MENTAL HEALTH AND RELIGION: INTERRELATION AND CHALLENGES IN POST-SOVIET GEORGIA.

Anxiety and depression syndrome (STD) are at the forefront of the world mental health priority list. To address this problem, a number of instruments and programs have been developed at both the global and national levels. STD is associated with a socio-political problem and correlates with external or internal instability in the country. In such circumstances, a special place is given to religion. The role of the Church, faith is important in low-or middle-income countries and depends on the authority of the Church as an institution, its activities and activity. At the final stage of the study the recommendations are presented.

IMPACT OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY ON SOCIETY'S MENTAL HEALTH (BASED ON THE POPULATION SURVEY OF TBILISI, GEORGIA).

Research of mental health related factors has become increasingly important on a global scale. The study is intended to uncover the relationship between a depression and a religion (Orthodox Christianity) - case of Tbilisi population. The research objectives are screening and measurement of a depression using Beck Depression Inventory; describing general statistics with correlation to demographics; revealing factors carrying significant connections with depression, distinguishing their role and place in the forming process of depression general indicator; researching religiosity as one of the hypothetical factors; analyzing the results of relationships between depression and religiousness. General Population: 18+ Tbilisi inhabitants; sample size - 500 completed interviews; method of sampling - stratified cluster sampling. Despite hard socio-economic background of Tbilisi population, low depression level was observed. The central trend of depression gravity level is ranging between having no depression and light depression's upper threshold. It is worth to note that the difference between symptoms of psychological nature and depression specific behavioral revelations is not statistically significant - that means no general linkage to depression's psychological or behavioral symptoms. The main result of the research is the discovery of inversely proportional relationship between depression gravity level and religiousness degree.

Immunogenicity of SEREX-identified antigens and disease outcome in pancreatic cancer.

Despite spontaneous or vaccination-induced immune responses, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most deadly immunotherapy-resistant malignancies. We sought to comprehend the spectrum of pancreatic tumor-associated antigens (pTAAs) and to assess the clinical relevance of their immunogenicity. An autologous SEREX-based screening of a cDNA library constructed from a pancreatic T3N0M0/GIII specimen belonging to a long-term survivor (36 months) revealed 18 immunogenic pTAA. RT-PCR analysis displayed broad distribution of the identified antigens among normal human tissues. PNLIPRP2 and MIA demonstrated the most distinct pancreatic cancer-specific patterns. ELISA-based screening of sera for corresponding autoantibodies revealed that although significantly increased, the immunogenicity of these molecules was not a common feature in pancreatic cancer. QRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry characterized PNLIPRP2 as a robust acinar cell-specific marker whose decreased expression mirrored the disappearance of parenchyma in the diseased organ, but was not related to the presence of PNLIPRP2 autoantibodies. Analyses of MIA-known to be preferentially expressed in malignant cells-surprisingly revealed an inverse correlation between intratumoral gene expression and the emergence of autoantibodies. MIA(high) patients were autoantibody-negative and had shorter median survival when compared with autoantibody-positive MIA(low) patients (12 vs. 34 months). The observed pTAA spectrum comprised molecules associated with acinar, stromal and malignant structures, thus presenting novel targets for tumor cell-specific therapies as well as for approaches based on the bystander effects. Applying the concept of cancer immunoediting to interpret relationships between gene expression, antitumor immune responses, and clinical outcome might better discriminate between past and ongoing immune responses, consequently enabling prognostic stratification of patients and individual adjustment of immunotherapy.

[Experimental and clinical ground of the use of radiosurgical unit "Surgitron" in gastrointestinal surgery].

The authors represent results of experimental study showing objective differences and advantages of radioscalpel "Surgitron" vs. widely used physical cutting methods. This unit significantly decreases traumatism of gastrointestinal organs and tissues, and increases efficiency and safety of surgical operations. The results of surgical treatment in 313 patients, operated with the use of radioscalpel "Surgitron" purposely to cut and coagulate tissues, represented in the article. Use of radioscalpel in clinical practice for gastrointestinal and interintestinal anastomosis formation favors primary intention healing, decreases risk of postoperative complications (bleeding, anastomositis, insufficiency of anastomosis stitches) and lethality. These results give reason for wide practical application of radioscalpel "Surgitron" in surgical clinics.

[The use of a radioscalpel in abdominal surgery].

The treatment results of 313 patients in whose operations the Surgitron radioscalpel was used are presented. Authors affirm that the use of radioscalpel in abdominal surgery (e.g. gastrointestinal and interintestinal anastomoses) favors the primary intention healing of the anastomoses, decreases the postoperative complications risk (bleeding, anastomositis, suture-line leaks and death).

[Electrocoagulation in the surgery of inguinal hernias].

One hundred and sixty patients with inguinal hernias were operated with pure tissue repair method (35 of them with radioscalpel) and 38 patients -- with no-tension plastic operation on the inguinal canal (19 of them with radioscalpel). There were no cases of bleeding, haematoma, seroma and wound infection when radioscalpel Surgitron was used. Herniotomy with Surgitron provides good short- and long-term results.

[Free-tension plastic surgery of inguinal canal in hernias].

Fifty-one patients with inguinal hernia underwent tension-free hernioplasty, 32 of them were operated according to an original method which protects the spermatic cord against contact with net graft. This method permits to avoid recurrence, inguinodinia and dis-ejaculation.

[The radiodiagnosis of acute and chronic cholecystitis]. / Luchevaia diagnostika ostrogo i khronicheskogo kholetsistita.

Roentgenological, radionuclide, ultrasound and thermographic methods were evaluated in 31 patients with acute and 85 with chronic cholecystitis. It was established that the succession of using of the above methods depends on the course of cholecystitis. In acute cholecystitis examination is begun with thermography and terminated by ultrasound. In chronic cholecystitis ultrasound is the first method to be followed by radionuclide methods. If necessary infusional cholegraphy and thermography are employed.

[Use of the Renodinamika-81 automated system of acquisition, storage and processing of radionuclide renography data in mass screening studies]. / Ispol'zovanie avtomatizirovannoi sistemy sbora, khraneniia i obrabotki dannykh radionuklidnoi renografii "Renodinamika-81" dlia massovykh profilakticheskikh issledovanii.

An automated Renodinamika-81 system was used for examination of 212 students to detect latent pathology of the urinary system. Renography by a common method with simultaneous data recording on a punched tape was performed. The software was based on the FORTRAN language for SM-4 computers. Changes were detected in 20.7% of the students. The Renodinamika-81 system was recommended for early examination of patients identified as a risk group during mass screening of the population.