Frailty is recognized as one of the most important global health challenges as the population is aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate prevalence and incidence of frailty, and associated ...factors, among the population of older adults in Slovenia compared to other European countries.
The prevalence and 4-year incidence of frailty among older adults (≥65 years) were evaluated using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Frailty was defined by the SHARE operationalization of Frailty phenotype. Multiple logistic regression model was used to explore factors associated with frailty.
Age-standardized prevalence (95% CI) of frailty and pre-frailty in Slovenia were 14.9% (13.3-16.5) and 42.5% (39.8-45.2), respectively. Factors (OR, 95% CI) associated with increased frailty in Slovenia included age (7584 years: 5.03 (3.08-8.22); ≥85 years 21.7 (10.6-44.7) vs. 65-74 years), self-rated health (fair: 4.58 (2.75-7.61), poor: 54.6 (28.1-105.9) vs. excellent/very good/good), number of chronic diseases (1.20 (1.03-1.40)), and polypharmacy (yes: 3.25 (1.93-5.48) vs. no). Female gender and lower education were significantly associated with pre-frailty, but not frailty, in the adjusted model. Independently of these characteristics, age-standardized prevalence of frailty varied among geographical regions. Age-standardized 4-year incidence of frailty and pre-frailty in Slovenia were 6.6% (3.0-10.1) and 40.2% (32.7-47.6), respectively.
Among the Slovenian population of older adults aged 65 years and older, the age-standardized prevalence of frailty is 15% and 4-year incidence of frailty is 7%. Regional differences in Slovenia show the lowest prevalence in central Slovenian regions and the highest in northeastern Slovenian regions.
Previous studies among the Serbian population concluded that the trend of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills requires deeper study. The objective is to identify gender differences ...in socio-demographic, health, and health service predictors of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills in a Serbian population of 15 years old and above.
This was a population-based, cross-sectional study. Data was extracted from the most recently available results of the Serbian National Health Survey of 2013. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent self-medication predictors.
The study included 14,623 participants, of which 51.77% were female. While 5.6% of the females reported self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills, only 2.2% of males reported such practice (p<0.001). The presence of chronic disease, stress, and physical pain in the last month before the interview was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of self-medication with observed drugs in both genders. Age was the most significant socio-demographic predictor of self-medication in females, while in males it was unemployment. Women of 55-65 years of age showed a greater risk from self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills in comparison to women of 15-24 years of age (aOR=4.75, 95% CI: 1.83-12.33). Unemployed males showed a greater tendency for such practice in comparison to employed (aOR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.19-2.91).
The findings highlighted predictors of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills and important differences between genders, which may contribute to the design of gender-sensitive surveillance, identification, and the prevention of such undesirable practices through evidence-based and appropriately tailored public health actions.
Electronic survey mode has become a more common tool of research than it used to be previously. This is strongly associated with the overall digitization of modern society. However, the evidence on ...the possible mode effect on study results has been scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the comparability of findings on health and behaviours using a paper-versus-electronic mode of survey with randomization design among schoolchildren.
A randomized study was conducted using a mandatory questionnaire on international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Lithuania, enrolling 531 schoolchildren aged 11-15 years. The questionnaire included health and social topics about physical activity, risk behaviours, self-reported health and symptoms, life satisfaction, bullying, fighting, family and school environment, peer relationships, electronic media communication, sociodemographic indicators, etc. The schoolchildren within classes were randomly selected for electronic or paper mode.
It was found that by study mode differences are inconsistent and in the majority of cases do not exceed 5%-point difference between the modes. The only significant difference was that in the paper survey the participants reported more exercise than in the electronic survey (OR=8.08, P<.001). Other trends were nonsignificant and did not show a consistent pattern - in certain behaviours the paper mode was related to healthier choices, while in others - the electronic.
The use of electronic questionnaires in surveys of schoolchildren may provide findings that are comparable with concurrent or previously conducted paper surveys.
On the basis of floristic surveys, examination of herbarium specimens and review of literature, notes on the taxonomy, morphology, and ecological features are given of Oxybasis chenopodioides and ...morphologically fairly similar Oxybasis rubra. Their distributions in Italy according to Provinces are discussed and mapped.
Na podlagi florističnih raziskav, proučevanj herbarijskih primerkov in pregleda literature smo podali opombe k taksonomiji, morfologiji in ekologiji vrste Oxybasis chenopodioides in morfološko zelo podobne Oxybasis rubra. Prikazali in obravnavali smo njihovo razširjenost v provincah Italije.
The aims were: evaluation of the correlation between the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) and Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON); the assessment of orthodontic treatment need for schoolchildren ...in a population with two indices, separately for schoolchildren with mixed and permanent dentition; the estimation of the population share that could not receive orthodontic treatment because of the presence of caries and/or gingivitis.
A total of 2652 Zagreb school children (7 - 19 years old, 52.4% of them were females) completed a questionnaire regarding previous orthodontic treatment and the type of appliance used. Their oral cavity was also inspected. The DAI and ICON indices were used for the assessment of malocclusion prevalence.
The subjects with mixed dentition had a greater need for orthodontic treatment, when compared to subjects with permanent dentition, when using the DAI index (p<0.001). When using the ICON index, 11.7% of subjects with mixed dentition had very severe malocclusion, as opposed to 5.8% of subjects with permanent dentition. The DAI and ICON scores correlated positively linearly (r=0.521; p<0.001). A higher prevalence of both gingivitis and caries was recorded more often in boys; caries more often in the group with the mixed dentition, and gingivitis in the group with permanent dentition (p<0.05).
The DAI and ICON indices have moderate agreement in assessment of malocclusion severity scores. One third of all schoolchildren with various degrees of both ICON and DAI indices have gingivitis, and half of them have caries.
Internet use is an integral part of our everyday activities; however, Internet use may become problematic and harmful in a minority of cases. The majority of reported prevalence rates of problematic ...Internet use refer to adolescent samples, whereas epidemiological studies on representative adult populations are lacking. This study aimed to reveal the prevalence and characteristics of problematic Internet use in Slovenia.
Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) was included in European Health Interview Study (EHIS) on representative Slovenian sample. The frequency of Internet use and problematic Internet use were both assessed.
59.9% of Slovenian adult population uses the Internet daily, and 3.1% are at risk of becoming problematic Internet users, 11% in the age group from 20 to 24 years. Those being at risk for becoming problematic Internet users are younger (mean age 31.3 vs. 48.3 for non-problematic users), more likely to be males (3.6% of males, whereas 2.6% of females are affected), students (12.0%), unemployed (6.3%) or unable to work (8.7%), single (6.5%), with high education (4.5%). Regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictor of being at risk for problematic Internet use is age (ß=-0.338, p<0.001); followed by high educational level (ß=0.145; p<0.001) and student status (ß=0.136; p<0.001).
3.1% of Slovenian adult population are at risk of becoming problematic Internet users, whereas 3 out of 20 Slovenian adolescents aged from 18 to 19 years are at risk (14.6%). Prevention programs and treatment for those affected are paramount, especially for the young generation.
The Atlas of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Slovenia (Verovnik et al. 2012) treats 179 butterfly species whose occurrence in Slovenia is confirmed, and 24 species for which only ...unconfirmed data exist. By the end of 2011, 212.936 distribution records by 167 contributing authors were collected for the Atlas. The Digital database of butterflies of the Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology of the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts was not considered in the process of collecting the data for the Atlas. This database contains 30.630 distribution records for butterfly species found in Slovenia from research projects undertaken by the Institute from 1995 to date. Given that this rich data source was not included in the Atlas, I here provide a supplement to the existing Atlas, reporting 1529 new records for 140 butterfly species. These updates provide new areas or range limits for 14 species, the presence of 71 species in areas the Atlas designated as “white spots”, new information on 3 species with very limited distribution in Slovenia, and additional corroboration for distribution of 27 species that the Atlas covered.
Atlas dnevnih metuljev (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Slovenije (Verovnik et al. 2012) obravnava 179 vrst, katerih prisotnost v Sloveniji je potrjena, in 24 vrst, za katere obstajajo le nepotrjene navedbe o najdbah na ozemlju Slovenije. Do konca leta 2011 je bilo za Atlas zbranih 212.936 podatkov, ki jih je prispevalo 167 avtorjev. Pri zbiranju podatkov za Atlas ni bila upoštevana Digitalna podatkovna zbirka dnevnih metuljev Biološkega inštituta Jovana Hadžija Znanstvenoraziskovalnega centra Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti. Zbirka obsega 30.630 podatkov o vrstah dnevnih metuljev najdenih na ozemlju Slovenije, pridobljenih večinoma pri raziskovalnih projektih Biološkega inštituta J. H. ZRC SAZU, ki so potekali od leta 1995 naprej. S primerjavo med podatki v Atlasu in v inštitutski podatkovni zbirki sem ugotovila, da je smiselno objaviti dopolnitve k obstoječemu Atlasu. Dopolnitve obsegajo 1529 podatkov za 140 vrst. Med njimi je 14 vrst za katere so opredeljena nova območja in meje razširjenosti v Sloveniji, in 71 vrst najdenih v območjih, ki so v Atlasu opredeljena kot “bele lise”. Dopolnitve vključujejo tudi nove informacije o nahajališčih 3 vrst z zelo omejeno razširjenostjo v Sloveniji in o pojavljanju 27 vrst na že znanih nahajališčih.
Abstract
The paper summarizes current knowledge on the population size, habitat, conservation status and conservation measures for the White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos in Slovenia. The ...species is an extremely rare forest specialist species. It inhabits mostly Dinaric beech Fagus sylvatica forests from Trnovski gozd, Nanos, Javorniki Mts and Mt Snežnik to the Kočevsko region and Gorjanci Mts. The species is also present in the Zasavje region and Mt Boč. The majority of the population (80%) inhabits the altitudinal belt between 700 and 1400 m a.s.l. The size of the Slovenian breeding population is currently estimated at 100-150 breeding pairs. Using the new survey playback method, we expect to find the species at additional sites. The highest densities were recorded on Mt Snežnik (0.7 breeding pairs/km
2
in the Zatrep - Planinc forest reserve, 0.6 breeding pairs/km
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at Gomance) and in the Gorjanci Mts (0.6-0.9 breeding pairs/km
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in the Kobile forest reserve). The species inhabits beech and mixed forests with an important percentage of dead trees. The volume of dead trees was measured only at few sites inhabited by the species and ranged from 42 to 283 m
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/ha. Signs of foraging were detected mainly on beech snags and stumps; all nests were found in upright beech snags. In Slovenia, the species is threatened by the low percentage of dead deciduous trees in forests, the construction of new forest roads, the increased annual timber harvest and a weak network of forest reserves. The proposed conservation measures include increasing the amount of dead deciduous trees in managed forests, increasing the area of forest reserves and halting the construction of new forest roads.
Polycnemum verrucosum A. F. Lang is recorded for the first time for Italy (Lazio region, Central Italy). Morphological and ecological characteristics of this species, as compared with the related P. ...arvense L., are presented and discussed. Taxonomical notes are also provided.
Vrsto Polycnemum verrucosum A. F. Lang smo prvič zabeležili na ozemlju Italije (regija Lazio, srednja Italija). Prikazali smo morfološke in ekološke značilnosti vrste v primerjavi s sorodno vrsto P. arvense L. Podali smo tudi taksonomske opombe.
Historical and current occurrence of the obligate halophyte Pholiurus pannonicus was studied in Slovakia during the period 2003-2009. The species had been occurring in the Podunajská nížina Lowland ...and the Východoslovenská nížina Lowland; 30 localities were found in total. Recently the number of localities has decreased markedly and the species was confirmed only in the Podunajská nížina Lowland. We documented only seven localities during the study. Therefore, we confirmed that Pholiurus pannonicus belongs to the critically endangered plants of Slovak flora.
Preučili smo pojavljanje obligatne halofitske vrste Pholiurus pannonicus v Podunajski nížini in Východoslovenski nížini v letih od 2003 do 2009. Vrsta se je pojavljala. Našli smo 30 rastišč. V zadnjem času se je število rastišč močno zmanjšalo in jih najdemo samo še v Podunajski nížini. Med raziskavo smo dokumentirali le sedem nahajališč. Vrsta Pholiurus pannonicus zato sodi med kritično ogorožene vrste flore Slovaške.
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