The aim of this study was to evaluate trends of potential years of life lost (PYLL) rates in the Slovak population and analyze the average annual percent change (AAPC) of PYLL rates regarding the ...most common causes of death between 2004 and 2013. National mortality and demographic data were obtained from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, and 378,535 causes of death within the period were analyzed. The PYLL values in both genders and each disease category were added up across all age groups to form annual values. For the trend analysis, the AAPC indicator was proposed. The PYLL rate is age-standardized and expressed as a sum of all deaths per 100,000. In the period 2004-2013, the highest mean PYLL rates were observed in neoplasms in the whole population (2,103 per 100,000), as well as in females (2,088 per 100,000), with a permanent high significant increase of AAPC of PYLL in both genders. The second highest mean PYLL rate in the ten-year period was related to circulatory system diseases in total (1,922 per 100,000) as well as in females (1,449 per 100,000). In males, circulatory system diseases had the highest PYLL rate (2,397 per 100,000). The PYLL rates trend regarding external causes of morbidity and mortality showed the most notable decrease in the assessed period and the AAPC of PYLL showed significant negative values both in males (-2.5%; p < 0.001) and females (-4%; p < 0.001). Our results should contribute in developing intervention programs aimed at reducing the burden of premature mortality since the main causes of premature death are associated to well-known and preventable risk factors.
Exposure to ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) is one of the most toxic environmental exposures.
To investigate the association of ETS with physiological, biochemical, and psychological indicators, as ...well as with urine antioxidant capacity (AC) and oxidative damage to lipids in a pilot sample of healthy pregnant women.
Exposure to ETS was investigated via a validated questionnaire, and urine cotinine and the marker of oxidative damage to lipids via 8-isoprostane concentrations using an ELISA kit. Urine AC was determined by the spectrophotometric Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) method. From a sample of pregnant women (
= 319, average age 30.84 ± 5.09 years) in 80, the levels of cotinine and oxidative stress markers were analyzed.
Among the 80 pregnant women, 5% (7.4% confirmed by cotinine) reported being current smokers and 25% reported passive smoking in the household (18.8% confirmed by cotinine). The Kappa was 0.78 for smokers and 0.22 for ETS-exposed nonsmokers. Pregnant women in the ETS-exposed group had significantly reduced AC compared to both the nonsmoker (ETS-) and the smoker groups (
< 0.05). Nonsmokers had significantly lower levels of 8-isoprostane than smokers (
< 0.01) and ETS-exposed nonsmokers (
< 0.05). Correlations between urine levels of cotinine and AC were positive in ETS-exposed nonsmokers.
A harmful association of active and passive smoking and oxidative stress parameters among pregnant women has been indicated.
Annoyance and sleep disturbance are the most common community responses to road traffic noise, and they account for the majority of the environmental noise burden in Europe. The findings of a ...cross-sectional study - a questionnaire survey of residents living in newly built apartment houses in some Slovak towns (Bratislava, Trencin, Martin, Piestany) are presented in this paper. The average age of the 543 respondents was 45 ± 4 years, 53 % were females, and 81 % had lived in their current home for more than five years. Traffic noise measurements on noisy facades
= 51.8 dB to 72.4 dB,
= 41.9 dB to 64 dB were supplemented by a standardized questionnaire. In comparison to respondents with bedroom windows facing quiet streets, those who face noisy streets are less satisfied with their quality of life, less sensitive to noise, and more irritable and restless during the day and night
= 2.54; 95 %
= 1.38-4.92. After the results have become completed, we hope to suggest temporary solutions for noisy apartment building facades, as well as intervention techniques, and to apply sound city planning principles.
Objective: This study investigated the effect of a single administration of dark or milk chocolate on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and double product (DP) in young healthy women at rest and ...during acute mental stress.
Method: Measurements consisted of anthropometry, BP, and HR. Mean arterial BP (MAP) and DP were computed. The relative reactivity of individual variables was quantified as to their percentage change during the rest or test of mental arithmetic (MA) with respect to the respective baseline value. All subjects underwent two tests of MA-one before chocolate administration and the second one 2 hours after chocolate (1 mg/g of body weight) ingestion.
Results: Two hours after ingestion at rest, dark chocolate administration resulted in a significant increase in relative values of systolic BP and DP by 5.1% ± 1.4% and 13.7% ± 3.2%, respectively, compared to the responses in the milk chocolate group (−2.4% ± 1.6% and 0.6% ± 3.4%, respectively, p < 0.04 for both comparisons) without changes in diastolic BP, HR, and MAP. During MA-induced acute stress, the relative magnitude of the reactivity of diastolic BP, HR, MAP, and DP decreased by about 10, 16, 8, and 23 percentage points, respectively, 2 hours after ingestion of dark chocolate compared to the relative reactivity determined before dark chocolate ingestion. Milk chocolate failed to affect any of the above-mentioned parameters at rest or during stress.
Conclusions: The single oral intake of 85% dark chocolate increased relative values of systolic BP and DP at rest but buffered the reactivity of diastolic BP, HR, MAP, and DP during mental stress, which was not found after ingestion of milk chocolate. Thus, dark chocolate might have a beneficial effect during acute stress due to its ability to buffer cardiovascular reactivity in young healthy women.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the adverse effects of community noise on health and the response to noise exposure in residential areas of Bratislava. The study quantifies the exposure to ...different environmental noise sources as well as the social noise exposure in the sample of university students. The validated methodology according to ICBEN and the Ohrkan study was used. The measurement of ambient noise levels was done using hand-held sound level analyzer. There were 837 university students (256 males), average age 23.09 ± 2.23, enrolled into the study so far; 267 in the housing facility exposed to road traffic noise (LAeq = 67.6 dB) and 570 in the control one (LAeq = 53.4 dB). From the total sample 79.2% students reported the use of personal music players (PMP) in the last week in the average time of 293 minutes. There was a significant difference between the duration and frequency of listening to PMP between the exposed and the control group. There was not significant difference between the duration of time spent at activities with high noise exposure. The results of the study showed the importance of road traffic noise and the social noise for health as well and the need for a preventive action.
Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the use of electronic cigarettes (EC) among medical students, their knowledge and beliefs (opinion about harmfulness and addiction potential) on ECs, ...perceptions of the risk, as well as to assess the type of education and cessation training they received during their study at Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Methods: This cross-sectional, anonymous online e-mailed survey was conducted among medical students via the Study Department by sending e-mails containing the survey link. Participants completed the online questionnaire adapted from the American Survey on Tobacco and Alternative Tobacco Products. It included questions about the personal use of EC, perceptions about the harms and their role in disease causation, education and cessation training, and practices related to conventional cigarettes (CC), EC, and alternative tobacco products (ATP). The e-mailed questionnaire filled in 577 medical students (71.9% women) from Comenius University in Bratislava, the average age was 23 ± 2 years. The sample comprised 486 (84.2%) Slovak and 91 (15.8%) foreign students. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25. Results: There were 385 (66.7%) non-smokers, 111 (19.3%) ex-smokers and 81 (14%) current smokers in the study sample. EC currently use 13.5% of medical students, with a statistically significant intersexual difference (22.2% males vs. 10.12% females; OR=2.53, 95% CI: 1.55-4.13), more foreign students than Slovak students (24.2% vs. 11.52%; OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.41-4.26), more smokers of conventional cigarettes than non-smokers (46.9% vs. 8.06%; OR=10.07, 95% CI: 5.85-17.34). EC seems to be less harmful to 59.97% of students, mostly in the age group < 24 (61.76% vs. 51.49%; OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.03-2.07), 41.25% of students consider EC to be less addictive, 55.6% think they do not get enough education on EC during their medical study. Conclusion: The results overall show the high consumption of tobacco products and the lack of knowledge and awareness among medical students, future health care providers. In health promotion and disease prevention, they should serve as a model for their patients and for the general public as well. Our study emphasizes the need for intervention in this field at medical faculties and for support of further monitoring in Slovakia and other countries and draws attention to the ongoing lack of EC regulation.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of selected pregnancy pathologies statistically depending on overweight/obesity and excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy on women who gave birth in ...the years 2013-2015 at the Second Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University Hospital in Bratislava, Slovakia. In a retrospective study, we analyzed data gathered from the sample, which consisted of 7122 women. Our results suggest a statistically significant, higher risk for the groups of women with overweight and obesity and gestational hypertension (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 15.3; 95% CI 9.0-25.8 for obesity), preeclampsia (AOR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.9-6.0 for overweight and AOR = 13.2; 95% CI 7.7-22.5 for obesity), and gestational diabetes mellitus (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-2.9 for overweight and AOR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.4-4.0 for obesity). A higher incidence of pregnancies terminated by cesarean section was observed in the group of obese women. Gestational weight gain above IOM (Institute of Medicine) recommendations was associated with a higher risk of pregnancy terminated by C-section (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.3), gestational hypertension (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.0-2.7), and infant macrosomia (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.3-2.1). Overweight and obesity during pregnancy significantly contribute to the development of pregnancy pathologies and increased incidence of cesarean section. Systematic efforts to reduce weight before pregnancy through prepregnancy dietary counseling, regular physical activity, and healthy lifestyle should be the primary goal.
The objective of our study was to investigate and evaluate the relationship between road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk.
The study sample (
n
=
659; 36.9% male, 63.1% female university ...students, mean age 22.83
±
1.58
years) included a group exposed to road traffic noise (
n
=
280,
L
eq,24
h
=
67
±
2
dB(A)) and a control group (
n
=
379,
L
eq,24
h
=
58.7
±
6
dB(A)). Subjective response was determined by a validated noise annoyance questionnaire. The ten year risk of developing a coronary heart disease event was quantified as an evaluation of cardiovascular risk (SCORE60, Framingham 10-year risk estimation and projection to the age of 60, relative risk SCORE chart).
Cardiovascular risk scores were significantly higher in the exposed group based on the Framingham scores projected to the age of 60, SCORE60 (AOR
=
2.72 (95% CI
=
1.21–6.15)) and the relative risk SCORE chart (AOR
=
2.81 (1.46–5.41)).
These findings highlight the association between road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk.
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