Introduction: In the coming years, in an unstable demographic and socio-economic situation, the workforce of the country will be replenished by teenagers studying in secondary vocational schools (colleges). Health protection of the younger generation is one of the main tasks of our time.

Objective: To examine the system of primary health care to secondary vocational school students of the Sverdlovsk Region in the context of amended requirements for medical licensing.

Materials and methods: In March 2023, we analyzed regulatory legal documents, data from the Unified Register of Medical Licenses on regional colleges and health facilities with the assigned population. We also compared the results of an anonymous sociological survey of specialists of college health units.

Results: We have established amendments in requirements for medical practice licensing, including additional conditions for maintaining electronic registers and exchanging medical data through a Unified Health Information System and the turnover of medicines. There are five basic models of primary health care in colleges within the existing regulatory framework: 1) independent licensing of a medical office by the college; 2) conclusion of contracts for medical care of students with a nearby polyclinic separately for minors and adult students; 3) licensing of a medical office located in the college on behalf of a hospital; 4) organization of a student polyclinic and assigning students to it for the period of study; 5) medical care of students in health units of the enterprise carrying out targeted training for students.

Conclusions: The existing models of primary health care do not fully ensure the rights of minors studying in colleges to health protection and require improvement. In the Sverdlovsk Region, the model of independent licensing of medical offices is the most common, which also prevents students from receiving the entire declared volume of primary health care.

Introduction: Medical and social importance of a continuous decrease in tuberculosis morbidity and mortality remains high. Implementation of tuberculosis control programs involves the analysis of current regional trends in the epidemic situation and interdepartmental cooperation in taking comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.

Objective: To analyze local trends and features of the spread of tuberculosis in the population of the Sverdlovsk Region.

Materials and methods: Based on the results of a retrospective and prospective study for 2012–2022, we analyzed tuberculosis incidence, prevalence and mortality rates, bacterial carriage, drug resistance, combination with HIV infection, and the structure of clinical forms of tuberculosis in the Sverdlovsk Region. The data were retrieved from the reports of the Federal State Statistics Service, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), Ministries of Health of the Russian Federation and the Sverdlovsk Region, the Federal Register of Tuberculosis Patients, and departmental statistics of prison health care.

Results: We observed a decline in the regional tuberculosis incidence, prevalence and death rates over the study period that were consistently higher than the national averages. The proportion of patients with bacterial excretion, multidrug resistance, and tuberculosis/HIV coinfection was increasing among the incident cases while the proportion of cases of disseminated and intrathoracic lymph node tuberculosis was rising in the structure of clinical forms. The main regional factors influencing the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis include a large number of prisoners and a higher prevalence of HIV infection among the general population.

Conclusion: Based on the analysis of the situation, further implementation of a set of measures for interdepartmental cooperation for monitoring and combating tuberculosis is envisaged by the regional program.

Introduction: Post-COVID-19 syndrome, its symptoms, duration and treatment are the subject of discussion not only within the professional medical community, but also among various groups of the population. Health-related narratives of Internet users about post-COVID-19 syndrome help understand what behavioral strategies can be implemented in people facing this condition and increase the effectiveness of health-preserving measures.

Objective: To characterize health preserving practices of the Russians suffering from post-COVID syndrome based on the analysis of digital narratives about the disease, rehabilitation methods and therapies.

Materials and methods: This qualitative research explored health practices in narratives of a sample of 23 Russian Internet users that struggled with post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Results: Narratives about post-COVID-19 syndrome include documenting a) symptoms of the disease, b) ways of searching for and maintaining information about treatment methods, c) details of communication with representatives of the medical community and the social environment (including medical gaslighting), and d) health care practices (in terms of therapy and rehabilitation) and their efficiency. The narrator’s initial focus on formal/traditional medicine or self- treatment largely determined the behavioral strategy in the context of post-COVID conditions. Three types of strategies have been identified: 1) a strategy of maximum institutionalized health care, which involves responsible behavior (visiting a doctor for the first symptoms, complying with recommendations), 2) a strategy of independent health care based on the importance of one’s own opinion (following “habitual algorithms”), and 3) a strategy of independent health care focused on the opinion of the social environment (Internet search for information about post-COVID-19 conditions, discussions with friends and acquaintances). For all types of strategies, health care practices included taking medications, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and striving for psycho-emotional balance.

Conclusion: The study of narratives about post-COVID-19 syndrome made it possible to describe human behavior in the face of a new health challenge, systematize basic health preserving practices, raise questions related to the functioning of the health care system, and establish certain manifestations of social attitudes towards health.

Introduction: The Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation is one of the least economically developed regions, despite the fact that its resource potential is highly estimated. Miners are among the most numerous contingents constantly exposed to combined occupational risk factors.

Our objective was to measure vibration levels of the control panel and driver’s seat in excavators used for iron ore mining in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.

Materials and methods: Hand-arm and whole-body vibration levels were measured at the workplaces of EKG-10, EKG-8I, and EKG-5A excavator drivers engaged in iron ore mining.

Results: We established that in terms of whole-body vibration of excavator operators, 61.5 % of measurements corresponded to Class 3 (harmful) working conditions, including Class 3.1 (harmful, degree 1) for operators of 53.8 % of the machines and Class 3.2 – of 7.7 %. The most pronounced excess of the occupational vibration exposure limit was noted in the low-frequency range of 2 Hz, as well as 4 and 8 Hz. We noted that hand-arm vibration levels were still below the permissible limit.

Conclusion: Vibration measurements at workplaces of the iron quarry excavator drivers show elevated whole-body but normal hand-arm vibration levels.

Introduction: Despite a constant focus on prevention of health-risk behaviors among adolescents and young people in many countries and regions, teenagers still show interest and engage in smoking and alcohol consumption.

Objective: To study the prevalence and risk factors of early initiation of alcohol consumption and smoking in school- aged children in order to substantiate and develop appropriate preventive measures to be taken in secondary schools of Yekaterinburg.

Materials and methods: In 2022, we conducted an anonymous questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of 742 secondary school students in grades 8 to 11 (aged 14–18 years) living in Yekaterinburg. We assessed associations between the use of psychoactive substances, behavioral risk factors, such as daily routine, physical activity, attitude to smoking and alcohol consumption, health literacy, disease prevention habits, and psychosocial factors, and health. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared test and the Student’s t-test; odd ratios (OR) were calculated with the 95 % confidence interval.

Results: The proportion of cigarette smokers and alcohol consumers among school-aged adolescents amounted to 21.3 % and 43.4 %. Among the risk factors contributing to early initiation of smoking and alcohol consumption, the most significant were bad relationships with adults (parents and teachers), lack of parental support, poor awareness of adverse effects of alcohol consumption and smoking, loyal attitude of parents and schoolchildren to the problem. The use of psychoactive substances correlated statistically with poor well-being of the school-aged youth.

Conclusion: We observed lower prevalence rates of smoking and alcohol consumption in the adolescents compared with the 2000s. This problem, however, still requires preventive interventions. The established risk factors should be taken into account when developing school-based prevention programs.

Introduction: Air pollution affects human health and causes considerable damage to the economy by hindering urban development, including that of small towns inhabited by more than half of the Russian population.

Objective: To characterize small and medium-sized towns of the Irkutsk Region in terms of ambient air pollution and incidence rates in the child population.

Materials and methods: Ambient air pollution was assessed based on annual reports issued by the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet). Incidence rates in children living in five small and medium-sized towns of the Irkutsk Region were analyzed by 16 disease categories based on report forms and collections of the Ministry of Health for 2015–2022. We applied methods of comparative analysis, calculated health indicators, and established the significance of differences using Student’s t-test.

Results: The 2021 Priority List of the Most Polluted Russian Cities included seven towns of the Irkutsk Region. In small and medium-sized regional towns from this list, high ambient concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene, formaldehyde, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen dioxide, total suspended particles, and PM10 were registered, all exceeding maximum permissible levels. In 2015–2022, long-term incidence rates in children were 1.1–1.4 times higher than the national averages in the towns of Shelekhov, Usolye-Sibirskoye, and Svirsk. In all the towns under study, the number of disease categories with a high incidence among children (4–7 years of age), the list of categories, and the multiplicity of excess of the Russian rates (1.1 to 3.8 times) differ, which is determined by specifics of effects of local environmental factors.

Conclusions: The levels of ambient air pollution in five small and medium-sized towns of the Irkutsk Region are assessed as very high with air pollution indices in 2022 ranging from 22 to 45. In the descending order of disease incidence in children, the regional towns were ranked as follows: Shelekhov, Usolye-Sibirskoye, Svirsk, Zima, Cheremkhovo.

Introduction: Fecal calprotectin is known to be a biomarker of inflammatory bowel problems. An increase in its level has been also noted in COVID-19 patients, which is associated with the pathogenic effect of the virus on the intestinal epithelium involving components of nonspecific immunity.

Objective: To evaluate markers of local and systemic inflammation and their relationship in the diarrhea syndrome associated with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Materials and methods: We have analyzed medical histories of 90 laboratory-verified SARS-CoV-2 patients aged 35 to 70 years and divided them into three equal groups of 30 cases each by the measured level of fecal calprotectin (Group 1: CPT > 200 μg/g, Group 2: CPT = 50 to 200 μg/g, and Group 3: CPT < 50 μg/g).

Results: In Group 1 patients with CPT > 200 μg/g, we observed a 1.5 times more frequent severe course of the coronavirus disease, pulmonary damage over 50 % (p < 0.05), fever and diarrhea that persisted up to 14.8 ± 0.5 and 8.7 ± 0.4 days, respectively (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: We established a direct relationship between markers of local and systemic inflammation. Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 correlated with the severity of intestinal inflammation. A positive correlation was found between fecal calprotectin levels and diarrhea syndrome duration. The landscape of opportunistic intestinal microbiota also correlated with the severity of the inflammatory process in the intestine.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections induce inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs in women, infertility, infant and maternal mortality, and remain a global health challenge. Current studies are focused on examination and treatment of risk groups, including men who have sex with men, among whom the highest incidence rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other socially significant infections are usually registered.

Objective: To establish epidemiological features of the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in men who have sex with men as representatives of a high-risk group.

Material and methods: Snowball sampling was used in our questionnaire-based survey that involved 136 men of reproductive age (18 to 49 years). The case study group included 79 men who have sex with men and the control group consisted of 57 heterosexual men. For statistical data analysis, we used Pearson’s chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test.

Results and discussion: The median age of the cases was 32 years and 25.3 % of them noted having bisexual relationships. Compared to the controls, the proportion of men who reported having more than 10 sexual partners over the previous year was statistically higher among the men having sex with other men (63.3 %). 81.0 % of the cases and 57.9 % of the controls reported having casual sexual relations. 50 % of the men who have sex with men had one or more sexually transmitted infections in the medical history, while this percentage was significantly lower in the controls.

Conclusion: Men who have sex with men are typical representatives of groups at risk of sexually transmitted diseases due to numerous sexual partners and inherent risky sexual behavior.

Introduction: A wide spread of causative agents of acute respiratory infections and an intensive use of aerosol-generating procedures in dentistry affect the disease incidence in dental care professionals. This issue, however, remains poorly studied.

Objective: To study the incidence of acute respiratory infections in dental health personnel in order to optimize appropriate preventive measures.

Materials and methods: In 2021, we conducted a descriptive retrospective epidemiological study of the workplace absence due to acute respiratory diseases among 352 dental care professionals (case study group) and 782 people unrelated to the medical field (control group). To assess the statistical significance of differences in the incidence rates, the Pearson criterion (χ2) was applied. The data were analyzed in Microsoft Office Excel 2013 and Epi Info v. 1.4.3.

Results: We established that the incidence rates of viral respiratory diseases in the dental health personnel were 2.2 times higher than in the control group (301.14 and 136.83 ‰, respectively; p = 0.00001). During the respiratory illness season, the cases were 3.3 times more likely to get sick (p = 0.000001). At the same time, the incidence in the cases working in therapeutic and orthopedic departments and applying aerosol-generating procedures was 2.7 times higher compared to those working in other departments (p = 0.00153). Females generally prevailed among therapists and orthopedists (83.81 %) and the rates of viral respiratory infections in them were found to be 2.73 times higher than in male surgeons (p = 0.00134).

Conclusions: The high incidence of acute respiratory infections observed in the dental care professionals, especially in those using aerosol-generating procedures in their everyday practice, shows the necessity of improving measures for prevention of respiratory tract infections in dentistry.

Introduction: Norovirus infection (NVI) is a highly contagious disease that is most common in children and entails significant health care costs.

Objectives: To analyze and describe epidemic spread patterns of norovirus infection in the Sverdlovsk Region in 2009–2022 and to examine its determinants using statistical modeling techniques.

Materials and methods: We have analyzed statistics on the monthly number of NVI cases and newborns, publicly available data on weather factors and population migration in the Sverdlovsk Region. Negative binomial regression was used to assess contribution of natural and social factors to disease incidence. The statistical analysis was carried out in the R environment.

Results: A long-term increasing trend in NVI incidence that stabilized on a relatively high level in 2016–2018 was observed. The epidemic season usually started in October or November and lasted until April–May. Children under 6 years of age were at highest risk of the infection. Distribution of the disease incidence across the Sverdlovsk Region was uneven; relatively high rates were registered in some municipalities. The results of statistical modeling showed a negative correlation between weather conditions (mean temperature and relative humidity), high COVID-19 rates, and NVI incidence. The amount of precipitation, atmospheric pressure, sunshine duration, and external migration were found to be statistically insignificant predictors. In addition to the above, the level of herd immunity is likely to affect the NVI incidence, although it is hard to estimate the extent of its impact due to the lack of trustworthy data on the duration of immunity to noroviruses.

Conclusion: Norovirus infection is a regional health care challenge, especially among preschool children. Ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and social distancing due to rising COVID-19 incidence rates proved to be negative predictors associated with a decrease in the number of NVI cases in the study area.