Drug Use Homophily in Adolescent Offenders' Close Friendship Groups.

Adolescents who befriend drug using peers may be at risk for initiated and continued substance use. The present secondary data analysis examined how drug use homophily (i.e., similarity) in justice-involved boys' friendship groups relates to their subsequent substance use variety across a period of five years. Participants were 1216 first-time adolescent offenders (Mage Baseline = 15.29; 100% male). Multilevel model analyses revealed that, among participants who entered the study with a history of substance use, drug use homophily was associated with greater subsequent substance use variety. Among participants who entered the study without a history of substance use, this association was no longer significant. The findings have implications for guiding justice system programming aimed at decreasing adolescent offenders' substance use.

Adolescents' adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States resulted in safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intended to curb the spread of the virus. Adolescents are potentially at risk for disregarding these guidelines due to their reduced psychosocial maturity compared with adults. The current study examined the relationship between adolescents' psychosocial maturity, perceived importance of the CDC guidelines and adherence to the CDC guidelines within some of the highest risk groups for contracting COVID-19 in a county particularly impacted by the pandemic (i.e., Hispanic and low-SES youth in El Paso, Texas). METHODS: Participants completed a phone interview with a research assistant regarding their thoughts and behaviours in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents (N = 68) were 15.38 years old on average (SD = 1.05, range = 13, 17), predominantly male (60.3%) and nearly exclusively Hispanic/Latino (94.1%). RESULTS: Results indicated that although more psychosocially mature adolescents reported greater adherence to the CDC guidelines than less psychosocially mature adolescents, the association between psychosocial maturity and adherence was fully mediated by how important adolescents felt it was to follow the guidelines. Specifically, greater perceived importance was associated with greater adherence to the guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The current study found that more psychosocially mature adolescents adhere to CDC's safety guidelines better than less psychosocially mature adolescents because they are more likely to view the guidelines as important. Information that attempts to increase adolescent adherence to the guidelines should therefore emphasize not only that following the guidelines is important, but why following the guidelines is so important. Less psychosocially mature adolescents may benefit most from interventions efforts and targeted messages regarding the importance of following the CDC's guidelines, as more psychosocially mature adolescents already recognize this importance.

MARKETING AUDIT OF UKRAINIAN PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET FOR LOCAL TREATMENT ACNE AND DEMODICOSIS.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To conduct a marketing audit of the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine for acne and demodicosis medications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study used marketing methods of analysis, survey, observation methods and reference literature - State Register of Medicines of Ukraine of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. RESULTS: Results: As a result of marketing audit of retail audit data of pharmacy sales revealed that the leading sales in packaging is MNL benzylbenzoate, the share of which reached in different years from 45% to 32%, which was 1380902 and 647576 packages per year, respectively, in second place - metronidazole , benzoyl peroxide, zinc ointment and sulfur ointment respectively. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: According to our analysis, it has been found that the highest sales volume (in packs) are of the low-cost brands, which are the most economically available and have the most effective therapeutic effect. Therefore, it is important to create multicomponent soft drugs in the form of cream and gel based on metronidazole, benzyl benzoate and benzoyl peroxide.

Healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major public health problem and patient safety threat worldwide. Scant information is available on the occurrence HAI and antimicrobial susceptibility of responsible pathogens in Ukrainian intencive care units (ICUs). The aim: To evaluate the prevalence of HAIs and antimicrobial resistance of the responsible pathogens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study included 642 patients and 262 samples isolated from patients with microbiologically proven HAI. The identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of the cultures were determined, using automated microbiology analyzer. Some antimicrobial susceptibility test used Kirby - Bauer antibiotic testing. Interpretative criteria were those suggested by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTS: Results: Among 642 patients, 148 HAIs were observed (23.1%). Death during hospitalization was reported in 20.1% HAI cases. Pneumonia (47.3%), blood stream infection (21.6%), and urinary tract infection (14.9) together accounted for 83.8% of all HAIs reported. Most cases of these infections were device-associated. Considering all HAI types together, Klebsiella pneumoniae were most commonly reported, accounting for 21.8% of all organisms, followed by Acinetobacter baumanni (14.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.4%) and Escherichia coli (9.4%). 59.8% and 6.6% of Staphylococcus aureus were oxacillin and teicoplanin resistant, respectively. Third-generation cephalosporins resistance was found in 53.8% of K.pneumoniae and 32.1% of E.coli isolates; and carbapenem resistance in 78.6% of A. baumanni and 29.3% of K. pneumoniae isolates. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Infection control priorities in intensive care units should include preventing nosocomial pneumonia, blood stream infection, urinary tract infection and of deviceassociated infections.

A new look at acid catalyzed deacetylation of carbohydrates: A regioselective synthesis and reactivity of 2-O-acetyl aryl glycopyranosides.

In the present work we report that acetyl groups of per - acetylated aryl glycosides have different reactivity during the acidic deacetylation using HCl/EtOH in CHCl3, which leads to preferential deacetylation at O-3, O-4 and O-6. Thereby, the one-step preparation of 2-O-acetyl aryl glycosides with simple aglycon was accomplished for the first time. It was proved that the found reagent is to be general and unique for the preparation of series of 2-О-acetyl aryl glycosides. We have determined the influence of both carbohydrate moiety and the aglycon on the selectivity of deacetylation reaction by kinetic experiments. Using DFT/B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and semi-empirical АМ1 methods we have found that the highest activation barrier is for 2-О-acetyl group. This completely explains the least reactivity of 2-О-acetyl group.

Analytical calculation of the lipid bilayer bending modulus.

Bending and Gaussian moduli of a homogenious single-component lipid bilayer are calculated analytically using microscopic model of the lipid hydrocarbon chains. The approach allows for thermodynamic averaging over different chains conformations. Each chain is modeled as a flexible string with finite bending rigidity and an incompressible cross-section area. The interchain steric repulsion is accounted for self-consistently determined single-chain confining parabolic potential. The model provides a simple analytical expression for the membrane bending modulus, which falls within a range of experimental values. An observed dependence of the modulus on hydrocarbon chain length is also reproduced. Correspondence between our microscopic model and the membrane theory of elasticity is established.

Chemo-enzymatic modification of poly-N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) oligomers and N,N-diacetyllactosamine (LacDiNAc) based on galactose oxidase treatment.

The importance of glycans in biological systems is highlighted by their various functions in physiological and pathological processes. Many glycan epitopes on glycoproteins and glycolipids are based on N-acetyllactosamine units (LacNAc; Galß1,4GlcNAc) and often present on extended poly-LacNAc glycans ([Galß1,4GlcNAc](n)). Poly-LacNAc itself has been identified as a binding motif of galectins, an important class of lectins with functions in immune response and tumorigenesis. Therefore, the synthesis of natural and modified poly-LacNAc glycans is of specific interest for binding studies with galectins as well as for studies of their possible therapeutic applications. We present the oxidation by galactose oxidase and subsequent chemical or enzymatic modification of terminal galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine residues of poly-N-acetyllactosamine (poly-LacNAc) oligomers and N,N-diacetyllactosamine (LacDiNAc) by galactose oxidase. Product formation starting from different poly-LacNAc oligomers was characterised and optimised regarding formation of the C6-aldo product. Further modification of the aldehyde containing glycans, either by chemical conversion or enzymatic elongation, was established. Base-catalysed ß-elimination, coupling of biotin-hydrazide with subsequent reduction to the corresponding hydrazine linkage, and coupling by reductive amination to an amino-functionalised poly-LacNAc oligomer were performed and the products characterised by LC-MS and NMR analysis. Remarkably, elongation of terminally oxidised poly-LacNAc glycans by ß3GlcNAc- and ß4Gal-transferase was also successful. In this way, a set of novel, modified poly-LacNAc oligomers containing terminally and/or internally modified galactose residues were obtained, which can be used for binding studies and various other applications.

Enzymatic synthesis of dimeric glycomimetic ligands of NK cell activation receptors.

This work reveals new structural relationships in the complex process of the interaction between activation receptors of natural killer cells (rat NKR-P1, human CD69) and novel bivalent carbohydrate glycomimetics. The length, glycosylation pattern and linker structure of receptor ligands were examined with respect to their ability to precipitate the receptor protein from solution, which simulates the in vivo process of receptor aggregation during NK cell activation. It was found that di-LacdiNAc triazole compounds show optimal performance, reaching up to 100% precipitation of the present protein receptors, and achieving high immunostimulatory activities without any tendency to trigger activation-induced apoptosis. In the synthesis of the compounds tested, two enzymatic approaches were applied. Whereas a ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase could only glycosylate one of the two acceptor sites available with yields below 10%, the Y284L mutant of human placental ß1,4-galactosyltransferase-1 worked as a perfect synthetic tool, accomplishing even quantitative glycosylation at both acceptor sites and with absolute regioselectivity for the C-4 position. This work insinuates new directions for further ligand structure optimisation and demonstrates the strong synthetic potential of the mutant human placental ß1,4-galactosyltransferase-1 in the synthesis of multivalent glycomimetics and glycomaterials.