Integral Index Research Articles

ПРОТИВОМИКРОБНАЯ ТЕРАПИЯ ПРИ РИНОСИНУСОГЕННЫХ ОСЛОЖНЕНИЯХ: ВЗГЛЯД КЛИНИЧЕСКОГО ФАРМАКОЛОГА

Rhinosinusogenic orbital (RSOC) and intracranial complications (RSIC) remain relevant for physicians of various specialties due to high risks of unfavorable outcomes. The key to successful medical care of patients with complicated forms of nasal and paranasal sinus pathology is not only untimely diagnosis and surgical sanation of the primary focus of infection, but also properly selected systemic antimicrobial therapy (SPMT), the choice of which is based on local data on the structure of pathogens and their sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. As a result of retrospective analysis of medical records of 266 completed cases of complicated forms of rhinosinusitis in adult patients for the period from 2010 to 2023, the peculiarities of the course of RSOC and RSIC, the microbial landscape in this pathology, the nature and extent of SPMT were studied. It was revealed that in the structure of the complicated course of RSOC occupy the leading positions. Secondary meningitis prevailed among RSIC, accounting for (92.6%). Clearly expressed changes of inflammatory character on the part of the general blood analysis and integral hematologic indices were characteristic for RSIC and purulent-inflammatory complications of the eyes. Staphylococcus spp. prevailed in the structure of etiologic factors in RSOC, while polymorphism of the isolated microflora was observed in RSIC (Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., anaerobes, Candida spp., Mucor spp). Analysis of antibiograms revealed that the most problematic in terms of the choice of SPMT were representatives of the order Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter spp., in some established ones - Enterococcus spp., among the pathogens of mycosis - Mucor spp. 3-generation cephalosporins prevailed in the structure of empirical SPMT, and to a lesser extent inhibitor-protected aminopenicillins. However, the severity of the patients' condition, especially in case of RSIC, the results of microbiologic examination dictated the need to switch to "observation" antibiotics (meropenem, cefepime). Timely diagnosis, clear tactics of medical care, including the choice of effective SPMT led to favorable outcomes in 98.8% of patients.

The impact of factor market integration on carbon emission performance? – evidence based on spatial econometric model

Drawing from panel data spanning 2003 to 2019, encompassing 30 provinces in China, this study employs the relative price method and the super-efficiency EBM technique to assess the market integration index and the level of carbon emission performance, respectively. Furthermore, it employs the Spatial Durbin model to delve into the spatial impact and mechanisms of factor market integration on carbon emission performance. The findings indicate that the integration of factor markets significantly enhances carbon emission performance. Notably, the integration of labor markets has a more profound impact on the enhancement of carbon emission performance compared to capital market integration. Furthermore, the spatial decomposition effect reveals that the indirect spillover effects of factor market integration surpass its direct effects. Heterogeneity analysis shows that factor market integration in the eastern region has a greater promoting effect on the level of carbon emission performance. In the areas with high industrial quality, the promoting effect of labor market integration on carbon emission performance is more significant. The analysis of the spillover effect indicates that as the spillover distance increases, the impact of factor market integration on the marginal effect of carbon emissions exhibits a positive U-shaped pattern. This pattern manifests as a marginal decreasing trend within a distance of 600 km, followed by a marginal increasing trend beyond 600 km. This study has important reference value for government departments to formulate unified large-market construction policies to achieve high-quality development.

Варіативність основних антропометричних показників у дітей віком 12-59 місяців із різною частотою гострих респіраторних інфекцій в анамнезі

Aim - to determine the state of interdependence between the frequency of acute respiratory infections (ARI) episodes in children aged 12-59 months and basic indicators of their physical development. Materials and methods. A total of 136 children (68 boys and 68 girls) aged 12-59 months, undergoing inpatient treatment on ARI, were involved in the clinical study. The number of ARI episodes during the previous year of their life was taken into account. Additionally, two integral indices of ARI recurrence, specifically the infection index (InI) and resistance index (RI), were calculated. The basic indicators of physical development were assessed in the children, including: 1) body weight (BW); 2) body length (BL); 3) body surface area (BSA); 4) body mass index; 5) chest circumference; 6) integral index of dolichostenomelia. For the comparative analysis of the results obtained, the current standards of physical development indicators for children from the World Health Organization were used. The statistical processing of the digital data was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics 28 licensed software. Results. In the examined children, InI was inversely and moderately correlated with BW, BL, BSA, and chest circumference. According to this correlation, higher InI was combined with lower physical development indicators. On the contrary, a direct and weakly expressed interdependence with BW, BL, and BSA was found for RI. It was confirmed by registration of bigger RI against the background of higher anthropometric parameters. A cross-tabulation demonstrated a moderate relationship between the frequency of ARI episodes, on the one hand, and the considered centile intervals for BL (φc=0.362; p=0.037) as well as the Z-intervals for the integral anthropometric parameter - BL/child’s age (φc=0.348; p=0.006), on the other hand. Conclusions. A linear regression analysis carried out in the children demonstrates the dependence of the frequency of ARI episodes only on their age. At that, none of the studied anthropometric indicators is represented in the resulting prognostic model. The absence of these indicators in the model obtained may be explained, firstly, by the small number of the examined patients, whose BW and BL belonged to 2 extreme centile intervals: 3-5% and 95-97%. Secondly, it is likely that the further study of the relationship between the frequency of ARI episodes and physical development indicators would be more advisable to undertake in children groups with narrower age ranges. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committees of the institutions mentioned in the paper. An informed parental consent was obtained for the study in children. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

Ecological river health assessments, based on fish ordination analysis of ecological indicator entities and the biological integrity metrics, responding to the chemical water pollution

Evaluation of the ecological health of rivers requires a focused examination of how biological indicators respond to chemical stressors to offer key insights for effective conservation strategies. We examined the influence of stressors on aquatic ecosystems by analyzing various ecological entities and biotic integrity metrics of fish communities. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) approach was applied to determine scores based on 19 fish ecological entities (FEs) and a fish-based multi-metric index of biotic integrity (mIBI-F). The composition of fish communities in reference clusters differed from the disturbed clusters due to instream chemical stressors. These chemical stressors, including high levels of nutrients, organic matter, and ionic/suspended solids, were linked to variation in the key indicator FEs, whose guild identities were closely associated with instream chemical degradation. The scores of FEs (abundance weighted) and mIBI-F metrics in the first NMDS axis (NMDS1) were significantly linked with chemical health indicators (p < 0.001), such as total phosphorus (R2 = 0.67 and 0.47), electrical conductivity (R2 = 0.59 and 0.49), and chlorophyll-a (R2 = 0.48 and 0.25). These NMDS1 scores showed better accuracy than the conventional mIBI-F score in capturing river ecological health linked with chemical health status as determined by a multi-metric index of water pollution. Our study suggests that based on the ordination approach, the biological integrity of these systems reflected the chemical health.

Gender differences in the development of imagination of younger schoolchildren

The article emphasizes the need to develop the imagination of younger schoolchildren as an important factor in the formation of their creative personality. It is emphasized that primary school age is a sensitive period for the development of imagination, and therefore the task of a modern primary school is to use a period favorable for the development of this mental function. The article presents a theoretical justification and an empirical study of gender differences in the development of the imagination of younger schoolchildren. It is noted that the problem of gender differences in the creative potential of an individual does not have an unambiguous solution. The views of scientists regarding gender differences in creativity differ. Some deny the differences between men and women, others show the superiority of people of different sexes according to different criteria of creativity, and some find, according to the criteria of creativity, between the opposite sexes more in common than different. The analysis of scientific sources on the problem of gender differences shows that the development of creativity is influenced by many factors, both biological and sociocultural. In comparative studies of the creativity of boys and girls, three main directions can be distinguished: psychometric studies of differences in the development of fantasy depending on gender; possible biological determinants of these differences; description of socio-psychological mechanisms related to gender socialization, the influence of gender stereotypes, the assimilation of gender roles, which affect the differences in the development of the fantasy of boys and girls. On the basis of empirical research, the influence of gender on the development of fantasy in younger schoolchildren was revealed. Statistically significant differences were established between indicators of verbal fantasy criteria in boys and girls. All of them were higher in boys, in particular, according to the criterion of productivity 2,20 versus 2,01 (р≤0,05), according to the criterion of flexibility 1,62 versus 1,32 (р≤0,01) and according to the integral index of fantasy 7,71 versus 7,00 (р≤0,05). It was found that elementary school boys have a slightly better developed verbal imagination than girls. At the same time, indicators of criteria of non-verbal fantasy turned out to be higher in girls, although the differences are not statistically significant. At the same time, gender differences were found in the creation of fantasy images by younger schoolchildren. It was found that the content of drawings and fairy tales, the nature of their depiction and creation is influenced by the gender of the child.

Prediction of homologous recombination deficiency from Oncomine Comprehensive Assay Plus correlating with SOPHiA DDM HRD Solution.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are used for targeted therapy for ovarian cancer with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). In this study, we aimed to develop a homologous recombination deficiency prediction model to predict the genomic integrity (GI) index of the SOPHiA DDM HRD Solution from the Oncomine Comprehensive Assay (OCA) Plus. We also tried to a find cut-off value of the genomic instability metric (GIM) of the OCA Plus that correlates with the GI index of the SOPHiA DDM HRD Solution. We included 87 cases with high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma from five tertiary referral hospitals in Republic of Korea. We developed an HRD prediction model to predict the GI index of the SOPHiA DDM HRD Solution. As predictor variables in the model, we used the HRD score, which included percent loss of heterozygosity (%LOH), percent telomeric allelic imbalance (%TAI), percent large-scale state transitions (%LST), and the genomic instability metric (GIM). To build the model, we employed a penalized logistic regression technique. The final model equation is -21.77 + 0.200 × GIM + 0.102 × %LOH + 0.037 × %TAI + 0.261 × %LST. To improve the performance of the prediction model, we added a borderline result category to the GI results. The accuracy of our HRD status prediction model was 0.958 for the test set. The accuracy of HRD status using GIM with a cut-off value of 16 was 0.911. The Oncomine Comprehensive Assay Plus provides a reliable biomarker for homologous recombination deficiency.

ASSESSING THE CURRENT STATE OF SERVICE QUALITY IN GEORGIAN BANKS

In the article - “Assessment of the current state of service quality in Georgian banks” - the quality of customer service by banks “Alpha” and “Beta” is considered from 3 positions according to its individual components. As a rule, the bank's services are studied and evaluated by the bank's management, employees and customers. Each of them has its own evaluation criteria. For this reason, it is very difficult, often impossible, to compare and evaluate the results obtained. This especially applies to the criteria of the bank itself. The article evaluates the service quality of two Georgian banks - "Alpha" and "Beta" banks from the positions of clients and employees, using a 7-point scientific Likert scale. The calculation is carried out by assigning points to individual quality components, and then calculating the integral index of satisfaction based on them. The quality of customer service by the banks involved in the research is estimated as average. Irregularities exist in both banks, however, the service quality of Beta Bank is better than that of Alpha Bank. Keywords: Service quality; Commercial bank; Personnel; Clients; Satisfaction; Integral index of satisfaction.

Taxon-specific ability of saprophagous soil macrofauna to reintegrate carbon from agricultural waste into soil

Saprophagous soil macroinvertebrates may potentially degrade agricultural wastes. However, it is not known, to what extent and representatives of which taxa may help reintegrating carbon from crop residues back into soil without triggering massive carbon release into the atmosphere. To tackle this problem, we conducted a three-month-long microcosm experiment with 21 different species of macrofauna (each treatment replicated four times) belonging to 13 families to test their ability to degrade wheat straw. Simultaneously CO2 release from the microcosms was measured. Five species did not survive under experimental conditions. Among the remaining 16 species, three significantly increased wheat straw decomposition with Oryctes nasicornis larvae having inflicted the highest straw mass loss (64%) in comparison with the control, where no animals were added (29%). None of the tested species increased cumulative CO2 evolution from the microcosms, while two species significantly reduced it. The reduction of carbon loss with aerobic respiration was recorded for Cetonia aurata larvae and the earthworm Dendrobaena veneta (respectively 2.5 and 2-fold in relation to the control – 53.8±4.6 mg CO2-C g−1 soil dry weight during the entire experiment). The original integrative Carbon Sequestration Index by Macrofauna (CSIM) calculated for both of the measured parameters suggests that the woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare and to a smaller extent the earthworm D. veneta appear to be the most promising organisms for industrial climate-friendly organic waste recycling in terms of survival, straw processing and simultaneous reduction of CO2 emissions from soil. Our results proved that the engagement of saprophagous macrofauna in crop residue decomposition is a viable technique of carbon reincorporation into the soil. It is accompanied with CO2 release mitigation into the atmosphere.

Visual performance as a factor of increase performance in ball shooting

The article examines the question of the effectiveness of the factor of visual performance on indicators of technical training of shooters of different levels. In particular, the indicator of the average length of the aiming trajectory during the performance of the competitive exercise AP-3 on the electronic simulator "Scatt" was studied. The purpose of the article: to justify the need to use indicators of visual performance when analyzing the technical characteristics of a shot, obtained on the basis of the use of the optoelectronic simulator "Scatt". The methodological basis of the study was a systematic approach, which allows considering the aiming phase as a complex functional system of constant sensory control over the shooter's precise movements. The research used the method of computer simulation of the execution of a shot based on the use of an electronic simulator. To study visual performance, the correction test method was used. To assess visual productivity, which characterizes working capacity, the Weston formula was used, which calculated the quality and speed of visual work, as well as its integral index. The scheme of the ascertainment experiment consisted in the parallel collection of data on indicators of technical readiness and visual performance when performing the competitive exercise AP-3 (AP-60 according to the international classification) on the " Scatt " simulator. Correction sheets were filled out before and after the mentioned competitive exercise. The scientific novelty consists in substantiating the significance of the factor of visual performance as a stable sensory ophthalmoergonomic basis of the predictor of the average length of the aiming trajectory.

Evaluation of water ecological health of Yanhe River based on benthic fauna integrity index.

Yanhe River Basin is located in the hilly gully area of the Loess Plateau with serious soil erosion. Strong human activities in the middle and lower reaches lead to fragile ecological environment. Soil erosion status varies among different geomorphic units within the watershed (loess liang hilly and gully region, loess mao hilly and gully region, and broken platform region). In this study, we surveyed the benthic community from the Yanhe River Basin in April (spring) and October (autumn) of 2021. To evaluate the water ecological health status of the watershed and investigate the effects of different geomorphic units on the benthic integrity of the benthos, we constructed the benthic-index of biotical integrity (B-IBI) based on the biological data. We identified a total of 113 species of 73 genera in 4 phyla of benthic fauna, with aquatic insects as the dominant taxa in both seasons. Through screening 26 candidate indicators, we found that the spring B-IBI consisted of three indicators: relative abundance of individuals of dominant taxonomic units, family biotic index (FBI), and relative abundance of predator individuals, and that autumn B-IBI was composed of the number of taxonomic units of Ephemeroptera, FBI value, and the relative abundance of predator individuals. Results of the B-IBI evaluation showed that 83.3% of the sampling sites in the upper mainstem and tributaries were at a healthy condition, while only 28.6% sampling sites in the middle and lower mainstem and tributaries were at a healthy condition. In addition, the health status of the watershed was better in spring than in autumn. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests showed that benthic density, species number, and B-IBI percentile scores in the fragmented loess area were significantly higher in spring than in autumn, and significantly lower in autumn than in the loess liang hilly and gully region and loess mao hilly and gully region, being mainly caused by the increasing erosion due to the concentrated rainfall in wet season. Results of the redundancy analysis showed that key environmental factors affecting benthic community structure in spring were boulder substrate, chlorophyll-a, oxidation reduction potential, turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, and were nitrate-nitrogen, oxidation reduction potential, and pH in autumn.

Assessing the level of organic farming development in the European countries

Organic farming is an essential approach to agriculture that seeks to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment and ensure the sustainability of food production. The study aims to determine the integral index of the development of organic farming and to create a clustering model of organic farming in European countries. As a research methodology, additive-multiplicative convolution was used to determine the integral index of organic farming development. Cluster analysis (the Ward method and the k-means clustering method) identified respective clusters. The integrated index is based on eight indicators of organic farming from the Eurostat database, 2012–2020, and ranges from zero to one. The following countries have the highest value of the integral index: Italy (0.57), France (0.54), Spain (0.54), Germany (0.45), and Turkey (0.47). Three clusters were identified according to eight indicators of organic agriculture. The first cluster includes countries-leaders in agricultural territories (about 2.1 million hectare) with the highest state financial support for agricultural research and development (1.1 billion euros). The second cluster includes countries with the most minor organic farming operators (50-100 operators). The third cluster includes countries with the highest index of annual income from the sale of farm products (200-220 points) but with the highest level of usage of dangerous pesticides (250 points). The heterogeneity of clusters allows one to determine the strengths and weaknesses of organic farming in European countries.

Filtr Kalmana jako alternatywa dla rozszerzonego obserwatora stanu w algorytmie regulacji ADRC

The article presents a modified Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) algorithm that uses the Kalman Filter (KF) for the estimation of extended state vector. The Kalman filter replaced the Extended State Observer (ESO) used in its basic form. The purpose of this modification was to improve the system robustness under conditions of stochastic measurement disturbances. The method of the control system synthesis and the Kalman filter gains selection, ensuring control efficiency, as well as their impact on the system operation, were presented. The experiments were carried out on a laboratory setup – the Ball Balancing Table (BBT). Control quality was assessed based on time plots of signals and integral performance indices for various algorithm gains configurations and different noise levels. As a result of the conducted research, the advantage of using the Kalman filter over the ESO in terms of sensitivity to measurement noises was demonstrated. Implementation of the Kalman filter as the ESO determined a positive impact on control quality and the ability to reject internal disturbance also in a deterministic system.

Cortical white matter microstructural alterations underlying the impaired gamma-band auditory steady-state response in schizophrenia

The gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR), primarily generated from the auditory cortex, has received substantial attention as a potential brain marker indicating the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown reduced gamma-band ASSR in patients with schizophrenia and demonstrated correlations with impaired neurocognition and psychosocial functioning. Recent studies in clinical and healthy populations have suggested that the neural substrates of reduced gamma-band ASSR may be distributed throughout the cortices surrounding the auditory cortex, especially in the right hemisphere. This study aimed to investigate associations between the gamma-band ASSR and white matter alterations in the bundles broadly connecting the right frontal, parietal and occipital cortices to clarify the networks underlying reduced gamma-band ASSR in patients with schizophrenia. We measured the 40 Hz ASSR using electroencephalography and diffusion tensor imaging in 42 patients with schizophrenia and 22 healthy comparison subjects. The results showed that the gamma-band ASSR was positively correlated with fractional anisotropy (an index of white matter integrity) in the regions connecting the right frontal, parietal and occipital cortices in healthy subjects (β = 0.41, corrected p = 0.075, uncorrected p = 0.038) but not in patients with schizophrenia (β = 0.17, corrected p = 0.46, uncorrected p = 0.23). These findings support our hypothesis that the generation of gamma-band ASSR is supported by white matter bundles that broadly connect the cortices and that these relationships may be disrupted in schizophrenia. Our study may help characterize and interpret reduced gamma-band ASSR as a useful brain marker of schizophrenia.

Water quality assessment of river based on phytoplankton biological integrity index in rural areas of the upstream Citarum River, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Pratiwi D, Oktavia D, Sumiarsa D, Sunardi S. 2024. Water quality assessment of river based on phytoplankton biological integrity index in rural areas of the upstream Citarum River, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 881-889. The deterioration of water quality in the upstream Citarum River is one of the consequences of agricultural practices characterized by fertilizer and pesticide runoff that disrupts the ecological balance of aquatic ecosystems. The research area was on agricultural land use in the Cihawuk segment, Kertasari, Bandung District. The present study attempts to community structure and assess the water quality using the biological indexes of rural areas in upstream Citarum River through phytoplankton studies. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect data on physico-chemical parameters and phytoplankton community structure from stations selected on the basis of agricultural land use. Furthermore, biological indexes such as pollution levels based on the Shannon Wienner diversity index (H'), Palmer algae index, and Diatomeae index are examined using the data community structure of phytoplankton. The findings show that the abundance of phytoplankton in rural areas is 4,105 cells/L. The community structure of phytoplankton was dominated by Coelastrum sp. and Trachellomonas sp. The Palmer algae index ranges from 23-26, indicating that the water was a highly organic pollutant. The pollution level of upstream Citarum River based on the diversity index shows moderately polluted water. Meanwhile, the diatomeae index showed less than 0.2, which sites water bodies were mesotrophic. Phytoplankton and their indexes serve as valuable tools for evaluating the quality of the water environment.

Development of Software Tools for Calculating and Forecasting the Integral Index of the Heat Supply System of Typical Buildings Based on Neural Network Methods

Development of Software Tools for Calculating and Forecasting the Integral Index of the Heat Supply System of Typical Buildings Based on Neural Network Methods

Muscle strength and foot pressure vary depending on the type of foot pain

This study compared muscle strength and foot pressure among patients with metatarsalgia, patients with plantar fasciitis, and healthy controls. A total of 31 patients with foot pain (14 metatarsalgia and 17 plantar fasciitis) and 29 healthy controls participated in the study. The strengths of the plantar flexor and hip muscles were measured using isokinetic and handheld dynamometers, respectively. Foot pressure parameters, including the pressure–time integral (PTI) and foot arch index (AI), were assessed using pedobarography. Compared with the healthy control group, plantar flexor strength was significantly reduced in the affected feet of the metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis groups (F = 0.083, all p < 0.001); however, hip strength was significantly decreased only in the affected feet of the metatarsalgia group (F = 20.900, p < 0.001). Plantar flexor (p < 0.001) and hip (p = 0.004) strength were significantly lower in the metatarsalgia group than in the plantar fasciitis group. The PTI was lower in the forefeet of the affected feet in the metatarsalgia (p < 0.001) and plantar fasciitis (p = 0.004) groups. Foot AI (p < 0.001) was significantly reduced only in the metatarsalgia group. These results suggest the need to consider the evaluation of muscle strength and foot pressure in both feet for the diagnosis and treatment of foot pain.

Adaptive cruise control system with fractional order ANFIS PD+I controller: optimization and validation

Designing the control structures of fractional order PID controllers has proven to be effective in providing adaptability in set point tracing the performance of a nonlinear cruise control system. Wheel rolling resistance, wind drag force, and road gradient are incorporated into the design to better describe the system under consideration and to show how the nonlinear cruise control system behaves. This study presents a comparative investigation using simulation between control structures such as fractional order proportional–integral–derivative, fractional order integral minus proportional derivative, and fractional order proportional integral minus derivative. By preserving integral error indices as the goal function, a genetic algorithm is used to improve the controller gain parameters and fractional scaling values. To prevent integral windup conflicts and derivative boost issues, both traditional fractional order structures and adaptive neuro-fuzzy-based fractional order structures were used to create the adaptive cruise control system. The FO ANFIS PD plus I controller for the cruise control system exceeds the competition in servo and regulatory difficulties.

Features of Inflammatory Syndrome in Patients with COVID-19-Associated Pneumonia and Concomitant Chronic Coronary Syndrome

Introduction. The COVID-19 coronavirus disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become an unprecedented challenge for the healthcare system and has taken a leading position among infectious diseases due to its rapid spread and development of complications in various body systems. COVID-19 has been shown to increase the long-term risk of both ischemic and nonischemic cardiovascular diseases. This underscores the need for primary prevention through measures such as vaccination and a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology linking COVID-19 to endothelial dysfunction and systemic inflammation. Patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease often have concomitant cardiometabolic disease. Cardiovascular complications are common in these patients, emphasizing the need for ongoing research to better understand these effects. The role of integral inflammatory indices in patients with coronavirus disease in the setting of chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) is unexplored.&#x0D; Aim. To identify the features of the course of chronic coronary syndromes in patients with pneumonia caused by coronavirus infection COVID-19, as well as to assess the relationship between the level of inflammatory indices and the severity of the disease.&#x0D; Materials and methods. 124 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled upon admission to the cardiology department of the Central City Clinical Hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk, the therapeutic department of the Kolomyia Central District Hospital and the therapeutic department of the Verkhovyna Hospital, 124 patients with COVID-19-associated pneumonia were selected, including 92 patients with a history of chronic coronary syndromes (CCS), including 49 patients with a history of acute myocardial infarction, 43 patients with stable angina pectoris and 32 patients without a history of CCS.&#x0D; Results of the study. The mean age of the examined patients was (66,2±7,8) years in the CCS group and (59,9±8,9) years in the non-CCS group.Among the patients with severe course, there were 36 patients (39,1%) in the CCS group and 10 patients (31,2%) in the non-CCS group. In the CCS group, 4 patients (4,3%) died, and in the non-CCS group, 2 patients (6,2%) died. The BMI in patients with CCS was (28,3 [26,2; 30,9]) kg/m2, in the group without CCS (26,66±3,59) kg/m2 and was higher in the CCS group (p=0,03). The mean number of days from the onset of symptoms to hospitalization in the CCS group was (7 [5;7] days, in the non-CCS group (7 [5;7] days). There was significant difference in the levels of inflammatory indices in the study groups after treatment, lower levels of SIRI 1,12 [0,58; 1,98] vs. 1,71 [0,74; 3,98] (p=0,04), NLR 4,22 [2,79; 5,40] vs. 5,3 [3,8; 9,56] (p=0,03), SII 936,75 [571,30; 1263,16] vs. 1198,75 [784,0; 2627,78] (p=0,008), PLR 154,75 [115,27; 208,09] vs. [124,23; 307,83] (p=0,04), AISI 253,61 [96,18; 437,47] vs.345,28 [229,48; 1040,13] (p=0,01). In the CCS group, a significant increase in the level of the LMR index (p=0,01) and a decrease in the level of CRP/L (p&lt;0,0001) were observed after treatment. According to the results of the ROC analysis, there is a significant prognostic value of the CRP/L marker for mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and concomitant CVD (AUC = 0,901; 95% CI 0,820 – 0,953; p&lt;0,0001) during hospitalization. The markers NMR, SIRI, NLR, SII, PLR, AISI, dNLR, CRP/L had a significant prognostic value for mortality when observed in the dynamics.&#x0D; Conclusions. Increased levels of inflammatory indices showed a significant value in predicting hospital mortality from COVID-19 with concomitant CCS in the dynamics but had no prognostic value during hospitalization. Patients who were discharged with recovery or improvement had lower levels of inflammatory indices in the presence of concomitant CCS in the anamnesis.

Topological features of functional brain networks and subclinical impulsivity: an investigation in younger and older adults.

Impulsive traits (i.e., the tendency to act without forethought regardless of negative outcomes) are frequently found in healthy populations. When exposed to risk factors, individuals may develop debilitating disorders of impulse control (addiction, substance abuse, gambling) characterized by behavioral and cognitive deficits, eventually leading to huge socioeconomic costs. With the far-reaching aim of preventing the onset of impulsive disorders, it is relevant to investigate the topological organization of functional brain networks associated with impulsivity in sub-clinical populations. Taking advantage of the open-source LEMON dataset, we investigated the topological features of resting-state functional brain networks associated with impulsivity in younger (n=146, age: 20-35) and older (n=61, age: 59-77) individuals, using a graph-theoretical approach. Specifically, we computed indices of segregation and integration at the level of specific circuits and nodes known to be involved in impulsivity (frontal, limbic, and striatal networks). In younger individuals, results revealed that impulsivity was associated with a more widespread, less clustered and less efficient functional organization, at all levels of analyses and in all selected networks. Conversely, impulsivity in older individuals was associated with reduced integration and increased segregation of striatal regions. Speculatively, such alterations of functional brain networks might underlie behavioral and cognitive abnormalities associated with impulsivity, a working hypothesis worth being tested in future research. Lastly, differences between younger and older individuals might reflect the implementation of age-specific adaptive strategies, possibly accounting for observed differences in behavioral manifestations. Potential interpretations, limitations and implications are discussed.

On the Path of Increasing Farmer Income in the Yangtze River Delta Region under the Background of Digital Economy

The Yangtze River Delta is one of the most active economic development areas in China, accounting for only 2.1% of China's regional area, concentrating 1/4 of China's total economic output and more than 1/4 of industrial added value, and is regarded as an important engine of China's economic development. The analysis and discussion of the influencing factors of farmers' growth in the Yangtze River Delta region under the background of digital economy has great reference significance for the income growth of farmers in other regions. This paper first analyzes the current situation of farmers' income in Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province, Shanghai Municipality and Zhejiang Province in the Yangtze River Delta region, and then analyzes the impact of the industrial index, integration index and infrastructure index on the income of farmers in the digital economy index through regression model, and tests and corrects them. The results show that the integration index and infrastructure index have a significant impact on the income of farmers in Anhui Province, the spillover index has a significant impact on the income of farmers in Jiangsu Province, the industrial index has a significant impact on the income of farmers in Shanghai, and the integration index and infrastructure index have a significant impact on the income of farmers in Zhejiang Province. Based on this, corresponding suggestions are put forward in order to effectively increase the income of farmers in the four regions and provide corresponding reference for other regions.