Health‐related quality of life's dependence on socio‐economic status and demographic characteristics among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia

This study investigated the effect of socio‐economic status (SES) on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) among persons with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The data were collected by way of surveying persons with BPH aged from 35 to 85 (937) and selected via random sample. The diagnosis was confirmed with the use of I‐PSS questionnaires (8–19 points), OABq‐AT (≥8 points) and daily urinations. A study on HRQoL was conducted using the SF‐36 questionnaire. SES was evaluated using the patients’ ambulance cards (F112U) and tax inspection documents with their written permission. Verification of the viability of the differences in the HRQoL level of patients with different SES was conducted in each age cohort using ANOVA. The goal of the multifactor regressive analysis using least weighted squares was identified as featuring the strongest relationships between SES and HRQoL. In comparing the average regression squares with average error squares, selection of the entry variables was conducted. Among persons with a BPH, the strongest relationship was discovered between profession, level of education, place of residence and HRQoL. A weaker relationship was identified between income and HRQoL, and there was no relationship between marital status and HRQoL. HRQoL among persons with a different level of SES figures aged 65+ proved homogeneous. We can expect HRQoL improvement among persons with BPH while increasing informedness on the possibilities for treating and improving help for workers of industrial and rural production residing in rural areas.     

Ways of increasing effectiveness of eye prostheses

The study of reasons of unsatisfactory eye prosthesis has shown that after insertion of cosmetic eye prosthesis into the conjunctival cavity in the majority of patients an inflammatory process develops which often goes on for several years. Discomfort and inflammation are mainly caused by a shift in acid-alkali balance in the conjunctival cavity, protein, fat and calcium deposits on the surface of prosthesis. The available agents of caring conjunctival cavity and prosthesis do not permit to fully clean prosthesis and to restore acid-alkali balance in cavity being equipped with prosthetic appliance. The authors offer new methods of taking care of prosthesis and conjunctival cavity making it possible to improve convenience of wearing eye prostheses, to disinfect them efficiently, clean them and prolong their service life.     

Durable Superhydrophobic Coatings on Tungsten Surface by Nanosecond Laser Ablation and Fluorooxysilane Modification

Tungsten is an attractive material for a variety of applications, from constructions in high-temperature vacuum furnaces to nontoxic shields for nuclear medicine, because of its distinctive properties, such as high thermal conductivity, high melting point, high hardness and high density. At the same time, the areas of the applicability of tungsten, to a large extent, are affected by the formation of surface oxides, which not only strongly reduce the mechanical properties, but are also prone to easily interacting with water. To alleviate this shortcoming, a series of superhydrophobic coatings for the tungsten surface was elaborated using the method of nanosecond laser treatment followed by chemical vapor deposition of hydrophobic fluorooxysilane molecules. It is shown that the durability of the fabricated coatings significantly depends on surface morphology and composition, which in turn can be effectively controlled by adjusting the parameters of the laser treatment. The coating prepared with optimized parameters had a contact angle of 172.1 ± 0.5° and roll-off angle of 1.5 ± 0.4°, and preserved their high superhydrophobic properties after being subjected to oscillated sand abrasion for 10 h, continuous contact with water droplets for more than 50 h, and to several cycles of the falling sand test.     

Signet ring cell cancer of the breast

A rare case of mammary signet-cell carcinoma which was not diagnosed at life is described. In a woman of 28, an enlargement of the right uterine appendages with pleural and lung metastasis were clinically noted and this was interpreted as ovarian carcinoma with pleural and lung metastasis. Histological examination of ovarian tumour performed during the necropsy allowed one to suggest the metastatic signet-cell carcinoma. No tumours were found macroscopically or histologically in the organs of the alimentary canal. Fibro-cystic mastopathy and no nodes were found macroscopically in the mammary glands. Lobular invasive carcinoma consisting of signet-cell elements containing mucus and carcinomatous lymphangoitis were found histologically. Metastasis to the left axillary, perigastral and pancreatic lymph nodes, lungs, carcinomatosis of pleura were revealed. It is suggested, due to its clinical course and histological structure, to distinguish this form of carcinoma as a separate variety of the lobular invasive carcinoma of the mammary gland.     

Peculiarities of diagnosis and treatment for diabetic feet]

Multifactorial pathogenesis of the "diabetic foot" syndrome suggests advisability to single out some clinical pathogenetic forms, depending on basic causes of the lesions: due to neuropathy, osteoarthropathy, neuro-ischemic factors. The authors has developed the algorithm which enables to diagnose various forms of the syndrome and differentiate the treatment. The most important treatment modalities include unloading and podiatric measures as well as surgery, systemic antibacterial and glucolytic therapy. Conservative or surgical antiischemic measures are indicated only in demonstration of the degree of the ischemic damage in the lower extremities by Doppler ultrasonography and measurement of local oxygenation of the skin. The combined differentiated treatment in 142 patients with diabetic lesions of the feet has resulted 97.2% favourable outcomes in neuropathy and 86.5% successful outcomes in neuroischemic damages. Local oxygenation of dorsal skin of the foot (< 20 mm Hg) indicates that amputation above the ankle is highly probable.     

The immunocorrective and detoxifying actions of hemosorption, plasmapheresis and enterosorption in pemphigus

Immunity system changes and intoxication characteristics were studied in two groups of patients with pemphigus treated with traditional methods (group 1, 14 patients) and routine therapy combined with hemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, and enterosorption (group 2, 12 patients). During exacerbation pemphigus patients develop manifest changes in the immunity status in the presence of endotoxicosis. Introduction of hemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, and enterosorption in the complexes of treatment of pemphigus patients activates erosion epithelialization, helps sooner reduce the doses of corticosteroids whose total dose is reduced by 39 percent, improves cell-mediated and humoral immunity parameters, and is conducive to a more favorable time course of the body intoxication parameters.