Long-term outcomes of ruxolitinib therapy in steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease in children and adults.

Acute and chronic steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (srGVHD) is a life-threatening complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. There are a number of reports on case series describing efficacy of ruxolitinib in both acute and chronic srGVHD. We conducted a prospective study (NCT02997280) in 75 patients with srGVHD (32 acute, 43 chronic, 41 adults, and 34 children). Patients with chronic GVHD had severe disease in 83% of cases, and acute GVHD patients had grade III-IV disease in 66% of cases. The overall response rate (ORR) was 75% (95% CI 57-89%) in acute GVHD and 81% (95% CI 67-92%) in chronic. Overall survival was 59% (95% CI 49-74%) in acute group and 85% (95% CI 70-93%). The major risk factors for lower survival were grade III-IV gastrointestinal involvement (29% vs 93%, p = 0.0001) in acute form and high disease risk score in chronic (65% vs 90%, p = 0.038). Toxicity was predominantly hematologic with 79% and 44% of grade III-IV neutropenia in acute and chronic groups, respectively. There was no difference between adults and children in terms of ORR (p = 0.31, p = 0.35), survival (p = 0.44, p = 0.12) and toxicity (p > 0.93). The study demonstrated that ruxolitinib is an effective option in acute and chronic srGVHD and can be used both in adults and children.

[Moscow Semenov cemetery--a monument of military glory of Russia].

Until recently, beyond the attention of the public and the scientific community remains the question of memorializatsii once existed in Moscow, a large-scale military burial--Semenov military cemetery. This cemetery was not associated with any one war, and actually covered several periods of military history of Russia. Today, this place can be perceived as a symbol of Russia's military prowess, as a unique fraternal burial of soldiers of different generations. Today, thanks to the initiative of the public, the Chief Military Clinical Hospital. N.N. Burdenko Institute of History and Archives State Humanitarian University, the Union of Russian ethnographers, with the support of the Prefecture of HLW in Moscow and the district council "Falcon Hill" is working on giving the territory of the park, located in the cemeteries of Semenov, the status of places of interest here in order to create a military memorial. August 25, 2011 there was established the foundation stone of the future memorial. Continued hard work to gather and organize archival materials on the history of the necropolis Semenov, developed the scientific and artistic vision for the future memorial site. Memorial, designed by leading Russian experts--historians, sculptors, architects, artists who will be able to enrich the historical and cultural heritage of the city, will preserve the historical continuity of the traditions of the military glory of Russia, to perpetuate the memory of generations of defenders of the Fatherland.

[Autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplantation in the treatment of AL-amyloidosis].

AIM: To evaluate the efficiency of chemotherapy with standard doses of melfalan and dexamethazone versus autologous peripheral hemopoietic cell transplantation (auto-PHCT) in patients with AL amyloidosis and to reveal poor prognostic factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Of 36 patients diagnosed as having AL-amylodosis, 17 patients underwent auto-PHCT, 11 patients received chemotherapy only; 8 patients died prior to treatment. RESULTS: In patients with AL-amyloidosis after chemotherapy and autotransplantation, 3-year overall survival was 28 and 64%, respectively. Low somatic ECOG status and cardiac lesion were independent poor prognostic factors of the disease. The number of involved organs failed to affect overall survival. CONCLUSION: Auto-PHCT may be proposed as first-line therapy for patients with AL-amyloidosis who have a somatic ECOG score of 0 to 2 and not more than 3 organs involved. Young patients who have a satisfactory somatic status and no benefit from autotransplantation may undergo auto-PHCT. It is expedient to use average-dose melfalan and dexamethasone when treating patients who are ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy.

[The effect of glutamic acid on the defensive and feeding behavior of the snail Helix lucorum]. / Vliianie gliutaminovoi kisloty na oboronitel'noe i pishchevoe povedenie vinogradnoi ulitki.

Behavioural effects of glutamic acid injection into the body cavity were investigated in the land snail Helix lucorum. An injection itself induced some non-coordinated defensive reactions leading to a partial withdrawal into a shell. The defensive tentacle reflex was facilitated probably due to an activation of the tentacle muscles. The defensive reflex of the pneumostome closure changed in different directions depending on the injected dose of glutamic acid. Feeding behaviour was inhibited by a high dose of glutamic acid. The most pronounced inhibition of the feeding behaviour was induced by N-methyl-DL-aspartic acid.

[Human assessment of time intervals depending on the manner of their representation]. / Otsenka chelovekom vremennýkh intervalov v zavisimosti ot sposoba ikh vosproizvedeniia.

On 42 subject three experimental series were carried out: in the first (12 persons) and second (24 persons) series the presented interval was limited by two short clicks, in the third series (6 persons)--by electrocutaneous stimuli. Duration of the stimuli was 1 ms. There were three regimes of work in the first and third series: the intervals successively increased from 100 to 500 ms with a step of 100 ms (1), decreased from 5000 to 100 ms (2) or varied in a random order (3). In the second series only the regime 3 was applied. In all series the method of temporal intervals reproduction was used. The means of the reproduction varied: in the second and third series the interval was reproduced by button pressing according to the presented duration: in the first series the end of the interval was marked by a short button push, and the beginning was the moment of the second stimulus presentation. With the first means a considerable overreproduction was observed of the presented duration at all intervals and all regimes. At the second and third series a phasic character of the reproduction duration was noted: up to 1000 ms the interval mostly was overestimated, over 2000 ms--it was significantly underestimated. It is suggested that as the estimation of the temporal interval implies some motor reaction, the afferent flow of signals from the active muscles can change the value of the reproduced duration. In the first series, the subjects probably do not take into account the time necessary for the realized signal perception.