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Background and Objectives: In recent years, the impact of individual risk factors on mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been often investigated. However, there is a lack of studies that have evaluated the relationship between lifestyle habits, metabolic syndrome, and their combined influence on the first event of CVD. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of metabolic syndrome and lifestyle habits on the risk of the first event of CVD in a Lithuanian urban population. Materials and M ethods: The presented data were collected from a survey that was carried out within the framework of the international project Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE). For statistical analysis, 4257 participants aged 45-72 years were selected (with a follow-up of 11 years). Results: The findings from the Cox proportional hazards regression multivariable analysis showed that metabolic syndrome, current smoking status, and former smoking status increased the risk of the first event of CVD among men (with respective hazard ratios (HR) of 1.53, 1.94, and 1.43; p < 0.01). In women, metabolic syndrome increased the risk of the first event of CVD (HR = 1.56; p = 0.001), while the increased consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits decreased the risk of the first event of CVD (HR = 0.80; p = 0.003). Multivariable logistic regression analysis results show that a level of increased physical activity by one hour can be linked to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome by 2% among men (odds ratio (OR) = 0.98; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome and lifestyle habits including cigarette smoking in men and low consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in women are strong predictors of the first event of CVD., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess and evaluate factors related to coronary care management and hospital mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) hospitalized in the Kazakhstan County and city hospitals in which percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed during the period of 2012-2015., Materials and Methods: A total of 22,176 adult patients (18> years) with acute STEMI were hospitalized from January 2012 to December 2015. All the investigated STEMI patients underwent PCI., Results: The mean age of STEMI patients was 61.52±11.48 years, 72.2% of the patients were male and 75.2% living in the rural regions. The mean time from hospitalization to PCI was 2104.41±5060.68min (median 95.0 and IQR 1034.5). The mean and median of time from hospitalization to PCI tended to decrease from 2747.7±5793.9min and 155.0min in 2012 to 1874.7±4759.2min and 73.5min in 2015. Among all STEMI events the percentage of patients from hospitalization to PCI within 0-59min was up to 39.0% during all study period. From 2012 to 2015, the percentage of STEMI patients with short time (0-59min) of hospitalization to PCI tended to increase in average by 11.4% per year (P=0.09). Among all STEMI patients hospital mortality from 2012 to 2015 did not change significantly and ranged from 9.0% in 2012 to 8.6% in 2015. By multiple logistic regression analysis, study years (2012), gender (female), age (60> years), time from hospitalization to PCI (60>min) and number of bed-days were statistically significant factors associated with patients' hospital mortality from STEMI with PCI., Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that hospitalization delay in the treatment of STEMI patients in Kazakhstan population was without significant changes, meanwhile the number of patients perfused within 1h from hospitalization to PCI tended to increase during 2012-2015. The higher hospital mortality was associated with study year, female gender, older age, longer-time from hospitalization to PCI and shorter hospitalization., (Copyright © 2017 The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Computers and the Internet have become an integral part of today's life. Problematic gaming is related to adolescent's health. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of Internet addiction among 13-18-year-old schoolchildren and its relation to sex, age, and time spent playing computer games, game type, and subjective health evaluation., Materials and Methods: A total of 1806 schoolchildren aged 13-18 years were interviewed. The evaluation of Internet addiction was conducted by the Diagnostic Questionnaire according to Young's methodology. The relation between the choice of computer games type, time spent while playing computer games and respondents' Internet addiction were assessed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: One-tenth (10.6%) of the boys and 7.7% of the girls aged 13-18 years were Internet addicted. Internet addiction was associated with the type of computer game (action or combat vs. logic) among boys (OR=2.42; 95% CI, 1.03-5.67) and with the amount of time spent playing computer games per day during the last month (≥5 vs. <5h) among girls (OR=2.10; 95% CI, 1.19-3.70). The boys who were addicted to the Internet were more likely to rate their health poorer in comparison to their peers who were not addicted to the Internet (OR=2.48; 95% CI, 1.33-4.62)., Conclusions: Internet addiction was significantly associated with poorer self-rated health among boys., (Copyright © 2016 The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.)

Although the association between blood pressure, serum lipids and cancer risk has been investigated, the results are controversial. The aim of this literature review was to examine the epidemiological evidence and provide overview of the association between blood pressure, serum lipids and cancer risk. The arterial hypertension is closely linked with renal cell cancer development. Risk of renal cell cancer was 2-4 times higher for persons with arterial hypertension, independently of sex. In some studies arterial hypertension as one of the components of the metabolic syndrome, was associated with a higher risk of colorectal, prostate cancer and malignant melanoma. Studies suggest that a higher total serum cholesterol level is linked with higher risk of colorectum, colon, prostate and testicular cancer and lower risk of stomach, liver and hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues cancer. There was positive association between serum triglycerides and esophageal, colorectal, lung, renal, thyroid cancer. Given that hypertension is a common risk factor worldwide and its control remains inadequate, our analysis supports the relevance of public health programs aimed at reducing hypertension to reduce the incidence of a number of cancers including renal cell cancer. Effective cholesterol control may lower the risk of cancer, but further studies with longer follow-up and repeated measurements of cholesterol and other lipids are needed., (Copyright © 2016 The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the trends of myocardial infarction (MI) morbidity and evaluate the associations with some meteorological factors., Materials and Methods: Data on MI morbidity were collected from Kaunas ischemic heart disease registry and information about meteorological factors from Kaunas meteorological station was collected., Results: The overall morbidity rates of acute MI among men aged 25-64 increased by 2.0%/yr. (P=0.02), whereas among women did not change significantly (+1.2%/yr., P=0.2) during 1995-2007. Among men aged 65-84 the overall morbidity rates of MI were without significant changes (-1.0%/yr., P=0.3) and among women decreased significantly by -1.7%/yr. (P=0.03). During 1995-2000, a weak inverse significant correlation between atmospheric air temperature and morbidity of MI (r=-0.05, P=0.019) was documented (in women and the elderly r=-0.045 and -0.048, respectively, P<0.05). Weak correlation between atmospheric air wind speed and MI morbidity in women (r=-0.042, P=0.05) and in population of older age (r=-0.056, P=0.099) was determined. In men and in elderly population a direct weak correlation between atmospheric pressure and MI morbidity was found (r=0.114 and 0.166, respectively, P<0.01). In this study monthly and seasonal variation of MI rates were observed. In winter period MI rates were higher to compare with other seasons (χ(2)=18.682, df=3, P<0.0001)., Conclusions: The overall morbidity rates of MI increased among Kaunas men aged 25-64 and tended to increase among women, whereas among men aged 65-84 MI morbidity trends were without statistically significant changes and significantly decreased among women during 1995-2007. Weak inverse correlations between atmospheric air temperatures, rainfall level and direct correlation between air wind speed, atmospheric pressure and MI morbidity were established. Months/seasonal variations during analyzed period were observed., (Copyright © 2014 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.)

OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature and pressure) on the daily occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study used the daily values of atmospheric temperature and pressure in 2000-2007. The meteorological data were obtained from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service for Kaunas. The relative risks of event occurrence were computed for 5°C atmospheric temperature and for 10-hPa atmospheric pressure variations by means of the Poisson regression model. RESULTS. The occurrence of AMI and atmospheric temperature showed an inverse linear relationship, while the occurrence of AMI and atmospheric pressure, a positive linear relationship. Among the youngest subjects (25-44 years old), no relationships were detected. Contrary, among the subjects aged 45-64 years and those aged 65 years and older, the occurrence of AMI significantly decreased with higher temperature (P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). A decrease in atmospheric temperature by 10ºC reduced the risk of AMI by 8.7% in the age groups of 45-64 and 65 years and older and by 19% in the age group of 25 years and older. Among the first AMI cases, the risk increased by 7.5% in the age group of 45-64-year olds and by 6.4% in the age group of 25-64-year olds. The relationship between atmospheric temperature and pressure, and AMI occurrence was found to be linear but inverse. An increase in atmospheric pressure by 10 hPa resulted in an increase in risk by 4% among the subjects aged 65 years and more and by 3% among the subjects aged 25 years and more. CONCLUSIONS. Atmospheric temperature and pressure variations had the greatest effect on middle-aged and aging subjects (starting from 45 years). At younger age, the effect of such factors on the AMI risk was considerably lower.