Effect of using cardiovascular risk scoring in routine risk assessment in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease : protocol for an overview of systematic reviews

INTRODUCTION: Major clinical practice guidelines recommend assessing risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) using absolute/global/total CVD risk scores. However, the effectiveness of using them in clinical practice, despite publication of numerous randomised controlled trials (RCTs), is still poorly understood. To summarise and analyse current knowledge in this field, we will carry out an overview of existing systematic reviews (SRs). The objective of this overview will be to assess the effect of using cardiovascular risk scoring in routine risk assessment in primary prevention of CVD compared with standard care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will include SRs and meta-analyses which take into account RCTs and quasi-RCTs investigating the effect of using cardiovascular risk scoring in routine risk assessment in primary prevention of CVD. SRs will be retrieved from 4 bibliographical databases and reference lists of identified reviews. Additionally, the PROSPERO database will be searched for unpublished, ongoing or recently completed SRs. 2 reviewers will assess the SRs independently for eligibility and bias. The data will be extracted to a special form. Any disagreement will be resolved by discussion. In case of lack of consensus, a third author will arbitrate. The overview of SRs will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for overview of SRs. We will summarise evidence concerning whether use of the absolute/global/total CVD risk scoring tools in primary prevention of CVD is effective and supported with scientific data or not. If we face unsatisfactory confirmation, we will highlight a need for further research and advice on how to plan such a study. We will submit the results of our study for peer-review publication in a journal indexed in the international bibliographic database of biomedical information

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease among primary care patients in Poland : results from the LIPIDOGRAM2015 study

Background and aim: To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) disease and CV risk factors among Polish patients. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the 4th quarter of 2015 and 1st and 2nd quarters of 2016; 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices. Results: Nearly 19% of men and approximately 12% of women had cardiovascular disease (CVD). Over 60% of the recruited patients had hypertension (HTN), >80% had dyslipidaemia and <15% of patients were diagnosed with diabetes (DM). All of these disorders were more frequent in men. In 80% of patients the waist circumference exceed norm for the European population. Less than half of the patients were current smokers or had smoked in the past. Patients with CVD had significantly higher blood pressure and glucose levels but lower low density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. Conclusions: The prevalence of CVD and CV risk factors among patients in Poland is high. CVD is more common in men than in women. The most common CV risk factors are excess waist circumference, dyslipidaemia and HTN. Family physicians should conduct activities to prevent, diagnose early and treat CVD in the primary health care population. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Fadi Charchar” is provided in this record*

The differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, its risk factors, and achievement of therapeutic goals among urban and rural primary care patients in Poland: Results from the LIPIDOGRAM 2015 study

A nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the years 2015 and 2016. A total of 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, and CVD were similar in urban and rural areas (49.5 vs. 49.4%; 13.7 vs. 13.1%; 84.2 vs. 85.2%; 14.4 vs. 14.2%, respectively). The prevalence of obesity (32.3 vs. 37.5%, p < 0.01) and excessive waist circumference (77.5 vs. 80.7%, p < 0.01), as well as abdominal obesity (p = 43.2 vs. 46.4%, p < 0.01), were higher in rural areas in both genders. Mean levels of LDL-C (128 vs. 130 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and non-HDL-C (147 vs. 148 mg/dL, p = 0.03) were slightly higher in rural populations. Altogether, 14.3% of patients with CVD from urban areas and 11.3% from rural areas reached LDL <70 mg/dL (p = 0.04). There were no important differences in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and CVD, or in mean levels of blood pressure, cholesterol fractions, glucose, and HbA1c between Polish urban and rural primary care patient populations. A high proportion of patients in cities and an even-higher proportion in rural areas did not reach the recommended targets for blood pressure, LDL-C, and HbA1c, indicating the need for novel CVD-prevention programs. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Fadi Charchar” is provided in this record*

The prevalence of renal vascular and anatomical anomalies in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm

Wstęp: Każdego roku w Polsce przeprowadza się około 4000 zabiegów operacyjnych z powodu tętniaka aorty brzusznej. Występowanie pewnych anomalii anatomicznych może komplikować lub nawet uniemożliwić wykonanie zabiegu operacyjnego jedną z możliwych metod (otwartą lub wewnątrznaczyniową). Badanie miało na celu określenie częstości występowania nerkowych (naczyniowych i narządowych) anomalii anatomicznych w populacji pacjentów z tętniakiem aorty brzusznej, które mogą mieć istotne znaczenie kliniczne w trakcie planowania i przeprowadzania zabiegu naprawczego tętniaka. Materiał i metody: Dokonano retrospektywnej analizy 937 angiografii tomografii komputerowej wykonanych w celu oceny aorty brzusznej i jej odgałęzień u pacjentów z AAA, niepoddawanych do tej pory zabiegom operacyjnym w obrębie aorty. Analizowano częstość występowania: 1. dodatkowych tętnic nerkowych, 2. zaaortalnej lewej żyły nerkowej, 3. nerki podkowiastej, 4. ektopowej lokalizacji nerek w miednicy, 5. nietypowego odejścia tętnic nerkowych. Wyniki: Dodatkowe tętnice nerkowe występowały u 185 pacjentów (19,74% badanej populacji), najczęściej stwierdzano obecność pojedynczej dodatkowej lewej tętnicy nerkowej (9,28%). Wśród badanych 3,52% miało dodatkowe tętnice zlokalizowane obustronnie. Zaaortalną lewą żyłę nerkową uwidoczniono u 16 osób (1,71%). Ponadto w badanej populacji odnotowano również: 2 przypadki nerki podkowiastej, 2 przypadki niskiego odejścia prawej tętnicy nerkowej od aorty (tuż nad rozwidleniem) oraz 1 przypadek ektopowo zlokalizowanej lewej nerki w miednicy. Wnioski: Częstotliwość analizowanych anomalii w badanej populacji polskich pacjentów z AAA jest podobna do częstotliwości opisywanych w innych populacjach. Świadomość istnienia wielu możliwych odrębności anatomicznych, w połączeniu z dokładną przedoperacyjną oceną stosunków anatomicznych u danego pacjenta, zapobiega wystąpieniu groźnych i potencjalnie śmiertelnych powikłań.Background: Approximately 4000 operations of abdominal aortic aneurysms are performed in Poland annually. The presence of some anatomical anomalies can complicate or even exclude performing surgery by one of the possible methods (open or endovascular repair). The aim of current study was to establish the prevalence of renal vascular and anatomical anomalies in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) which can have important clinical implication in regarding to planning and performing surgical procedure due to AAA. Material and methods: It was a retrospective study of 937 computed tomography angiography scans, performed in purpose of evaluation of abdominal aorta and its branches in patients with diagnosed AAA, who were naive for prior abdominal aortic surgery. The prevalence of following anomalies were analysed: 1) accessory renal arteries 2) retroaortic left renal vein 3) ectopic kidneys located in pelvis 4) atypical originating of main renal artery from the aorta Results: Accessory renal arteries were found in 185 patients (19.74% of the study population), a single accessory left renal artery was the most common detected anomalies (9.28%). In 3.52% of participants bilateral accessory renal arteries were observed. Retroaortic left renal vein was discovered in 16 patients (1.71%). Moreover, in the study population following anomalies were observed: 2 cases of horseshoe kidney, 2 cases of low originating of right main renal artery from the aorta and 1 case of ectopic left kidney located in pelvis. Conclusion: The prevalence of renal vascular and anatomical anomalies in polish population of AAA patients were similar to the prevalence reported in the previous studies. The awareness of their existence, combined with preoperative evaluation of anatomical relations in particular patients, can prevent from occurring of severe and potentially lethal complication after aortic surgery

Występowanie anomalii anatomicznych i zmian naczyniowych w obrębie nerek u pacjentów z tętniakiem aorty brzusznej

Wstęp: Każdego roku w Polsce przeprowadza się około 4000 zabiegów operacyjnych z powodu tętniaka aorty brzusznej. Występowanie pewnych anomalii anatomicznych może komplikować lub nawet uniemożliwić wykonanie zabiegu operacyjnego jedną z możliwych metod (otwartą lub wewnątrznaczyniową). Badanie miało na celu określenie częstości występowania nerkowych (naczyniowych i narządowych) anomalii anatomicznych w populacji pacjentów z tętniakiem aorty brzusznej, które mogą mieć istotne znaczenie kliniczne w trakcie planowania i przeprowadzania zabiegu naprawczego tętniaka. Materiał i metody: Dokonano retrospektywnej analizy 937 angiografii tomografii komputerowej wykonanych w celu oceny aorty brzusznej i jej odgałęzień u pacjentów z AAA, niepoddawanych do tej pory zabiegom operacyjnym w obrębie aorty. Analizowano częstość występowania: 1. dodatkowych tętnic nerkowych, 2. zaaortalnej lewej żyły nerkowej, 3. nerki podkowiastej, 4. ektopowej lokalizacji nerek w miednicy, 5. nietypowego odejścia tętnic nerkowych. Wyniki: Dodatkowe tętnice nerkowe występowały u 185 pacjentów (19,74% badanej populacji), najczęściej stwierdzano obecność pojedynczej dodatkowej lewej tętnicy nerkowej (9,28%). Wśród badanych 3,52% miało dodatkowe tętnice zlokalizowane obustronnie. Zaaortalną lewą żyłę nerkową uwidoczniono u 16 osób (1,71%). Ponadto w badanej populacji odnotowano również: 2 przypadki nerki podkowiastej, 2 przypadki niskiego odejścia prawej tętnicy nerkowej od aorty (tuż nad rozwidleniem) oraz 1 przypadek ektopowo zlokalizowanej lewej nerki w miednicy. Wnioski: Częstotliwość analizowanych anomalii w badanej populacji polskich pacjentów z AAA jest podobna do częstotliwości opisywanych w innych populacjach. Świadomość istnienia wielu możliwych odrębności anatomicznych, w połączeniu z dokładną przedoperacyjną oceną stosunków anatomicznych u danego pacjenta, zapobiega wystąpieniu groźnych i potencjalnie śmiertelnych powikłań

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease among primary care patients in Poland:results from the LIPIDOGRAM2015 study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) disease and CV risk factors among Polish patients. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the 4th quarter of 2015 and 1st and 2nd quarters of 2016; 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices. RESULTS: Nearly 19% of men and approximately 12% of women had cardiovascular disease (CVD). Over 60% of the recruited patients had hypertension (HTN), >80% had dyslipidaemia and <15% of patients were diagnosed with diabetes (DM). All of these disorders were more frequent in men. In 80% of patients the waist circumference exceed norm for the European population. Less than half of the patients were current smokers or had smoked in the past. Patients with CVD had significantly higher blood pressure and glucose levels but lower low density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CVD and CV risk factors among patients in Poland is high. CVD is more common in men than in women. The most common CV risk factors are excess waist circumference, dyslipidaemia and HTN. Family physicians should conduct activities to prevent, diagnose early and treat CVD in the primary health care population

The Differences in the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease, Its Risk Factors, and Achievement of Therapeutic Goals among Urban and Rural Primary Care Patients in Poland: Results from the LIPIDOGRAM 2015 Study

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-11-28, pub-electronic 2021-11-30Publication status: PublishedFunder: Valeant Pharmaceuticals; Grant(s): unrestricted educational grantA nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the years 2015 and 2016. A total of 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, and CVD were similar in urban and rural areas (49.5 vs. 49.4%; 13.7 vs. 13.1%; 84.2 vs. 85.2%; 14.4 vs. 14.2%, respectively). The prevalence of obesity (32.3 vs. 37.5%, p 0.01) and excessive waist circumference (77.5 vs. 80.7%, p 0.01), as well as abdominal obesity (p = 43.2 vs. 46.4%, p 0.01), were higher in rural areas in both genders. Mean levels of LDL-C (128 vs. 130 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and non-HDL-C (147 vs. 148 mg/dL, p = 0.03) were slightly higher in rural populations. Altogether, 14.3% of patients with CVD from urban areas and 11.3% from rural areas reached LDL 70 mg/dL (p = 0.04). There were no important differences in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and CVD, or in mean levels of blood pressure, cholesterol fractions, glucose, and HbA1c between Polish urban and rural primary care patient populations. A high proportion of patients in cities and an even-higher proportion in rural areas did not reach the recommended targets for blood pressure, LDL-C, and HbA1c, indicating the need for novel CVD-prevention programs

The Differences in the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease, Its Risk Factors, and Achievement of Therapeutic Goals among Urban and Rural Primary Care Patients in Poland: Results from the LIPIDOGRAM 2015 Study

A nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the years 2015 and 2016. A total of 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, and CVD were similar in urban and rural areas (49.5 vs. 49.4%; 13.7 vs. 13.1%; 84.2 vs. 85.2%; 14.4 vs. 14.2%, respectively). The prevalence of obesity (32.3 vs. 37.5%, p &lt; 0.01) and excessive waist circumference (77.5 vs. 80.7%, p &lt; 0.01), as well as abdominal obesity (43.2 vs. 46.4%, p &lt; 0.01), were higher in rural areas in both genders. Mean levels of LDL-C (128 vs. 130 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and non-HDL-C (147 vs. 148 mg/dL, p = 0.03) were slightly higher in rural populations. Altogether, 14.3% of patients with CVD from urban areas and 11.3% from rural areas reached LDL &lt;70 mg/dL (p = 0.04). There were no important differences in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and CVD, or in mean levels of blood pressure, cholesterol fractions, glucose, and HbA1c between Polish urban and rural primary care patient populations. A high proportion of patients in cities and an even-higher proportion in rural areas did not reach the recommended targets for blood pressure, LDL-C, and HbA1c, indicating the need for novel CVD-prevention programs

Russian oligarchs and their relations with Russian media market

Celem pracy będzie prezentacja zjawiska oligarchizacji w Rosji ze zwróceniem uwagi na udziały posiadane w poszczególnych mediach rosyjskich przez najważniejszych oligarchów oraz tego, jak media zostały użyte w polityce. Badany jest okres od czasu bezpośrednio poprzedzającego rozpad Związku Radzieckiego do roku 2001, w niektórych przypadkach przybliżając także okres późniejszy. Zjawisko oligarchizacji, jako grupy osób które zdobyły znaczny majątek w krótkim czasie, było wyjątkowo silne w powyższych latach w Rosji. Związki oligarchów rosyjskich z rodzimym rynkiem medialnym wywierały decydujący wpływ na sytuację polityczną w Rosji na przełomie wieków. Osoba Borysa Bieriezowskiego była szczególnie istotna – był on określany „ojcem chrzestnym Kremla” w tamtym okresie. Bieriezowski oraz Władimir Gusiński posiadali największe związki z rosyjskim rynkiem medialnym, i obydwaj na początku XXI wieku w podobny sposób zostali zmuszeni zakończyć swoją działalność w Rosji i wyemigrować. Po oligarchach supremację na rynku rosyjskim przejęło państwo albo poprzez spółki państwowe, jak na przykład Gazprom Media, albo poprzez przekazanie udziałów bezpośrednio innym zaufanym osobom.First target of this thesis is to present phenomenon of an oligarchization in Russia, especially noticing shares owned by oligarchs in the particular Russian media. Second target is to present how national media have been used in the politics. Thesis is researching period of time between disintegration of the USSR and year 2001, in some cases bringing closer some later events. Oligarchization, described as group of people who gained fortunes in a short period of time, was a phenomenon very noticeable during researched years in Russia. Relations of Russian oligarch with domestic media market had very strong influence on many politcal events these years., especially on the presidential campaing of Boris Yeltsin in 1996. Boris Berezovsky was the most important oligarch in that time – he was described as a “godfather of the Kremlin”. Berezovsky and other oligarch, Vladimir Gusinsky, were owners of the most important elements of the Russian media market – TV stations ORT and NTV. Both of them, among few other oligarchs, were for a few years in very close relations with Russian authorities and government. Berezovsky and Gusinsky in the beginning of the new century were forced to end their businesses in Russia and emigrate from their homeland in similar situations. After them supremation on the Russian media market was taken either directly by Russian government, by state-owned companies, or by other trusted individuals

Prediction of wastewater quality indicators at the inflow to the wastewater treatment plant using data mining methods

In the study, models developed using data mining methods are proposed for predicting wastewater quality indicators: biochemical and chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, total nitrogen and total phosphorus at the inflow to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The models are based on values measured in previous time steps and daily wastewater inflows. Also, independent prediction systems that can be used in case of monitoring devices malfunction are provided. Models of wastewater quality indicators were developed using MARS (multivariate adaptive regression spline) method, artificial neural networks (ANN) of the multilayer perceptron type combined with the classification model (SOM) and cascade neural networks (CNN). The lowest values of absolute and relative errors were obtained using ANN+SOM, whereas the MARS method produced the highest error values. It was shown that for the analysed WWTP it is possible to obtain continuous prediction of selected wastewater quality indicators using the two developed independent prediction systems. Such models can ensure reliable WWTP work when wastewater quality monitoring systems become inoperable, or are under maintenance