment-free control subjects matched for sex, age, level of education and place of birth selected from nursing homes and other long-term healthcare facilities in the Novosibirsk region for the period from 1998 to 2002 were examined. A conditional logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for various putative risk factors. Of the 260 patients with AD, 187 (72%) were females. Patients' age varied from 40 to 89 years (mean +/- SD: 69.2 +/- 7.7 years). The majority of the patients (77%) had secondary education and 12% had university education. Risk factors independently associated with AD were family history of parkinsonism among first-degree relatives (OR = 4.2; 95% CI 1.2-15.1), hypothyroidism (OR = 2.7; 95% CI 1.1-6.7), and history of head trauma with loss of consciousness (OR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.0-2.8). The most important risk factors for AD in the Russian community are family history of parkinsonism, hypothyroidism and a history of head trauma with loss of consciousness. These findings have implications for developing preventive strategies of AD.

[State of the art and outlook for promoting Russian-made hemodialysis equipment with regeneration of dialyzing solution]. / Sovremennoe sostoianie i perspektivy razvitiia otechestvennoi gemodializnoi apparatury s regeneratsiei dializiruiushchego rastvora.

Radical improvements in the physiological features and self-sufficiency of hemodialysis equipment, an essential reduction of the volume of dialyzate contacting with patient's body and elimination of dependence of the equipment operation on the availability of a water-supply network can be ensured by applying a regime of circulation of a relatively small volume (3-5 l) of dialyzate through the regenerating device. The regeneration unit must eliminate the organic products of dialysis from the dialyzate and stabilize the ionic composition of the purified dialyzate according to the preset parameters. Modern methods and technical means for regenerating the used dialyzate are discussed; a regeneration unit, which ensures an electrochemical oxidation (in the used dialyzate) of nitrogen-containing organic metabolites with a subsequent sorption-type additional purification of electrochemically-processed dialyzate, is offered. The regeneration unit is made up of an electrolyser, a sorption-type additional-purification device and a gas utilizer; it eliminates organic metabolites, phosphorus, calcium and potassium from the used dialyzate and stabilizes the pH solution.

[Epidemiology of stroke in Siberia]. / Epidemiologiia mozgovogo insul'ta v Sibiri.

Based on WHO MONICA methods and diagnostic criteria, it is shown that first-ever stroke incidence and mortality in Siberia (a total number of residents included in the analysis varied from 450,000 to about 800,000) that are among the highest in the world. In Novosibirsk, for the period from 1982 through 1991 there was a trend towards decreasing stroke incidence and mortality rates, but for the period from 1992 through 1997 there was a trend towards increasing there rates in both men and women. Age-standardized (US white population was used as a standard) stroke incidence rates increased from west to east and from south to north across Siberia, with a corresponding increase in the proportion of hemorrhagic strokes. In 1987-1988, age-adjusted stroke incidence rate in Novosibirsk was 212 per 100,000 residents per year, in Krasnoyarsk--325, in Tynda--329, in Anadyr--348. Stroke-case fatality rates ranged from 28% in Tynda to 41% in Anadyr. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, ischemic heart disease. mitral valve disease, current cigarette smoking, excessing body mass index, winter season, and low ambient temperature are all significant and independent risk factors for the occurrence of ischemic stroke in Novosibirsk. A significant association between stroke occurrence and air pressure/geomagnetic activity change was found. Possible reasons for such unfavorable trends in stroke incidence in Siberia are discussed, and an optimal approach for improving organization of cerebrovascular disease care is suggested.

A population-based study of transient ischemic attack incidence in Novosibirsk, Russia, 1987-1988 and 1996-1997.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Population-based data on transient ischemic attack (TIA) incidence are scarce. This study defines incidence rates of first-ever TIA in Novosibirsk, Russia, during 1987-1997 and compares the incidence of first TIA with that of first stroke. METHODS: This is a prospective registry population-based study of all new cases of TIA and stroke in an overall population of 455 765 residents of Novosibirsk. All new TIA and stroke incident cases (whether inpatient or outpatient) that occurred during 1987-1988 and 1996-1997 study periods were recorded and analyzed. A 95% CI was estimated for all age- and sex-specific strata. RESULTS: During the 2 study periods, a total of 211 patients with first TIA were registered in the population studied. The crude annual TIA incidence rate per 100 000 residents was 16 (95% CI, 8 to 33) in 1987-1988 and 29 (95% CI, 9 to 87) in 1996-1997; these rates standardized to the European population were 17 (95% CI, 8 to 34) and 27 (95% CI, 9 to 79), respectively. Eighty-three percent of TIAs occurred in the carotid arteries (rate, 48/100 000), 10% occurred in the vertebrobasilar territory (rate, 6/100 000), and 7% of cases had a TIA of uncertain distribution (rate, 2/100 000). CONCLUSIONS: Unlike stroke incidence rate, the incidence rate of TIA in Novosibirsk is similar to that in other populations and constitutes approximately 10% of stroke incidence. For the last decade (1987-1997), there was a tendency, although statistically insignificant, toward increasing incidence rate of TIA in the population studied.

[The epidemiology of cerebral stroke in Siberia based on registry data]. / Epidemiologiia mozgovogo insul'ta v Sibiri po dannym registra.

In accordance with WHO MONICA Project during 1987-1988 the epidemiological investigation of cerebral stroke was performed using register method in west Siberia (Novosibirsk), in east Siberia (Krasnoyarsk) and in Far East (Tynda, Anadyr). 945 new cases of cerebral stroke in the investigated population (473720 men) were evaluated. Standard by age the stroke mobility and mortality was equal to 2.0 and 0.5 cases in 1000 Novosibirsk's inhabitants, 2.4 and 0.9 in Krasnoyarsk, 2.9 and 1.0 in Tynda, 2.9 and 1.6 in Anadyr respectively. Data about factors of stroke risk, seasonal and circadian rhythms of mobility, age-sex structure of patients were obtained. The authors came to the conclusion that the frequency of stroke and especially haemorrhage, of the brain mobility and mortality had tendency to increase in the direction from west to east of Siberia though its regional differences was relatively small.