Syphilis epidemiology in 1994-2013, molecular epidemiological strain typing and determination of macrolide resistance in Treponema pallidum in 2013-2014 in Tuva Republic, Russia.

The incidence of syphilis in the Tuva Republic (geographical centre of Asia), Russia has been exceedingly high historically. No detailed examinations and no molecular investigations of Treponema pallidum strains transmitted in the Tuva Republic, or in general, in Russia, were published internationally. We examined the syphilis epidemiology in 1994-2013, and the molecular epidemiology and macrolide resistance in T.

Russian gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility programme (RU-GASP)--resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae during 2009-2012 and NG-MAST genotypes in 2011 and 2012.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major concern worldwide and gonococcal AMR surveillance globally is imperative for public health purposes. In Eastern Europe, gonococcal AMR surveillance is exceedingly rare. However, in 2004 the Russian gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility programme (RU-GASP) was initiated.

Infliximab plus methotrexate is superior to methotrexate alone in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis in methotrexate-naive patients: the RESPOND study.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of treatment with infliximab plus methotrexate with methotrexate alone in methotrexate-naive patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: In this open-label study, patients 18 years and older with active PsA who were naive to methotrexate and not receiving disease-modifying therapy (N=115) were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either infliximab (5 mg/kg) at weeks 0, 2, 6 and 14 plus methotrexate (15 mg/week); or methotrexate (15 mg/week) alone. The primary assessment was American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response at week 16.

Proteome and cytokine serum profiling to diagnose a mycosis fungoides.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate a possibility of mycosis fungoides (MF) diagnostics based on protein profiling in blood serum.

Experimental Design: We obtained and analysed samples of blood serum from 23 patients with MF, and 29 psoriasis patients and 22 healthy donors as controls. Protein profiling was carried out using SELDI TOF MS SELDI-TOF and also profiling of 27 cytokines with multiplex immunoassay technology was implemented.

Direct bacterial profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for identification of pathogenic Neisseria.

The present study investigates the suitability of direct bacterial profiling as a tool for the identification and subtyping of pathogenic Neisseria. The genus Neisseria includes two human pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, as well as several nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Here, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry profiling protocol was optimized using a laboratory strain of E.

Relation between genetic markers of drug resistance and susceptibility profile of clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains.

The main goal of this work is to clarify the predictive value of known genetic markers of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones. The correlation between the presence of certain genetic markers and susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae isolates to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones has been analyzed by means of statistical methods.