ABSTRACT
Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity.
ABSTRACT
One of the major tasks of the social program of the state is to strengthen and maintain the health of youth. In the context of significant deterioration of the psychophysical readiness of young students, the issue of maintaining their health cannot be considered outside the context of physical education, which is of great social importance in this perspective. Moreover, the quality of higher education is equated with the quality of training of able-bodied professionals. This is ensured by the proper state of their health. In the period of quarantine, the students were forced to spend maximum time only on mental activity via distance mode of learning. An adequate and only possible response to the challenges of today is the use of distance learning technologies for students to effectively implement their physical education in quarantine. At the same time, one of the key problems is the proper organization of physical culture and health activities of students to maintain their health in conditions of extremely limited physical activity. © Copyright 2022: Publication Service of the University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
ABSTRACT
Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity.Copyright © 2022 Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity.
ABSTRACT
Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity. Copyright © 2022 Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity. Copyright © 2022 Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Annually growing public debt of Latin American countries is a source of a consistent increase in regional crisis potential. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated political instability and deepened socio-economic imbalances in the region. The chronic dependence on debt financing increases the region's vulnerability to external shocks and makes it much more challenging to implement public policies to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the article is to reveal the increasing nature of the debt risks inherent in the Latin American countries, and to propose measures to overcome them. The authors summarize the views of leading Russian and foreign experts on the debt sustainability of the region. Based on the statistical data of international organizations, regional development institutions, as well as analytical materials published by Bloomberg, Fitch, White & Case or Deloitte, the authors analyze the approaches to solving the Latin American debt problem. However, considering recent debt dynamics, new public borrowings may cause a deterioration of the regional debt sustainability in the future. This issue reinforces the uncertainty in international investment circles regarding the future solvency of the Latin American region. The situation in the Latin American countries is exacerbated by the uncertainty whether positive rates of economic growth resume in the medium term that have been lost due to volatile global commodity prices. The study examines the prospects for regional economic stabilization in Latin America and the Caribbean, including through the use of new debt financing mechanisms to meet current financial needs and minimize the risks of financial vulnerability. © 2022, RUDN UNiversity. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes of mortality in patients with acute appendicitis in Russia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied mortality in patients with acute appendicitis in the Russian Federation in 2020. We surveyed the hospitals with mortality reported in the electronic database of annual reports to the chief surgeon of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. RESULTS: There were 259 deaths among 150.393 patients with acute appendicitis aged ≥18 years (in-hospital mortality 0.17%). We obtained data about 95.8% (n=248) of lethal cases including 86.3% (n=214) complicated and 13.7% (n=34) uncomplicated forms of disease. Two patients died without surgery (0.8%). Among the deceased, 58.2% (n=145) were men and 41.8% (n=103) were women. Mean patient age was 66.2 years [0.95% CI 64.2-68.1]. The main cause of death in complicated appendicitis was late presentation (after 4.9 days [0.95% CI 4.3-5.4]) that resulted peritonitis and sepsis in 71.5% (n=153) of patients. Cardiovascular diseases were noted in 23.4% (n=50) of cases. A new coronavirus infection was detected in 7.0% (n=15) of patients. However, COVID-19 as a direct cause of death was recognized in 2.8% (n=6) of cases. Other reasons accounted for 2.3% (n=5). In uncomplicated appendicitis, cardiovascular diseases were the main cause of mortality (73.5%, n=25). Peritonitis and sepsis were found in 11.8% (n=4) of cases, COVID-19 - in 5.9% (n=2). Other causes accounted for 8.8% (n=3). Diagnostic, tactical, technical problems and their combination were revealed in 54.4% of lethal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Mortality from acute appendicitis in the Russian Federation is low, comparable with international data, and mainly associated with delayed treatment and complicated course of disease. However, the impact of diagnostic, tactical and technical errors on the outcome of acute appendicitis is significant.
Subject(s)
Appendicitis , COVID-19 , Cardiovascular Diseases , Laparoscopy , Peritonitis , Sepsis , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Appendectomy/methods , Appendicitis/diagnosis , Appendicitis/epidemiology , Appendicitis/surgery , Cardiovascular Diseases/surgery , Female , Humans , Laparoscopy/adverse effects , Male , Peritonitis/etiology , Retrospective Studies , Sepsis/surgeryABSTRACT
The development and implementation of the latest information technologies for contact tracking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is an extremely important and urgent task, which is directly related to the possible adjustment and mitigation of quarantine restrictions without increasing the risks and threats of infection. In this article, we analyze, research, and substantiate various information technologies (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.) in contact tracking tools to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We explore various aspects such as centralization;the need to use a central server (data warehouse);used cryptographic protection algorithms;acceptable actions when establishing contact, etc. The research results make it possible to formulate practical recommendations on the choice of information technologies for building global contact tracing systems. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Symbiotic interaction between the human body and its microbiota is an important issue of modern biomedicine and personalized medicine. However, little is known on molecular mechanisms of that relationship. Bearing in mind the ubiquitous participation of peptides in biomolecular interactions and regulatory processes we attempted direct search of blood peptides originated from microbial proteins. LC-MS/MS analysis was carried out of blood serum and plasma samples taken from 20 healthy donors on Q Exactive HF-X Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass-spectrometer. Sample preparation was carried out based on our previously developed method of peptide desorption from the surface of major blood plasma proteins followed by standard chromatographic steps. Human microbiota protein sequences were taken from NIH Human Microbiome Project. As a result, out of 13,625 identified peptides 912 were unique fragments of microbial precursors, which is about 6.69% of the total amount of detected bloodstream peptides. In 30 cases peptide identification was confirmed by mass-spectral study of individual synthetic samples. Absolute quantification by the mass-spectrometric method of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) confirmed the presence of bacterial peptides in plasma and serum in the range of approximately 0.1 nM to 1 uM, which is comparable to physiologically significant hormone concentrations in human blood in normal conditions. The abundance of microbiota peptides reaches its maximum 5h after a meal. Most of the peptides correlate with the bacterial composition of the small intestine and are likely obtained by hydrolysis of membrane proteins with trypsin, chymotrypsin and pepsin - the main proteases of the gastrointestinal tract. The isolated fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed increase secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, colony stimulating factors and chemoattractants as the response to the addition of some of the identified microbiotic peptides. Such peptides - identified both in the plasma and in the serum - have properties of resistance to fibrinolysis, since the pool of peptides is preserved after passing through the digestive tract. The physicochemical properties of the identified bacterial peptides are consistent with those required for the selective permeability of mucosal barriers. Our approach to the identification of microbiota peptides in the blood serum and plasma may be useful for determining the microbiota composition of hard-to-reach intestinal areas, such as the small intestine, and for monitoring the permeability of the intestinal mucosal barrier.
ABSTRACT
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic poses new challenges and threats to the international community. In particular, today the number of people infected with coronavirus infection already exceeds 80 million, almost 2 million died from the pandemic, and these terrible statistics are not final. Under these conditions, quarantine restrictions are almost the only effective means of counteracting the effects of the epidemic by reducing the rate of virus spread. However, quarantine restrictions have extremely serious consequences for the world economy, they have already led to a significant reduction in production and, consequently, jobs in almost all sectors of the economy. Therefore, the development and implementation of the latest information technologies for contact tracking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is an extremely important and urgent task. The purpose of this article is to research and substantiate various information technologies (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.) in contact tracking tools to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We analyze different approaches to the implementation of contact tracing mechnisms, highlight their advantages and disadvantages as well as opportunities for improvement. Also we analyze examples of real applications of the advanced countries functioning at the state level. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Symbiotic interaction between the human body and its microbiota is an important issue of modern biomedicine and personalized medicine. However, little is known on molecular mechanisms of that relationship. Bearing in mind the ubiquitous participation of peptides in biomolecular interactions and regulatory processes we attempted direct search of blood peptides originated from microbial proteins. LC-MS/MS analysis was carried out of blood serum and plasma samples taken from 20 healthy donors on Q Exactive HF-X Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass-spectrometer. Sample preparation was carried out based on our previously developed method of peptide desorption from the surface of major blood plasma proteins followed by standard chromatographic steps. Mascot and X! Tandem search engines were used for peptide identification. Human protein sequences were taken from UniProt Knowledgebase and sequences of human microbiota proteins-from NIH Human Microbiome Project (HMP). As a result, out of 13625 identified peptides 912 were unique fragments of microbial precursors, which is 6.69% of the total amount of detected bloodstream peptides. In 30 cases peptide identification was confirmed by mass-spectral study of individual synthetic samples. Absolute quantification by the mass-spectrometric method of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) confirmed the presence of bacterial peptides in plasma and serum in the range of approximately 0.1 nMol/L to 1 mkMol/L, which is comparable to physiologically significant hormone concentrations in human blood in normal conditions. Analysis of the in silico obtained hydrolyzates of microbiotic proteins showed that significant number of the identified peptides are derived from the precursor proteins as a result of hydrolysis with trypsin, chymotrypsin and pepsin, the main proteases of the gastrointestinal system. 60% of the identified “microbial” peptides are derived from the intestine flora, about 20% - from oral microbiota and 20% fall on the remaining microbiotic communities. Most of the precursor proteins refer to intracellular, cytoplasmic proteins. The isolated fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed increase secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, colony stimulating factors and chemoattractants as the response to the addition of some of the identified microbiotic peptides. The data obtained serve as a basis for the ongoing study of the functional properties of microbiome derived peptides.
ABSTRACT
The spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, is a complex epidemiological situation that is exacerbated by strong transcontinental migration processes that pose a potential threat to human health worldwide. This requires the implementation of a set of tasks aimed at full control over the risks and threats to human life. Modern information technology can be useful in solving a number of scientific and technical problems related to the use of cyberspace for global population monitoring, ie when monitoring and tracking contacts can predict possible adverse scenarios and prevent the spread of emergencies and crises, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic. A high overall level of e-society can keep epidemics and pandemics at the national and international levels under control. Global solutions to build monitoring systems to prevent the spread of infectious diseases already exist and are evolving rapidly. This section analyzes, explores and substantiates the possibility of using various information technologies (eg, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.) in contact tracking tools as the main subsystem of global population monitoring. In particular, the principles of construction and the possibility of using these technologies to track contacts are studied. Their advantages and disadvantages, potential attacks on monitoring programs, etc. are analyzed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The article highlights three stages of the formation of multinationals from developing countries. Although first Argentine TNCs appeared at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries, in the majority of the Global South countries TNCs appeared in the 1960s - 1980s. With the collapse of the bipolar world order, which in many developing countries was accompanied by significant internal political and economic transformations, the second stage of foreign expansion of TNCs from the Global South began. Indeed, in 1990 they accounted for 6 % of global outward foreign direct investment stock, while the figure was 10 % by the end of 2005. We date the beginning of the third stage to the financial and economic crisis of 2007-2009, since multinationals from developing countries as a whole are more successfully overcoming the period of turbulence in the global economy. By the end of 2020, they accounted for 22 % of global outward foreign direct investment stock, and during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis they generally exported more than 50% of the capital. The modern foreign expansion of such TNCs has many reasons, differs greatly from country to country, and often differs slightly from the specifics of Western multinationals. At the same time, initially, "late internationalization" in developing countries had two main vectors - the use of new opportunities for South - South cooperation and overcoming, through the creation of subsidiaries in highly developed countries, the shortcomings of the business environment of "catching up" countries.
ABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, economic transformations and dynamic growth in a number of developing countries have led to a significant increase of their role in the global economy. However, despite the shift in the centre of global economic activity from West to East, the US dollar continues to dominate the international monetary system. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted sustainable trade and financial flows, limiting the access of governments and companies in developing countries to international liquidity. The global recession has increased the importance of regional and local factors in the recovery of global economic growth. The current trends in the regionalization of international economic relations, along with the need to finance external debt, create objective prerequisites for a more active use of the currencies of developing countries in the international monetary system. To identify this potential, the authors conducted a comparative analysis of the current positions of developed and developing countries in the world economy and world finance. Internationalization of developing countries> currencies in the international monetary system depends on creation of a number of favourable macroeconomic, institutional and structural conditions. Macroeconomic conditions are: control over the dynamics of nominal per capita income to ensure competitive advantages for exporters;an increase in the share of sovereign debt obligations as a potential reserve asset in the total volume of external debt;improving the performance of the international investment position by increasing the share of high-yield assets of developing countries. Institutional conditions include the internationalization of high-tech companies and the creation of nationally oriented mechanisms and standards for regulating financial markets. The development of existing and creation of new payment and settlement systems based on digital currencies and distributed ledger technology are the main structural conditions for increasing the international competitiveness of the developing countries' currencies. The authors conclude that only a comprehensive implementation of these conditions will provide a more decentralized nature of the international monetary system in the long term.
ABSTRACT
The authors address the currently vital issue of the cyber-risks arising on the grounds of such challenges as ‘COVID-19 phenomenon’, general digitalization of the national and international communities, change in the social and educational trends, etc. The digitalization of education proves to perform as a risk factor for the management of education systems at different levels, and the problems of the e-safety and the digital skills advancement of the children subjected to the Internet need to be solved to fight cyberbulling, cyber-victimization, and cyber-slavery that bases on the hypertrophic gaming and excessively digitalized social net-working. Within the research methodology, the key research methods were the context analysis, the content analysis of the quality Russian and international academic publications and regulatory acts. The social poll covered school students of the 7–11 grades (N = 5682), and the results were processed with SPSS and STATISTICA packages. The most crucial research findings associate with the confirmation of the fact that the absolute majority of the Russian school students are digital natives;Internet and social networks proved to be the key source of information for the schoolers (even those who recognize that some of this information is authentically and potentially faulty);the social motive is also key for the digital devotion;over 30% of the respondents faced with cyberbulling and personal interventions from strangers. The research results are presented with the background idea to facilitate the development of the managerial mechanisms in education that would ease the critical situations rooting in the digitalization risks. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The paper aims to explore the behavior of Russian school-age children who are faced with a new social and psychological phenomenon: threats associated with the digital environment. Our focus was on the ability (psychological as well as technical) of teenagers to stand against cyber threats. At the preliminary stage of the research we analysed both Russian and international studies on how to promote cyber security awareness among school children and, in particular, how to respond to the cyber threats associated with the new social context formed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We used survey research as the main method and designed a special questionnaire that was then offered to a group of 7-11-grade students (N=5,682) from seven Russian regions in the late 2020. The research data was processed using the SPSS and STATISTICA programmes. The data allowed us to assess the degree in which the children were familiar with the methods and means of protecting sensitive personal information, as well as their ability to stand against cyber threats basing on their knowledge and skills. The research also helped us to identify the role of schools in promoting the children's readiness for the modern digital reality. The typical shortcomings in the digital competences of school-age children are noteworthy here too, first of all, the ones concerning the knowledge of cyber risk types related to the use of social media and internet communication services. We conclude that there is a need for systemic measures on various levels of education that would help reduce the cyber risks for adolescents on the social media and promote the quality of digital competence development in Russian schools.
ABSTRACT
Objective. To study the peculiarities of diagnostics and treatment of urolithiasis complications among patients with new coronavirus infection COVID-19. Methods. The prospective cohort study evaluated the treatment outcomes of patients (n=146). The first group (n=30) included patients treated in infectious diseases hospital with a complicated urinary calculi disease and a new coronavirus infection COVID-19, the second group (n=116) included patients treated in the urological department of multidisciplinary non-infectious hospital due to complicated urinary tract stone disease who were not infected by new coronavirus infection COVID-19. As for COVID 19 diagnostics, patients of the first group were done PCR tests that were positive in 19 (63,3%) cases, and thoracic cavity computer tomography scanning (upon admission the percentage of pulmonary tissue involvement varied since 5% up to 90%). Results. Among the patients of the first group, elderly people prevailed (61+15 years) and there were more women among them (66%). The characteristic features of complicated urinary calculi disease in patients with COVID-19 are the prevalence of infectious and inflammatory complications (50%) and a combination of several complications of urolithiasis (40%). Among peculiarities of treatment, patients of the first group in 6.6% of cases underwent the lumbotomy with open nephrostomy, due to the spread of secondary suppurative process over the retroperitoneal space. According to the Clavien-Dindo scale, in the first group of patients the incidence of complications after surgery was 40%, in the second - 13.8%. Mortality rate in the first group reached 30%, in the second – 0.9%. The duration of hospital treatment among patients of the first group reached 21 (5-39) days, among patients of the second group – 8 (1-56) days. Conclusion. The specificity of the course associated with significant morbidity and mortality require further optimization therapeutic approaches to achieve success in patients with complications of urolithiasis during COVID-19 outbreak. © 2021 Vitebsk State Medical University. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a clear potential for a prolonged global pandemic, high mortality and overload of health systems. Until vaccines become widely available, the only available approaches to infection prevention are case isolation, contact and quarantine tracking, physical distancing, decontamination, and hygiene measures. The paper considers the conceptual principles of combining the bases of transparency and confidentiality of personal life and the need to track personal contacts, substantiates the need for such a combination and provides a possible technical solution using blockchain technology. The practical development and deployment of the system based on such protocols will allow each citizen to track the personal history of probable contact with infected persons or other potential risks (including deciding on the need for self-isolation or additional examination). In this case, the decentralized system guarantees the privacy of such information both for each participant (due to the inability to determine the personal data of a potentially infected person) and for the system as a whole. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.