The pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis and pain syndrome had not been fully studied. The aim of the study was to evaluate the interrelation of fibrotic and ischemic changes in the parenchyma of pancreas, and pancreatic duct pressure in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis. In a prospective study, a morphological, the immunohistochemical study of pancreatic preparations was performed, and the indicators of tissue oximetry and pancreatic duct pressure were studied intraoperatively in 40 patients operated for chronic pancreatitis. It was found that with the progression of fibrotic changes in the pancreatic tissue of patients with chronic pancreatitis, there was an increase in TGF-β1 expression (р < 0.001), an increase in the number of pancreatic stellate cells (r = 0.32, р < 0.05), a decrease in glycogen (ischemia marker). The intraoperative direct measurement revealed a high pancreatic duct pressure: 34.2 (26.6; 45.3) mm Hg, a decrease in oxygenation of the pancreatic tissue that correlate with a degree of fibrosis. The pancreatic tissue in chronic pancreatitis has chronic hypoxia associated with fibrosis and increased pancreatic ductal hypertension. So, secondary pancreatic ischemia can be a significant factor in the progression of fibrosis and chronic pain syndrome in chronic pancreatitis.

There are several basophil activation and degranulation markers for basophil activation test discovered in recent years. However, only CD63 and CD203c are actively used. The activation and degranulation markers (CD11b, CD13, CD63, CD69, CD107a, CD164, CD203c and CD300a) were characterized from the point of view of the possibility to use for BAT and their clinical efficiency. It has been shown that the degranulation marker CD107a and the activation marker CD11b have high sensitivity and specificity and can be used to diagnose hypersensitivity to pollen allergens.

The aim of the study is to describe the radiological phenotype of vertebral malformations in congenital scoliosis and to discuss the possible mechanisms of morphogenesis of some of these anomalies. The article describes 5 cases of complete or partial splitting in the sagittal plane of the body of one of the thoracic vertebrae (butterfly-shaped vertebra). The anterior vertebral cleft was combined with other congenital vertebral anomalies: block of vertebra, hemivertebrae, spina bifida posterior. All patients had scoliosis with right-sided or left-sided curves. In the human fetuses of the first trimester of gestation without visible malformations in the cartilaginous anlages of the thoracic vertebral bodies we revealed the presence of one o three centers of ossification, and in the fetus with exensephaly – the lack of the intervertebral disc anlage between the bodies C2-C3. According to the published data, the etiology of congenital vertebral anomalies is multifactorial. In the pathogenesis of this pathology, there is a violation of local blood flow due to the anomalous course of intersegmental arteries and as a consequence – a complete or partial separation of adjacent somites or associated mesenchyme. According to the published data, a possible cause of the anterior cleft may be untimely an involution of cartilage canals, the growth of which in the cartilaginous anlage of the vertebral body precedes the appearance of the ossification center. The absence of the intervertebral disk at a considerable length between the cartilaginous anlages of bodies 2 and 3 of the cervical vertebrae in the human fetus with exencephaly indicates a close relationship between the axial skeleton and the neural tube.

Electrophysiological evaluation of the features of the functional state of the spinal cord in 26 patients with a fractured L₁ vertebra before and after operation was made. The analysis data of the results on electromyography and transcranial magnetic stimulation allowed estimating the impairment degree of spinal cord functions and determining the volume and time of rehabilitation completion.

The review of the literature data and our results of surgical treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis in adult patients with the minimally invasive technologies are presented in this article. Using clinical scales, X-rays, MRI, the hip joint condition of 46 patients who underwent “core” decompression in combination with bone plastic (group A, 31 patients) and bone marrow mononuclear cells (group B, 15 patients) were evaluated. The percentage of osteonecrosis progression during the observation period up to 3 years in group A was higher than in group B, where the bone marrow concentrate was used (38.7 and 26.7 %, respectively). The methods of treatment used for femoral head osteonecrosis are not traumatic, have no complications and allow delaying hip replacement. The use of autologous bone marrow cells, in addition to decompression of the necrosis focus, creates the prerequisites for a better outcome of bone regeneration of the necrotic area.

 

The article presents a simplified analytical method of evaluating the cancer incidence in first-degree relatives with glial brain tumors. The method is based on the use of population cancer incidence rates in the Belarus population and the estimated numbers of first-degree relatives in the time interval corresponding to the average life span in the Belarus population. This method was employed to analyze the cancer incidence in the patients of first-degree relatives who were treated at the N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre. Their diagnosis was the glial brain tumor. The number of the investigated first-degree relatives was 1012, of them 502 were males and 510 – females. As of December 31, 2015, this group had 63 cases of malignant neoplasms. According to the findings of the analysis performed, the first-degree relatives are at an increased risk for brain, rectum, thyroid and corpus uteri cancers. However, the statistically significant risk was found only for brain cancer incidence. The standardized incidence rate in first-degree relatives was 3.39 for this site (95 % CI 1.10–7.92), which is consistent with the data obtained by specialists of other countries (USA, Sweden and others).The agreement of the standardized incidence values suggests that the simplified analytical method provides an adequate account of the incidence among the patients of first-degree relatives with an established diagnosis of malignant neoplasm.

This review presents an analysis of the literature on the role of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, a predominant histological feature of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. It is shown that ethanol and toxic products of its metabolism can affect PSCs directly and indirectly, facilitating their transformation from a quiescent to an activated state. During the pathological process, PSCs interact with parenchymal and immune cells of the pancreas through cytokines and growth factors. In activated PSCs, the proliferative and migratory activity, as well as the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins increases. A continuous activation of PSCs during the disease promotes the maintenance of inflammation, the deposition of excessive amounts of ECM proteins and the development of pancreatic fibrosis.

Surgery of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in the era of calcimimetics continues to play an important role in selected patients and achieves an efficient control of hyperparathyroidism. Taken together, the results of literature review suggest a clinically significant beneficial effect of surgical parathyroidectomy to decrease the overall and cardiovascular mortality in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism due to chronic kidney disease. However, the independent randomized controlled trial comparing surgery with medical therapy to clarify the outcome and to improve the quality of life is in need.

A literature review about the role of microrna in biological processes associated with .obesity was completed. Modern ideas about micrornas, their biogenesis and their role in the formation of adipose tissue, glucose and lipid metabolism were described. The possibilities of using microRNA as new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for development of anti-obesity drugs were considered.

In this article, we discuss the modern approaches to optimize rheumatoid arthritis therapy with biological antiinflammatory drugs using specific predictors. We describe the most important predictors such as body mass index, smoking, disease activity, concomitant therapy, and the presence of antibodies in predicting the effectiveness of biologicals. Also, we provide data on the ability to predict the response to a certain type of biological therapy on the basis of clinical variants of rheumatoid arthritis.

Scientific evidence indicates the stabilization of indicators of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer in women in Ukraine and the existence of a number of models for predicting the breast cancer risk with the consideration of life style factors, detectable mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, family history, as well as predicative and prognostic factors (clinical, molecular-biological) to determine the possible ways of the tumor process and the survival of breast cancer patients.