Vol 94, No 1 (2024)

The growth and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the main threats to the healthcare system. Currently, along with the development of new antimicrobial drugs (AMPs) the basic approach to countering the spread of AMR is the rational use of existing medicines. Selection of the optimal drug taking into account its activity, doses, frequency and route of administration are the basis of rational antimicrobial therapy. However, due to widespread availability of AMR, availability of up-to-date information on activity of AMP is extremely important. Therefore, monitoring of antibiotic resistance is a key activity to ensure providing the evidence base on which antimicrobial formularies should be drawn up drugs and treatment protocols. In the solution of these problems in the Russian Federation active role plaies the Methodological Verification Center on Antimicrobial Resistance – Reference center for clinical pharmacology, created on the basis of the Research Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy of the Smolensk State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation.

The work is devoted to the study of the phenotypic and genotypic resistance to antibiotics of bacteria that cause diseases of open cavities of farm animals – mastitis and colibacteriosis. A high prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes of bacteria has been established, both in the gut of piglets and in the causative agents of cow mastitis. It is noteworthy that 38% of the identified genes in the gut microbiota were beta-lactam antibiotic resistance genes. It has been shown that all bacteria E. coli of piglets’ gut turned out to be phenotypically multiresistant. More than 88% of the causative agents of mastitis in cows were characterized by resistance to benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, lincomycin and polymyxin. At the same time, 19 varieties of antibiotic resistance genes have been identified in the causative agents of mastitis.

The study of phenotypic resistance to antibiotics and the genome of pathogens of farm animals did not reveal stable correlations between them. It is necessary to conduct further active research in the field of circulation of resistance genes in livestock farms for the safety of livestock.

In Russia, in fact, two contours for assessing the scientific performance of organizations have developed: the expert one, which underlies the categorization of scientific organizations, and the quantitative one, which, according to the methodology of the comprehensive calculation of publication productivity, makes it possible to determine and monitor the implementation of the state assignment for fundamental scientific research. The article describes the history of the formation of these circuits, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the prerequisites for further development. The British REF (Research Excellence Framework) examination system and the Norwegian quantitative assessment model are considered as model examples for improving both circuits. REF features include a differentiated assessment of the results, impact and environment of scientific units, which is organized by expert panels and groups. The features of the Norwegian model are an expert approach to the formation of a national white list of scientific journals, conferences and publishers, a methodology for calculating the publication indicator and an open database of publications of Norwegian scientists, from which this indicator is determined. The authors believe that these two examples can be considered as parametric assessment models, the adaptation of which taking into account national characteristics will make it possible to update and improve both contours of the assessment of scientific organizations in Russia. The importance of regular retrospective reflection on the experience, procedures and results of assessing organizations is emphasized, which is necessary for the systematic development of this system at the next stages.

Desertification of lands as one of the most acute environmental problems deserves special attention. Agroforestry development of territories is considered a recognized means of combating desertification. The article considers large-scale agroforestry projects initiated in the USA, the USSR, China, and African countries, development schemes, individual and common features of these projects, and stages of implementation. The authors emphasize that the experience of Russia in the field of agroforestry was actively used in foreign countries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, since the scientific achievements of Russian and Soviet scientists in the development of protective afforestation are recognized in the world.

The article presents the development trends of nuclear medicine in oncology. It has been shown that the main trends in modern radiopharmaceutics are closely related to theranostics, i.e., the use of radiopharmaceuticals obtained on the basis of a single delivery vector labeled with diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides. In nuclear medicine, this approach has found application for the individualization and planning of radionuclide therapy. The results of our own research aimed at the development of radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and radionuclide therapy of cancer are presented.

Modern radiotherapy, employing traditional linear accelerators, has nearly reached its apex in terms of efficacy in treating oncological diseases. The challenge before researchers in the field of implementing cutting-edge technologies pertains to the utilization of fundamentally different therapeutic approaches, one of which is remote neutron therapy. Its salient advantages include an increased relative biological effectiveness of radiation, while the complexities of implementing specific technological solutions encompass forming a beam of the required geometry and spectral characteristics.

The article delineates the key milestones in the development of the usage of fast neutron beams for remote radiotherapy, a general description of the neutron therapy complex and its primary structural components is also presented. These are currently being developed as an innovative, mass-producible medical project.