BackgroundOver 1 billion people suffer from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD, rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. They cause an enormous burden and are considered as major non-communicable diseases. Many patients are still uncontrolled and the cost of inaction is unacceptable. A meeting was held in Vilnius, Lithuania (March 23, 2018) under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and several scientific societies to propose multisectoral care pathways embedding guided self-management, mHealth and air pollution in selected chronic respiratory diseases (rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma and COPD). The meeting resulted in the Vilnius Declaration that was developed by the participants of the EU Summit on chronic respiratory diseases under the leadership of Euforea.ConclusionThe Vilnius Declaration represents an important step for the fight against air pollution in chronic respiratory diseases globally and has a clear strategic relevance with regard to the EU Health Strategy as it will bring added value to the existing public health knowledge.
Objective: Smoking is a serious problem that has a devastating impact on health. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of and factors influencing smoking among medical and non-medical students in Tbilisi, Georgia, as well as to determine whether medical education has an impact on smoking. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Tbilisi State Medical University and Tbilisi State University, both of which are located in Tbilisi, Georgia. A total of 400 4th-year students (200 students at each university) were asked to complete standardized questionnaires. Results: Of the sample as a whole, 48.75% were identified as smokers and 51.25% were identified as nonsmokers. The mean age was 20.24 years among smokers and 20.26 years among nonsmokers. Of the medical students, 49.5% were smokers, as were 48.0% of the non-medical students. The male-to-female ratio in the study population was 0.9:1.1. Smoking was found to have a strong relationship with gender, males accounting for 65% of all smokers. Of the smokers, 56.9% stated that they would like to quit smoking (for health or financial reasons). Of the medical students, 59.5% expressed a willingness to quit smoking, as did 54.2% of the non-medical students. Conclusions: There is a need to improve smoking education for undergraduate students. Special attention should be given to the inclusion of anti-smoking education in undergraduate curricula, as well as to the implementation of smoking prevention campaigns at institutions of higher education. However, such measures will be effective only if tobacco control policies are strictly enforced on the national level as well.Keywords: Attitude to Health; Smoking; Students, Medical; Prevalence. ResumoObjetivo: O tabagismo é um problema sério, cujo impacto na saúde é devastador. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a prevalência do tabagismo e os fatores que o influenciam em estudantes de medicina e outros universitários em Tbilisi, Geórgia, bem como determinar se a educação médica tem impacto no tabagismo. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo transversal na Universidade Médica Estadual de Tbilisi e na Universidade Estadual de Tbilisi, ambas em Tbilisi, Geórgia. Pedimos a 400 alunos de quarto ano (200 em cada universidade) que respondessem a questionários padronizados. Resultados: Do total da amostra, 48,75% eram fumantes e 51,25% eram não fumantes. A média de idade dos fumantes foi de 20,24 anos e a dos não fumantes foi de 20,26 anos. Dos estudantes de medicina, 49,5% eram fumantes, assim como o eram 48,0% dos universitários que não estudavam medicina. A razão entre os gêneros masculino e feminino foi de 0,9:1,1. O tabagismo apresentou forte relação com o gênero; 65% dos fumantes eram do sexo masculino. Dos fumantes, 56,9% disseram que gostariam de parar de fumar (por motivos de saúde ou financeiros). Dos estudantes de medicina, 59,5% disseram que estavam dispostos a parar de fumar, assim como o disseram 54,2% dos universitários que não estudavam medicina. Conclusões: É preciso melhorar a educaç...
We have identified TNF-a, as a biomarker, which can be detected in children under 3 years of age and may be useful in the prediction of development of persistence of wheezing later. To further evaluate the usefulness of this and other markers and establish cutoff levels for prediction and use in clinical practice, a larger prospective follow-up study is needed.
ObjectiveMain aims of our study were to investigate occurrence of Clostridium difficile among hospitalized pediatric patients in Georgia and examine risk factors for the development of C. difficile infection. During our study we tested and piloted the real-time PCR diagnostic systems for rapid and simultaneous identification of C. difficile and number of other pathogens in our facility settings. A cross-sectional study has been performed in children less than 18 years of age in two pediatric hospitals in Georgia, between May 2016 and December 2017. Stool specimens negative by the conventional bacteriology analysis were analyzed for the presence of C. difficile and several viral and protozoa pathogens using enzyme immune assay and polymerase chain reaction. In total samples from 220 hospitalized children with gastroenteritis symptoms were analyzed in this study.ResultsThe average age of the study participants was 4.7 years. Overall 23 children were identified positive for C. difficile (10.5%). Antibiotic exposure within 2 months preceding the onset of diarrhea was associated with an increased risk of C. difficile infections. The risk was greatest with cephalosporins, followed by penicillins, carbapenems and macrolides. Clostridium difficile is an important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea in pediatric population of Georgia.
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