Female gender is traditionally considered to be a risk factor for the QT interval prolongation and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia «torsades de pointes». However, despite a large number of studies on electrocardiographic features in patients with congenital long QT interval syndrome, there is relatively little information on gender ECG differences in the drug-induced QT interval prolongation.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the gender characteristics of electrocardiographic parameters characterizing myocardial depolarization and repolarization in patients with drug-induced QT interval prolongation induced by class III antiarrhythmic drugs.

67 patients with drug-induced QT interval prolongation induced class III antiarrhythmic drugs (amiodarone or sotalol) were examined, of which 38 (56.8 %) women and 29 (43.2 %) men, mean age – 57.1 ± 9.5 years. All patients underwent clinical laboratory and non-invasive electrophysiological studies, which included 12-lead ECG recording and 24-hour Holter monitoring. The patients of both genders were comparable in age and clinical characteristics, with the exception of a higher prevalence of AF in men (82.7 % vs 52.6 %, p = 0.03). The total duration of taking class III antiarrhythmic drugs in male patients was 3.79 ± 1.49 days, which significantly differed from female patients (3.11 ± 1.15 days, p = 0.044). When analyzing the initial standard ECG of patients recorded before starting antiarrhythmic drugs, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups, with the exception of large values of the corrected cardioelectrophysiological balance index (QTc/QRS) in female patients ( p = 0.037). While taking class III antiarrhythmic drugs, women had a higher duration of QTc ( p = 0.03) and JTc ( p = 0.023) intervals, as well as a dispersion of QT ( p = 0.012) and JT ( p = 0.006) intervals. According to Holter monitoring data, female patients were more likely to have an increased risk of developing non-sustained polymorphic VT ( p = 0.105).

These results suggest a complex interplay between gender and repolarization that needs further investigation. Considering the gender characteristics of the process of myocardial repolarization, it should be taken into account not only when prescribing class III antiarrhythmic drugs to women, but also during preclinical and clinical development of drugs that have the QT interval prolonging effect.

The effects of fatty acid amides ethanolamine and glycine on gait patterns and nociceptive reactions was investigated after injections of these fatty acid derivatives in healthy rats and in rats with experimental peripheral neuropathy. It has been proven that palmitoylethanolamide and the stearoylethanolamide are more effective at relieving neuropathic pain and restoring gait parameters than glycine palmitamide.

Modern medicine faces the problem of the steady growth of alcoholic pathology. And as you know, morbidity and mortality with regular consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with the toxic effects of ethanol on the most important human organs and, first of all, the liver. To date, a sufficient number of facts have accumulated indicating the importance of liver arginase and nitrogen monoxide (NO) in vital processes in health and disease.

The aim of the study was to elucidate the significance of liver arginase activity and nitrogen monoxide in the detoxification processes and the development of oxidative stress in rats with chronic ethanol intoxication of different severity.

In experiments on rats using modern physiological, biochemical research methods and a pharmacological approach, it was found that liver arginase and nitrogen monoxide participate in changes in liver detoxification function and the development of oxidative stress induced by chronic ethanol intoxication. The direction and severity of changes in arginase activity  and liver detoxification function during chronic alcoholism depends on the severity of chronic alcohol intoxication. Under    the influence of daily intragastric administration for 60 days, a 30 % aqueous solution of ethanol (3.5 g 92 % ethanol per kg of body weight) in animals under conditions of development of oxidative stress inhibited the activity of liver arginase and detoxification function but and the introduction of a 10 % aqueous solution of ethanol (1.0 g 92 % ethanol per kg of body weight) within 2 months leads to an increase in the activity of liver arginase and detoxification processes. The action in the body of the NO-synthase blocker methyl ester N^G-nitro-L-arginine weakens, and the arginase inhibitor N^ω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine contributes to the development of characteristic changes in the processes of detoxification and lipid peroxidation in the liver during chronic alcohol intoxication caused by intragastric the introduction of ethanol at a dose of 3.5 g/kg for 60 days.

In the early 2000s, we substantiated the allergy hazard criteria of the working conditions for employees who  are in contact with chemical allergens (sensitizing ability degree, exposure intensity, and entry route into the body, combined nature of toxicant and allergen effects, combined exposure to harmful factors of physical nature) that were quantified separately and totally depending on their significance in the formation of professional allergic pathology. On this basis, an integral assessment scale of the allergy hazard degree of the working conditions in production and use of chemical allergens was developed. This shows 4 corresponding allergy hazard degrees of work (slight, moderate, high and extremely dangerous), probable levels of occupational health disorders in employees and the risk for developing occupational allergic pathology.

The aim of this work was a hygienic integral assessment of the degree of allergy hazard of employees working under the influence of industrial aerosols of biological nature using the approved approaches and the criteria previously developed for industrial chemical allergens.

The article proves the possibility of using the above criteria for hygienic integral assessment of the allergy hazard degree of work performed under the influence of organic aerosols. This is the result of Belarusian scientist-hygienists who developed and implemented the scientific concept and modern methodology of experimental hygienic regulation of the different-origin industrial organic dust content in the air of the working area according to the leading harmful allergic effect on the body of the protein-antigenic complex (PAC) of dust, including the original methods for obtaining soluble high-molecular PAC from dust samples, an objective assessment of the degree of their sensitizing ability and the class of allergy hazard.

The analysis of the results on the characteristics of the working conditions for different-profession employees exposed to industrial aerosols of different biological nature with the use of the criteria for quantitative assessment of the allergy hazard of industrial environment factors substantiates their assignment mainly to a high or moderate degree of allergy hazard. For employees working under these conditions, a significant frequency and a severity of shifts in the indicators of various immune system components and the development of mixed-type allergic reactions to protein-antigenic complexes of organic dust have been established, which determines the prevalence of health disorders of predominantly allergic nature, increasing with age. This confirms a potential risk of developing occupational allergic diseases (with a probability of up to 30 %) and an increase  in the production-related immune-dependent pathology level.

The use of the system of social and hygienic monitoring of integral assessment of the allergy hazard degree of working conditions for employees in different production fields exposed to industrial allergens and the identification of priority production factors in their formation allow a targeted and more efficient implementation of a set of technical and medical measures to prevent occupational allergic and production-related diseases.

This article describes the first attempt of fecal microbiota transplantation for correction of gut microbiota in two patients suffering from hematologic malignancies made in the Republic of Belarus. Partial clinical response to the procedure was observed in the both patients. We  detected positive changes in the gastrointestinal tract state and a decrease  in the abundance of multiresistant bacteria. In addition, microorganisms from donor microbiota were observed in intestinal microbiota of the patients. However, the positive effects of fecal microbiota transplantation disappeared after re-initiation of chemotherapy and antibiotics treatment. Further research is required to improve the procedure effectiveness in patients   with hematologic malignancies.

Peripheral neuropathy is associated with chronic debilitating pain and is difficult to treat. In this regard, the development of cell therapy of neuropathic pain using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seems to be relevant.

The work was devoted to study the impact of adipose-derived allogeneic MSC transplantation on nociceptive reactions in response to mechanical and thermal stimuli and gait parameters in rats with sciatic nerve injury.

It is found that a single local injection of MSCs at a dose of 1·10⁶ cells/kg eliminates axotomy-induced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia on the 14th day after transplantation, contributes to the recovery of the sciatic functional index and the dynamic gait parameters on the 7th day after transplantation, and prevents the development of gait disturbances in the long-term period.

This paper presents a brief historical description of the evolution of views on the development of the concept of the gut liver axis functioning and its physiological aspects. The “new virtual human organ” physiological fundamentals and their role in the pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases, including late post-transplant period, are described and discussed.

Based on own experience, results of a new generation sequencing describing the characteristics of the microbiome palette in patients suffering from chronic liver diseases of various etiologies are presented. Personal study was based on 12 patients suffering chronic liver disease, who were examined before and after liver transplantation. The obtained results indicate the importance of the intestinal microbiome in the natural process of recovery after liver transplantation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency remains. Thus, the studies carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation (RF) and the Republic of Belarus over the last 3 years have shown the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in the population, regardless of the gender of examined persons, the geographic location and the season of the year. Taking into account the known immunomodulatory functions of serum 25(OH)D, the aim of this review was to assess the data that were accumulated in the world, Russia and Belarus and were concerned with a possible contribution of vitamin D deficiency to COVID-19 infection, course and prognosis, as well as with the role of cholecalciferol therapy in prevention and treatment of the disease. Most of the studies demonstrate a negative association between the serum 25(OH)D level and COVID-19 severity and/or mortality. Previously, it has been shown that the serum 25(OH)D level less than 11.4 ng/ml is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 mortality. At the same time, the results of the studies using cholecalciferol therapy for COVID-19 prevention and treatment are conflicting. Intervention  studies in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are scanty; however, the available data indicate a possible  benefit of therapy, which allows it to be considered as an addition to the main methods of treating COVID-19.