Medical Misinformation in Polish on the World Wide Web During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period: Infodemiology Study.

BACKGROUND: Although researchers extensively study the rapid generation and spread of misinformation about the novel coronavirus during the pandemic, numerous other health-related topics are contaminating the internet with misinformation that have not received as much attention. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to gauge the reach of the most popular medical content on the World Wide Web, extending beyond the confines of the pandemic. We conducted evaluations of subject matter and credibility for the years 2021 and 2022, following the principles of evidence-based medicine with assessments performed by experienced clinicians. METHODS: We used 274 keywords to conduct web page searches through the BuzzSumo Enterprise Application. These keywords were chosen based on medical topics derived from surveys administered to medical practitioners. The search parameters were confined to 2 distinct date ranges: (1) January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021; (2) January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Our searches were specifically limited to web pages in the Polish language and filtered by the specified date ranges. The analysis encompassed 161 web pages retrieved in 2021 and 105 retrieved in 2022. Each web page underwent scrutiny by a seasoned doctor to assess its credibility, aligning with evidence-based medicine standards. Furthermore, we gathered data on social media engagements associated with the web pages, considering platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, and Twitter. RESULTS: In 2022, the prevalence of unreliable information related to COVID-19 saw a noteworthy decline compared to 2021. Specifically, the percentage of noncredible web pages discussing COVID-19 and general vaccinations decreased from 57% (43/76) to 24% (6/25) and 42% (10/25) to 30% (3/10), respectively. However, during the same period, there was a considerable uptick in the dissemination of untrustworthy content on social media pertaining to other medical topics. The percentage of noncredible web pages covering cholesterol, statins, and cardiology rose from 11% (3/28) to 26% (9/35) and from 18% (5/28) to 26% (6/23), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb the dissemination of misinformation seem to have yielded positive results. Nevertheless, our analysis suggests that these interventions need to be consistently implemented across both established and emerging medical subjects. It appears that as interest in the pandemic waned, other topics gained prominence, essentially "filling the vacuum" and necessitating ongoing measures to address misinformation across a broader spectrum of health-related subjects.

Effectiveness of Lifestyle Modification vs. Therapeutic, Preventative Strategies for Reducing Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Prevention-A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are still the leading cause of death in developed countries. The aim of this study was to calculate the potential for CV risk reduction when using three different prevention strategies to evaluate the effect of primary prevention. METHODS: A total of 931 individuals aged 20-79 years old from the Bialystok PLUS Study were analyzed. The study population was divided into CV risk classes. The Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE), Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and LIFE-CVD were used to assess CV risk. The optimal prevention strategy assumed the attainment of therapeutic goals according to the European guidelines. The moderate strategy assumed therapeutic goals in participants with increased risk factors: a reduction in systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg when it was above 140 mmHg, a reduction in total cholesterol by 25% when it was above 190 mg/dL, and a reduction in body mass index below 30. The minimal prevention strategy assumed that CV risk would be lowered by lifestyle modifications. The greatest CV risk reduction was achieved in the optimal model and then in the minimal model, and the lowest risk reduction was achieved in the moderate model, e.g., using the optimal model of prevention (Model 1). In the total population, we achieved a reduction of -1.74% in the 10-year risk of CVD death (SCORE) in relation to the baseline model, a -0.85% reduction when using the moderate prevention model (Model 2), and a -1.11% reduction when using the minimal prevention model (Model 3). However, in the low CV risk class, the best model was the minimal one (risk reduction of -0.72%), which showed even better results than the optimal one (reduction of -0.69%) using the FRS. CONCLUSION: A strategy based on lifestyle modifications in a population without established CVD could be more effective than the moderate strategy used in the present study. Moreover, applying a minimal strategy to the low CV risk class population may even be beneficial for an optimal model.

Factors Associated with Tooth Loss in General Population of Bialystok, Poland.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess risk factors for tooth loss in the population of the city of Bialystok, in north-eastern Poland, taking into account the entire population and different age groups. The study included 1138 subjects divided into three subgroups: 20-44 years, 45-64 years, and 65-79 years. Participants were classified according to the number of teeth lost (0-8 vs. 9-28). Socio-economic variables, smoking history, and dental habits were collected through a questionnaire. Medical examinations provided data on the body mass index and the fasting blood glucose level. Data were statistically analysed using Mann-Whitney U, Student's t, chi2 tests, and binary logistic regression, p < 0.05. RESULTS: For the general population, being female (OR 1.38, 1.07-1.79, p = 0.015), having secondary education (OR 4.18, Cl 2.97-5.87, p < 0.000), higher body mass index (OR 1.13, Cl 1.10-1.17, p < 0.000), higher fasting blood glucose level (OR 1.03 1.03-1.04, p < 0.000), being former smoker (OR 1.72, Cl 1.29-2.31, p < 0.000), ever smoker (OR 1.69, Cl 1.29-2.20, p < 0.000), current smoker (OR 1.62, Cl 1.15-2.29, p < 0.006), longer smoking period (OR 1.11, Cl 1.09-1.14, p < 0.000), last visit to the dentist over a year ago (OR 1.92, Cl 0.44-2.58, p < 0.000) and tooth brushing less than two times a day (OR 1.6, Cl 1.14-2.23, p < 0.006) were associated with losing more than 8 teeth. In the subgroup aged 20-44 years, only smoking duration was a risk factor for tooth loss (p = 0.02). For the middle-aged and oldest groups, education level (respectively p < 0.001, and p = 0.001), body mass index (respectively, p < 0.001, and p = 0.037), smoking status ever/former/current (respectively p < 0.001 and p = 0.002), smoking status never/ever (respectively p < 0.001 and p = 0.009), smoking duration (p < 0.001) were related to tooth loss. Additionally, in the elderly group, fasting blood glucose level (p = 0.044) and frequency of dental visits (p = 0.007) were related to tooth loss. We concluded that in the evaluated population, tooth loss was associated with socio-demographic, medical, and behavioural factors.

Subjective well-being in non-obese individuals depends strongly on body composition.

While obesity has been correlated with welfare in the general population, there is not much data on the influence of body composition on welfare among the non-obese adult individuals. In this study, a total of 726 non-obese individuals from the general population were analyzed. The mean age was 46.8 ± 15.4 years and 42.1% of participants were male. The anthropometric measurements and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were done. The mean value for the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was 23.09 ± 5.43, for Euro Quality of Life Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) was 78.0 ± 14.5, and for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was 6.7 ± 6.6. On the SWLS, the higher waist-hip ratio had a negative impact even after adjusting for age, gender, and concomitant diseases. EQ-VAS was inversely associated with android fat distribution and directly associated with muscle mass. BDI value was inversely associated with lower muscle mass, especially in lower limbs. The well-being of women was mainly associated with the distribution of adipose tissue and less with the distribution of muscle tissue-abdominal fat distribution has a particularly negative impact on well-being among women. In contrast, men's well-being depends more on muscle mass and to a lesser extent on the distribution of fat tissue-a positive significant effect has lean mass and a circumference of thigh below gluteal fold.

A Similar Lifetime CV Risk and a Similar Cardiometabolic Profile in the Moderate and High Cardiovascular Risk Populations: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major, worldwide problem that remains the dominant cause of premature mortality in the world, and increasing rates of dysglycaemia are a major contributor to its development. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiometabolic profile among patients in particular cardiovascular risk classes, and to estimate their long term CV risk. METHODS: A total of 931 individuals aged 20-79 were included. The study population was divided into CV risk classes according to the latest European Society of Cardiology recommendations. RESULTS: Most of the analyzed anthropometric, body composition and laboratory parameters did not differ between the moderate and high CV risk participants. Interestingly, estimating the lifetime risk of myocardial infarction, stroke or CV death, using the LIFEtime-perspective model for individualizing CardioVascular Disease prevention strategies in apparently healthy people, yielded similar results in moderate and high CV risk classes. CONCLUSION: The participants who belonged to moderate and high CV risk classes had very similar unfavorable cardiometabolic profiles, which may result in similar lifetime CV risk. This may imply the need for more aggressive pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of CV risk factors in the moderate CV risk population, who are often unaware of their situation. New prospective population studies are necessary to establish the true cardiovascular risk profiles in a changing society.