An international comparative study of blood pressure in populations of European vs. African descent

Background: The consistent finding of higher prevalence of hypertension in US blacks compared to whites has led to speculation that African-origin populations are particularly susceptible to this condition. Large surveys now provide new information on this issue. Methods: Using a standardized analysis strategy we examined prevalence estimates for 8 white and 3 black populations (N = 85,000 participants). Results: The range in hypertension prevalence was from 27 to 55% for whites and 14 to 44% for blacks. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that not only is there a wide variation in hypertension prevalence among both racial groups, the rates among blacks are not unusually high when viewed internationally. These data suggest that the impact of environmental factors among both populations may have been under-appreciated

Mortality from circulatory diseases by specific country of birth across six European countries: test of concept

Background: Important differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality by country of birth have been shown within European countries. We now focus on CVD mortality by specific country of birth across European countries. Methods: For Denmark, England and Wales, France, The Netherlands, Scotland and Sweden mortality information on circulatory disease, and the subcategories of ischaemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, was analysed by country of birth. Information on population was obtained from census data or population registers. Directly age-standardized rates per 100 000 were estimated by sex for each country of birth group using the WHO World Standard population 2000-25 structure. For differences in the results, at least one of the two 95% confidence intervals did not overlap. Results: Circulatory mortality was similar across countries for men born in India (355.7 in England and Wales, 372.8 in Scotland and 244.5 in Sweden). For other country of birth groups-China, Pakistan, Poland, Turkey and Yugoslavia-there were substantial between-country differences. For example, men born in Poland had a rate of 630.0 in Denmark and 499.3 in England and Wales and 153.5 in France; and men born in Turkey had a rate of 439.4 in Denmark and 231.4 in The Netherlands. A similar pattern was seen in women, e.g. Poland born women had a rate of 264.9 in Denmark, 126.4 in England and Wales and 54.4 in France. The patterns were similar for ischaemic heart disease mortality and cerebrovascular disease mortality. Conclusion: Cross-country comparisons are feasible and the resulting findings are interesting. They merit public health consideratio

История изучения имен прилагательных в крымскотатарском языке

Целью данной статьи является рассмотрение степени изученности имени прилагательного в крымскотатарском языке как самостоятельной части речи в лингвистических трудах XIX – XX вв., а также анализ основных грамматических категорий имени прилагательного

Review of Health Examination Surveys in Europe

Information on the health, health risks and use of health services and medicines of the population are needed for planning and evaluating health policies and health care. Typical data sources for health information are various registers, such as mortality registers for total and cause-specific mortality and population surveys, which provide a cross-section of health and its determinants in the population. Different data sources provide information on different aspects of health, and therefore they are largely complementary

Етнологія релігії – актуальна сфера українського релігієзнавства

Background: Inhaled long-acting beta-2-adrenoceptor agonists (LABA) are frequently used in patients suffering from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For evaluation of real-life data, drug consumption studies are needed but results might be widely influenced due to methodological differences in particular regarding inter-country comparisons. Objectives: This study aims to compare the LABA prescribing in the general population and specifically in patients suffering from asthma and/or COPD in five European countries. Methods: Crude and age- and sex-standardized (European 2008 reference population) annual period prevalence rates per 10,000 persons were calculated for the period 2002-2009 based on seven European electronic health record databases (Denmark, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands (2), and the United Kingdom (2)). Stratification by sex, age, and indication were performed for the annual period prevalence rates. Results: In all databases, we observed an increase in LABA prescriptions during the study period for the general population and for patients suffering from asthma and/or COPD. In 2008, the highest standardized period prevalence was observed in the Dutch Mondriaan-AHC and the Spanish BIFAP database (443.3 and 395.5 per 10,000 persons), and the lowest in the German Bavarian Claims and Dutch Mondriaan- NPRCD database (278.7 and 290.6 per 10,000 persons). Prevalence rates for LABA increased with age and were highest in patients over 70 years. Patients with a combined diagnosis of asthma and COPD had higher prevalence rates of LABA compared to patients with a single diagnosis of asthma or COPD. The proportion of patients with one inhaled LABA prescription only ranged from 14% (UK databases) to 35% (Spanish BIFAP database) in 2008 in the general population. Conclusions: By using a standardized protocol, we demonstrated inter- and intra-country differences in LABA prescriptions. A general increase of LABA prescriptions during the study period was observed in all databases

Measuring nicotine intake in population surveys: comparability of saliva cotinine and plasma cotinine estimates.

Both plasma and saliva cotinine levels have been reported in surveys of smoking behavior, and it is of interest to know how closely these two measures correspond. Plasma and saliva specimens were gathered from a sample of 605 respondents in the 1998 Health Survey for England and assayed for cotinine by a well-proven gas chromatographic method. Plasma and saliva cotinine concentrations were highly correlated (r=.99). On average, concentrations in saliva were 25% higher than in plasma, and this ratio applied both at the low levels attributable to passive smoking and across the range of active smoking values. The ratio was somewhat lower in younger people than in older people and also varied significantly by body mass index but did not differ by gender. Calculation of the limits of agreement revealed substantial uncertainty in the predicted plasma value corresponding to a given saliva cotinine, and vice versa. For comparisons across subjects, the mean plasma cotinine level corresponding to a mean saliva cotinine level can be estimated with confidence, but at the level of the individual, considerable predictive uncertainty remains

Measuring nicotine intake in population surveys: comparability of saliva cotinine and plasma cotinine estimates.

Both plasma and saliva cotinine levels have been reported in surveys of smoking behavior, and it is of interest to know how closely these two measures correspond. Plasma and saliva specimens were gathered from a sample of 605 respondents in the 1998 Health Survey for England and assayed for cotinine by a well-proven gas chromatographic method. Plasma and saliva cotinine concentrations were highly correlated (r=.99). On average, concentrations in saliva were 25% higher than in plasma, and this ratio applied both at the low levels attributable to passive smoking and across the range of active smoking values. The ratio was somewhat lower in younger people than in older people and also varied significantly by body mass index but did not differ by gender. Calculation of the limits of agreement revealed substantial uncertainty in the predicted plasma value corresponding to a given saliva cotinine, and vice versa. For comparisons across subjects, the mean plasma cotinine level corresponding to a mean saliva cotinine level can be estimated with confidence, but at the level of the individual, considerable predictive uncertainty remains