From the age of 6 months until their natural deaths, female CBA mice were given melatonin with their drinking water (20 mg/l) for 5 consecutive days every month. Intact mice served as controls. The results of this study show that the consumption of melatonin did not significantly influence food consumption, but it did increase the body weight of older mice; it did not influence physical strength or the presence of fatigue; it decreased locomotor activity and body temperature; it inhibited free radical processes in serum, brain, and liver; it slowed down the age-related switching-off of estrous function; and it increased life span. However, we also found that treatment with the used dose of melatonin increased spontaneous tumor incidence in mice. For this reason, we concluded that it would be premature to recommend melatonin as a geroprotector for long-term use.

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From the age of 3 months until their natural deaths, female outbred Swiss-derived SHR mice were subcutaneously injected on 5 consecutive days every month with 0.1 ml of normal saline (control) or with 1.0 microg/mouse (approximately 30-40 microg/kg) of tetrapeptide Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) dissolved in 0.1 ml saline. There were 54 mice in each group. The results of this study show that treatment with Epitalon did not influence food consumption, body weight or mean life span of mice. However, it slowed down the age-related switching-off of estrous function and decreased the frequency of chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells (by 17.1%, P<0.05). It also increased by 13.3% the life span of the last 10% of the survivors (P<0.01) and by 12.3% the maximum life span in comparison with the control group. We also found that treatment with Epitalon did not influence total spontaneous tumor incidence, but inhibited the development of leukemia (6.0-fold), as compared with the control group. The data obtained suggest a geroprotector activity of Epitalon and the safety of its long-term administration in mice.

Subcutaneous administration of vilon (Lys-Glu) to female CBA mice starting from the 6th month of life increased physical activity and endurance, decreased body temperature, prolonged the lifespan, and prevented the development of spontaneous neoplasms. Vilon had no effect on age-related changes of estrous function and free radical processes. Long-term administration of vilon caused no unfavourable effects on animal development. The obtained results show safety of chronic vilon administration and allow to use this preparation for geroprotection and prophylaxis of age pathology.

In the article the process of assimilation of knowledge when studying discipline "Functional anatomy of the central nervous system" at faculty of clinical psychology of GBOU VPO "St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University" of the Ministry of Health of Russia is analyzed. In the course of assimilation the preparatory stage of studying of a subject is of great importance. The teacher focuses attention of students that anatomy as the descriptive discipline is subjective in the basis. It causes need of development of the uniform principles and approaches to the description of a structure of various anatomical structures. At the first stage of assimilation of knowledge there is a perception of a certain anatomic object; allocation of its properties and qualities on the offered algorithm is carried out. At the second stage the judgment of the most essential communications and the relations of the object of studying is made. At the third stage there is a process of imprinting and storing of features of a structure of the studied object, and also its communications and functions allocated as a result of repeated visualization and repetition. At the fourth stage active reproduction by a student of acquired knowledge and understanding of its essential properties and the relations is carried out. Only at this stage the teacher can estimate quality of the acquired knowledge by students. The fifth stage assumes active use of the acquired knowledge, its creative transformation, application in studying of other subject matters.