Assimilation Results Comparison of Educational Material by Senior Students of a Medical University in Distance and Face-to-Face Form Education.

Despite the fact that many researchers and teachers reported that distance education can be equated with traditional face-to-face form education, the question of analyzing the quality of knowledge gained in distance education is open. This study was conducted on the basis of the Department of Medical Cybernetics and Informatics named after S.A. Gasparyan of Russian National Research Medical University. N.I. Pirogov for the period from September 1, 2021 to March 14, 2023 and included results of answers of two variance of test on the same topic. The responses of students who missed the lectures were not included in the processing. For 556 students with distance education, the lesson was held remotely using https://meet.google.com and for 846 students the lesson was performed in face-to-face form education. Students' answers to test tasks were collected using the Google form https://docs.google.com/forms/…The data base statistical assessment and statistical description were made in Microsoft Excel 2010 and IBM SPSS Statistics programs version 23. In this study, it was shown that the results of the learned material assessment for distance education and traditional face-to-face form education are statistically significantly different (p<0.001). The topic studied in face-to-face format was assimilated by 0.85 points better (the difference was five percent of the correct answers received).

Prevention of bronchial fistulas after pneumonectomies for selected cavitary drug resistant lung tuberculosis.

Background: The World Health Organization guidelines for management drug resistant tuberculosis include surgery as an additional method in selected cases. Pneumonectomies have higher risk of morbidity such as bronchial fistulas which may be prevented by bronchial stump covering. We compare two methods of bronchial stump reinforcement. Methods and materials: A retrospective single center follow-up study was done in 52 patients who underwent pneumonectomy for drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Between 2000 and 2017 we performed pneumonectomies with pericardial fat reinforcement of bronchial stump in group 1 (n = 42), and between 2017 and 2021 in group 2 with pedicled muscle flap reinforcement group 2 (n = 10). Results: Bronchial fistulas occurred in 17/42 (41%) of patients group 1 and there was no fistula in group 2, and this was statistically different (Fisher's test p = 0.02). Post-operative complications were seen in 24/42 (57%) of the patients in Group 1, and 4/10 (40%) patients in Group 2 (Fischer's test p = 0.53). In group 1 positive bacteriology decreased from 74% to 24% just after surgery, and in group 2 it decreased from 90% to 10%, but this was not statistically different (Fisher's test p = 0.63). In group 1 no-one died the first month, but 8/42 (19%) died within a year; in group 2 one died within a month, and only this death (10%) within a year. This difference in case fatality was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of pedicle muscle flap for bronchial stump coverage during the pneumonectomies for destructive drug resistant tuberculosis can prevent severe postoperative fistulas and improve postoperative life.

Evaluation of the specificity of an intradermal test with recombinant tuberculosis allergen in Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-vaccinated healthy volunteers.

Introduction: The tuberculin skin test has significant limitations for use in individuals vaccinated with BCG. The presence in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis of the RDI region, which is absent in the genome of Mycobacterium bovis BCG and most non-tuberculous mycobacteria, made it possible to develop new skin tests, which include a skin test with a recombinant tuberculosis allergen [RTA (Diaskintest®, JSC Generium, Russia)]. Diaskintest has shown high diagnostic performance in clinical trials and in conditions of high prevalence of tuberculosis infection. In 2021, the Russia was excluded from the WHO list of high TB burden countries, which makes relevant an assessment of the specificity of the RTA test under conditions of low epidemiologic risk for tuberculosis to confirm the high specificity of the test. Study objective: To assess the specificity of Diaskintest in the regions of the Russian Federation with low epidemiologic risk for tuberculosis. Methods: A multicenter, open-label, prospective study was conducted, which included 150 healthy volunteers aged 18-30 years old, vaccinated with BCG, who were not at risk of tuberculosis, from regions with low epidemiologic risk (Oryol region, Ryazan region, and Arkhangelsk region). During the study, 4 visits were scheduled for each participant: [Visit 0 (screening), Visit 1, Visit 2 (in 72 h) and Visit 3 (in 28 days)]. All participants, who excluded active and latent tuberculosis infection, underwent a test with RTA. To assess the safety of RTA tests, all systemic and local adverse events that occurred during 28 days were recorded. The trial was filed in the NIH clinical trials database ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05203068). Results: In individuals with a negative T-SPOT.TB test, the specificity of the RTA test was 97% (95% CI: 92-99%) with a cut-off of >0 mm. The study findings confirm data 2009: 100.00 (95% CI: 94-100). When evaluating the safety of the RTA test during 28 days of follow-up, the participants did not report local and systemic adverse reactions that had a causal relationship with the RTA test. Conclusion: Diaskintest is highly specific and safe, therefore it is a valuable tool as a screening test for early detection of tuberculosis.

Genome-Wide Study of Drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Its Intra-Host Evolution during Treatment.

The emergence of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains has become a global public health problem, while, at the same time, there has been development of new antimicrobial agents. The main goals of this study were to determine new variants associated with drug resistance in MTB and to observe which polymorphisms emerge in MTB genomes after anti-tuberculosis treatment. We performed whole-genome sequencing of 152 MTB isolates including 70 isolates as 32 series of pre- and post-treatment MTB. Based on genotypes and phenotypic drug susceptibility, we conducted phylogenetic convergence-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) with streptomycin-, isoniazid-, rifampicin-, ethambutol-, fluoroquinolones-, and aminoglycosides-resistant MTB against susceptible ones. GWAS revealed statistically significant associations of SNPs within Rv2820c, cyp123 and indels in Rv1269c, Rv1907c, Rv1883c, Rv2407, Rv3785 genes with resistant MTB phenotypes. Comparisons of serial isolates showed that treatment induced different patterns of intra-host evolution. We found indels within Rv1435c and ppsA that were not lineage-specific. In addition, Beijing-specific polymorphisms within Rv0036c, Rv0678, Rv3433c, and dop genes were detected in post-treatment isolates. The appearance of Rv3785 frameshift insertion in 2 post-treatment strains compared to pre-treatment was also observed. We propose that the insertion within Rv3785, which was a GWAS hit, might affect cell wall biosynthesis and probably mediates a compensatory mechanism in response to treatment. These results may shed light on the mechanisms of MTB adaptation to chemotherapy and drug resistance formation.

Evaluation of the Discrimination Ability of the Decision Rule Allowing to Predict the Probability of Death in Oncosurgical Patients with Comorbid Pathology.

At the moment, there are many decision rules and mathematical models that reduce the risk of postoperative mortality and complications. A small part of such medical mathematical models (scales) is successfully used in practice, but there is also a part that eventually remains on the shelves and becomes morally obsolete. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the discrimination ability of the prognostic model underlying the decision rule that allows ranking patients into groups with favorable and unfavorable outcomes and into a group of patients subject to preoperative preparation to maintain the performance of the mathematical model Oncoprognosis 1.0. The discrimination ability carried out by constructing an area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. The investigation allowed conduct that any decision rule requires revision over time, its clarification and, if necessary, adjustments and updates.

Molecular characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug-resistant isolates from HIV- and HIV+ tuberculosis patients in Russia.

BACKGROUND: High burden of drug-resistant (DR) tuberculosis (TB) is a significant threat to national TB control programs all over the world and in the Russian Federation. Different Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) genotypes are hypothesized to have specific characteristics affecting TB control programs. For example, Beijing strains are supposed to have higher mutation rates compared to strains of other genotypes and subsequently higher capability to develop drug-resistance. RESULTS: Clinical MTB isolates from HIV- and HIV+ patients from four regions of Russia were analyzed for genotypes and mutations conferring resistance to Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. Analysis of genotypes and polymorphism of genomic loci according to the HIV status of the patients - sources of MTB isolates were performed. Studied MTB isolates from HIV- TB patients belonged to 15 genotypes and from HIV + TB patients - to 6 genotypes. Beijing clinical isolates dominated in HIV- (64,7%) and HIV+ (74,4%) groups. Other isolates were of LAM (including LAM1 and LAM9), Ural, and 4 minor groups of genotypes (including 5 subclones T). The spectrum of genotypes in the HIV- group was broader than in the HIV+ group. PR of B0/W148 Beijing was significantly lower than of other Beijing genotypes in susceptible and MDR-XDR isolates. Rates of isolates belonging to non-Beijing genotypes were higher than Beijing in susceptible isolates from HIV- patients. CONCLUSIONS: Beijing genotype isolates prevailed in clinical isolates of all drug susceptibility profiles both from HIV- and HIV+ patients, although B0/W148 Beijing genotype did not dominate in this study. Genome loci and mutations polymorphisms were more pronounced in clinical isolates from HIV- patients, than from HIV+.

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in patients with tuberculosis and factors associated with the disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Data on patients with COVID-19 who have pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) are limited. In this study, we compared the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19/TB and patients with COVID-19 only. In addition, we analyzed the links between the severity of COVID-19 disease and the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19/TB. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, anonymized, cross-sectional study of 111 patients who met inclusion criteria for analysis (75 patients with COVID-19/TB and 36 patients with COVID-19). RESULTS: Patients in both groups (COVID-19/TB vs COVID-19) mainly suffered from fever (72.0% vs 100%, p < 0.001), fatigue (76.0% vs 94.4%, p  =  0.018), chest pain (72.0% vs 36.1%, p < 0.001), followed by cough (60.0% vs 97.2%, p < 0.001) and dyspnea (44.0% vs 63.9%, p  =  0.05). In group COVID-19/TB the most frequently reported co-morbidities were chronic liver disease (17 [22.7%]), cardiovascular diseases (25 [33.3%]), and diseases of the nervous system (13 [17.3%]). Female gender, fever, dyspnea, pulmonary bilateral TB lesion, and three or more co-morbidities have a statistically significant positive effect on the severity of the disease among patients with COVID-19/TB. CONCLUSION: It is important to perform rapid molecular testing and computed tomography to correctly distinguish COVID-19 and TB because of the similar clinical characteristics of both diseases. Bilateral pulmonary TB lesion and co-morbidity should be considered risk factors for severe COVID-19.

CRISPR-Cas systems for diagnosing infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases are a global health problem affecting billions of people. Developing rapid and sensitive diagnostic tools is key for successful patient management and curbing disease spread. Currently available diagnostics are very specific and sensitive but time-consuming and require expensive laboratory settings and well-trained personnel; thus, they are not available in resource-limited areas, for the purposes of large-scale screenings and in case of outbreaks and epidemics. Developing new, rapid, and affordable point-of-care diagnostic assays is urgently needed. This review focuses on CRISPR-based technologies and their perspectives to become platforms for point-of-care nucleic acid detection methods and as deployable diagnostic platforms that could help to identify and curb outbreaks and emerging epidemics. We describe the mechanisms and function of different classes and types of CRISPR-Cas systems, including pros and cons for developing molecular diagnostic tests and applications of each type to detect a wide range of infectious agents. Many Cas proteins (Cas3, Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, Cas14 etc.) have been leveraged to create highly accurate and sensitive diagnostic tools combined with technologies of signal amplification and fluorescent, potentiometric, colorimetric, lateral flow assay detection and other. In particular, the most advanced platforms -- SHERLOCK/v2, DETECTR, CARMEN or CRISPR-Chip -- enable detection of attomolar amounts of pathogenic nucleic acids with specificity comparable to that of PCR but with minimal technical settings. Further developing CRISPR-based diagnostic tools promises to dramatically transform molecular diagnostics, making them easily affordable and accessible virtually anywhere in the world. The burden of socially significant diseases, frequent outbreaks, recent epidemics (MERS, SARS and the ongoing COVID-19) and outbreaks of zoonotic viruses (African Swine Fever Virus etc.) urgently need the developing and distribution of express-diagnostic tools. Recently devised CRISPR-technologies represent the unprecedented opportunity to reshape epidemiological surveillance and molecular diagnostics.

MDR and Pre-XDR Clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Strains: Assessment of Virulence and Host Cytokine Response in Mice Infectious Model.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype associated with drug resistance is a growing public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was the assessment of virulence for C57BL/6 mice after infection by clinical M. tuberculosis strains 267/47 and 120/26, which belong to the modern sublineages B0/W148 and Central Asia outbreak of the Beijing genotype, respectively. The sublineages were identified by the analysis of the strains' whole-genomes. The strains 267/47 and 120/26 were characterized as agents of pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, respectively. Both clinical strains were slow-growing in 7H9 broth compared to the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain. The survival rates of C57BL/6 mice infected by 267/47, 120/26, and H37Rv on the 150th day postinfection were 10%, 40%, and 70%, respectively. Mycobacterial load in the lungs, spleen, and liver was higher and histopathological changes were more expressed for mice infected by the 267/47 strain compared to those infected by the 120/26 and H37Rv strains. The cytokine response in the lungs of C57BL/6 mice after infection with the 267/47, 120/26, and H37Rv strains was different. Notably, proinflammatory cytokine genes Il-1α, Il-6, Il-7, and Il-17, as well as anti-inflammatory genes Il-6 and Il-13, were downregulated after an infection caused by the 267/47 strain compared to those after infection with the H37Rv strain.

Old Rats Are More Susceptible to Induction of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) at Comparative to Young Mature.

AIMS: The aim of the experiments was to find out the factors on which age-related sensitivity to the occurrence of BPH depends. METHODS: 45 Male Wistar rats aged 3 and 24 months were used. In each age group, there were intact rats and animals with induced BPH (by surgical castration + testosterone injections, 25 mg/kg x 7). On the 36th day of the experiment, blood was taken from rats to determine serum testosterone, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose; then, the animals were autopsied, their prostates were weighed, and their morphology was studied. RESULTS: Young mature intact rats had much higher testosterone levels (6.2±0.93 nmol/l) than old intact (3.8±0.55 nmol/l), while the ratio of prostate weight was inverse. The weight of the prostate and prostatic index in old rats with induced BPH was significantly higher not only in comparison with the old intact rats but also with young animals after BPH induction. Morphologically, the inflammatory foci were determined not only in the prostates of old rats, which induced BPH, but also in intact animals. Besides, in old intact rats, the foci of prostate hyperplasia were often noted. CONCLUSION: Our experimental model indicates the important role of non-bacterial prostatitis in the pathogenesis of BPH. No metabolic disorders in BPH induction were revealed. The sensitivity of the prostate of old rats to BPH development is increasing despite the low concentrations of testosterone in the body. Age sensitivity to BPH is probably determined by a higher expression of androgen receptors in old animals.

Factors associated with culture conversion among adults treated for pulmonary extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis during 2018-2019 in the Russian Federation: an observational cohort study.

Treatment outcomes for Multidrug/Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) remain poor across the globe and in the Russian Federation. Treatment of XDR-TB is challenging for programmes and patients often resulting in low success rates and onward transmission of drug-resistant strains. Analysis of factors affecting culture conversion rate among XDR-TB patients may serve as a basis for optimization of treatment regimens. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using health records from 54 patients with pulmonary XDR-TB treated at a tertiary level facility in the Russian Federation. The study population included adult patients with culture-positive pulmonary XDR-TB who started treatment between 1 January 2018-30 June 2019. Culture conversion was defined as two consecutive negative cultures, collected at least 30 days apart. The date of sputum culture conversion was taken from the first of two consecutive negative sputum cultures fulfilling these criteria. We measured time to culture conversion using cumulative incidence functions accounting for competing risks and applied binary cause-specific Cox regressions to assess associated factors. Sputum culture conversion was recorded for 43 (79.6%) patients. Median time to culture conversion adjusted for competing risk of loss to follow up was 4 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 2-5]. The number of patients who had culture converted by treatment months 2, 4, and 6 were 12 (22%), 29 (54%) and 38 (70%) respectively. In unadjusted analysis, positive baseline sputum smear microscopy [hazard ratio (HR): 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18-0.66; p=0.001), hepatitis C (HR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14-0.89; p=0.023], and human immunodeficiency virus (HR: 0.30 95%, CI: 0.09-0.97; p=0.045), and receipt of fewer than 4 effective drugs in the treatment regimen (HR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.60; p=0.009) were associated with delayed culture conversion. When compared to their combined use, patients receiving regimens with bedaquiline only (HR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03-0.49; p=0.003) or linezolid only (HR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06-0.69; p=0.010) were less likely to achieve timely culture conversion. Factors delaying sputum culture conversion should be considered in the management of patients with XDR-TB and considered by clinicians for regimen design and treatment strategies. Our study outlines the importance of simultaneous inclusion of bedaquiline and linezolid in treatment regimens for patients with XDR-TB to reduce time to sputum conversion and increase treatment success.

Impact of GeneXpert MTB/RIF® on treatment initiation and outcomes of RIF-resistant and RIF-susceptible TB patients in Vladimir TB dispensary, Russia.

BACKGROUND: The main advantage of GeneXpert MTB/RIF® (Xpert) molecular diagnostic technology is the rapid detection of M.tuberculosis DNA and mutations associated with rifampicin (RIF) resistance for timely initiation of appropriate treatment and, consequently, preventing further transmission of the disease. We assessed time to treatment initiation and treatment outcomes of RIF-resistant and RIF-susceptible TB patients diagnosed and treated in Vladimir TB Dispensary, Russia in 2012, before and after implementation of GeneXpert MTB/RIF® diagnostic technology. METHODS: All adult patients suspected of having TB during February-December 2012 underwent a clinical examination, chest x-ray, microscopy, culture, and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST). Starting August 2012 Xpert diagnostic technology became available in the facility. We used logistic regression to compare treatment outcomes in pre-Xpert and post-Xpert periods. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test were used to compare the time to treatment initiation between the groups. RESULTS: Of 402 patients screened for TB during February-December 2012, 338 were diagnosed with TB (280 RIF-susceptible, 58 RIF-resistant). RIF-resistant patients in the post-Xpert group started treatment with second-line drugs (SLD) earlier than those in pre-Xpert group (median 11 vs. 37 days, Log-rank p = 0.02). The hazard ratio for time to SLD treatment initiation was significantly higher in post-Xpert group (HR:2.06; 95%CI:1.09,3.89) compared to pre-Xpert group. Among the 53/58 RIF-resistant TB patients with available treatment outcome, 28 (53%) had successful outcomes (cured/completed treatment) including 15/26 (58%) in post-Xpert group versus 13/27 (48%) in pre-Xpert group. The observed difference, however, was not statistically significant (OR:0.69; 95%CI:0.23,2.06). Among RIF-susceptible TB cases time to treatment initiation was not significantly different between the groups (2 vs. 3 days, Log-rank p = 0.73). Of 252/280 RIF-susceptible TB cases with treatment outcome, 199 (79%) cases had successful outcome including 94/114 (82%) in post-Xpert group versus 105/138 (76%) in pre-Xpert group (OR:0.68; 95%CI:0.36,1.26). CONCLUSION: We observed that availability of Xpert for initial diagnosis significantly reduced the time to SLD treatment for RIF-resistant patients in the Vladimir TB Dispensary. Although implementation of rapid diagnostics did not improve treatment outcomes, early diagnosis of MDR-TB is important for selection of appropriate treatment regimen and prevention of transmission of drug-resistant strains of TB.

Assessment of the Prognostic Accuracy of Scores in Different Ways on the Example of Assessing the Validity of the Prognostic Model ISS-RTS-TRISS.

The aim of the present study was a comparison of prognostic accuracy assessment results for scores in different ways on the example of validity analysis of the prognostic model ISS-RTS-TRISS for assessing the severity of the condition in children with trauma. The prospective study was conducted using clinical and physiological data collected at the admission and during the first 24 hours of hospitalization from 414 children with trauma. We had three groups of patients, common group children with traumatic brain injuries, and two groups of patients were divided into the two following ways: 141 (34%) patients with isolated traumatic brain injuries and 273 (66%) patients with combined injuries with traumatic brain injuries The validity and prognostic accuracy of prognostic scores were assessed by determining there discrimination and calibration ability. Analysis of the discrimination ability of score was carried out by assessment the areas under the ROC curves. For analysis of the calibration ability of score was used three methods of the Hosmer-Lemeshow test (H-criterion, C-criterion in two variants). The ISS-RTS-TRISS score showed significantly outstanding predictive accuracy in studied groups (AUROC >=0.9) .However, estimation the calibration ability of score using the C-criterion, by dividing into groups with the same number of cases of patients (recommended for abnormal distribution) did not show an unambiguous results. It was shown that to obtain an unambiguous correct result, it was necessary to use the C-criterion method using the division of cases into groups with the same number of patients with the lethal outcome. When using this method, satisfactory results of study of calibration ability were shown for all the studied groups (p<0.05).

Mapping the tuberculosis scientific landscape among BRICS countries: a bibliometric and network analysis.

BACKGROUND: The five BRICS (Brazil, Russian, Indian, China, and South Africa) countries bear 49% of the world's tuberculosis (TB) burden and they are committed to ending tuberculosis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to map the scientific landscape related to TB research in BRICS countries. METHODS: Were combined bibliometrics and social network analysis techniques to map the scientific publications related to TB produced by the BRICS. Was made a descriptive statistical data covering the full period of analysis (1993-2016) and the research networks were made for 2007-2016 (8,366 records). The bubble charts were generated by VantagePoint and the networks by the Gephi 0.9.1 software (Gephi Consortium 2010) from co-occurrence matrices produced in VantagePoint. The Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm provided the networks' layout. FINDINGS: During the period 1993-2016, there were 38,315 peer-reviewed, among them, there were 11,018 (28.7%) articles related by one or more authors in a BRICS: India 38.7%; China 23.8%; South Africa 21.1%; Brazil 13.0%; and Russia 4.5% (The total was greater than 100% because our criterion was all papers with at least one author in a BRICS). Among the BRICS, there was greater interaction between India and South Africa and organisations in India and China had the highest productivity; however, South African organisations had more interaction with countries outside the BRICS. Publications by and about BRICS generally covered all research areas, especially those in India and China covered all research areas, although Brazil and South Africa prioritised infectious diseases, microbiology, and the respiratory system. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: An overview of BRICS scientific publications and interactions highlighted the necessity to develop a BRICS TB research plan to increase efforts and funding to ensure that basic science research successfully translates into products and policies to help end the TB epidemic.

Latent tuberculosis infection in children and adolescents in Russia.

BACKGROUND: After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the annual incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in children 15-17 years of age increased in the Russian Federation from 16 per 100 000 population in 1992 to 37 per 100 000 in 2009, and new control measures were implemented. METHODS: Children were screened annually for TB exposure with a tuberculin skin test (TST) at age 1-8 years. If positive, they were investigated for active TB. If no active TB was found, they were treated with isoniazid for 4-6 months; they then underwent 6-monthly skin tests (which included two recombinant proteins) until negative and annual skin tests thereafter. From the age of 8 years, the yearly follow-up was performed using the skin test that included two recombinant proteins, either until they became negative, developed active TB, or turned 18 years. RESULTS: The annual incidence of TB in Russian children decreased from 19.1 per 100 000 population in 2001 to 8.3 per 100 000 population in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: Annual screening for TB exposure with treatment for latent or active TB has reduced the annual incidence of TB in Russian children aged 15-17 years to 1992 levels.

Differential Dynamics of the Levels of Low Molecular Weight DNA Fragments in the Plasma of Patients With Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Strokes.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate Low-Molecular-weight (LMW) DNA as a possible prognostic biomarker in acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. METHODS: LMW DNA samples were isolated from plasma and cerebrospinal fluid by phenol deproteinization, analyzed by gradient polyacrylamide electrophoresis and quantified by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Two common types of stroke, i.e. ischemic and hemorrhagic, differ by the temporal dynamics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) accumulation. In hemorrhagic stroke, an initial increase in LMW DNA levels, most likely reflects an extent of the tissue damage, while in ischemic patients, the LMW DNA levels increase in parallel with the damage caused by hypoxia and subsequent compensatory reperfusion. CONCLUSION: These time-course data specify optimal assessment windows with maximum differentiating power for stroke outcomes: 24-48 hours post-event for ischemic stroke, and as close as possible to the moment of hospital admission for hemorrhagic stroke. These data also indicate the role of apoptosis in the formation of ischemic focus.

Mapping the tuberculosis scientific landscape among BRICS countries: a bibliometric and network analysis

BACKGROUND The five BRICS (Brazil, Russian, Indian, China, and South Africa) countries bear 49% of the world's tuberculosis (TB) burden and they are committed to ending tuberculosis. OBJECTIVES The aim of this paper is to map the scientific landscape related to TB research in BRICS countries. METHODS Were combined bibliometrics and social network analysis techniques to map the scientific publications related to TB produced by the BRICS. Was made a descriptive statistical data covering the full period of analysis (1993-2016) and the research networks were made for 2007-2016 (8,366 records). The bubble charts were generated by VantagePoint and the networks by the Gephi 0.9.1 software (Gephi Consortium 2010) from co-occurrence matrices produced in VantagePoint. The Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm provided the networks' layout. FINDINGS During the period 1993-2016, there were 38,315 peer-reviewed, among them, there were 11,018 (28.7%) articles related by one or more authors in a BRICS: India 38.7%; China 23.8%; South Africa 21.1%; Brazil 13.0%; and Russia 4.5% (The total was greater than 100% because our criterion was all papers with at least one author in a BRICS). Among the BRICS, there was greater interaction between India and South Africa and organisations in India and China had the highest productivity; however, South African organisations had more interaction with countries outside the BRICS. Publications by and about BRICS generally covered all research areas, especially those in India and China covered all research areas, although Brazil and South Africa prioritised infectious diseases, microbiology, and the respiratory system. MAIN CONCLUSIONS An overview of BRICS scientific publications and interactions highlighted the necessity to develop a BRICS TB research plan to increase efforts and funding to ensure that basic science research successfully translates into products and policies to help end the TB epidemic.

Iodine Bonded with Milk Protein Inhibits Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Development in Rats.

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer, so conducting research on effective BPH inhibitors is important. OBJECTIVE: This research studied the inhibitory effect of Iodized Serum Milk Protein (ISMP) on BPH in rats. ISMP is a concentrate of lactic protein containing 2.2% iodine. METHODS: Male Wistar rats, aged 18 months, were used. In the intact control group, sunflower oil was administered intragastrically by gavage. In 36 rats, BPH was induced by surgical castration, followed by subcutaneous injections of prolonged testosterone - omnadren, 25mg/kg every other day (7 administrations). One group of rats served as BPH-control. ISMP and finasteride (positive control), dissolved in sunflower oil, were administered to rats intragastrically daily at a dose of 200µg/kg and 5mg/kg, respectively, for 4 weeks starting immediately after castration. RESULTS: ISMP inhibited the development of BPH in rats, significantly reducing the mass of the prostate and its parts (except for the anterior lobes) by 1.1-1.3 times and the prostatic index (the ratio of prostate weight to the body weight) - by 1.3-1.4 times. Finasteride inhibited the development of BPH, and its activity was higher (by 1.1-1.3 times) than in ISMP. Histological analysis of the prostate showed fewer pronounced morphological hyperplasia signs in animals treated with ISMP or finasteride. CONCLUSION: The iodine-containing preparation ISMP has the ability to inhibit the development of BPH in rats although its activity is somewhat lower than that of finasteride.