VOL 6, No. 3 (2026)

Epilepsy is one of the most severe chronic diseases of childhood. Its treatment requires many years and sometimes lasts the whole life. It is especially difficult for the families if a child does not respond to conventional medical treatment due to the so-called resistant forms of the disease. The article focuses on the changes which had occurred over the passed two centuries: from the period of zemstvo pharmacies and the use of bromides to the contemporary period of time and the preferential treatment programmes introduction into the treatment and care of children in Russia. Taking Kursk region as an example, the authors analyze some reasons and barriers which interfere getting effective treatment by the children and families. It regards whether it is expensive cost of the new generation drugs, or a shortage of pediatric neurologists number resulting in long waiting lists for getting surgical treatment in medical institutions. As the task of high priority today is to improve health care for children, hence it is necessary to create a specialized center in the region and provide the following measures: increase the number of quotas for getting surgical assistance by children, teach parents to notice and pay attention to the side effects development without cessation of the treatment course. The authors pay special attention to the pharmacoeconomic aspects, comprising: assessment of the family costs (‘out-of-pocket payments’) and the impact of adherence to the chosen treatment due to its effectiveness. [1,2]. The main idea of the article is to bridge the past and the present times so that to emphasize the similar problems and search for the best ways of getting the appropriate solutions of the existing problems.

Herbal medicinal products are traditionally regarded as an affordable and safe component of therapy for digestive diseases in children, yet the assumption of their low cost has never been verified on a set of real prescriptions. Aim. To evaluate the economic parameters of using herbal medicinal products in gastrointestinal diseases in children and to propose a formalised way of determining their place in the drug provision system. Materials and methods. The study was based on the prescription array of the medical information system of an outpatient paediatric clinic for 2023: 35,632 records under ICD-10 class XI, 5,528 patients, 535 trade names. The group of herbal products was identified by the plant origin of the active substance. Structural and statistical analysis, calculation of the course cost for a model patient weighing 20 kg and the authors’ scoring method were applied. Results. Herbal products accounted for 4.11 % of prescriptions (1,463 records, 837 patients) across nine trade names. Two thirds of the group fall on a single product. The cost of a course of Hofitol was 2.45 times higher than an equivalent course of Ursofalk oral suspension, and Mucofalk was 5.1 times more expensive than Duphalac, so herbal products have no price advantage. A scoring method with three criteria groups and three positioning categories is proposed. The share of prescriptions where a herbal product was the only agent did not exceed 2.4 %, while regimens involving it contained 5.3 to 8.8 products against 4.34 for the sample. Conclusion. Positioning a herbal product by the price criterion is incorrect; the proposed method relies on the combination of clinical, economic and organisational characteristics and is embedded in a model for optimising outpatient drug care for children.

This article presents a historical overview of the evolution of the academic degree institution–from ancient traditions to the modern Russian attestation system. The transformation of the status of doctor and master is traced from medieval European universities to the formation of the hierarchical system in the Russian Empire, its adaptation during the Soviet period, and its subsequent development in the post-Soviet era. Using the Great Patriotic War as an example, the article highlights the special role of the dissertation as an act of intellectual courage and civic service. Based on data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat, 2010–2024) and the dynamics of doctoral dissertation defenses in medical specialties (Higher Attestation Commission, 2015–2024), systemic problems are identified. Special emphasis is placed on the specialty ‘Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics’ which, despite medical-technical and scientific progress, demonstrates a steady decline in the number of doctoral defenses. The historical examples cited are not merely facts of the past but reflect current trends. Russia's two-hundred-year history of academic accolades deserves continuation, for the institution of professorship exists not for the accumulation of titles but for the education of the next generations. Without this institution, the academic environment loses its meaning.

The diagnosis of male infertility remains a complex cross-disciplinary challenge requiring the integration of laboratory, instrumental, and clinical approaches. This study aimed to develop and model a digital diagnostic platform for the comprehensive assessment of ejaculate quality, ensuring improved reproducibility and clinical informativeness of laboratory tests in male fertility evaluation. We propose a digital platform integrating three key components: a microfluidic diagnostic chip (MDC) for automated samples fractionation; an artificial intelligence (AI) module for standardized interpretation of cytological preparations (sperm sediment cytology, SSC); and a cloud-based module for digital slide storage and patient routing. The developed digital platform can provide a technological foundation for standardized, reproducible, and clinically oriented diagnostics of male infertility, consistent with the principles of lean technologies and information security requirements. The proposed solution enables the reduction of diagnostic losses, minimization of interpretation subjectivity, and provision of personalized patient routing at all stages of laboratory evaluation.

In August 2026, Yuri Nikolaevich Maslov passed away — Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Virology of the Perm State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Chair of the University's Ethics Committee, and a long-standing member of our journal's editorial board. Yuri Nikolaevich was born in 1964. His professional career was inseparably linked to medical science, higher education, and the development of the ethical foundations of scientific research. His integrity, profound expertise, and conscientious approach to his work earned him the well-deserved respect of colleagues and students alike. As Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Perm State Medical University, he made a significant contribution to safeguarding the rights, dignity, and safety of research participants, and to fostering a culture of responsibility in scientific and medical practice. Yuri Nikolaevich was the author of more than 150 scientific publications. Since the founding of the journal Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. Pharmacy in 2021, he served on the editorial board and, throughout all the years of the journal's existence, actively participated in its development — in the discussion and peer review of manuscripts and in shaping the journal's scientific policy. In less than five years of the journal's existence, he published three articles that consistently attracted readers' interest. His involvement in the editorial board was always distinguished by academic rigor, exacting standards for the quality of published materials, and, at the same time, a respectful attitude toward authors. The passing of Yuri Nikolaevich Maslov is a heavy and irreplaceable loss for the editorial board and for the entire scientific community. His memory will live on in his scientific works, in professional traditions, in the work of his students and colleagues, and in the principles of academic and medical ethics that he steadfastly served. The editorial board of the journal extends its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Yuri Nikolaevich. His bright memory will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew him and worked alongside him.