Brown bear attacks on humans: a worldwide perspective.

The increasing trend of large carnivore attacks on humans not only raises human safety concerns but may also undermine large carnivore conservation efforts. Although rare, attacks by brown bears Ursus arctos are also on the rise and, although several studies have addressed this issue at local scales, information is lacking on a worldwide scale. Here, we investigated brown bear attacks (n = 664) on humans between 2000 and 2015 across most of the range inhabited by the species: North America (n = 183), Europe (n = 291), and East (n = 190). When the attacks occurred, half of the people were engaged in leisure activities and the main scenario was an encounter with a female with cubs. Attacks have increased significantly over time and were more frequent at high bear and low human population densities. There was no significant difference in the number of attacks between continents or between countries with different hunting practices. Understanding global patterns of bear attacks can help reduce dangerous encounters and, consequently, is crucial for informing wildlife managers and the public about appropriate measures to reduce this kind of conflicts in bear country.

[The surgical treatment of congenital preauricular fistula].

The present paper describes the newly developed classification of congenital parotid fistulas that distinguishes between 4 forms of these entities depending on the shape and the size of the canal. A total of 61 patients at the age from 7 to 80 years presenting with congenital parotid fistulas were available for the observation during the period from 1985 to 2011. Twenty seven (44.2%) patients underwent surgery for the excision of congenital parotid fistulas under local anesthesia. A 7-year old child and a 17-year old girl were treated by the same method using intravenous calypsol narcosis. The patients having forms 1 and 2 of congenital parotid fistulas did not apply for medical aid. Forms 3 and 4 of this pathology manifest themselves in the early childhood; they are frequently associated with inflammation and recurrence as well as the development of abscesses. It was shown that only the complete removal of congenital parotid fistula prevents its inflammation and suppuration. The hereditary nature of congenital parotid fistula was documented in 23 (37.7%) of the patients included in the present study.

[Classification and clinical observation of rhinoliths in the adult patients].

This paper reports 3 cases of rhinoliths 20, 14, and 45 years in duration respectively observed during the last 3 years. Rhinoliths caused difficulty of nasal breathing on the side of their localization accompanied by serous discharge from the nose and atrophy of turbinate bones; moreover, they provoked the development of maxilloethmoidal sinusitis, nasal polyps, and deviation of the nasal septum. The surgical removal of the rhinoliths promoted elimination of these complications. A new classification of rhinoliths distinguishing between 4 groups of these stone-like structures is proposed.

Features of the dielectric permittivity of the Coulomb system and the true dielectric state.

Based on the linear response theory and the diagram technique of the perturbation theory, the correlation between the homogeneous and isotropic Coulomb system permittivity features caused by the nonzero static conductivity and the effects of external electrostatic field screening is determined. The results obtained can be used to study the metal-dielectric transition at zero temperature beyond the scope of the adiabatic approximation for nuclei. It is shown that at the critical point the matter consisting of electrons and nuclei of the same type is in the "true" dielectric state characterized by the zero static conductivity and the absence of screening of the weak electrostatic field.

[Necrotizing (malignant) external otitis].

Five cases of necrotizing (malignant) external otitis were diagnosed during 25 years (from 1984 to 2009). All the patients aged from 60 to 80 years presented with diabetes mellitus. Blue pus bacilli were isolated from the ear canal. One of the 5 patients had bilateral external otitis. All the five underwent radical surgery after conservative therapy had proved inefficient. The treatment completed, the patients were discharged from the hospital in good clinical condition.

Second sum rule for the hot plasma permittivity.

Based on linear response theory, Kramers-Kronig relations, and diagram techniques of perturbation theory, it is shown that the second sum rule is satisfied for hot plasma permittivity. An explicit analytical expression for the second sum rule in the limit of weak nonideality is derived.

Virial theorem for an inhomogeneous medium, boundary conditions for the wave functions, and stress tensor in quantum statistics.

On the basis of the stationary Schrödinger equation, the virial theorem in an inhomogeneous external field for the canonical ensemble is proved. It is shown that the difference in the form of virial theorem is conditioned by the value of the wave-function derivative on the surface of the volume, surrounding the system under consideration. The stress tensor in such a system is determined by the average values of the wave-function space derivatives.

[Assessing clinical efficacy of the generic clopidogrel "Egutromb" in roentgenosurgical practice].

The study comprised a total of ten 47-to-62-year-old (mean age 52.8±2.05 years) patients presenting with coronary artery disease. All patients underwent coronography whose findings were used to determine the indications for stenting of coronary arteries in order to correct coronary insufficiency with due regard for the international guidelines. All the patients received therapy with acetylsalicylic acid at a dose of 75-125 mg/day. As preoperative preparation in all cases the patients were given the generic clopidogrel Egitromb at a daily dose of 75 mg given 120 hours (5 days) prior to the intervention. The clinical effect of the drug was assessed by the presence or absence of relapses of cardiac angina, or the development of acute coronary syndrome within 1 month following the endovascular intervention performed. The state of the vascular-thrombocytic haemostasis was evaluated by the following parameters: spontaneous blood platelet aggregation, induced by ADP given at a dose of 5 µg/ml and 1.25 µg/ml. The obtained initial positive findings of studying clinical efficacy of the generic clopidogrel "Egitromb" manifesting itself in the absence of early stent's thromboses and relapses of cardiac angina within the first month of treatment, as well as in a significant decrease of induced blood platelet aggregation with ADP at a dose of 5 µg/ml and 1.25 µg/ml suggest the necessity of continuing further study thereof in roentgenosurgical practice.

[Chemotherapy activity and pharmacokinetics of the fluoroquinolones generics Ofloxacin-PhPO and Pefloxacin-genova].

Therapeutic activity, pharmacokinetic and bioavailability on animals (inbred white mouse, rabbits) were evaluated for Ofloxacin-PhPO and Pefloxacin-genova in comparison with innovator products--Tarivid and Abaktal. The results of the experiments demonstrate that investigated generics by their therapeutic efficacy in animals and by bioavailability are similar to original products.

[Relative bioavailability and bioequivalence of the antimycotics ketoconazole and fluconazole].

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of the antimycotics ketoconazole FPO and fluconazole (Russia) and the analogous drugs nizoral (Belgium) and diflucan (France) were comparatively studied on animals and in clinical trials. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the drugs were determined and their bioequivalence was shown (90-110%) that is evident of their therapeutic equality.

Disequilibrium between uranium and its progeny in the Lake Issyk-Kul system (Kyrgyzstan) under a combined effect of natural and manmade processes.

The Kadji-Sai abandoned field of U-bearing brown coal on the southern coast of Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) poses a threat of radioactive pollution to the world's fifth deepest and second largest pristine highland lake. The valleys of ephemeral streams in the lake catchment are filled with coarse-grained sand and clay, with a background U--Ra activity of 35--55 Bqkg(-1). High activity areas vs. this background come from three sources: (1) scarce outcrops of uraniferous brown coal and mining wastes containing fragments of this coal with (238)U/(226)Ra ratios of 0.8 due to uranium losses through weathering; (2) manmade anomalies caused by a radioactive waste dump, where U was extracted from the ash of coal burnt at a coal-fired power plant. As a result, the (238)U/(226)Ra ratios become 0.15--0.25; (3) six catch pools terraced below the mine, where U activity decreases downslope, and (238)U/(226)Ra ratios reach 150--200. Uranium lost in the extraction process may have been retained on the terraces. The distribution pattern of radionuclides in the bottom sediments of the lake is controlled by water depth and offshore distance. The upper section of homogeneous limy--argillic deposits in the lake center remains undisturbed by currents, as indicated by regular sub-exponential distribution of atmospheric (137)Cs and (210)Pb(atm). Sedimentation rate in the lake center for the past century, found from (210)Pb, was 0.32 mmyr(-1). (238)U/(226)Ra in deep-water sediments was about 3. The activity of uranium adsorbed by sediments from the lake water was estimated by subtraction of the Ra-equilibrium component from the total U activity. Thus, the flux of dissolved U to the bottom sediments was as 2.07 x 10(-7)gcm(-2)yr(-1). The upper section of near-shore deposits was disturbed by currents, with (137)Cs and (210)Pb(atm) more or less uniformly distributed in this layer. Peaks of (226)Ra and (210)Pb occur at different depths from 5 to 20 cm below the sediment surface, with (238)U/(226)Ra ratios 0.28--0.44. The presence of mullite in these sediments indicated that radioactive ash penetrated into the lake in the past. At present, (226)Ra in the ash is buried under a non-radioactive cap.

[Independence of the Central Asian faunistic region (according to the distribution of lizards (Reptilia, Sauria))].

Central Asian area above 2000 m was studied to test the independence of the Central Asian Mountain region in the herpetogeographical map of the Palearctic Region and the neighboring Sahara-Gobi Desert region. According to the range and origin similarity, all species inhabiting this area were assigned to several groups: mountain Central Asian species (the bulk of the range lies within the studied area), Western Asian upland species (the bulk of the range lies in the Near Eastern uplands), plain desert species (the bulk of the range is below 2000 m), Indo-Malayan species (the bulk of the range lies within the Indo-Malayan Kingdom), European species (the bulk of the range lies in the forest and steppe zones of Europe and West Siberia), and mountain desert species (equal parts of the range lie in the deserts and mountains of Central Asia). The distribution of species density was mapped by range superposition for each group. The dominance (over 50% of the total number of species) of mountain Central Asian or other species groups allowed us to assign the studied area to either the Central Asian mountain region or Sahara-Gobi desert region. The areas where neither of the specified groups exceeded the 50% threshold were recognized as transitional. Considering a large number of endemic species (28% of the total fauna), the Central Asian mountain area should be recognized as an independent region rather than a subregion of the Sahara-Gobi Desert region.