Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are an alternative to traditional tobacco cigarette smoking. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among university students from Central and Eastern Europe and to investigate personal characteristics associated with cigarette and e-cigarette smoking. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was performed between 2017–2018 among university students in five European countries: Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia. The questionnaire included 46 questions related to the frequency and habits of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes use. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 14,352 students (8800 medical; aged 20.9 ± 2.4 years) with an overall response rate of 72.2%. Two-thirds of the respondents had smoked a traditional tobacco cigarette and 43.7% had used an e-cigarette. Overall current smoking status included 12.3% traditional cigarette smokers, 1.1% e-cigarette users, and 1.8% were dual users with the remainder being non-smokers. Smoking status differed between the research centres (p < 0.001). Females were less likely to try either cigarettes (OR = 0.83) or e-cigarettes (OR = 0.62) and were less likely to be current cigarette (OR = 0.64), e-cigarette (OR = 0.34), or dual users (OR = 0.33) than males. Perception of e-cigarettes significantly differed between smokers and non-smokers (p < 0.001). Among university students, cigarettes are more popular than e-cigarettes.

Pseudomonas aeruginosaandStaphylococcus aureuscause chronic lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, inducing chronic oxidative stress. Several markers of plasma protein oxidative damage and glycoxidation and activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes have been compared in stable CF patients chronically infected withPseudomonas aeruginosa(n=12) andStaphylococcus aureus(n=10) in relation to healthy subjects (n=11). Concentration of nitric oxide was also measured in the exhaled air from the lower respiratory tract of patients with CF. Elevated glycophore (4.22 ± 0.91 and 4.19 ± 1.04 versus control 3.18 ± 0.53 fluorescence units (FU)/mg protein;P<0.05) and carbonyl group levels (1.9 ± 0.64, 1.87 ± 0.45 versus control 0.94 ± 0.19 nmol/mg protein;P<0.05) as well as increased glutathioneS-transferase activity (2.51 ± 0.88 and 2.57 ± 0.79 U/g Hb versus 0.77 ± 0.16 U/g Hb;P<0.05) were noted inPseudomonas aeruginosaandStaphylococcus aureusinfected CF. Kynurenine level (4.91 ± 1.22 versus 3.89 ± 0.54 FU/mg protein;P<0.05) was elevated only inStaphylococcus aureusinfected CF. These results confirm oxidative stress in CF and demonstrate the usefulness of the glycophore level and protein carbonyl groups as markers of oxidative modifications of plasma proteins in this disease.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic urticaria (CU) are common skin diseases with an increasing prevalence and pathogenesis that are not fully understood. Emerging evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a role in AD and CU. The aim of the single-center cross-sectional study was to compare markers of oxidative stress in 21 patients with AD, and 19 CU patients. The products of protein oxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and markers of lipid peroxidation were estimated in the serum. AD patients had a higher level of advanced protein oxidation products and a lower level of thiol groups than healthy participants. However, CU patients had statistically higher levels of AOPP and 3-nitrotyrosine than healthy subjects. The level of thiol groups and serum TAC decreased significantly in patients with CU. There was no difference in serum concentration of lipid peroxidation products, Amadori products, ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione, and ability of albumin to binding cobalt between AD or CU patients compared to healthy subjects. We found a moderate positive significant correlation between AOPP and age in patients with AD. In patients with CU, TAC was negatively correlated with age. These results may shed light on the etiopathogenesis of AD or CU, and confirm an oxidative burden in these patients. Furthermore, our study could be useful in developing new therapeutic methods that include using antioxidants in dermatological diseases.

Our aim is to assess the smoking cessation and vaping cessation activity, including quit attempts and willingness to quit among university students in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as to investigate personal characteristics associated with smoking cessation and vaping cessation attempts. Data were collected by questionnaire which included 46 questions on cigarette and e-cigarette use. Questionnaires were obtained from 14,352 university students (aged 20.9 ± 2.4 years; cooperation rate of 72.2%). For the purposes of this analysis, only data from exclusive cigarette smokers (n = 1716), exclusive e-cigarette users (n = 129), and dual users (216) were included. Of all cigarette smokers, 51.6% had previously tried to quit smoking and 51.5% declared a willingness to quit cigarette smoking in the near future. Among all e-cigarette users only 13.9% had ever tried to quit using the e-cigarette and 25.2% declared a willingness to give up using e-cigarette in the near future. The majority of the group did not use pharmacotherapy to quit cigarette (87.5%) or e-cigarette (88.9%) use. Our results indicate that while most university students have some desire to quit conventional smoking, those who use e-cigarettes do not have the same desire.