Fecal microbiota transplantation is a treatment method based on the introduction of donated fecal material to the recipient in order to restore the damaged composition of the intestinal microbiota. This review summarizes existing data on indications for fecal microbiota transplantation, recommendations for donor selection, processing and storage of donor biomaterial.

Aim. A literature review of intestinal permeability assessment techniques.Key points. The intestinal barrier is a functional entity separating the intestinal lumen and internal body, and intestinal permeability is a measure of the barrier functionality. The intestinal barrier integrity and permeability assays differ by the application setting (in vivo or ex vivo), subject (human or animal), marker molecules used to assess permeability (ions, various size carbohydrates, macromolecules, antigens, bacterial products and bacteria), biomaterial for the marker concentration assays (peripheral blood, portal venous blood, urine, stool). Despite a great variety of methods for assessing intestinal permeability, their clinical application requires further studies due to a lack of standardisation, the complexity of selected techniques and occasional limited reliability of results.Conclusion. Further investigation and improvement of intestinal permeability assays is required. The assay and result standardisation will facilitate practice in functional and organic intestinal diseases, as well as allergies, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and some other illnesses.

Aim . A literature review of intestinal permeability assessment techniques. Key points . The intestinal barrier is a functional entity separating the intestinal lumen and internal body, and intestinal permeability is a measure of the barrier functionality. The intestinal barrier integrity and permeability assays differ by the application setting ( in vivo or ex vivo ), subject (human or animal), marker molecules used to assess permeability (ions, various size carbohydrates, macromolecules, antigens, bacterial products and bacteria), biomaterial for the marker concentration assays (peripheral blood, portal venous blood, urine, stool). Despite a great variety of methods for assessing intestinal permeability, their clinical application requires further studies due to a lack of standardisation, the complexity of selected techniques and occasional limited reliability of results. Conclusion . Further investigation and improvement of intestinal permeability assays is required. The assay and result standardisation will facilitate practice in functional and organic intestinal diseases, as well as allergies, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and some other illnesses.

Nodular formations of the thyroid gland are quite a widespread pathology. The prevalence of nodular goiter in the population is present in 50–70% of the total population. Basically, thyroid nodes are benign and aren’t a direct threat to human life. Laser-induced thermotherapy is one of the minimally invasive methods of treatment. The main idea of laser-induced thermotherapy is to heat the thyroid nodule by laser radiation with a wavelength of 805–1060 nm to a temperature of 41–46°С. In this case, the results of treatment by laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) in 7 patients with nontoxic goiter were studied. There were no complications after the procedure. The technique of LITT showed high efficiency as a treatment of nontoxic goiter, because in many cases there was a decrease in the size of the thyroid node by 71.6 ± 16.8%. The introduction of LITT to the clinical practice and inclusion it into guidelines of nodular non-toxic goiter treatment can give to patient opportunity to treat nodes without surgical operations.