Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are an alternative to traditional tobacco cigarette smoking. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among university students from Central and Eastern Europe and to investigate personal characteristics associated with cigarette and e-cigarette smoking. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was performed between 2017–2018 among university students in five European countries: Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia. The questionnaire included 46 questions related to the frequency and habits of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes use. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 14,352 students (8800 medical; aged 20.9 ± 2.4 years) with an overall response rate of 72.2%. Two-thirds of the respondents had smoked a traditional tobacco cigarette and 43.7% had used an e-cigarette. Overall current smoking status included 12.3% traditional cigarette smokers, 1.1% e-cigarette users, and 1.8% were dual users with the remainder being non-smokers. Smoking status differed between the research centres (p < 0.001). Females were less likely to try either cigarettes (OR = 0.83) or e-cigarettes (OR = 0.62) and were less likely to be current cigarette (OR = 0.64), e-cigarette (OR = 0.34), or dual users (OR = 0.33) than males. Perception of e-cigarettes significantly differed between smokers and non-smokers (p < 0.001). Among university students, cigarettes are more popular than e-cigarettes.

BackgroundBacterial and viral respiratory tract infections may trigger relapses in patients with PR3-positive vasculitis. Data have suggested that treatment with co-trimoxazole may be beneficial, because this antibiotic could act by eliminating the offending microbe and thereby stopping the initiating stimulus.Goal and methodsProspective, randomized, placebocontrolled study of the efficacy of co-trimoxazole given 960 mg thrice weekly for 18 months in preventing relapses in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) in remission, after treatment with cyclophosphamide and prednisolone was conducted. Relapses and infections were assessed with predefined criteria based on clinical, laboratory, serological, microbiological, and histopathological findings. Sixteen patients were assigned to receive co-trimoxazole and 15 to receive placebo.ResultsSeventy five percent of the patients in the co-trimoxazole group remained in remission at 18 months and 55% of those in the placebo group. A proportional hazard regression analysis identified a positive PR3-ANCA test at the start of treatment, chronic nasal crusting, and Staphylococus aureus infection as risk factors for relapse. Furthermore, the analysis identified treatment with co-trimoxazole as an independent factor associated with prolonged diseasefree interval.ConclusionTreatment with co-trimoxazole reduces the incidence of relapses in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis in remission.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations are rare among Polish children, and the reasons are scant. The objective was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and awareness of parents about HPV vaccination to investigate reasons for low HPV vaccination coverage. Methods: 387 parents of children hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital were asked to participate in an anonymous and voluntary survey study. Three hundred and two surveys were returned. Results: Only 54% of participants have heard about HPV, while 26% know that it is a sexually transmitted disease. According to 71% of responders, vaccines are generally effective, and 63% claim that they are safe. However, only 5% of daughters and 4% of sons are vaccinated against HPV. A total of 25% of parents spoke with their doctor about HPV-related diseases and prevention methods. A higher level of education (p = 0.01), knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (p < 0.0001), perceiving vaccination as an effective and safe prophylactic method (p < 0.0001), and conversations with a doctor (p < 0.0001) are strong motivators to vaccinate children against HPV. This decision is free of religious beliefs, origin, age, gender and the number of children. Conclusions: Polish parents have a positive attitude towards vaccination. They recognize the limitations of their knowledge and express a desire to further it. Educational activity is an important element of physicians’ work.

Supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias are common among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Multiple factors can contribute to the development of arrhythmias in patients with exacerbation of the disease, including: respiratory or heart failure, hypertension, coronary disease and also medications. In the present study we seek to determine the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias and risk factors among patients with exacerbation of COPD. The study was a retrospective evaluation of 2753 24-h Holter recordings of patients hospitalized in 2004-2016. Exacerbation of COPD was diagnosed in 152 patients and the prevalence of arrhythmias in this group of patients was 97%. The commonest arrhythmia was ventricular premature beats (VPB) - 88.8%, followed by supraventricular premature beats (SPB) - 56.5%. Permanent atrial fibrillation accounted for 30.3% and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) for 12.5%. Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) was noted in 34.2% patients and ventricular tachycardia in 25.6%. Respiratory failure increased the risk of SPB, while heart failure increased the risk of VPB. Treatment with theophylline was associated with a higher proportion of PAF and SVT. In conclusion, COPD exacerbation is associated with a high prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias. COPD treatment and comorbidities increase the risk of arrhythmias.

Fel dI is produced by salivary and sebaceous glands. Hormonal control of sebum production is clearly established. The influence of cat castration and supplementary treatment with testosterone on the production of sebum and Fel dI in cat skin have been researched in this study. On day 1, 12 male cats were anaesthetized and three skin areas carefully shaven. Then the level of lipids on skin surface was measured by means of a photometric method. Finally, the three areas of skin were washed with 5ml of distilled water through a plastic cylinder. Fel dI collected in the washes was measured with a two-site monoclonal antibody based ELISA. On day 2, six cats were castrated, the other six were used as a control group. Two and 4 weeks later, the levels of lipids and Fel dI in skin washes were measured again in all cats. On day 30, the six castrated cats were injected intramuscularly with prolonged-action testosterone. Two weeks later, quantification of lipids and Fel dI in all animals was repeated. Sebum and Fel dI levels decreased in all castrated animals. Injecting the castrated cats with testosterone led to a significant increase in sebum and Fel dI production. Our findings indicate that Fel dI production is influenced by the production of hormones.

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Current and detailed knowledge of antibiotic use is essential in order to implement strategies for reducing the overuse of antibiotics. The objective of our study was to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the hospital antibiotic policy (HAP) by assessing antibiotic consumption in the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) in Warsaw, Poland, before and after this intervention. Antibiotic use was calculated in daily defined doses (DDDs) per 100 patient-days and DDDs per 100 admissions. The antibiotics were ranked by volume of DDDs and the number of antibiotics, which accounted for 90 % and 100 % of the total volume, respectively: DU90% and DU100% (where DU stands for drug use). Total antibiotic consumption increased slightly after the introduction of the HAP: the total DDDS was 707.87 and 753.12 in 2011 and 2012, while the number of DDDs/100 admissions was 352.17 and 369.12 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. After the introduction of the HAP, an increase in ampicillin and aminoglycoside use was observed, along with a reduction in the DU100% and DU90% rates (15 vs. 9 and 4 vs. 3, respectively). The introduction of the HAP resulted in changes in antibiotic consumption patterns, but the general antibiotic consumption density remained the same.

A morphometric study of cat sebaceous glands was performed to evaluate the effects of castration and testosterone treatments. Skin biopsies were taken in six cats before castration, after castration and after the testosterone injections administered after castration (total number of biopsies: 18). Ninety 811m thick sections of each biopsy were assessed for image analysis processing (SAM BA 2005, ALCATEL TITN). The variations in glands and cells size were evaluated on digitized microscopic images by morphometric parameters included in the SAMBA software package. An original software was developed for the analysis of the spacial gland structure. The best morphometric parameters were selected in a first step of the study, and included the nuclear surface (NS), the cell surface (CS) and the nuclear/cellular surface ratio (N/C). These three parameters were then compared in each group of samples for the six cats. It was shown that after castration the N/C (21%) significantly increased compared with prior to castration (12'6%), This 59·8% increase was mainly due to cell cytoplasm shrinking reflecting a decrease of the cell activity. The testosterone administered after castration produced a reverse effect with a N/C ratio back to normal (11-4%) and a significant cell cytoplasm and gland enlargement as shown by the three dimension constructions. This morphometric data correlated with the measurement of sebum and Feld I productions. The negative effects of castration and the positive effects of testosterone on the sebaceous cells and glands volume favour the hypothesis that cat sebaceous cells are subject to hormonal control this is also likely to apply to the Feld I production.