[New opportunities for non-drug treatment of insomnia using sleep normalization medical device SONYA]. / Novye vozmozhnosti nelekarstvennoi korrektsii insomnii s pomoshch'yu apparata dlya normalizatsii sna SONYa.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness and safety of the sleep normalization medical device SONYA in the treatment of insomnia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The effectiveness and safety of the SONYA device was studied in 32 subjects randomized into two groups - those who received stimulation using this device and those who received false stimulation (placebo). The indicators of subjective sleep characteristics, polysomnography, and emotional state were evaluated. RESULTS: The SONYA device exerts the positive effect on the main characteristics of night sleep and the emotional state of patients. The overall sleep efficiency, the total duration of delta sleep in its 1st and 2nd cycles, the delta sleep index significantly increased, while the time of falling asleep and the time of onset of delta sleep as well as the number and duration of night awakenings decreased. The severity of emotional and motivational disorders significantly decreased in the form of a decrease in the level of state anxiety, an increase in the background mood, the level of cheerfulness and well-being. No adverse events and side-effects from the use of the SONYA device have been recorded. CONCLUSION: According to the results of clinical studies, the SONYA device was registered as a medical device of the 2nd safety class for the treatment of insomnia of inorganic nature (F51.0) and sleep-wake disorders of inorganic nature (F51.2).

[Clinical and morphological features of Merkel's carcinoma in elderly patients (literature review).]

Merkels cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine skin tumor with a high rate of recurrence and local metastasis. The average age at which MCC is diagnosed is 75 years. The identification of the role of somatic mutations and DNA repair in aging mechanisms raises the question of their direct connection with the processes of differentiation, age-related characteristics of the immune system, programmed cell death and malignant growth. In this regard, there remains a need for research aimed at improving the early diagnosis and pathogenetic treatment of elderly patients.

[Low-frequency rhythmic electrocutaneous stimulation during slow-wave sleep: physiological and therapeutic effects].

Neocortical EEG slow wave activity (SWA) in the delta frequency band (0.5-4.0 Hz) is a hallmark of slow wave sleep (SWS) and its power is a function of prior wake duration and an indicator of a sleep need. SWS is considered the most important stage for realization of recovery functions of sleep. Possibility of impact on characteristics of a night sleep by rhythmic (0.8-1.2 Hz) subthreshold electrocutaneous stimulation of a hand during SWS is shown: 1st night--adaptation, 2nd night--control, 3d and 4th nights--with stimulation during SWA stages ofa SWS. Stimulation caused significant increase in average duration of SWS and EEG SWA power (in 11 of 16 subjects), and also well-being and mood improvement in subjects with lowered emotional tone. It is supposed that the received result is caused by functioning of a hypothetical mechanism directed on maintenance and deepening of SWS and counteracting activating, awakening influences of the afferent stimulation. The results can be of value both for understanding the physiological mechanisms of sleep homeostasis and for development of non-pharmacological therapy of sleep disorders.

[Radiation control on Saliut stations using directly indicating dosimeters]. / Radiatsionnyi kontrol' na stantsiiakh "Saliut" s pomoshch'iu priamopokazyvaiushchikh dozimetrov.

Using PPD-2 dosimeters, daily radiation doses were measured in the same site of the Salyut-3. Salyut-4 and Salyut-5 stations (1974-1977). The doses were estimated to be about 13-16 mrad/day. During the flight of the Salyut-6 station (1977-1979) daily doses were measured in different sites and were found to vary significantly. By 1980, due to an increase in solar activity and lack of solar flares, the difference in the daily doses inside the station (except for the transfer module) reached the level of the error of measurements, i. t. +/- 20%.

The Cosmos-782 and Prognoz-4 studies of cosmic radiation LET spectra.

The data on the cosmic radiation LET spectra at different distances from the Earth (inside and outside the magnetosphere) indicate that there is a considerable screening effect of the geomagnetic field with respect to the galactic cosmic radiation. The screening coefficient, including the screening effect of the Earth itself, is about 7 for the absorbed dose and about 26 for the dose equivalent. The galactic cosmic radiation accumulated dose equivalent outside the Earth's magnetosphere and behind a shield thickness of 1 g/cm2 is about 95 rem per year near the solar minimum. LET spectrum data for different altitudes in the near-Earth region of space can be used in the manned space flight radiation protection for spacecraft shielding calculations and for the development of dosimetric control instruments, as well as in the planning and data interpretation of radiobiological experiments in space.

The study of the radiation environment in near-earth space.

The report contains the description of the devices used for studying the radiation environment in space. They consist of passive dosimeters, a monitoring dosimeter and a spectrometer. Data were obtained with them over a long period of time. The analysis of these data permits one to conclude that radiation dose greatly depends on the apogee altitude and inclination; increasing the shield thickness does not greatly decrease the daily dose. The daily doses in orbits with an inclination of less than 65 degrees are 7 to 45 mrad day-1; the quality factor in those orbits was 1.2-1.4.