Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3)
Is Alzheimer's disease a type 3 diabetes? A review
Jana Janoutová, Ondřej Machaczka, Anna Zatloukalová, Vladimír Janout
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):139-143 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7238 
Objectives: This is a review article that deals with the question of whether type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Methods: We searched the PubMed database and relevant publications were selected for review. The introduction, which describes the possibilities of how type 2 diabetes can affect the development of Alzheimer's disease, is followed by other questions related to this issue: May on the contrary Alzheimer's disease induce type 2 diabetes? What is a relative risk for type 2 diabetes to induce dementia? How type 2 diabetes influence conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease? What is...
Use of psychedelics in the Czech Republic: results of recent population surveys
Pavla Chomynová, Rita Kočárová, Filip Kňažek, Michaela Plevková, Barbora Bláhová, Karel Valeš, Viktor Mravčík
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):144-153 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7079
Objectives: Different psychoactive substances are widely used in today's society. So far limited data are available on the use of psychedelics in the general population. The main aim of this study is to estimate the numbers of users of substances with psychedelic properties (classical psychedelics, cannabis, ecstasy, and ketamine) in the Czech Republic. Methods: Data from two samples enrolled in representative cross-sectional questionnaire surveys in the Czech adult population in 2016 (n = 2,785) and 2018 (n = 1,665) were analysed. Prevalence rates were extrapolated to estimate numbers of current, i.e., last-year, users of psychedelics, and their socio-demographic...
Pregnant women's beliefs about third-hand smoke and exposure to tobacco smoke
Saliha Özpinar, Yaşar Demir, Bahadir Yazicioğlu, Saadettin Bayçelebi
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):154-159 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7063
Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal pregnant women's beliefs about third-hand smoke and their exposure to tobacco smoke. Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of patients attending the obstetrics and gynaecology outpatient clinic of the hospital in Samsun, a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast (annual average 4,000 pregnant women). The minimum sample size of the study was determined as 350 at a confidence interval of 95%, prevalence of 50% and margin of error 0.05. The study data were collected with the personal information form used to determine the personal characteristics of the participants, and the Beliefs...
Econometric analysis of oncology patients' Health-Related Quality of Life determinants in Bulgaria
Slaveyko Djambazov, Maria Daniela Giammanco, Lara Gitto
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):160-165 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7095
Objectives: The present study investigates the determinants of oncology patients' Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Bulgaria. Looking at some patients' characteristics, including control variables in the estimated model - demographics and the time from the disease onset, it studies the relevance of HRQoL diverse factors: some of them are related to the physical and psychological dimensions of the patients' illness experience, such as the levels of pain and anxiety/depression; some other concern more specifically the patients' therapeutic path, i.e., the feeling of participation in the therapy, their perceived uncertainty in illness (predictability...
Impact of post-Chernobyl radiation on flow cytometry parameters of human sperm
Roksolana Nykolaichuk, Silvia Toporcerová, Andrii Berbets
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):166-172 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7258
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the long-term radiation effects on human sperm. Methods: In total, 104 samples of male donors from 2 regions of Ukraine were tested. Group 1 consisted of 32 donors from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, group 2 included 72 volunteers from the Zhytomyr region. The average age of donors in both groups was 35 ± 6 years (range 24-49). To assess the level of apoptosis, membrane mitochondrial potential, concentration of reactive oxygen species, and ploidy of sperm, flow cytometry was performed. Results: The individual equivalent dose of group 1 was < 0.4 mSv and of group 2 ≥ 0.4 mSv. Live spermatozoa...
Clinical predictors of metal allergic sensitization in orthodontic patients
Martina Zigante, Stjepan Špalj
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):173-178 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7122
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the predictors of allergic sensitisation to titanium and nickel in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Methods: A total of 250 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment were invited to participate, and 235 were analysed (67% females). A patch test was performed using nickel sulphate, titanium, titanium dioxide, titanium oxalate, titanium nitride, and petrolatum as control. In addition, clinical signs of the oral mucosa, gingiva, tongue, lips, and allergological history were assessed. Results: The predictors of metal allergic sensitisation in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment were adult age (OR =...
Relevance of dietary exposure to acrylamide formed in heat-processed agri-food products
Delia Nica-Badea
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):179-184 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6779
Objectives: Acrylamide (AA) is considered one of the contaminants that occur in heat-processed agri-food products, which through diet can increase the risk of developing cancer for consumers of all age groups. Methods: This review analysed the level of acrylamide of the most important heat-processed agri-food products that contribute to the dietary exposure of the population of different European countries and the assessment of health risks related to the presence of AA in food. Results: The results of monitoring AA concentrations in agri-food products, reported individually by researchers or projects such as CONTAM in 2015 and the UK Food Standard...
Influence of school backpack load on plantar foot pressure during walking in 9-11 years old girls
Štefan Balkó, James J. Tufano, Marek Jelínek, Zdeněk Svoboda, Monika Błaszczyszyn, František Vaverka
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):185-189 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7109
Objective: This study aimed to assess the relative load of the midfoot and the metatarsals of both feet when schoolchildren walked with backpacks of different loads. Methods: A group of 12 healthy girls (9.9 ± 0.8 years; 33.8 ± 6.7 kg, 1.40 ± 0.10 m) walked barefoot to assess plantar pressures during gait without load (L0%) and with a loaded backpack equal to 10% (L10%) and 20% (L20%) of their body weight. A Footscan® system (RSscan International, Belgium) was used to determine the contact area and relative pressure impulse in the midfoot and metatarsals on the dominant (DL) and non-dominant legs (NL). Results: The effect of...
Prevalence and influence factors for myopia and high myopia in schoolchildren in Shandong, China
Maoqiang Zhuang, Hongran Xie, Yingxiu Zhang, Suyun Li, Peirui Xiao, Ying Jiang, Han Zhou, Zunhua Chu, Jinshan Zhao
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):190-195 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7158
Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors of myopia and high myopia in students from primary school and junior high school in Shandong. Methods: A total of 35,614 subjects completed the visual acuity test, refraction error measurement, and questionnaire in 2019. The visual acuity test was performed using the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart and the refractive error was measured by an automatic refractometer without cycloplegia. Results: The average age was 12.38 ± 1.78 years, with 18,501 boys and 17,113 girls. The overall prevalence of myopia and high myopia was 68.02% and 5.90%, respectively, and...
Healthcare-associated infections in COVID-19 ICU patients – two-centre study
Bartosz Kozłowski, Joanna Kubiak-Pulkowska, Julianna Pałka, Dominika Bożiłow, Magdalena Zając, Aleksander Deptuła
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):196-200 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7135
Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to estimate the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI), microbiological data including resistance patterns and impact of HAI on patients' survival. Methods: Two-centre study on 172 patients was performed. Medical records of patients hospitalized in the two COVID-19 intensive care units (ICU) localized in Bydgoszcz between 1 October 2020 and 30 March 2021 were analysed retrospectively. Data collection included demographics, microbiological, clinical variables, and patient outcome. All infections were defined according to the HAI-Net ICU protocol of the European Centre for Disease Prevention...
Short communication
COVID-19 in the Czech Republic 2020 and 2021: comparative analysis of probable work-related transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
Milan Tuček, Václav Vaněček
Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(3):201-204 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7610
Objectives: The aim of the analysis was to determine the probable places of coronavirus transmission in association with the work and compare the situation between 2020 and 2021. Methods: The work analysed data from the Information System of Infectious Diseases managed by the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic in the period from March 2020 - December 2021. Results: 2,483,219 COVID-19 cases were officially confirmed (732,202 during 2020 and 1,338,790 in 2021), from them 140,368 (6%) represented work-related disease, 520,830 cases (21%) work-related contact, and 1,822,021 (73%) out-of-work contact. There were identified...