Introduction: Systematic studies of endemic zoonotic diseases on the Crimean Peninsula resumed in 2015 after a long break.

Objective: To specify boundaries and determine epizootiological activity of the natural foci of infectious diseases in the Crimea and to update the list of possible reservoir hosts and vectors based on the results of field studies conducted in 2015–2022.

Materials and methods: Counting and trapping of small mammals, ixodid ticks and mosquitoes, collecting of pellets of birds of prey, sampling of water and other zoological and entomological materials were carried out in the Crimea in the years 2015 to 2022.

Results and discussion: According to the results of epidemiological and epizootiological monitoring of the Crimean Peninsula, the samples tested positive for tularemia were collected on the territory of 14 administrative entities, leptospirosis – 21, hantaviruses – 12, tick-borne encephalitis – 2, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever – 7, Lyme borreliosis – 21, West Nile fever – 3, Q fever – 2, Marseilles fever – 6, monocytic ehrlichiosis – 1, and granulocytic anaplasmosis – 8 entities. A new hantavirus was identified in the Leninsky district. Positive findings of markers of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus were registered not only in the main vector, but also in other species of ixodid ticks. True boundaries of the natural foci of Lyme borreliosis in the Crimea were much wider and ran through both forest and steppe zones. A stable reproducing population of epidemiologically significant Ae. albopictus mosquitoes was found on the southern coast of Crimea.

Conclusions: Based on the findings, we specified the boundaries and confirmed the activity of natural foci of infectious diseases during the study period, updated sources of infections, reservoir hosts and vectors, and compiled the List of enzootic (endemic) territories of the Crimea, on which circulation of infectious agents common to humans and animals was found based on the results of field material studies in 2015–2022, all facilitating managerial decisions on prevention of natural focal infections.

Introduction: When selecting the most hazardous pollutants for inclusion in air quality monitoring programs, it is important to consider criteria of population health risk.

Objective: To substantiate the list of priority air pollutants for 10 new cities of the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk Regions enrolled in the Clean Air Federal Project using the index of comparative hazard to population health and results of air quality testing to elaborate monitoring programs for the period until the results of summary calculations for the territory are obtained.

Materials and methods: We used data provided by the Federal Supervisory Natural Resources Management Service (Rosprirodnadzor) on actual annual emissions (Form No. 2-TP (Air) for 2022) from sources of air pollution located in the cities of Angarsk, Achinsk, Zima, Irkutsk, Lesosibirsk, Minusinsk, Svirsk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, Cheremkhovo, and Shelekhov. Compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements for ambient air quality was established based on data from monitoring sites of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) and the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) for 2020–2022. To substantiate the lists of air pollutants to be monitored within the framework of public health surveillance, we ranked chemicals according to Russian Risk Assessment Guidelines R 2.1.10.3968–23. Results: Based on the results of assessing contributions to the total index of comparative carcinogenic hazard, certain chemicals were proposed to be included into monitoring programs due to their carcinogenic potential when inhaled (acetaldehyde, benzo(a)pyrene, benzene, buta-1,3-diene, lead, carbon, formaldehyde, chromium (IV), etc.). Evaluation of percent contributions to the total index of comparative non-carcinogenic hazard revealed the need to expand monitoring programs to include the following highly hazardous chemicals: dialuminum trioxide, dihydrosulfide, dimethylamine, manganese and its compounds, sulfuric acid, fluorides, and chlorine. According to the findings, 10 to 24 pollutants were recommended for inclusion in the 2023–2024 public health surveillance program.

Conclusion: The use of comparative hazard indices and consideration of their contributions to the corresponding total indices of comparative carcinogenic and/or non-carcinogenic hazard allowed us to substantiate the lists of pollutants to be included in the public health surveillance programs in 10 new cities enrolled in the Clean Air Federal Project for 2023–2024 and to expand them by including admixtures posing human health risks.

Introduction. Current research suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a chronic and progressive condition. A significant proportion of patients with TBI have long-term physical, cognitive, and emotional limitations that affect their functioning, resocialization, and quality of life. Medico-social rehabilitation of patients with the consequences of TBI can improve social integration and functional independence even in the remote period.

The purpose of the study. The purpose of the study is to develop a personalized rehabilitation routing scale, including the values of quality of life indicators, to improve the rehabilitation of patients with the consequences of TBI.

Materials and methods. The study included 414 respondents of working age (93.6% men), 62.0% of respondents had severe TBI. 54.0% of respondents had a history of TBI within the last 5 years. Longitudinal sociological study of the quality of life using the WHOQOL-100 questionnaire (WHO QOL-100) was realized by questionnaire survey. The Dembo-Rubinstein test was used to diagnose the adequacy of self-assessment of respondents with TBI. Statistical reliability of the difference between the mean quality of life indicators of the respondent groups was determined by the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The difference was considered statistically significant at p<0.05.

Results. Analysis of somatic condition, including assessment of the dynamics of neurological status and quality of life of the respondents, was conducted annually during 2020-2022, during which three groups of respondents with different clinical variants of the consequences of TBI were identified. A longitudinal study of the quality of life of patients with the consequences of TBI revealed the correspondence between the dynamics of clinical status and the average values of their quality of life indicators. A personalized scale of rehabilitation routing for patients with the consequences of TBI including the values of their quality of life indicators was developed.

Conclusion. The development of a personalized rehabilitation routing scale initiates the determination of interdisciplinary directions of stage-by-stage rehabilitation of patients with TBI.

Introduction: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-DA) is one of the most common environmental pollutants from the group of organochlorine herbicides. In our experiment, we focused on effects of low doses of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on metabolic parameters, which have been studied to a lesser extent.

Objective: To assess the development of metabolic disorders following chronic low-dose exposure to the amine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in an experiment.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 36 male Wistar rats for 16 weeks in the spring-summer period of 2022 (11.04–31.07) with the 12/12 hour day/night cycle. Only healthy animals with the body weight of 170 ± 3 g were included in the experiment and divided into the control and exposure groups (Groups 1 and 2, respectively) of 18 animals each. The latter were exposed to 0.5 MAC of 2,4-DA administered with drinking water (0.3–0.4 μg/kg/day). At week 14, the animals underwent a glucose tolerance test. To assess the development of metabolic disorders, the following parameters were measured in blood serum: total protein, albumin, creatinine, uric acid, activity of aspartate and alanine transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerols. Statistica 10.0 was used for the analysis. The data were normally distributed (chi-squared test) and are presented as mean (M) and standard error of the mean (m).

Results: We observed a decrease in the levels of total protein and albumin and a moderate increase in the activity of serum enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase) accompanied by the development of hypercholesterolemia, triacylglyceridemia, and dyslipoproteinemia. Results of the glucose tolerance test showed that low doses of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid induced insulin resistance in the exposed animals. The main parameters of chemiluminescence in their blood serum, such as spontaneous luminescence, fast flash amplitude, and light sum, were 2.4, 9.3, and 4.1 times higher than in the controls, respectively. We also established a decrease in the level of serum iron by 20 % and an increase in that of ferritin by 12 % compared to the control rats.

Conclusions: Long-term low-dose exposure to 2,4-DA induced an increase in the level of markers of metabolic disorders, which can be used to diagnose and assess the state of metabolic processes in the body.

Introduction: The issue of healthy eating of schoolchildren as one of the most important factors in maintaining and improving health of the younger generation, as well as preventing non-communicable diseases in the population as a whole, is recognized as a socially significant problem at the international level and in many countries of the world, including Russia.

Objective: To establish characteristics of the diet, food preferences, and awareness about the importance of healthy eating among 11–12-year-old schoolchildren in order to determine teaching content promoting healthy eating practices in this age group.

Materials and methods: The questionnaire-based survey was conducted from May to August 2023 involving 150 fifthyear schoolchildren from Cherepovets (mean age: 12.3 ± 0.37 years). The questionnaire contained closed-ended questions grouped into three blocks corresponding to the subject of study and the answers were then analyzed using quantitative, qualitative, and generalization methods.

Results: Nutritional imbalance in the 11–12-year-old schoolchildren was established. We noted low daily consumption of potable water in 32.0 % of the respondents, the absence of fermented dairy products, cheese or cottage cheese (17.8 % and 18.7 %, respectively), as well as fish (51.3 %), meat (16.7 %), eggs (23.5 %), and porridge (36.2 %) in the diet. At the same time, we observed a high frequency of daily consumption of sausages (28.7 %), mayonnaise or ketchup (19.3 %) accompanied by low daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (ca. 58.0 %). Preferring sweet carbonated drinks to juices (41.5 %) and fried foods (52.6 %) indicated unhealthy dietary habits. 42.0 % of the teenagers had certain gaps in knowledge about healthy eating.

Conclusions: The established dietary habits, food preferences, and perceptions of healthy eating among 11–12-yearold schoolchildren indicate the need for proper nutrition education at school.

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is ubiquitous in the diet. Due to the chronic nature of its dietary intake, coupled with a long half-life in humans, Cd can accumulate in various tissues contributing to the development of cancer, kidney dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, osteoporosis, and increased mortality.

Objective: To analyze published data on toxicological and hygienic aspects of human exposure to cadmium in foods and its health effects.

Material and methods: We have reviewed studies published in Russian and English and found on the eLIBRARY.ru, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus information portals using the following keywords: cadmium toxicokinetics, assessment of dietary cadmium intake, and cadmium in food. Of 732 search results, we selected 69 full-text publications presenting data on the metabolism and mechanisms of toxicity of cadmium, hygienic assessments of its content in foods, and the levels of its dietary intake in the population of various countries.

Results: The main dietary sources of cadmium include vegetables, grains, meat, meat by-products, and seafood. The mechanism of Cd toxicity is associated with oxidative stress caused by inhibition of antioxidant enzymes and interference with DNA repair systems. Relatively low chronic oral exposure to cadmium may pose risks to human health and induce a whole number of disorders.

Conclusion: Research into the mechanism of Cd toxicity facilitates the development of highly effective strategies to prevent chronic exposure. Our findings may serve as the basis for assessing risks of exposure to cadmium in food at the population level and establishing maximum residue levels for cadmium in food products.

Introduction: The epidemic process of acute viral respiratory infections, including influenza and the novel coronavirus disease, is characterized by seasonality and depends on the spectrum of circulating viruses and social factors in a particular area.

Objective: To identify characteristics of the dynamics and intensity of manifestations of the epidemic process of viral respiratory infections typical of certain groups of administrative territories of the Rostov Region.

Materials and methods: We analyzed annual and monthly (over the season and long-term) incidence rates for 17 years (2005–2022) based on federal statistical observation data (Forms 1 and 2, Information on infectious and parasitic diseases) about cases of acute viral respiratory infections and influenza among the population of the Rostov Region, infectious or parasitic disease notifications (Form 058/u), and reports of the Office of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) in the Rostov Region (State Reports on the sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of the population of the Rostov Region) on disease rates. Statistical data analysis was performed using Statistica 12 (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA). Retrospective and clinical epidemiology methods were used.

Results: We established that children under 14 years of age were most vulnerable to novel respiratory viruses: in the 2010–2011 and 2019–2020 seasons, the incidence rates of viral respiratory infections in them were 81,902.9 %000 and 51,095.2 %000, respectively. The etiological analysis showed that in September to November, 87.9 % of all cases were induced by non-influenza respiratory viruses. The development of the epidemic process was determined by socio-economic characteristics of different groups of administrative territories. Based on incidence rates, the administrative territories of the Rostov Region were divided into three groups: the city of Rostov-on-Don, the Rostov urban agglomeration, and the Rostov agricultural agglomeration, the latter consisting of 36 municipal districts. Importation of pathogens into the administrative center and urban agglomeration led to the rapid spread of diseases among the urban population, while in the agricultural agglomeration, they manifested themselves within local foci.

Conclusion: The established specifics of the spread of infections in different groups of territories can be used to predict and model the epidemiological situation, including in cases of emergence of new viruses.

Relevance: The epidemiological situation on HIV infection in the Russian Federation, in particular in the Tyumen Region, remains very tense. Due to the uncertainty of the situation, modeling and forecasting the evolution of the epidemic occupy a special place in the epidemiology of the disease.

Objective: To forecast the epidemic process for the years 2021 to 2025 based on the results of a retrospective analysis of HIV incidence in the Tyumen Region in 1993–2020 using two different tools (ARIMA and Microsoft Excel) and to compare predictions with the rates actually observed in 2021–2023.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted in March to May 2021 by applying a complex of epidemiological, statistical, and mathematical research methods. For predictive modeling, hierarchical models of the ARIMA family were used with the inclusion of two levels of hierarchy (district and city). Microsoft Excel was used to construct a polynomial trend line.

Results: Based on the output of the ARIMA model, the incidence forecast cartogram was created. According to statistics for the Tyumen Region, HIV incidence rates in the years 2021 and 2022 were 67.9 and 71.4 per 100,000 population, respectively. The predicted rate in 2021 was 52 per 100,000 population (80 % prediction interval (PI): 29 to 76 per 100,000; 95 % PI: 16 to 89 per 100,000 population). When constructing a polynomial trend line (approximation coefficient R² = 0.7497), an increase in HIV incidence was predicted in the region.

Conclusions: The comparison of two predictive methods shows that ARIMA results are more consistent with actual data, which means that the ARIMA model has an advantage in forecasting.

Introduction: Given the use of household chemicals by the population for prevention of the novel coronavirus disease, it is relevant to establish their efficacy.

Objective: To evaluate virucidal efficacy of household chemicals against certain highly contagious viruses.

Materials and methods: In 2022–2023, we tested the virucidal efficacy of 37 household chemical cleaning gels, sprays, solutions based on sodium hypochlorite, organic and inorganic acids, and cationic surfactants intended for decontamination and cleaning of surfaces against poliovirus type 1 (Sabin attenuated LSc/2ab strain), virus titer = 6.8 lg TCID50, and adenovirus type 5, virus titer = 6.5 lg TCID50, according to Clause 3.5 of Russian Guidelines R 4.2.3676–20, Methods of laboratory testing of disinfectants for efficacy and safety. Study limitations: Hand wash products with disinfection potential were not tested.

Results: Disinfecting agents containing sodium hypochlorite demonstrated efficacy against the study viruses within 5 and 15 minutes, respectively. The time to achieve virucidal efficacy of the samples containing organic and inorganic acids varied from five to 30 minutes. We observed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the influence of various proportions and percentage concentrations of organic and inorganic acids in the composition of the product samples on the time of manifestation of virucidal efficacy, which suggests potential impact of other ingredients. Surfactants containing 0.264 % to 0.8 % of alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride as an active substance showed their virucidal efficacy 30 minutes after wiping, also suggesting the effect of other chemicals added.

Conclusions: We established the virucidal efficacy of household cleaning products, thus confirming that they can be recommended for interruption of the epidemic chain of transmission of viral infections given proper concentrations of the product and exposure time used. Further research is needed to evaluate effects of non-major ingredients of the disinfectants on their virucidal efficacy.