The aim of this study was to identify probable intermediate biomarkers of disturbed pathways and their link between smoking. Methods Un-stimulated whole saliva and serum samples were collected from a total of 30 systemically healthy participants with periodontally healthy smokers (S) (n=15) and nonsmokers (n=15). Periodontal indices (plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level) were recorded to confirm periodontal health. Saliva was purified, and a total of 28 amino acids and metabolites were analyzed by liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Smoking status was validated measuring serum cotinine levels. Intergroup comparisons were assessed using the Mann Whitney U test. Results When 28 amino acids were evaluated, smokers had statistically significantly higher cystathionine levels than non-smokers (p <0.05). Conclusions Saliva cystathionine is associated with smoking in periodontally healthy individuals, and is possibly related to altered sulfuration pathway.

Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are risk factors for developing non-communicable diseases. This study analyzed current levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors among the adult population of Armenia. Data were collected through a national STEPS survey of non-communicable diseases risk factors on a nationally-representative sample of 2,380 participants aged 18-69 years in Armenia in 2016. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity levels. Two out of ten people (21.6%) in Armenia did not meet the minimum levels of physical activity recommended by WHO to protect health. 13.2% of population spent over 8 h per day sitting, 47.2% were inactive at work and 32.4% did not do any transport-related physical activity. Only 13.8% of participants were physically active during leisure time. Specific groups with relatively high levels of physical inactivity were older adults, residents of Yerevan, people with lower levels of education, the unemployed and people who were retired. Sedentary behavior was more common among men, students, people who were retired, unemployed, residents of Yerevan, and adults aged under 30 and over 45 years.

Background Screening for breast cancer and cervical cancer in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union is largely opportunistic, and countries in the region have among the highest cervical cancer incidence in the WHO European Region. We aimed to compare the stage-specific distributions and changes over time in breast cancer and cervical cancer incidence in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.Methods We collected breast cancer and cervical cancer incidence data from official statistics from Armenia,

Background Screening programs play an important role in a comprehensive strategy to prevent cervical cancer, a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information about rates of cervical cancer testing, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where levels of cervical cancer are among the highest in the WHO European Region. The purpose of this article is to report on the lifetime prevalence of cervical cancer testing among females aged 30–49 years from across the WHO European region, and to describe high-level geographic and socioeconomic differences. Methods We used data from the European Health Information Survey and the WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance survey to calculate the proportions of women who were tested for cervical cancer. Results The percentage of tested women ranged from 11.7% in Azerbaijan to 98.4% in Finland, with the lowest percentages observed in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Testing was lower in Eastern Europe (compared to Western Europe), among low-income countries and among women with lower levels of education. Conclusion Effective cervical cancer screening programs are one part of a larger strategy, which must also include national scale-up of human papilloma virus vaccination, screening and treatment.

Objective: Leukemia represents a serious public health concern as the incidence is increasing worldwide. In this study we aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and myeloid (AML) leukemia, identify disease clusters and find association with possible risk factors. Methods: Data on leukemia cases were provided by the National Institute of Health of the Republic of Armenia for the period of 2012-2018. Age-standardized incidence rate was calculated using Segi World Population. SaTScan purely spatial analysis was applied to find leukemia clusters. To find association between leukemia and agricultural and mining activities and demographic data Poisson regression model was used. Results: During the studied period 259 new cases of ALL and 478 AML were recorded. The agestandardized incidence rate was 1.5 and 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants with male to female ratio of 0.97 and 1.1 for ALL and AML, respectively. No significant changes in ALL or AML incidence trends were found. For ALL significant cluster encompassing Shirak, Lori, Tavush and Armavir provinces of Armenia was identified, while Kotayk and Ararat was provinces with the highest incidence of AML. We found significant positive association of ALL with crop density, while no elevated risk estimates were found between AML and exposure variables. Conclusion: Altogether, our results suggested that acute leukemias incidence in Armenia follows the pattern described for developing countries.