working at solving vital problems in the field of schoolchildren and adolescents hygiene and school medicine.

The principal trends of their research include studying the influence of    environmental factors on the organism of schoolchildren, automated monitoring of children’s health, and primary prophylaxis of non-contagious diseases under conditions of general education institutions, as well as determining scientifically substantiated medical criteria of individual and population health of schoolchildren and conditions for its retaining and improving.

Another object of research is the influence of learning process and pedagogical innovations and  their role in formation of schoolchildren’s health using a specially developed system of quantitative estimation   of the level of hygienic safety at the institutions of general education.

Qualitative peculiarities of children’s health state in correlation with the influence of medico-social factors of in-school environment have been defined. Social and hygienic monitoring  of the quality of life, age and sexual peculiarities  in the development of health supporting and health forming behavior  of urban and rural schoolchildren  has been carried out systematically for the last few years.




SECTION OF SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOLCHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Head of the Section   K.K. Kalmykov, Cand. Sc. (Medicine)

Research work at the section is aimed at studying the organization  of medical assistance to schoolchildren and adolescents in Ukraine and at working out recommendations concerning the problems of medical assistance to the growing generation.

On the basis of a long-term research several methodological recommendations on improving organization of medical support of children and adolescents were worked out, including regulations defining the functional duties of medical and pedagogical personnel of preschool and school departments, boarding schools, children’s homes and measures in medical health services for youngsters before their army drafting, as well as the principles of day in -patient departments functioning and certain measures for medical assistance to  adolescents at out-patient clinics. 

The researchers of the section promote carrying out scientific and practical conferences, seminars,  and symposia on the basis of the Institute. 




DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICAL INFORMATION,
PATENTING AND LICENSING

Head of the Department T.P. Sidorenko, Cand. Sc. (Medicine)

Scientific activity at the department is aimed at studying the status and tendencies of  medical sciences development in Ukraine on the basis of analyzing  information streams  related to the problem “Health protection of  schoolchildren and adolescents”, carrying out patent and information expertise of R & D and theses at all their stages, determining the information needs of the researchers, and introducing achievements of  the world medical science into practice.

The work of the unit of patenting and licensing is aimed at revealing objects of intellectual property (inventions, innovations, and computer programs) as well as KNOW-HOW issues and providing their legal protection. The information database includes complete specifications of Ukrainian and Russian patents and patent information sources related to scientific research problems and dissertations dealt with at the Institute.

The department includes а scientific medical library containing the unique reference information bank on the problems of pediatrics, school and adolescent medicine (complete list exceeds 52000 titles), primary and secondary publications, home and foreign journals, books, monographs, etc.




LABORATORY OF AGE-RELATED ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM

Head of the Laboratory  Professor V.V. Davydov, MD

The principal lead in the laboratory research activities is connected with studying neuroendocrinal mechanisms of sexual maturation during its physiological or pathological course, and the influence of  exogenous and endogenous factors upon the function of the hypothalamus-hypophysis-adrenals system during prepubertal period and in puberty. Special attention has been paid to determining the role of biogenic monoamines, including indolamines of epiphysis, in development of sexual system pathologies.

Active experimental investigation carried out since 2002 concerns age peculiarities of metabolic adaptation to the effect of oxidation stress damaging factors. The main accent is placed on determining the role of catabolic ferments of endogenous aldehydes in the age-related changes of visceral tissue resistance  to the free-radical damage under the influence of unfavourable environmental factors.

In its scientific research the laboratory uses various up-to-date methods of  biochemical investigations such as spectrophotometry of visible and close ultra-violet regions of spectrum, fluorimetry, immunoenzymatic analysis, and differential centrifugation.




LABORATORY OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY

Head of the Laboratory Professor N.N. Popov, MD

The principal objective  of research carried out at  the laboratory is studying the functional peculiarities of immune system  in children and adolescents in normal state and in  pathology.

Research work at the laboratory is aimed at revealing states of immunodeficiency and immunopathological states, immune disorders in the course of rheumatic diseases, connective tissue dysplasias, diabetes mellitus, and sexual development pathology in children and adolescents, and at working out recommendations and individually adjusted schemes of treatment employing up-to-date immunotherapy methods.

Special attention has been paid to studying the state of immune system and to correcting its functioning in children and adolescents who fell victims to the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe, and the children born from fathers-liquidators of the accident.




LABORATORY OF MEDICAL GENETICS

Head of the Laboratory N.V. Bagatskaya, Cand. Sc. (Biology)

For many years on the laboratory has been carrying out research aiming at estimation of  the role of hereditary and environmental factors in the development of multifactorial pathology in children and adolescents.

Today the researchers of the laboratory are working at novel ways and methods of early diagnosing, prognosing and preventing multifactorial pathology in children and adolescents, especially at those related to gynecology, endocrinology, and rheumatology, and  also at determining genetic consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe in children, born from parents-liquidators and those evacuated from the contaminated territories.




LABORATORY OF FUNCTIONAL METHODS OF INVESTIGATION

Head of the Laboratory Professor O.Yu. Mayorov, MD

The principal areas of research at the laboratory are investigations of the central mechanisms of the organism resistance to emotional stress and developing  new computer methods of neuro- and cardiodiagnostics. Researchers of the laboratory have developed computerized echoencephalography (cEEG) which makes it possible to carry out clinical, correlation, spectral-coherent and systemic analyses of the brain neurodynamic systems on the basis of EEG  multidimensional spectral analysis.

A novel computer technology for employing the methods of nonlinear dynamics in EEG (investigation of deterministic chaos) has been developed (Fig. A and B). Diagnostic system of computer vegetology (cardiac rhythm variability) for estimating both the strain of the regulation systems and the state of the links in circulation regulation has been developed. Alongside with that, the laboratory employs advanced computer methods of functional diagnosis: dopplerography, echocardiography, echosonography, thermovision, computer spirography,  computer methods for studying microcirculation ets.




THE GROUP OF  PSYCHOLOGY  OF DEVELOPMENT  

Head of the Group  A.V.Kukuruza, Cand. Sc. (Psychology)

Research work at the group is aimed at fundamental and applied problems of psychological factors affecting formation of psychosomatic and  mental pathology in children and adolescents, and at developing programs for psychological support of the patients taking a course of treatment at the in-patient department of the Institute.     

The researchers of the group conduct investigations concerning improvement of the system of the disorders prevention in infants. On their initiative and with  support of the International OSP Policy Fellowship Program at the Institute  was  set up (1998) and is now successfully functioning \'\'The Center of Early Intervention\'\' for rendering assistance to the infants with development disorders.




CLINICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE INSTITUTE

Head  Physician O.M. Nosova, Cand. Sci.(Medicine)

The clinical department of the Institute is one of its structural units functioning as a treatment and prophylactic institution for rendering medical assistance to children and adolescents of   3 to 18 years of age from various regions of Ukraine and being a test-ground for research work and for qualification upgrading of pediatrists, therapeutists, cardiorheumatologists, endocrinologists, psychiatrists and gynecologists, as well as paramedical personnel.

The clinical department of the Institute comprises a consulting polyclinic (250 visits a day), an in-patient department (220 beds), and a laboratory complex.

At the consulting polyclinic (headed by S.I. Serebryakova – Honoured Physician of Ukraine) the patients are attended to by various specialists: pediatrists, therapeutists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, gynecologists, ophthalmologists, hematologist, otolaryngologist, nephrologists, urologist, orthopedist, neuropathologist, psychiatrists, psychologists, experts in medical genetics, and immunologists.

The in-patient department includes 5 specialize