Russian Military Medical Academy Reports

BACKGROUND: Big data analytics is widely used to optimize business processes in pharmaceutical organizations, enabling rapid identification of hidden patterns, market trend forecasting, rapid response to deviations, and risk minimization. However, the implementation of analytical solutions in Russian pharmacy organizations is understudied. Most research is theoretical and offers no practical recommendations. Some studies address pharmacy automation but rarely cover in-depth data analysis. Current educational curricula do not include competencies in big data analytics. Information about large Russian pharmacy chains using data analytics appears only in industry publications, corporate reports, and interviews with company representatives. However, this experience is poorly systematized, rarely published, and not tailored for non-IT specialists.

AIM: To study and summarize the use of analytical systems, identify barriers, and analyze the data analytics needs of Russian retail pharmacy organizations.

METHODS: The study was conducted in pharmacy organizations in the Republic of North Ossetia—Alania and Moscow using data analysis and empirical data collection methods, including surveys.

RESULTS: The study confirmed the importance and necessity of implementing big data analytics in the business processes of modern retail pharmacy organizations and in educational programs in pharmacy. The survey showed that data analytics use in retail pharmacy organizations is at an early stage. The main barriers are a shortage of qualified staff and a lack of skills for integrating data analytics into existing automated systems. We identified key areas for implementing analytical solutions in pharmaceutical operations and examined aspects of data analytics design that can reduce operating costs, improve customer satisfaction, and minimize risks.

CONCLUSION: Data analytics is a key tool for improving the efficiency of pharmacy organizations and requires a comprehensive approach, including staff training and integration with existing systems. The use of modern analytical tools can significantly improve business process efficiency, enhance customer service, and provide a competitive advantage in the digital transformation era.

Background: The high prevalence of dentofacial anomalies and their systemic effects on the morphofunctional state of the body highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and correction of occlusal disorders. In adult patients, the clinical picture is complicated by completed facial skeletal growth and concomitant conditions, requiring detailed epidemiological analysis and the development of sound clinical and organizational strategies.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of dentofacial anomalies and the need for orthodontic treatment in the adult population of St. Petersburg using medical records and survey data.

METHODS: We reviewed 768 outpatient medical records (form No. 043/u) of patients receiving dental care at City Dental Polyclinic No. 15 and selected 478 records for analysis from patients aged 18 to 44 years. We assessed the prevalence of dentofacial anomalies and administered a questionnaire to 122 patients, including those who had not undergone, had completed, or were undergoing orthodontic treatment. We determined objective and subjective levels of orthodontic treatment need. The need for treatment was assessed based on clinical findings and the Dental Aesthetics Index. The article presents mean values expressed as percentages of the total sample.

RESULTS: The prevalence of dentofacial anomalies in the adult population of St. Petersburg, according to medical records, was 73.3%. Objective treatment need was identified in 72.6% of those examined, and subjective need in 71.0%. No significant sex-related differences were found in the distribution of pathologies. In the 18–26 age group, a trend toward a lower anomaly frequency was observed (67.9%), which may reflect orthodontic treatment received in childhood.

CONCLUSION: The high treatment need highlights the need to improve and develop new clinical and organizational approaches to healthcare delivery, particularly through stronger interdisciplinary collaboration among specialists, to improve oral health and quality of life in the adult population of the metropolis.

Background: The most severe form of endometriosis is deep infiltrating endometriosis. Pain is one of its leading clinical features. The main treatment for deep infiltrating endometriosis is surgery, followed by hormone-modulating therapy postoperatively. However, this does not always provide sustained relief of chronic pain.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of reflexology in postoperative rehabilitation of patients with chronic pain associated with deep infiltrating endometriosis.

METHODS: We examined and treated 36 patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis whose main preoperative symptoms were chronic pain (dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual pain, and dyspareunia) and reduced quality of life, which persisted to varying degrees by day 45 after surgery. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Quality of life was assessed using the N.E. Vodopyanova Scale. Patients were tested before surgery and on day 45 postoperatively. For the reflexology evaluation, participants were randomized using a random number generator (even numbers: main group; odd numbers: comparison group). The main group (n = 20) received a 12-day course of reflexology with dydrogesterone. The comparison group (n = 16) received dydrogesterone plus nimesulide.

RESULTS: All patients in the main group tolerated reflexology well; no complications or adverse events occurred. At the end of treatment, both groups showed marked improvement. To assess durability, all parameters were measured 30 days later. Chronic pain partially recurred in the comparison group, whereas the main group maintained sustained improvement. Quality of life (N.E. Vodopyanova Scale) improved significantly only in the main group. The quality of life index improved in both groups, but significantly more in the main group.

CONCLUSION: Reflexology using the proposed protocol is an effective component of comprehensive rehabilitation for patients with endometriosis-associated pelvic pain after surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis.

Background: Traumatic limb amputation is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, but the mechanisms and methods for early diagnosis of heart and vascular remodeling are insufficiently understood. The concept of vascular age may offer an integral approach to the assessment of maladaptive changes.

AIM: To assess the structural and functional state of the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular risk in patients with traumatic limb amputation and to determine their contribution to increased vascular age to provide a rationale for early prevention and treatment strategies.

METHODS: We examined 127 men of young and middle age (main group: 45 patients with post-traumatic amputation; control: 82 individuals undergoing routine check-ups). All underwent echocardiography with global longitudinal strain analysis, volumetric sphygmography, 24-hour ECG and blood pressure monitoring, and risk assessment using QRISK3, SCORE2, and SCORE to determine vascular age. Statistical significance was set at p <  0.05.

RESULTS: Patients with amputation had increased aortic root diameter (35.5 mm vs 33.0, p <  0.001), ascending aorta (32.5 mm vs 30.0, p = 0.015), and aortic arch (29.0 mm vs 27.0, p = 0.003), reduced global longitudinal strain (–17.75% vs –19.55%, p <  0.001), increased vascular stiffness (R/L-CAVI 7.2 vs 6.45, p = 0.015; R/L-AI 0.92 vs 0.74, p <  0.001), and higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (23 mmHg vs 18, p <  0.001). Heart rate variability (SDNN 123 ms vs 194.7, p <  0.001; RMSSD 24 ms vs 53.8, p <  0.001) and the circadian index (1.1 vs 1.3, p <  0.001) were lower. QRISK3 score was higher in the main group (1.6% vs 0.9, p = 0.002). Vascular age by SCORE (in those aged >40 years) was 49 years vs 44 in controls (p = 0.049), and by sphygmography it was 42 years vs 32 (p = 0.019).

CONCLUSION: Traumatic amputation is associated with a spectrum of early cardiovascular changes (aortic and myocardial remodeling, increased vascular stiffness, and autonomic dysfunction), resulting in increased vascular age. Assessment of vascular age may serve as an integral risk marker and a basis for preventive measures.

Strengthening the combat and mobilization readiness of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (AF RF) in the context of real global threats of large-scale regional armed conflicts and countering international terrorism is impossible without adequate stocks and resources of materiel. Accordingly, one of the key priorities of the AF RF medical service is re-equipping with medical supply kits, medical equipment, and devices. Experience from recent armed conflicts and from managing the medical and social consequences of peacetime emergencies has shown that standardized medical kits occupy a special place among the wide range of medical supplies. This is largely because such kits continue to serve as the material foundation for medical supply to troops. However, the current system of standardized medical kits at the troop level has significant shortcomings and does not meet the modern needs of the medical service, for both objective and subjective reasons. The uncoordinated efforts in recent years to develop and field new standardized kits have not produced significant results. This has often reduced the efficacy of medical care. Despite achievements to date, and with the experience of modern armed conflicts in mind, optimizing the composition of medical supply kits remains relevant—driven by the emergence of new medical devices and the need to implement import substitution under sanctions. Thus, updating the inventories of medical supply kits for the troop-level medical service of the AF RF using advanced technologies and scientific approaches should be considered a priority for the AF RF medical service. Updating the current system of troop-level standardized medical kits is justifiably positioned as one of the most important areas of research and practice in medical supply.

This work aims to present little-known facts from the biography of Alexander Alekseevich Tatarinov (1814–1886), a graduate of the Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy, Doctor of Medicine, and his scientific legacy in Chinese medicine. He is an example of the dedicated service of physicians during the era of the Russian Ecclesiastical Missions in China. Alexander Alekseevich’s main scientific works were created during the most productive period of his medical and research career, which was his 10-year service as a member of the XII Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing. Particular attention is given to his collection of medicinal plants, which he collected and described. The study of the herbal remedies of traditional Chinese medicine allowed him to determine important characteristics of these remedies, facilitating the transfer of pharmacological knowledge to Russian scientists. This work also provides the first analysis of the scientist’s handwritten monographs, preserved in the archives of the Fundamental Library of the Military Medical Academy. In Alexander Alekseevich’s scientific work “On Fever,” we can observe the early signs of scientific thinking aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of specific diseases and pathological processes. This suggests that his work contributed to the development of the emerging field of pathological physiology. Tatarinov proposed a classification of medical specialties based on diseases of specific organ systems. This approach is reflected in the manuscript “Acupuncture and Moxa: What They Are in China,” and is also used in the modern nomenclature of medical positions. Although his name is not widely known today, his work made a considerable contribution to the development of medical science in 19th-century Russia.