For two centuries, immunization has undeniably been the number one method of combating dangerous infectious diseases. The article tells about the most significant achievements in the mass introduction of vaccination resulting in a dramatic reduction in morbidity and infant mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases in this country and globally. The 2014 version of the National Vaccination Schedule of the Russian Federation is considered. The article concludes with the main areas for further improvement of the Russian vaccination schedule.

The recent decades have generated increasing interest in vitamin D due to better understanding of its role in the organism. [1] At present, specialists involved in the study of metabolic and physiological effects of vitamin D are convinced that its active forms are prohormones, i.e. precursors of the hormone calcitriol. [2-8].

The article tells about the general concept of respiratory infections in children, and typical clinical presentation of ARVI based on the type of agent. There is the detailed characteristics of cough in different diseases in which respiratory infections are manifested. The focus is on mucolytic therapy where Fluditec has a special role. Clinical efficacy of the drug in the treatment of respiratory diseases in children is demonstrated.

Acute respiratory infections are a serious public health problem due to very high incidence and a serious economic burden. They account for about 90% of all infectious diseases and 70% of childhood diseases. About ¼ of the total health care costs are associated with the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory infections. Though the disease is often moderate and has a good prognosis, it can significantly affect the well-being of children and interfere with their activities of daily living. [1-2]. In most cases (about 95%), acute respiratory infections are caused by a variety of viruses - influenza and parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial, adenovirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, enterovirus, with the total number of etiological serotypes exceeding180. [1] The significant incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) is conditioned by several factors: high susceptibility of children (especially young children), variety of pathogens, as well as air-borne transmission and high contagiousness. [3]

Most pediatricians would agree that the most common complaint of patients and their parents are fever, runny nose and/or sore throat. Each year, doctors examine about 40% of children under 6 months and over 60% of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years only because of fever, which in most cases is a manifestation of self-limiting acute respiratory infection (ARI). [1] At the same time, the challenge for physician is, on the one hand, not to miss a serious bacterial disease, and on the other, not to prescribe an unnecessary test or medicine.

Acute otitis media in children is a relevant health care and social problem conditioned by the high incidence of the inflammatory disease in early and middle childhood. Otitis media is often accompanied by impaired hearing function, and when it becomes chronic, there is a risk of hearing loss. Moreover, deafness in childhood results in speech disorders and socialization problems. [1]

In acute respiratory infection (ARI), one of the most common symptoms in children is respiratory syndrome which is mainly manifested by cough. Statistically, cough is a complaint of 1/5 of all people with ARI. Cough is especially painful for children, creating a state of discomfort both for the sick child and his parents. Cough is one of the most frequent reasons for seeking pediatrician's aid.

In 90% of infants, the introduction of complementary foods or transition to bottle or mixed feeding is characterized by changes in the frequency and type of stool, intestinal colic, regurgitation, flatulence. Administration of the multi-strain probiotic Bac-Set Baby for 14 days in infants with FGID allows to manage the changes in the frequency and type of stool in 80% of cases, symptoms of intestinal colic in 86% of children, regurgitation in 70%, and flatulence in 78% of children. Studies of the metabolic activity of obligate intestinal microorganisms demonstrated that multi-strain probiotic Bac-Set Baby (Probiotics International Ltd., UK) in children with FGID is effective in the management and restoration of the intestinal microbiota in children in the first year of life. The administration was associated with a tendency to restore the activity of the colonic obligate microflora, particularly bifido- and lactobacteria, due to changes in the qualitative composition of microorganisms characterized by reduced activity of facultative and residual anaerobic (in type 1) and aerobic (in type 2) microfloras, and improvement of the intraluminal environment. In addition, there was a tendency toward normalization of proteolysis and elimination of residual (opportunistic) microorganisms as a result of treatment.

Constipation of functional origin (CFO) is one of the challenges in contemporary pediatrics. Almost every pediatrician constantly has to address the problem in children of all age groups. The main causes for CFO in children are irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation. Treatment of CFO should be based on a differentiated and integrated approach. The key components of the treatment are osmotic laxatives: lactitol, lactulose, polyethylene glycol.

Giardia is one of the main causative agents of intestinal infections in children, especially young children. The article highlights the current understanding of the global prevalence of giardiasis, current laboratory capacities for diagnosis and treatment of giardiasis in children. Anti-Giardia agents used in the treatment of giardiasis are characterized, recommendations for treatment and prevention are suggested.

It is known today that the key role in maintaining human health belongs to intestinal microflora. Intestinal microflora can be subdivided into following groups: obligate flora, facultative (opportunistic) flora, transient flora, and pathogenic flora. A condition in which potentially harmful bacteria dominate the intestinal microflora is called dysbiosis. Almost all diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are accompanied by dysbiotic disorders. For some diseases, specific disorders of the composition of the microbiome have already been identified which could exacerbate and worsen the underlying disease. Pathogenic microorganisms often cause an acute intestinal infection (AII) in the human organism. AII are the most common cause of diarrhea in children. In the recent years, under the conditions of the growing antibiotic resistance, there has been an increase in the interest in bacteriophages.

The article is an overview of the effects of probiotics in eradication therapy, as well as the results of the own study conducted in 2005 to evaluate the effectiveness of Bifiform® containing two probiotic strains: B. longum107 and Enterococcus faecium10 7 in the treatment of HP-associated gastroduodenal diseases in children. After the treatment course with Bifiform, there was an increase of SIgA in gastric biopsy samples, a significant reduction of IgE in the blood, and an increase in phagocytic activity. Hp eradication was achieved in 82% of patients in the intervention group and 72% in the comparison group. Administration of Bifiform® probiotic in combination with the eradication therapy scheme improves efficacy of treatment due to an integrated, primarily immunomodulatory, action.

The impact of helminths on the health of children is very diverse. However, negative results of fecal tests for helminths do not exclude infestation of worms in the baby's intestine, particularly, extraintestinal localization of parasites. The main cause of tissue helminthiasis are Toxocara nematodes the larvae of which migrate in the body causing damage to internal organs, nervous system, eyes, skin. Albendazole demonstrated highest efficacy in the treatment of toxocariasis. It can penetrate into the tissues and cause death of parasites.

Atopic dermatitis in children is one of the most common allergic diseases. Topical corticosteroids (tGCS) with anti-inflammatory and antipruritic effect are the core of pathogenetic therapy of atopic dermatitis. The efficiency concept of tGCS is interrelated with the concept of safety, given that the these drugs are not without side effects. This is especially important in case of long-term therapy. The questions of rational use of tGCS in pediatric patients that achieve the maximum therapeutic effect are considered in the article. The high efficiency and safety of long-term therapy with tGCS for atopic dermatitis, including in young children, is demonstrated.

The article presents data on the place of the modern endogenous interferon inducers in the treatment and prevention of influenza and ARVI in children and the mechanisms of action. The focus is on the domestic antiviral agents Kagocel which demonstrated high clinical efficacy and safety in multi-center, blind, placebo-controlled studies involving treatment and prevention of ARVI/flu in children over 2 years old.

One of the challenges faced by pediatricians is to improve the rehabilitation of children with frequent episodes of acute respiratory infections. This is caused by high prevalence of respiratory diseases, risk of complications and exacerbations of chronic diseases, decreased quality of life, high social and economic costs. [1-5] According to expert approximations, the economic burden of acute upper respiratory tract infections in 2014 totalled more than 376 billion rubles. At the same time, for about a decade ARVI consistently maintained a high rank in the list of the most economically damaging communicable diseases (excluding tuberculosis and HIV infection). In 2014, about 20% of the population got sick with ARVI, with the incidence of the disease varying from 5 to 40 thousand cases per 100 thousand of population. [6]

Conversation with the doctor of medical sciences, professor, allergist-immunologist Lyudmila V. Luss. Allergy in children today is a common pathology which requires a professional approach in diagnosis and treatment, taking into account the age specifics. One of the most common allergic reactions is urticaria which leads to reduced quality of life, and sometimes to the life-threatening condition - angioedema. Lyudmila Luss, MD, professor, allergist-immunologist, helped us to understand the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment of urticaria.

The article presents the current criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM), classification, clinical symptoms of hyperglycemia, pediatrician's tactics in detecting hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Clinical examples of identifying type 1 and 2 diabetes in children are provided, common mistakes when using blood glucose meters are explained.

The problem of vegetative dystonia in children and adolescents is relevant in view of the high incidence and risk of transformation into an organic pathology. According to most researchers, many serious chronic diseases have their roots in childhood and adolescence. This applies primarily to diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as hypertension or coronary heart disease in adults.

The article presents historical materials formation and development of the source of mineral water Donat Mg (Slovenia), its unique properties, the study of which is not indifferent to several generations of scientists. Donat Mg is a mineral water, which has become a "bridge" linking researchers of the past and future generations, and leading to new findings.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common pathology among children, especially infants. [1] Clinical manifestations of UTI are varied and depend on the severity of the inflammatory process, age, sex and the nature of comorbidities. UTI is a collective term that unites all infectious and inflammatory diseases of the urinary system. Only a comprehensive nephrological examination and determination of the level of damage to the urinary system allow to make a more accurate diagnosis (pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis, abacterial leukocyturia).

From the moment the modern concepts of the pathogenesis of celiac disease were shaped, the role of environmental factors in its development has been widely discussed. The interest of a majority of researchers was attracted to the potential influence of the nature of infant feeding on the risk of the disease. The authors analyzed studies published over the last 15 years demonstrating the changing perceptions of the role of breastfeeding and timing of introducing gluten-containing products in the pathogenesis of celiac disease. Results of the largest recently published controlled trials provided reliable data that it is impossible to develop oral tolerance to gluten in genetically determined celiac disease, while the risk and timing of the disease onset are primarily conditioned by the specific genotype of the patient.

177 healthy children aged 10-12 years (11,3 ± 0,3 years; 92 boys) were examined in order to determine the prevalence of ECG phenomenon characterized by variable morphology and amplitude of P-wave, its evaluation criteria, as well as association with the physiological characteristics of the cardiovascular system and vegetative homeostasis in children.