Vol 100, No 12 (2021)

Environmental health risk assessment has a long history in both the United States and Russia. Risk assessment methods have arisen and developed to protect against the dangers of the forced use of tens of thousands of chemicals in the modern world. Because chemicals play such an important role, it is impossible to ban their use altogether, and the task of their safe use becomes more and more critical. With the solution of this problem, the creation of modern environmental legislation began, based on an assessment of the hazard or potential hazard associated with the impact of these substances on humans. Risk assessment has become the scientific basis for calculating exposure limits for many chemicals that pollute the environment. Since compliance with environmental legislation is costly to industry, methods have been developed. They are being improved on to quantify the burden of proof and the appropriateness of environmental quality regulation. Environmental Health Risk Assessment was first developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Russia has accumulated a great deal of practical experience in assessing environmental risks and developing appropriate methodological recommendations. Thus, the basis was created for long-term cooperation between the two countries. This article summarizes the history of such collaboration, including a joint project to disseminate practical risk assessment in Ukraine.

Contribution:

Brody M. — concept, design and writing;

Avaliani S.L. — writing and editing the text.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The project in Ukraine was funded by the US EPA under an agreement with the US Department of State to implement the Freedom Support Act (1992), which provided financial assistance to foreign countries. The project in Russia was also funded by the US Department of State under a financial assistance program provided to the International Science and Technology Center by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Several participating institutions in Russia and Ukraine paid for the work of their specialists involved in these projects. The study had no sponsorship.

We thank Dr Alexander Golub of the American University, who was then working for the Environmental Defense Fund; Dr Andrey Serdyuk, Director of the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology named after A.M. Marzeeva of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in Kyiv; Dr Elena (Olena) Turos, Director of the Center for Health Risk Assessment under the auspices of the Marzeev Institute; Oleg Kartavtseva and Arina Petrosyan from the Center for Health Risk Assessment in Kyiv; Dr Georgy Safonov from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow; and Angelica Shamerina and Vadim Diukanov, then at Counterpart International, Washington DC). We would also like to thank Doctors M. Kombarova, A. Radilov and V. Rembovsky from the Research Institute of Hygiene, Occupational Pathology and Human Ecology in the Leningrad Region for their technical assistance in carrying out scientific work. We are also grateful to Dr Jane Caldwell, then at the USEPA Office of Research and Development, who provided specialist training for the projects we mentioned. 

Received: October 19, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The impact of weather factors on the occurrence of exacerbations of diseases in meteodependent people is currently one of the actively studied problems of medicine.

The aim of the study was to identify the relationship between exacerbations of diseases of the cardiovascular system with the meteorological situation to substantiate the need for preventive and informational work with meteodependent patients.

Material and research methods. The study used daily data on the number of patients with cardiovascular diseases seeking medical care at Voronezh City Polyclinic No. 18 and daily information on weather conditions for 2018. The ratio of the average number of cases of medical assistance requests on days unfavourable for meteorological factors to the average number of cases of medical assistance requests per day during the year was calculated. Using software (Statistica Base V6.1), a correlation analysis of the relationship between the number of medical requests and meteorological factors was carried out.

Results. It has been established that the appealability of patients with cardiovascular diseases for medical care on days unfavourable for meteorological factors is 1.1–2.0 times higher than the average annual indicator. The most informative characteristic of the six meteorological indicators taken into account in the study (average daily, minimum, maximum ambient air temperature; temperature drops by more than eight °C per day; atmospheric pressure; atmospheric pressure drops by 12 mm Hg per day or more) is a sharp drop in atmospheric pressure during the day, with which statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlates the number of cases of patients with cardiovascular diseases seeking medical help.

Conclusion. In medical institutions providing primary health care, it is advisable to single out separate groups of patients with meteorological dependence for dynamic observation and conduct information work with them to mitigate the severity of the course of diseases of the cardiovascular system on days unfavourable according to meteorological indicators.

Contribution:

Kolyagina N.M. — the concept and design of the study, collected primary information, summary of results, conclusions;

Berezhnova T.A. — general management of the study, consulting in the process of implementation;

Mamchik N.P. — writing a text;

Klepikov O.V., Yeprintsev S.A. — preparation of databases of indicators, statistical processing of material.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The authors express their gratitude to Alexander Ivanovich Sushkov, Head of the Voronezh Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Central Chernozem Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring", for providing data on daily meteorological indicators for 2018 on the territory of the city of Voronezh free of charge.

Data analysis was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant (project No. 19-05-00660 A “Development of a model for optimizing social and environmental conditions for the population of large cities”). 

Received: June 17, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The propagation of multi-resistance to antibiotics among hospital isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a subject of growing concern worldwide. At present, growing data of association between resistance and hypervirulence in clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae emerges. However, the occurrence of these pathogens in the environment remains an open question. 

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare antibiotic resistance determinants occurrence in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from water sources (environmental and sewage), human sources (practically healthy people and patients with inflaammatory bowel disease (IBD), and extraintestinal infections (ExII)). 

Materials and methods. The PCR assay of carbapenemase genes IMP, NDM, VIM, KPC, OXA-48 was performed with the commercial “Amplisense” kits according to the manufacturer's instructions. The assay was used to evaluate the occurrence of antibiotic-resistance genes in 223 isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniaе from various sources: 42 isolates from sewage, 19 isolates from surface water sources, 30 isolates from biological material (blood, urine, surgical wounds, bronchoalveolar lavage) of patients with extraintestinal infections (ExII), 69 isolates from patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), and 63 isolates from faeces of practically healthy people. 

Results. The ExII group revealed various antibiotic resistance genes. The most prevalent gene was OXA (30% had this gene only, other 26,6% had also KPC or NDM). NDM as the only resistance gene was observed in 23,3% of ExII isolates. KPC gene was observed in 3,3% of ExII group. Two isolates from IBD group contained NDM gene along with VIM gene. Only NDM gene was found in all the other groups of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (13-28% isolates in every group, no statistical difference). NDM was shown to be associated with virulence genes iutA and rmpA that are responsible for iron consumption and hypermucoid phenotype. 

Conclusion. The most abundant resistance genes in the studied Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were NDM (13.5%) and ОХА (8%). At the same time, NDM was the only gene found in all groups (11-28%). NDM metallobeta-lactamase gene was associated with rmpA and iutA genes, giving an example of the connection between virulence and resistance properties. A significant amount of resistant isolates from healthy donors and surface waters indicates the need for additional study of the role of NDM positive isolates in pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Contribution:

Pay G.V. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, performing the experiments, statistical processing, writing, editing;

Rakitina D.V. — performing the experiments, writing;

Sukhina M.A. — collection of clinical material;

Yudin S.M. — editing, approval of the final version of the article;

Makarov V.V. — editing, approval of the final version of the article;

Maniya T.R. — collection and processing of material, editing;

Zagaynova A.V. — concept and design of the study, editing, approval of the final version of the article.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment. The research was carried out within the framework of the research work “Development of technologies for cryopreservation and archiving of biological samples of human microecological resources (code“Cryobank”)»№ АААА-А18-118020590091-2.

Received: July 22, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The introduction of amendments and additions to the anti-smoking Federal Law No. 15-FZ of 23.02.2013 in 2020 contributed to the cardinal revision of the name of this law and the introduction of a ban on consumption of any nicotine-containing products in public places. There are no separate, specially allocated isolated premises provided for the consumption of tobacco products and other types of nicotine-containing products by law, even though specially conducted studies have shown significantly different levels of additional inhalation risk arising from air pollution when consuming tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems or heating tobacco.

The aim of the study: based on experimental data, to justify the multiplicity of air exchange in unique isolated rooms designed to protect against the effects of ambient tobacco smoke, the consequences of tobacco consumption or nicotine-containing products.

Materials and methods. The study was subject to 3 types of nicotine-containing products: tobacco cigarettes (cigarettes), an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) and an electronic tobacco heating system (ETHS). In the course of the study were carried out: a series of experiments on the consumption of nicotine-containing products in various ways in a specially equipped indoor room, air sampling and laboratory studies were performed, the gross and specific emissions of chemicals entering the air environment from one unit of production per hour were calculated, the selection of priority chemicals for calculating the air removed from the room when using nicotine-containing products of each type was carried out, the necessary level of air exchange of premises was calculated, intended for the consumption of tobacco or nicotine.

Results. The indoor air quality assessment showed that the main components of the gross intake into the air environment are suspended particles and carbon monoxide when smoking cigarettes. However, taking into account the values of the maximum permissible concentrations, the most significant contribution to the integral indicator is made by acetaldehyde and suspended particles PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. Using ENDS, the most significant pollutants were acetaldehyde and carbon monoxide, using ETHS — acetaldehyde and suspended particles PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. For all the investigation types of products, the priority substance for calculating the removed air is acetaldehyde, its share in the structure of all detected pollutants was: for cigarettes — 56.27%, for ENDS — 62.7%, for ETHS — 82.51%, in connection with which its specific values can be used to calculate the consumption of the removed air when modelling a specially allocated room intended for the consumption of tobacco products and other types of nicotine-containing products.

Conclusion. The obtained findings demonstrated an obvious, more than 10-fold difference in the requirements for air exchange of premises intended for cigarette smoking and premises intended for the consumption of ENDS or ETHS, at the same intensity of consumption. Therefore, when organizing specially designated places for smoking or the consumption of nicotine-containing products, it is advisable to separate them depending on the type of products consumed: tobacco smoking separately, ENDS and ETHS consumption separately.

Contribution:

Iakubova I.Sh. — concept and research design, choice of analytical methods, primary processing and analysis of measurement results, literature review, collection and processing of experimental materials, statistical processing, writing text, editing, approval of the final version of the article;

Zaritskaya E.V. — concept and research design, choice of analytical methods, primary processing and analysis of measurement results, collection and processing of experimental materials, statistical processing, approval of the final version of the article;

Alikbaeva L.A. — literature review, writing text, editing, approval of the final version of the article;

Suvorova A.V. — literature review, editing;

Ivanova E.V. — collection and processing of experimental materials, statistical processing.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Conclusion of the ethics committee. The study with the participation of volunteers was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Protocol of November 20, 2019, No. 11).

Received: July 7, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. In the context of large-scale modernization and intensification of aluminium production, it becomes relevant to assess the actual fluoride loads and the main factors that determine the occupational exposure of workers to fluorides for health risk analysis. 

Materials and methods. Monitoring studies of the content of hydrofluoride and aerosols of fluoride salts in the air of electrolysis shops were carried out with traditional and modernized technologies for producing aluminium and fluorine in urine in 108 workers of the primary professions and 35 people in the control group. Determination of the concentration of fluorides was carried out by photometric methods, and fluorine in urine — by ionometric methods. 

Results. The total concentration of fluoride compounds in the air of the modernized shops was 1.4-2.1 times lower than the values in traditional shops. The fluoride content in the urine of workers in these workshops ranged from 0.8 to 4.7 mg/l, 1.1-6.7 times higher than the level of the control group and 1.1-2.3 times the limit value of the biological exposure index. The highest external and internal fluoride loads and associated health risks are found in workers who maintain electrolyzers and anodes. A closer, noticeable (r = 0.644) correlation was found between the content of fluoride in urine and the levels of gaseous hydrofluoride in the air, indicating its predominant effect on workers compared to other determinants (total concentration of fluorides, seniority and age). 

Conclusion. The studies’ results indicate a high additional informative value and reliability of biomonitoring of fluoride in urine, which, combined with analysis of air pollution with fluorides, provides a completely objective assessment of the risk of exposure to workers. The presence of high levels of hydrofluoride in the air of electrolysis shops creates a higher occupational health risk for workers.

Contribution:

Shayakhmetov S.F. — the concept and design of the study, writing a text;

Merinov A.V. — collection and processing of material, statistical processing; 

Lisetskaya L.G. — collection and processing of material;

Meshchakova N.M. — a collection of literature data;

Rukavishnikov V.S. — editing the article.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. Financing of the work was carried out at the expense of funds allocated for the state assignment of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research.

Received: August 2, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. Exposure to lead associated with working conditions (especially in mining and metallurgical production) is usually combined with muscular work. However, the influence of this combination on the pathological process development has not been thoroughly studied.

Materials and methods. During six weeks, white outbred male rats received intraperitoneal lead acetate at a dose of 11 mg / kg, corresponding to 1/20 LD50, three times a week and/or five times a week physical exercises (forced running for 10 minutes at a speed of 25 m/min).

Results. As can be seen from the results, lead caused statistically significant shifts in 33.5% of the organism’s status indices, pointing to the onset of a moderate subchronic intoxication. Content of coproporphyrin in urine and percentage of reticulocytes in the peripheral blood increased, the average content of haemoglobin in the erythrocyte decreased. Under physical activity the harmful effect of lead enhanced in 23.7% of indices and weakened in 28.9% of indices. We did not find changes in 47.4% of indices. 

Conclusion. Lead intoxication changes ambiguously under the influence of physical exercises. The type of combined effect of lead toxicity and physical activities depends on the outcome by which this type is assessed, on this outcome’s level and the dose ratio.

Contribution:

Minigalieva I.A. — the concept and design of the study, writing the text;

Ryabova Yu.V. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, preparation of drawings, writing the text;

Sutunkova M.P. — concept and design of the study;

Gurvich V.B. — editing;

Privalova L.I. — concept and design of the study, editing;

Panov V.G. — statistical processing, preparation of drawings;

Klinova S.V. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, statistical processing;

Solovieva S.N. — the concept and design of the study;

Sakhautdinova R.R. — collection and processing of material;

Katsnelson B.A. — research concept and design, editing. 

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

The conclusion of the committee on biomedical ethics: the Local ethics committee of the Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers approved this study carried out under the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experiments or Other Scientific Purposes (ETS N 123), Directive of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union 2010/63/EU of 22.09.2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.

Received: October 16, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. There are many methods for treating sensorineural hearing loss (SHL) of the occupational origin, which indicates insufficient effectiveness and an active search for more advanced therapy methods. 

Objective of the study: to evaluate changes in the state of the central nervous system pathways under the influence of a magnetic field and the long-term period.

Materials and Methods. There were treated fifty two aviation workers with SHL of the occupational origin with moderate hearing loss. Pulsed magnetic stimulation (MS) and pneumatic massage of the tympanic membrane were used. Before and after treatment, electroencephalography was performed with the registration of visual and auditory evoked potentials (EP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), psychological testing, and the study of higher mental functions in terms of short-term and delayed verbal memory, attention function.

Results. After treatment, there was an improvement in speech intelligibility in 62% of cases, a decrease in the intensity of the tinnitus and head noise in 44% of cases, there was an improvement in the indicators of audiometric research and acumetry data from both sides. There was a statistically significant increase in the α-rhythm, the time of the pulse passing through the central afferent structures increased, the indicators of operative verbal memory, and the productivity of long-term memorization, the volume and stability of attention increased.

Conclusion. The effectiveness of pulse MS in treating patients with occupational SHL has been proven. The prospects of using pulsed MS in combination with pneumatic massage in occupational pathology were shown, which was confirmed by positive changes in objective and subjective indicators characterizing the condition of patients immediately after the therapy sessions and a year after treatment.

Contribution:

Tikhonova I.V., Rusаnova D.V. — research concept and design, material collection and processing, text writing, editing;

Kuleshova M.V., Katamanova E.V. — collecting and processing material, writing text, editing;

Lakhman О.L., Pankov V.A. — research concept and design, editing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.  This work was carried out within the framework of state assignment.

Conclusion of the ethical committee of the East Siberian Institute of Medical and Environmental Research: the publication of the article was approved on the basis that the studies were performed in accordance with the developed protocols, the principles set forth in the Helsinki Declaration on Medical Research in Human, International Harmonized Tripartite Rules of Good Clinical Practice, National Standard of the Russian Federation “Good Clinical Practice”, Good Pharmacoepidemiological Practice (GPP), Good Epidemiological Practice (GEP) are in line with standard operating procedures: research does not infringe upon the rights or endanger the well-being of research subjects; the risk for research subjects is minimized, all possibilities are taken into account to guarantee their safety; the risk to research subjects does not exceed the expected benefit and scientific value.

Received: October 1, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. Vibration is one of the leading unfavourable physical factors of the working environment and leads to vibration disease (VD) development. The study of metabolic profiles of markers of fatty acids (FA) metabolism is one of the directions in the early diagnosis of vascular diseases and metabolic syndrome (MS), caused, among other things, by exposure to vibration. 

The aim of this work is to study the spectrum of esterified fatty acids of the omega-3 and omega-6 families in the blood of patients with vibration disease (VD) and combination with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Materials and methods. The study involved 66 people, divided into two groups: Group I — 34 patients with an established diagnosis of VD; Group II — 32 patients with an established diagnosis of VD in combination with metabolic syndrome (MS). The levels of esterified forms (EF) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the ω-3 and ω-6 families in blood plasma samples were determined using the method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph with an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector.

Results. The distribution of quantitative indices of PUFA of the ω-3 and ω-6 families in the examined groups was studied. In VD patients with MS, compared with VD patients, there was a statistically significant increase in the level of eicosapentaenoic, α-linolenic acids of the ω-3 family, the sum of ω-3 PUFAs, γ-linolenic and linoleic acids of the ω-6 family.

Conclusion. The study of the quantitative indices of EF of the families ω-3 and ω-6 in the blood plasma of VD patients with MS showed the levels of ω-6 to be 4.5-5.4 times statistically higher than the levels of ω-3 fatty acids.

Contribution:

Zhurba O.M. — the concept and design of the study, collection of literature data, writing a text, editing, research;

Merinov A.V. — collection of literature data, material processing, statistical analysis, text writing;

Alekseenko A.N. — collection and processing of the material, research;

Kudaeva I.V. — organization of research, justification of the research program, editing.

All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. Financing of the work was carried out at the expense of funds allocated for the state assignment of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research.

Received: September 7, 2021 / Accepted: November, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The primary materials for copper production are sulfide copper-nickel and oxidized ores with a copper percentage of 1.5-4%, traditionally processed by the pyrometallurgical method. For processing depleted copper-containing raw materials (less than 1%), the pyrometallurgical approach is not commonly suitable. The introduced hydrometallurgical way differs by including in one production process, combined underground leaching of ore, extraction of copper from solution, and the following electrolysis. At the same time, insufficient attention is paid to the hydrometallurgical method of processing depleted copper raw materials from a hygienic standpoint in our country.

Materials and methods. Based on the results of our research carried out at copper-smelting plants using pyro- and hydrometallurgical methods of processing raw materials, a comparative analysis was carried out for such indicators as the pollutants content in the workplaces’ air at different stages of production, predicted values of occupational cancer risks, toxicity indicators, and the health and essential physiological functions of workers.

Results. Working under increased heat intensity in hot shops, exposure to sulfur-containing gases and industrial aerosols leads to significant changes in hemodynamics and thermoregulation stress in workers. In the hydrometallurgical production of copper, the only occupational hazard exceeding hygienic standards is sulfuric acid vapours, and changes in physiological parameters and thermoregulation are insignificant. The predicted values of occupational cancer risk for hydrometallurgical machines operators exceed the acceptable level after 9-10 years of working experience. For smelters, an unacceptable level of risk is achieved with up to 5 years of working experience.

Conclusion. For the first time in the country, a hygienic assessment of the hydrometallurgical method of processing depleted copper raw materials was proved to be the only appropriate method of improving working conditions in copper production.

Contribution:

Lipatov G.Ya. — concept and study design, literature review, text writing, editing;

Shmakova Е.Е. — concept and study design, literature review, material collection and processing, text writing;

Adrianovskiy V.I. — literature review, text writing, editing;

Zlygosteva N.V. — text writing, editing;

Plotko E.G. — editing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: October 25, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The prevalence of lead in the environment, due to human production and economic activities, and the xenobiotic nature of the element substantiate the relevance of studying the changes caused by the action of this metal.

Materials and methods. A non-target metabolomic screening of the blood of rats exposed to intraperitoneal administration of lead acetate by HPLC-mass spectrometry was carried out. The expression of the selected masses was compared with those for the control group of animals. The masses that significantly changed the intensity compared to the control were subjected to fragmentation to obtain characteristic fragments. The annotation of metabolites was performed by searching in MS/MS databases and by comparison with in silico fragmentation spectra. The involvement of annotated metabolites in metabolic processes was established by literature analyzing.

Results. Non-target metabolomic screening revealed 37 m/z values for the exposed group, significantly changing the intensity compared to the control. Annotation using fragmentation spectra and in silico fragmentation allows establishing the structure of eight metabolites, including an epoxy derivative of linolic acid, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, four oxo- and hydroxyacylcarnitine derivatives of long-chain fatty acids, one acylcarnitine derivatives of medium-chain fatty acids and one lysophosphoserine.

Conclusion. Analyzing the literature, the known functions of the identified metabolites were established and attributed to the known metabolic processes. So, oxo- and hydroxyacylcarnitines are derivatives for intermediate products of β-oxidation fatty acids - it is increased concentration compared to the control indicates a violation of this process under the influence of oxidative stress caused by lead. Epoxy and 15-hydroxy derivatives of fatty acids (increased content relative to the control group) act as regulatory metabolites (vasodynamic activity), on the one hand, and markers of lead-induced hypoxia on the other hand. The increase of the concentration for the lysophosphatidylserine derivative indicates the intensification of apoptotic processes in the organism of the exposed group in contrast to the control.

Contribution:

Chemezov A.I. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, writing text;

Sutunkova M.P. — concept and design of the study, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;

Ryabova Ju.V. — collection and processing of material, statistical processing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Conclusion of the Bioethical Committee: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers (Protocol No eight dated 18.11.2018).

Received: November 8, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. One of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases is the toxic metal pollution of the industrial area and the environment. Lead is the most critical of toxic metals. In industrial conditions, the body’s exposure to harmful substances is often combined with muscular work of varying severity. It has not been studied enough how these combinations influence the development of pathological processes associated with harmful exposure.

Materials and methods. The subchronic experiment was carried out on white outbred male rats for six weeks. Intoxication was simulated by repeated intraperitoneal injections of lead acetate three times a week. Running was chosen to model the muscle exercise at a 25 m/min speed for 10 minutes 5 days a week. We performed biochemical and electrocardiographic studies. Blood pressure parameters were recorded. Muscle contractility was studied on isolated multicellular preparations of the right ventricular myocardium in isometric and physiological contraction modes. The ratio of myosin heavy chains was determined by the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The sliding velocity of reconstituted thin filaments on myosin using an in vitro motility assay. 

Results. Physical exercise under lead intoxication normalized the level of calcium and the angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the blood serum, the voltage of the isoelectric line and the amplitude of the T wave on the electrocardiogram. The combined action of lead and physical exercise showed an increase in the creatinine kinase-MB level. We found that the effect of exercise under lead intoxication on myocardial contractility was ambiguous. The maximum isotonic shortening velocity in trabeculae was normalized, but the maximum rate of strength development in the isometric mode in the papillary muscles decreased to a greater extent than under lead intoxication. The maximum sliding velocity of reconstituted thin filaments and myosin and the heavy chain ratio was partly normalized. 

Conclusion. In general, muscle exercise attenuated the lead cardiotoxic effects.

Contribution:

Klinova S.V. — collection of literature data, collection and processing of material, writing a text;

Minigalieva I.A., Protsenko Yu.L., Nikitina L.V. — the concept and design of the study, editing;

Sutunkova M.P., Privalova L.I. — the concept and design of the study;

Ryabova Iu.V. — collection of literature data, collection and processing of material;

Gerzen O.P. — collection of literature data, writing a text;

Nabiev S.R., Balakin A.A., Lookin O.N., Lisin R.V., Kuznetsov D.A., Chernyshov I.N. — collection and processing of material;

Panov V.G. — statistical and mathematical processing;

Katsnelson L.B. — the concept and design of the study, writing a text, editing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Conclusion of the Local Ethics Committee of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being: Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers,of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing: keeping, feeding, caring for animals and removing them from the experiment was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki and “International guiding principles for biomedical research involving animals” developed by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences and the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (2012). The studies were approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers,of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing (protocol No. 8 of 08.11.2018).

Received: October 19, 2021 / Accepted: November, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. Aim. Selection of priority safety indicators and optimal research scope through analysis of potential health risks associated with chemical and microbiological safety of food products (FP). 

Materials and methods. Retrospectively analyzed data on chemical and microbiological safety of FP addressed on the consumer market of the Republic of Buryatia for 2016-2020. Assessment of the potential risk of harm to human health included prediction performed on linear regression models. 

Results. The maximum probability of violations of mandatory requirements for chemical and microbiological contamination was noted for dairy products. The minimum probability of violations was identified for the biologically active additives and industrial baby FP. The calculation of potential risks to consumer health based on the results of studies of FP revealed the categories of “high risk” — fish and seafood, “significant risk” — dairy products, confectionery, vegetables, melons, soft drinks. It was found that the supply of fish and seafood, poultry and poultry products had long supply chains, when the risks associated with non-compliance with their transportation and storage conditions were most likely Correlations were revealed between the risk level according to the microbiological criterion associated with the contamination of food, fish, culinary products, poultry meat and the incidence of acute intestinal infections. The indicated factor signs determine from 28.6% to 67.0% of the variance of the incidence. 

Conclusion. Identification of potential risks of harm to the public health related to FP safety indicates the need for further monitoring of the content of chemical and microbiological contaminants.

Contribution:

Bogdanova O.G. — research concept and design, data analysis and interpretation, text writing, editing;

Efimova N.V. — research concept and design, data analysis and interpretation, addition to the first version of the article;

Molchanova O.A. — material collection and primary processing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The work was carried out within the framework of the state research assignment “Study of the mechanisms of metabolic disorders and their role in the formation of sensitivity to the effects of production factors” of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research. 

Received: June 3, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. The quality of labour potential is one of the most important factors of economic growth, which largely depends on the health status of the working-age population. Today, incidence and prevalence rates in the Russian working-age population are not monitored at the national level.

Materials and methods. We conducted a descriptive epidemiological study based on retrospective data on disease incidence in the adult population of the Russian Federation. We also assessed disease incidence and prevalence in the Russian working-age population (men aged 18–59 and women aged 18–54) in 2015–2019 using the method of continuous observation. We estimated and ranked incidence and prevalence rates per 100,000 working-age population of some constituent entities and federal districts of the Russian Federation to establish the territories with the highest and lowest rates.

Results. We applied and tested methodological approaches to assessing the morbidity of the working-age population living in different regions of the Russian Federation. Our findings demonstrate a high degree of variability in both incidence and prevalence rates in the working-age population in general and by ICD-10 disease categories.

Conclusion. Results of our assessments and ranking of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation by disease-specific incidence and prevalence rates in the working-age population provide an opportunity to areas at risk with specific health status enabling the most efficient management of risks of labour and economic losses. The proven method approaches may be used to address the challenges of public health monitoring.

Contribution:

Shastin A.S. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, writing a text, editing;

Malykh O.L., Gazimova V.G. — concept and design of the study, writing a text, editing;

Tsepilova T.M. — statistical processing, writing a text;

Ustyugova T.S. — editing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship. The authors show sincere respect and gratitude to the specialists of the Department of Monitoring, Analysis and Strategic Development of Health Care of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and Central Research Institute of Organization and Informatization of Health Care of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for publishing in open sources collections of statistical materials on the morbidity of the population of the Russia.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: October 19, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Introduction. Touch Imprint Cytology as the method of impression cytology of smears-prints is of great diagnostic value not only in clinical practice but is also of interest as an express method for assessing the immunological effects of the influence of metal-containing nanoparticles on the tissues of laboratory animals in an experiment.

Materials and methods. The study involved the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of outbred male rats (24 individuals), with an initial weight of 220–230 g, after subchronic intoxication, which was caused by repeated intraperitoneal injections of metal-containing nanoparticles of selenium (SeO) and copper (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg and their combination three times a week (a total of 18 injections). After sacrificing the rats by decapitation, the spleen and MLN were removed from the animals from each group; made smears were dried at room temperature. Stained according to Leishman. Cell composition and cytological signs were assessed in a light binocular microscope by Carl Zeiss Primo Star with a USCMOS video imaging system at a magnification of 100x and 1000x under cytological criteria. Cell counting in the analysis of spleen and MLN preparations was carried out in percentage — 100 cells from each smear (48 studies), as well as calculating the number of cellular elements per 1 mm² of the smear surface area, by calculating the absolute amount of each cellular element in the microscope field of view of 0.03 mm², followed by recalculation per 1 mm² (the number of studies is 48). Differences between the mean group quantitative results were processed using Student’s criteria using Excel software. Differences between mean values ​​were considered statistically significant if the probability of a random difference did not exceed 5% (р < 0.05).

Results. The main results obtained in the study of cytomorphological parameters of smears — spleen prints and MLN of rats after exposure to SeO and CuO NPs, both independently and their combination using two methods for calculating the cellular composition of preparations, are presented. The main changes in the cellular composition during immunological effects are highlighted. Inflammatory reactions of the hyperergic type were revealed when exposed to selenium nanoparticles, both in autonomous action and in combination with copper nanoparticles. The formation of local cellular immunity was noted due to an increase in the level of plasma cells in smears imprints when exposed to copper nanoparticles.

Conclusion. Using the impression method of smears-prints in conjunction with the histological examination of tissue preparations allows implementing complete cytomorphological parameters in studying the immunological effects of metal-containing nanoparticles.

Contribution:

Bushueva T.V. — design of the study, text writing;

Sakhautdinova R.R. — data collection, data processing, text writing;

Riabova Iu.V. — the collection and processing of the material;

Panov V.G. — statistics;

Sutunkova M.P., Minigalieva I.A. — editing.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

The conclusion of the committee on biomedical ethics: the Local Ethics Committee of the Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers, Russian Agency for Consumer Rights Protection, Yekaterinburg, 620014, Russian Federation approved this study, protocol number 2 of 20.04.21.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: October 6, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021

Биобиблиографический справочник «Видные отечественные учёные в области радиобиологии, радиационной медицины и безопасности» издан объёмом 616 страниц в Москве в 2021 г. издательством ФГБУ ГНЦ ФМБЦ им. А.И. Бурназяна ФМБА России и представляет собой уникальное оригинальное издание в области медико-биологических наук.