Features of the use of topical preparations of framycetin sulfate in the treatment of rhinosinusitis

Introduction. Acute rhinosinusitis is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. But despite their predominantly viral nature, the activation of their own microflora occurring during the disease, the addition of pathogenic and the associated risks of rhinogenic complications lead to the widespread use of antibacterial therapy for this pathology. Local antiseptics, such as framycetin sulfate in the form of nasal spray, play an important role in the multicomponent structure of rhinosinusitis therapy.The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an aerosol preparation of framycetin sulfate of domestic and imported production on the activity of the atrial fibrillation of the nasal cavity as topical antibacterial therapy in acute rhinosinusitis.Materials and methods. The study included 30 adult patients diagnosed with acute rhinosinusitis. The patients were randomized into 2 equal groups and received standard therapy for this disease, according to clinical recommendations. The differences in the groups concerned only topical antibacterial therapy. The 1st experimental group used a drug of domestic production, the 2nd group - a control group, used an imported framycetin spray.Results. Data were obtained not only comparing the clinical picture depending on the treatment, but also information about the effect of the drug on the activity of the atrial epithelium of the nasal cavity, the distribution of the substance in the nasal cavity, and even considered the structural differences of the vials that affect the distribution of the drug during injection. Conclusion. Topical antibacterial therapy with framycetin sulphate is an effective method in complex treatment of acute rhinosinusitis. Innovative technologies for the creation of an aerosol of framicetin solution allow to achieve stable dosage of the drug during use.

Radiologic Diagnostics of Lung Lesions by Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener’s granulomatosis, and lung damage in coronavirus infection have many common clinical and radiological symptoms. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic the ability of a radiologist to differentiate a viral lung lesion from a granulomatous one is relevant due to the difficulty of recognizing them. In order to develop differential radiation diagnostics, a comparative analysis of the computer tomographic picture of lung lesions in each disease was carried out and the leading X-ray patterns were determined. 61 patients with lung damage were examined, including 30 with HPA, 30 with COVID-19 and 1 patient with a combination of these diseases. A total of 74 native computer tomography examinations of the chest organs were accomplished using a Toshiba Aquilion 64 multi-slice CT scanner. It was found that the most informative radiological sign of HPA are nodes, nodules and masses in the lungs, which were detected in 22 (73.3 %) patients, including 11 (36.7 %) with a necrotic cavitation. Ground-glass opacity is often found in both diseases, but COVID-19 is more characterized by a rounded (56.7 %) or polygonal shape (20.0 %) of pathological areas and their peripheral location (70.0 %) mainly in the posterior parts of the lungs, and triangular areas (42.1 %) with a central location (42.1 %) are more often found in HPA. The rapid dynamics of changes in the lungs on control CT scans is of great diagnostic value, which indicates the viral nature of the disease.

Cluster analysis of the acute diarrhea causes in young children admitted to the infectious diseases unit

Aim. To use the cluster analysis of clinical and laboratory data, characteristic to children aged 6 to 24 months with acute diarrhea, in demonstrating the signs of infectious or functional intestinal disorders. Materials and methods. 56 children admitted to the children’s infectious unit with diarrhea and 31 healthy toddlers of the control group were observed. Anamnesis, laboratory blood and urine tests, microscopy and bacteriological cultures of feces on selective media and tests to identify adeno- and rotaviruses were performed. The presence of Clostridium difficile A/B toxins in the stool, hemoglobin, fecal calprotectin (FC) and the content of undigested fecal carbohydrates also were studied. Results. Children who in their majority have received antibiotics only in 58.9 % of cases were corresponding to the bacterial or viral nature of the disease or the infection was clinically highly probable. Another 41.1 % of patients has experienced non-infectious diarrhea. In 7.1 % of all cases the diarrhea was triggered by an increase of the carbohydrate content in the stool. Diarrhea had the same mechanism in 3.4 % of patients with Giardia lamblia. In 17.9 % of patients the frequent bowel movements were the manifestation of symptomatic (parenteral) diarrhea caused by extraintestinal diseases, and in another 7.1 % the intestinal hypermotility was not explained but resembled irritable bowel syndrome in adults. Additionally, cluster analysis identified 5.4 % of patients with non-infectious diarrhea who had only significantly increased FC corresponding to allergic or immune inflammation in the gut. Conclusions. The classification of patients for the causes of diarrhea became possible due to the microbiological tests and highly informative markers of intestinal health – fecal calprotectin and reducing substances (carbohydrates) in the stool.

Etiology of acute intestinal infections of viral character in the Altai territory

Background: The incidence of acute intestinal infections (ACI) remains at a high level every where, despite the ongoing medical and sanitary preventive measures. The significant progress made in the field of laboratory diagnostics allowed us to proceed to a detailed study of the etiological structure of AСI and as a result, it was found that in recent years the role of pathogens of viral nature has significantly increased, but a detailed study and characterization of these pathogens requires further research. Aims: to study the etiological structure and clinical and laboratory features of acute intestinal infections of viral etiology in adult patients in an infectious hospital. Materials and methods: The study included 181 patients, aged 18 to 76 years, who were on inpatient treatment in infectious diseases of "City hospital No. 5, Barnaul". The method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with hybridization-fluorescence detection "AmpliSens OKI screen-FL", bacteriological and serological (RIHA) methods were used for the diagnosis of acute intestinal infections. Results: In 108 patients (59.7%), the genetic materials of various pathogens of acute intestinal infections were detected. Of these, 54 (29.8%) patients had acute intestinal infection of viral etiology, including mono-infection in 45 people (83.3%) and caused by a combination of two viruses 9 people (16.7%); 41 (22.7%) patients had bacterial etiology, including a combination of two pathogens in 4 cases (2.2%) and 1 case with three pathogens; 13 patients with a combined viral bacterial intestinal infection and, in 73 patients the etiology was not established. The paper presents the epidemiological and clinical and laboratory features of acute intestinal infections of viral etiology. Conclusion: The data obtained indicate a trend in changes in the structure of acute intestinal infections, characterized by an increase in the proportion of viral intestinal infections (up to 50% in this study), which affects the choice of etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the PCR method in the diagnosis of acute intestinal infections.

COVID-19 Misinformation Online and Health Literacy: A Brief Overview

Low digital health literacy affects large percentages of populations around the world and is a direct contributor to the spread of COVID-19-related online misinformation (together with bots). The ease and ‘viral’ nature of social media sharing further complicate the situation. This paper provides a quick overview of the magnitude of the problem of COVID-19 misinformation on social media, its devastating effects, and its intricate relation to digital health literacy. The main strategies, methods and services that can be used to detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, including machine learning-based approaches, health literacy guidelines, checklists, mythbusters and fact-checkers, are then briefly reviewed. Given the complexity of the COVID-19 infodemic, it is very unlikely that any of these approaches or tools will be fully effective alone in stopping the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Instead, a mixed, synergistic approach, combining the best of these strategies, methods, and services together, is highly recommended in tackling online health misinformation, and mitigating its negative effects in COVID-19 and future pandemics. Furthermore, techniques and tools should ideally focus on evaluating both the message (information content) and the messenger (information author/source) and not just rely on assessing the latter as a quick and easy proxy for the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the former. Surveying and improving population digital health literacy levels are also essential for future infodemic preparedness.

Advanced Laboratory Methods for Detecting Yellow Fever Pathogen

Yellow fever is an acute infectious disease of viral nature, the causative agent of which is vector-borne –is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Massive epidemics caused by the yellow fever virus are observed in the countries of Africa, South and Central America annually. Imported cases are also registered in non-endemic territories. The review presents the currently available data on the distribution, structure and classification of the yellow fever virus, the identification of its genetic variants depending on the geographical distribution, as well as modern methods of detection and identification of the pathogen in samples taken from sick and dead people. It considers the possibility of using virological, immunoserological and molecular-genetic methods for the diagnosis of yellow fever in different periods from the onset of the disease and in retrospective studies. The lists of diagnostic drugs of domestic and foreign production for the detection of agent markers (antigen, RNA), as well as specific antibodies of IgM and IgG classes, approved for use on the territory of the Russian Federation, are provided. The relevance of further development, improvement and introduction into laboratory practice of reagent kits that allow to detect the yellow fever virus in samples from sick people in a short time, with high efficiency and specificity is demonstrated. This will help to establish a diagnosis promptly and conduct timely anti-epidemic measures, as well as to determine the level of the population stratum immune to the pathogen in endemic regions and evaluate the effectiveness of immunization for the vaccinated contingent.

Lung damage caused by COVID-19 and community-acquired pneumonia in children: Сomparative clinical and laboratory analysis

The study is devoted to the challenge of interpreting the lung damage associated with COVID-19 in children and the necessity for antimicrobial therapy in this disease. The aim of the research was a comparative analysis of clinical, radiological and laboratory signs in children with COVID-19 and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods. The observational comparative study included medical records of 53 children with the lung damage at the age of 1 year 4 months up to 17 years old, hospitalized for the period from June to August 2020. All children were tested for Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 34 patients with SARS-CoV-2+ were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 19 children with SARS-CoV-2– were diagnosed with CAP. The assessment included medical history, clinical, laboratory and radiological changes. Results. Distinctive reliable clinical, laboratory, and X-ray signs of lung damage in COVID-19 compared to CAP were olfactory impairment (26%), bilateral lung damage (23%), erythrocytosis, leukopenia (20.6%), granulocyto- and monocytopenia, lower levels of reactive protein (CRP). Irrational prescribing of antibiotics (94%) was detected in the group of patients with COVID-19. Conclusion. We established the reliable clinical, laboratory and radiological features of COVID-19 in children, which indicate the viral nature of lung damage.

An Investigation of the Portrayal of Social Media Challenges on YouTube and Twitter

A social media phenomenon that has received limited research attention is the advent and propagation of viral online challenges. Several of these challenges entail self-harming behavior, which, combined with their viral nature, poses physical and psychological risks for both participants and viewers. The objective of this study is to identify the nature of what people post about the social media challenges that vary in their level of risk. To do so, we conducted a qualitative analysis of three viral social media challenges, the Blue Whale, Tide Pod, and Ice Bucket challenges, based on 180 YouTube videos, 3,607 comments on those YouTube videos, and 450 Twitter posts. We identified common themes across the YouTube videos, comments, and Twitter posts: (1) promoting education and awareness, (2) criticizing the participants, (3) providing detailed information about the participants, (4) giving viewers a tutorial on how to participate, and (5) attempting to understand this seemingly senseless online behavior. We used social norm theory to discuss what leads people to post about the challenges and how posts intended to raise awareness about harmful challenges could potentially create a contagion effect by spreading knowledge about them, thereby increasing participation. Finally, we proposed design implications that could potentially minimize the risks and propagation of harmful social media challenges.

Phylogenomics of the Maverick Virus-Like Mobile Genetic Elements of Vertebrates

Mavericks are virus-like mobile genetic elements found in the genomes of eukaryotes. Although Mavericks encode capsid morphogenesis homologs, their viral particles have not been observed. Here, we provide new evidence supporting the viral nature of Mavericks and the potential existence of virions. To this end, we conducted a phylogenomic analysis of Mavericks in hundreds of vertebrate genomes, discovering 134 elements with an intact coding capacity in 17 host species. We reveal an extensive genomic fossil record in 143 species and date three groups of elements to the Late Cretaceous. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using genomic fossil orthologs suggests that Mavericks have infected osteichthyans for ∼419 My. They have undergone frequent cross-species transmissions in cyprinid fish and all core genes are subject to strong purifying selection. We conclude that vertebrate Mavericks form an ancient lineage of aquatic dsDNA viruses which are probably still functional in some vertebrate lineages.

The The problem of contamination of the sperm of breeding bulls with infectious agents of bacterial and viral nature

The article reflects the main results of the study of the veterinary and sanitary well-being of breeding products based on the use of molecular genetic methods. The possibility of transmission through the sperm of cattle of a large range of infectious agents of viral and bacterial nature, as well as protozoa, mycoplasmas and fungi, has been established. It was recorded that in the recommendations of the OIE regarding the assessment of the quality and safety of bull semen, there are no requirements, but they are mostly directed at the animal itself and at the zone of its origin. At the same time, the study of 232 series of bull semen in 47 series found an excess of the normalized value of non-pathogenic microorganisms by 1,2–1,8 times. Of particular interest are the results of the detection of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Ku fever, a zoonotic disease characterized in animals by a long-term persistence of the pathogen in the chronic form of the disease, in samples of genetic material.