Sturgeon populations in the Caspian Sea are now in serious danger of extinction. This is primarily a result of reduced natural recruitment following a deterioration in the quality of habitats in both the river and the sea, combined with irrational fishing activities. Within this context, the desire of the newly-arisen Republics bordering the Caspian to re-open the sturgeon fishery in the sea has absolutely no scientific foundation and will prove to be an ecological disaster. There is an urgent need to conclude the International Agreement between Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran on the conservation, reproduction and rational exploitation of the Caspian sturgeon. The bases for this agreement must be (1) recognition of the fact that sturgeon populations are sustained by an ecosystem that comprises the entire Caspian Sea and the rivers that flow into it (primarily the Volga); (2) an absolute ban on uncontrolled fishing for sturgeon in the sea, and (3) that national fishing quotas must reflect the real contribution of a particular state to overall sturgeon stocks, Without adequate measures to save them, it is to be expected that the unique runs of Caspian sturgeons will be exterminated within 5-7 years.

Cerebral ischemia in rats was accompanied by an increase in erythrocyte degradation, which results from changes in lipid composition of their membranes. The content of lipids and phospholipid fraction (phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine) decreased, while the relative content of lysophospholipids increased in erythrocyte membranes. The course of treatment with Rhaponticum carthamoides extract (150 mg/kg perorally, 5 days) contributed to an increase in the contents of total lipids and phospholipids (primarily of sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine) and decrease in the ratio of lysophospholipids in the erythrocyte membrane of rats with cerebral ischemia. Morphological characteristics of erythrocytes returned to normal, which manifested in an increase in the number of discocytes and decrease in the count of degenerated cells.

We studied the antithrombotic and thrombolytic effects of Trombovazim, a highly-purified proteolytic enzyme preparation obtained by immobilization of bacterial proteinases (Bacillus) on polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight of 1.5 kDa. Blood absorption of the preparation was evaluated after intragastric administration. In vitro experiments showed that Trombovazim produces anticoagulant and thrombolytic effects, which manifested in inhibition of fibrin clot formation and acceleration of its lysis. Drug concentration in the blood was elevated from the 4th to the 7th hour after intragastric administration of Trombovazim in a dose of 2250 U/kg, being maximum by the 5th hour (0.044+/-0.011 U/ml). Course treatment with Trombovazim (1000 U intragastrically, twice daily for 3 days) had a thrombolytic effect on rats with experimental intravascular thrombosis. This effect was manifested in a decrease in thrombus weight and increase in the percent of rats with recanalization of the occluded carotid artery.

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Background. Every year the number of operations of transcatheter aortic valve implantation increases, and the number of centers performing this intervention increases too. In this article we present the results of the operation of transcatheter aortic valve implantation at the Clinic of Advanced Medical Technologies named after Nikolay I. Pirogov St. Petersburg State University.Material and Methods. From December 2015 to December 2018, the specialists of the Clinic implanted 46 self-expanding transcatheter aortic valves of 2 generations – CoreValve and CoreValve Evolute R. All patients were patients of high and extremely high surgical risk for severe aortic stenosis. The decision on the implementation of TAVI was taken collectively as part of the “Heart Team”.Results. Most operations were performed under general anesthesia with transfemoral access (89%). In 2 cases (4.3%) the conversion of transcatheter surgery into an open cardiac surgery was required due to the development of intraoperative complications. Hospital mortality was 6.5%, non-fatal complications were 21.7%. Now we have mid-term results of CoreValve valves implantation. The functional class of heart failure is estimated to be no higher than II (by NYHA), the observation period is from 6 months to 2.5 years, and the hemodynamic parameters of the valve are satisfactory. Medterm results from the use of CoreValve Evolute R are expected.Conclusion. The TAVI procedure in patients of high and extremely high surgical risk is an alternative to open operation, showing not-worse (non-inferiority) early and medium-term results. Treatment of patients with intraoperative aortic insufficiency of the 2nd degree requires further improvement. Further research is planned with a view to obtaining long-term TAVI results.