[A case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a HIV-infected female patient].

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by JC virus is a severe central nervous lesion developing in the presence of obvious immunodeficiency. In most cases, the disease results in a fatal outcome within a few months. Antiretroviral therapy is currently considered to be the only method for the prevention and treatment of PML in HIV-infected patients.

[South African tick bite fever in a group of Russian tourists].

The paper describes a clinical case of South African tick bite fever in a group of Russian tourists. The group of 5 people who had been ill with this disease after a tourist trip to the South African Republic (the Kruger National Park in the north-eastern province of Mpumalanga) were followed up. During their trip, all of them were bitten by different insects many times.

Optical and nonlinear optical properties of sea glass sponge spicules.

Originating in nature, the combination of spongin protein with silicon dioxide extracted from seawater by silicatein protein presents a natural nanocomposite material of unique optical and mechanical properties. Mechanically, it combines the elasticity of protein with the flexibility and durability of silica. The light propagation inside spicules of glass sponges is of substantial interest for developing novel elements for photonics applications.