Purpose of the study. To study the cytotoxic effect of 2-(1,1-dimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indolin-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone (JO-122 (2)) on the U87 MG cell line.

Materials and methods. The investigation of the cytotoxic effect of synthesized tropolone JO-122 (2) was performed using the standard MTT colorimetric assay on the human glioblastoma cell line U87 MG. Test substance samples were prepared by sequential twofold dilutions of the original stock solution with concentrations of 24 μM. Temozolomide was used as a reference drug, and its tested doses fell in the range of 250 to 0.4883 μM. Incubation time after the addition of the substances were 24, 48, and 72 hours. The statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using Microsoft Excel 2013 and Statistica 10 software.

Results. The cytotoxic effect of 2-(1,1-dimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indolin-2-yl)-5,6,7-trichloro-1,3-tropolone on the U87 MG cell line was investigated in the study. The assessment of cytotoxicity showed that at all investigated doses of tropolone, there was a statistically significant inhibition of cell growth in the U87 MG cell line. After 24, 48, and 72 hours, the necessary minimum concentration of JO-122 (2) for suppressing tumor cell growth was 3 μM, 0.0469 μM, and 0.1875 μM, respectively.

The comparison drug showed less pronounced suppression of tumor cell growth compared to tropolone. For an incubation time of 24 hours, no significant decrease in cell viability was observed in any of the tested concentrations. The minimum concentration of Temozolomide required to inhibit U87 MG cell culture growth was obtained after 72 hours and was 3.9063 μM.

Conclusion. The conducted research demonstrated that both substances exhibited concentration-dependent toxicity towards the human glioblastoma cell line. However, tropolone JO-122 (2) showed a more pronounced ability to suppress the growth of the U87 MG cell line.

Purpose of the study. To investigate the level of protein AIF in the mitochondria of tumor cells and visually unchanged tissues of the colon in male and female patients with colorectal cancer.

Materials and methods. The study included results, obtained from 132 patients with stage T2–3N0M0 colon cancer, comprising 52 women and 80 men. Mitochondria were isolated from human colon and tumor tissue cells using differential centrifugation in a high-speed refrigerated centrifuge. The concentration of protein AIF (pg/mg protein) in mitochondria was determined using ELISA «Human AIF Elisa Kit» (Cloud-CloneCorp., China).

Results. It was established that in males, the AIF level in the mitochondria of rectal, sigmoid colon and ascending colon tumor cells was 2.4 times, 1.9 times (p < 0.05) and 3.1 times higher, respectively, than in the mitochondria of the corresponding tissues not affected by the tumor. In the mitochondria of the intestinal tissue not affected by the tumor, significant differences in the AIF content were observed, with levels varying depending on the anatomical location. In the sigmoid colon, the level of this factor was found to be 1.9 (p < 0.05) and 2.6 times higher than in the rectum and ascending colon, respectively. Concurrently, no notable discrepancies in the AIF concentration within the mitochondria of conditionally unimpaired tissues were observed in the female subjects. The AIF content was found to be higher in the mitochondria of tumor cells in women than in conditionally intact tissues. Specifically, it was observed to be 2.1 times higher in rectal tumors, 4.4 times higher in sigmoid colon tumors and 1.7 times (p < 0.05) higher in ascending colon tumors. Significant discrepancies in the AIF content between men and women, as well as between the mitochondria of tumor sample cells, were identified. In the rectal and ascending colon tumor, the AIF level in women was found to be markedly elevated in comparison to men, exhibiting a ratio of 1.3 (p < 0.05) and 2.4, respectively.

Conclusion. In patients with colorectal cancer, the content of AIF in tumor mitochondria is observed to increase. This can be considered to represent stimulation mechanism of tumor proliferative activity due to its NADH/NADPH oxidase function, which promotes the survival of malignant cells.

Purpose of the study. To analyze cases of viral infection in cancer patients at the stages of antitumor therapy.

Patients and methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical histories of 50 patients with acute respiratory failure (I–III st.), hospitalized in the Department of anesthesiology and intensive care in 2017–2020. Of these, 34 are children and 16 are adults. Sputum, tracheobronchial aspirate, and blood were examined for the presence of viral agents.

Results. Viral infection was confirmed in 35 (70 %) patients. During CT, it developed more often than in the early postoperative period (72.2 % vs 64.3 %, p > 0.05), but this situation is true only for the general group of patients. In children, viral infection was diagnosed only on CT (71.9 % of those receiving CT, p = 0.098, F = 0.13), and in adults it was equally common (75 % each), both during CT and after surgery. In lung cancer, viral infection was confirmed in 7 (100 %), pelvic fever in 7 (63.6 %), bones, connective and soft tissues in 6 (66.7 %), hemoblastoses in 3 (75 %), central nervous system tumors in 5 (71.4 %) patients. Herpesvirus infection (HVI) was confirmed in 15 (42.9 % of the infected), respiratory viral infection (RVI) in 13 (37.1 %), and their combination in 7 (20 %) patients. In general, we note a slight predominance of HVI over RVI (22/62.9 % vs. 20/57.1 %, p > 0.05). Mixed infection with a combination of two to four pathogens and mono-infection developed equally frequently: in 18 (51.4 %) and 17 (48.6 %) patients, respectively.

Conclusions. Infectious complications are an important component of modern antitumor treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the spectrum of viral infections in cancer patients with signs of respiratory dysfunction at the stages of antitumor therapy. Proper assessment of the situation will help to avoid the development of critical consequences, reduce the time of hospitalization, and improve the course and prognosis of cancer.

Purpose of the study. To assess the variations of survival in malignant neoplasms subject to screening as part of the regular adult population check-up (index MN, iMN) during the COVID-19 pandemic according to the data of the Arkhangelsk Regional Cancer Registry (ARCR).

Materials and methods. Data on nine iMN in the Arkhangelsk region were extracted from the ARCR database. Using the actuarial method, 1-year cancer-specific (CSS) and overall (OS) survival were estimated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021. This period was compared with the 2018–2019 period before the pandemic. Differences between the periods were assessed using the log-rank method. Cox regression analysis was used to identify possible causes of differences in survival between the periods.

Results. A total of 12,354 records of nine iMNs were selected to analyze the survival during the COVID-19 pandemic. For all malignant neoplasms, there was a decrease in the one-year OSR rates, which was statistically significant for lung cancer (from 42.4 % to 32.8 %, p = 0.0001) and cervical cancer (from 90.3 % to 80.8 %, p = 0.02), and OS (by 2.6 %–11.0 %, significant for seven of the nine iMNs). Compared with the pre-COVID period, during the pandemic, the proportion of deaths of patients with iMNs from respiratory diseases increased by 1.5 times and the proportion of deaths from external causes increased from 3 % to 9 %, chi-square (4) = 41.8, p = 0.00001. In the regression models of CSS and OS, after adjusting for stage, the hazard ratio decreased from 1.15 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.07–1.24) to 1.10 (95 % CI 1.03–1.19) and from 1.22 (95 % CI 1.14–1.31) to 1.18 (95 % CI 1.10–1.26). In multivariable regression, the risk of cancer-specific and all-cause death in patients with malignant neoplasms during the pandemic remained higher by 16 % and 24 %.

Conclusion. The 15–33 % higher risk of cancer-specific and all-cause death during the COVID-19 pandemic is explained by an increase in the proportion of advanced stages due to limited access to screening. Longer-term survival analysis is required.

The article describes clinical examples of the effectiveness of preventive puncture-dilatation tracheostomy (PDT) in preventing critical respiratory complications and improving the immediate results of radical surgical treatment of patients with severe manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and resectable forms of lung cancer (LC). According to the generalized literature data, the incidence of LC and COPD is 72.8 % among the male population and 52.5 % among women. The combination of LC and COPD causes a significant decrease in respiratory reserves in cancer patients, which leads to an increase in the frequency of complications and an increased risk of death during their treatment. For resectable forms, LC surgical treatment involves removal or resection of the lung, which reduces the total area of the respiratory surface of the lung tissue and oxygen supply to the lungs. These changes are accompanied by a critical violation of the ventilation-perfusion ratio, i.e. alveolar ventilation and cardiac output with an aggravation of hypoxia. This situation is most dangerous for patients with COPD, who after radical surgery have an aggravation of obstructive manifestations in the lungs with an already initially altered gas exchange. As a result, insufficient oxygen enrichment of the organs leads to a cascade of uncontrolled reactions with an intensification of lipid peroxidation and an imbalance in the antioxidant system with fatal consequences for the patient. These clinical examples demonstrate the obvious advantage of preventive PDT, which allows timely changes in the tactics of respiratory support in the early postoperative period and treatment in general (clinical example 1). Routine PDT allows avoiding emergency measures to replace the respiratory function with reintubation, and the use of adapted intelligent artificial lung ventilation modes eliminates additional sedation, muscle relaxation and analgesia in patients LC with severe forms of COPD. Clinical case 2 shows that emergency replacement of the patient's respiratory function has significant difficulties in terms of treatment and prognosis of the course of the disease, and increases the duration of his stay in the intensive care unit.

Precancerous diseases of the vulva, such as dysplasia and leukoplakia and lichen sclerosus, are a significant problem in gynecology, since their progression can lead to the development of invasive cancer, which endangers the health and life of women. Modern treatment methods, including surgery and topical medications, do not always provide adequate effectiveness, which underscores the importance of finding alternative approaches. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which is an innovative method, shows promising results in the treatment of precancerous and early tumor diseases, including those affecting the mucous membranes of the vulva. This method, acting on pathological cells with the help of photosensitive drugs and light, minimizes damage to healthy tissues, which makes it promising in clinical practice. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic analysis of the use of PDT specifically for the treatment of precancerous diseases of the vulva, which is still poorly understood.

Purpose of the study. To study the effectiveness of various methods of treating precancerous diseases of the vulva, with a focus on photodynamic therapy (via literature review).

Materials and methods. A literature search for studies published over the past 5 years was conducted in the Pubmed, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrial.gov, The Cochrane Library, NICE, eLIBRARY and CyberLeninka databases in English and Russian. Global statistical data on tumors of the female genital organs were also studied, especially in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a result of a search query, 5,369 articles were submitted to the above databases. In total, this review examines 50 scientific articles exploring various methods of treating precancerous diseases of the vulva.

Results. The results of the study showed that various treatments for precancerous vulvar diseases, including surgical and drug approaches, have limited effectiveness and may be accompanied by side effects such as scarring or recurrence. At the same time, photodynamic therapy has demonstrated high clinical efficacy, providing significant improvement in tissue condition with minimal damage to healthy cells. The method has shown good results in reducing pathological changes such as hyperkeratosis and dysplasia, with a low recurrence rate and rapid tissue repair. In addition, PDT has demonstrated good tolerability and safety, which confirms its promise as an effective and minimally invasive method of treating precancerous diseases of the vulva.

Conclusion. PDT can provide high efficiency in disease regression and human papillomavirus (HPV) clearance, as well as help reduce the recurrence of precancerous vulvar diseases.