[A word about V.S. Ulashchik (on the 80th anniversary of his birth)]. / Slovo o V.S. Ulashchike (k 80-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya).

In the history of physiotherapy there are many outstanding names, one of which is the name of Acad. V.S. Ulashchik's name is one of them. The medical community knows V.S. Ulashchik as an outstanding scientist in the field of physiotherapy, regenerative and integrative medicine, organizer of health care, who made a huge contribution to the development, first of all, of national physiotherapy and balneology.

[Modern view on upper limb physical rehabilitation after stroke. Literature review]. / Sovremennyi podkhod k fizicheskoi reabilitatsii funktsii verkhnei konechnosti posle insul'ta. Obzor literatury.

Stroke is the world's second leading cause of death and the first cause of disability among all diseases. The most common complication of a stroke is a violation of the motor function of the limbs, which significantly worsens the quality of life and the level of self-care and independence of patients. Restoring the function of the upper limb is one of the priority tasks of rehabilitation after a stroke. A large number of factors, such as the location and size of the primary brain lesion, the presence of complications in the form of spasticity, impaired skin and proprioceptive sensitivity, and comorbidities, determine the patient's rehabilitation potential and the prognosis of ongoing rehabilitation measures. Of particular note are the timing of the start of rehabilitation measures, the duration and regularity of the treatment methods. A number of authors propose scales for assessing the rehabilitation prognosis, as well as algorithms for compiling rehabilitation programs for restoring the function of the upper limb. A fairly large number of rehabilitation methods and their combinations have been proposed, including special methods of kinesitherapy, robotic mechanotherapy with biofeedback, the use of physiotherapeutic factors, manual and reflex effects, as well as ready-made programs that include sequential and combined use of various methods. Dozens of studies have been devoted to comparative analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of these methods. The purpose of this work is to review current research on a given topic and draw up our own conclusion on the appropriateness of using and combining these methods at various stages of rehabilitation in stroke patients.

[Therapeutic effects of climototherapy: scientomatrical analysis of evidence-based studies]. / Lechebnye effekty klimatoterapii: naukometricheskii analiz dokazatel'nykh issledovanii.

OBJECTIVE: Scientometrical analysis of studies the use of climatotherapy methods and formulation of guidelines based on the evidence obtained during the analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The article presents the data of scientometrical analysis of 40 publications on the use of climatotherapy in spa practice. RESULTS: Clinical effects and proposed mechanisms of action of the proven efficacy climatotherapy methods - aerotherapy, heliotherapy and thalassotherapy for the patients with various chronic diseases are presented. The clinical directions for the using of climatotherapy methods in climatic resorts are highlighted. CONCLUSIONS: Regular generalization and analysis of existing evidence-based studies is required, as well as the implementation of new high-quality randomized controlled clinical trials to study the effects of climate therapy on a wide range of patients with common socially significant diseases.

[Gastroesophageal reflux disease with cardial manifistations: perspectives of non-pharmacological treatment methods]. / Gastroézofageal'naia refliuksnaia bolezn' s kardial'nymi proiavleniiami: perspektivy nemedikamentoznykh metodov lecheniia.

In this article we present the review of the literature and our own research regarding gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with cardiac manifestations. The methods of treatment of patients with GERD using mineral waters, physio- and balneotherapeutic factors, as well as acupuncture are discussed. The conclusion is drawn about the effectiveness of the use of non-pharmacological methods in mono- and complex therapy of GERD and the need for further research in this direction.

[The application of the pulsed low-frequency electrostatic field in pediatrics]. / Primenenie impul'snogo nizkochastotnogo élektrostaticheskogo polia v pediatrii.

One of new methods for the physiotherapeutic treatment in pediatrics is the application of the pulsed low-frequency electrostatic field the action of which is based on the effects of deep resonant vibration on the affected tissue region with the minimal mecha-nical impact. Under the influence of the electrostatic field, the tissues at the site of interest become tightened and descend which causes their vibration due to the alternation of the pulses and intervals between them. The fast consecutive repetition of this process results in rhythmical deformation of the tissues. The electrostatic pulses are responsible for the increased friction between separate parts of the tissues while in the intervals between the pulses the tissue elastically resists their influence. In this way, the tissues subjected to such influence 'are pumped over' throughout their depth. It leads to the restoration of elasticity and mobilization of separate fibers and layers inside the tissue as well as to the development and improvement of the blood flow in the tissues and their blood supply. During the recent years, a large number of reports have been published in the literature concerning the possibilities of application of the pulsed low-frequency electrostatic field for the treatment and prevention of various di-seases in the children, including both monotherapy and its combination with other therapeutic modalities. The favourable action of the pulse low-frequency electrostatic field on the clinical course of bronchial asthma, mucoviscidosis, I and II degree scoliosis in the young children, remittent multiple sclerosis in the adolescents has been demonstrated. The data obtained give evidence of the high effectiveness of the proposed method, its excellent tolerance, and a wide range of beneficial effects on the main pathogenetic components of the diseases which creates the good prerequisites for the further active introduction of the therapeutic phy-sical factors in the practical work of the children's medical organizations.

[The fundamental principles behind the evaluation of the bioclimatic potential of the Alma-Ata health resort (Kazakhstan) for the medical purposes]. / Osnovnye printsipy otsenki bioklimaticheskogo potentsiala kurorta Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) dlya meditsinskikh tselei.

This article reports the results of the analysis of long-term observations carried out at the Almaty health resort (Kazakhstan) with the purpose of evaluating of balneotherapeutic potential of this facility with special reference to the elucidation of its seasonal dynamics and characteristic of the comfort conditions for the inclusion into the program of spa and health resort-based treatment and climatic therapy programs.

[The topical problems of pediatric balneotherapy and the spa and health resort-based treatment of the children].

This article is devoted to the topical problems of pediatric balneotherapy with special reference to the organization of the spa and health resort-based treatment of the children in the Russian Federation. The main issues discussed by the authors include the current state of health resort care for the children, the problem of statutory regulation of the activities of the children's spa and health resort facilities, the approaches to increasing the availability of the spa and health resort-based treatment for the children at the enhanced risk of the development of chronic diseases, disabilities, and tuberculosis. Also considered are the problems of the development of the regulatory framework for the medical rehabilitation of the children based at the spa and health resort facilities. The principal goals to be sought in climatotherapy, physiotherapy, balneotherapy, and pelotherapy in the pediatric context are outlined along with the further prospects for the development of the main areas of pediatric balneology.

[The modern applications of radon therapy for the medical rehabilitation of the patients].

Radon therapy is one of the methods of physiobalneotherapy the mechanism of action of which is believed to consist of the influence of the small radiation doses of radon and its daughter products on the nervous, vascular, and immune apparatuses of the skin and mucosal membranes that eventually enhances the protective and adaptive potential of the body and thereby its ability to resist pathological impacts. At present, the high effectiveness of radon therapy is universally recognized and this method is widely applied for the combined treatment of various diseases in different fields of medicine. These include (1) diseases of the musculoskeletal system and locomotor disorders in the patients presenting with recurrent rheumatic fever, reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, post-traumatic osteoarthrosis and knee joint synovitis, the sympathico-tonic course of vegetative dystonia associated with connective tissue dysplasia, etc.; (2) neurological disorders in the patients presenting with cervical dorsopathy, neurological manifedstations of degenerative lesions of the cervical and lumbar spine, etc.; (3) cardiological disorders in the patients presenting with hypertensive disease, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis of different localization, etc.; (4) gastrointestinal disorders in the patients presenting with gastric and duodenal ulcers, irritated bowel syndrome, etc.; (5) gynecological problems in the patients presenting with primary and secondary dysmenorrhea, genital endometriosis, uterine myoma, dysregulated reproductive function, polycystic ovary - syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome and ovulatory disorders of proinflammatory origin, etc.

[The neurophysiological basis of the effectiveness of transcranial methods for the treatment of neuropathic pain].

The present article reports the data concerning the prevalence of chronic pain syndromes in clinical practice. The importance of addressing the problem of finding effective treatment modalities for the patients presenting with these conditions is emphasized. The mechanisms of neuropathic pain are analyzed. The possible pathogenetically sound substantiations for the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of chronic pain are discussed. The article highlights the results of recent meta-analyses of the comparative effectiveness of transcranial methods. The mail lines of further investigations in the field of monotherapy and combined treatment of neuropathic pain are outlined.

[The results of the combined application of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy and radon baths during the rehabilitative treatment of the patients presenting with gonarthrosis].

UNLABELLED: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the main cause of arthritic joint damage. AIM: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined application of radon baths and shock-wave therapy in the patients suffering from knee OA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved 75 patients at the age of 35 to 62 years with the confirmed diagnosis of stage II and III gonarthrosis; they were divided into 3 groups. The patients of the main group received the combined treatment including extracorporeal shock-wave therapy and radon baths The patients comprising the group of comparison were given the course of radon therapy alone while those in the control group were offered the standard treatment including physiotherapy, magnetic therapy, and NSAIDs. RESULTS: The study has demonstrated the high effectiveness of the combined application of the radon baths and extracorporeal shock-wave therapy for the rehabilitation of the patients with deforming arthrosis of the knee that was apparent from the substantial decrease of pain syndrome, the increase of the range of motions in the knee joints, and the overall improvement of the quality of life. These beneficial changes persisted for a period of up to 6 months. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study give reason to recommend the proposed method of the remedial treatment for the wide practical application as a component in the framework of the medical rehabilitation programs.

[The necessity of new approaches to the elaboration of the projects for the sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts around the therapeutic and health-promotion facilities, health resorts and their natural medical resources].

The international experience gained during the past two centuries indicates that the most efficient and rational way to ensure the protection of the territories occupied by the therapeutic and health-promotion facilities, spa centres, and health resorts together with their natural medical resources is to set up sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts or zones along the perimeter of these territories. Beginning from 2000, numerous changes and amendments have been annually introduced in the Russian legislation intended to ensure efficacious control over the rational exploitation of the territories of therapeutic and health-promotion value and their natural medical resources. These initiatives have negative effect on the activities of these organizations and the quality of the services they are expected to provide. Taken together these effects lead to the degradation of the spa and health resort business. Bearing in mind the current conditions for economic activities, it is proposed, in contrast to the former global approach, to envisage in the aforementioned projects the establishment of the sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts or zones and determine their borders based on the results of the assessment of their potential for the protection of therapeutic factors and other valuable resources. Equally important is the maximum reduction of the areas of the second and third zones taking into account their relevant objective characteristics. In certain cases, the protective district may coincide with the second zone. As far as the federal health resorts and large territories of special health-promotion value are concerned, some of them may have two or more sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts. Both the owners and the users of these territories should be provided the necessary and sufficient possibilities for the rational nature use at the grounds and in the adjacent water areas suitable for the development of health resort business in the conditions guaranteed by the national legislation.

[The long-term results of the application of the combined rehabilitative treatment in the patients presenting with knee osteoarthrosis].

UNLABELLED: The rehabilitative treatment of the patients suffering from knee osteoarthrosis (OA) up-to-date remains one of the most important medical and social problems of modern medicine due to the high prevalence of this disease, heavy morbidity, and the significant deterioration of the quality of the patients' life. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the long-term results of the combined application of radon and extracorporeal shock-wave therapy for the rehabilitation of the patients presenting with knee OA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved 75 patients at the age from 35 to 62 years with the confirmed diagnosis of stage II and III knee osteoarthrosis. They were divided into 3 groups. Those comprising the main group received extracorporeal shock-wave therapy in combination with the treatment based on the use of radon baths. The patients included in the group of comparison were given a course of radon therapy alone while the patients of the control group received the standard treatment including physiotherapy, magnetic therapy, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). RESULTS: The study has demonstrated the high effectiveness of the combined application of the radon baths and extracorporeal shock-wave therapy that was manifested as the substantial decrease of pain intensity, the increased range of motion in the knee joints, and the improvement of the general quality of life. These beneficial effects persisted during a period of up to 12 months. The stable remission was documented in 82% of the patients comprising the main group. CONCLUSION: The data obtained give reason to recommend the method employed in the present study for the extensive practical application at different stages of medical rehabilitation of the patients presenting with knee osteoarthrosis.

[The pathogenetic rationale for the application of reflexotherapy in the rehabilitation of the patients presenting with cognitive disorders].

Cognitive disorders (CD) of variable severity are currently one of the leading causes of disability in the patients presenting with vascular and degenerative diseases of the brain; it is especially true of Alzheimer's disease. The discovery of the universal pathogenetic mechanism underlying the development of CD made it possible to explain the known cases of the successful application of acupuncture in the patients with disorders of seemingly different origin. The results of these studies suggest that acupuncture can affect the key pathogenetic "functional circles" involved in the development of CD. The present article is focused on the description of the humoral, neurotransmitter and electrophysiological mechanisms through which the positive effects of acupuncture on the cognitive function of the patients with various diseases are mediated.

[Conceptual substantiation of the place and the role of a new research and practical area of rehabilitative medicine in the systemic organizational structure of the health care service in the Russian Federation].

One of todays' priority mainstreams in state politics and public activities is the protection of life and health of the people and the increase of life expectancy based on the system ensuring the availability of relevant health improving and social measures. Health should be considered as a measure of somatic, mental, physical, and social well-being, as an indicator of the quality of life, and first and foremost as a result of robust social policy of the state, regulatory and legal support of the population and its right to the decent life. This line of reasoning suggests the importance of the development of a new human health paradigm. These considerations provide a basis for the elaboration of the concept of rehabilitative medicine with the healthy rather than sick man as its subject. It means that the former activities of prophylactic facilities oriented towards diagnostics of transition from health to pathology must be modified to have the control over psychophysiological reserves, occupational safety and health as the primary goal. The formula of discipline of "rehabilitative medicine, sports medicine, therapeutic physical training, balneotherapeutics, and physiotherapy" is based on this concept. In order to achieve said goal, the monopoly privilege of the Ministry of Health in the field of health preservation must be substituted by the integrated activities of all state power organs, educational institutions, parliamentary health committees, governmental financial and economic departments, all propaganda assets and information media in the field of public health care. Such an approach would allow to consolidate measures for the protection of the nation's health as the most important goal currently facing the state and society.

[Physiophilosophical fundamentals and genesis of Tsigun, Indian, and Tibetan Yoga. Paramount empirical efficacy].

This article is devoted to the analysis of physiophilosophical fundamentals and genesis of Tsigun, Indian, and Tibetan Yoga based on the overview of the relevant literature with special reference to the methodology of these physical and mental disciplines and their therapeutic and health-giving efficacy. Based on the combination of physiophilosophical categories and medical knowledge in the framework of the concept of the five primary elements, the authors illustrate the development of the systemic approach by which ancient physicians related man to nature in order to derive the adaptation principle realized through human activities. Traditional and modern aspects of these activities are considered. In the traditional context, the performance of exercises as assigned by Tsigun, Indian, and Tibetan Yoga is considered as the purposeful realization of the energy of conscience for health improvement and development and in the modern context as the realization of a novel form of psychic creative capacity to the same effect based on fruitful brainwork.

[Application of the pulsed low-frequency electrostatic field in the early rehabilitative treatment of patients following surgery for the correction of valgus deformation of the first toe].

This paper describes the method and results of application of the pulsed low-frequency electrostatic field (PLFESF) to the lower extremities of the patients who underwent surgical treatment for the correction of valgus deformation of the first toe. The efficiency of the method used in the early period of rehabilitative treatment was estimated at 93.3% compared with 96.7% in the patients who were managed by the same therapy in combination with polyoxdonium.

[Effect of the pulse shape on electrostimulation of excitable tissues].

This paper is devoted to the consideration of the mechanisms of electrostimulation of excitable tissues used in remedial medicine. Community of biophysical principles underlying the Weiss-Lapique and Dubois-Reymond laws is emphasized. The action of stimulating pulses on biological tissues and its consequences are analysed with reference to their shape (rectangular, triangular, and exponential). It is shown that the shape of the accommodation curve depends on the shape of stimulating pulses and physiological conditions of the tissue.

[On the methodological approach to the elucidation of mechanisms underlying therapeutic effectiveness of Cigun, Indian and Tibetan Yoga therapy].

The methodological approach is proposed allowing to objectively characterize neurophysiological mechanisms underlying therapeutic effectiveness of Cigun, Indian and Tibetan Yoga therapy. Execution of exercises stipulated in these programs is interpreted as a consciousness-inspired specific form of human behaviour (activity). Step-by-step analysis of mentally-organized body's functional systems as a neurophysiological basis of realizable behaviour is presented. Operational interpretation of internal mechanisms underlying the system's functioning permits to evaluate the stereotype brain condition actualized by specific requirements and motivations that initiates sensory deprivation to ensure priority realization of internal genetically determined activity of the human body. Mobilization of this internal activity is described as a process of selective formation of many complicated interactions between various structures of the reticular formation, limbic system, subcortical centres, and neocortex maintaining priority functioning of homeostatic mechanisms of self-regulation and inborn human behaviour. These mechanisms are believed to underlie the autoreconstructive potential of human organism by ensuring systemic correction and restoration of its functional resources.