According to Georgian doctors dental caries and periodontal infections are the most common somatic microbial diseases in the adult population, and are due to etiological causes and other factors. Mamuka (Vladimer) Margvelashvili, PhD in Medicine and Head of the Department of Dental and Face and Jaw Surgery at the TSU Faculty of Medicine, supervised research on these issues in 2013-14. The study was carried out with Manana Kalandadze, PhD in Medicine, Associate Professor of the Department, and with Lela Tsitaishvili, PhD in Medicine.
In addition to organic and inorganic compounds, 20 chemical microelements are vital for the healthy life of a human being and other living organisms; one of them is bivalent manganese. Its presence in the human organism determines the functioning of a number of processes such as the intensification of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, in the organic metabolism (albuminous ferments), reproductive glands, the musculoskeletal system, nerve cell membranes and the nervous system as well as blood cleansing. The Laboratory of Experimental Neurology at I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine and the Department of Pathology at the TSU Faculty of Medicine began a study in January 2013, to continue until December 2016.
The Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Public Health studied Epizootic Activity of Natural Foci of Plague on the territory of Georgia between 2005 and 2013. Tbilisi State University (TSU) scientists are based at the center under the direction of Tbilisi State University’s healthcare sector. Since the disease is usually preceded by epizootics (outbreak of disease among rodent populations) before it spreads through the human population, a comprehensive study of similar foci is very important for prevention.
The National Institute of Endocrinology (NIE) is one of the leading endocrinology clinics in Georgia and serves as the base for the Endocrinology Department of the Faculty of Medicine at TSU. In addition to its large team of endocrinologists, the Institute brings together a wide range of specialists including surgeons, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, neuro-pathologists, andrologists, etc. The Institute offers outpatient, inpatient and surgical services and conducts scientific and clinical studies with TSU Department of Endocrinology or through the support of donor organizations. Approximately 20 scientific studies are underway at the Institute today.
According to a group of TSU scientists studying the morpho-epidemiology of thyroid gland diseases, 51.3% of the Georgian population suffers from different types of hypothyroidism. Researchers at the TSU Alexander Natishvili Institute of Morphology conducted a study entitled “Structural and Receptor Identification of Hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone deficiency) based on Surgical Materials from Georgian Regions”. The material and technical resources of the Clinical and Experimental Pathology Department of the Institute of Morphology, as well as the clinical and diagnostic laboratory (immune-ferment, densitometry) of the National Institute of Endocrinology were used during the study.
For the last 15-20 years medical researchers have studied the application of nanoparticles that have magnetic properties. This interest can be explained by the amazing possibility of controlling nanoparticles remotely through the application of a magnetic field. Today scientists use nanoparticles to develop a method of treating oncological diseases. Local hyperthermia could now become one of the major methods of treating cancer patients.
Clinical and experimental research projects are being implemented parallel to histopathological examinations at the Center of Clinical Pathology of the Alexander Natishvili Institute of Morphology, TSU. An ongoing project launched in 2009 involves research on the “early ductular reaction phenomenon” to determine why there is an increased number of ductules--small anatomical bile ducts – in liver tissue at the early stages of cholestasis.
The Artificial Blood Circulation system, or a perfusion system, is a device that takes over the functions of the heart and lungs. It facilitates artificial blood circulation and delivers oxygen to the human organism. Scientists at Alexander Natishvili Institute of Morphology of Tbilisi State University started to work on the development of a perfusion system model in 2004. Today these researchers will present their invention to society. It is more economical than other well-known perfusion systems and at the same time respects all the parameters of more expensive systems.
Dentists believe that the mouth cavity is a mirror of the entire human organism, as its condition simultaneously reflects and defines the general condition of human health. Cavities are multi-factorial affecting different parts of the teeth and causing tooth decay. According to the data of international organizations tooth decay is one of the most widespread diseases in both children and adults. Research conducted by TSU scientists on “Tooth decay and the state of periodontal tissue in Georgian pediatric dentistry” was a six-month study that examined the issue for school children in 2011. Children living in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Akhaltsikhe and Marneuli were examined during this period. The project was implemented by the Department of Stomatology and Jaw & Facial Surgery at the TSU Faculty of Medicine in cooperation with the Israeli Division of the International Association for Dental Research.