[Functional state of spinal cord and its radices in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine injuries]. / Élektrofiziologicheskii monitoring funktsional'nogo sostoianiia spinnogo mozga i ego koreshkov u bol'nykh s povrezhdeniiami grudnogo i poiasnichnogo otdelov pozvonochnika.

AIM: To estimate the character of neurophysiological monitoring in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine injuries at different treatment stages. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with non-complicated (22 patients, group 1) and complicated (16 patients, group 2) thoracic and lumbar spine injuries underwent electroneuromyography (ENM) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The examination was performed at early (up to 2 weeks) and later (more than 1 month) post-injury periods, before the operation and on the 10th day after decompressing-stabilizing interventions. RESULTS: Before the operation, 71.4% patients of group 1 had ENM-signs of suppressed motor neuron activity in L5 segment of the spinal cord with peroneal nerve axonopathy. The most significant changes in ENM-indexes were observed in medullary channel stenosis of more than 30%. TMS parameters in group 1 were normal while in the 2nd group, EMN and TMS results before the operation demonstrated preserved motor neuron activity at the injury level despite gross neurological symptoms and 100% of medullary channel lumen deficit. In the postoperative period, ENM and TMS revealed no definite negative dynamics in patients of both groups. Patients with locomotor disorders, who underwent surgery at late post-injury periods, showed neurophysiological dynamics on the 10th day postoperatively. Low amplitude motor evoked potentials (kMEP), which were not present before, suggested initial signs of conductibility restoration (in 22% of patients) that proved the effectiveness of decompressive interventions in the long-term post-injury period. CONCLUSION: ENM- and TMS monitoring in patients with complicated and non-complicated injuries of thoracic and lumbar spine allowed revealing the positive influence of decompressing-stabilizing operations conducted both at early and late post-injury periods on the state of spinal cord conductibility and segmental apparatus.

[Attitudes toward aging prevention: results of a focus groups study].

Emerging life extension technologies, as well as some already existing biomedical interventions to prevent ageing-related pathological processes, have significant potential to alleviate the burden of disease in the aging world. However, promoting these technologies requires research in public opinion and the use of marketing techniques. We studied social attitudes towards life extension technologies and geroprotective medicine use with 3 focus groups. The total sample included 18 people with university degrees, 25-70 years old, and living in Moscow (Russia). The tested messages were obtained in advance by the survey of 30 experts in gerontology. The focus group participants got most convinced with the messages that aging prevention is a way to live longer and healthier lives. Despite the concerns of the experts, the idea that aging is a disease convinces considerable share of the informants when the scientific evidences of the connection between aging processes and aging-related health damage are provided. Research details in general made the human life extension feasibility more convincing. Introducing new agendas into discussion (pensions, overpopulation, etc.) turned out to be counterproductive due to new counterarguments emerging in the group discussions. The idea of radical life extension (i.e. reaching lifespan of 200+ years) was perceived skeptically. Some skepticism was attributed to mistrust and disappointment in the modern healthcare system in general. Gene therapies were perceived with caution. The word «geroprotector¼ is not well known even to the educated general public.

[Modern aspects of pathogenesis of the trauma of the spinal cord and trunks of peripheral nerves].

In pathogenesis of the traumatic disease of the spinal cord, two mechanisms of the injuries of its neuronal apparatus are defined: primary (necrosis) and secondary (apoptosis). In the work a participation of a number of internal causes in the progression of apoptosis in injury of the spinal cord and peripheral nerve trunks, the role of those remains little-studied up to date, is discussed.

[PhD theses on gerontological topics in Russia 1995-2012: scientometric analysis].

The paper presents a scientometric analysis of PhD theses on gerontological topics in Russian humanities (excluding economics) for the period from 1995 to 2012. During this period, 253 PhD theses (238 of "candidate dissertations," and 15 of "doctoral dissertations") were defended in Russia. Almost half of them were defended during the boom years (2005-2006; 2009-2010). The number of theses defended in the 2000-s has increased significantly compared to the second half of 1990-s. However for gerontological PhD-s overall as a percentage of all theses defended in Russian humanities, the number hardly changed and remained small (less than 0.3%). The leading discipline in the study of aging (within the humanities) is sociology accounting for more than a third of all defended theses. Though the theses were defended in 48 cities, more than half of them were defended in 3 cities, which are Moscow, St. Petersburg and Saratov. Thematic analysis showed that the leading position was occupied by two topics: "the elderly and the state" (42%) and "(re)socialization/adaptation of the elderly" (25%). 14% of the works are devoted to intergenerational relations and social status of the elderly. Other topics (old man/woman's personality, self-perceptions of aging, violence and crime against the elderly, loneliness, discrimination, etc.) are presented by very few studies.