The mechanisms of formation of male infertility are increasingly becoming immune dependent. This study aims to study the role of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in seminal fluid to clarify their role in spermatogenesis. This research is carried out at rheumatology and urology departments of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (Ukraine). 45 infertile men aged 22–48 were examined. They were divided into 2 groups: first group – 22 men with a systemic autoimmune disease – rheumatoid arthritis; second group – 23 somatically healthy patients with idiopathic infertility. The control group included 27 fertile healthy men aged 22–48 years. Student's t-test was used to compare the significant difference in mean values between groups. Patients with autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis) had the highest rate of leukocytospermia, indicating a possible long-term inflammatory process. The TGF-β1 level was higher in men with idiopathic infertility, and in patients with autoimmune pathology was reduced compared to the control group, however these changes were not significant. At the same time in patient of both group the level a pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 increased approximately by 2.5 times.
In patients with idiopathic infertility and patients with autoimmune pathology, a simultaneous increase in the IFN-γ level and a decrease in the IL-1β level were found. The ІL-6 level in seminal plasma of infertile men of both groups was increased. The ratio IL-10/TNF-α was decreased in seminal plasma of infertile men with rheumatoid arthritis. It was found that in autoimmune pathology, the increased level of IL-1β in blood serum compared to controls was associated with its reduced level in seminal fluid (r=-0.51, p<0.05). In idiopathic infertility, a low level of IL-1β in seminal fluid was also associated with a low concentration of this cytokine in blood serum (r=0.62, p<0.05). The functioning of the immune and reproductive systems of the male body is closely related and interdependent. Disorders of immune reactivity, which accompany the development of autoimmune pathology associated with disorders of reproductive function in men. The largest number of deviations of immune reactivity was found in infertile men with concomitant autoimmune diseases.

One of the urgent problems of modern medicine is to understand and explain the structural rearrangement of organs and tissues in the course of diabetes. The article presents the results of a comprehensive morphological study of the structural organization of micro- and macrovasculators, as well as some organs under conditions of diabetes mellitus in the experiment.  The study material constituted 52 adult outbred white male rats, with the average weight of 150-180 g, 4,5-6,5 months old. The following research methods were applied: histological, electron microscopic, biochemical, experimental modeling of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus, morphometric and statistical. It was found that diabetic microangiopathy develops after 2 weeks of experimental diabetes, while after 4 weeks of the experiment there were some structural changes in the aorta observed. Furthermore, after 6 and 8 weeks, some profound destructive changes in the mandible and testis were revealed.  The obtained results may be used as fundamental data for the development of new methods for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of pathology of the cardiovascular system, oral cavity and male reproductive system caused by diabetes.

На сьогодні понад 300 млн осіб у світі страждають на одне або кілька рідкісних (орфанних) захворювань. Бульозний епідермоліз (БЕ) – гетерогенна група спадкових захворювань, що характеризується генетичною схильністю до надчутливої реакції організму на незначне пошкодження шкіри утворенням пухирів і ерозій на шкірних і слизових покривах із наступним утворенням рубців. Є одним із найтяжчих спадкових дерматозів. При БЕ патологічні стани виникають і в ротовій порожнині. Отже, пацієнти з БЕ потребують особливого «атравматичного» підходу до виконання медичних маніпуляцій, а також проведення гігієнічного догляду, санації порожнини рота тощо.

Primary splenic cysts (SC) are rare in children and are registered with a frequency of 0.07% to 1.0% of all surgical diseases of the abdominal cavity [2, 7, 13]. Beginning in 1929, when the disease was first reported, the classification of SC changed. SC were classified based on the presence or absence of epithelial membrane, pathogenesis, etc. SC are divided into true cysts, which have an epithelial membrane (SC type 1), and false cysts (SC type 2), in which the epithelial lining is absent. A separate group consisted of pseudocysts. They are usually of post-traumatic origin and are formed in the parenchyma of the spleen or subcapsularly as a result of hematoma transformation, less often – due to an abscess or infarction of the spleen [9, 11]. Depending on the presence or absence of the pathogen, SC are divided into parasitic and non-parasitic [1, 4, 5]. Parasitic SC are usually observed in endemic areas and are caused mainly by Echinococcus granulosus[1, 6, 10]. Modern classification is based on the pathogenesis of cysts and divides non-parasitic SC into congenital, neoplastic, posttraumatic and degenerative [3]. Primary SC account for 10% of all non-parasitic SC and are observed in different pediatric age groups. Most SC are asymptomatic, so they are mostly detected by accident during examinations (ultrasound, CT or MRI). In addition, they can be detected due to complications: suppuration or splenic rupture with bleeding, which requires urgent surgery [10, 12].

Актуальність. Первинна дисменорея (ПД) — один з найпоширеніших видів гінекологічної патології, що спостерігається у 31–52 % молодих жінок, серед яких у 10 % інтенсивність процесу призводить до інвалідності. Патогенез ПД враховує вплив представника ейкозаноїдів тромбоксану А2 з вираженою судинозвужувальною дією. У статті надані результати клініко-гормонального обстеження жінок з ПД та розроблена на цій основі методика лікування. Мета: розробити й оцінити ефективність лікування ПД з урахуванням багатокомпонентного патогенезу захворювання. Матеріали та методи. Під спостереженням перебувало 60 жінок, випадковим чином розподілених на дві групи: 30 жінок із ПД (основна група) та 30 здорових жінок (контрольна група). Діагноз ПД встановлювався на підставі скарг пацієнток на болючі менструації та супутні симптоми, за винятком органічної гінекологічної патології та захворювань внутрішніх органів, на консультаціях у гінеколога й ендокринолога. Лікування хворих на ПД проводили комбінованим препаратом, до складу якого входять стандартизований екстракт Vitex agnus castus L., індол-3-карбінол, 3,3-диіндоліл-метан, екстракт пасифлори, екстракт каліфорнійської ешольції. Результати. В результаті лікування у хворих на ПД значно зменшилася інтенсивність болю, а у 60 % біль зник повністю, у всіх зник страх очікування наступної менструації, значно зменшилися прояви вегетативно-судинної системи (з 17 до 3 % пацієнток), вегетативні (від 10 до 0 % хворих), метаболічні й ендокринні (від 13 до 0 % хворих) розлади та розлади емоційно-психічної сфери (від 23 до 7 % хворих). Через 1 місяць після лікування поліпшення якості життя відзначали 70 % (21/30) пацієнток з ПД, а підвищення працездатності — 60 % (18/30), через 2 місяці — 93 % (28/30) і 83 % (25/30) відповідно. В жодної пацієнтки під час лікування не було виявлено побічних ефектів. Висновки. З огля­ду на безпеку та високу терапевтичну ефективність препарат на основі екстракту Vitex agnus castus можна рекомендувати для лікування молодих хворих із ПД тривалістю не менше трьох місяців.

Abstract.  Background. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is one of the most common types of gynecological pathology and is observed in 31–52 % of young women, in 10 % of them the pain is so intense that leads to disability. In the pathogenesis of PD consider a representative of eicosanoids — thromboxane A2 with a pronounced vasoconstrictor effect. The article presents the results of clinical and hormonal examination of women with PD and developed on this basis a method of treatment. The purpose was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of PD, taking into account the multicomponent pathogenesis of the disease. Materials and methods. There were 60 women observation, randomly divided into two groups: 30 women with PD (main group) and 30 healthy women (control group). PD was diagnosed on the basis of patients’ complaints of painful menstruation and related symptoms, excluding organic gynecological pathology and diseases of the internal organs in consultation with a physician and endocrinologist. Treatment of patients with PD was performed with a combined drug, which includes a standardized extract of Vitex agnus castus L., indole-3-carbinol, 3,3-diindolyl-methane, passionflower extract, California escholzia extract. Results. As a result of treatment in patients with PD significantly reduced the intensity of pain, and 60 % completely disappeared pain, all disappeared fear of waiting for the next menstruation, significantly reduced the manifestations of autonomic vascular (from 17 % of patients to 3 %), autonomic (from 10 % of patients to 0 %), metabolic and endocrine (from 13 % of patients to 0 %) disorders and disorders of the emotional and mental sphere (from 23 % of patients to 7 %), no patient had a combination of symptoms.
Conclusions. Given the safety, high therapeutic efficacy, the drug based on Vitex agnus castus extract can be recommended for the treatment of young patients with PD lasting at least 3 months.
Keywords:  menstrual pain; hormonal balance; primary dysmenorrhea