Parkinson’s disease: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting at least 0.3% of the worldwide population and over 3% of those over 80 years old. According to recent research (2018), in 2016, 6.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 5.0–7.3) individuals had Parkinson’s disease globally, compared with 2.5 million (2.0–3.0) in 1990. The pandemic-like spreading of PD is considered a slow-moving disaster. Most recent studies indicated the possible role of an altered microbiome, dysbiosis, in the development of PD, which occurs long before the clinical diagnosis of PD. Antibiotics are considered as major disruptors of the intestinal flora and we have hypothesized that, as different classes of antibiotics might induce different dysbiosis, certain classes of antibiotics could trigger the PD-related dysbiosis as well. Comparative analyses were performed between the average yearly antibiotic consumption of 30 European countries (1997–2016) and the PD prevalence database (estimated for 2016). We divided the time frame of antibiotic consumption of 1997–2016 into four subsections to estimate the possible time lapse between antibiotic exposure and the prevalence, prevalence change, and PD-related death rates estimated for 2016. Our results indicated that countries with high consumption of narrow-spectrum penicillin experienced a higher increase in PD prevalence than the others. Countries reporting a decline in PD from 1990 to 2016 demonstrated a reduction in the consumption of narrow-spectrum penicillin in this period.

Background/Aim: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health concern, affecting over 200 million people worldwide in 2019. The prevalence of COPD has risen by 40% from 1990 to 2010 and continued to increase by 13% from 2010 to 2019, causing over 3 million deaths globally in 2019, ranking it as the third leading cause of death. This study explored how daily weather changes relate to the number of COPD-related emergency department (ED) visits. Materials and Methods: We collected data on daily COPD-related ED visits in 2017 in Pécs along with corresponding meteorological data to analyze this connection. Results: High diurnal temperature range (DTR) and day-to-day variability in dew point were linked to a 4.5% increased risk of more COPD-related ED visits. Notably, DTR had a stronger impact on males, contributing to a 6.3% increase, while dew point variability significantly affected males with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.083. (OR=1.083). Stratifying by age revealed heightened risks for those aged 30-39 (43.5% increase) and 50-59 (7.6% increase). Females aged 30-39 and 50-59 faced elevated risks of 42.7% and 9.1%, respectively, whereas males aged 60-69 showed a 9.8% increase. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the influence of weather variations on COPD-related ED visits, with nuanced effects based on age and sex.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common causes of death globally, with increasing prevalence and years lived with disability (YLD). We aimed to investigate how extreme weather conditions were associated with the number of daily COPD-related emergency visits. We collected data regarding the number of daily emergency department (ED) visits made by patients with COPD in 2017, along with all relevant daily meteorological data for the same year. An analysis of the relationship between the number of COPD-related ED visits and extreme meteorological events was carried out. Extremely low temperatures (OR = 1.767) and dew points (OR = 1.795), extremely high atmospheric pressure (OR = 1.626), a high amount of precipitation (OR = 1.270), and light wind speed (OR = 1.560) were identified as possible risk factors for a higher number of COPD-related ED visits. In contrast, extremely high temperatures (OR = 0.572) and dew points (OR = 0.606) were found to be possible protective factors for COPD-related ED visits. By determining the meteorological risk factors for a high number of COPD-related ED visits, our study may help provide invaluable data for identifying vulnerable patient groups based on weather events, thus making more optimal capacity planning at the ED possible.

Clinical observations indicated a higher rate of obesity among children who received antibiotics at early ages. Experimental studies supported the role of the modified gut microbiome in the development of obesity as well. For identifying antibiotic classes that might promote or inhibit obesity-related dysbiosis, a database of the average yearly antibiotic consumption (2008–2018) has been developed using the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) yearly reports of antibiotic consumption in the community for the major antibiotic classes in 30 European countries, which were compared to the childhood and adult obesity prevalence featured in the Obesity Atlas. Pearson’s chi-square test was applied to estimate positive/negative correlations between antibiotic consumption and obesity. One-way ANOVA has been applied to test the differences in antibiotic consumption between groups, and logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratios (OR) of antibiotic consumption for obesity. Strong, positive associations were estimated between childhood obesity and the total consumption of systemic antibiotics, broad-spectrum, beta-lactamase-resistant penicillin, cephalosporin, and quinolone, and a negative correlation was found with the consumption of tetracycline, broad-spectrum, beta-lactamase-sensitive penicillin, and narrow-spectrum, beta-lactamase-sensitive penicillin. Our observation indicated that the “growth-promoting effect” of the consumption of certain antibiotic classes might be identified as a possible etiology in the development of obesity and might be the explanation for the obesity “pandemic”.

Down syndrome (DS) is a leading human genomic abnormality resulting from the trisomy of chromosome 21. The genomic base of the aneuploidy behind this disease is complex, and this complexity poses formidable challenges to understanding the underlying molecular basis. In the spectrum of the classic DS risk factor associations, the role of nutrients, vitamins, and, in general, the foodborne-associated background, as part of the events ultimately leading to chromosome nondisjunction, has long been recognized as a well-established clinical association. The integrity of the microbiome is a basic condition in these events, and the dysbiosis may be associated with secondary health outcomes. The possible association of DS development with maternal gut microbiota should therefore require more attention. We have hypothesized that different classes of antibiotics might promote or inhibit the proliferation of different microbial taxa; and hence, we might find associations between the use of the different classes of antibiotics and the prevalence of DS through the modification of the microbiome. As antibiotics are considered major disruptors of the microbiome, it could be hypothesized that the consumption/exposure of certain classes of antibiotics might be associated with the prevalence of DS in European countries (N = 30). By utilizing three different statistical methods, comparisons have been made between the average yearly antibiotic consumption (1997–2020) and the estimated prevalence of people living with DS for the year 2019 as a percentage of the population in European countries. We have found strong statistical correlations between the consumption of tetracycline (J01A) and the narrow-spectrum, beta-lactamase-resistant penicillin (J01CF) and the prevalence of DS.

Background/Objectives: In this study, we aimed to compare the predictive power of non-conventional (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio—NLR; platelet/lymphocyte ratio—PLR) and conventional markers (C-reactive protein—CRP; procalcitonin—PCT; interleukin-6—IL-6) in terms of disease progression and mortality in severe SARS-CoV-2 patients. Methods: In this prospective observatory study, blood samples were collected daily, focusing on the established inflammatory markers. Critically ill COVID-19 patients who required ICU admission were included. Patient treatment followed established COVID-19 protocols, and the data analysis was performed using SPSS with non-normal distribution methods. The study cohort primarily included patients infected with the delta variant. Results: A mortality rate of 76.6% was observed among 167 patients during the study period. Significant differences in conventional and non-conventional markers between survivor and non-survivor groups were observed. The PCT levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.005) in the deceased group. Among the non-conventional markers, the NLR was consistently higher in non-survivors and emerged as a significant predictor of mortality, whereas the PLR was not elevated among the non-survivors. ROC analyses indicated that PCT and the NLR were the markers with the highest predictive power for mortality. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified NLR, PCT, CRP, and IL-6 as significant predictors of mortality across different days. The NLR showed a consistent, though not always statistically significant, association with increased mortality risk, particularly on Days 2 and 5. Conclusions: The NLR’s accessibility and simplicity of determination make it a valuable and practical tool for monitoring inflammatory processes in viral infections. Our findings suggest that incorporating NLR analysis into routine clinical practice could enhance the early identification of high-risk patients, thereby improving patient management and outcomes.