In 2022, the Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital named after S.P. Botkina (Botkin Hospital) celebrated its 140th anniversary. The name of this famous medical institution is associated with the history of domestic infectology, the history of the fight against infectious diseases, including the development of disinfection in Russia. The review presents historical data on the activities of the Botkin Hospital in different eras of our country. Particular attention is paid to scientific developments introduced into the practice of the institution.

The article presents the results of a two-year work of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital named after S.P. Botkin (Botkin Hospital) during the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection from March 01, 2020 to March 01, 2022. The characteristics of patients with a new coronavirus infection by age, severity of the disease, need for intensive care, including mechanical ventilation and ECMO, are given. Estimated hospital mortality from a new coronavirus infection. The contribution of concomitant infectious diseases (HIV infection, chronic viral hepatitis) to the lethality of patients with COVID-19 is presented. The volumes of assistance to pregnant women, women in childbirth and puerperas with COVID-19, as well as patients on program hemodialysis are presented. The structure of hospitalized patients according to nosological forms was analyzed. Against the backdrop of a massive influx of patients with COVID-19, a sharp decrease in hospitalization of patients with other infectious diseases was noted.

At the beginning of 2020, a pandemic of a novel coronavirus infection was declared in the world. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the search for drugs for etiotropic therapy as the basis for the treatment of the infectious process has begun. The review provides data on the application points of antiviral activity of drugs, taking into account the life cycle of the etiological agent – the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The mechanisms of drug action on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (molnupiravir, remdesivir, favipiravir) and protease (nirmatrelvir together with ritonavir) SARS-CoV-2 are described. Among of outpatient patients at risk, the use of molnupiravir up to 5 days from the onset of the disease provided a 30% reduction in the risk of hospitalization and an 89% reduction in the risk of death. The use of a 10-day course of remdesivir in inpatient patients led to a reduction in the duration of clinical manifestations by 5 days, and the use of the drug for 3 days on an outpatient basis had a beneficial effect on a group of high-risk patients in the form of a reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death by 87%. Among outpatient patients using favipiravir, the onset of clinical improvement was noted 4 days earlier compared to the control group. The administration of nirmatrelvir in combination with ritonavir on an outpatient basis led to an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death. The molecular basis and principles of the use of blocking monoclonal antibodies as a fundamentally new group of biological drugs for etiotropic therapy are discussed. Information is provided on the effects of drugs on alpha, beta, gamma, delta and omicron variants of the virus. The profile of drug-drug interaction of drugs and basic therapy is analyzed. Early initiation of etiotropic therapy on an outpatient regime provides a more favorable course of the disease, which is characterized by a shorter duration of clinical manifestations, a reduced risk of hospitalization and the onset of death.

The new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has become a truly global challenge for all of humanity, and, above all, for the healthcare system. Among its most important aspects that require careful analysis are the clinical and laboratory features of the course of the disease, which make it possible to determine approaches to pathogenetic therapy in severe forms of the disease.

Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with severe COVID-19 who were hospitalized in St. Petersburg State Budgetary Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital named after S.P. Botkin” in 20202022. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were assessed, including levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and fever dynamics. The criteria for prescribing drugs for pathogenetic therapy in patients with COVID-19 and their effectiveness were determined.

Results. In the treatment of patients with COVID-19, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the clinical picture of the course of the disease, which is ahead of changes in laboratory parameters. The introduction of humanized antibody preparations leads to a regression of general infectious symptoms, subjective and objective manifestations of respiratory failure and, as a result, to a reduction in the length of stay of patients in the hospital. It is extremely important to timely preventive administration of drugs during the period of increasing “cytokine storm”. The optimal time for prescribing drugs is 1–3 days from the moment of receipt, until the patient is transferred to a ventilator.

The results of a study of modern epidemiological and characteristics of acute intestinal infections against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic are presented. The article reflects current trends in the frequency of detection of acute intestinal infections of viral and bacterial etiology, in particular, the growing prevalence of norovirus infection is shown. Particular attention is paid to the increase in the incidence of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. An increase in the incidence of salmonellosis in 2019 by 25.7% is shown, which is higher than the average long-term incidence rate by 28.1%. Age features of the incidence of viral and bacterial intestinal infections among children have been established. Given the widespread use of antibiotics or other drugs that change the intestinal microbial landscape (cytostatics, chemotherapy drugs), as well as a significant increase in the number of hospitalizations of patients, there is a high risk of developing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Undoubted attention requires the problem of registration, diagnosis of clostridium infections, which make it difficult to obtain data on the prevalence of infection caused by Clostridium difficile in the Russian Federation and St. Petersburg. The article discusses in detail the possibilities for further improvement of measures to prevent the transmission of acute intestinal infections.

Today the new coronavirus infection remains one of the most important problems of modern medicine. Among patients requiring hospital treatment, the development of various extrapulmonary complications is quite common. The work is devoted to the study of spontaneous hematomas of various localization against the background of a severe course of a new coronavirus infection treated in an infectious hospital in the period from 2020 to 2021. During the selected time, 17 patients had spontaneous hematomas of various localizations (anterior abdominal wall, retroperitoneal space, neck, hip, chest). The paper investigates the effectiveness of instrumental diagnostics – computed tomography in vascular mode is recognized as the optimal method, which helps to identify not only the location of the hematoma, but also in some cases its source. The basic principles of the tactics of choosing methods of hemostasis (medical, mechanical, surgical) to achieve its sustained effectiveness are described.

New coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is a modern global problem that requires the rapid development of diagnostic and treatment methods, as well as the study of pathological effects on body tissues. Due to severe damage to the respiratory organs, special attention is paid to the study of pneumothorax as a manifestation of gas syndrome, one of the complications of COVID-19.

The purpose of the study was to assess the incidence of pneumothorax as a complication of COVID-19, the features of the development of the pathological process, and to determine the criteria for treatment tactics.

Materials and methods. In total, for the period from April 2020 to May 2022 at the Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital named after. S.P. Botkin treated 31532 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. As part of this study, the case histories of 316 patients with clinical manifestations of gas syndrome were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, the diagnostic criterion of which was a positive result of the PCR test – the detection of RNA in a swab taken from the nasopharynx and oropharynx.

Results. Analysis of case histories showed that severe COVID-19 occurs in all age groups. Collapse of half of the lung was observed in most cases (59 patients). The main treatment method for pneumothorax was Bulau drainage. At the same time, in 47 patients (32%) this method required active aspiration. In 37 patients (26%), drainage was corrected and the pleural cavity was re-drained. In 37 patients, the result of hospitalization was a fatal outcome, the main causes of which were severe pneumonia and/or severe immunodeficiency, 75 patients (52%) were discharged from the hospital in a stable condition.

Conclusions. The occurrence of pneumothorax in patients with COVID-19 is characterized by late onset, protracted course, the formation of purulent complications and a high incidence of fatal outcomes, which do not always correlate with the severity of pneumonia.

To date, an adequate and timely assessment of the number of cases is the basis of effective measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) remains the gold standard for confirming COVID-19.

The purpose of the work: to analyze the experience of the city virological center of the S.P. Botkin Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital (Botkin Hospital) for the examination for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by PCR in the period from 2020 to 2022.

Materials and methods. The systematization of PCR studies on COVID-19 for the period 2020-2022 was carried out. A total of 221,901 people were examined, positive results were obtained in 55,372 (24.95%). Among the contingents of the examined patients, patients who underwent inpatient treatment at the Botkin Hospital.

Conclusions. This study analyzed the possible causes of false-positive and false-negative PCR results. The correlation of the number of positive results with the dynamics of detection of new cases of COVID-19 in St. Petersburg during the 2020-2022 pandemic is shown. It has been established that the proportion of patients examined more than 3 times during the period of hospitalization remains significant. This fact requires the closest attention, given the high cost and laboriousness of PCR studies.

Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital. S.P. Botkin has been providing assistance to pregnant women and newborns suffering from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. In the period from April 2020 to April 2022, 550 newborns born to mothers suffering from COVID-19 of varying severity were observed in the hospital, of which 52 children had a registered diagnosis of COVID-19 (the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified in a swab from the nasopharynx of a newborn using PCR). In this paper, an analysis of the pathological changes identified in this category of newborns was carried out, the issues of the influence of the covid status of the mother and the duration of stay with her on the child’s condition were studied. Analysis of the results of the work revealed a relationship between the duration of the period of stay of a newborn with a mother with an active form of COVID-19 and the severity of the disease in newborns. According to our clinical observations, the vertical route of transmission of the virus seems highly probable. Newborns who have had COVID-19 or have perinatal contact with SARS-CoV-2 are subject to dynamic observation. It is necessary to determine the order, timing and scope of dispensary observation for the timely detection of pathological changes in this category of children.

Patients receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the form of maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) belong to a group of particularly high risk of infection and the course of COVID-19. The new coronavirus infection also has a great impact on long-term outcomes.

Materials and methods: A retrospective observational study included 510 patients on MHD, hospitalized from April 1, 2020 to April 01, 2021. The outcome of hospitalization was chosen as the primary endpoint of the study: discharge or 28day mortality. Death within 6 months after discharge and the development of complications related to COVID-19 during this period were considered as secondary endpoints. Data collection was carried out by analyzing electronic and archival medical records. Quantitative variables: age, duration of hospitalization, days in the intensive care unit, laboratory blood parameters: the level of D-Dimer, Glucose, Interleukin-6, Procalcitonin, Lymphocytes and Platelets, CRP, CPK, CPK-MB, LDH, Fibrinogen, Ferritin. Qualitative indicators: gender, ventilator, ARDS, the presence of diabetes, the presence of obesity, the presence of complications: cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, septic, macrothrombotic, stage of pneumonia. To identify statistically significant predictors of the risk of an event, the odds ratio (OR) method was used.

Results: average age 57.8±14 years, men – 59.5%, average bed day 17.6±10.6 days. In concomitant diseases, diabetes mellitus was indicated in 24% of patients, obesity was registered in 4.3% of patients. Hospital mortality (28-day) in the total cohort of follow-up was 16.05%, in total with out-ofhospital mortality of 22%. Mortality in intensive care reached 62.7%, on ventilator more than 86%, with ARDS 94.3%. No statistical significance was revealed by gender and the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in concomitant diseases. When comparing short-term outcomes, the age groups over 65 differed statistically. The following laboratory blood parameters showed a significant difference (P<0.001): D-Dimer, Glucose, IL-6 lymphocytes, Leukocytes, Neutrophils, Platelets, LDH, Ferritin. The following odds ratios (OR) were obtained: ARDS (OR 143.78; 95% CI 33.4-616.2; p=0.0001), on ventilator (OR 57.96; 95% CI 23.1-144.5; p=0.0001), the presence of septic complications (OR 26.4; 95% CI 13.8-50; p=0.0001), the course of the disease is defined as severe (OR 25; 95% CI 12.9-48.2; p=0.0001), the course of the disease is defined as complicated (OR 11.6; 95% CI 6.8-19.7; p=0.0001), the presence of gastrointestinal complications (OR 6.5; 95% CI 2.28-18.4; p=0.0007), the presence of obesity (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.0-6.5; p=0.039). Mortality of patients receiving two main treatment regimens T-1 and T-2 did not differ (15.8% vs 15.7%). Significant differences (p=0.0001) appeared when compared with the T-0 and T-4 schemes, in which mortality was recorded at 8.8% and 85.7%, respectively. When comparing long-term outcomes, the analysis did not reveal statistical significance by gender. The statistical difference was noted by age. Among laboratory indicators, the PCT level was higher in survivors with complications. A significant difference among all survivors and deceased (P<0.001) was shown by: D-Dimer, blood glucose level, IL-6, CRP. The highest OR was calculated for the following indicators: the presence of gastrointestinal complications (OR 7.7; 95% CI 1.0-57.7; p=0.03), the initial LDH blood level of 622 units /l (OR 4.7; 95% CI 1.63-13.63; p=0.0086), the course of the disease defined as complicated (OR 4.05; 95% 1.97-8.33; p=0.003), the course of the disease is defined as severe (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.17-5.0; p=0.03).

Conclusions: gastrointestinal complications had the greatest impact on unfavorable short-term and long-term outcomes in patients on programmed hemodialysis. In relation to such laboratory markers as Ferritin, CRH, LDH, threshold values of a significant increase in the chances characteristic of dialysis patients were obtained. During the first year of the epidemic, therapy remained largely supportive and aimed at preventing complications, the main isolated treatment regimens showed no significant differences in the impact on the outcomes of COVID-19.

Objective: To describe the burden of COVID-19 in a children’s multidisciplinary hospital for two years of the pandemic, taking into account of age, severity of the disease, the spectrum of underlying conditions and the intensive care need.

Methods: An assessment of 6048 cases of COVID-19 in patients under 18 years of age hospitalized from March 26, 2020 to December 31, 2021 was carried out. The diagnosis was confirmed by PCR on an outpatient basis or after hospitalization with the help of diagnostic kits registered in the Russian Federation. The features of the work of a children’s multidisciplinary hospital in new conditions, the dynamics of hospitalization, age characteristics and new coronavirus (CV) infection severity in the pandemic development process are presented. The analysis of the underlying condition’s structure depending on the severity of the disease, as well as the need and volume of therapy in the intensive care unit. The frequency and main characteristics of children’s multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in hospital conditions, long-term PCR positivity and its effect on the duration of inpatient treatment of children have been established.

Results: The spread of SARS-COV-2 in St. Petersburg required a radical change in the work of the children’s multidisciplinary hospital. During the two years of the pandemic, four waves of hospitalization of children with new CV were revealed, differing in duration, intensity, and frequency of lung damage, but having no significant differences in the proportion of severe forms of the disease (1.7-2.8% of cases). Intensive therapy was required in 3.6% of cases, of which only 1/3 was due to the severe course of COVID-19 with a lung lesion volume of up to 100%. In 1/3 of cases, patients had risks of developing severe forms and in 1/3 – other pathology. Severe course of new CV was significantly more often accompanied by the need for respiratory support, anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory therapy. Contributing factors of severe forms and unfavorable outcomes were: pathology of the central nervous system, genetic diseases and malformations, obesity, as well as chronic bronchopulmonary pathology. Mortality in the hospital was recorded only among children with severe underlying conditions (0.1% of cases). D-MVS was registered significantly more often in boys (7 out of every 10 patients), accounting for 1.2% of cases of hospitalization of children with new CV over the entire period. Convalescent PCR-positivity in the outcome of COVID-19 was detected in 1/3 of children, significantly more often during the autumnwinter waves of the pandemic and among patients of high school age.

Conclusion: New CV is gradually strengthening its position in the structure of acute respiratory pathology in children. Some of SARS-COV-2 infection cases is accompanied by extensive lung damage, as well as severe systemic inflammation independently or in the other infectious diseases structure, induction of the debut of various somatic pathology is not excluded. The presented data confirm the need for increased attention at high risk of adverse respiratory diseases outcomes children. All severe cases of COVID-19 in children require a personalized approach, taking into account the existing background diseases and possible options for the progression of the process. MIS-C should be considered as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome within the framework of an infectious disease of various etiologies, differentiated with Kawasaki disease and the debut of systemic diseases. The long-term PCR-positivity in the outcome of COVID-19 requires further study to address the need and nature of therapy in order to prevent further spread of infection in the population.

The genotype of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogen plays an important role in the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a new coronovirus infection. There are no published data on the morphological features of lesions caused by different virus genotypes.

The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical, laboratory and morphological changes depending on the genotype of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 39 patients with COVID-19 with a severe course of the disease, which ended in death, who were hospitalized at the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital named after S.P. Botkin” in 20202022. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were assessed, including determination of the virus genotype, levels of leukocytes, lymphocytes, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, ferritin, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, interleukin-6. Macro- and microscopic changes were assessed, including immunohistochemical examination of the lungs and other organs using sera to CD14 68, 163, type 1 and 3 collagen. The preparations were digitized on a Panoramic scanner, morphometric studies were carried out using the SlideViewer program, including the quantitative determination of the content of CD68+ macrophages in 12 cases.

Results. In all patients, the disease was complicated by the development of pneumonia, the majority had concomitant diseases (94.6%). The average time of hospitalization was 19.0±1.6 days, the average time of stay in the intensive care unit was 7.7±1.2 days. The analysis, depending on the genotype of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, showed a statistical difference between the age of patients, the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the level of lymphocytes. Differences in the average duration of hospitalization, the level of laboratory parameters were not revealed. Histopathological picture in all examined was approximately the same. The content of CD68+ macrophages per unit area in different genotypes did not differ, but varied significantly within the same genotype.

Conclusion. Thus, it was not possible to identify significant differences between the changes caused by different genotypes of the new coronavirus, which can probably be explained by the fact that mutations do not include genome regions that are relevant to virulence factors, although further research is needed.

This paper provides a critical review of the literature, demonstrating a certain pathogenetic role of various infections, primarily viruses from the herpes and chlamydia groups, in the development and progression of schizophrenia, including published results of the authors’ own long-term studies.

A clinical case of one of the most common parasitic diseases in the Russian Federation, opisthorchiasis, is presented. Today, opisthorchiasis and its associated complications are an urgent problem in medicine. Parasitic invasions are in fourth place in terms of damage to public health. There is no specific clinical picture, and the predominance of latent forms makes it difficult to diagnose opisthorchiasis. Particular attention is paid to the issue of complications, the most significant of which are acute pancreatitis, purulent cholangitis, liver abscesses, perforation of the bile ducts with the development of bile peritonitis. In the chronic course of invasion, parasitism occurs in the host‘s hepatobiliary tract, production of toxic and immunogenic waste products, and disruption of cell metabolism, which is one of the factors contributing to the development of cancer of the bile ducts and pancreas. The relevance of the problem of opisthorchiasis and its complications, combined with the complex and vulnerable diagnosis of this disease (clinical, laboratory, instrumental), demonstrate the importance of finding effective methods for its detection.