The presence of several different autoantibodies (auto-AT) at the same time is a specific peculiarity of the “autoantibody profile” of SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus). It is known that the induction of auto-AT formation involves both nonspecific and antigen-specific immunoregulatory disorders. In apoptosis, the primary changes in the cell membrane composition or/and the excretion of intracellular compounds into the intercellular milieu lead to an inflammatory reaction. The purpose of the study was to highlight the connection between apoptosis and secondary necrosis of granulocytes and
mononuclear (lymphocytes and monocytes) with inflammation activity in patients with SLE to improve diagnosis and basic therapy efficacy. In patients with SLE, secondary necrosis of granulocytes was 3.4 times higher compared to healthy control. Moreover, the level of apoptotic monocytes was 1.87 times higher, and secondary necrosis of monocytes was 5.58 times higher than healthy control. The secondary necrosis of lymphocytes was higher by 9.0 times than in the case of healthy control. The usage of Apolect technology in patients with SLE allows differentiating various cell types of immunological inflammation with the analysis of the degree of apoptosis and secondary necrosis of immunocompetent cells (granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes) to determine the agg

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are formed in a nonenzymatic reaction of the reducing sugars with amino groups of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids of different tissues and body fluids. A relatively small number of studies have been conducted on the role of AGEs in allergic inflammation. In this study, patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) were examined for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus and the content of fluorescent and nonfluorescent AGEs. We have also determined the level of a unique epitope (AGE10) which was recently identified in human serum using monoclonal antibodies against synthetic melibiose-derived AGE (MAGE). The levels of AGE10 determined with an immunoenzymatic method revealed no significant difference in the patients' blood with intermittent AR and chronic EBV persistence in the active and latent phases. It has been shown that there is a statistically significantly smaller amount of AGEs and pentosidine in groups of patients, both with and without viremia, than in healthy subjects. In turn, higher levels of immune complexes than of AGE10 were detected in the groups of patients, in contrast to the control group, which had lower levels of complexes than AGE10 concentration. In patients with active infection, there is even more complexes than of noncomplexed AGE10 antigen. The lower level of AGE in allergic rhinitis patient sera may also be due, besides complexes, to allergic inflammation continuously activating the cells, which effectively remove glycation products from the body.

Immunosuppressive therapy is complex and challenging to do correctly due to on-target and off-target side effects. However, it is vital to successful allotransplantation. In this article, we analyzed the critical classes of immunosuppressants used in renal transplantation, highlighting the mechanisms of action and typical clinical applications used to develop predictive models for the diagnosis of various diseases, including the prediction of survival after kidney transplantation. In patients, the authors used a dataset with two immunosuppressants (tacrolimus and cyclosporin). The primary task was investigating critical risk factors associated with early transplant rejection. For this, the censored Kaplan-Meier survival estimation method was used. Our study shows a pairwise correlation between taking and not using a particular immunosuppressant. Therefore, the correct choice of immunosuppressive drugs is necessary to improve the prognosis of transplant survival.

The presented article shows the importance of using such additional clinical markers of the development of pathological and critical conditions as non-specific adaptive reactions, which are integral indicators of the imbalance of all homeostatic systems of the body. The purpose of the study was to establish the types of non-specific adaptive reactions, to take into account changes in the ratio of cellular parameters of peripheral blood, and to use them to improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The results of examinations in three research groups (79 patients) were analyzed: Group I - 28 patients with STEMI and normal body weight, Group II - 24 patients with STEMI and excess body weight, and Group III - 27 patients with STEMI and obesity of the I-III degrees. The diagnosis (acute coronary syndrome) of ACS was made based on a complex clinical, laboratory and instrumental examination. Blood was taken for the study when patients were admitted to the department. The total number of leukocytes and the leukocyte blood formula were determined by standardized methods; the type of non-specific adaptation reaction - according to the method of L.H. Harkavi; the ratio of the absolute content of neutrophils to the absolute content of lymphocytes (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, NLR), and the ratio of the absolute content of neutrophils to the absolute content of platelets (neutrophil to platelet ratio, NPR) was determined. The course of ACS occurs against the background of several non-specific adaptation reactions, where the stress reaction was dominant (42.8% - group I, 50% - group II, and 51.9% - group III), indicating the disease's severity. The highest level of NLR (p<0.05) was found in group III, relative to the NLR indicator in group I and group II, and the highest level of NPR was found in group III precisely in case of a stress reaction, which indicates an unfavourable prognosis for patients of this group. Determining the type of nonspecific adaptation reaction can serve as an additional indicator of the severity of the patient and allows us to assess the effectiveness of therapy in patients with STEMI. The indicators of NLR and NPR were useful and powerful indicators of adverse consequences during the hospitalization of patients with ACS. The type of adaptive response and the indicators of NLR and NPR are determined based on clinical blood analysis indicators, and they are economical biomarkers for predicting the severity of inflammation.

Анотація

Мeта статті — ознайомити кардіологів та лікарів сімейної медицини із сучасними лікувальними підходами, що враховують психологічні особливості пацієнтів. Професійна діяльність лікарів терапевтичного профілю значною мірою (порівняно з хірургічними та анестезіологічними спеціальностями) потребує розвитку комунікативних навиків, оскільки пацієнти відрізняються не лише за клінічними особливостями, а й за психологічними рисами, що виявляються під час діагностики та лікування. Представлено розбір чотирьох клінічних випадків із докладним описом соціально‑демографічних і поведінкових особливостей хворих, які звернулися до кардіолога для корекції медикаментозного лікування. Окрім аналізу скарг, анамнезу й даних лабораторних та інструментальних обстежень, описано типові проблеми спілкування зі «складними» хворими та надано практичні рекомендації. Висвітлено чотири варіанти можливої поведінки пацієнтів, що визначаються їхніми психологічними особливостями та виявляються під час спілкування із лікарями терапевтичного профілю. Як «класичні» обрано психотипи «експресивний», «директивний», «аналітичний» і «дружній». Для двох перших характерною ознакою є наявність високого рівня владності під час спілкування із співрозмовниками, а для двох останніх — низького рівня владності. «Аналітичні» та «директивні» особистості характеризуються значно вищим ступенем самоконтролю порівняно з «експресивними» та «дружніми». Переважно медичні працівники контактують із хворими, які поєднують риси двох психотипів із домінуванням одного з них. Обізнаність лікарів терапевтичного профілю з психологічними особливостями пацієнтів дасть змогу зрозуміти їхні очікування і поліпшити прихильність до фармакотерапії. 

Objective — to acquaint cardiologists and family medicine doctors with modern treatment approaches that take into account the psychological characteristics of patients. The professional activity of therapeutic doctors is to a large extent (especially in comparison with surgical and anesthesiology specialties) related to the need to develop communication skills, since patients differ not only in clinical features, but also in psychological traits that are revealed in the process of diagnosis and treatment. The authors performed the analysis of four clinical cases with a detailed description of socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of patients who ask for a cardiologist’s consultation for the purpose of correcting drug treatment. In addition to the analysis of complaints, anamnesis and data from laboratory and instrumental examinations, typical problems of communication with «difficult» patients have been described and practical recommendations were provided. Four variants of the possible behavior of patients are presented, determined by their psychological characteristics and manifested during communication with doctors of a therapeutic profile. The following psychotypes were chosen as «classical»: «expressive», «directive», «analytical» and «friendly». For the first two, a characteristic feature is the presence of a high level of authority in the process of communicating with interlocutors, and for the last two — a low level. Also, «analytical» and «directive» personalities are marked by a significantly higher degree of self-control compared to «expressive» and «friendly». Doctors mostly come into contact with patients who combine the features of two psychotypes with the dominance of one of them.
Physicians’ understanding of the therapeutic profile of patients’ psychological characteristics will allow understanding their expectations and improving adherence to pharmacotherapy.