[Patterns of drinking alcohol tobacco smoking among 6th year students of the faculty of medicine in Bialstok]. / Wzorce picia alkoholu i palenie tytoniu wsród studentów VI roku Wydzialu Lekarskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Bialymstoku.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol and tobacco are legal, easily available addictive substances. There are no universal criteria of safe alcohol consumption but some scientific studies have allowed for determination of consumption levels helpful in evaluation of the pattern of drinking and evoking readiness to limit the amount of consumed alcohol. THE AIM: The aim of the work was to evaluate and compare the knowledge of 6th year students of the Faculty of Medicine of the Medical University of Biatystok in the academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13 concerning the effects of alcohol abuse, as well as to determine their drinking patterns and tobacco smoking structure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study material was collected by means of anonymous voluntary surveys carried out before classes concerning the issues of addictions within the framework of family medicine subject block. RESULTS: 356 students took part in the study: 226 (63.5%) women and 130 (36.5%) men (p<0.000). 4.86% of the respondents displayed a high level of knowledge on the harmfulness of alcohol abuse; 63.43% had an average level of knowledge and 31.71% - a low one. 51,32% women and 62,3% men drank alcohol in a hazardous way. A relation was found between a low level of knowledge and the amount of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking day (rS=-0.15, p=0.03) as well as between a low level of knowledge and hazardous drinking (rS=-0.13, p=0.03). Among the respondents, 18,58% women and 14,63% men smoked cigarettes regularly. Those who are 6th year students in the academic year 2012/13 usually had started smoking within the first three years of study at the Medical University and drank greater amounts of alcohol on a typical drinking day than students surveyed in the 2011/12 year. A correlation was found between tobacco smoking and a greater frequency of getting drunk occasionally (rS=-0.18, p=0.002) among students of both years. CONCLUSION: Insufficient knowledge on the effects of alcohol abuse and smoking coexist with a higher risk of drinking alcohol.

[Haemophilus influenzae type b--active prevention]. / Zakazenia Haemophilus influenzae typu b--profilaktyka czynna.

Infection with non-encapsulated types of Haemophilus influenzae bacteria can cause such diseases as sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis or otitis. Of the six capsulated types of Haemophilus influenzae, type b (Hib) is the main cause of invasive diseases in childhood, including meningitis, septicaemia, epiglottitis, pneumonia, arthritis, osteomyelitis. The article presents the data about the virulence of Haemophilus influenzae, its carrier state, invasive Hib infections in the world and in Poland as well as active prevention with usage of Hib vaccinations, with special reference to high risk groups.