Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4)

Association among serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, lipid profile and metabolic syndrome in Czech adults, HBM-EHES survey 2019

Vladimíra Puklová, Naděžda Čapková, Alena Fialová, Adam Vavrouš, Kristýna Žejglicová, Milena Černá

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):227-234 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7799  

Objectives: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of persistent synthetic chemicals widely used commercially. They accumulate increasingly in all environmental components and enter the organisms, including humans. Some of them are associated with the risk of harm to health, among others with metabolic disorders. To test the associations between blood serum levels of PFASs and blood lipid profile as well as metabolic syndrome, we linked human biomonitoring with the Czech Health Examination Survey (CZ-EHES) conducted in 2019. Methods: A total of 168 participants of the CZ-EHES survey aged 25-64 years were examined including anthropometrical...

Possible effect of OAS1 and TMPRSS6 but not DPP4 and ZNF335 polymorphisms on COVID-19 severity in the Czech population

Jaroslav A. Hubáček, Tom Philipp, Věra Adámková, Ondřej Májek, Dana Dlouhá, Ladislav Dušek

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):235-239 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7906  

Objectives: The acute respiratory syndrome, known as COVID-19, is characterised by high morbidity and increased mortality. Genetic factors may partially explain the differences in susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19. Methods: We have analysed common functional polymorphisms within the OAS1 (rs4767027), TMPRSS6 (rs855791), DPP4 (rs3788979), and ZNF335 (rs3848719) genes in SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects (n = 521, different disease severity) and in population controls (n = 2,559 subjects, COVID-19 status unknown). Results: Neither DPP4 nor ZNF335 were associated with disease susceptibility or severity in...

Opinion of nurses of internal medicine wards regarding factors determining their work – observational and cross-sectional studies

Zuzanna Radosz-Knawa, Alicja Kamińska, Iwona Malinowska-Lipień, Tomasz Brzostek, Agnieszka Gniadek

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):240-247 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7883  

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the factors determining the work of nurses in internal medicine departments. Methods: The study was multicentre, cross-sectional, and observational. The selection of the research group was intentional. The subject of the study were 209 nurses working in 11 internal medicine departments in 10 hospitals in the region of southern Poland. Results: The number of patients cared for by one nurse, nurses' participation in the decision-making process, and nurses' age were shown to be direct predictors of emotional exhaustion. The number of patients cared for by a single nurse, nurses' participation in the decision-making...

Are behavioural risk factors clusters associated with self-reported health complaints? University students in Finland

Walid El Ansari, Sakari Suominen, Kareem El-Ansari, René Šebeňa

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):248-255 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7916  

Objectives: No previous research of university students in Finland assessed lifestyle behavioural risk factors (BRFs) and categorized students into clusters, explored the associations of the clusters with self-reported health complaints (HCs), whilst controlling for potential confounders. The current study undertook this task. Methods: Students at the University of Turku (1,177) completed an online well-being questionnaire that assessed socio-demographic variables, 5 BRFs - problematic alcohol consumption, smoking, illicit drug use, food consumption habits, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and 22 HCs. A food frequency questionnaire assessed...

Premature deaths from fine particles PM_2.5 air pollution in regional capitals of Slovakia during 2016–2020 period

Adrián Ondrovič

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):256-264 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7748  

Objectives: The purpose of this quantitative study is to assess the impact of fine particles air pollution in major cities of Slovakia. The study aims to estimate number of premature deaths from long-term exposure to fine particles PM_2.5 in eight regional capitals of Slovakia in the period 2016-2020. Consequently, the study aims to conduct a comparative analysis using secondary derived indicators. Methods: For calculations of estimated premature deaths from long-term exposure to fine particles PM_2.5 air pollution we used standardized methodology developed by the World Health Organization and the European Environment Agency. Results:...

Exposure to nanoparticles of magnetite Fe₃O₄ in three different doses and their influence on selected respiratory parameters of bronchoalveolar lavage after intravenous instillation

Marta Hurbánková, Katarína Volkovová, Silvia Černá, Soňa Wimmerová, Štefánia Moricová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):265-270 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7739  

Objectives: Due to nano-dimensions (less than 100 nm), can nanoparticles probably penetrate through various membranes and travel from the bloodstream to other organs in the body. The aim of our study was to find out whether NPs Fe₃O₄ (coated with sodium oleate) injected into the tail vein of laboratory Wistar rats pass through the bloodstream to the respiratory tract (in comparison with a control group); and if so whether increasing doses of NPs Fe₃O₄ have an escalating harmful effect on selected bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) parameters. Methods: Wistar rats were intravenously given 3 doses of the suspension...

Perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes among Ukrainian adults

Giorgi Mzhavanadze

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):271-278 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7963  

Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that the use of safer nicotine products (SNPs), such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) poses significantly lower health risks than continued smoking, particularly over the short and medium term. However, it remains uncertain whether the public has been adequately informed about these relative risks. This study assesses the perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes compared to conventional cigarettes in Ukraine. Methods: Two nationally representative surveys were conducted in February 2021 and December 2022. Participants, irrespective of their smoking status, were asked whether they agreed with the...

Normative-referenced values for health-related fitness among Czech youth: Physical fitness data from the study IPEN Adolescent Czech Republic

Lukáš Rubín, Josef Mitáš, Michal Vorlíček, Jan Dygrýn, Aleš Suchomel, Justin J. Lang, Grant R. Tomkinson

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):279-286 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7645  

Objectives: The aim of this study was to developed sex- and age-specific normative-referenced percentile values for health-related fitness among 12 to 18 years old Czech youth. Methods: This study included cross-sectional data from 1,173 participants (50.7% boys) collected between 2013 and 2016. Participants were recruited from 32 elementary or secondary schools across eight cities located in the Czech Republic. Health-related fitness was objectively measured using both anthropometric (height, body mass, and sum of skinfolds) and performance (20-m shuttle run for cardiorespiratory endurance, modified push-ups for muscular strength/endurance, and V...

Prevalence of obesity and impact of socio-demographic factors on obesity in 15–19 years old adolescents in Vojvodina, Serbia

Vesna Petrović, Sonja Čanković

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):287-295 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7683  

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight/obesity in 15-19 years old adolescents in the Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, and to evaluate the association between obesity and socio-demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in high schools in the territory of Vojvodina, Serbia. The sample consisted of 986 high-school students (47.4% girls and 52.6% boys). Body height, body weight, and waist circumference were measured. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI)-for-age value > x̅ + 2 SD, and overweight as a BMI-for-age value > x̅ + 1 SD and ≤ x̅ + 2 SD. Waist-to-height...

Letter to the Editor

The lingering challenge: addressing vaccine hesitancy in a post-pandemic world

Ethan Ayaan Mir

Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(4):296-299 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7593  

Last time the world faced a deadly pandemic was the H1N1 Spanish flu in 1918, which affected almost one-third of the world's population (500 million people). Since then, almost 100 years later, we are now facing another pandemic of the SARS-CoV2 virus (COVID-19), which is still endemic to this day. As the technology evolved during those 100 years, an effective vaccine for COVID-19 was produced within only a year, a huge feat. But, unfortunately, due to its fast development, another force would arise limiting the impact of the vaccine: vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaxxers, which John Hopkins and the World Health Organization call the biggest current threat...