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Background The 2009 H1N1 pandemic highlighted the need to routinely monitor severe influenza, which lead to the establishment of sentinel hospital-based surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in several countries in Europe. The objective of this study is to describe characteristics of SARI patients and to explore risk factors for a severe outcome in influenza-positive SARI patients. Methods Data on hospitalised patients meeting a syndromic SARI case definition between 2009 and 2012 from nine countries in Eastern Europe (Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russian Federation and Ukraine) were included in this study. An exploratory analysis was performed to assess the association between risk factors and a severe (ICU, fatal) outcome in influenza-positive SARI patients using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Nine countries reported a total of 13,275 SARI patients. The majority of SARI patients reported in these countries were young children. A total of 12,673 SARI cases (95%) were tested for influenza virus and 3377 (27%) were laboratory confirmed. The majority of tested SARI cases were from Georgia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine and the least were from Kyrgyzstan. The proportion positive varied by country, season and age group, with a tendency to a higher proportion positive in the 15+ yrs age group in six of the countries. ICU admission and fatal outcome were most often recorded for influenza-positive SARI cases aged >15 yrs. An exploratory analysis using pooled data from influenza-positive SARI cases in three countries showed that age > 15 yrs, having lung, heart, kidney or liver disease, and being pregnant were independently associated with a fatal outcome. Conclusions Countries in Eastern Europe have been able to collect data through routine monitoring of severe influenza and results on risk factors for a severe outcome in influenza-positive SARI cases have identified several risk groups. This is especially relevant in the light of an overall low vaccination uptake and antiviral use in Eastern Europe, since information on risk factors will help in targeting and prioritising vulnerable populations.

Soy is a cultivated herb that is high in vitamins, minerals, and other elements that provide many health benefits. The main reason why this product is valued is complete proteins, which are almost as nutritious as animal proteins. The problem of this study is that the market for soy products represents a large assortment of products; however, products with no lactose are produced insufficiently and in limited quantities. In connection with the presence of certain problems in this industry, the purpose of the study was the technology of developing dry soy milk with the addition of coconut powder, which makes it possible to expand the range of products that meet the needs of the population. Therefore, a technological line for the production of powdered soy milk with additives is proposed, consisting of the main operations: preparation of raw materials for further processing, drying and peeling of soybeans, grinding, adding components, dosing powders, mixing, filling, and packaging the finished product. The obtained results show that during the storage of dry soy milk with the addition of coconut powder and a food additive, its flowability does not change.

Special assortment of plants demonstrating high antimicrobial activity was tested in the play rooms of kindergartens in Novosibirsk. Preliminary laboratory experiments revealed universal activity of these plant species against test objects: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans. Microbial pollution of air in the play rooms of 12 kindergartens in Novosibirsk was monitored taking into account the presence or absence of plants in the rooms. The dynamics of microbial pollution of the rooms was studied: the composition and number of colonyforming units per 1 m3 (CFU/m3), the fractions of opportunistic pathogenic microfrlora (staphylococcus, enterobacteria). The plants with the leaf area 1.5-3.0 m2 per 100 m3 of the room volume caused a significant effect of volatile exo-metabolites: a decrease in total microbial pollution, a decrease in the number of opportunistic staphylococci and enterobacteria by a factor of 1.5-3.5, and in some cases a decrease in the number of saprophitic bacteria of Sarcina genus. Results of the investigation may be recommended for wide application in order to optimize the indoor conditions of kindergartens.