To study and compare the diversity and specific characteristics of the clinical course of seronegative and seropositive Rheum factor, anti-CCP positive, and anti-CCP negative variants of rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: Information was collected from studies measuring visual analog scale (VAS) pain, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), X-ray of joints, tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP).

Results: The study included 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis divided into two equal groups: seropositive and seronegative RA. The mean age was comparable between groups (36.87± years in Group I vs. 37.65± years in Group II), with a clear predominance of female patients in both groups (80% and 90%, respectively). Articular involvement was the most common clinical form; however, systemic (articular-visceral) manifestations were more frequent in the seronegative group (47.5% vs. 35%). Anti-CCP positivity was significantly higher in the seronegative group (67%) compared to the seropositive group (27%). Disease activity analysis revealed that moderate activity predominated in the seropositive group (55%), whereas high disease activity was more common in the seronegative group (57.5%). Regarding disease staging, the established (advanced) stage was the most frequent in both groups (55% in Group I and 60% in Group II), while very early stages were rare or absent.

This study presents the results of evaluating the efficacy and safety of the next-generation nootropic Pantogam Active (D-, L-hopantenic acid) in the comprehensive therapy of 80 patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by cognitive and anxiety disorders. It was found that administration of the drug at a dose of 600–1200 mg/day for 28 days provided a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in cognitive functions, as evidenced by increased scores on the MoCA and MMSE scales, as well as enhanced attention span and memory capacity.

The drug demonstrated pronounced anxiolytic effects, reducing anxiety levels on the HADS scale by 32%, exceeding the outcomes of standard antihypertensive therapy. Pantogam Active showed a high safety profile and good tolerability, supporting its recommendation as an effective bimodal agent for neuroprotection and correction of psycho-emotional status in patients with chronic cerebrovascular diseases.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is considered a potentially modifiable risk factor for cerebrovascular pathology. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of elevated homocysteine levels on the risk of cerebrovascular events in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 80 patients aged 45–75 years were examined. Plasma homocysteine levels were measured, and neuroimaging, lipid profile analysis, and coagulation studies were performed. Patients were divided into groups with normal homocysteine levels (<15 μmol/L) and hyperhomocysteinemia (≥15 μmol/L). Elevated homocysteine levels were significantly associated with an increased incidence of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack, as well as more pronounced cerebrovascular changes. These findings confirm that hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cerebrovascular events and warrants early diagnosis and intervention.

Accurate region extraction in medical imaging is a critical prerequisite for diagnostic decision-making, treatment planning, and disease monitoring. However, challenges such as limited annotated datasets, high intra-class variability, and imaging noise hinder the performance of conventional fully supervised segmentation models. This study proposes a hybrid learning strategy integrating contrast-informed representation learning with stochastic propagation mechanisms to improve region extraction in healthcare imaging. The framework combines semi-supervised learning paradigms, contrastive feature embedding, and probabilistic diffusion-based refinement to exploit both labeled and unlabeled data effectively.

The proposed methodology leverages contrastive learning to capture global and local feature dependencies, enabling robust representation under sparse annotations. A stochastic propagation module, inspired by diffusion probabilistic models, is incorporated to iteratively refine segmentation boundaries through uncertainty-aware pixel propagation. Additionally, pseudo-labeling and consistency regularization mechanisms are utilized to enhance generalization performance while mitigating label noise. The hybrid architecture integrates attention mechanisms and transformer-based encoders to further strengthen contextual understanding.

Experimental evaluations are conducted on benchmark datasets, including breast ultrasound and brain MRI segmentation collections. The proposed approach demonstrates superior performance in region delineation accuracy, boundary precision, and robustness to noise compared to traditional semi-supervised and fully supervised methods. The findings indicate that integrating contrastive representation learning with stochastic propagation significantly enhances segmentation reliability, particularly in low-data regimes.

This research contributes a novel hybrid framework that bridges deterministic and probabilistic learning strategies for medical image segmentation. It highlights the importance of uncertainty modeling and contrast-driven feature learning in improving healthcare imaging systems. The study also discusses the limitations related to computational complexity and scalability, providing insights for future research in adaptive hybrid learning architectures for medical imaging applications.

This study dynamically investigated the biochemical and physiological indicators of liver function and the overall metabolic state in rats under conditions of chronic ethanol intoxication. During the experiment, we assessed the activity of liver damage-indicating enzymes in the blood serum - ALT, AST, GGT, and alkaline phosphatase - as well as changes in the levels of albumin, total protein, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. The results showed that chronic ethanol intoxication disrupts the structural-functional integrity of hepatocytes, leading to cytolysis, cholestasis, disorders of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and a decrease in the synthetic function of the liver. Furthermore, a decrease in body weight and an increase in the liver index in the experimental animals confirmed the escalating hepatotoxic effect of ethanol.

School Health Programs are designed to promote holistic wellbeing among school-age populations. Physical health remains a central pillar of such programmes, particularly in contexts where preventive services are inconsistently implemented. This study evaluates the physical wellbeing of secondary school students in Samaru, Kaduna State, Nigeria, within the framework of a School Health Program guided by Pender’s Health Promotion Model. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 160 students drawn from four secondary schools. Physical wellbeing was assessed using self-reported behavioural indicators including moderate exercise, daily activity, strength training, flexibility exercises, warm-up and cool-down practices, and balance improvement activities. Screening indicators for eye and dental problems were also examined. Aggregate mean comparison revealed a score of 3.40 relative to a benchmark mean of 3.5, indicating insufficient physical health practice. While high levels of daily activity and balance exercises were reported, moderate sustained exercise was less consistent. Prevalence of eye defects was 11.3% and dental problems 7.5%. The findings suggest partial engagement with health-promoting behaviours but highlight important gaps in structured physical activity. Strengthening School Health Programs through preventive education and structured exercise promotion is recommended.

Contraceptive knowledge plays a central role in reproductive health decision-making among young adults. University students represent a population group that is increasingly exposed to sexual health information from diverse sources, yet knowledge of contraceptive methods often remains uneven. This study examines the level of contraceptive knowledge among undergraduate students in the Department of Theatre Arts at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected from 247 students using a structured self-administered questionnaire and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results show that 78% of respondents had heard of contraception, although only 61% demonstrated clear understanding of the meaning and use. Knowledge of specific contraceptive methods varied considerably. Condoms were the most widely recognised method, reported by 42.0% of respondents, while awareness of other modern methods such as implants and intrauterine contraceptive devices was substantially lower. Mass media and peers emerged as the primary sources of contraceptive information, whereas parental communication and formal health services played limited roles. The findings highlight the persistence of gaps between awareness and comprehensive knowledge of contraception among university students. Strengthening structured reproductive health education within tertiary institutions may help improve informed decision-making among young adults.

Stroke often results in long-term functional limitations that require sustained caregiving support. Informal caregivers, therefore, assume a central role in rehabilitation and daily care. Despite their importance, caregiving responsibilities frequently expose caregivers to significant physical, psychological, and social pressures. Evidence from many settings indicates that caregiver strain remains a common experience among those supporting stroke survivors. The present study examined the prevalence of caregiver strain and described the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers of stroke survivors attending selected health facilities in Oyo State, Nigeria.

A cross-sectional study design was employed involving 241 caregivers recruited through systematic random sampling from several health facilities providing stroke care. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 20.

The mean age of caregivers was 39.5 ± 15.6 years. Female caregivers constituted 55.6% of the sample. Children of stroke survivors formed the largest caregiving group at 42.7%, followed by spouses at 21.6%. The prevalence of caregiver strain was 71.8%, with a mean CSI score of 7.11 ± 2.03.

The findings indicate that caregiver strain among stroke caregivers in this setting is widespread. Recognition of caregiver strain within stroke rehabilitation programmes is essential. Clinical services should incorporate routine caregiver assessment and support strategies to sustain caregiving capacity and improve long-term patient outcomes.

Background. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remain a common complication after general anesthesia, affecting up to 30–70% of patients and significantly impairing postoperative recovery [1,2]. Perioperative hypovolemia has been identified as an important contributing factor due to reduced gastrointestinal perfusion and activation of vagal pathways [3]. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of optimized perioperative fluid therapy in reducing the incidence and severity of PONV. Methods. A prospective clinical study was conducted involving 45 patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups: standard therapy (n = 22) and optimized fluid therapy (n = 23). PONV incidence was assessed during the first 24 postoperative hours. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test and chi-square test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results. The incidence of PONV was significantly lower in the optimized group compared to the standard group (17% vs 36%, p < 0.05). The requirement for rescue antiemetic therapy was also reduced. Conclusion. Optimized perioperative fluid therapy significantly reduces PONV incidence and improves postoperative recovery. Adequate hydration should be integrated into multimodal prevention strategies [4,5].

The aim of this study was to investigate the features of innate immunity receptor (TLR6) expression in patients with bronchial asthma (BA). The study examined 45 pediatric patients with BA aged 5 to 15 years. The comparison group consisted of 31 children with recurrent obstructive bronchitis (ROB). Genetic research methods were used during the comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination of the children. The results demonstrated a significant role of the TLR6 gene in forming predisposition to BA. The obtained data will contribute to a better understanding of the subsequent development of BA involving TLR6.