Toplinska percepcija tinejdžera u hladnom vanjskom okruženju: Analiza slučaja

Subjective thermal sensation of late teenagers was examined aiming to reveal potential discrepancies in its estimation compared to adults. Since teenagers have different clothing habits and preferences from adults, it is important to know whether the conclusions reached by studies on thermal sensation, usually involving adults, can be also applied to teenagers. A group of late teenagers was interviewed, based on a structured questionnaire, in an outdoor environment during two winter days and under an unexpected Saharan dust transport event during the second day, while meteorological measurements were obtained by the closest to the interview site weather station. Moreover, the performance of the bioclimatic index Cooling Power in simulating subjects’ thermal sensation was evaluated. Although differences in clothing thermal insulation of late teenagers compared to that suggested by similar studies were recognized, generally the results of this study were in agreement with the findings of similar field surveys focusing on individual thermal sensation and with no evidence of effects of the dust transport event on thermal sensation. Cooling Power based on the Mediterranean thermal sensation scale predicted thermal sensation vote fairly well.Ispitan je subjektivni toplinski osjet ugode starijih tinejdžera s ciljem da se otkrije njegovo moguće neslaganje s procjenom s osjetom ugode u odraslih. Kako se navike i sklonosti oblačenja tinejdžera razlikuju od onih u odraslih, važno je znati da li su zaključci dobiveni na temelju studija o toplinskom osjetu ugode, koji se uglavnom odnose na odrasle, primjenjivi i na tinejdžere. Grupa starijih tinejdžera anketirana je u vanjskom okruženju putem strukturiranog upitnika tijekom dva zimska dana, od kojih je drugi bio obilježen neočekivanim prodorom saharskog pijeska. Meteorološka mjerenja su dobivena s meteorološke postaje koja je bila najbliža mjestu anketiranja. Nadalje, ocijenjena je primjenjivost bioklimatskog indeksa ohlađivanja (Cooling Power) pri simuliranju toplinskog osjeta ugode ispitanika. Iako postoje razlike u toplinskoj izolaciji odjeće starijih tinejdžera u usporedbi s odjećom ispitanika u drugim studijama, rezultati ove studije općenito su u skladu s rezultatima sličnih studija koje se bave individualnim toplinskim osjetom. Nadalje, utjecaj transporta saharskog pijeska na toplinski osjet nije zabilježen. Indeks ohlađivanja koji se temelji na mediteranskoj skali toplinskog osjeta ugode prilično je dobro predvidio rezultate anketa o toplinskom osjetu ugode

Data on verbal expressions for thermal sensation and comfort in the Greek language

This article presents data collected during a web-based survey on expressions used to describe thermal sensation and comfort in the Greek language. The survey used a structured questionnaire and delivered through Google Forms. The survey was promoted through social networks and conducted in spring 2019. The data presented herein comprise of the participants’ responses to the questionnaire. A total of 359 questionnaires were completed. The participants were Greek speakers, older than 12, with at least a basic knowledge of the English language. The participants were asked to: (a) select the most appropriate translation, from English to Greek, of the nine-point ISO 10551 scale of perceptual judgment on personal thermal state, (b) formulate five, seven and nine-point thermal sensation scales, (c) report the category of the thermal sensation scale that signifies thermal comfort and (d) to assess the relative distances between the thermal sensation categories of the five, seven and nine-point thermal sensation scales. For the translation of the ISO 10551, the respondents were allowed to choose from a list of 30 Greek wordings. The data have been analysed in the research article entitled “Native influences on the construction of thermal sensation scales” [1]

Thermal Conditions and Hospital Admissions: Analysis of Longitudinal Data from Cyprus (2009–2018)

The state of the thermal environment can affect human health and well-being. Heat stress is associated with a wide range of health outcomes increasing morbidity and mortality and is recognized as an important health risk posed by climate change. This study aims at examining the effect of thermal conditions on the daily number of hospital admissions in Cyprus. Data from eight public hospitals located in five districts of Cyprus were analyzed from 2009 to 2018. Meteorological hourly gridded data were extracted by the ERA-5 Land reanalysis database with a spatial horizontal resolution of 0.1° × 0.1°. The Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) were calculated as measures of the integrated effect of meteorological variables. Negative binomial regression was fitted to examine associations between the daily number of hospital admissions and meteorological variables, PET, and UTCI. The results showed that the mean daily temperature (Tair) was positively associated with hospital admissions from any cause. Hospital admissions increased by 0.6% (p < 0.001) for each 1 °C increase of Tair and by 0.4% (p < 0.001) for each 1 °C increase of PET and UTCI. Ozone and nitrogen oxides act as confounding factors. An effect of particulate matter (less than 10 μm in diameter) was observed when the analysis focused on April to August. Thresholds above which hospital admissions are likely to increase include daily mean Tair = 26.1 °C, PET = 29 °C, and UTCI = 26 °C. Studies on heat-related health effects are necessary to monitor health patterns, raise awareness, and design adaptation and mitigation measures

Data on multiple body parameters, microclimatic variables, and subjective assessment of thermal sensation monitored in outdoor environment

This paper describes two sets of data on multiple body parameters of five participants, on microclimatic variables, and on self-reported assessment of thermal responses, all monitored in the same outdoor urban environment. Data were collected during three seasons, summer, autumn and winter 2010–2011, in the city of Athens, Greece. Part of these data, collected during the summer period, is related to the research article entitled "Case study of skin temperature and thermal perception in a hot outdoor environment." (Pantavou et al., 2014) [1]

Data on solar sunburning ultraviolet (UVB) radiation at an urban Mediterranean climate

This article describes data on the intensity of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation collected during field questionnaire-based surveys in Athens, Greece. The surveys were conducted over 11 days of July and October 2010 at three different urban, outdoor sites. A total of 1104 interviews were conducted. The participants were asked to report whether they felt they got a sunburn at the moment of the interview. Questions related to personal characteristics including skin type and exposure time (visit duration at the interview site) were also included in the questionnaire

The Impact of Climate Change on Cholera: A Review on the Global Status and Future Challenges

Water ecosystems can be rather sensitive to evolving or sudden changes in weather parameters. These changes can result in alterations in the natural habitat of pathogens, vectors, and human hosts, as well as in the transmission dynamics and geographic distribution of infectious agents. However, the interaction between climate change and infectious disease is rather complicated and not deeply understood. In this narrative review, we discuss climate-driven changes in the epidemiology of Vibrio species-associated diseases with an emphasis on cholera. Changes in environmental parameters do shape the epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae. Outbreaks of cholera cause significant disease burden, especially in developing countries. Improved sanitation systems, access to clean water, educational strategies, and vaccination campaigns can help control vibriosis. In addition, real-time assessment of climatic parameters with remote-sensing technologies in combination with robust surveillance systems could help detect environmental changes in high-risk areas and result in early public health interventions that can mitigate potential outbreaks

Mortality attributable to seasonal influenza in Greece, 2013 to 2017: variation by type/subtype and age, and a possible harvesting effect

Introduction: Estimating the contribution of influenza to excess mortality in the population presents substantial methodological challenges. Aim: In a modelling study we combined environmental, epidemiological and laboratory surveillance data to estimate influenza-attributable mortality in Greece, over four seasons (2013/14 to 2016/17), specifically addressing the lag dimension and the confounding effect of temperature. Methods: Associations of influenza type/subtype-specific incidence proxies and of daily mean temperature with mortality were estimated with a distributed-lag nonlinear model with 30 days of maximum lag, separately by age group (all ages, 15-64 and >= 65 years old). Total and weekly deaths attributable to influenza and cold temperatures were calculated. Results: Overall influenza-attributable mortality was 23.6 deaths per 100,000 population per year (95% confidence interval (CI): 17.8 to 29.2), and varied greatly between seasons, by influenza type/subtype and by age group, with the vast majority occurring in persons aged >= 65 years. Most deaths were attributable to A(H3N2), followed by influenza B. During periods of A(H1N1)pdmo9 circulation, weekly attributable mortality to this subtype among people >= 65 years old increased rapidly at first, but then fell to zero and even negative, suggesting a mortality displacement (harvesting) effect. Mortality attributable to cold temperatures was much higher than that attributable to influenza. Conclusions: Studies of influenza-attributable mortality need to consider distributed-lag effects, stratify by age group and adjust both for circulating influenza virus types/subtypes and daily mean temperatures, in order to produce reliable estimates. Our approach addresses these issues, is readily applicable in the context of influenza surveillance, and can be useful for other countries

Polymorphisms of the CD24 Gene Are Associated with Risk of Multiple Sclerosis: A Meta-Analysis

CD24 is a cell-surface protein mainly expressed in cells of the immune and central nervous system (CNS), cells that play a critical role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). In the current study, we investigated four polymorphisms of the CD24 gene regarding their associations with MS. To this end, univariate and multivariate meta-analysis were applied along with modifications to include data from family-trios so as to increase the robustness of the meta-analysis. We found that the polymorphism 226 C>T (Ala57Val) of the CD24 gene is associated with MS according to the recessive mode of inheritance (odds ratio = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.81). Moreover, the 1527-1528 TG>del polymorphism is inversely associated with MS according to the dominant mode of inheritance (odds ratio = 0.57; 95% CI 0.39, 0.83). Conversely, the 1056 A>G and 1626 A>G polymorphisms were not found to be associated with MS. We conclude that the CD24 226 C>T polymorphism increases the risk of MS, while the 1527-1528 TG>del polymorphism seems to have a protective role against MS, suggesting that these two polymorphisms can be used as predictive biomarkers for MS development

Data on knowledge and beliefs of students, physicians and other health professionals about ethical issues in Cyprus

This article presents data collected in a field, questionnaire-based survey about ethical issues in the Republic of Cyprus. The participants were students of the University of Cyprus, and physicians and other health professionals of the Medical School, University of Cyprus and of the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital. The questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, and on their knowledge and beliefs about three different ethical issues. Beliefs on the same ethical issues but under specific, hypothetical scenarios were also reported by the participants. The ethical issues examined included euthanasia, assisted suicide, and gender selection through in vitro fertilization. Data from 259 questionnaires were collected in March and April of 2018

Drug Injection-Related and Sexual Behavior Changes in Drug Injecting Networks after the Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP): A Social Network-Based Study in Athens, Greece

The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) was a network-based, enhanced contact tracing approach, targeting recently HIV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID) in Athens, Greece (2013-2015). This analysis examines behavioral changes of participants in TRIP and their determinants between baseline and follow-up visits to the program. All participants of TRIP were tested for HIV and interviewed using a questionnaire with items on drug injection-related and sexual behaviors. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine potential relationships between participants' behaviors and sociodemographic or other characteristics. The analysis included 292 participants. At follow-up, the percentage of participants who injected drugs decreased [92.5%, n = 270 versus 72.3%, n = 211 (p < 0.001)], and more participants adopted safer behaviors. Employment, age, and gender were significantly associated with some behavioral changes. For instance, unemployed participants were half as likely as the employed to stop drug injection [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.475, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.228, 0.988]. Increasing age was associated with lower probability of sharing syringes at follow-up (aOR: 0.936, 95%CI: 0.887, 0.988). Finally, females were less likely than males to improve their behavior related to sharing cookers, filters, or rinse water (aOR: 0.273, 95% CI: 0.100, 0.745). In conclusion, adoption of safer behaviors was observed following TRIP implementation. Future prevention programs should focus on younger PWID and especially females. Social efforts to support employment of PWID are also important