Patterns of smoking in the Baltic Republics

BACKGROUND: Tobacco is a leading cause of avoidable death in the Baltic Republics but there is, as yet, relatively little information in the public domain on who is smoking and how this is changing. This information is important for those seeking to develop effective policies to tackle this issue. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern of smoking in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. METHODS: Analysis of data on patterns of tobacco consumption from representative surveys of approximately 3000 adults aged under 65 in each country undertaken in 1997. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among men is 53.9%, 56.0%, and 53.2% respectively in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The corresponding figures for women are 24.1%, 10.9%, and 7.6%. For both sexes, current smoking rates are consistently lowest in the age group 50 to 64 and highest in the age group 35 to 49. Education and income are determinants of smoking rates among men but much less so among women. Russian men are more likely to smoke than are men from the majority group in each country. Smoking rates among women are much lower in rural than in urban areas of Latvia and Lithuania but this is not so in Estonia. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking rates among men in the Baltic Republics are already very high. Among women, they still vary considerably. Each country has implemented some measures to reduce smoking. These seem to have been especially effective in Lithuania but, overall, much more action is needed.     

Gender differences in the consumption of meat, fruit and vegetables are similar in Finland and the Baltic countries

BACKGROUND: Women's diets are healthier than men's. Finnish women eat more fruits and vegetables but less meat than men. Gender differences may be larger in the Baltic countries, which represent Eastern European transition societies than in Finland, a society characterized by the Scandinavian welfare ideology and a high degree of gender equality. METHODS: The data are based on questionnaires to random samples of adults in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The data provide a way of addressing gender differences at the turn of the century in the economically and culturally different countries. The purpose is to explore whether the consumption of foods classified as masculine or feminine-meat, fruits and vegetables-follow a similar gender pattern in Finland and the Baltic countries. RESULTS: Men ate meat more often while women ate fruits and vegetables. A high educational level was associated with frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables. Educational differences in the consumption of meat were few and inconsistent. The consumption of fruits and vegetables was more common in urban areas except in Finland. Gender differences were similar in all countries throughout age and educational groups and in rural and urban areas. CONCLUSION: The consistent association of gender and food and the similarity of gender patterning in population subgroups point to the stability of masculine versus feminine food habits. The similarity suggests that food habits contribute equally to the gender gap in health in the Baltic countries as they do in Finland.     

High l-carnitine concentrations do not prevent late diabetic complications in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients

Increased intake of l-carnitine, a cofactor in cellular energy metabolism, is recommended for diabetic patients with late complications. However, its clinical benefits remain controversial. We hypothesized that patients with low l-carnitine levels would have an increased rate of diabetic complications. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the relationship of l-carnitine concentrations in blood with the prevalence and severity of late diabetic complications in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients. Human blood samples were collected from 93 and 87 patients diagnosed as having type 1 or type 2 diabetes, respectively, and 122 nondiabetic individuals. The determination of free l-carnitine concentrations in whole blood lysates was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In diabetic patients, diabetic complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, or hypertension were recorded. The average l-carnitine concentration in the blood of control subjects was 33 ± 8 nmol/mL, which was not significantly different from subgroups of patients with type 1 (32 ± 10 nmol/mL) or type 2 diabetes (36 ± 11 nmol/mL). Patients with low (<20 nmol/mL) l-carnitine levels did not have increased occurrences of late diabetic complications. In addition, patient subgroups with higher l-carnitine concentrations did not have decreased prevalence of late diabetic complications. Our results provide evidence that higher l-carnitine concentrations do not prevent late diabetic complications in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients.     

Carnitine and γ‐Butyrobetaine Stimulate Elimination of Meldonium due to Competition for OCTN2‐mediated Transport

Meldonium (3‐(2,2,2‐trimethylhydrazinium)propionate) is the most potent clinically used inhibitor of organic cation transporter 2 (OCTN2). Inhibition of OCTN2 leads to a decrease in carnitine and acylcarnitine contents in tissues and energy metabolism optimization‐related cardioprotective effects. The recent inclusion of meldonium in the World Anti‐Doping Agency List of Prohibited Substances and Methods has raised questions about the pharmacokinetics of meldonium and its unusually long elimination time. Therefore, in this study, the rate of meldonium washout after the end of the treatment was tested with and without administration of carnitine, γ‐butyrobetaine (GBB) and furosemide to evaluate the importance of competition for OCTN2 transport in mice. Here, we show that carnitine and GBB administration during the washout period effectively stimulated the elimination of meldonium. GBB induced a more pronounced effect on meldonium elimination than carnitine due to the higher affinity of GBB for OCTN2. The diuretic effect of furosemide did not significantly affect the elimination of meldonium, carnitine and GBB. In conclusion, the competition of meldonium, carnitine and GBB for OCTN2‐mediated transport determines the pharmacokinetic properties of meldonium. Thus, due to their affinity for OCTN2, GBB and carnitine but not furosemide stimulated meldonium elimination. During long‐term treatment, OCTN2‐mediated transport ensures a high muscle content of meldonium, while tissue clearance depends on relatively slow diffusion, thus resulting in the unusually long complete elimination period of meldonium.     

Macronutrient and food intake in the Baltic republics

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe mean macronutrient and food intakes in the Baltic republics, with a particular focus on fat, vegetable and fruit consumption. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data from surveys conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the summer of 1997 were used. Information was collected using a 24 h recall of dietary intake and an interviewer-administered questionnaire. SUBJECTS: Representative national samples of adults were selected. All those with information from the dietary recall were included in the study (Estonia: n = 2015; Latvia: n = 2300; Lithuania: n = 2094). RESULTS: The mean proportion of energy from fat was high in each country, but particularly in Lithuania (44%) and Latvia (42%) compared with Estonia (36%). In contrast, percentage energy from carbohydrate, protein and alcohol was higher in Estonia. Mean protein intake was generally sufficient if not high in some population sub-groups. Median vegetable intakes were very low (<200 g/day) in each country, particularly in Latvia. While 78% of the Lithuanian respondents consumed vegetables daily, this was the case in only 60% of the Latvian and 48% of the Estonian respondents. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there is a pressing need to replace high-fat energy dense foods by foods rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre, such as vegetables and fruits, in the Baltic republics. This could provide the populations with a reduced risk and increased protection against non-communicable diseases. These issues will need to be tackled through comprehensive food and nutrition policies and health promotion campaigns.     

One-year clinical results of Er,Cr:YSGG laser application in addition to scaling and root planing in patients with early to moderate periodontitis

In 30 patients with periodontitis, a total of 278 teeth exhibiting bleeding on probing, subgingival calculus, and a probing depth between 3–6 mm were examined. For each participant, two treatment types were alternatively applied on the contralateral quadrants: scaling and root planing (SRP) as control, and SRP followed by Er,Cr:YSGG laser application (SRP+laser), as a test method. Five clinical parameters: plaque level, bleeding on probing, probing depth, gingival recession and clinical attachment level were examined at baseline and at 2, 3, 6, 12 months after treatment. Of the total of 1,668 sites examined in all patients, 1,088 sites were found with a probing depth of 3–6 mm. In these sites, differences in clinical parameters between SRP and SRP+laser-treated quadrants were analyzed, assuming the level of p < 0.05 as significant. After 2 months from baseline, the mean probing depth reduction and the clinical attachment level gain were significantly greater in SRP+laser than in SRP quadrants, and remained so throughout the study (p < 0.001). A marked reduction of the bleeding scores occurred in all examined sites, irrespective of the treatment method. However, after 12 months, significantly less teeth exhibited bleeding on probing in SRP+laser quadrants than in SRP quadrants (p < 0.001). The mean plaque and gingival recession levels did not differ between the SRP and SRP+laser quadrants neither before nor after the treatment. The periodontal procedures either using Er,Cr:YSGG laser after SRP or SRP alone, lead to significant improvements in all clinical parameters investigated. However, laser application, as an adjunct to SRP, appeared to be more advantageous.     

Protective effects of mildronate in an experimental model of type 2 diabetes in Goto-Kakizaki rats

Background and purpose:

Mildronate [3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate] is an anti-ischaemic drug whose mechanism of action is based on its inhibition of L-carnitine biosynthesis and uptake. As L-carnitine plays a pivotal role in the balanced metabolism of fatty acids and carbohydrates, this study was carried out to investigate whether long-term mildronate treatment could influence glucose levels and prevent diabetic complications in an experimental model of type 2 diabetes in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats.

Experimental approach:

GK rats were treated orally with mildronate at doses of 100 and 200 mg·kg⁻¹ daily for 8 weeks. Plasma metabolites reflecting glucose and lipids, as well as fructosamine and β-hydroxybutyrate, were assessed. L-carnitine concentrations were measured by ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. An isolated rat heart ischaemia-reperfusion model was used to investigate possible cardioprotective effects. Pain sensitivity was measured with a tail-flick latency test.

Key results:

Mildronate treatment significantly decreased L-carnitine concentrations in rat plasma and gradually decreased both the fed- and fasted-state blood glucose. Mildronate strongly inhibited fructosamine accumulation and loss of pain sensitivity and also ameliorated the enhanced contractile responsiveness of GK rat aortic rings to phenylephrine. In addition, in mildronate-treated hearts, the necrosis zone following coronary occlusion was significantly decreased by 30%.

Conclusions and implications:

These results demonstrate for the first time that in GK rats, an experimental model of type 2 diabetes, mildronate decreased L-carnitine contents and exhibited cardioprotective effects, decreased blood glucose concentrations and prevented the loss of pain sensitivity. These findings indicate that mildronate treatment could be beneficial in diabetes patients with cardiovascular problems.     

Effect of the pH of Ascaridia galli egg culture medium on the experimental infection in chickens]

1. A prolonged preservation of Ascaridia galli eggs in acid medium when cultivating them under laboratory conditions inhibits considerably the establishment of Ascaridia galli in the organism of chickens. The neutralization of medium of egg cultivation 3 days before their application for infesting facilitates the increase of larvae established in the organism. 2. In chickens invaded with Ascaridia galli eggs cultivated in medium with pH 8.0, larvae develop in the period of 7--21 days of invasion in the amount of 2.5--69 times more than in chickens receiving the same eggs but which have been cultivated in acid medium (pH 2.2) for the whole cultivation period. 3. With the increase in invasion period, the number of established larvae decreases in both test groups, but in chickens receiving eggs which have been cultivated in medium with pH 8.0, the number of larvae is considerably higher.