Projekt Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) w Polsce

Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Project in PolandSocial and economical consequences of using tobacco products are commonly known. This is an issue of a global scale and requires systematic monitoring. The need of in depth examination of this issue concerns also Poland. In 2008 Polish Ministry of Health joined Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). This survey is conducted under Bloomberg Global Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. In Poland GATS is being coordinated by World Health Organization. Three institutions were selected to conduct the survey: Maria Sklodowska-Curie Oncology Center (Centrum Onkologii – Instytut im. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie), Pentor Research International and Warsaw Medical University (Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny). GATS survey is national, representative survey of households conducted amongst adult population. Globally standardized protocol is being used to implement the survey in Poland. The protocol has been adapted to the Polish needs and reality.The main aim of the project is to assess the usage of tobacco products and examination of the size of the problem, exposure to the tobacco smoke and perception, attitudes and knowledge regarding tobacco products use as well issues concerning taxes on tobacco products. Information gained during GATS will support tobacco control policy. Experience gained during the survey implementation will, in the future, allow building systematic monitoring system of tobacco use and other health behaviors in our country

Nurse-led lifestyle counseling in Polish primary care: the effect of current health status and perceived barriers

IntroductionOur study included counseling on diet and physical activity, smoking, e-cigarette use, and alcohol consumption. The aim was to examine the correlates of counseling provided by primary care nurses with the health status/health behaviors of nurses and the barriers in the advice provided.Materials and methodsIn 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 331 nurses employed in the primary care sector in Lodz. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: characteristics of the patient population receiving treatment and provided with healthy lifestyle counseling by nurses, barriers to the process of assessing, controlling, and guiding patients, and health status/health behaviors of nurses.ResultsEighty percent of the nurses in our study provided advice on diet and physical activity to primary care patients. Over 70% of the survey participants performed minimal anti-smoking interventions forsmokers, 67.7% for alcohol drinkers, and 56.8% for e-cigarette users. The correlates of counseling in the field of diet and physical activity turned out to be the knowledge and skills, which enabled nurses to provide advice (OR = 2.57, p < 0.01). The correlates of the conducted minimal anti-smoking interventions in smoking patients were: subjective assessment of overweight and obesity in nurses, knowledge and skills in conducting counseling (OR = 1.92, p < 0.05), and measuring body weight, height and BMI (OR = 2.18, p < 0.01). Among the three most common barriers identified by the nurses in the process of assessing, monitoring, and guiding patients were the opinion that patients are not interested in improving their diet, physical activity, and weight loss (60.7%), lack of time (51.4%), as well as the belief that patients find it too difficult to change their current habits (54.1%).ConclusionThe results of our survey indicate that nurses’ participation in healthy lifestyle counseling in adult patients is unsatisfactory. Interventions in primary care should be designed considering the specific obstacles nurses may face in leading healthy lifestyles. Further training of nursing staff is required to increase their knowledge on healthy lifestyles

CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE POPULATION

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the major risk factors for chronic diseases and results in huge economic and social costs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of smoking. Moreover, we evaluated the association between selected socio-economic factors and tobacco smoking among economically active individuals. Material and Methods: The study population covered 2254 economically active men and 1666 women. Data were derived from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Results: About 37.3% of men and 28.2% of women smoke regularly. Daily smoking was significantly associated with low level of education in men (primary vs. high education OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.9-5.3; p < 0.001; vocational vs. high education: OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.5-3.0; p < 0.001) and women (primary vs. high education OR = 2.8, CI: 1.4-5.5; p < 0.01; vocational vs. high education: OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-2.9; p < 0.01). Daily smoking was significantly associated with age of women (40-49 years vs. 20-29 years OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.1-2.44; p < 0.01), lack of awareness of health effects of smoking in both genders (men unaware vs. aware: OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.8-4.6; p < 0.01 and women unaware vs. aware: OR = 2,9, 95% CI: 1.5-5.7; p < 0.01). Smoking was associated with lack of complete smoking bans at workplaces of respondents. Conclusions: Comprehensive interventions are needed to reduce the prevalence of smoking among economically active individuals. Med Pr 2013;64(3):359–37

Multiple complications of the induction phase chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) despite of high efficiency often leads to many different complications, what bring consequences like therapy failure, death, breaks in chemotherapy, elongate hospitalization. We reported case old 6-year-old girl treated with ALL, who experienced many, severe complications of chemotherapy during the induction phase of treatment

Malignant melanoma: epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics and innovative therapeutic methods

Melanoma is the most common cause of death among people with skin cancer, and its development is most often associated with excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation and predisposing genetic factors. Early detection of melanoma significantly reduces mortality in both the short and long term. Unfortunately, this cancer has the ability to quickly reach the malignant phase and metastasize to other organs. The typical treatment for melanoma is surgical resection, but over the last few years significant progress has also been made in the field of systemic therapies, which has led to a noticeable improvement in survival in patients with metastases. The article summarizes information about modern therapeutic methods used in patients with melanoma. Drugs belonging to BRAF kinase inhibitors: vemurafenib and dabrafenib are currently the first-line therapy for advanced melanomas with a confirmed BRAF gene mutation. Modern therapeutic strategies that have revolutionized the treatment of melanoma also include immunotherapy. By blocking inhibitory checkpoints of the immune system, it is possible to generate an anti-cancer response alone or in synergy with other types of therapy. These drugs target molecules that are pathologically overexpressed in melanoma, such as PD-1 or CTLA-4. Intralesional agents, such as oncolytic viruses, can also induce immune stimulation to destroy cancer cells. The only drug of this type registered so far for the treatment of melanoma is talimogene laherparepvec, which uses a genetically modified herpes simplex virus type 1. The possibility of individually tailored treatment to the patient is created by CAR-T therapy, which involves collecting tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes from the patient, modifying them to obtain a receptor that specifically recognizes melanoma cells, and then multiply and introduce it into the patient's body. Recent findings have shown higher success rates with combinations of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted molecular therapy. Despite the success of modern systemic therapy, many melanoma patients do not respond to treatment or develop drug resistance, which leads to the constant need to look for new solutions in the fight against this cancer

Dual target ligands with 4-tert-butylphenoxy scaffold as histamine H3 receptor antagonists and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors

Dual target ligands are a promising concept for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). A combination of monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) inhibition with histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonism could have positive effects on dopamine regulation. Thus, a series of twenty-seven 4-tert-butylphenoxyalkoxyamines were designed as potential dual-target ligands for PD based on the structure of 1-(3-(4-tert-butylphenoxy)propyl)piperidine (DL76). Probed modifications included the introduction of different cyclic amines and elongation of the alkyl chain. Synthesized compounds were investigated for human H3R (hH3R) affinity and human MAO B (hMAO B) inhibitory activity. Most compounds showed good hH3R affinities with Ki values below 400 nM, and some of them showed potent inhibitory activity for hMAO B with IC50 values below 50 nM. However, the most balanced activity against both biological targets showed DL76 (hH3R: Ki = 38 nM and hMAO B: IC50 = 48 nM). Thus, DL76 was chosen for further studies, revealing the nontoxic nature of DL76 in HEK293 and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Ycells. However, no neuroprotective effect was observed for DL76 in hydrogen peroxide-treated neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed antiparkinsonian activity of DL76 in haloperidol-induced catalepsy (Cross Leg Position Test) at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight

Tobacco smoking in Poland in the years from 2003 to 2014 : multi-centre National Population Health Examination Survey (WOBASZ)

The reduction of tobacco smoking remains a challenge for public health. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the prevalence and patterns of tobacco use in the adult population of Poles in the years from 2003 to 2014. Furthermore, changes in the smoking addiction, the declared reasons for smoking, as well as readiness and motivation to stop smoking were assessed. Based on data from the Polish studies WOBASZ and WOBASZ II, the analysis included 14 576 participants from the first study (6906 men and 7670 women) and 5696 participants from the second study (2578 men and 3118 women), aged between 20 and 74 years. According to the WOBASZ II study, 30% of men and 21% of women in Poland smoked, the rates being 9% and 4% lower for men and women, respectively, in comparison with the WOBASZ study (P <0.001). The average number of cigarettes smoked daily per smoker significantly decreased during the follow‑up period among men (from 17.9 to 15.8 cigarettes per day) and women (from 13.7 to 12.1 cigarettes per day). The percentage of men who never smoked increased from 29.8% to 36.1% (P <0.0001), while the proportion of women who never smoked did not change. However, the percentage of those expressing unwillingness to quit smoking nearly doubled in WOBASZ II in comparison with WOBASZ. Although the smoking rates in Poland have declined over the past decade, smoking remains prevalent among men and women. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize tobacco control in Poland, including fiscal policy, counseling and tobacco addiction treatment, as well as promotional and educational activities, with a special emphasis on the female population