Rare cases of rare diseases: Re-examining early 20th century cases of anencephaly from the collection of the Moscow State University, Russia.

OBJECTIVE: Documented cases of anencephaly were used to increase differential criteria of this rare disease. MATERIAL: Two skulls from a 20th-century documented medical collection at the Moscow State University diagnosed with anencephaly. METHODS: The skulls were evaluated based on macroscopic qualitative and quantitative morphological signs and X-ray analyses. RESULTS: Metric values and morphological features differ between the two cases of anencephaly noted in the collection and the published data based on normal fetal and neonatal remains. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses of medical collections helps to increase the number of diagnostic criteria for recognition and diagnosis of anencephaly in archaeological skeletons. SIGNIFICANCE: Improvement in the recognition of skeletal alterations associated with anencephaly is key towards improving our understanding of rare diseases in the past. LIMITATIONS: The fragility of skeletal elements of fetal and neonate individuals can complicate thorough analyses. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Continue to identify cases of anencephaly cases in medical collections and in archaeological contexts.

Hydrocarbon-Oxidizing Bacteria in the Digestive System of Fish as an Indicator of Coastal Pollution.

Assessment of pollution of marine environment and biota with hydrocarbons is of particular importance, since oil products are among the priority pollutants of many seas. Development of new environmental toxicological biomarkers is one of the promising methods of integrated assessment of pollution effects. Here, the first investigation on the abundance of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria in the digestive system of coastal fish (stickleback, dace, white bream, common bleak, perch, gudgeon, and roach) from the eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea has been performed. The results reflect changes occurring in the environment and indicate contamination of water and sediments with oil and oil products. The relative abundance of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria in the digestive tract of fish is an effective, sensitive, and low-cost indicator of environmental pollution that can be used in monitoring and environmental impact assessment of the aquatic ecosystems.

Optimization of Method for Human Sex Determination Using Peptidome Analysis of Teeth Enamel from Teeth of Different Biological Generation, Archeological Age, and Degrees of Taphonomic Preservation.

Determination of biological sex to human remains is a fundamental requirement in anthropological, archeological, and forensic anthropological studies. Sex determination based on morphological criteria is significantly limited in the cases of juvenile remains and adult skeletons in a poor state of preservation. Regular attempts have been made to use alternative techniques to resolve this issue, including analysis of tooth enamel peptides by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Optimization of this method involving acid etching of tooth enamel for 10 min followed by desalting of the products of etching on SDB-RPS StageTips microcolumns and analysis of desalted sample (1/3) by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry allowed reliable sex determination to fossil remains within a wide range of archeological and biological ages without destructing analyzed teeth. Increasing the duration of enamel etching ensured a 2 to 3-fold increase in the total number of identified peptides and, more importantly, in the number of identified fragments of amelogenin Y isoform specific for male teeth, which facilitated reliable sex determination of fossil remains. The suggested technique was tested with 8 permanent and 15 deciduous teeth of different archaeological age and different degree of preservation. Two amelogenin Y-specific peptide sequences were identified. One of these peptides [SM(+15.99)IRPPYS)] was found in all male-derived samples without exception; the other peptide [IRPPYSS(+79.97)], which contained phosphorylated Ser66 residue, was found only in the enamel from deciduous teeth, which suggests that phosphorylation of Ser66 plays a role in the enamel formation in deciduous teeth.

Responses of Aquatic Organisms to Cyanobacteria and Elodea in Microcosms.

The aim of the present study is investigation of the impact of mass development of cyanobacteria and Elodea on population characteristics (abundance, biomass, fecundity) and "health" parameters (the state of embryos, heart rate, and thermal resistance) of aquatic invertebrates in experiments with controlled conditions. In July-August 2018, in four variants of microcosms, the conditions were modeled characteristic of the coastal zone of the Rybinsk Reservoir in the period of mass development of cyanobacteria. Mass species were placed in microcosms of planktonic (with domination (80%) Daphnia longispina) and bottom animals (Unio pictorum, Gmelinoides fasciatus, Asellus aquaticus), as well as Elodea canadensis. In the variants with cyanobacteria, the toxic microcystins LR were revealed (24-53% of the sum of toxins, or from 6.6-66.5 µg/L). The presence of cyanobacteria (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Microcystis aeruginosa, and Gloeoitrichia spp.) influenced structural parameters of plankton: the quantity to green algae decreased, small-sized crustaceans increased. Influence of cyanobacteria caused reliable changes in parameters of aquatic animal from those of the control: thermal resitance of mollusks and amphipods decreased, time of restoration of heart rate after loads (salinity test) in mollusks increased; in amphipods, individual fecundity decreased, frequency of abnormalities and of mortality of embryos increased. The presence of Elodea intensified these effects. Thus, mass development of cyanobacteria and Elodea influences ecological-physiological parameters of aquatic animals, decreasing their adaptivity to natural stresses and deteriorating the quality of the progeny.

An accident at work? Traumatic lesions in the skeleton of a 4th millennium BCE "wagon driver" from Sharakhalsun, Russia.

The study of ante-mortem trauma is a popular and important aspect of palaeopathological analysis. The majority of publications focus on a particular assemblage, skeletal element or type of fracture, with case studies of single individuals with multiple/unusual traumata being much rarer in the literature. This paper presents the case of an adult male from the Bronze Age site of Sharakhalsun, Russia, buried, uniquely, in a sitting position on a fully assembled wagon, who displayed evidence for multiple healed ante-mortem fractures of the cranium, axial and appendicular skeleton. The mechanisms and likely etiologies of the fractures are presented, with reference to modern and 19th century clinical literature, and possible interpretations suggested: that the individual was involved in a severe accident involving a wagon or draft animals, or both, a number of years before his death. The suggestion is also made that the unique burial position of the individual was a form of commemoration by the community of the survival and recovery of the individual from such a serious incident.

The meio- to macrozoobenthos ratio in a lake benthic community: Dynamic aspect.

Multiyear data (2002-2015) on the biomasses of meio- and macrozoobenthic communities have been studied at different depths of a small lake in northern Karelia. A trend towards anti-phase changes in meio- and macrobenthic biomasses was observed and, as a consequence, the ratio between these components varied significantly in different years. Thus, inter-annual dynamics should be taken into account in analysis of hydrobiological data.

[HYGIENIC EVALUATION OF STUDIES OF PRESCHOOLERS WITH THE USE OF PC TABLETS].

In the article there are presented the results ofphysiological and hygienic evaluation of studies in kindergarten with the use of educational games on an electronic PC tablet. The study involved 44 foster-children. In one of the groups children in the classroom used the interactive game software on electronic PC tablets "Samsung", the same time while working with the PC tablet did not exceed 10 minutes, in the other--the classes were held traditionally. There were investigated the state of health, psychosomatic and psycho-emotional state of children, determined their functional readiness for systematic training in school, mental performance, the functional state of the central nervous system (CNS) by simple visual-motor reaction (SVMR) and reactions to a moving object (RDO). Developing ofgame sessions with the use of electronic PC tablets for 10 minutes were established to contribute to the activation of the central nervous system and increase in children resistance to the development of fatigue.

[Surgical safety cheklist at the management of the hybrid operating room].

An essential aspect of the work of the operating room is the provision of safety of both the patient and staff. The organization of the activity of the surgical service requires serious elaboration of each of its stage, as well as standardization in using various validated instruments. When speaking of a hybrid operating room with the use of intraoperative magnetic resonance tomography, such an approach becomes not merely a recommendation but rather forced and justified necessity. Simultaneous use of various technologies of imaging and treatment with the engagement of physicians of various specialties requires especially thorough control. A generally accepted international standard of the work of the operating block is the use of checklists, and since 2008 the initiative of the World Health Organization "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" has globally been working to promote implementation of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklists (SSCL) to the real clinical practice. The intraoperative MR-diagnostic stage dictates rigid requirements for proper inventory of ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic surgical tools, verified logistics, and routing of the patient in the conditions of high and extremely high (1.5-3.0 T) magnetic field. A separate and not less important problem is anaesthesiological support during MRT. In order to optimise the patient's movements and adequate monitoring of his/her safety inside the operating department, the authors have modified the standard WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. Implementation of the modified checklist for the MRT-equipped hybrid operating room should improve the control over the processes, as well as increase safety of both the patient and personnel.

[Prostate biopsy under magnetic resonance imaging guidance].

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most important problems in modern oncology. According to statistical data, PC ranks second in the cancer morbidity structure in the Russian Federation and developed countries and its prevalence has been progressively increasing over the past decade. A need for early diagnosis and maximally accurate morphological verification of the diagnosis in difficult clinical cases (inconvenient tumor location for standard transrectal biopsy; gland scarring changes concurrent with prostatitis and hemorrhage; threshold values of prostate-specific antigen with unclear changes in its doubling per unit time; suspicion of biochemical recurrence or clinical tumor progression after special treatment) leads to revised diagnostic algorithms and clinically introduced new high-tech invasive diagnostic methods. This paper gives the first analysis of literature data on Russian practice using one of the new methods to verify prostate cancer (transrectal prostate cancer under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance). The have sought the 1995-2015 data in the MEDLINE and Pubmed.

[Medical, educational and neurophysiological prerequisites to the formation of the motivation to exercises in students].

A characteristic feature of the life activity of modern children and adolescents is the couch potato, mostly "sedentary" lifestyle. Biomedical and psychosocial significance of motor activity (MA) stipulates the necessity of the substantiation of scientific and methodological approaches to the formation of the motivation to exercises and sports in children. The purpose of the study was in the scientific substantiation and the delivery of medical, pedagogical and neurophysiological prerequisites for the formation of the motivation to increase MA in students in current conditions of their life activity. There were examined 189 students from 2-5th and 9th classes, out of them 65 students were observed in the dynamics of the school year; 585 students from the 1st-11th classes participated in the survey. Results of the study allowed to reveal the relation of students to the lessons of physical training, to evaluate the impact of a new educational program on the functional possibilities of the body of children from the special medical group "A" and to reveal the neurophysiological features of adolescents with different needs in motion.

[HYGIENIC REGULATION OF THE USE OF ELECTRONIC EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN THE MODERN SCHOOL].

We studied the effect of academic studies with the use a notebook computer and interactive whiteboard on the functional state of an organism of schoolchildren. Using a complex of hygienic and physiological methods of the study we established that regulation of the computer activity of students must take into account not only duration but its intensity either. Design features of a notebook computer were shown both to impede keeping the optimal working posture in primary school children and increase the risk offormation of disorders of vision and musculoskeletal system. There were established the activating influence of the interactive whiteboard on performance activities and favorable dynamics of indices of the functional state of the organism of students under keeping optimal density of the academic study and the duration of its use. There are determined safety regulations of the work of schoolchildren with electronic resources in the educational process.

[Cone-beam computed tomography in paleoanthropology].

OBJECTIVE: To study the capabilities of cone-bean computed tomography (CBCT) in estimating the bone structure when analyzing anthropological findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four bone fragments (remains) of Napoléon Bonaparte Imperial Army soldiers who had died at a Königsberg military hospital during their retreat from Russia in the War of 1812 were examined by CBCT. A total of 28 tubular bones with different injury healing signs and a skull with maxillofacial trauma marks were investigated. Furthermore, an object from D.G. Rokhlin's paleopathological collection was used to analyze a complicated humeral infectious process. CBCT was performed by individually selecting the scanning foldings, physicotechnical conditions and regimens in relation to the anatomic location and size of fragments. RESULTS: Processing of the obtained images reveled fractures of different bones in 19 (65.5%) cases. The signs of ununited fractures were visualized in 20.7% of the samples. Image post-processing showed intraarticular consolidated fractures in 13.8% of the anthropological findings. The CBCT examination of bone fragments exhibited the signs of their fusion. A wound pattern was established in 31% of the samples. The specific features of a bone amputation stump could be characterized in detail in 17.2% of the anthropological findings. 51.7% of the cases were found to have signs of sustained bone inflammatory diseases of various genesis, which in 41.4% of them were presented by linear, bulbar, and assimilated periostal reactions and significantly detectable on CBCT scans. Sequestral cavities were imaged in 31% of the fragments. CONCLUSION: The CBCT images are characterized by high informative value (from 7.5 to 10.6 pixels/mm), optimal spatial resolution, definition, and hardness. The software of CBCT involves the parameters and possible postprocessing of images (building of panoramic and mulplanar reconstructions, assessment of the density characteristics of tissues), which allow an analysis of anthropological material, by needlessly destroying them.

[Lipid metabolism in occupational chronic bronchitis associated with diabetes mellitus].

The study of 311 patients with chronic occupational bronchitis associated with diabetes mellitus (or diabetes-free) revealed lipid metabolism disorders presenting with overweight, obesity, dyslipoproteinemia. Diabetes mellitus addition to chronic bronchitis increased frequency of lipid metabolism disorders and higher values of lipid state. The revealed lipid metabolism disorders were more marked in the females.

[Changes in paradoxical emboly readiness in divers with open oval window of the interatrial septum].

AIM: To study development of paradoxical emboly readiness (PER) in the process of diving. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Examination and observation covered 46 inexperienced divers (beginning divers--BD), 51 experienced divers (diving experience more than 3 years, ED) and 98 healthy individuals not interested in diving. The examinees were follow-up for 20 years. All of them had no organic cardiovascular pathology. PER was detected by the method of imitation modeling of underwater emboly using prolonged infusion contrast echocardiography (PICE) with hydrogen peroxide solution. The intensity of right-left interatrial bypass (RLIAB) was determined by the number of microblebs penetrating in PICE in the left heart. In the BD group PICE was made each 3 years of diving experience, in ED group--each 3-5 years of further diving experience. RESULTS: Diving leads to activation of RLIAB, the number of divers with PER increases. Bypass and PER intensity grows in BD group. In ED group PER increased but RLIAB changed insignificantly. CONCLUSION: Our investigation confirms unfavourable effects of diving on RLIAB of blood in persons with open oval window (OOW) enhancing PER. Further investigations should be made on effects of diving on hemodynamic disorders due to OOW.

[Transnasal esophagogastroduodenoscopy and color coding system of intellectual pathology of the mucous membrane in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease].

As gastroesophageal reflux disease is a "disease of the XXI century", the relevance of its diagnosis at early stages is high. Using transnasal fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy, which is significantly better tolerated by patients, and the technology of intelligent color coding of pathology of the mucous membrane FICE, can diagnose the earliest manifestations of GERD in the form of inflammatory noerosive changes in the mucous membrane of the distal esophagus, to evaluate the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter; to make a prognosis for the disease, and to formulate a rational policy of conducting the patient.

[Hygienic requirements for work organization of full-day schools].

Physiological and hygienic studies under the conditions of a natural hygienic experiment were conducted to examine different variants of the organization of work of new types of general educational establishments--full-day schools. Over 580 pupils from 5 full-day schools were followed up. Organization of teaching children at full-day schools was found to mainly correspond to the age-related capabilities of pupils from primary and secondary classes. Of vital importance for maintenance of mental performance, good emotional and psychosomatic states are the organization of the intraschool environment, including a school plot, as well as the conditions for realization of additional education, motor activity of children, and recess. Health keeping in pupils from full-day schools is favored by the reduction in the duration of lessons to 35 minutes and day sleep for first-form children, the decrease in the number of pupils in a class, outdoor physical exercises in the middle of a school day (a primary school) and strolls after lessons, three meals a day, balanced additional education, medicopsychological accompaniment, optimization of studies and rest in children during a school year.

[Methodological approaches to the assessment of pathological processes dynamics in schoolchildren based on the results of preventive examination].

Analysis of prevalence of various functional disorders and chronic diseases diagnosed in children and adolescents during comprehensive prophylactic examination in educational institutions does not provide complete information about health tendencies because the same statistical data may reflect both favourable development of a pathological process and its deterioration. Such information can be obtained by thorough analysis of complaints, medical histories and catamnestic observations, fulfillment of the complete range of regimented clinical examinations. An algorithm and criteria for characterization of a pathological process as "improving", "worsening" or "unaltered" were developed for different nosological forms and classes of diseases in 2006. It was shown that stage by stage differential assessment of pathological processes and functional disorders in junior and senior schoolchildren in different periods of their development during school years yields new data on different phases of adaptation, occurrence of its favourable and unfavourable outcomes; also, it permits to identify schoolchildren in need of urgent curative and preventive aid.

[Thermal and salinity tolerance of eurybiotic freshwater shrimp Gmelinoides fasciatus (Stebbing) under different acclimation conditions].

Critical thermal maximum and critical salinity maximum in their dependence on the water temperature and salinity were studied in the freshwater shrimps, Gmelinoides fasciatus, during their acclimation. Nine combinations of temperature (12.7-14.7, 16.3-21.3, 22.0-25.6 degrees C) and salinity (0.2, 2.5 per thousand) were studied. The shrimps were shown to be largest CTM in the fresh water at 22-26 degrees C and to be smallest CTM at 12-14 degrees C. The thermal effect on the thermal stability was similar in the brackish water (2 per thousand), while its effect on the salinity stability was reverse, that is, the shrimps' endurance to the high salinity decreased with the temperature growth. During acclimation, viability reached 50 to 100 per cent at 5 per thousand, the individuals adapted to the lower temperature (12-14 degrees C) appearing to be most endurant. Thermal stability was revealed to increase with the body length growth reaching the stable level at the body length of 7-8 mm. Salinity stability of the shrimps acclimated in the brackish water at 22-26 degrees C tend to increase with the body length growth, while it did not depend on the body length at other temperature regimes reaching about the same level in both fresh and brackish waters. The data obtained indicate that the temperature below 22 degrees C would be optimal for the shrimps acclimation in the brackish water.

Characterization of ion-exchange membrane materials: properties vs structure.

This review focuses on the preparation, structure and applications of ion-exchange membranes formed from various materials and exhibiting various functions (electrodialytic, perfluorinated sulphocation-exchange and novel laboratory-tested membranes). A number of experimental techniques for measuring electrotransport properties as well as the general procedure for membrane testing are also described. The review emphasizes the relationships between membrane structures, physical and chemical properties and mechanisms of electrochemical processes that occur in charged membrane materials. The water content in membranes is considered to be a key factor in the ion and water transfer and in polarization processes in electromembrane systems. We suggest the theoretical approach, which makes it possible to model and characterize the electrochemical properties of heterogeneous membranes using several transport-structural parameters. These parameters are extracted from the experimental dependences of specific electroconductivity and diffusion permeability on concentration. The review covers the most significant experimental and theoretical research on ion-exchange membranes that have been carried out in the Membrane Materials Laboratory of the Kuban State University. These results have been discussed at the conferences "Membrane Electrochemistry", Krasnodar, Russia for many years and were published mainly in Russian scientific sources.