IntroductionOne-third of patients with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite antiepileptic medications. Some of these refractory patients may not be candidates for surgical resection primarily because the seizure onset zones (SOZs) involve both hemispheres or are located in eloquent areas. The NeuroPace Responsive Neurostimulation System (RNS) is a closed-loop device that uses programmable detection and stimulation to tailor therapy to a patient's individual neurophysiology. Here, we present our single-center experience with the use of RNS in thalamic nuclei to provide long-term seizure control in patients with refractory epilepsy.MethodsWe performed a prospective single-center study of consecutive refractory epilepsy patients who underwent RNS system implantation in the anterior (ANT) and centromedian (CM) thalamic nuclei from September 2015 to December 2020. Patients were followed postoperatively to evaluate seizure freedom and complications.ResultsTwenty-three patients underwent placement of 36 RNS thalamic leads (CM = 27 leads, ANT = 9 leads). Mean age at implant was 18.8 ± 11.2 years (range 7.8–62 years-old). Two patients (8.7%) developed infections: 1 improved with antibiotic treatments alone, and 1 required removal with eventual replacement of the system to recover the therapeutic benefit. Mean time from RNS implantation to last follow-up was 22.3 months. Based on overall reduction of seizure frequency, 2 patients (8.7%) had no- to <25% improvement, 6 patients (26.1%) had 25–49% improvement, 14 patients (60.9%) had 50–99% improvement, and 1 patient (4.3%) became seizure-free. All patients reported significant improvement in seizure duration and severity, and 17 patients (74%) reported improved post-ictal state. There was a trend for subjects with SOZs located in the temporal lobe to achieve better outcomes after thalamic RNS compared to those with extratemporal SOZs. Of note, seizure etiology was syndromic in 12 cases (52.2%), and 7 patients (30.4%) had undergone resection/disconnection surgery prior to thalamic RNS therapy.ConclusionThalamic RNS achieved ≥50% seizure control in ~65% of patients. Infections were the most common complication. This therapeutic modality may be particularly useful for patients affected by aggressive epilepsy syndromes since a young age, those whose seizure foci are located in the mesial temporal lobe, and those who have failed prior surgical interventions.

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Invasions of aggressive alien plant species that have a high rate of expansion and pose a threat to ecosystems and their biodiversity have become more active in the 21st century due to anthropogenic disturbances of vegetation cover, the lack of systematic control of their numbers, the expansion of transport corridors, etc. Research for the search of new locations of adventitious plant species is carried out in the Republic of Bashkortostan especially intensively during the last 10 years. The result of this work was the publication of the "blacklist" flora of Bashkortostan [1] including 100 invasive and potentially invasive plants and "Synopsis of adventive species of the Republic of Bashkortostan" [13], who presented data on 457 localities of alien plant species, is not peculiar to the nature of Bashkortostan. This article is an addition to the previously published data obtained during the route expedition research in 2019-2020, conducted in the Western regions of the Republic. More than 150 new localities of 22 invasive and potentially invasive plant species were identified. 11 species are included in the “Black book of flora of Central Russia” [9]. The data obtained clarify and expand the understanding of the modern secondary range of invasive plants on the territory of the Republic.

This paper presents information about the distribution of invasive plant species in the Kamchatka Peninsula and the communities formed by these species in the urban areas. Some of these species are from the "black list" of invasive plants of Russia and some plants are usual for central Russia. These species were introduced to the Kamchatka Peninsula and actively spread over the urban area in recent years. We assign communities with the dominance of the species under study to 2 classes of vegetation: Galio-Urticetea and Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The paper presents the prodromus of vegetation communities with the dominance of the invasive species and a brief description of the syntaxa. The invasive species successfully invade synanthropic habitats, including the natural communities. It is necessary to observe their ecological status and find ways to prevent their further spread in the Kamchatskii Krai. В статье представлены све де ния о распространении инвазионных видов растений на полуострове Кам чатка и их сообществах, формирующихся в населенных пунктах. Среди них есть как виды из «черного списка» инвазионных растений России, так и обыч ные для средней полосы России растения, являющиеся заносными на Кам чатке и активно заселяющие городскую территорию в последние годы. Опи санные сообщества с доминированием данных видов охарактеризованы как дериватные и отнесены к 2 классам растительности: Galio-Urticetea и Mo linio-Arrhenatheretea. Представлен продромус растительных сообществ с до ми нированием изучаемых видов и дана краткая характеристика выделенных син таксонов. Инвазионные виды не только успешно распространяются по си нантропным местообитаниям, но и имеют тенденцию к внедрению в ес тест венные сообщества, поэтому в дальнейшем необходим мониторинг их со стояния, а также поиск путей сдерживания их дальнейшего распространения по Камчатскому краю. К л ю ч е в ы е с л о в а : Invasive species in Kamchatka: distribution and communitiesThe previous examination of synanthropic flora of the Kamchatka was only fragmentary and now requires an ove rall inventory. Some alien species actively spread due to the development of housing construction, road networks and transport systems (Devyatova et al. 2015). Among them there are problematic invasive species. These species pro duce numerous progenies, spread over the region and often in vade into natural habitats. We started the examination of the urban areas of PetropavlovskKamchatskiy and other settle ments in 2012. This paper presents data concerning the communities formed by some alien species: Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden., Impatiens glandulifera Royle, Symphytum cau casicum Bieb., Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., Reynoutria sachalinen sis (Fr. Schmidt) Nakai, Tussilago farfara L., Vicia cracca L., Arctium tomentosum Mill. They include both species of Rus sia's invasive plants "Black List" (Vinogradova et al. 2015) and the plants of the temperate zone of Russia.

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