The article discusses the problems of pollution of natural objects of the environment by medicines. The main sources of pharmaceutical waste, the causes of their occurrence, as well as the ways of penetration of drugs, the results of their metabolic transformation in the bodies of patients into environmental systems are characteristic. It has been shown that the main suppliers of pharmaceutical waste are medical organizations, chemical and pharmaceutical companies and the population. It is noted that the main channels of penetration of medicines into the environment are wastewater and landfills. Some data on the emergence of pharmaceutical substances in the natural environment are analysed. The composition of the recommendations and measures necessary to reduce the level of environmental risks associated with pollution is described. Particular attention is paid to the Environmental Monitoring Service, which provides laboratory support for environmental monitoring of environmental facilities, including hydro- and geochemical analysis of water, soil and air environment. It is proposed to improve the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring service in view of the degree of impact of controlled drugs on the natural environment by deploying a specialized ecological polygon.
The combination of photothermal and magnetic functionalities in one biocompatible nanoformulation forms an attractive basis for developing multifunctional agents for biomedical theranostics. Here, we report the fabrication of silicon–iron (Si-Fe) composite nanoparticles (NPs) for theranostic applications by using a method of femtosecond laser ablation in acetone from a mixed target combining silicon and iron. The NPs were then transferred to water for subsequent biological use. From structural analyses, it was shown that the formed Si-Fe NPs have a spherical shape and sizes ranging from 5 to 150 nm, with the presence of two characteristic maxima around 20 nm and 90 nm in the size distribution. They are mostly composed of silicon with the presence of a significant iron silicide content and iron oxide inclusions. Our studies also show that the NPs exhibit magnetic properties due to the presence of iron ions in their composition, which makes the formation of contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) possible, as it is verified by magnetic resonance relaxometry at the proton resonance frequency. In addition, the Si-Fe NPs are characterized by strong optical absorption in the window of relative transparency of bio-tissue (650–950 nm). Benefiting from such absorption, the Si-Fe NPs provide strong photoheating in their aqueous suspensions under continuous wave laser excitation at 808 nm. The NP-induced photoheating is described by a photothermal conversion efficiency of 33–42%, which is approximately 3.0–3.3 times larger than that for pure laser-synthesized Si NPs, and it is explained by the presence of iron silicide in the NP composition. Combining the strong photothermal effect and MRI functionality, the synthesized Si-Fe NPs promise a major advancement of modalities for cancer theranostics, including MRI-guided photothermal therapy and surgery.
Aim. To analyze COVID-19 comorbidities and their impact on disease course and the risk for unfavorable outcomes. Methods. This study examined a group of 110 patients aged 32 to 97 who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the Pskov Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital in the period from October 7, 2020 to March 23, 2021. The mean age of patients was 65 years, 51% (56 people) were male. The study recorded age, comorbidities on a binary scale (yes no), course of the disease, the degree of lung injury, hospital length of stay, treatment outcome. The impact of comorbidities on the disease severity and outcomes was assessed by using logistic regression analysis. Results. It was shown that a regional sample of patients showed an increased hospital mortality rate compared with the data of the ACTIV registry (33.5 versus 7.6%). Chronic respiratory diseases in patients with COVID-19 regional cohorts affected the fatal outcome 2.7 times less than those registered in the Russian register. The presence of endocrine and thrombotic circulatory system diseases was generally close to the register. Concomitant cardiovascular diseases in patients of the regional cohort affected the mortality of COVID-19 outcomes two times less (in patients of the region, the risk of mortality increased by 2.066 times) than in the registry. The reliability of the conclusions is confirmed by testing statistical hypotheses and reliability coefficients below 5%. Conclusion. The study shows the statistically significant effect of comorbidities on the COVID-19 outcomes; the specificity of the results related to the sampling characteristics and the regional component.
Apart from biomedical and organizational issues, the emergence of the new coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, set large-scale tasks for creating and improving mathematical and information technologies that operate spatial data in statistical analysis and forecasting. The regional level is seen as a suitable choice for spatial analysis of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality due to the availability of statistics, as well as data on geographical patterns, characteristics of the distribution space (population density, concentration in one city, density of the transport network, distance to the focus of the disease, etc.). The case of the Pskov region shows that the regional healthcare system experiences a significant shortage of personnel and a noticeable lack of resources. When assessing the existing and prospective healthcare infrastructure, it is advisable to take these points into account while developing an effective, evidence-based healthcare policy. The article shows that graph-based models are more likely to be efficient for adequate modeling at the interregional and regional level, while the geographical distribution of patients should be taken into account for the analysis of processes in individual settlements.
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