Bullying in persons with skin diseases.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies on bullying in skin diseases. Persons with skin diseases are especially prone to bullying. OBJECTIVES: This component of the project 'Bullying among Dermatologic Patients' aimed to study the prevalence and nature of bullying in patients with skin diseases from different countries and age groups. METHODS: Data were collected from participants of international social media groups for patients with skin diseases, in-patients and out-patients with skin diseases, and parents of children with skin diseases from six European countries. School and university students from Poland and Ukraine were asked to answer the question: Have you been bullied because of skin problems? RESULTS: Bullying was reported in 1016 patients with 36 different skin diseases. Prevalence of self-reported and parental-reported bullying was quite heterogeneous among different countries In total, self-reported bullying was noted by 25.6% of patients with skin diseases during face-to-face consultations, by 63.7% of respondents from international patients' groups and by 12.2% of school and university students. Parental-reported bullying was detected in 34.5% of 3-4 years old children with skin diseases. The peak of bullying prevalence occurred between the ages of 13 and 15. The most prevalent forms of bullying were verbal abuse and social isolation. Physical abuse was the least often reported form of bullying. Only 33.2% of participants talked to anyone about being bullied. Negative long-term effects of bullying were reported by 63% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Skin disease-related bullying was reported by patients in all centres of the project. The main manifestations of bullying were similar in different countries and among patients with different skin diseases. International activities aimed to decrease or prevent skin disease-related bullying in different age groups are needed. These activities should be multidirectional and target teachers, parents of classmates and classmates of children with skin diseases, patients' parents and patients themselves.

Validation of the dermatology-specific proxy instrument the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life.

BACKGROUND: The first dermatology-specific proxy health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for children 0-4 years old with skin diseases, the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life (InToDermQoL), was recently developed. In order to avoid the problem of cross-cultural inequivalence focus groups work and pilot tests were organized simultaneously in all national centres of the project. The InToDermQoL showed good comprehensibility, clarity and acceptance. OBJECTIVE: To validate the InToDermQoL questionnaire during international field tests. METHODS: Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire were checked during international field tests. RESULTS: Parents of 473 children with skin diseases filled in the national language versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. All three age-specific versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire with 10, 12 and 15 items, respectively, showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.90-0.93), good test-retest reliability (correlation coefficients > 0.9), significant correlations with the most widely used atopic dermatitis-specific proxy instrument, the Infants Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (correlation coefficients 0.68-0.79). The InToDermQoL versions for children <3 years old well correlated with the atopic dermatis severity measure Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (correlation coefficients 0.66 and 0.86 for 10 and 12 items versions, respectively). The InToDermQoL questionnaire discriminated well among different diagnoses and disease severity levels. CONCLUSION: Our field tests confirmed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. Development and validation of the InToDermQoL questionnaire make it possible to assess dermatology-specific aspects of HRQoL in youngest children with skin diseases. There are many reasons to assess HRQoL in dermatologic clinical practice, and we hope that our new instrument will be used internationally in paediatric dermatology for research and practical needs.

Creation and pilot test results of the dermatology-specific proxy instrument: the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life.

BACKGROUND: Until now, there was no validated dermatology-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument to be used in youngest patients. OBJECTIVE: To create dermatology-specific proxy instrument for HRQoL assessment in children from birth to 4 years. METHODS: International focus groups, item selection and pilot tests were utilized. In order to avoid the problem of cross-cultural inequivalence, focus group work and pilot tests were planned simultaneously in all national centres of the project. Comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency of new instrument were checked. RESULTS: The title 'Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life' was chosen for our new instrument with the proposed acronym 'InToDermQoL'. Focus group work was completed in seven national centres (Croatia, Germany, Greece, Malta, Poland, Romania and Ukraine). A total of 170 families of children with different skin diseases were interviewed, and a pilot version of the instrument was created. Centres from France, Denmark and Spain have joined the project at this stage. Parents of 125 children with skin diseases filled in the pilot versions of the instrument. Good comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency of the InToDermQoL were confirmed. The pilot test results showed that the InToDermQoL questionnaire well differentiates severity-dependent differences. It was also checked and confirmed during the pilot test that no significant information was missed in the questionnaire. Three age-specific versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire with 10, 12 and 15 items, respectively, were approved for field tests. CONCLUSION: The pilot test results showed that the InToDermQoL questionnaire has good comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency and well differentiates severity-dependent differences. Further validation of the InToDermQoL during international field test will be performed.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PHOTON CAPTURE BEAM TECHNOLOGY AND PHOTODYNAMIC IMPACT ON MALIGNANT HUMAN CELLS ІN A RESTING STATE. / ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ФОТОН/ЗАХВАТНОЇ ПРОМЕНЕВОЇ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ ТА ФОТОДИНАМІЧНОГО ВПЛИВУ НА ЗЛОЯКІСНІ КЛІТИНИ ЛЮДИНИ, ЩО ЗНАХОДЯТЬСЯ У СТАНІ СПОКОЮ.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the structural and morphofunctional changes in test system of malignant (cell line A-549) human cells in a resting state exposed to X-rays in the presence of gadolinium-containing photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ and optical light (red spectrum) in combination with «Photolon¼ photosensitizer. METHODS: Passaged malignant human cell culture technology, X-ray and red light exposure, cytological and statistical methods. RESULTS: X-ray exposure at a dose of 10.0 Gy in the presence of photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ (at a 100 µg/ml nutrient medium concentration) led to death of 75-83 % of malignant cells in a resting state on the 6-8th day of cultivation. Photodynamic exposure (630 nm wavelength red light) in the presence of «Photolon¼ photosensitizer (200 µg/ml concentration) resulted in death of 69-73 % of malignant cells, respectively. Combination of the photon-capturing technology and photodynamic exposure resulted in death of 90 % of the malignant cells in a phase of steady-state growth on the 8th day of cultivation. CONCLUSION: Combination of the photon capture technology (X-ray exposure with gadolinium-containing photoncapture agent «Dotavist¼ in cytotoxic concentration) and photodynamic exposure in the presence of «Photolon¼ photosensitizer increased devitalization effectiveness of human non-small cell lung cancer cells (A-549 cell line) being in a steady-state growth phase up to 90 %. Ten percent of cells resistant to the applied technologies retained their proliferative potential, evident as changes in their morphology, genotype and adhesiveness during further cultivation.

[Optimization of preventive measures in the patients with risk factors of cardiovascular diseases].

A total of 162 patients with risk factors of cardiovascular diseases were examined in our health centre. 102 of them were enrolled in the optimized program of non-medicamental prophylaxis applied under health resort and outpatient conditions during four years. The program included rational nutrition, psychotherapy, adequate locomotor activity, hydro-, gaso-, and thermotherapeutic procedures, and educational curricula. The patients of the control group were given the traditional health resort treatment. The comparison of the clinical and functional conditions of the patients in both groups revealed a significant advantage of the proposed therapeutic strategy.

EFFICIENCY OF PHOTON CAPTURE BEAM TECHNOLOGY AND PHOTODYNAMIC IMPACT ON MALIGNANT AND NORMAL HUMAN CELLS IN VITRO. / EFEKTYVNIST' FOTON-ZAKhVATNOÏ PROMENEVOÏ TEKhNOLOGIÏ TA FOTODYNAMIChNOGO VPLYVU NA ZLOIaKISNI TA NORMAL'NI KLITYNY LIuDYNY IN VITRO.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the structural and morphofunctional changes in test systems of malignant (cell lineA549) and normal (stem fibroblasts) human cells exposed to X-rays in the presence of gadoliniumcontaining photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ and optical light (red spectrum) in combination with «Fotolon¼ photosensitizer. METHODS: The continuous cell culture of normal human fibroblasts and malignant human cells technology, X-ray and red light exposure, cytological and statistical methods. RESULTS: Effects of the two binary radiation technologies, namely the photon capture impact on malignant cells(human nonsmall cell lung cancer cells i.e. line A-549) and normal cells (human stem fibroblasts) when incubated with gadoliniumcontaining photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ and photodynamic effect in the presence of «Fotolon¼ photosensitizer applied separately and in combination were studied in a comparative mode. Proceeding from morphofunctional characteristics (growth kinetics, proliferative and mitotic activity) of the abovementioned test systems, peculiarities of the effect on malignant and normal cells were established. Irradiation with X-rays to the 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 Gy doses resulted in inactivation of respectively 10 %, 46 %, and 80% of the A-549 line malignant cells.Cellular irradiation to a 1.0 Gy dose in the presence of the photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ (10 µl/ml concentration) inhibited cell proliferation by 50 %, suppressing their mitotic activity. At a dose of 10.0 Gy in the presence of «Dotavist¼ the inhibition by 93 % of the growth and division of malignant cells occurred, indicating the high efficiency of binary radiation technology. The effect of two binary radiation technologies on malignant human cells (A-549 line), namely the combination of red light with «Fotolon¼ (0.05 mg/ml concentration) and X-ray exposure in the above doses with «Dotavist¼ (10 µl/ ml concentration) resulted in the death of respectively 64 %, 86 %, and 99% malignant cells. The culture of normal fibroblasts was found being more sensitive to the influence of a complex of binary radiation impact, as exposure to a dose of 10.0 Gy in the presence of «Dotavist¼ and «Fotolon¼ inactivated 100 % of cells. CONCLUSION: The obtained results provide basis of preclinical evaluation of effectiveness of the combined impact of two binary technologies and drugs used in the photon capture technology and photodynamic therapy i.e. the photon capture agent «Dotavist¼ and «Fotolon¼ photosensitizer respectively.

SELECTION AND TESTING OF EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF NORMAL AND MALIGNANT HUMAN CELLS IN VITRO AND EVALUATION OF THEIR SENSITIVITY RANGE TO THE NEUTRON/CAPTURE AND PHOTON/CAPTURE AGENTS AND PHOTOSENSITIZERS. / VIDBIR TA APROBUVANNIa EKSPERYMENTAL'NYKh MODELEI NORMAL'NYKh TA ZLOIaKISNYKh KLITYN LIuDYNY IN VITRO TA DOSLIDZhENIa MEZh ÏKhN'OÏ ChUTLYVOSTI DLIa NEITRONOZAKhVATNYKh, FOTON/ZAKhVATNYKh AGENTIV TA FOTOSENSYBILIZATORIV.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the structural and morpho-functional changes in test systems of malignant (A-549 cellline) and normal (fibroblasts of the 6th passage) human cells during incubation with gadolinium-containing pho-ton-capture agent «Dotavist¼ and photosensitizer «Fotolon¼. METHODS: The passaged (continuously interweaved) cell culture technique on normal human fibroblasts and malig-nant human cells; cytological, biophysical, statistical methods. RESULTS: The cytotoxic properties of «Dotavist¼ gadolinium-containing photon-capturing agent and «Photolon¼photosensitizer in a wide range of concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 µl/ml) were studied by the morpho-functional characteristics (growth kinetics, proliferative and mitotic activity, presence of atypical cells) in the invitro test systems of malignant (non-small cell lung cancer cell line A-549) and normal (6th passage fibroblasts)human cells. It was found that the cytotoxic properties of «Dotavist¼ in test systems of malignant and normal cellsare expressed under its administration in high concentrations (100 and 200 µl/ml). During incubation with«Photolon¼ photosensitizer the cytotoxic effect on malignant cells was determined at the lowest concentrations (5and 10 µl/ml). Photosensitizer administration in the increasing concentrations has lead to genotoxic effects.Cytotoxic effect of photosensitizer on the normal human fibroblasts was evident in the 5-200 µl/ml concentrationrange. There was a moderate decrease in mitotic activity along with increasing concentration. Genotoxic propertiesof photosensitizer were evident at 25 µl/ml concentration and above. CONCLUSION: Study results of the effectiveness of neutron-capture and photon-capture technologies by the sensi-tivity assay in the in vitro test systems of human malignant cells (non-small cell lung cancer cell line A-549) andnormal cells (transplantable human fibroblast culture, the 6th passage) to the gadolinium-containing photon-cap-ture «Dotavist¼ agent and «Photolon¼ photosensitizer in different concentrations provide the basis for pre-clinicalstage of evaluating the effectiveness of medications used in binary technologies.

[Rehabilitative treatment of metabolic syndrome in a sanatorium].

This study included 386 patients with metabolic syndrome admitted for the treatment to a health spa facility. Diagnosis was established using the specially developed program of combined clinical examination, functional tests, and laboratory analyses. A specific feature of the present spa and resort treatment was the extensive application of carefully selected non-medicinal therapeutic modalities in combination with pharmaceutical preparations. The study has demonstrated that the use of the active treatment program produced beneficial effect in the majority of the patients.

Analysis of the antioxidantive qualities of sperm after total body X-irradiation of animals. / Analiz aktyvnosti antyoksydantnoi' systemy spermy za umov total''nogo rentgenivs''kogo oprominennja tvaryn.

OBJECTIVE: To study dynamics of natural antioxidant levels and antioxidant enzymes activities in rabbit seminal fluid in conditions of single total body X-ray irradiation in different doses. Materials and methods. Soviet Shinshilla white rabbit males 30-36 months old were taken into investigation. Sperm was collected by artificial vagina. Seminal fluid was purified from spermatozoa by centrifugation at 2500g during 12 min. Animals were irradiated by X-rays on RUM-17 device (Russia) in doses 1.0; 2.0; 5.0 and 7.0 Gy with dose rate 2.8x10-3 Gy/sec. Sperm was gathered on 10th and 90th day after irradiation. Free glutathione and thiol concentration were assessed by spectrophotometry using 2.2-dithiobisnitrobenzoic acid, lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring of TBA-active products concentration. Enzymatic activities of superoxiddismutase, catalase, glutathionperoxidase and glutathionreductase were estimated in substrate specific reactions spectrophotometrically. Results. Dose-dependant up-regulation of antioxidant enzymatic activity of seminal fluid on the 10th day after exposure to 1.0-7.0 Gy dose range of total X-ray irradiation was shown. This effect was accompanied by the decrease of free thiols concentration, from the one hand, and both TBA-active products and oxidized glutathione contents elevation, from the other hand. This seminal plasma state was shown to be temporal and partially normalized on 90th day after exposure. Conclusions. Total X-ray irradiation of rabbits leads to significant up-regulation of antioxidant processes of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic type on the 10th day after radiation exposure in seminal plasma. This effect was shown to be dose-dependant. Then antioxidant activity dropped and metabolic activities gradually normalized according to studied parameters within 90 days after exposure in 1.0 and 2.0 Gy.

Variation of rabbit sperm physiologic parameters after the X-ray exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of X-irradiation on the morpho-functional characteristics of rabbit spermatozoa and the contents of fructose, L-carnitine, α-tocopherol, ascorbate and citrate in the animal sperm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total body irradiation of rabbits (Soviet Shinchilla) was performed at the RUM-17 device in the dose range of 1.0-7.0 Gy with 2.8·10-3 Gy/sec intensity. The animal sperm was collected by the artificial vagina and then separated on seminal plasma and spermatozoa through centrifugation. Sperm concentration, motility, morphology and linear velocity were identified using the "MBI-6" light microscope. The quantitative determination of ascorbate, α-tocopherol and L-carnitine in seminal plasma was made on the "Agilent 1200" liquid chromatograph, while the concentration of fructose and citrate was measured on a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The X-ray irradiation was shown to cause a dose-dependent suppressing effect on the prostate, seminal vesicles and epididymices expresed through the decreased content of fructose, citrate, L-carnitine, α-tocopherol and ascorbate in a rabbit sperm. Simultaneously the exacerbation of morphologic anomalies (damage of acrosomes, heads and tails) in spermatozoa along with spermatozoid motility and linear velocity decrease were elucidated. CONCLUSION: The run-time pattern of morpho-functional changes in spermatozoa together with component content of rabbit sperm in response to the total body irradiation was studied. Consequently the dose dependent raise of morphologic anomalies (damage of acrosomes, heads and tails) in spermatozoa and the slowing of spermatozoid linear velocity was found out. The sperm capacity to fulfill the post-radiation recovery was proven up. The effectiveness of the latter was shown to be dependent upon the radiation dose absorbed and the duration of post-irradiation period.

Porous titanium-nickel for intervertebral fusion in a sheep model: part 2. Surface analysis and nickel release assessment.

Porous titanium-nickel (PTN) devices represent an alternative to traditional cage implants. PTN materials possess an interconnecting network of pores with capillarity properties that may promote bone ingrowth, long-term fixation, and intervertebral fusion without the need for bone grafting. However, their considerable surface area and nickel content may elicit concerns over sensitization potential. Therefore, PTN surface corrosion and nickel release resistance must be carefully studied. To evaluate this possibility, a PTN interbody fusion device (IFD) was compared to a conventional nonporous cage made of TiAlV, a well-known biocompatible biomaterial, in a sheep model. PTN and TiAlV IFDs were inserted at two non-contiguous lumbar sites for 3, 6, and 12 months postsurgery. Their surface was then evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with backscattered electron analysis (BSE). No evidence of surface corrosion was observed either pre- or postimplantation, regardless of device type. Dosage of nickel ions was also performed with the use of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Blood nickel levels were observed to be within acceptable levels at all postinstrumentation times. Nickel content in PTN-adjacent tissue, as well as in detoxification and remote organs, was equivalent both in PTN-treated and control sheep. Therefore, porous titanium-nickel demonstrated resistance to both in vivo surface corrosion and nickel ion release and compared very well with a conventional titanium implant in the course of a 12-month sheep study.