State Scientific Center Research Articles

Simulation of stainless ferritic-martensitic and austenitic steel hardening after irradiation in ion accelerator. Part 2. Development of a methodology for determining the ion mode irradiation of austenitic steels

A methodology for determining the irradiation mode for ferritic-martensitic steels at ion accelerator has been developed and experimentally substantiated, providing radiation hardening of these steels, identical to that realized under neutron irradiation. The change in Vickers microhardness is used as a measure of radiation hardening. The paper presents the results of a study of radiation-induced changes in the microhardness of austenitic steels 08Kh18Н10Т and 08Kh16Н20М2Т irradiated in reactors SM-3, VVER-440, BOR-60, SM-3 + BOR-60 to damaging doses of 10.2–33.7 dpa in the interval of temperatures 60–500°C. A study of radiation-induced changes in microhardness in a wider range of irradiation temperatures, post-irradiation annealing of irradiated steels was carried out in the range from 400 to 600°C, simulating irradiation at temperatures equal to annealing temperatures. Data are presented on radiation-induced changes in microhardness after irradiation in the ion accelerator of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation – Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (IPPE) with Ni+4 ions and He+ ions up to concentrations of 0–7 appm/dpa at damaging doses of 13–30 dpa and temperatures of 300–650°. A transition function has been established that connects the irradiation of temperatures during neutron and ion irradiation at a given damaging dose, ensuring the same radiation hardening of austenitic steels.

Simulation of stainless ferritic-martensitic and austenitic steel hardening after irradiation in ion accelerator. Part 1. Development of a methodology for determining the ion mode irradiation of ferritic-martensitic steels

A methodology for determining the irradiation mode for ferritic-martensitic steels at ion accelerator has been developed and experimentally substantiated, providing radiation hardening of these steels, identical to that realized under neutron irradiation. The change in Vickers microhardness is used as a measure of radiation hardening. A study was carried out of radiation-induced changes in the microhardness of ferritic-martensitic steels 07Kh12NMFB and EP-823 after neutron and ion irradiation to damaging doses of 10–30 dpa in the temperature range 350–600°C. These materials were irradiated with neutrons in the reactors BOR-60, BN-600 and in the ion accelerator of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation – Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (IPPE) with Fe3+, Fe4+ ions and He+ ions to concentrations of 0.2 and 4 appm/dpa. A transition function has been established that connects the irradiation temperatures for neutron and ion irradiation at a given damaging dose, ensuring the same radiation hardening.

Chronicles of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists (MSDС was founded on October 4, 1891) Bulletin of the MSDС № 1157

On April 16th we held our last meeting of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatologists and Cosmetologists in person. There were 102 participants and 5 applicants. Our agenda included two clinical cases: the first one was a clinical case of fulminant acne (Miderm Clinic); the second one was about gangrenous pyoderma as a possible marker or paraneoplasia in intestinal oncological diseases (Sechenov University). We present clinical cases of patients with fulminant acne and periorbital oedema in the first report, and ascending colon tumour and T3N0M0 rectal cancer in the second report. Three reports were presented in the scientific part of the meeting: the effectiveness of therapy for severe psoriasis (Sechenov University), the effectiveness of Janus kinase inhibitors in atopic dermatitis (Sechenov University), the molecular genetic aspects of the fungal mycosis pathogenesis (State Scientific Center of Dermatovenerology and Cosmetology). The authors presented the results of their own clinical studies of the effectiveness of therapy of diseases, including in the report on molecular-genetic aspects of the pathogenesis of mycosis fungoides the author assessed the changes in the expression levels of genes of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway and transcription factors both in visually unaffected skin and in the focus of clinically detectable lesions.

Chronicles of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists (MSDС was founded on October 4, 1891) Bulletin of the MSDС № 1156

On February 20th we held our last meeting of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatologists and Cosmetologists in person. There were 115 participants and 3 applicants. Our agenda included four reports. The first speaker reported a clinical case of cytostatic therapy ineffectiveness in a patient with pustular psoriasis (State Scientific Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology); the second case was about the adverse dermatological reactions in patients receiving pembrolizumab and nivolumab for hepatocellular cancer (Sechenov University). Two reports were presented in the scientific part of the meeting: the first report was about the clinical features of perianal dermatoses (Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education), the second one was based on the diagnosis of erythroderma (Sechenov University).

Hidradenitis suppurativa as seen by the patient

Background. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common disease that significantly reduces the quality of life of patients of reproductive age, while its exact prevalence is unknown in most countries due to untimely and poor-quality diagnosis. Aim. In order to clarify the prevalence of HS, an analysis of the structure of newly identified cases of this disease was carried out in the conditions of the consultative and diagnostic center of the State Research Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the period 2008–2021 inclusive. In order to study the characteristics of the course of HS, its impact on behavior and receipt of medical care from the patient’s point of view, an anonymous quantitative online survey of patients was conducted. The patient questionnaire “Shin a light on hidradenitis” was used as a basis. Methods. Аnonymous quantitative online survey of patients was conducted. The patient questionnaire “Shin a light on hidradenitis” was used as a basis. Results. For the period 2008–2021 exclusively under the section “L73 Other diseases of the hair follicles”, 765 cases were diagnosed in the State Scientific Center for Disease Control and Prevention (0.36% of the total number of all newly diagnosed cases). The diagnosis of GG (ICD code L73.2) was first established only in 59 cases (about 8% of identified cases using code L73). 1035 respondents took part in the survey. The survey revealed that patients with HS are worried about: 66% — swelling, 55% — pain, 38% — purulent discharge and/or blood, 25% of patients note a disturbing look. Most patients rated the severity of pain as moderate (29%) and low (29%) pain, severe and very severe pain — 12 and 7% respectively. Among the treatments used for HH, patients recommended: antibiotics (34%), opening and drainage (32%), prescription corticosteroid creams/ointments (11%), and biologics (4%). In 44% of patients, a visit to a doctor to provide qualified assistance continues; 18% of patients are observed by one doctor (dermatologist and/or surgeon); 9% of patients visited 2–3 doctors before receiving the necessary help. Conclusion. All over the world, the “search” for a specialist who will correctly diagnose, prescribe adequate treatment and accompany its long process is still a complex and unsolved task. In order to improve the quality of medical care for patients with HH, it is necessary to develop and implement domestic clinical recommendations, as well as the development and implementation of educational programs for interested specialists.

ПРАВОВОЕ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЕ СПАСАНИЯ ЛЮДЕЙ НА ВОДНЫХ ОБЪЕКТАХ В АРКТИЧЕСКОЙ ЗОНЕ (ОБЗОР МАТЕРИАЛОВ «КРУГЛОГО СТОЛА»)

The review highlights the abstracts of the round table «Legal regulation of human rescue on water bodies in the Arctic zone», held on February 7, 2024 at the Federal state budgetary institution Arctic rescue educational and scientific center «Vytegra» (Vologda region, Vytegorsky district, Ustye village) within the framework of the International Scientific and practical conference «Russian ice – 2024». 10 scientific and educational organizations, more than 50 participants were represented. The review highlights the problems and prospects of the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of search and rescue of people in the waters of the Arctic basin; problems of interdepartmental cooperation in the development of a system for providing search and rescue of people at sea in the Arctic zone: historical experience of conducting marine rescue operations in the Arctic, etc.

Нейропсихологическая оценка и верификация когнитивных нарушений в практике судебно-психиатрической экспертизы

<p style="text-align: justify;">In modern clinical psychiatry, there is a tendency to introduce the principle of quasi-dimensional assessment, which can be facilitated by the use of specialized diagnostic methods such as neuropsychological examination. The purpose of the study is to clarify the possibilities of neuropsychological examination during forensic psychiatric examination for persons held criminally responsible. As part of the forensic psychiatric examination of persons brought to criminal responsibility on the basis of the Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 113 men (age 42±13) were examined with established groups of diagnoses, including organic, personality disorders, as well as schizophrenic spectrum disorders, disorders associated with the use of psychoactive substances. Of these, 50 people were declared “insane” and 63 were “sane”. A neuropsychological examination was performed using qualitative syndrome and quantitative analysis. In individuals with organic mental disorders (OMD), there were more pronounced disorders of neurocognitive functioning compared to those surveyed with other mental disorders. In addition, persons with OMD who were recognized as “insane”, compared with persons recognized as “sane”, had more pronounced disorders in such parameters as: programming, regulation and control, neurodynamic characteristics, auditory—speech memory, with primary interest - frontal (p=0.004), temporal (p=0.004), and subcortical structures (p=0.005). The results of a neuropsychological examination can be used to verify an expert decision at the level of both medical and psychological criteria, primarily in the examination of persons suffering from an organic mental disorder.</p>

Ground-based response robotics for the safe operation of TV journalists in emergency zone

The article considers an approach to ensuring safe working conditions for TV journalists conducting TV reports from the emergency zone by means of ground-based response robotics. It is proposed to use a remote controlled (teleoperated) ground-based mobile service robots equipped with vision systems and professional television film-ing equipment. Remote-controlled robots developed at the Russian State Scientific Center for Robotics and Tech-nical Cybernetics (St. Petersburg) can be used as such robotic systems. Equipping robots with a stereoscopic vi-sion systems and a special TV camera to organize teleoperation of a mobile robot’s movement requires a broad-band communication channel, since it is necessary to transmit several video streams simultaneously. To solve this problem, it is proposed to use an image compression methods and the experience of using a network technolo-gies obtained during the development of the multiple-camera vision systems for installation on the mobile robotic systems BROKK-110D and BROKK-330 (Sweden) at the instructions of the Center for Special Risk Rescue Opera-tions «Leader» (Russia). The technical solution is presented to provide TV journalists with special remote-controlled ground-based robotics, which allows them to conduct television reports directly from the scene of hostili-ties, while being at a safe distance from the scene of events and the location of radio antennas.

Serological Monitoring of Pandemic Influenza Virus Markers in the Russian Federation in 2021–2023

State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector” has been monitoring highly pathogenic influenza since 2005.The aim of this work was to track the markers of highly pathogenic influenza in the blood sera of people who had a contact with infected and/or deceased birds, as well as of residents from regions where emergence of new variants of influenza A virus is most likely to occur.Materials and methods. Sera were studied using hemagglutination inhibition test (HI test). HI-positive sera were subjected to virus neutralization reaction.Results and discussion. In 2021, 2076 blood serum samples from 19 regions of Russia were collected. Only 7 samples demonstrated significant titers in HI test with A/H5N8 viruses. In 2022, 1620 blood serum samples from 23 regions were obtained; 25 of them were positive for influenza А/H5N8 and А/H5N1 viruses. In 2023 (January-August), 3335 serum samples from 31 regions of the Russian Federation were collected. 28 samples were positive for influenza А/H5N8 and А/H5N1 viruses. Furthermore, we monitored blood sera for low-pathogenic A/H9N2 virus. The number of positive samples in 2021 was lower than 1 % (13 out of 2076); in 2022, it reached 5 % (81 out of 1620); in 2023, the share was lower than 1 % (31 out of 3335). The data obtained suggest indirectly that currently there is no stable circulation of zoonotic influenza A/H5N8 and A/H5N1 viruses in Russia. Influenza viruses A/H9N2 have widely spread in many countries of the world and actively participate in evolution of highly pathogenic influenza A/H5Nx viruses. The Russian Federation demonstrates a gradual increase in the number of blood serum samples with antibodies to A/H9N2 virus.

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ИНДЕКСА ТРИГЛИЦЕРИДОВ-ГЛЮКОЗЫ (TYG) В ДИАГНОСТИКЕ ЭРЕКТИЛЬНОЙ ДИСФУНКЦИИ

Aim. The study aims to assess the degree of significance of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index in the diagnosis of erectile function. Materials and Methods. The study involved 120 patients examined from 2021 to 2022 at the Federal State Budgetary Institution State Scientific Center FMBC named after A.I. Burnazyan FMBA of Russia. Patients filled out the International Index of Erectile Function scale, and the TyG index was calculated. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised patients with mild and moderate severity of erectile dysfunction (ED) (n=60), while Group 2 included patients not clinically manifesting ED (reference group) (n=60). The TyG index was analyzed in both groups to determine its relationship with ED. Results. The analysis revealed that the risk of developing ED occurs when the TyG index value exceeds 4.49. Increasing the threshold level to 5.0 was found to be nonsignificant. A TyG index value exceeding 4.49 corresponded to an odds ratio of 114.0 (95% CI 13.7-947.7, z=4.383, p<0.0001), making it a reference value for determining the risk of ED. Conclusions. Currently, widely available methods for diagnosing and assessing the risk of ED, including for treatment decisions, are lacking. The triglyceride/glucose (TyG) index has the potential to serve as a quick and accessible test for this purpose.

ПАМЯТИ ВАЛЕРИЯ МИХАЙЛОВИЧА ЮБКО (19.05.1950–01.06.2022)

The article is dedicated to the memory of Valeriy Mikhailovich Yubko, Honored Geologist of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, an outstanding specialist in the field of marine geological and geophysical research and the geology of oceanic solid minerals – ferromanganese nodules and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts of the World Ocean, who headed the geological service for 15 years State Scientific Center JSC (until 2016 FGUGP) “Yuzhmorgeology”, and in recent years acting as the Scientific Secretary of the State Scientific Center. The article presents biographical data, highlights the scientific achievements and personal qualities of V. M. Yubko.

ПАМЯТИ МИХАИЛА ЕВГЕНЬЕВИЧА МЕЛЬНИКОВА (12.02.1961–29.02.2016)

The article is dedicated to the memory of Mikhail Evgenievich Melnikov, an outstanding researcher of a new type of minerals – cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts (CFC) of the World Ocean. M. E. Melnikov, scientist and practitioner, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, leading geologist of the State Scientific Center “Yuzhmorgeologiya”, head of the work on the preparation of materials for submission on behalf of the Russian Federation of an Application to the International Seabed Authority (ISA, Authority) for approval of the work plan for exploration of the CFC. The work of the team headed by Mikhail Evgenievich culminated in 2015 with the conclusion between the Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation of a contract for the exploration of CFC and the receipt of the exclusive right to explore polymetallic ores in the Russian exploration area of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts (RRR–CFC), located in the western part of the Pacific ocean on the Magellan Seamounts. Melnikov M. E. headed geological exploration work in the area of the Russian exploration area of KMK, supervising offshore field and office work. The article presents biographical data, highlights the scientific achievements and personal qualities of M. E. Melnikov

Chronicles of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists (MSDC was founded on October 4, 1891). Bulletin of the MSDC meeting N 1154

On October 17, 2023, the 1154th meeting of the Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists named after A.I. Pospelov took place.
 The meeting was held in a face-to-face format. There were 118 participants in total. 65 applications were submitted for membership in MSDC! Due to the large number of applicants for membership in the MSDC, a list vote was held: approved unanimously.
 Two reports were presented in the clinical part of the meeting: Pityriasis rubra pilaris after suffering COVID-19 (Sechenov University); A clinical case of a rare hereditary disease ― erythrokeratoderma (State Scientific Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology).
 Reports were made in the scientific part of the meeting: Topical therapy for xerosis of various genesis (Sechenov University); Modern paradigms for improving the effectiveness of treatment of allergodermatoses taking into account violations of the skin microbiome (Federal Scientific and Clinical Center of Intensive Care and Rehabilitation); The use of transcranial electrical stimulation in patients with atopic dermatitis (Sechenov University).

Сравнительная оценка токсичности и вирулицидных свойств дезинфектантов, применяемых при работе с вирусом SARS-CoV-2 в изолированных вирусологических лабораториях

The choice of disinfectants and their combinations for the final disinfection of the premises of «infectious» areas of laboratories of biosafety level 3–4, in which work is carried out with viruses with epidemic potential, is important for reducing the toxic effect of these disinfectants on personnel while maintaining 100?% disinfection efficiency. Purpose of the study: to study the toxicity of disinfectants of different groups for cell culture, to select a toxicity neutralizer, to study the virucidal activity of these disinfectants and their combinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Materials and methods: experimental studies were carried out using the reference strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, namely the hCoV-19/Australia/VIC01/2020 (AUS) strain (Wuhan variant), obtained from the State Collection of Causative Agents of Viral Infectious Diseases and Rickettsial Diseases, functioning on the basis of the Federal Budgetary Institution State Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor. The residual infectious activity of the virus was determined by titrating samples in cell culture. To conduct the research, we used a Vero E6 cell culture obtained from the Collection of Cell Cultures of the Federal Budgetary Institution of Scientific Research Center for Virology and Biochemistry «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor in the form of a 2-day monolayer with a confluency of 95–100?%. Results. As a result of the studies, experimental data were obtained on the dynamics of the virucidal activity of different groups of disinfectants and their combinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The degree of toxicity of disinfectants for Vero E6 cell culture is shown. Optimal combinations of disinfectants and a 40?% aqueous solution of formaldehyde (hereinafter referred to as formalin) have been selected, increasing its disinfection efficiency at an initial concentration halved, which can be used for final disinfection treatment of the premises of isolated virology laboratories conducting work with the SARS-CoV- coronavirus. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate that when using selected combinations of disinfectants to carry out final disinfection with formaldehyde vapors formed during the evaporation of formaldehyde as a result of its heating, a twofold decrease in the initial concentration of formalin is possible, leading to a decrease in its toxic effect on personnel, while maintaining 100?% efficiency disinfection. Keywords: disinfection, disinfectants, formaldehyde, SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, disinfection efficiency, cytotoxicity.

Screening of antiviral activity of samples from chaga Inonotus obliquus and humic acid from brown coal on Vero cell culture against ectromelia virus (Poxviridae: Orthopoxvirus; ECTV)

The mouse-specific orthopoxvirus, ectromelia virus, is one of the best models that can be used to study key issues of pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of smallpox, and to develop measures to increase virulence, transmissibility, or the ability to overcome vaccine immunity. The aim of the work is to screen the antiviral activity of samples from Inonotus obliquus chaga and humic acid from brown coal in vitro against ectromelia virus. We used ectromelia virus, strain K-1 (reg. No V-142), obtained from the State Collection of Pathogens of Viral Infections and Rickettsioses of the State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector"; Vero Е6 cell culture (No 70) from the Collection of cell cultures of the State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector". Nine samples from chaga I. obliquus and humic acid from brown coal were used to evaluate the changes in the infectivity of the ectromelia virus on cell culture using 2 schemes of application of drugs and virus (preventive and therapeutic schemes), and to assess their cytotoxicity and antiviral activity. 50% cytotoxic concentration, 50% virus-inhibiting concentrations and selectivity index were determined for all samples. The studied samples were shown to be non-toxic to the monolayer of Vero cell culture in a dilution of 300 and more micrograms/ml, while demonstrated high antiviral activity against strain K-1 of ectromelia virus in two application schemes - preventive and curative. All samples tested for ectromelia virus in vitro can be considered promising for further development of drugs against diseases caused by orthopoxviruses.

Operational Experience in Degradation (Ageing Effects) and Implementation of Ageing Management Programmes for Dry Storage Systems in Ukraine

The Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs) of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a power tool to engage simultaneously a lot of different countries that operate Spent Fuel Storage Facilities for solving important safety issues at a deep level of competence and expertise. One of the topics that needs thorough research is behavior and state assessment of spent fuel assemblies and fuel rods during long/very long term storage in spent fuel storage facilities. It is naturally that over a long period, special attention is drawn to degradation mechanisms, ageing effects and ageing management programs that should be implemented in order to avoid and mitigate the impact of degradation mechanisms on spent fuel elements. This article describes the first step of implementing new IAEA CRP project “T13019. Performance Assessment of Storage Systems for Extended Durations (PASSED)” with contribution from the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS), which conducts research regarding the “Operational experience on degradation (ageing effects) of dry storage systems” during the first stage” at the first stage. The overall objective of the research proposed by the SSTC NRS is to strengthen technical knowledge, experience and understanding of the long-term behavior of the dry spent fuel storage systems, and of the currently applied inspection and monitoring technologies. At the same time, a specific objective of involving the SSTC NRS in this project was not only to present national experience and practices, but also to study the existing experience of the participating countries, which also joined the CRP proposed by the IAEA. The article considers the existing storage systems for spent nuclear fuel at the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhya NPP sites, provides examples of the aging management system for components and structures, as well as examples of the issues that require development, implementation and maintenance of aging management programs.

Chronicles of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists (MSDC was founded on October 4, 1891) Bulletin of the MSDC meeting N 1152

On April 18, 2023, the 1152nd meeting of the Moscow Society of Dermatologists and Cosmetologists named after A.I. Pospelov took place. The meeting was held in a face-to-face format. There were 115 participants in total. Ac-cepted as a member of the MSDC 1 person.
 Two reports are presented in the clinical part of the meeting: clinical variations of the course of skin sarcoidosis: the mini-lecture describes 8 clinical cases of cutaneous sarcoidosis; Kaposi's sarcoma in a 24-year-old patient with positive antibodies to cytomegaly and EpsteinBarr viruses.
 Three reports were presented in the scientific part of the meeting: The possibilities of im-proving the effectiveness of onychomycosis therapy (speaker I.S. Maximov, Sechenov University); The use of botulinum toxin type A for the correction of erythematous-telangiectatic subtype of rosacea (speaker A.O. Yakovleva, State Scientific Center of Dermatovenerology and Cosmetology); A post-graduate student of the Department of Dermatovenereology of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia Aun Rami Yusefovi made a report on targeted therapy of children with moderate and severe forms of atopic dermatitis (co-speakers ― Prof. E.A. Batkaev, Prof. V.Yu. Ujuhu).

Analysis of the dynamics of <i>Neisseria gonorrhоeaе</i> resistance to antimicrobial drugs in the Russian Federation for the period 2005–2021

Background. Neisseria gonorrhoeae can rapidly develop resistance to antimicrobial agents due to innate mechanisms for the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes. Because of the rapid formation of resistance mechanisms of N. gonorrhoeae to the antimicrobial agents used in gonococcal therapy, the risk of incurable forms of the disease is high. The purpose of the study is to to summarize the results of RU-GASP over a 16-year period and assess the trends of N. gonorrhoeae resistance to antimicrobials used in the regimens of antibiotic therapy of gonococcal infection in Russia.
 Materials and methods. Study Objective. The study included 5356 isolates of N. gonorrhoeae received from January 2005 to December 2021 in State Scientific Center of Dermatovenerology and Cosmetology, Moscow of the Ministry of Health of Russia under the RU-GASP program from specialized medical organizations of dermatovenerological profile of 37 subjects of the Russian Federation. Primary identification of N. gonorrhoeae was performed using bacterioscopic and bacteriological methods. The cultures identified as N. gonorrhoeae were frozen in a cryogenic medium and transported to SSCDC. Received cultures were verified by biochemical criteria on a VITEK 2 Compact analyzer. For cultures identified as N. gonorrhoeae with less than 99% probability, a time-of-flight ionization mass spectrometer MALDI Microflex (Bruker Daltonics GmbH, Germany) was used for mass spectrometric analysis.
 Antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Sensitivity testing of N. gonorrhoeae to six antimicrobials penicillin, spectinomycin, ceftriaxone, tetracycline, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin was performed by serial dilution in agar with determination of minimum suppressive concentrations (MSC, mg/L). N. gonorrhoeae sensitivity to antibacterial agents was evaluated according to EUCAST criteria (The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, 2022, http://www.eucast.org).
 Results. The study showed the absence of significant changes in the ratio of sensitive and resistant to the action of antimicrobial drugs strains of N. gonorrhoeae that is a consequence of the effectiveness of the RU-GASP program, which allowed to exclude in time from therapeutic use the drugs for which a high proportion of the identified resistant strains was observed.
 Conclusion. Analysis of RU-GASP results over a 16-year period confirms the use of third-generation cephalosporins (Ceftriaxone, Cefixime) as the drugs of choice for therapy of gonococcal infection, and the aminocyclic antibiotic spectinomycin as an alternative drug. The continued evolution of the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance of N. gonorrhoeae dictates the need to continue the RU-GASP program.

Comparison of the effectiveness of solid nutrient medium in the in vitro cultivation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates

Background. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a facultatively anaerobic microorganism which is extremely demanding to the composition of a nutrient media and cultivation conditions. In a situation of the increasing shortage and cost of foreign components for the preparation of solid nutrient media, it is important to study the possibility of growing hard-to-cultivate microorganisms on domestically produced nutrient media.The aim of the study. To evaluate the growth of gonococcus colonies on two types of solid nutrient media – chocolate agar with growth and selective additives prepared using imported reagents and chocolate agar with growth additives manufactured by “Gem LTD” (Moscow, Russian Federation).Materials and methods. А reference strain of N. gonorrhoeae NCTC 12700/ ATCC 49226 and two types of chocolate agar (the first one – prepared in the State Scientific Center of Dermatovenerology and Cosmetology using imported components and the other one – from the domestic manufacturer “Gem LTD”) were used in the research.Results. The equivalence of the growth properties of both studied types of nutrient media when cultivating pure gonococcus was revealed.Conclusions. Ready-to-use chocolate agar with growth additives produced by “Gem LTD” can be successfully used in the laboratory for the cultivation of N. gonorrhoeae pure culture. Primary isolation of N. gonorrhoeae strains from clinical material is more appropriate to carry out on a medium that suppresses the growth of foreign microflora due to the inclusion of antibiotic additive. The organization of production of domestic bacteriological media for microorganisms with high nutrient requirements reduces the dependence of domestic microbiology on import and ensures their rapid delivery to laboratories.

Evaluation of the applicability of immunochromatography to the identification of live plague vaccines and the tularaemia allergen (Tularin)

The regulatory standards require that the identification of live plague vaccines and the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin) should be performed by immunofluorescence. A major drawback of the recommended method is its labour intensive nature. However, immunochromatography represents an alternative method that offers a number of advantages, including rapid testing and easy result interpretation. The aim of the study was to assess the applicability of immunochromatography to the identification of live plague vaccines and the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin).Materials and methods. The authors performed identification tests using samples of the pharmacopoeia standard for live plague vaccines, three commercial batches of a live plague vaccine, and two batches of the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin). These samples were tested using immunochromatographic assay (ICA) reagent kits for rapid detection and identification of Yersinia pestis (ICA System for Y. pestis) and Francisella tularensis (ICA System for F. tularensis) manufactured by the State Scientific Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.Results. The findings show that immunochromatography is an effective, rapid, and species-specific method to confirm the presence of Y. pestis in a sample of a live plague vaccine or F. tularensis in a sample of the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin). To perform identification tests by immunochromatography, the authors recommend diluting live plague vaccine samples to a concentration of 109 bacterial cells/mL and using undiluted samples of the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin).Conclusions. The study results may support the inclusion of ICA into the regulatory standards for live plague vaccines and the liquid tularaemia allergen (Tularin) as an alternative identification method.