[Forensic school of professor V.L. Popov]. / Sudebno-meditsinskaya shkola professora V.L. Popova.

The authors' idea of the "scientific school" concept is presented. The evolution of the forensic school formation is shown, starting from the student years, through professional specialization and scientific analysis of forensic practice to independent thesis. The basic principles of training military forensic experts in the Military Medical Academy are demonstrated. A summary of 40 candidates and doctoral theses performed under the scientific supervision and with the scientific advice of Professor V.L. Popov is presented as well.

[State and several prospects of studying pediatric pathology in forensic pediatrics]. / Sostoyanie i nekotorye perspektivy izucheniya patologii detskogo vozrasta v sudebnoi pediatrii.

Studies of Russian and foreign literature have shown that the features of mechanical injuries and the course of diseases in different pediatric age categories remain insufficiently investigated in forensic pediatrics, taking into account their physiological characteristics and concomitant pathology. Based on this, it is proposed to develop the diagnostic criteria for both mechanical injuries and diseases of children as priority and promising areas in scientific research, taking into account the age-related physiological characteristics, as well as the effects of external factors on the course of the pathomorphological process; to create a single algorithm for a comprehensive pathomorphological analysis of pediatric pathology, which allows forensic experts to fully answer questions concerning the prescription of injuries, the pathogenesis of diseases, and determining the severity of the harm to the child's health.

[Pathomorphological characteristics of sequelae of the black mamba bite]. / Patomorfologicheskaya kharakteristika posledstvii ukusa chernoi mamby.

Pathomorphological changes in internal organs due to the toxic effects of the black mamba venom are nonspecific in nature and presume its neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects with the development of the DIC syndrome, pulmonary edema, and brain edema in the terminal period. In forensic medicine, the development of specific diagnostic criteria, as well as an algorithm for detecting toxins of the black mamba venom in biological fluids and tissues of internal organs can become a promising topic for scientific research.

[About the interpretation of the cause of death of a newborn in unusual conditions]. / Ob interpretatsii prichiny smerti novorozhdennogo mladentsa, nastupivshei v neobychnykh usloviyakh.

The article presents the case of the death of a premature and immature newborn infant, who was placed in the refrigerator freezer after birth. To determine the thanatogenesis of the infant's death, medical documents and case materials were studied, which made it possible to determine the development of pathological processes that led to the death of the newborn, defects in the primary examination of the corpse and shortcomings in the histological examination, limiting judgments about the circumstances of the infant's death.

[Forensic medical characteristics of metabolic myocardial lesions affecting cardiac contractile ability in cases of death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy]. / Sudebno-meditsinskaya kharakteristika metabolicheskikh povrezhdenii miokarda, vliyayushchikh na sokratitel'nuyu sposobnost' serdtsa v sluchayakh smerti ot alkogol'noi kardiomiopatii.

Objective - a morphological study of myocardial tissue was carried out in order to characterize the metabolic lesions that influence the heart contractility in cases of sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The occurrence of metabolic damages in myocardial tissue in cases of alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a vivid reflection of the toxic effects on the cardiac muscle of ethanol and its metabolites. The toxic damage of the main structural components of the microcirculatory vessels contributes to the disruption of the transport of electrolytes and nutrients with the development of trophic disorders and the increasing phenomena of hypoxia that is the cause dystrophic and necrobiotic changes in myocardial tissue. The contracture damages of cardiomyocytes, intracellular myocytolysis, and cationic decomposition of myofibrils were revealed in polarized light and they were mosaic in nature and played a direct role in the occurrence of cardiac rhythm disturbances. An immunohistochemical study of desmin expression can be recommended as a marker of ischemic and necrobiotic changes in cardiomyocytes, that development is possible on the background of subtotal concentrations of ethanol in the blood. The results of a morphometric study of the parenchymal component of myocardial tissue have established that the relative area of the parenchyma is not directly related to the age and gender of those who died from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. It is recommended to use a combination of morphological methods including light microscopy, polarization microscopy methods and immunohistochemical method for the diagnosis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy in forensic practice.

[Formation of biological films by microororganisms in food productions].

The aim of this review is to analyze the problem of biofilm formation by pathogenic bacteria in food enterprises and the risks associated with this phenomenon. The aspects of the formation of biofilms by pathogenic microorganisms at food industry enterprises have been considered from the point of view of the potential danger of infection and colonization of processing plants by biofilm-forming strains. Biofilms are the preferred form of bacteria existence. It is known that bacteria in a state of biofilm are protected from adverse environmental factors and antibacterial substances, they are often resistant to standard cleaning and disinfection procedures. The formation of biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces is a potential hazard, contributing to the constant circulation of pathogens in the conditions of food production and contamination of foods. The problem of biofilm formation is characteristic of all food enterprises.

[The development and investigation of nutritive and biological value and consumer properties of the fermented dairy product with flour free from glute].

The development of fermented dairy products with complex raw material composition, in particular, including cereal components, but not containing gluten, that most fully meet the criteria for a healthy diet, is actual. The aim - the development of a new multi-component fermented dairy product with flour free from gluten. Material and methods. Milk and fine flour mixture for baby foods (buckwheat, rice, corn and their composition); DVS starter for fermented dairy products were used as the basic raw material components. Active and titratable acidity, mass fraction of protein, fat, microbiological indexes have been measured as well as the block of organoleptic tests has been used. Besides this, amino acids' amount as well as fat acid composition and gluten level (using PCR) have been determined. Results and discussion. A set of requirements to the product has been developed, the studies have been conducted, which made it possible to determine the dosage of the flour mixture of three selected species The total mass fraction of flour in the fermented dairy product with flour didn't exceed 5%.The variation makes it possible to create an assortment of a product with different content of flour and different composition of flour constituent. The typological selection of the starter cultures has been carried out in order to obtain samples with the required organoleptic, particularly, viscous characteristics. The product possessed the typical fermented pleasant taste, odor and aroma with the tone of flour used, and viscous-flow consistency. The starter based on Staphylococcus thermophiles and Lactobacillus bulgaricus has been chosen. The titre of lactic microflora in all samples of the product exceeded the lowest required for fermented dairy products and composed no less 6×107 CFU/cm3. The determination of gluten content proved its absence in all test samples that evidenced about the achievement of the assigned task. The analysis of amino acids composition of the product samples showed that proteins contained essential amino acids from 160 to 210 g/100 g depending on the used flour combinations. It was determined that limiting amino acid of all test samples was isoleucine. The calculated coefficient of utility in the test samples was higher comparing to the fermented milk (control) by 9-12% that indicated an increase in the biological value of the developed product. The finished fermented dairy product with flour contained arachidonic (1.2%) and linoleic (3.0%) acids which relate to ω-6 PUFA in small amounts. Conclusion. The proposed methodological approach to the development of multi-component products consisted in the fact that it was considered as a bio-system, each ingredient of which contributed to its desired set of properties. Using the mentioned approach, strategically, it is possible to combine the components of animal (milk) and vegetable (flour of cereals and groat cultures) origin into the whole food biosystem with the target spectrum of useful properties.

[The forensic medical evaluation of the changes in the cerebral tissue in the case of sudden death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy]. / Sudebno-meditsinskaia otsenka strukturnykh izmenenii tkani golovnogo mozga v sluchaiakh vnezapnoi smerti ot alkogol'noi kardiomiopatii.

This article presents the results of the retrospective analysis of the protocols of forensic medical autopsies and histological studies of the cerebral tissues together with the data obtained by their statistical treatment. The objective of present work was to study and evaluate the structural changes in the cerebral tissues associated with sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. It was shown that the morphological changes in the endothelial lining of the microcirculatory bed of the cerebral tissue can be a consequence of both the direct cytotoxic action of ethanol or its metabolites and the influence of cellular modulators liberation of which results in enhanced vascular permeability associated with trophic disturbances in the tissue. These changes provide a substrate for the development of the dystrophic and necrobiotic processes in the main structural components of the organ in question. The clustering of glial cells around atrophic neutrons or instead of the dead ones in the brain as well as around the microcysts of the cerebral tissue as a compensatory response to the lesion can be in its turn considered as a pathognomonic sign of chronic alcoholic intoxication. The severe dystrophic and destructive processes proceeding in the main components of the histohematological barrier revealed in the cerebral tissue as a result of the present analysis are believed to reflect the toxic action of ethanol and/or its metabolites that play an important role in the development of dyscirculatory disorders responsibly for cerebral tissue hypoxia.

[The morphological changes in the myocardial tissue after sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy].

This paper was designed to report the results of the retrospective analysis of the protocols of 180 forensic medical autopsy sections stored in the archives of Sankt-Petersburg Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise and the data of the histological studies of myocardial tissues obtained after sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The study revealed the following most pathognomonic histological criteria for alcoholic heart lesions: the alternation of hypertrophic and atrophic cardiomyocytes in the state of severe parenchymatous degeneration, pronounced mesenchymal fatty dystrophy in combination with pathological changes of the vascular walls (vascular wall plasmatization), sub-endothelial accumulation of the PAS-positive tissue compounds, microcirculatory disorders in the form of erythrocyte stasis with the manifestations of the blood "sludge" phenomenon, and precapillary fibrosis. The signs of severe parenchymatous and stromal vascular dystrophy of the myocardial histohematic barrier (HHB) are supposed to reflect the toxic effects of ethanol and its metabolites that are directly involved in the mechanisms underlying the disturbances of intracellular metabolism and dyscirculatory events leading to the development of heart muscle hypoxia.

[Forensic medical expertise of sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy in the subjects having a low ethanol concentration in the blood and urine].

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the cases of sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy of the subjects having a low ethanol concentration in the blood and urine; the second objective was the statistical analysis of the data thus obtained. It was shown that sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy occurs in the men more frequently than in the women despite rather low ethanol levels in the blood and urine of both genders or even in the cases of complete absence of ethanol in these fluids. It is concluded that ethanol concentration in the blood and urine of the subjects who died from the alcohol-induced heart injury depends on their age and sex.

Effects of mitochondria-targeted plastoquinone derivative antioxidant (SkQ1) on demography of free-breeding Campbell dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) kept in outdoor conditions. reproduction and lifespan: explanation in the framework of ultimate loads.

We studied demographic effects of the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 on free-breeding Campbell dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli, Thomas, 1905, Rodentia, Cricetidae) in an outdoor vivarium with seasonally varying day length and temperatures. The animals were kept in pairs from their young age. We removed litters from parental cages at their age of 25 days. Experimental hamsters received daily 50 nmol/kg SkQ1 with water by oral dosing, whereas control animals received water. SkQ1 had no effect on the lifespan of either males or females in reproductive pairs. Mortality among females was higher than among males irrespective of SkQ1 treatment, this being related to higher costs of reproduction in females. However, SkQ1 accelerated breeding in pairs in the first half of the reproductive period of a year. Although there were no statistical differences in body mass of males and females between experimental and control animals during most of their life, SkQ1-receiving males had higher body mass at the end of their life. The opposite tendency was characteristic for old females. One-year-old males and females of the experimental and control groups showed no difference in intensity of immune response to sheep red blood cells. The dermal hypersensitivity response to phytohemagglutinin (test for T-cell immunity) was significantly higher in SkQ1-treated 1- and 1.5-year-old males. This was not true for females. There was a tendency toward increased density of the neutrophil population in blood in 1-year-old SkQ1-treated males. However, experimental males showed no difference from control males in the activity of the "peroxidase-endogenous hydrogen peroxide system" of neutrophils. The background level of stress estimated by the concentration of cortisol in blood serum was significantly lower in the SkQ1-treated males during autumn adaptive adjustment of the organism. A similar trend was also observed during the January frosts, when the background level of stress was rather high. We observed no differences between cortisol concentration in experimental and control animals during the reproductive period in early spring and mid-summer. We tend to interpret the absence of geroprotective effect of SkQ1 on free-breeding dwarf hamsters by its ability to intensify breeding. We previously demonstrated the ability of SkQ1 to increase the lifespan of non-breeding females.

[Immunocompetence and reproductive characteristics of male Campbell dwarf hamsters selected for low and high humoral immune response to SRBC: testing the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis].

We selected Campbell dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli Thomas, 1905) for low and high humoral immune response to the sheep red blood cells (SRBC) challenge in three generations (P, F1, F2). Non-specific innate immunity and acquired T-cell immunity, resting metabolic rate, testosterone, and cortisole hormone levels, reproductive characteristics, including maturation related morphological traits, and aggressive behavior were studied within sets of males:with low (LI) and high (HI) immune response to SRBC. We found no difference between LI and HI males in cutaneous response to injection of phytohemagglutinin, (DTH test for T-cell immunity), in activity of Peroxidase - Endogenous Hydrogen Peroxide System of Neutrophils , in the white blood count, in resting metabolic rate, in body mass and ano-genital distance at the age of two months, in the blood level of testosterone before and after recurrent immunization by SRBC and in the blood level of cortisole in response to the social stressor (10 min encounter in the neutral arena). At that, LI males had significantly higher basal level of blood cortisole, were less aggressive in response to stranger male and had smaller testosterone-dependent mid-ventral specific skin gland at the age of two months. Males of two groups did not differ in the initial mating success with intact young females (time since pair formation until first litter born), although females of LI males born fewer number of pups. In fact, our results do not support the Handicap Immunocompetence Hypothesis (Folstad, Karter, 1999) which is based on the assumption of trade-off between immunocompetence and reproductive effort.

[Specific immunity and polymorphism of breeding plumage in pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males (Aves: passeriformes)].

The relationship between the type of melanin-based plumage coloration and the strength of experimentally induced immune response was studied using as an example a pied flycatcher population from the Moscow Region. The plumage of pied flycatcher males exhibits the full spectrum of transitions from contrasting black-and-white to cryptic brownish, the latter being very similar to the coloration of females. In spite of numerous studies, the nature of this polymorphism still remains vague. Unlike many other avian species with monocyclic breeding, a considerable fraction of pied flycatchers combines two energy-consuming productive processes, breeding and molt. During the main experimental treatment we activated the humoral immunity of free-living males in chick-rearing period by injection of nonpathogenic multigenic antigen (sheep red blood cells, SRBC) and estimated the strength of the immune responses after repeated captures in 6-8 days. In addition, after each capture we estimated the numbers of leucocytes (WBC), heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (H/L) and measured night time basal metabolic rates (BMR). Non-molting males of different color types showed the same immune responses. Among molting birds, the strength of the immune response was significantly higher in pale males (morphs 4-7 by Drost's scale) than in bright males with rich melanin-based coloration (morphs 2-3). This difference resulted from two opposite processes. During molting, pale males heightened the antibody titer after immunization, while bright males tended to reduce the strength of immune response. Possibly such an asymmetry in immunocompetence at the first stage of molt reflects the different life strategies of pied flycatcher males - conspicuous birds less commonly combine breeding with molt than cryptic ones.

[Xylanase activity of phytopathogenic and endophytic strains of Ceratocystis sp].

A comparative analysis of xylanase activity of 36 phytopathogenic and endophytic Ceratocystis sp. strains was conducted. The rate of their linear growth on the medium with xylan was studied. The rate of linear growth of phytopathogenic strains was 0.003-0.004 mm/h that was almost 70 times less than in endophytic ones. There were no correlation between levels of xylanase activity of studied strains and rates of their linear growth. Xylanase activity ofendophytic Ceratocystis sp. strains varied from complete absence to high level. Phytopathogenic strains possessed only high xylanase activity; maximum values of their xylanase activity zones were three times more than in endophytic strains. The differences in xylanase activity were observed on the strain level. The xylanase activity of 24% endophytic and 64% phytopathogenic strains became higher with increasing of cultivation period. The clear dependence of xylanase activity on the species and organs of host plants was not demonstrated. It was shown that the xylanase activity level of phytopathogenic Ceratocystis sp. strains was too much higher than in such phytopathogens as Fusarium poae, F. oxysporum and Alternaria alternata strains. The conclusion was made that the studied endophytic Ceratocystis sp. strains can be related to latent pathogens, which are able to cause the diseases of host plants in conditions favorable for them.

[Cellulase activity of Ceratocystis sp. of different trophic groups].

A comparative analysis of cellulase activity of 36 fungal strains of phytopathogenic and endophytic Ceratocystis sp. was conducted. The rate of their linear growth on the media with carboxymethylcellulose was studied. It was shown that the rate of linear growth of phytopathogenic strains on the media with carboxymethylcellulose was lower than that in endophytic ones. There was no correlation between the levels of cellulase activity of studied strains and rates of their linear growth. The majority of Ceratocystis sp. strains had middle but not high cellulase activity, cellulase activity varied in the group of endophytic strains more than in the phytopathogenic one. The differences in cellulase activity were observed on the strain level. No distinct dependence of cellulase activity on different growth terms of fungi was demonstrated. The distinct dependence of cellulase activity level of endophytes on the species and organs of host plant was not observed. The cellulase activity level of endophytic strains Ceratocystis sp. was lower than in endophytic Fusarium poae strains and similar to it in phytopathogenic Fusarium strains. Consequently the investigated endophytic Ceratocystis sp. strains can be classified as latent pathogens, which were able to cause the diseases of host plants in favorable for them conditions. The paper is presented in Ukrainian.

[Mycobiota of Quercus robur L. from the oak forest in the Zhytomyr region].

Different organs of 155 samples of conditionally healthy and sick oaks were examined for mycological contamination. The isolated microscopic fungi belonged to 129 species of different taxonomic groups. The pathogenic complex was represented by 30 fungi species, however most of these species were isolated in single cases. Roots, wood, bast and bark were not affected by the phytopathogenic fungi species that can cause the death of the trees. Mycobiota of branches and sprouts was similar to that ofbark and wood. But frequency of occurence of phytopathogenic fungi was higher on the branches and leaves of drying out and dried oaks. Phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria alternata, Ceratocystis sp. and Trichothecium roseum were isolated more often than others. More often occurrence of Ceratocystis sp.was observed during last two years, they could not be the basic cause of the oak drying. That is also confirmed by similarity of mycobiota of conditionally healthy and drying oaks.

[Cellulase and xylanase activity of phytopathogenic and endophytic fungal strains of Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler].

A comparative analysis of cellulase and xylanase activity of 25 fungal strains of phytopathogenic and endophytic Alternaria alternata had been realized for the first time using the qualitative reactions. The rate of their linear growth on the media with carboxymethylcellulose or xylane had been studied. The cellulase and xylanase activities clearly depended on the distinct strain. The absence of distinct dependence of cellulase and xylanase activities on the species and organs of host plants was demonstrated. The majority of investigated strains of A. alternata did not possess a cellulase activity or the latter was low, but as a whole the phytopathogenic strains were more active than endophytic ones. Xylanase activity was considerable for the fungal strains of all trophyc groups. It was shown that the level of xylanase activity cannot become a biochemical marker of the A. alternata isolate pathogenicity.

[Cellulase and xylanase activities of Fusarium Lk:Fr. genus fungi of different trophic groups].

A comparative analysis of cellulase and xylanase activities of 26 fungal strains of phytopathogenic, saprophytic and endophytic Fusarium species has been realized using the qualitative reactions. The rare of their linear growth on the media with carboxymethyl cellulose or xylane has been studied. It was shown that the fungi of genus Fusarium belonging to different trophic groups possessed low activities of investigated enzymes as a whole, but in endophytic strains their levels were lower than in phytopathogenic ones. At the same time the distinct strain dependence of cellulase and xylanase activities was fixed in the fungi of different trophic groups. As far as the cellulase and xylanase activities in phytopathogenic isolates varied from complete absence to high levels, and since the activity maximum for each of the investigated strains was observed in different growth terms the conclusion was made that the cellulase and xylanase activities could not be considered as possible markers of the fungal isolate pathogenicity on the strain level.

[Conditions of the biosynthesis of an extracellular subtilisin-like proteinase by Bacillus pumilus KMM 62].

The influence of the cultivation conditions on Bacillus pumilus KMM 62 growth and effectiveness of the production of a subtilisin-like serine proteinase were investigated. Enzyme accumulation in the culture fluid reached the maximum value after 32 and 46-48 h of growth; it depends on the composition of the nutrient medium. The ratio of the concentrations of two main components of the medium, peptone and inorganic phosphate, which was optimal for enzyme biosynthesis was determined by multifactor experiments. Ammonium salts, when introduced as an additional nitrogen source, had different effects on the proteinase biosynthesis at different growth stages: they suppress enzyme production at the early stationary growth phase and stimulate the biosynthesis of the enzyme after 46-48 h of growth. Complex organic substrates (albumin, casein, hemoglobin, and gelatin) have a repressive effect on the biosynthesis of the enzyme. The effect of amino acids on culture growth and enzyme biosynthesis during the early and late stationary growth phase is different. Hydrophilic amino acids, glutamine, and glutamic acid exhibit the most pronounced repressive action on biosynthesis. The activity of different regulatory mechanisms for the synthesis of this proteinase is assumed at the early and late stationary stages of growth.