Currently, there are practically no people left who have seen the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. This is the reason for certain frivolous statements about the advisability of using tactical nuclear weapons to solve certain tactical problems. The purpose of this work is to remind, using the example of the consequences of the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how does the nuclear war looks like in reality. Materials and Methods. Open sources from the Cold War era and more recent reviews of the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons were analyzed. The analysis was carried out from general to specific, i.e. from the understanding of physical processes underlying a nuclear explosion and determining the design of the nuclear devices, to the specific consequences of their use. Discussion. The article analyses the history of the creation of the «Gadget», «Fat Man» and «Kid» bombs, their design, preparation and the results of the use. Detailed descriptions of nuclear explosions and the consequences of their use, made both by those who used nuclear weapons and by those against whom they were used, are provided. Being imperfect in design and ineffective in using fissile matter, they showed stunning power even for the present time, destroying two densely populated cities and at least 106 thousand people at once. Real examples show the features of the destruction of engineering objects and the impact on people of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. Attention is drawn to the fact that the power of the bombs used was 15 and 22 kt, respectively. According to modern NATO classification, these are tactical nuclear weapons. It is designed to destroy targets in the tactical depth of enemy troop deployment (up to 300 km). The maximum power of tactical ammunition according to NATO standards is up to 100 kt. It means that the yield of the tactical ammunition used in battle will depend on the tactical mission, and not be limited to a few kilotons. Conclusions. The use of tactical nuclear weapons without escalating their power, causing large casualties among the population and the risk of being drawn into a global nuclear war is impossible. Currently, the world is oversaturated with nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. Some countries possess them secretly, others have the potential to create such weapons. Therefore, any use of nuclear weapons by anyone will lead to the lowering of the threshold of nuclear deterrence. It will become a common thing during the resolution of military conflicts.

Quercetin is one of the most promising natural polyphenolic radioprotective compounds. This property is based on its radical-scavenging activity and high antioxidant capacity, in the manifestation of which the products of oxidative degradation of quercetin play a significant role. The formation of specific metabolites during the oxidation of quercetin can determine not only its radioprotective properties, but also toxic manifestations. The purpose of this article is to summarize previously obtained data regarding the reaction pathways of oxidative transformation of quercetin. Materials and methods. We used publicly available scientific publications dedicated to the study of quercetin transformation processes. The method of analysis is descriptive. The discussion of the results. A review of scientific works dedicated to oxygen oxidation, radical-initiated oxidation, electrochemical and enzymatic oxidation is presented, possible transformation products of quercetin and the mechanisms of their formation are given. The most characteristic oxidation pathways of quercetin are determined by the chemical structure of the rings, which exhibit specific reactivity. The influence of the solvent composition on the oxidation products during the autoxidation of quercetin was revealed, while the radical and electrochemical models of oxidation differ in the presence of polymer adducts. Once in a living organism, quercetin can bind free radicals, thereby preventing the harmful effects of radiation, that is, it has the properties of a radioprotector. Conclusions. Quercetin can be considered as a potential radioprotector due to its ability to bind free radicals formed in the biological fluids of living organisms exposed to radiation.

After the abolition of the mandatory smallpox vaccination, the humanity lost the immunity not only to smallpox, but also to infections caused by pathogens of this family (Orthopoxvirus): monkeypox, cowpox, buffalo pox, camelpox. Since the camelpox and African gerbil viruses are the closest to the variola virus (genomic homology is 97%) in phylogenetic and genetic terms, it cannot be ruled out that a mutation in a small fragment of the genome of one of these viruses will lead to the replacement of a relatively safe virus with an epidemically dangerous pathogen. The purpose of is article is to summarize materials on the study of camelpox virus. The sources for this research is scientific articles and other English-language literature available via the Internet. The research method is an analysis of scientific sources on camelpox from the general to the specific. The authors considered the epizootic danger of the virus, its virulence for humans, phylogenetic relationship with other orthopoxviruses, means of specific prevention and treatment of camel pox in camels. The discussion and the results. The causative agent of camelpox causes a nodular-pastular rash on the skin and mucous membranes in Camelus dromedaries and Camelus bactrianus. The disease is contagious, and its epizootics lead to significant economic damage. From December 2008 to May 2009, several laboratory-confirmed cases of camelpox in humans were reported in India, Somalia and eastern Sudan. Nowadays for the identification of the camelpox virus, a RT-PCR test system with primers for the C18L gene is usually offered, which detects only this virus. The established host range of the virus is limited to one animal - the camel. To treat sick camels, chemotherapy drugs are used: cidofovir and tocoverimate (ST-246). For immunoprophylaxis, live and inactivated vaccines are used. The conclusion. Camelpox virus poses a risk to humans in regions where people raise camels and are in close contact with them. The immunodeficient populations of people may serve as an additional «window» for the penetration of this virus into human society. The genetic variability of the virus and the plasticity of its genome make it possible to obtain virus strains with altered properties. Synthetic biology methods create a risk, through small substitutions in the genome of the virus, of turning it into an epidemic danger for humans. Constant monitoring of this disease is necessary, since there is a danger of the transmission of camelpox from Kazakhstan to areas bordering the Russian Federation.

Passive immunization is the variant of the immunization, in which antibodies are introduced into the body in quantities, sufficient to provide a therapeutic effect. One of the «windows of opportunity» for passive immunization is an urgent post-exposure prophylaxis of infectious diseases and their preventive therapy, especially in the absence of chemotherapy drugs suitable for these purposes or their insufficient effectiveness. The existing heterologous drugs based on hyperimmune sera are highly reactogenic, and obtaining donor human immunoglobulins is associated with a number of ethical and technical restrictions. Therefore, biotechnologies that make it possible to obtain, on an industrial scale, low-reactogenic preparations of chimeric monoclonal antibodies with partially human specificity, as well as recombinant antibodies with fully human specificity, have enormous prospects. This trend is called «humanization of antibodies.» The purpose of this article is to analyze modern developments and to show the prospects for creating humanized antibodies specific to antigens of pathogens of especially dangerous infections and toxins as medical biological protection agents. The sources of the research are English-language studies and the scientific literature available via the Internet. The research method is an analysis of scientific sources on the topic being studied from the general to the specific. Results and discussion. The history of the creation of specific prevention drugs based on heterologous and homologous sera/immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies is presented. It has been shown in the article, that humanized specific monoclonal antibodies are widely used currently for the treatment of a number of severe chronic diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, immunoinflammatory bowel diseases, malignant tumors). Conclusion. Recently, there has been an increase in numbers of both scientific research and developments, and drugs of recombinant antibodies already approved for use in clinical practice, specific to antigens of pathogens of especially dangerous infections and toxins - potential agents of bioterrorism, such as the anthrax microbe, botulinum toxins of various types, plant toxins ricin and abrin, ebolaviruses, coronaviruses. Such drugs can also be used as medical protectors against biological threats and hazards.

White phosphorus (WP) has been used in hand grenades, mortar and artillery shells, and aerial bombs since World War I. Recently it has been used in combat operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh and is used during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza. Burns caused by WP usually result in death or disability. The purpose of the work is to analyze and summarize the data of the scientific literature on the medical consequences and treatment of lesions caused using ammunition with WP. Materials and methods. For the analysis, we used available scientific publications describing the consequences of WP burns received during hostilities. The method of analysis is descriptive. The following tasks were solved: the properties of WP as a damaging agent were studied; materials on the medical consequences of WP lesions and methods of treatment of such lesions were summarized. Discussion of the results. WP is highly reactive, highly toxic and ignites in air as early as 35°C. The severity of WP lesions is the result of both the thermal and chemical effects of combustion. Fatalities among humans from WP burns have occurred involving less than 10% of the total body surface area. Burns caused by WP heal more slowly than thermal burns. WP penetrates deeply through the fatty subcutaneous tissue. Therefore, the burns are full-thick, necrotic. The absorbed WP acts as a cellular poison and causes damage to the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, myocardium, and other organs. Any WP particles trapped in the wound may re-ignite. Conclusion. At the pre-hospital stage, the first thing to do is to wash off the wounds with cool water and remove the pieces of WP that have fallen into the skin with forceps. The light from the UV lamp can help to visualize the small particles of WP. Cleaning exfoliated skin and removing visible WP particles from the skin are critical methods for limiting wound severity and systemic WP absorption. It is advisable to excise the burned area within an hour after the lesion and repeat surgical procedures until all phosphorus particles have been removed; to control during the first 48 hours for the content of calcium and phosphorus in the blood serum with appropriate correction. In the future, skin grafting and treatment with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells are advisable.

Combined type personal respiratory protection equipment, combining the functions of air purification and complete isolation from the environment, has not received significant development due to the complexity of the design, which limits their use. At the same time, as the accumulated experience of the actions of rescue military units of the civil defense forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation and units of the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation shows, the use of combined type protective equipment in a number of cases is extremely necessary. The purpose of the work is to develop the design of a universal module connected to a filter gas mask to enable the implementation of a mode of complete isolation from the ambient air. Materials and methods. The justification for the design of the universal module was carried out on the basis of existing developments of design and circuit solutions for units and elements of the filter gas mask and self-contained breathing apparatus. Predictive assessment of the performance of the design of the removable module components was carried out by calculation in the Microsoft Excel 2013 environment using methods of aero- and hydrodynamic calculations of technological systems. The functionality of the main structural units of the module was tested in laboratory conditions while simulating the parameters of human external respiration. The discussion of the results. The following tasks were solved: the technical characteristics of the universal module were substantiated, ensuring the preservation of the indicators of the main protective, operational and ergonomic properties of filter gas masks and the design of the universal module with a predictive assessment of the performance of its main components; a physical model of the universal module was made; An experimental test of the performance of its main structural components was carried out. Conclusion. The results obtained confirmed the operability of the design and circuit solutions of the universal module, which ensures the implementation of a mode of complete isolation from ambient air in a standard set of filter gas masks.