Mass vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 affected more than 90% of the population in most developed countries. The new epidemiologic wave of COVID-19 has been ongoing since the end of 2021. It is caused by a virus variant B.1.1.529, also known as “Omicron” and its descendants. The effectiveness of major vaccines against Omicron is not known. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine. The main goal is to assess its protection against hospitalization in the period of Omicron dominance. We conducted our study based on a large clinical center in Moscow (Russia) where 1112 patients were included. We used the case-population method to perform the calculations. The data we obtained indicate that the Omicron variant causes at least 90% of infections in the studied cohort. The effectiveness of protection against hospitalization with COVID-19 in our study was 85.9% (95% CI 83.0–88.0%) for those who received more than one dose. It was 87.6% (95% CI 85.4–89.5%) and 97.0% (95% CI 95.9–97.8%) for those who received more than two or three doses. The effectiveness in cases of more severe forms was higher than for less severe ones. Thus, present study indicates the high protective efficacy of vaccination against hospitalization with COVID-19 in case of Omicron lineage.

Russia remains one of the areas most affected by HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The aim of this study was to analyze HIV infection indicators and study trends in Russia using data from the Federal Statistic Form No. 61 “Information about HIV infection”. HIV incidence, prevalence, HIV testing and mortality rates (from 2011 to 2022), and treatment success rates (from 2016 to 2022) were analyzed. These indicators were compared across different federal districts (FDs) of Russia. The findings revealed a significant downward trend in HIV incidence, while a significant upward trend was observed for HIV prevalence. The mortality rate has stabilized since 2018. The coverage of HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy increased over time. The number of people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) with a suppressed viral load in Russia as a whole varied between 72% and 77% during the years under observation. The Siberian and Ural federal districts recorded the highest HIV incidence, while the North Caucasian FD reported the lowest. An increase in HIV testing coverage was observed across all FDs. This comprehensive evaluation of HIV infection indicators within the regional context contributes to the timely implementation of measures aimed at preventing the spread of HIV.

Aim To study the effects exerted by argon microwave nonthermal plasma (NTP) on cell wall‐lacking Mollicutes bacteria. Methods and Results 10⁸ CFU ml⁻¹ agar plated Mycoplasma hominis and Acholeplasma laidlawii were treated with the nonthermal microwave argon plasma for 30–300 s. The maximal 10‐ and 100‐fold drop was observed for A. laidlawii and Myc. hominis, respectively. Similarly treated Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated the 10⁵ and 10³ drop, respectively. Removal of cholesterol affected resistance of A. laidlawii. 10 mmol l⁻¹ antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene decreased mortality by a factor of 25–200. UV radiation alone caused 25–85% mortality in comparison with the whole NTP. Exogenously added hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ did not cause mortality. NTP treatment of Myc. hominis triggered growth of microcolonies, which were several tenfold smaller than a typical colony. Conclusions Despite the lack of cell wall, A. laidlawii and Myc. hominis were more resistant to argon microwave NTP than other tested bacteria. Mycoplasma hominis formed microcolonies upon NTP treatment. A role of UV and active species was demonstrated. Significance and Impact of the Study The first study of NTP effects on Mollicutes revealed importance of a membrane composition for bacterial resistance to NTP. New specific Myc. hominis morphological forms were observed. The study confirmed importance of the concerted action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with UV and other plasma bioactive agents for NTP bactericidal action.

The aim of the study: to analyse diagnostic trends of HIV-infection in the Russian Federation in the period 2017–2022. Materials and methods. The study used data obtained from reports from the Federal Register of persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (FRHIV). The circumstances in HIV diagnosis and clinical and epidemiological characteristics of newly diagnosed patients, including CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts, were analysed. A likely time window between presumed infection and confirmation of HIV diagnosis was also determined. Categorical data evaluated in the study were presented as proportions and caparisoned using the chi-square test (χ2). In case of multiple comparisons, the Bonferroni correction for multiplicity was used. Quantitative data were tested for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion. In most cases, nonparametric characteristics of distributions — median and interquartile range — were applied, as well as the Mann-Whitney criteria for comparison of two independent groups and the Kraskell-Wallis criteria for comparison more than two groups, followed by pair wise comparisons using the Mann-Whitney criterion with Bonferroni multiplicity correction. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data analysis and graphical visualization was performed using the statistical software R version 4.1.1 and its libraries.Results and discussion. The results showed an increase in HIV detection through voluntary testing, preventive medical examination, and clinical indications. The proportion of injecting drug users (IDUs) decreased over time, while the involvement of women in the epidemic process and heterosexual transmission increased. Additionally, there was an increase in the proportion of patients aged 35 years and older. The analysis of CD4-cell counts revealed significant differences among gender and age subgroups. Women had higher absolute CD4-lymphocyte counts throughout the follow-up period. Patients aged 0–14 years had the highest proportion of CD4-lymphocytes over 500 cells/μL, while patients over 50 years old had the highest proportion of CD4-lymphocytes less than 200 cells/μL. Men who have sex with men and people infected through mother-to-child transmission had the highest mean baseline CD4-cell counts. IDUs and heterosexuals had a statistically significant decrease in CD4-cell counts over the follow-up period and also had the longest median time from infection to disease detection — 24 and 20 months, respectively.Conclusion: Thus, this study helps identify the most significant risk groups of HIV-infected individuals in Russia at present.

The aim of this study was to analyse the trends in HIV infection, including diagnostic ones, in the Republic of Crimea in the period of 2014–2023. The source of data for this study was various statistical forms and reports. The findings revealed a significant downward trend in HIV incidence and a significant upward trend in HIV prevalence. The mortality rate was stable. The coverage of HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy increased over time. The number of patients with a suppressed viral load in the Republic fluctuated in different years of observation and reached 81% in 2023. In the second part of this study, we analysed the demographic and clinical laboratory characteristics of newly diagnosed patients with HIV. A predominance of men was noted. The proportion of injection drug users (IDUs) decreased, and the proportion of new HIV infection cases through heterosexual contacts increased. An increase in the median age of patients was also noted. Analysis of CD4 cell counts revealed significant differences between subgroups by gender, age, and route of infection. The longest time to disease detection was typical for IDUs. A comprehensive assessment of HIV infection trends in Crimea allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of measures and decisions taken on the issue of HIV infection.

Significance. The structure of drug use in the Russian Federation (injectable, non-injectable, psychoactive and others) is undergoing changes, which may affect the ratio of HIV transmission routes. These changes in the epidemic process require further research to form adequate measures to counter the spread of HIV infection in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study was to identify specific features of correlation between HIV infection and drug addiction incidence in Russia and describe their role and influence on the HIV epidemic process in Russia at the present stage. Material and Methods. The study used data of the federal statistical observation forms on HIV incidence – Form No.61 “Information about HIV-infection” and on drug addiction – Form No.11 “Information about incidence of substance dependence disorders”. Data on narcotic drugs were retrieved from the website of the Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Population data were taken from the Rosstat website. The study used correlation analysis. Data processing was carried out using the SPSS Statistics ver. 26. Results. The correlation analysis shows a significant relationship between HIV incidence and detection of injecting drug users in the Russian Federation. Since 2017, the relationship between HIV incidence and users of all types of narcotic drugs has become significant as well, while the share of injecting drug users among all drug users dropped from 50% in 2011 to 18.7% in 2021. According to data for 2017 to 2021, the number of crimes related to illicit drug trafficking, as well as the amount of narcotic drugs withdrawn and the number of administrative offenses related to illicit drug trafficking are decreasing. Conclusion. Changes in the structure of drug use – a decrease in the share of the opioid group and an increase in the share of synthetic drug use leads to a change in the structure of infection among all drug users – the share of sexual transmission is increasing; while the share of the injection is decreasing. Presumably, non-injectable psychoactive substances play an increasing role among the factors predisposing to risky sexual behavior, and the risk group is not limited to injecting drug users only. For the purpose of a further epidemiological analysis it seems appropriate to divide the risk group of drug users into injecting drug users and non–injecting drug users.