Structure and features of psychopathological symptoms in forced migrants and internally displaced persons.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To study the structure and characteristics of psychopathological symptoms in FM who left Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and internally displaced persons, in a comparative aspect. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: Examination was performed in compliance with the principles of biomedical ethics, based on informed consent. Research was provided on the basis of the Ternopil Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital. Inclusion criteria were women who were forced to leave the territory of Ukraine as a result of hostilities after February 24, 2022, and who left for temporary residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland (Poland) (FM), and women who were temporarily relocated within Ukraine in connection with connection with hostilities (IDP). Exclusion criteria from the study were presence of language disorders, pronounced cognitive disorders, severe somatic condition. The examination was organized by the method of a semi-structured clinical interview according to the developed by us protocol and was conducted remotely. During the examination, depressive, anxiety-phobic, asthenic and dyssomnic disorders, addictive behavior and symptoms of PTSDwere identified and verified. Statistical and mathematical processing a was carried out using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Results: The data we obtained indicate a significant spread of psychopathological symptoms in FM and IDP. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: FM and IDP are characterized by a high incidence of psychopathological symptoms. The most frequent were: depressed mood (FM - 67.2%, IDP - 58.5%), feelings of anxiety and fear (FM -52.5%, IDP - 43.6%), obsessive thoughts (FM - 58.9 %, IDP - 49.5%).

Prodromal period of psychosis: diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To study the psychopathological mechanisms of the development of the prodromal stage of psychosis in order to identify risk factors for the formation of psychosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: In this research 137 patients with newly diagnosed psychosis were examined: 65 patients with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia; 72 patients - with a diagnosis of acute polymorphic psychotic disorder. RESULTS: Results: According to the analysis of symptoms using the PANSS, the absence of signs of an anxious state, conceptual disorganization of thinking, emotional withdrowal are reliable signs of PPP in PS, and unusual thought content, absence of signs of stereotyped thinking, tension, anxiety, and hallucinations are reliable signs of PPP in APPD. According to the analysis of symptoms using the SOPS, unusual thought content/delusional ideas, bizarre thinking, social anhedonia, suspiciousness/persecutory ideas, decrease in expressiveness of emotions are reliable signs of PPP in PS, and bizarre thinking, impaired tolerance to normal stress, sleep disturbance, perceptual abnormalities/hallucinations, trouble with focus and attention are reliable signs of PPP in APPD. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: In the process of studying the clinical-psychopathological and pathopsychological aspects of the development of the PPP, a number of risk factors for the formation of psychosis were identified. We found that he most important diagnostic signs of PPP in PS patients are: stereotyped thinking, social isolation, disorganizational thinking disorders, passive-apathetic social detachment, suspiciousness. The most informative prodromal symptoms of HP in PS patients are: conceptual disorganization of thinking, bizzare thinking, social isolation, suspiciousness/persecutory ideas, reduced expression of emotions.

Impact of Alteplase on Mortality in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 and Pulmonary Embolism.

COVID-19 is an independent risk factor for pulmonary embolism (PE). Little is known about alteplase therapy in this patient group. A retrospective study analyzed 74 patients with PE and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 who were hospitalized in the intensive care unit in 2021. Patients with or without confirmed right heart thrombi (RHT) were treated with unfractionated heparin or alteplase. The mortality rate in patients with RHT treated with heparin was 100% compared to 37.9% and 55.2% in those treated with alteplase without RHT and alteplase with RHT, respectively. The risk of death in the alteplase group increased with delayed thrombolysis (p = 0.009, odds ratio (OR) = 1.73 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.14-2.62), increased D-dimer concentration (p = 0.02, OR = 1.43 95% CI 1.06-1.93), and decreased PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p = 0.001, OR = 0.56 95% CI 0.41-0.78). The receiver operating characteristic method determined that a 1-day delay in thrombolytic treatment, D-dimer concentration >5.844 mg/L, and PaO2/FiO2 <144 mmHg predicted a fatal outcome. The risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19 with ARDS and PE increases with higher D-dimer levels, decreased PaO2/FiO2, and delayed thrombolytic treatment. Thrombolysis seems to be treatment of choice in severe COVID-19 with PE and RHT. It should be carried out as soon as possible after the diagnosis is established.

Efficacy of Sildenafil in Patients with Severe COVID-19 and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is common in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and worsens the prognosis. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, is approved for PAH treatment but little is known about its efficacy in cases of severe COVID-19 with PAH. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of sildenafil in patients with severe COVID-19 and PAH. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients were randomly assigned to receive sildenafil or a placebo, with 75 participants in each group. Sildenafil was administered orally at 0.25 mg/kg t.i.d. for one week in a placebo-controlled, double-blind manner as an add-on therapy alongside the patient's routine treatment. The primary endpoint was one-week mortality, and the secondary endpoints were the one-week intubation rate and duration of ICU stay. The mortality rate was 4% vs. 13.3% (p = 0.078), the intubation rate was 8% and 18.7% (p = 0.09), and the length of ICU stay was 15 vs. 19 days (p < 0.001) for the sildenafil and placebo groups, respectively. If adjusted for PAH, sildenafil treatment significantly reduced mortality and intubation risks: OR = 0.21 (95% CI: 0.05-0.89) and OR = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.08-0.86), respectively. Sildenafil demonstrated some clinical efficacy in patients with severe COVID-19 and PAH and should be considered as an add-on therapy in these patients.

Specimen Size Effect on the Tensile Properties of Rolled Steel of Long-Term-Operated Portal Crane.

This paper presents the research results on the mechanical behavior of the low-carbon rolled steel of a sea portal crane after a 33-year operation depending on the operational stresses and rolling direction in order to assess its serviceability. The tensile properties of steels were investigated using rectangular cross-section specimens with different thicknesses and the same width. Strength indicators were slightly dependent on the considered factors (operational conditions, the cutting direction, and thickness of specimens). However, a clear trend of higher ultimate strength for thinner specimens was noticed, especially in the case of more brittle material due to its operational degradation. Plasticity of the tested steel specimens was more sensitive to the influence of the above-mentioned factors than strength but less sensitive than impact toughness. Uniform elongation was slightly less for thinner specimens regardless of the investigated steel state or the orientation of specimens relative to the rolling direction. The post-necking elongation was lower for transversal specimens compared with longitudinal ones, and the effect was more significant when testing steel with the lowest brittle fracture resistance. Among the tensile properties, non-uniform elongation was demonstrated to be the most effective for assessing the operational changes in the state of rolled steels.

Lack of Difference in Tocilizumab Efficacy in the Treatment of Severe COVID-19 Caused by Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

Tocilizumab (TOC) is presumed to be an effective and safe treatment for severe COVID-19, but its usefulness has not been yet investigated for different SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of TOC on mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 caused by Delta and non-Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants. In a retrospective analysis, we compared the medical records of 78 and 224 patients with severe COVID-19 due to Delta and non-Delta variants, respectively. A total of 30 patients with Delta and 84 with non-Delta variants were treated with TOC in addition to standard therapy. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality rate when comparing Delta vs. non-Delta patients nor when comparing those treated with TOC vs. not treated with TOC in both variants. Using a logistic regression model, in the examined population as a whole, we found an increased (p < 0.05) risk of death as leukocyte and erythrocyte counts decreased and as procalcitonin increased. Increased procalcitonin was significant for mortality in the Delta group, while decreased IL-6, leukocytes, and platelets and increased fibrinogen and procalcitonin were significant in the non-Delta group. Tocilizumab efficacy in severe COVID-19 does not differ between Delta or non-Delta virus variants. The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 does not increase mortality when compared to other virus strains.

CHANGES IN THE STATE OF VEGETATIVE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF ALBINO RATS AT THE BACKGROUND OF CHRONIC ROUNDUP POISONING.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The aim of this research was the study of low dose roundup, a well-known herbicide, chronic poisoning on the state of the vegetative nervous system in albino rats. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The state of vegetative nervous system was assessed by the method of variation pulsometry The two-week chronic roundup poisoning at a dose of 40 mcg/kg having been simulated on 30 albino rats. RESULTS: Results: The chronic roundup poisoning was accompanied by impaired state of vegetative nervous system that revealed itself in the growing indices of variation pulsometry: tension index - 1.6 times (P<0.001), index of regulatory system activity - 1.52 times (P<0.001), vegetative balance index - 2.36 times (P<0.001), rhythm vegetative index - 1.39 times (P<0.001). Moderate regulatory system stress, requiring extra functional reserves to provide adaptation to environment, was observed. Such condition occurs in the process of adaptation to adverse environmental factors with impairing adaptive self-regulation mechanisms. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Internal two-week use of the roundup on albino rats in a dose of 40 mcg/kg is accompanied by functional disorders of vegetative nervous system, which reveal themselves in the growing values of variation pulsometry. The results obtained were indicative of prevailing vegetative system sympathetic division as compared with parasympathetic one, as well as of disordered regulation of vegetative nervous system tone.

Comparison of the Effect of Unfractionated Heparin and Enoxaparin Sodium at Different Doses on the Course of COVID-19-Associated Coagulopathy.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC) exacerbates the course of coronavirus infection and contributes to increased mortality. Current recommendations for CAC treatment include the use of low-molecular weight heparins (LMWH) at prophylactic or therapeutic doses, as well as the use of unfractionated heparin (UFH). METHODS: A randomised, controlled trial enrolled 126 patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit with severe COVID-19 complicated by CAC. The effects of LMWH at preventive and therapeutic doses and UFH at therapeutic doses on mortality and intubation rates were compared. RESULTS: The number of intubations and deaths showed no significant difference depending on the anticoagulant therapy used. However, multivariate logistic regression models revealed an increased risk of intubation (p = 0.026, odds ratio (OR) = 3.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-9.59), and an increased risk of death (p = 0.046, OR = 3.01, 95% CI 1.02-8.90), for patients treated with LMWH at a prophylactic dose but not at a therapeutic dose as compared to patients treated with UFH when controlling for other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The use of unfractionated heparin in the treatment of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy seems to be more effective at reducing the risk of intubation and death than enoxaparin at prophylactic doses.

Efficacy of Tocilizumab Therapy in Different Subtypes of COVID-19 Cytokine Storm Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Cytokine storm in COVID-19 is heterogenous. There are at least three subtypes: cytokine release syndrome (CRS), macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and sepsis. METHODS: A retrospective study comprising 276 patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. All patients were tested for ferritin, interleukin-6, D-Dimer, fibrinogen, calcitonin, and C-reactive protein. According to the diagnostic criteria, three groups of patients with different subtypes of cytokine storm syndrome were identified: MAS, CRS or sepsis. In the MAS and CRS groups, treatment results were assessed depending on whether or not tocilizumab was used. RESULTS: MAS was diagnosed in 9.1% of the patients examined, CRS in 81.8%, and sepsis in 9.1%. Median serum ferritin in patients with MAS was significantly higher (5894 vs. 984 vs. 957 ng/mL, p < 0.001) than in those with CRS or sepsis. Hypofibrinogenemia and pancytopenia were also observed in MAS patients. In CRS patients, a higher mortality rate was observed among those who received tocilizumab, 21 vs. 10 patients (p = 0.043), RR = 2.1 (95% CI 1.0-4.3). In MAS patients, tocilizumab decreased the mortality, 13 vs. 6 patients (p = 0.013), RR = 0.50 (95% CI 0.25-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Tocilizumab therapy in patients with COVID-19 and CRS was associated with increased mortality, while in MAS patients, it contributed to reduced mortality.

Oxygen metabolism markers as predictors of mortality in severe COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of oxygen metabolism markers as predictors of mortality in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was undertaken to compare the medical records of patients with severe COVID-19 (53 deceased patients and 50 survivors). The survivors were selected from 222 records using a random number generator. In addition, 28 individuals who considered themselves to be healthy and who had no history of serious illness were included in the study for comparison. Oxygen saturation in arterial blood, oxygen saturation in central venous blood (ScvO2), arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), respiratory index (PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen), oxygen delivery, oxygen consumption (VO2) and oxygen extraction (O2ER) were compared in all participants. The optimal cut-off point for each oxygen metabolism marker in the prediction of mortality was determined based on the maximum value of the Youden Index in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences in all studied oxygen metabolism markers were found between survivors compared with deceased patients (p < 0.001). ScvO2, VO2 and O2ER [area under curve (AUC) 1.0] were the strongest predictors of mortality, and PaO2 was the weakest predictor of mortality (AUC 0.81). ScvO2 <29%, VO2 >124.6 ml/min and O2ER >30.2% were identified as predictors of mortality in patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: ScvO2, VO2 and O2ER are good predictors of mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

The Effectiveness of Corticosteroid Usage in Complex Therapy for Severe Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Cases of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: Severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) is an important issue in contemporary medicine and treatment strategies are still in need of improvement. The most dangerous complications of STBI are multiple organ failure and severe sepsis. As many as 80% of STBI patients with multiple organ failure have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The need for better treatment strategies for STBI has led to investigations of the positive therapeutic effects of corticosteroids (CS). About 10 to 15 years ago research showed the inexpediency of CS in STBI therapy, but there were also contradictory findings showing their effectiveness. STBI is frequently followed by severe sepsis, which is not usually treated with CS. No scientific papers investigated the usage or non-usage of CS in patients with STBI followed by severe sepsis and ARDS. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of CS usage on treatment results in patients with STBI followed by severe sepsis and ARDS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved an analysis of the treatment results in 267 patients with STBI followed by severe sepsis and ARDS, who were treated with and without CS. RESULTS: The study showed that patients' mortality decreased 1.24 times with CS use (500 mg/day of Solu-Medrol® for three days, followed by dose reduction by one-half every 3 days). Patients who took CS survived longer than patients without this treatment. The duration mechanical ventilation was shorter in patients who were treated with CS compared to the other group. CONCLUSIONS: Further research into CS use is needed to improve treatment strategies for STBI followed by severe sepsis and ARDS.