[Myocardial work in assessment of left ventricular systolic function].

This review focuses on a new method for noninvasive, complex evaluation of left ventricular (LV) systolic function using an echocardiography-based technology of computing indexes of myocardial performance by construction of pressure-deformation curves. Since this new method accounts for the effect of afterload on myocardial contractility, the article presents data demonstrating advantages of the evaluation of LV myocardial performance over the speckle-tracking echocardiography and other methods in diagnostics of several diseases. The review provides a description of this method and its advantages and limitations. The authors analyzed results of major studies on evaluation of LV performance. Prospects of implementation and practical use of the method are discussed in the aspects of diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases and risk stratification for different groups of patients.

[Taking into account the emotional tension of adults and children in the evaluation of the influence of environmental factors on genomic instability and sensitivity: results and prospects].

The paper summarizes the results of 8 genetic and psychological examinations in adults and children, which are aimed at evaluating the genotoxic effects of environmental factors on cultured lymphocytes. Human emotional tension was proved to be directly related to the level of genome damage, to genomic sensitivity to in vitro exposures, and to lymphocyte proliferative activity and to be inversely related to the level of apoptosis. There was an association of the degree of anxiety in children with their morbidity. High emotional tension in adult family members was found to negatively affect the degree of anxiety and the level of genomic instability in a child.

[Regional standardization of water chemical substances in case of the Arkhangelsk region].

The paper gives the data characterizing the status of water supply systems, the efficiency of waterworks, and the quality of drinking and Severnaya Dvina River waters. It generalizes the data characterizing the sanitary-and-epidemiological situation and human health in the region. There is evidence for the assumption that regional standardization of chemical compounds in the drinking water of northern regions should be carried out during water preparation, which confirms the conclusions of hygienic and toxic studies previously conducted in individual areas and those given in the references.

[Microbial risk assessment to establish water quality-enteric infection morbidity relationships].

The authors have constructed a mathematical model for the cause-and-effect relationship between acute enteric infection (AEI) morbidity and the levels of water bacterial contamination and the properties of microorganisms. New procedures were proposed to calculate a risk for water-borne AEI depending on the sanitary-and hygienic conditions of water use and the degree of water contamination in the direct isolation of the causative agents of pathogenic and opportunistic infections, which allow the calculation and prediction of the occurrence of AEI at the individual and population levels.

[The cytogenetic status of children living in the vicinity of a pulp-and-paper mill].

To evaluate the cytogenetic and cytotoxic effects of a set of pollutions in the town of Koryazhma, the investigators made a complete karyological analysis (cytogenetic, apoptotic, and indirect proliferation parameters) of buccal and nasal epithelial exfoliative cells in two groups of old school age children living at various distances from a pulp-and-paper mill (PPM). The residential area that is adjacent to the PPM can be considered to be poor in the influence of genotoxic factors since there were 1.6- and 1.65-fold increases in cytogenetic disorders and cells with an atypically shaped nucleus, respectively, with a 1.57-fold reduction in the level of cell apoptosis. Karyological changes were revealed in the nasal mucosa, rather than in the buccal mucosa, which permitted one to recommend for the evaluation of the influence of environmental factors, the impact of ambient air pollution in particular, and to conduct cytogenetic studies on the cells of not only the buccal epithelium (that has been better studied), but also those of the nasal epithelium.

[Impact of ambient air pollution by a pulp-and-paper mill on the cytological status of the nasal and oral mucosa in children].

The cytological state of nasal and oral mucosae in the children and adolescents living in the town of Koryazhma was evaluated at the schools located differently from the Kotlas pulp-and-paper mill (PPM). All the Kozyazhma children under examination were found to have an increased epithelocytic alteration index, which is likely to suggest cytotoxic exposure, which was shown to a greater extent with the duration of residence at the school more adjacent to the PPM. The first-form pupils from the school locates more closely to the PPM were found to showed a higher index of natural microflora colonization with buccal epitheliocytes and a trend for an increase in the epitheliocytic differentiation coefficient characterizing the high incidence of diseases.

[Influence of industrial factors on the health status of heat and power plant workers].

The hair levels of chemical elements (Al, As, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Si, Sn, V, and Zn) were studied in Orenburg heat and power plant workers. The specific features of the elemental composition of biosubstrates were revealed in relation to the physical and chemical exposures of the workers to industrial factors. The peculiarities of element-to-element relations were established in man under different working conditions.

[Modern tendencies in treatment of endometrial cancer stage III C].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our research work was to evaluate the potential of treatment in patients with endometrial cancer stage IIIC, with positive enlarged lymph nodes. We tried also to summarize also some other clinical prognostic factors. Our and foreign experience in this field was evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 102 patients with endometrial cancer stage IIIC were researched for the period of 1990 till 2008. The data were collected retrospectively. We used the methods of Kaplan-Meier, the logistic regression analysis and proportional regression model of Cox. All patients had enlarged/positive/lymph nodes, and 30 of them had positive paraaortal lymph nodes. RESULTS: All patients received postoperative radiotherapy. In 30 patients--postoperative paraaortal radiotherapy, and 25 patients was applied postoperative chemotherapy. The median disease specific survival for all patients was 32,5 months. Patients with totally removed/resected/macroscopic enlarged lymph nodes had a significant longer disease specific survival/38,5 months/ in comparison with patients to whom was not performed lymph node dissection/debulking/of the enlarged lymph nodes/9,7 months, p = 0,05/. In multivariation analysis, the independent prognostic factors were: the size of the lymph node, the residual tumour/metastatic lymph nodes/--p < 0,001, the age < 65 years--p = 0,001, and the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy/p = 0,016/. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with endometrial cancer stage IIIC, the resection/debulking/ of macroscopic enlarged lymph nodes and the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy is connected with better survival rate.

[50 years of the Radiation Hygiene Department of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education].

The article describes the aims, history, and current activities of the Radiation Hygiene Chair of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education. The chair was founded in 1957.

[Child's adaptation as an indicator of poor environmental influences].

The body's adjustment changes under the influence of environmental risk factors whose long-term exposure further results in the development of prenosological and morbid disorders. These processes occur most promptly in children. The influence of risk factors, including those caused by the productive activity of the Kotlas industrial CBK complex on a child's adaptation, was studied. The specific features revealed in the physical development, baseline autonomic tone, and psychophysiological adaptation of the first and tenth-form schoolchildren under study suggest that the mechanisms responsible for adjustment are strained under the influence of environmental risk factors and differ in nature, structure, and intensity in the exposure and comparison groups.

[Topical problems of the comprehensive hygienic characterization of urban environmental factors and their influence on the population's health].

The authors consider the topical problems of the influence of urban environmental factors (the quality of drinking water, the pollution of the ambient and dwelling airs and soil) on the health of residents in the urbanized areas. They show it necessary to apply a comprehensive approach to studying and analyzing the influence of a large number of interrelated factors on the population's health and its vulnerable subgroups, by employing the current sensitive biomedical studies, as well as to develop and introduce noninvasive techniques for the early diagnosis of environment-induced diseases.

Microsatellite instability in Bulgarian patients with endometrial cancer.

PURPOSE: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a frequent event in different types of cancer. In several studies MSI was shown to have both clinical and prognostic value. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of MSI in Bulgarian patients with endometrial cancer (EC) and the possible relation of this phenomenon to their clinicopathological characteristics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 33 histologically confirmed EC patients were analyzed for tumor MSI using a panel of 6 microsatellite markers. RESULTS: We identified MSI in 30% of endometrial cancer cases. Six of them had high degree of MSI (MSI-H), and 4 displayed low degree of MSI (MSI-L). CONCLUSION: The frequency of MSI in Bulgarian EC patients does not differ significantly from that reported in other European studies.

[Assessment of human health damage as a priority of human ecology and a tool for justifying managerial decisions].

The paper analyzes of the currently available guidelines for assessing damages (in kind and value terms) caused by environmental factors to the population's health. The contributions of various diseases, the quality of the environment, bad habits, and other internal and external factors to the mortality structure in Russia are compared. The authors show it important to study the comparative role of the quality of life and its style, environmental pollution, the population's subjective perception of risks in the formation of health damages.

[General approach to evaluation, comparison and norm-setting of health risks associated with various environmental factors].

The authors analyze modern approaches to health risk evaluation and establishing safety standards concerning ionizing radiation, chemicals, and other health hazard sources. Some recommendations on general approaches are given. A special individual risk index is offered to make decisions concerning human safety: establishing safety standards and other levels of protection, comparing different health hazard sources, etc. General approach to establishing public and occupational safety standards in terms of this index has been developed.

[Range of combined treatment of locally advanced skin cancer].

Due to combined use of surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, 58.8% of patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma survived for 5 years. More organ-saving operations could be performed as a result of administering cisplatin, bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation and subsequent surgery. Greater extent of tumor excision and microsurgery involved lower incidence of relapse. Yet, the preliminary results of our combined treatment pointed to relatively high frequency of objective response matched by lower incidence of relapse which calls for further investigation.

Solid cancer incidence among the Chernobyl emergency workers residing in Russia: estimation of radiation risks.

An analysis is presented of solid cancer incidence during 11 years of follow-up (1991-2001) of Chernobyl emergency workers residing in Russia. The analysis is based on data from the cohort of male emergency workers from 6 regions in Russia including 55718 persons with documented external radiation doses in the range of 0.001-0.3 Gy who worked within the 30 -km zone in 1986-1987. The mean age at exposure for these persons was 34.8 years and the mean external radiation dose 0.13 Gy. In the cohort 1370 cases of solid cancer were diagnosed and 3 follow-up periods were considered: 1991-1995, 1996-2001 and 1991-2001. The second follow-up period was chosen to allow for a minimum latency period of 10 years being characteristic of solid cancers. For risk assessment two control groups have been introduced, the first 'external' one representing incidence rates for corresponding ages in Russia in general, the second 'internal' one consisting of emergency workers. The risk estimates were based on spontaneous incidence rates of solid cancer. The estimated standardized incidence ratio (SIR) is in good agreement (95% CI) with that of the control. The values of excess relative risk per unit dose (ERR/Gy) for solid malignant neoplasms have been estimated to be 0.33 (95% CI: -0.39, 1.22) (internal control) for the follow-up period 1991-2001 and 0.19 (95% CI: -0.66, 1.27) for 1996-2001.

[Organization of sanitary and epidemiological supervision of radiation exposure during x-ray studies in Novgorod region]. / Organizatsiia sanitarno-épidemiologicheskogo kontrolia za struktoroi oblucheniia pri provedenii rentrenologicheskikh issledovanii v Novgorodskoi oblasti.

Providing up-to-date X-ray equipment for medical institutions of Novgorod region could improve efficiency of radiologic diagnosis. Introducing individual radiation monitoring of radiation dose for X-ray staffers and for patients results in objective assessment of absorbed radiation doses for lower risk of long-term accidental effects.