The currently used prognostic factors for long-term results of standard treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are not clear enough to predict outcomes. The prognostic significance of interim PET/CT in DLBCL remains controversial. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT after first-line treatment in patients with DLBCL.  

One hundred-eighty patients with DLBCL underwent baseline and interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans after 4 cycles of R-CHOP during the period of 2015–2020 at the N. N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus. Interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/ CT findings were retrospectively correlated to the progression-free survival (PFS) using the Kaplan–Meier analysis. The metabolic response was assessed according Deauville criteria: PET-negative – Deauville 1–2, PET-positive – Deauville 3–5. The International prognostic index (IPI) was used for risk stratification. 

After 4 cycles of chemotherapy, PET-positive lesions were found in 76 patients and negative scans – in 104 patients. Survival analyses showed highly significant relationships between early interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging and PFS (p < 0.001). For PET-negative patients, the 7-year PFS rate was 91.1 %, for PET-positive patients it is 41.2 %. 5-year PFS rates for PET-negative patients with IPI scores 0–1, 2–3 and 4–5 were 97.5, 93.4 and 66.7 %, respectively. For PET-positive patients, 5-year PFS rates in the same subgroups were 55.6, 50.6 and 23.1 %, respectively.  

Early interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging is a predictor of PFS in DLBCL. An early assessment of chemotherapy response with ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans may provide useful information on selection of patients for escalated therapeutic strategies. 

Peritonitis is one of the most severe complications of various diseases and injuries of the abdominal organs. The diagnosis of peritonitis in a general sense implies any form and severity of inflammation of the peritoneum. Currently, the problem of peritonitis remains actual, despite the achievements of scientific and technological progress. So, despite the successes of modern surgery, the achievements of asepsis and antiseptics, the rather wide possibilities of antibacterial, infusion and detoxification therapy, the incidence of peritonitis and mortality from it remain at a high level. 

The aim of the study was to elucidate the significance of the activity of liver arginase and Kupffer cells in the development of secondary atherogenic dyslipidemia and the formation of thyroid status in rats with experimental peritonitis.  

It has been established that under conditions of experimental peritonitis in rats, the activity of liver arginase decreases, the content of NO3 – /NO2 – increases and the level of iodine-containing thyroid hormones in the blood decreases, secondary atherogenic dyslipoproteinemia develops. Liver arginase and Kupffer cells are involved in changes in the content of total cholesterol in the liver, total cholesterol, lipoprotein cholesterol, the level of iodine-containing hormones in the blood and body temperature in peritonitis. A decrease in the activity of Kupffer cells in peritonitis is accompanied by an increase in the level of triiodothyronine in the blood, a less pronounced decrease in the activity of liver arginase and a weakening of the development of characteristic changes in the content of total cholesterol in the liver, lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood and prevents the development of secondary dyslipoproteinemia. Depression of liver arginase in conditions of peritonitis aggravates changes in the content of total cholesterol in blood and liver lipoproteins, triiodothyronine in the blood and contributes to the development of secondary dyslipoproteinemia.

The frequency of diverticula in the left segments of the colon is 90 % according to various sources. These are the so-called false (acquired) diverticula, with 50–65 % of them found in the sigmoid colon, and only 10 % of patients are diagnosed with true (congenital) diverticula in the right segments of the colon. Total involvement by colon diverticula is rare in less than 10 % of patients. 

This retrospective case-series analysis evaluated 403 fully vaccinated with Vero Cell or Sputnik V vaccines patients hospitalized in the 6th City Clinical Hospital of Minsk in the period between January 01 and February 28, 2022 with the main diagnosis of “coronavirus infection (COVID-19)”. The diagnosis was confirmed by PCR or SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen tests, as well as chest computed tomography data.

The study revealed higher prevalence of older patients (over 65 years) infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and hospitalized in early 2022, at the height of the wave of the pandemic due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Most patients (91.8 %) had moderate symptoms. More than half of them received oxygen support. A relatively small number of inpatient, only 8 persons (1.9 %), were hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) and four of them needed mechanical ventilation. Comorbid conditions and high incidence of mortality (63.5 %) were common in ICU patients. Hypertension and obesity prevailed in the structure of comorbid pathology of all inpatient persons (74.2 and 24.3 %, respectively). Patients of therapeutic departments had relatively short length of stay in the hospital, as well as low in-hospital mortality (0.5 %) and low incidence of complications (5.3 %).

The variability assessment of PE/PPE genes, as well as of DNA repair, replication, and recombination system genes may drive the concept of mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis evolution and adaptation.

The aim is to study the variability of PE_PGRS genes, 3R-system genes (DNA repair, recombination, and replication) to assess the mechanisms of evolutionary changes in M. tuberculosis.

Whole genome sequencing of M. tuberculosis 11502 (the Beijing genotype subtype B0/W148 cluster 100-32), M. tuberculosis 5005 (the Beijing genotype subtype B0/W148), M. tuberculosis 4860 (the LAM genotype) strains was performed. They were isolated from patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. Genomes were uploaded to the GanBank, NCBI: M. tuberculosis 11502 – access code: CP070338.1, M. tuberculosis 5005 – access code: CP053092.1, M. tuberculosis 4860 – access code: CP049108.1. A reference genome (M. tuberculosis H37Rv; NC_000962.3) was used for genetic analysis. In the M. tuberculosis 11502 genome, 44.4 ± 6.8 % of genes (24 genes out of 54) were revealed in the mutations related to the 3R system, while in M. tuberculosis 4860– 29.6 ± 6.2 % (16 genes out of 54). In the 3R system genes, a slight shift of mutations towards replacement by adenine and thymine was revealed, while the entire genome of M. tuberculosis 11502 (compared to M. tuberculosis H37Rv) demonstrated mutations, resulting in a slight accumulation of G + C. Mutations in the 3R system genes may lead to the suboptimal activity of proteins responsible for the DNA-repair, resulting in the upsurge of mutation frequency and promoting adaptive evolution. PE_PGRS genes in the genome of M. tuberculosis 11502, 4860, and 5005 exhibited a high variability and their variability diverged among different members of this gene family. A high level of tetranucleotides CGGC was found in the majority of PE_PGRS family genes, where their proportion varied from 2.11 to 8.42 %, while an average proportion of CGGC in the M. tuberculosis genome was 1.62 %. Some genes in the M. tuberculosis genome were detected to carry no tetranucleotides CGGC (Rv0011, Rv0100, Rv0460, Rv0616A, Rv0691A, Rv0722, Rv0863, Rv0909, Rv1038c, Rv1197, Rv2347c, Rv2452c, and Rv3330c). The DNA conformation analysis at the mutation sites in the genes, associated with resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs, showed that the secondary DNA structures were mainly formed by nucleotides CGGC, GCGC, GGG, GGGG, CTGC, and mutations occurred, predominantly, at the sites of forming secondary DNA structures (hairpins) where the redistribution of energy and charges can influence the accuracy of replication and result in replication errors and a mutation event. A number of additional factors can influence the probability of a mutation event. These are the factors that can neutralize the energy changes in the DNA secondary structures, and can affect the accuracy of DNA-repair and replication (mutations in the gyrA gene, in the 3R-system genes).

The aim of the study was to improve the microbiological diagnosis of surgical infections, collect and analyze the data on the spectrum of surgical microflora and monitoring of antibiotic resistance in the period from 2012 to 2020.

The research material was the separation of surgical wounds of patients, cultures of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria isolated from the biological material of patients by the bacteriological method, the results of testing the sensitivity of bacterial cultures to antibiotics by diffusion into agar and using semi-automatic analyzers VITEK-2.

A 9-year multicenter monitoring of the species composition of bacteria associated with wound infections revealed a high frequency of isolation of a number of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms – Escherichia spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp. In the period from 2012 to 2020, the amount of information entered into the computer database about these bacterial strains increased 1.4–2.0 times. Monitoring of bacterial resistance to antibiotics during this period showed a high level and dynamics to 3rd generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, and other classes. The lowest levels of resistance were found among the strains of Escherichia and the highest – Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. Staphylococci are characterized by high percentage of methicillin-resistant strains.

Gram-negative (Escherichia, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter) and gram-positive (Enterococci, Streptococci, Staphylococci) are detected in the surgical patients with UTI with a high frequency. Surgical pathogens are characterized by a high level of resistance to 3rd generation cephalosporin, carbapenems, and other antibiotics. Long-term monitoring of bacterial resistance to antibiotics makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of laboratory diagnostics of surgical infections, to assess a resistance level of pathogens, an antibacterial therapy strategy and a medical aid quality.

Oral mucosal cancer (OMC) is a serious public health problem. Studies were performed on 210 males of white mongrel rats weighing 180–200 g. The animals were randomly divided into 3 groups of 7 subgroups, with 10 rats in each group. The rats of the first group were included in the diet by dissolving a solution 4-NQO (carcinogen) in drinking water at a concentration of 50 mg/ml. The animals of the second group were applied by carcinogen dissolved in drinking water at a concentration of 50 mg/ml to the ОМС of the lower lip and the tongue three times a day (at 9:00, 2:00, and 7:00 pm) in combination with exposure to a 3D device with a traumatic element.

The method of experimental modeling of pre-tumor lesions of the oral mucosa was developed. It included a combined local exposure to the solution 4-NQO and the 3D device with a traumatic element on the rat lower lip OMC. It has the following advantages over the existing models: the development of hyperplasia and dysplasia of lower lip ОМС epithelium is achieved after 12 weeks in 100 % of animals, and in the comparison group – in 20 % of rats (р 

< 0.05); no carcinogen affection of other gastrointestinal organs, as indicated by no reduction of live body weight gain before the development of ОМС changes required from the experimental model (р >< 0.05); visually accessible localization of pathological epithelial changes on the lower lip ОМС, and in the comparison group on the tongue root.>

A study of healthy individuals (n = 90) was carried out under standardized environmental conditions using tests of adaptive kinematics in the form of a battery of postural tests. A model of adaptive kinematics of healthy individuals, resistant to personal (age and anthropometric) uncertainties, has been developed. 34 criteria selected from a total pool of 170 indicators were used as relevant parameters underlying the developed biomechanical model.