[Comparative efficacy of a combination of undenatured type II collagen, Boswellic acids, methylsulfonylmethane, vitamins C and D3 and a combination of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride in the treatment of primary osteoarthritis of the knee joint].

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of Artneo (AN) in comparison with a combination of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate (GC) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint (KJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 70 patients with stages I-III of primary knee OA were randomized into 2 groups. Participants in the 1st (n=35) took AN 1 caps/day, in the 2nd (n=35) GC according to the standard regimen. After 7, 30, 90, 180 days, the Lequesne index (severity of OA), pain when moving according to VAS, WOMAC score were assessed, after 1, 3, 6 months - quality of life SF-36 and morning stiffness, after 6 months - MRI with T2 mapping, laboratory safety indicators. RESULTS: Over the course of 6 months of use, an improvement in the WOMAC index and a decrease in pain were observed without intergroup differences, and a greater decrease in stiffness in the AN group. After 3 months, the severity of OA decreased from moderate to mild in the AN group and was significantly lower compared to the GC group; quality of life (physical component of SF-36) was higher in the AN group. After 6 months, there was an improvement in cartilage ultrastructure (T2 relaxation time) in both groups and a more pronounced reduction of the synovitis area (MRI) in the AN group (2.95 and 1.37 times in the AN and GC group, respectively). There were no clinically significant adverse reactions observed in both groups. CONCLUSION: The use of AN in patients with stage I-III primary knee OA was not inferior in efficacy to the combination of GC. Further studies with greater statistical power (sample size) and follow-up period are warranted including in real clinical practice.

An ICA-based framework for joint analysis of cognitive scores and MEG event-related fields.

This paper proposes an independent component analysis (ICA)-based framework for exploring associations between neural signals measured with magnetoencephalography (MEG) and non-neuroimaging data of healthy subjects. Our proposed framework contains methods for subject group identification, latent source estimation of MEG, and discriminatory source visualization. Hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC) is used to cluster subject groups based on cognitive scores, and ICA is performed on MEG evoked responses such that not only higher-order statistics but also sample dependence within sources is taken into account. The clustered subject labels and estimated sources are jointly analyzed to determine discriminatory sources. Finally, discriminatory sources are used to calculate global difference maps (GDMs) for the summary. Results using a new data set reveal that estimated sources are significantly correlated with cognitive measures and subject demographics. Discriminatory sources have significant correlations with variables that have not been previously used for group identification, and GDMs can effectively identify group differences.

TOBACCO SMOKING AMONG TEENAGE GIRLS AS A MEDICAL PROBLEM IN MODERN UKRAINE.

Purpose of the study - based on objective tests, to clarify the true prevalence and medical and social aspects of tobacco smoking of adolescent girls in the regional center of the east of Ukraine. Anonymous survey of 60 students of 10-11 grades of a secondary school of Kharkov at the age of 14-16 years was conducted. To objectivize the contact with the combustion products of tobacco, the survey was supplemented with a quantitative determination of the concentration of thiocyanide ions in the urine of the respondents. The content of the latter in the urine to 3 mg/l was considered as background (negative), 3-4 mg/l as borderline, and more than 4 mg/l as a positive result. Determining the concentration of thiocyanide ions in the urine of the surveyed showed that 21 people out of 60 (35%) have direct contact with the combustion products of tobacco (thiocyanaturia within 4.13-9.01 mg/l); 17 out of 60 (28.3%) adolescent girls are active smokers, and 12 out of 17 give true information about their habit in questionnaires. The control group consisted of 39 people with a thiocyanaturia level of 0.68-3.47 mg/l, which indicates the absence of contact with tobacco smoke. Among the factors that influence the formation of the behavior of adolescent girls, the highest importance is the high welfare of the family, which entails the presence of a large amount of uncontrolled "pocket" money from a child, which is legalized not only by tobacco smoking, but also by the use of alcoholic beverages: smokers vs. 15% non-smokers (p<0.05) systematically use alcohol. All, without exception, smokers are exemplified by friends and acquaintances, which greatly exceeds the degree of influence of relatives. A provocative role is also played by the proximity of retail outlets selling small tobacco products to the school, combined with the lack of the teacher's control. 35% of school girls between the ages of 14 and 16 years systematically have direct contact with tobacco smoke, 28.3% are active smokers. The presence of sufficiently large amounts of uncontrolled «pocket¼ money can be the foundation for the emergence and further reproach of the smoking habit. This is facilitated by communication with friends, smokers and the availability of tobacco products in retail outlets near the school.

The Diagnostic Value of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Phenotype in Patients with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

The deficiency of alpha-1 protease inhibitor, or alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), predisposes to chronic lung diseases and extrapulmonary pathology. Besides classical manifestations, such as pulmonary emphysema and liver disease, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) is also known to be associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA or Wegener's granulomatosis). The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of allelic isoforms of A1AT and their clinical significance among GPA patients. Detailed clinical information, including Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), incidence of lung involvement, anti-proteinase 3 (PR3) antibodies concentrations, and other laboratory data were collected in 38 GPA patients. We also studied serum samples obtained from 46 healthy donors. In all collected samples A1AT phenotyping by isoelectrofocusing (IEF) and turbidimetric A1AT measurement were performed. Abnormal A1AT variants were found in 18.4% (7/38) of cases: 1 ZZ, 4 MZ, 2 MF, and only 1 MZ in control group (2%). The mean A1AT concentration in samples with atypical A1AT phenotypes was significantly lower (P = 0.0038) than in normal A1AT phenotype. We found that patients with abnormal A1AT phenotypes had significantly higher vasculitis activity (BVAS) as well as anti-PR3 antibodies concentration. We conclude that A1AT deficiency should be considered in all patients with GPA.

[Nutritional and Hormonal Status of Premature Infants Born with Intrauterine Growth Restriction at the Term Corrected Age].

Background: Inadequate nutrition supply during the period of intrauterine growth and the first year of life leads to persistent metabolic changes and provokes development of various diseases. Aims: Тo compare physical development, body composition, and hormonal status (insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), somatotropic hormone (STH), C-Peptide, cortisol) indices in premature infants born with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) at the term corrected age with the same indices in mature infants with IUGR and premature infants with weight appropriate for their gestational age (GA). Materials and Methods: А crossover study of anthropometric measures, body composition and growth hormones changes assessment was carried out. It included 140 premature infants with weight appropriate for their GA, 58 premature infants with IUGR and 64 mature infants with IUGR. Anthropometric measures were assessed with Fenton and Anthro growth charts (WHO, 2009); body composition was studied with the air plethysmography method (РЕA POD, LMi, USA). Level of hormones in blood serum was assessed with biochemical methods. Results: It is found that anthropometric measures in premature infants with weight appropriate for their GA and premature infants with IUGR at the term corrected age did not have any significant differences while premature infants with IUGR tended to have lower weight. Studying body composition we found that both groups of premature infants had slightly higher level of fat mass in comparison with mature infants. High concentration of insulin, cortisol, IGF-1, and C-peptide was found in premature and mature infants with IUGR. Instead, lower levels of STH was found in infants with IUGR. Formula fed premature infants (comparing to breastfed ones) had higher levels of fat mass, insulin, IGF-1, and C-peptide. Mature infants with IUGR did not tend to have the correlation between levels of fat mass, insulin, IGF-1, C-peptide, and type of feeding. Conclusions: Not only insufficient intrauterine growth but also nutrition pattern plays important role in development of body composition disbalance and hormonal shifts in premature infants.

[Medical and Social Problems of Assisted Reproductive Technologies from the Perspective of Pediatrics].

The article presents a literature review over the last few years devoted to the health status and development peculiarities of children born using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) procedures. The statistics shows an explosive increase in the frequency of ART application as a fertility treatment method. The presented data analysis reflects the perinatal outcomes after ART in children, the frequency of congenital malformations and genetic diseases in this population, possible long-term malconditions and pathologies in children born using ART. The overwhelming majority of investigators consider the adverse effect of ART on a child's body to be the result of prematurity and multiple pregnancy (transfer multiple embryos followed by partial reduction). It is stated that the widespread introduction of ART may contribute to the vertical transmission of parental infertility factors in the population. The application of ARTprocedures in some cases is associated with controversial ethical and legal issues (surrogacy, oocyte donation). Further improvements in ART procedures (preimplantation training, medical and genetic diagnosis, reducing the frequency of multiple pregnancy) cannot be stated as an alternative to the general medical and social prevention of reproductive disorders in adolescents and youth.

Autoimmune thyroiditis: Centennial jubilee of a social disease and its comorbidity.

The history of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and its role in pathophysiology of transition from adolescent hypothalamic syndrome (obesity with rose striae) into early metabolic syndrome is reviewed. Marfanoid phenotype and chronic disequilibrium between local, autacoid-mediated and systemic, hormone-mediated regulation, typical for inherited connective tissue disorders, may promote this transition. Pathogenetic roles of hyperprolactinemia and cytokine misbalance are evaluated and discussed in its pathogenesis.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus: reference strain Sofjin and problem of its authenticity.

The Sofjin strain is one of the first isolates of tick-borne encephalitis virus and, due to its wide distribution in virus collections, it has become the reference strain. Until now, GenBank has recorded several sequences associated with the Sofjin strain that have significant differences between each other. We have sequenced the complete genome of the Sofjin strain from a virus collection and a genome fragment of the two vaccine Sofjin strains. According to phylogenetic analysis, we concluded that the GenBank sequences belong to three independent groups of Sofjin strains of the Far Eastern subtype. Their genetic differences are not a result of microevolution associated with numerous passages. Retrospective analysis of the peculiarities of origin and distribution for each of these groups showed the authenticity of one of them. For the first time, we have determined a complete genome sequence of the authentic reference TBEV strain Sofjin. Two other groups of strains named Sofjin were probably the result of cross-contamination or laboratory error. The high probability of contamination requires the introduction of a new standard for virological laboratories, the key point of which is the obligatory genetic identification of all collection strains.

Distribution of Far-Eastern tick-borne encephalitis virus subtype strains in the former Soviet Union.

European and Asian viruses within the tick-borne encephalitis flavivirus complex are known to show temporal, spatial and phylogenetic relationships that imply a clinal pattern of evolution. However, the isolation of recognized Far-Eastern tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) strains in the European region of the former Soviet Union (SU), i.e. thousands of kilometres west of the region in which they are considered endemic, appears to contradict this concept. Here, we present a parsimonious explanation for this apparent anomaly based on analysis of the dates and regions in which these non-endemic strains were isolated, together with their phylogenetic relationships and the records of redistribution of animals under the All-Union programme for acclimatization of game animals within the former SU. Our evidence supports the concept that the anomalous distribution of Far-Eastern TBEV strains in Europe and Siberia arose primarily as the result of the large-scale westward redistribution of game animals for economic purposes.

Pivanex, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, induces changes in BCR-ABL expression and when combined with STI571, acts synergistically in a chronic myelocytic leukemia cell line.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is associated with the high TK activity chimeric protein BCR-ABL, known to contribute to cell tumorogenicity, resistance to apoptosis and differentiation. STI571, the TK inhibitor, is the current treatment for CML. One possible approach to overcome STI571 resistance appearing in some cases, involves the combination of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDI) and STI571. We demonstrated that in K562, the CML cell line, pivaloyloxymethyl butyrate (Pivanex)-induced apoptosis, differentiation and reduced BCR-ABL protein levels and that the combination of Pivanex with STI571 acted synergistically. These data suggest the possible benefit of combining this HDI with STI571 for treatment of CML.

Study of Growth Processes in Bone and Skin Tissues in Porous Implants Designed for Fixation of External Prosthesis after Amputation of Extremities.

Modeling in vivo (on Wistar rats) was carried out by the method of complete integration of the prosthesis of an amputated extremity with a residuum; in this procedure the prosthesis is fixed to the residuum with a metal pylon one end of which is implanted into the bone of the residuum, while the other end traverses the residuum tissues and skin 5-7 cm above the residuum surface. This procedure includes not only successful implantation in the residuum bone, but also the possibility that the pores in the metal pylon can be filled with skin cells in the area of the pylon which traverses the tissues of the residiuum. The porous titanium pylon was implanted into the bone of experimental animals with amputated extremities. Penetration of bone and skin cells into the pores of the studied material was demonstrated, which provides tighter fixation in the bone and shows promise for the development of a natural cutaneous barrier to infection.