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S Straka

Publications and source records attributed to S Straka.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Intestinal parasites in children from the Turiec region in long-term monitoring. How should we proceed with further preventive parasitologic examinations?].

The results of preventive parasitological examinations for intestinal parasites in preschool and school children of the Turiec Region (Central Slovakia) in 1970-1999 are submitted. The study is divided into three cross-sections in the following decades (1970-1979; 1980-1989; 1990-1999). An acute decrease in geohelminths virtually to zero values has been found, as well as a significant decrease in intestinal protozoans. The occurrence of Enterobius vermicularis, despite its significant decrease in the recent decade, remains on a relatively high level. In the conclusion the authors discuss continuation of parasitological field examinations, and, on the basis of their 30-year experience, they submit their recommendations for the simplest and most effective way of such examinations.

Child↗
PubMed2001

[Health and economic benefits of mandatory regular vaccination in Slovakia. IV. Measles, rubella and mumps].

The epidemiological situation as regards measles, rubella and mumps in Slovakia before vaccination and after its introduction in 1996, is analysed. On the basis of model costs of treatment of these diseases before vaccination and costs of treatment in 1996 including costs of vaccination, the authors calculated the total saved costs (549.7 mil. Sk), cost-effectiveness (10,680 Sk), as well as the cost-benefit.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Smoking and some life-style changes in medical students--Slovakia, 1995-1999.

INTRODUCTION: The main goal of a questionnaire cross-sectional study was to compare the changes of smoking habits in medical students between 1995 and 1999. Beside this, other factors of life-style such as alcohol consumption, nutritional status [studied through body mass index (BMI)] and citrus consumption were studied. METHODS: Cross-sectional questionnaire study in 453 medical students of 1st to 5th academic years of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Martin, Slovakia, carried out in October and November 1999. Data on smoking habit were compared with a similar study carried out in 1995. RESULTS: Prevalence of regular smoking (min. 1 cig/day) was 13.6% in men and 8.9% in women and did not change significantly in comparison with 1995. In women, prevalence of occasional smokers increased from 7.3% in 1995 to 19.8% in 1999 and almost reached men in the same year (21.8%). During this period significantly decreased proportion of respondents who have never smoked both in men (from 43.0 to 23.3%) and women (from 61.9% to 18.2%). Excessive drinking dominates in men, overweight (BMI > or = 25) had 16.0% of males and 2.0% of females and excessive underweight (BMI < or = 17.5) 1.0% of men and 2.8% of women. More than one half of respondents consumed less than 1 piece of citrus fruit per day. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking of men still predominates, however, the most apparent changes of smoking habit in regard to increasing proportion of smoking women, particularly occasional smokers. This indicates increasing social tolerance of smoking. In female a possibility of eating disorders deserve attention and a need for the improvement of diet is felt in both sexes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Health and economic benefits of compulsory regular vaccination in the Slovak Republic. I. Methods].

The authors will submit in their series of contributions under the common title of "Health and Economic Benefits of Compulsory Regular Vaccination in the Slovak Republic" estimates of benefits and effectiveness of particular vaccinations. In their first contribution they deal with the objectives and methods of this evaluation essential for the allocation of funds for the maintenance of existing preventive programmes and also for the implementation of new preventive measures. On the basis of literary data and their own experience they formulate modified methods of cost/effectiveness and cost/benefit and other parameters adjusted for the conditions of the vaccination programme in the Slovak Republic.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2000

[Health and economic benefits of mandatory regular vaccination in the Slovak Republic. II. Poliomyelitis].

The authors compared intervention strategy (vaccination) and non-intervention strategy (no vaccination). For the evaluation of health and financial effectiveness of regular polio vaccination the authors used the modelling of treatment of polio cases in 1957, and vaccination costs in 1996--the most recent year with available statistical data from the Slovak Republic. From these model years they calculated: the cost saving (11,919,106 Sk), cost-effectiveness ratio (79,944 Sk) and the net cost of vaccination (3,047,786 Sk). Simultaneously, they present a breakdown of cost-benefit analysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiological features and economic evaluation of a potential chickenpox vaccination strategy in Slovak Republic.

Cost effectiveness and cost benefit of a potential chickenpox vaccination strategy in Slovakia have been evaluated. As a base for comparison with potential vaccination strategy, direct and indirect costs of chickenpox incidence in Slovakia in 1996 were evaluated, using the EPIS data (Epidemiological Information System in Slovak Republic), and official annual analyse of epidemiological situation in Slovakia. According to their estimates, the authors consider the potential chickenpox vaccination as highly cost effective. The results of their analysis show that as the saved costs mostly indirect costs participate. With respect to the prevailing social impact of chickenpox also the funding of the future chickenpox vaccination is supposed to be shared by social insurance system.

Chickenpox↗
PubMed2000

Smoking habits in university students in Slovakia.

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking has reached the proportion of a global epidemic with particularly devastating consequences in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Learning of epidemiological aspects of smoking in youngsters, especially university students, is of great importance for the whole community. Goals of the study were mapping smoking habits and identifying other factors of life style including body mass index, alcohol and citrus fruit consumption in non-medical university students in Slovakia. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study, including 2,419 respondents, was carried out in students of 5 non-medical faculties in Slovakia from October to December 1997. RESULTS: 19.6% of males and 12.3% of females were regular smokers (min 1 cig/day) and 16.1% of males and 15.1% of females were occasional smokers. From regular smokers 11.5% of males and 13.2% of females started to smoke at the University. Respondents from urban areas smoked more frequently than those from rural areas. Significant association was found between alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking in males. More than a half of respondents consumed less than 1 piece of citrus per day. 15.4% of males were overweight (BMI > or = 25) and 8.5% of females were very underweight (BMI < or = 17.5). CONCLUSIONS: In females social smoking prevails and an increasing rate of female-smoking can be expected in Slovakia. There is a need of improving dietary habits of youngsters in Slovakia in favour of the consumption of more fruit and vegetables in both sexes, and in females additional attention should be paid to eating disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Health and economic benefits of mandatory regular vaccination in the Slovak Republic. III. Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis] .

The authors tried to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of regular vaccination of children against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in Slovakia. On the basis of model costs of treatment of these diseases before and after vaccination in 1996, the total saved expenditure (102.6 million Sk) and cost-effectiveness (31,619 Sk) were calculated, as well as the cost-benefit.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Epidemiology of smoking habit in adolescents. Suggestions for prevention.

The results of a cross-sectional questionnaire study on smoking in 1,571 pupils of secondary schools in Martin, Slovakia (average age 15.7 y. +/- 1.0) are presented. Prevalence of regular smoking (min. 1 cigarette/day) was in 24.8% of boys and in 14.3% of girls. Higher prevalence was in pupils of apprentice schools. Association between smoking or respondents and their parents were stronger in case of mothers and their children, namely girls. Higher educational level of parents was followed by a decrease of smoking in girls. Girls appear to be more influenced by family background than boys. The authors emphasise the importance of primary prevention of smoking in pupils, namely within the school-based programmes, since smoking habit in these age groups is still developing. The study design can be used as a model for further studies of that kind.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Endogenous digoxin-like immunoactivity and diabetes mellitus: facts and hypotheses.

Substances with digoxin- and ouabain-like immunoactivity (DLIA) are specific inhibitors of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase which increase the total amount of intracellular stored calcium (Ca2+i). In diabetic patients, DLIA levels have been reported to be increased. Although this increase is probably secondary to sodium retention and volume expansion (included in diabetic subjects by hyperinsulinemia and/or diabetic nephropathy), the question arises of whether it has pathophysiological consequences: namely, whether substances with DLIA, via their effect on Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and Ca2+i stores, could in diabetic subjects facilitate development of hypertension and/or modulate insulin sensitivity or insulin secretion. Clinical findings of correlations of DLIA to blood pressure, insulin levels and to degree of insulin resistance, together with experimental findings of decreased Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity, increased Ca2+i and decreased Mg2+i in both diabetic and hypertensive subjects, support these hypotheses. However, the issue of whether or not these relations are causative and whether or not defects in intracellular milieu are primary or secondary to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has not been resolved yet. Moreover, pathogenesis of both diabetes mellitus and hypertension is multifactorial and includes many other factors. Therefore, further efforts should be made to elucidate the exact role of substances with DLIA in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed1997

The roots of smoking habit in students of medicine and the ways of its prevention.

A questionnaire study on smoking and on the attitudes towards it has been carried out in 667 medical students. The study revealed a lower prevalence of smoking in the studied group than in general population (regular smokers: 7.3 per cent; occasional smokers: 14.3 per cent). The study confirmed the importance of family background for the initiation of smoking habit as well as the association of smoking habit with alcohol consumption. Some of the results were compared with similar study carried out on the same faculty of medicine ten years ago. The goal of the study was not only to gather the data on smoking as an important risk factor of cardiovascular diseases but also to verify the used methods, to improve the system of collecting information and to promote the organisation of such population studies.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1995

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Alternaria species and Phaeosclera dematioides Sigler, Tsuneda and Carmichael.

A case of phaeohyphomycosis caused by strains of both Alternaria spp. and Phaeosclera dematioides is presented. First clinical signs of mycosis appeared on the patient's face, after an injury with a straw stalk during the wheat harvest in Germany in 1942. Further signs developed in 1955 at one forearm, and again in 1968 in the mouth, leading to perforation of the palate. After treatment with amphotericin B (1973-75) she went into a 13-year-long, clinically asymptomatic remission. She relapsed in 1988, when eight foci of the disease developed, mostly on both forearms. Diabetes mellitus and asthma developed at this time. After pulse therapy with itraconazole the patient remains in a good clinical condition.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Is the present trend in cardiovascular disease mortality in the Slovak Republic a reason for optimism?].

The authors analyzed the cardiovascular mortality trend in 1985 - 1990 and 1991 -1994. They discuss factors which may have influenced this trend which declined slightly since 1991. They emphasize the importance of cardiovascular diseases in public health and ask epidemiologists, health professionals and the public to pay more attention to the elimination of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. The authors' suggestions are in context with some countries which made already considerable advances as regards elimination of cardiovascular risk factors.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed1991

[Incidence of e-antigen and antibodies against it in a selected group of HBsAg-positive Vietnamese citizens].

In 23 citizens of the Vietnamese Socialist Republic on arrival in Czechoslovakia HBsAg positivity of serum was revealed which in 78.2% of subjects was confirmed during a repeated examination after 2-3 months. At that time also HBeAg and antibodies against it were assessed. HBeAg was found in 13.0% and anti-HBe in 47.8% of the subjects with repeatedly positive HBsAg, and anti-HBe in 21.8% of subjects, where HBsAg was negative during repeated examinations. The authors emphasize the importance of assessment of these markers of hepatitis B from the clinical and epidemiological aspect.

Adult↗