BACKGROUND: The Aral Sea crisis is recognized as one of the global environmental problems of our time. The extreme environmental situation in the region is caused by massive chemical pollution of the territory for several decades by high doses of pesticides, herbicides, dumping of industrial waste into the rivers that feed the Aral Sea. As a result of the Aral Sea desiccation, aridization of the territory, climate change, and salinization of soil and water occurred. This led to increased mineralization of precipitation, climate change, the spread and deposition of dust on an area of about 25 million hectares. One of the factors in reducing fertile activity in humans is a decrease in spermatogenesis activity. Based on identified trends, WHO is forced to review the main indicators of spermograms in the direction of their reduction. AIM: To study the effect of dust and salt aerosols of the Aral Sea on reproductive function, rat testes were studied after 7 and 24 days of inhalation administration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Some morphometric parameters of the testes were evaluated: The diameter of the convoluted seminiferous tubules and the thickness of the germinal epithelium. The obtained comparative morphological and histological characteristics of the testes of the control and experimental groups indicate the negative effect of the components of dust and salt aerosols of the Aral Sea on the reproductive function of male rats. RESULTS: The thickness of the epithelial spermatogenic layer in the second group of rats is on average 64.52 μm, which is significantly less compared to the control group (81.3 μm). The thickness of the epithelial spermatogenous layer in the third group is on average within 73.36 μm, which is significantly less than in the control group (81.3 μm), but more than in the group exposed to dust and salt aerosols for 7 days (64, 52 μm). CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the impact of dust and salt aerosols of the Aral Sea leads to a change in the morphological and histological characteristics of the testes of animals. In experimental groups, a decrease in the diameter of the convoluted seminiferous tubule and a decrease in the thickness of the epithelial spermatogenic layer were observed. This indicates the negative effect of the components of dust and salt aerosols of the Aral Sea on the reproductive function of male rats exposed to dust for 7 and 24 days.

The long-term reduction of the Aral Sea area has led to an ecological catastrophe and a deterioration in the health of the population. The progressing demographic crisis necessitates research on factors that negatively impact the fertility of the population in the Aral region. To investigate the influence of Aral Sea dust–salt aerosols on rat testicular tissues, we exposed male rats to the inhalation of dust–salt aerosols for 7, 24, 30, 48 and 72 days. The results of the morphometric analysis of the rat testes tissues indicate that aerosols containing salts from the Aral Sea have a detrimental effect on the seminiferous epithelium, causing a depletion of the spermatogenic layer and reduction of seminiferous tubules lumen. The morphological signs of testicular damage in the experimental animal groups included low cellularity of seminiferous tubules, vacuolization of Sertoli cells, and a decrease in the number of Leydig cells in the interstitium. The smallest thickness of the spermatogenic layer and the lowest number of Leydig cells were observed in rats after the longest inhalation exposure to the dust–salt aerosols.

Background: While child morbidity in Kazakhstan is studied, existing research often prioritizes mortality or infectious diseases over non-communicable conditions. This study fills this gap by examining socioeconomic, demographic, and healthcare factors linked to respiratory diseases, asthma, and nervous system disorders among children aged 0–14 years across Kazakhstan from 2010 to 2019 highlighting regional context.Methods: Panel data from 14 regions were analyzed using linear mixed models with autoregressive covariance to address regional and temporal heterogeneity. Log-transformed incidence rates of respiratory diseases (J00-J99), asthma (J45), and nervous system diseases (G00-G99) were modeled against predictors including GRP per capita, unemployment, population density, Gini coefficient, pediatrician density, and hospital resources. Other variables with variance inflation factors ≥5 were excluded to mitigate multicollinearity.Results: Respiratory diseases showed the highest mean incidence (57,329.86 per 100,000), with significant regional variation. Aqtöbe, Atyrau, and South Kazakhstan had 12–25% lower incidence compared to Zhambyl (reference), while Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan had 35–61% higher rates. A 1% increase in population density correlated with a 1.05% decrease in respiratory disease incidence (p = 0.008), whereas unemployment was linked to a 0.41% rise (p = 0.029). Asthma incidence increased by 140% over the decade, with higher rates in regions with greater income inequality (0.26% increase per 1% rise in low-income households, p = 0.032). Nervous system disorders showed limited associations, with unemployment as the sole predictor (0.69% increase per 1% rise, p = 0.040). Temporal trends revealed declines in most diseases, but neoplasms, diabetes, and asthma increased significantly.Conclusion: The study addresses the lack of localized socioeconomic and healthcare analyses for respiratory diseases, asthma, and nervous system disorders among children, providing evidence for region-specific policy interventions. Respiratory diseases and asthma among Kazakhstani children 0–14 years had associations with the regional economic conditions, healthcare utilization, and inequality. Population density and income inequality were consistent predictors, while nervous system disorders showed fewer clear associations. Our findings show distinct regional patterns in pediatric morbidity, linking health outcomes to localized socioeconomic and healthcare conditions.