Belarusian Research Research Articles

Early results of treatment in accordance with the NB-HR-2018 protocol in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma in the Republic of Belarus

The development of new criteria for high-risk neuroblastoma treatment optimization and the introduction of new approaches to its management are a pressing problem in modern pediatric oncology. In this study, we aimed to develop and implement new high-risk and ultra-high-risk criteria, introduce tandem autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as consolidation therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma patients as well as to assess patient tolerability of this treatment. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology. In 2018, a new protocol called NB-HR-2018 was developed and implemented at the Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology (Belarus) that included new criteria defining high-risk groups. Twenty-three patients were treated according to the new protocol, with 20 of them receiving autologous HSCT. The comparison group included 56 high-risk patients who had undergone treatment in accordance with the NB 2004 protocol. Tandem autoHSCT significantly reduces the rates of underlying disease relapse/progression (p = 0.047) and demonstrates better event-free survival rates (56 ± 12% vs 36 ± 6%; р = 0.445). The use of the new high-risk criteria and the new treatment method (tandem autologous HSCT) is concluded to be a reasonable approach since it significantly reduces disease relapse rates and is well tolerated by the patients.

Between politics, memory, and historiography. Mikhail Koyalovich’s West Russianism in the reflections of “neo-West Russianism”

The article presents analyses of historiographic narrations of Belarusian researchers (Yakov Treshchenok, Valeriy Cherepitsa, Valentina Teplova, and Alexey Khoteev) devoted to Russian historian Mikhail Koyalovich (1828–1891). At the same time, it illustrates the reformulation of the “West Russianism” ideology into “neo-West Russianism” and poses the question of how these narrations fit both the scientific discourse over history and memory taking place in contemporary Belarus and the decisions of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Belarusian scientific journals as a source of professional communication

Publishing the findings of scientific research in reputable scientific publications affects the rate of knowledge dissemination. At the same time, most Belarusian scientific journals has been revising their publishing concept to meet the criteria set by citation indexes.The paper aim is to determine the status of the Belarusian scientific periodicals in the conditions of the developing model of electronic scientific communication in the post-Soviet states.At the first stage, the stream of publications by Belarusian researchers was identified, and the positive dynamics in 2011 to 2021 was recorded. Documents were analyzed by type and thematic categories. At the second stage, the list of Belarusian scientific journals was analyzed for their indexation in the science citation databases, the availability of the periodical website, the positive dynamics of the titles on the List of scientific publications for publishing the findings of dissertations recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of Republic of Belarus (List of publications of the Higher Attestation Commission), etc.Based on the analysis, it was revealed that Belarusian scientific journals are widely represented in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI); at the same time, there is a certain “stagnation” in their entering the international citation indices – Scopus or Web of Science. The authors emphasize the challenge of Belarusian scientific periodicals insufficient presence in the Internet, and of the absent websites of some periodicals.

The prophylaxis of severe hemophilia A with inhibitors in children in the Republic of Belarus: a 12-year experience

The development of inhibitory antibodies against FVIII is the most serious complication associated with the use of FVIII concentrates in hemophilia A patients. There is a need for more research on measures that could reduce the risk of inhibitor formation in previously untreated patients (PUPs) with severe hemophilia A. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the prevention of clotting inhibitor development in PUPs (or minimally treated patients) with severe hemophilia A by administering plasma-derived factor VIII concentrate (pdFVIII) at a dose of 25 IU/kg once a week for a year. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (the Republic of Belarus). Between 2010 and 2022, 56 boys were newly diagnosed with severe hemophilia A. Twenty-one of them received pdFVIII as on-demand treatment to stop bleeding (Group 1). Thirty-five boys received pdFVIII at a dose of 25 IU/kg body weight once a week during the first 50 weeks of treatment for the prevention of inhibitor development (Group 2). The administration of pdFVIII at a dose of 25 IU/kg once a week in the PUPs (or minimally treated patients) contributed to a decrease in the cumulative incidence of inhibitors to 15.9 ± 7.7% (4 out of the 35 patients who had been treated prophylactically) compared with 43.7 ± 11.8% (8 out of the 21 patients who had received hemostatic therapy to stop bleeding) (log-rank test, p = 0.041). Thus, the administration of pdFVIII concentrate at a dose of 25 IU/kg once a week for the first 50 weeks of treatment lead to a decrease (p = 0.009) in the cumulative incidence of inhibitors against the administered coagulation factor VIII to 15.9 ± 7.7%.

Molecular genetic diagnosis in the group of hemophilia A patients in Belarus: 12 new allelic variants in the <i>F8</i> gene

Hemophilia A is the most common severe bleeding disorder caused by various genetic changes in the F8 gene, leading to coagulation factor VIII deficiency. Hemophilia A is characterized by high heterogeneity of genetic defects. The severity of hemophilia A varies depending on the type of genetic defects in the F8 gene. More than 3000 unique variants of the F8 gene are associated with the hemophilia A. Approximately 30% of genetic defects occur de novo. The aim of this study is to determine the spectrum of genetic defects in the F8 gene in children with hemophilia A in Belarus. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (the Republic of Belarus). The study included 98 patients with hemophilia A, who had been treated or followed up at the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (the Republic of Belarus). Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on the severity of their disease: severe (n = 82), moderate (n = 3), and mild (n = 13). Twenty (20.4%) patients had a history of inhibitors to factor VIII. For our study, we used venous blood samples. Genomic DNA was isolated from leukocyte suspension (obtained from the whole blood samples) using phenol-chloroform extraction. All severe hemophilia A patients were prescreened for intron 22 and 1 inversions in the F8 gene using inverse and multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays, respectively. Sequencing of F8 coding regions was carried out by next generation sequencing. All clinically relevant variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Genetic testing revealed that 99% of the patients with hemophilia A (n = 97) had pathogenic variants in the F8 gene. Intron 22 and intron 1 inversion mutations within the F8 gene were detected in 45.1% (n = 37) and 1.2% (n = 1) patients with severe hemophilia A, respectively. Two patients had an abnormal pattern of intron 1 inversion, not previously described in the literature. A total of 48 different variants in the F8 gene were detected in 57 patients using next generation sequencing. Eleven of the 48 genetic variants identified have not been previously reported.

The use of next generation sequencing technologies for the diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity

Primary immunodeficiencies are congenital genetically determined immune disorders. Recent advances in molecular genetic technologies have enabled a simultaneous analysis of a large number of genes in a patient. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mutational spectrum in DNA samples collected from patients with various types of primary immunodeficiencies. In this study, we applied next-generation sequencing technology using a panel developed at the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology and consisting of 290 genes that are associated with primary immunodeficiencies according to the existing literature. The testing was carried out in 96 patients with a clinical history suggesting a primary immunological defect. As a result, 37.5% of cases (36/96 patients) were found to harbor genetic defects that lead to disorders of the immune system.

Risk factors for coagulation inhibitor development in children with severe hemophilia A

Aim of the study: to examine the role of potential risk factors in inhibitor development in previously untreated patients (PUPs) (or minimally treated patients) with severe hemophilia A. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (the Republic of Belarus). The study included 89 boys who underwent regular follow-up for severe hemophilia A at the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (the Republic of Belarus) from 1998 to 2022. The median age (10th–90th percentile) at diagnosis of hemophilia was 8.0 (1.0–21.0) months, the baseline factor VIII activity was 0.7% (0.4–0.95%). Age at first exposure to factor VIII concentrate was 11.0 (1.0–31.0) months. Out of 89 patients, 23 children had severe hemophilia A with inhibitors. The cumulative incidence of inhibitors in the whole group of PUPs was 31.0 ± 5.6%. The cumulative incidence of hemophilia A with inhibitors was higher in the patients with null mutations (37.0 ± 6.9%) than in the patients with non-null mutations (6.5 ± 6.0%) (the log-rank test, p = 0.041). The use of plasma-derived FVIII concentrate (approved for use in neonates and for prophylaxis) from one manufacturer was associated (c2 = 8.53; p = 0.004) with a lower incidence of factor VIII inhibitors (up to 21.3 ± 8.5%) compared with the incidence in the group of patients treated with FVIII concentrates from different manufacturers (45.2 ± 7.8%). Age (> 1 year old or < 1 year old) at first exposure to FVIII had no effect on the formation of inhibitors (the log-rank test, p = 0.746). Such factors as age at diagnosis of hemophilia (odds ratio (OR) 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93–1.024; p = 0.991) and baseline factor VIII activity (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.8–1.06; p = 0.09) were not associated with inhibitor development. The first measurements of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ratio (patient APTT value over the APTT reference value) (OR 1.89; 95% CI 0.72–5.09; p = 0.21) and FVIII recovery in vivo (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.27–2.01; p = 0.55) were not associated with inhibitor development either. We have confirmed that one of the main risk factors for FVIII inhibitor development is F8 gene mutations. The incidence of inhibitors among the patients who received plasma-derived FVIII concentrates (recommended for use in PUPs in the neonatal period) from one manufacturer was lower than among those who received FVIII from different manufacturers.

Opportunities for diagnostics of congenital and acquired immunological disorders in the Republic of Belarus

IntroductionCongenital and acquired immunological children's disorders are a significant public healthcare problem, and it is undeniably important to improve the laboratory diagnostics of this pathology by creating new, effective methods for early detection of disorders involving immune mechanisms.One of the modern and promising methods for assessing lymphocyte proliferation is evaluation TREC and KREC, which are formed as a result of recombination of T- and B-cell receptor genes and are markers of lymphocyte neogenesis. Materials and MethodsWe have examined the DNA of patients with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of PID (n = 70) (SCID (n = 13), AT (n = 13), NBS (n = 15), diseases of immune dysregulation (n = 14), X-linked agammaglobulinemia (n = 15)) and after HSCT (n = 35). As a set for this research, the developed method of assessing the immunity general mechanisms by multiplex RQ PCR has been used to determine TREC and KREC. The method has been created in the State Institution “Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology” (Republic of Belarus). ResultsPatients with SCID, AT, NBS, diseases of immune dysregulation had TRECs values significantly reduced (p < 0.01) as to the reference values of healthy children. TRECs do not differ from healthy children (p > 0.05) for patients with X-linked agammaglobulemia. Patients with AT, NBS, diseases of immune dysregulation, X-linked agammaglobulinemia had KREC significantly lower than the reference values of healthy children (p < 0.01). For patients after HSCT, immune reconstitution of the T-cell immunity has been observed after six months after transplantation; from this period, the number of TREC-positive (naive) T-lymphocytes increased without a dynamic decline by 1st year after HSCT. Immune recovery of KREC has been observed after 3 months after transplantation and, as well as TREC, the number of KREC-positive (naive) B-lymphocytes increases by 1st year after HSCT. ConclusionBased on gained results, the developed TREC/KREC method with high sensitivity and specificity makes it possible to detect immunodeficiency for patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency. Measurement of TREC/KREC after HSCT can provide clinically relevant information that can be used to assess current state of patient in the process of reconstitution functional T- and B-cell immunity without using additional methods, such as flow cytometry.

Участие уроженцев Беларуси в Сталинградской битве

Introduction. The main information about our compatriots who distinguished themselves in the Battle of Stalingrad is contained in the award documents, which have not yet become the subject of study by Belarusian researchers. Separate facts had been appearing in the press already during the hostilities. For example, the feat of the Red Army soldier Alexey Vashchenko, who closed the embrasure of the enemy’s gates with his breast on September 5, 1942, was the subject of a publication in the division newspaper and a leaflet issued by the political department. However, the main information on the topic emerged only in the post-war time. Methods and Materials. The article is based on the information from scientific and educational literature, encyclopedias and reference books, from the memories of Soviet military leaders who took part in the Battle of Stalingrad, publications in the regional historical collections “Memory”, from the Belarusian central and local periodicals. The goal is to identify information about the participation of natives of Belarus in the Battle of Stalingrad. Results. The study showed that the Belarusians were represented both among the privates and command staff, in almost all types and branches of the military. Many of them were awarded high state decorations for military distinctions during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Perspectives of cultural conceptual linguistics (a study of the belarusian concept narod)

Since the end of the 20th century, intense studies have been conducted in the realms of cognitive linguistics and cultural linguistics. One of the features peculiar to the development of these realms in the East Slavic countries is their integration. As a result, a new field of study emerged – cultural conceptual linguistics. This field has gained the greatest popularity in the region since then. This popularity didn’t come out of thin air. Firstly, cognitive linguistics and cultural linguistics began to progress almost simultaneously in the post-Soviet era. Secondly, much of the credit goes to the local well-established research schools which contributed a lot to language semantics. The article analyses the focus and novel approaches of cultural conceptual research. Different definitions to “concept” are provided. The concept is a mental unit that can be represented by a word, phrase, sentence, or even a whole text. The cultural linguistic concept differs from other mental units due to its evaluative component. The core of a concept always contains values. In most Belarusian research at the turn of the 20th – beginning 21st cc. key linguistic issues revolved around more traditional topics – in the paradigm of structural and functional linguistics. However, some ideas proposed by cultural and cognitive linguists in recent decades were known long before that, as Belarusian linguistics has always recognized the fact that language and cognitive processes are closely related. The article addresses one of the focal concepts of Belarusian cultural conceptualizations that is the concept narod ‘folk; people; nation’ by employing the prototypical approach which is an effective way to determine the concept structure and its specific character.

О некоторых ярких страницах в истории вестибулологии ХХ века (исторический обзор, дискуссионные вопросы) Часть IV. Нистагм и история его изучения. От визуальной оценки до электро- и видеонистагмографии

The article is devoted to the stages of studying nystagmus, the most valuable vestibular reaction in diagnostic terms. It tells about the development of methods for recording nystagmus, from visual assessment to objective methods: electro- and videonystagmography. The importance of excluding gaze fixation when assessing nystagmus is emphasized, which both of these methods provide. The author dwells separately on the works of remarkable scientists, vestibulologists, and researchers of nystagmus – the leader in the 1970s–1990s of the vestibular laboratory at the Leningrad Research Institute of Ear, Throat, Nose, and Speech, Professor Mikhail Levashov and the long-term head of the laboratory of clinical labyrinthology of the Belarusian Research Institute of Neurology, Professor Abram Sklyut.

Быліцы, расказы Навума Вінцэнта Дуніна-Марцінкевіча: творчая гісторыя і супярэчнасці ідэйна-мастацкай інтэрпрэтацыі

The article is devoted to the creative history, the circumstances of the first publication in 1946 and turns of reception in Belarusian literary criticism of Bylicy, raskazy Navuma (Tales, Stories of Navum) (1857) by Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievich, the last (sixth) in the cycle of Belarusian epic poems of the writer. In the 1850s the genre of travel became especially popular in multilingual Belarusian literature, there were discussions about the creation of written literature for people, which influenced on the content and form of Bylicy, raskazy Navuma. Experimentalism, complexity, the fundamental denial of orientation on artistic ethnography, the connection of issues with the current socio-political questions of the epoch, the image of a new hero-peasant, a distinctive representative of the Homeland, the opposition of local / foreign , complicated composition with two independent components Zlaja žonka (Angry wife) and Chalimon na karanacyi (Khalimon at the coronation) became dominant and artistically important methods of achieving expected reader’s impression. The peculiarities of the author's worldview, the relevance of topics, specifics of the genre, compositional distinctiveness and poetics have become the cause of debatable aspects in the ideological and artistic interpretation of the work by well-known domestic literary critics. In the 1930s, according to vulgar sociological assessments V. Dunin-Marcinkievich was characterized as reactionary writer-slave, Bylicy… was qualified as a contradictory work and full of tsarist illusions. The role of Belarusian researchers of the second half of the 20 th – early 21 st centuries has been traced in denying the primitive interpretive schemes of vulgarizers. The significance of Bylicy… in the process of the author’s creative evolution and in the history of national beautiful writing is clarified.

The Songs of Old Europe—Ancient Belarusian Folk Songs

The Songs of Old Europe—Ancient Belarusian Folk Songs

The first results of genetic screening and exploration of genotype-phenotype correlations in retinoblastoma patients from Belarus

Retinoblastoma is an aggressive eye tumor originating from maturing cone precursors in the developing retina and most commonly seen in childhood. In 98 % of patients, retinoblastoma is caused by bi-allelic inactivation of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene. Approximately 40 % of disorders in the RB1 gene are germline. This study aimed to analyze the frequency of germline RB1 variants in a cohort of Belarusian patients with retinoblastoma and to correlate the variants with clinical phenotypes. The study was approved by an Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology. The study included 20 patients from unrelated families (9 patients with unilateral retinoblastoma, 11 – with bilateral). Two out of eleven patients with bilateral retinoblastoma had a positive family history. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Using polymerase chain reaction, we obtained fragments including sequences of all exons, regions of splice sites and promoter regions of the RB1 gene. Nucleotide sequences of the obtained amplicons were detected by next-generation sequencing. All clinically significant variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to detect gross alterations. A genetic analysis of blood relatives was carried out for five probands with detected germline variants. We identified 13 different variants in 14 patients: 38.5 % (n = 5) of them were defects in splice sites; 15.4 % (n = 2) – missense mutations; 15.4 % (n = 2) – small deletions (frameshift); 23% (n = 3) – large deletions; 7.7% (n = 1) – nonsense mutations. Four of these variants had not been previously reported in patients with retinoblastoma from other populations (exon 3: c.350_351delTT, p. Phe117TyrfsTer2; exon 8: c.861+2T&gt;G; exon 24: c.2520+4A&gt;G; Del of exons 16, 17). Germline mutations were detected in 33.3 % (3/9) of patients with unilateral retinoblastoma and in 100% (11/11) of patients with bilateral disease. A genetic screening of relatives showed that three variants were de novo, and two variants were inherited from parents in families with a positive history of retinoblastoma. Here we reported the first results of genetic examination of Belarusian patients with retinoblastoma. Seventy-eight point six per cent (78.6 %) of variants were detected by sequencing, 21.4 % were identified with the help of the MLPA and FISH methods. Among sporadic cases, germline RB1 variants were detected in 66.6 % (12/18) of cases. A full range of screening techniques is required to achieve high sensitivity of detection in retinoblastoma patients. Our study also provides new evidence that will inform patient management and genetic counseling.

Spectrum of concomitant brain vascular lesions in pediatric diffuse gliomas

Cerebrovascular disease represents a threatening factor for brain cancer survivors. However, a comprehensive evaluation of small vessel disease related to gliomas has not yet been performed. This study aims to characterize concomitant vascular lesions in pediatric diffuse gliomas and identify their association with the molecular subgroup of tumors. We performed a retrospective pathological study of biopsy samples of 77 pediatric patients with diffuse gliomas, treated in Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology. Eight molecular subgroups were identified by immunohistochemical and cytogenetic studies (H3K27mut, ALT, IDH1mut, BRAFmut-PXA, FGFR1, BRAFmut/FGFR2, RTK, MYB). In each group microvessel density/area (MVD/MVA), tumor vessels co-option and signs of small vessels disease (SVD) were determined. The levels of microvascularization significantly differed between the molecular subgroups of diffuse gliomas, indicating the presence of intrinsic pro-angiogenic activity there. The highest values of MVD/MVA, as well as rate of hemorrhagic necrosis, were found in the BRAFmut/FGFR2, RTK groups. SVD was common in the adjacent tissues of gliomas and occurred in 32.5 % of cases. High grade SVD was associated with the BRAFmut/FGFR2 and IDH1mut subgroups. BRAFmut/FGFR2 tumors were more aggressive and caused cortical microinfarctions in 84,6 % and leukoaraiosis in 87.5 % of cases. IDH1mut tumors were mainly linked with cortical microinfarctions (60 % of cases). The results of the study suggest that concomitant small vascular lesions are common in adjacent tumor tissue and can significantly influence the overall rate of cerebrovascular disease in convalescents with diffuse gliomas.

Hodgkin's lymphoma in children and adolescents in Belarus Republic: 23-year survival rate of 606 pediatric patients

The article presents an analysis of treatment outcomes of pediatric patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in the Republic of Belarus over more than a 20-year period. Patients aged 0 to 18 years with HL received therapy according to the DALHD-90(m) protocol. Therapy modifications involved the use of systemic chemotherapy according to the OPPA regimen (vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone and doxorubicin) for patients of both sexes and dose-reduced involved-field radiotherapy (20 Gy) for patients with early or intermediate stage HL. The aim of our study was to analyze the survival and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with HL. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus. The analysis included 606 patients with HL, who had received treatment at the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology from January 1, 1998 until December 31, 2020. The median age was 15.3 years. At 23 years, the event-free survival of the study patients was 85 ± 2%, the overall survival was 93 ± 1%, and the cumulative recurrence rate was 10 ± 1.3%. The long-term treatment results of pediatric patients with HL in the Republic of Belarus indicate that the protocol therapy is highly effective and can achieve outcomes that are equivalent to those in countries with a developed healthcare system. The applied therapeutic strategy demonstrates clinical efficacy in stage I–III HL. About 15% of patients with advanced HL (stage IV) constitute the main target group for which a search for new treatment approaches improving treatment outcomes is required.

Adaptation to Accelerated Digitalization in the Context of a Pandemic: Comparative Study of Higher Education Systems in Russia and Belarus

The article reflects the input of the first and second waves of the pandemic on the higher education system in Russia and Belarus. The purpose of the article is to identify the level of adaptation to the widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a pandemic on the basis of comparison of Belarus and Russia. Two research cases of adaptation are compared. Russian research materials covered two stages of functioning the higher education system: during the full transition to distance learning (DL) in Spring 2020, and in the end of 2020 when the institutions of higher education (HEIs) used DL selectively. In Belarus, DL was used partially. Belarusian case is presented by the data of the representative republican online survey conducted in Spring 2021. Survey materials at the Belarusian State University (December 2020 and February 2021) were also used to compare the opinions of students and employees. The Russian and Belarusian research data were compared by issues related to adaptation to DL and its future perspective. It was found that the level of adaptation of the Russian higher education system steadily increased, although differentiations between the HEIs remained. In Belarus, students’ assessment of the quality of DL was generally positive, and adaptation strategies were successful. The results demonstrate an increase in the level of adaptation to the challenges of the pandemic. They revealed the educational potential of DL and confirmed the possibility of successful digitalization of higher education systems. This approach will help maintain competitiveness, the quality of higher education, increase the level of digital literacy and competence of students and teachers.

The French Socialist Party in 2017–2021: adaptation to the new situation

For the first time in the Belarusian research literature, the activities of the French Socialist Party (FSP) to overcome the most severe ideological and political crisis that clearly manifested itself in the 2017 elections is examined. The author shows the results of the internal party struggle on the strategy of restoring the party’s position in the political life of the country. In the article the changes in the ideology are characterised and the degree of renewal of the party doctrine is determined, the features of the activity of the FSP in the role of the opposition party are established, the efforts of socialists to rally the left forces are shown, the specifics of the role of the FSP in political life and the left political camp of France are established. It is concluded that the FSP refused a deep revision of ideology and political strategy and kept the ideological and political identity of the left government party, its authorities managed to avoid transformation to a micro-party, but they were unable to restore the former role of the main party of the left political camp and one of the two leading parties in the country.

The concepts of «biographica» and «biographistica» in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian historical science

The article covers the history of emergence and practice of using the concepts of «biographica» and «biographistica» in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian historical science. The theoretical discussions that took place in Soviet historical science on issues of the biographical genre are examined. The major versions of appearance of the abovementioned concepts are given and analysed. The major meanings intended by Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian researchers is revealed through the analysis and comparison of the practice of using these concepts. The author’s vision of the subject of the discipline of biographica (biographistica) is presented. Three of its major directions within the established disciplinary system of social and humanitarian sciences are distinguished: philosophical, literary-artistic, historical. The definition of the concept of «historical biographica» is given.

Масленичные песни в белорусских традициях сибирского бытования: структурно-ритмическая типология

This paper presents the results of the author’s typological study of the tunes of the ritual songs of Maslenitsa of Belarusian settlers of Siberia and the Far East. The study material includes archival and published recordings of songs of Maslenitsa made in the main regions of the settlement of Belarusians (Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Omsk regions, Krasnoyarsk and Primorsky territories). The focus is on the most important aspect for calendar songs - the structural and rhythmic organization of tunes. The results of studying the song tunes of the resettlement tradition were found to correlate with the tunes of Maslenitsa songs of the metropolis presented in the classifications of Belarusian ethnomusicologists Z. Ya. Mozheiko and V. M. Pribylova. The analysis of the resettlement Belarusian tradition of Siberia and the Far East allowed identifying the groups of Maslenitsa songs correlating structurally with tunes identified by Belarusian researchers. It was revealed that despite there being a relatively small number of songs, the Siberian tradition features the tunes of type IV ves.-masl. (according to Z. Ya. Mozheiko; = IIb according to V. M. Pribylova), as well as tunes not only of the main types I, III, and IV according to classification of V. M. Pribylova, but also ones of their local varieties. In addition, a number of tunes of Siberian songs prove to have a non-typical structure.