Infectious diseases are a global health problem affecting billions of people. Developing rapid and sensitive diagnostic tools is key for successful patient management and curbing disease spread. Currently available diagnostics are very specific and sensitive but time-consuming and require expensive laboratory settings and well-trained personnel; thus, they are not available in resource-limited areas, for the purposes of large-scale screenings and in case of outbreaks and epidemics. Developing new, rapid, and affordable point-of-care diagnostic assays is urgently needed. This review focuses on CRISPR-based technologies and their perspectives to become platforms for point-of-care nucleic acid detection methods and as deployable diagnostic platforms that could help to identify and curb outbreaks and emerging epidemics. We describe the mechanisms and function of different classes and types of CRISPR-Cas systems, including pros and cons for developing molecular diagnostic tests and applications of each type to detect a wide range of infectious agents. Many Cas proteins (Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, Cas14) have been leveraged to create highly accurate and sensitive diagnostic tools combined with technologies of signal amplification and fluorescent, potentiometric, colorimetric, or lateral flow assay detection. In particular, the most advanced platforms -- SHERLOCK/v2, DETECTR, or CRISPR-Chip -- enable detection of attomolar amounts of pathogenic nucleic acids with specificity comparable to that of PCR but with minimal technical settings. Further developing CRISPR-based diagnostic tools promises to dramatically transform molecular diagnostics, making them easily affordable and accessible virtually anywhere in the world. The burden of socially significant diseases, frequent outbreaks, recent epidemics (MERS, SARS and the ongoing coronoviral nCov-2019 infection) urgently need the developing of express-diagnostic tools. Recently devised CRISPR-technologies represent the unprecedented opportunity to reshape epidemiological surveillance and molecular diagnostics.

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The review presents data on the frequency of detection of drug resistant (DR) tuberculosis mycobacteria (MTB) as well as on the change in DR patterns in Russia and abroad from the mid-50s of the 20th century till the present. Along with the well-known mechanisms for DR MTB development, it tells about new research describing mutations associated with drug resistance.

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The article presents the review of 59 publications describing the aspects of etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.The authors state that they have no conflict of interests.

1 НИИ фтизиопульмонологии ФГАОУ ВО «Первый МГМУ им. И. М. Сеченова», Москва, Россия 2 ГБУЗ «Московский городской научно-практический центр борьбы с туберкулезом ДЗ г. Москвы», Москва, Россия 3 ФГБУ «Центральный НИИ организации и информатизации здравоохранения» МЗ РФ, Москва, Россия В статье представлены сведения об одном из основных эпидемиологических показателей, определяющих понятие «бремя туберкулеза» в системе мировой статистики ВОЗ -смертность от туберкулеза.Рассматриваются вопросы формирования оценки ВОЗ данного показателя, приводятся основные сведения по оценке и регистрации случаев смерти от туберкулеза в странах мира, регионах ВОЗ и в мире в целом.Данные, приводимые в статье, включают сравнение значений оценки показателя и значений регистрируемой смертности от туберкулеза, полученных в РФ, странах мира и странах Европейского региона ВОЗ. The article presents data on one of the main epidemiological rates defining the burden of tuberculosis in the system of WHO global statisticstuberculosis mortality.The article describes in detail the WHO assessment of this rate and provides main data on the evaluation and notification of lethal cases due to tuberculosis in certain countries, WHO regions and worldwide.Data presented in the article include the comparison of definitions of mortality and values of registered mortality due to tuberculosis, obtained in Russia, worldwide and countries of WHO European Region.The article discusses if it is possible to achieve indicators set up in the WHO Stop TB Strategy (1990Strategy ( -2015 and WHO End TB Strategy (2016-2035.

Three-dimensional printing, or additive manufacturing, is one of the modern techniques emerging in the construction industry. Three-Dimensional Printed Concrete (3DPC) technology is currently evolving with high demand amongst researchers, and the integration of modular building systems with this technology would provide a sustainable solution to modern construction challenges. This work investigates and develops energy-efficient 3D-printable walls that can be implemented worldwide through energy efficiency and sustainability criteria. Numerical research and experimental investigations, bench tests with software packages, and high-precision modern equipment have been used to investigate the thermal performance of 3DPC envelopes with different types of configurations, arrangements of materials, and types of insulation. The research findings showed that an innovative energy-efficient ventilated 3DPC envelope with a low thermal conductivity coefficient was developed following the climatic zone. The annual costs of heat energy consumed for heating and carbon footprint were determined in the software package Revit Insight to assess the energy efficiency of the 3D-printed building. The thermal properties of the main wall body of the tested 3D-printed walls were calculated with on-site monitoring data. The infrared thermography technique detected heterogeneous and non-uniform temperature distributions on the exterior wall surface of the 3DPC tested envelopes.

The objective of the study: to analyze the impact of response activities to the COVID-19 pandemic on the system of tuberculosis care provided to the population of the Russian Federation based on the data of the Federal Register of TB Cases (FRTBC). Subjects and methods. Using regression analysis of data obtained from the forms of federal and sectoral statistical observation, regression equations were drawn up, and estimated indicators were determined for each month of 2020. The estimated indicators were compared with the data obtained from monthly reports downloaded from FRTBC from January to June 2020. Results. The shortfall in the registration of all cases of tuberculosis treatment relative to estimated indicators in May-June 2020 amounted to 24.4-24.7%, including 24.8% for new cases and relapses. That is very close to the value estimated by the World Health Organisation (25%). The number of tuberculosis cases detected post mortem increased by 37.1%. The number of detected pediatric tuberculosis cases at the age of 0-14 and 15-17 years old decreased by 31.4 and 28.2%, respectively. In June 2020, there was an increase in almost all recorded indicators that was due to the intensified tuberculosis detection activities. Conclusions. FRTBC allows performing prompt monitoring of the impact of response activities to the COVID-19 pandemic on the system of tuberculosis care provided to the population. After a period of a significant decrease in the number of registered tuberculosis patients in April and May 2020, in June, as anti-epidemic activities related to COVID-19 were slowed down, the number of registered patients tended to reach the previous level and approach their estimated values.