Understanding the neuronal basis of disorders of consciousness can help improve the accuracy of their diagnosis, indicate potential targets for therapeutic interventions, and provide insights into the organization of normal conscious information processing. Measurements of brain activity have been used to find associations of the levels of consciousness with brain complexity, topological features of functional connectomes, and disruption of resting-state networks. However, obtainment of a detailed picture of activity patterns underlying the vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and the minimally conscious state remains a work in progress. We here aimed at finding the aspects of fMRI-based functional connectivity that differentiate these states from each other and from the normal condition. A group of 22 patients was studied (9 minimally conscious state and 13 vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome). Patients were shown to have reduced connectivity in most resting-state networks and disrupted patterns of relative connection strengths as compared to healthy subjects. Differences between the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and the minimally conscious state were found in the patterns formed by a relatively small number of strongest positive correlations selected by thresholding. These differences were captured by measures of functional connectivity disruption that integrate area-specific abnormalities over the whole brain. The results suggest that the strong positive correlations between the functional activities of specific brain areas observed in healthy individuals may be critical for consciousness and be an important target of disruption in disorders of consciousness.

The authors officially present for the first time the Russian version of Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). Today CRS-R is the only validated scale in Russian for assessment of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC). The study showed high consistency for different researchers, high sensitivity in the evaluation of patients over time as well as high concurrent validity. This article contains the text of the scale and recommendations how to use CRS-R and interpret the data. Presented version of the CRS-R is recommended for use in DOC patients. Russian version of the CRS-R is a standardized, comprehensive and systematic approach to the examination and assessment of patients with chronic DOS. It ensures the standard approach to examination and assessment that warrants the accuracy and homogeneity of the obtained results.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to validate a Russian adaptation of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R).

The article presents concentrations of 29 trace elements in different groups of basidiomycetes: saprotrophic, parasitic and symbiotic. The potential of using the concentration factor (K c) is shown for the assessment of trace element accumulation by the fungi. The variations of trace element concentrations in different ecological and geochemical environment are presented. The data obtained in this research made it possible to mark out the group of trace elements that are mainly accumulated by fungi. This information helped to assess the correlation between the trace element concentrations in the mycothalluses of fungi and their mobile forms in the soil. The expected patterns of the trace element accumulation in fungi are described.

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