The relationship between physical performance and alcohol consumption levels in Russian adults.

Investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and physical performance, we used data from the 2015-2018 Know Your Heart study on 4215 adults aged 35-69 from Arkhangelsk and Novosibirsk, Russia. We classified participants' drinking status into non-drinking, non-problem drinking, hazardous drinking, and harmful drinking based on their self-reported drinking behaviors. To evaluate physical performance, we developed a Composite Physical Performance Scale (CPPS), which combined the results of three functional tests: grip strength (GS), closed-eyes balance, and chair rises (CR). We applied multivariable linear regression to assess the relationship between alcohol consumption and CPPS score, and ordinal logistic regression to explore the associations between alcohol consumption and the three functional tests separately. The results showed that harmful drinking was associated with lower CPPS scores compared to non-problem drinking. Among harmful drinking men, the decrease in CPPS scores was explained by all three tests equally and exceptionally by GS among women. Non-drinking was also associated with decreased CPPS, linked to lower GS and CR scores in men, and only lower GS scores in women. The study revealed a reduced physical performance in the non-drinking and harmful drinking groups compared to non-problem drinking.

Association between Alcohol Consumption and Body Composition in Russian Adults and Patients Treated for Alcohol-Related Disorders: The Know Your Heart Cross-Sectional Study.

There is conflicting evidence about the association between alcohol consumption and body composition (BC). We aimed to investigate this association in Russian adults. The study population included 2357 residents of Arkhangelsk aged 35-69 years, and 272 in-patients treated for alcohol problems (narcological patients) who participated in the Know Your Heart (KYH) cross-sectional study in 2015-2017. The participants were divided into five subgroups based on their alcohol use characteristics: non-drinkers, non-problem drinkers, hazardous drinkers, harmful drinkers, and narcological patients. Considering men, hazardous drinkers had a larger waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and percentage of body fat mass (%FM) compared to non-problem drinkers. In harmful drinking men, these differences were the opposite: a lower body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), and %FM. Men among narcological patients had the lowest mean BMI, WC, HC, WHR, and %FM compared to other subgroups of men. As for women, non-drinkers had a lower BMI, WC, HC, and %FM compared to non-problem drinkers. Women among narcological patients had the lowest mean BMI and HC but an increased WHR compared to other subgroups of women. In conclusion, alcohol consumption levels had an inverted J-shaped association with adiposity-related BC parameters: they were elevated in hazardous drinkers but were reduced in harmful drinkers, and were even lower in patients with alcohol-related diagnoses.

Human health risk assessment of heavy metals from meat and offal of reindeer and cow in the Far North of European Russia.

AIMS: This study aimed to compare the concentrations of heavy metals in reindeer and cow meat and offal originating from the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Northwestern Russia, and to assess the risk to the health of the indigenous population associated with heavy metal intake due to the consumption of reindeer and cow. METHODS: Lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic concentrations were measured in 39 muscle, 15 liver, and 14 kidney samples from reindeer and 33, 18, and 12 corresponding samples from cow in 2014-2016 using atomic absorption spectrometry. Estimated daily intake of investigated heavy metals, hazard quotient, hazard index and cancer risk were calculated. RESULTS: Mean cadmium and mercury concentrations in reindeer liver and kidney exceeded the maximum permissible levels for bovine animals. However, the estimated daily intakes of heavy metals through consumption of reindeer and cow meat and offal were lower than tolerable daily intakes. Hazard quotient and hazard index values for heavy metals in reindeer and cow samples were <1. Hazard index values were in descending order: reindeer kidney (0.389)>reindeer muscle (0.382)>cow muscle (0.088)>reindeer liver (0.051)>cow kidney (0.012)>cow liver (0.004). The cancer risk related to the consumption of reindeer and cow meat and offal did not exceed acceptable levels. CONCLUSIONS: There is no human health risk associated with heavy metal intake due to the consumption of reindeer and cow meat and offal originating from the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Pilot study on the concentrations of organochlorine compounds and potentially toxic elements in pregnant women and local food items from the Finnish Lapland.

In the Arctic, main sources of persistent organic pollutants and potentially toxic elements are industry and agriculture in the lower latitudes. However, there are also local sources of pollution. Our study was focused on possible pollution in the Finnish Lapland, transferred from the Pechenganikel industrial complex located in the borders of Russia, Finland and Norway. Local food items and blood samples of pregnant women from the Inari municipality were collected and organochlorine compounds (OCs) and metal(oid)s analyzed. Most of the examined food samples showed detectable levels of these compounds. The mean concentrations of DDTs and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) were higher in fish (0.18-0.32 ng/g and 0.34-0.64 ng/g, respectively), than in the other food groups (0.027-0.047 ng/g and 0.11-0.20 ng/g, respectively). PCBs were found at the highest concentrations in blood samples of the pregnant women, and congeners 153 and 118 were dominant. The mean concentration of PCB153, 0.29 µg/kg serum lipid, was lower than those described in many other studies. Concerning DDTs, the 4,4'-DDT/4,4'-DDE ratio, 0.092, in the blood samples was lower than that observed in the food items, 0.25-0.71, reflecting old uses of the DDT pesticide. None of the observed levels of selected potentially toxic elements in blood samples and in food items exceeded the known safe limits. Higher concentrations of PCB52 and γ-HCH were observed in the serum of pregnant women who consumed greater amounts of meat, and berries and mushrooms, respectively. The OC concentrations from the pregnant women currently studied were lower than those observed fourteen years ago with pregnant women from the same municipality. Compounds whose occurrence is likely related to a long-distance transport showed clear decreases, e.g., 63% for PCBs, and for those from pesticides, decreases were 93% and 97% for 4,4'-DDE and ß-HCH, respectively. No obvious influence from the Pechenganikel complex is observed from the results.

Weather Conditions and Outdoor Fall Injuries in Northwestern Russia.

This study aimed to investigate associations between the weather conditions and the frequency of medically-treated, non-fatal accidental outdoor fall injuries (AOFIs) in a provincial region of Northwestern Russia. Data on all non-fatal AOFIs that occurred from January 2015 through June 2018 (N = 1125) were extracted from the population-based Shenkursk Injury Registry (SHIR). Associations between the weather conditions and AOFIs were investigated separately for the cold (15 October-14 April) and the warm (15 April-14 October) seasons. Negative binomial regression was used to investigate daily numbers of AOFIs in the cold season, while zero-inflated Poisson regression was used for the warm season. The mean daily number of AOFIs was 1.7 times higher in the cold season compared to the warm season (1.10 vs. 0.65, respectively). The most typical accident mechanism in the cold season was slipping (83%), whereas stepping wrong or stumbling over something was most common (49%) in the warm season. The highest mean daily incidence of AOFIs in the cold season (20.2 per 100,000 population) was observed on days when the ground surface was covered by compact or wet snow, air temperature ranged from -7.0 °C to -0.7 °C, and the amount of precipitation was above 0.4 mm. In the warm season, the highest mean daily incidence (7.0 per 100,000 population) was observed when the air temperature and atmospheric pressure were between 9.0 °C and 15.1 °C and 1003.6 to 1010.9 hPa, respectively. Along with local weather forecasts, broadcasting warnings about the increased risks of outdoor falls may serve as an effective AOFI prevention tool.

Mechanisms of accidental fall injuries and involved injury factors: a registry-based study.

BACKGROUND: Falls are the leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, but fall injury circumstances differ by age. We studied the circumstances of accidental fall injuries by age in Shenkursk District, Northwest Russia, using the data from the population-based Shenkursk Injury Registry. METHODS: Data on accidental fall injuries (hereafter: fall injuries) occurring in January 2015-June 2018 were extracted from the Shenkursk Injury Registry (N = 1551) and categorized by age group (0-6, 7-17, 18-59, and 60+ years). The chi-square test and ANOVA were used to compare descriptive injury variables across age groups, and a two-step cluster analysis was performed to identify homogeneous groups of fall injuries by preceding circumstances. RESULTS: Half of recorded fall injuries in the 0-6 year age group occurred inside dwellings (49%). The largest cluster of falls (64%) mainly included climbing up or down on home furnishings. In the 7-17 year age group, public outdoor residential areas were the most common fall injury site (29%), and the largest cluster of falls (37%) involved physical exercise and sport or play equipment. Homestead lands or areas near a dwelling were the most typical fall injury sites in the age groups 18-59 and 60+ years (31 and 33%, respectively). Most frequently, fall injury circumstances in these groups involved slipping on ice-covered surfaces (32% in 18-59 years, 37% in 60+ years). CONCLUSION: The circumstances of fall injuries in the Shenkursk District varied across age groups. This knowledge can be used to guide age-specific preventive strategies in the study area and similar settings.

Injury registration for primary prevention in a provincial Russian region: setting up a new trauma registry.

BACKGROUND: The Shenkursk Injury Registry (SHIR) was established in the Shenkursk District, Northwestern Russia in 2015 for the purposes of primary prevention. The SHIR covers all injuries (ICD-10 diagnoses from S00 to T78) for which medical aid is given at the Shenkursk central district hospital and includes data about injury circumstances. We used the SHIR data to assess the quality of the SHIR as an evidence basis and for the local preventive applications. METHODS: Completeness, representativeness, and reliability of the SHIR data were assessed using a sample of 1696 injuries which have occurred in July 2015-June 2016. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences between the registered and missed cases in the registry and Cohen's kappa were applied to assess the agreement between independent data entries. RESULTS: The completeness of the SHIR with respect to the coverage of cases treated at the Shenkursk central district hospital was 86%. There were no differences between the registered and the missed injuries by sex, ICD-10 codes, weekday of admission, but there were differences in their distribution by attending physicians. Also, higher proportions of child injuries and injuries in the summer time were among the missed cases. Signs of lower injury severity (different distribution by ICD-10 codes and lower proportion of traffic injuries) were observed among injuries in rural areas which were not covered by the registry because of treatment at rural primary health care units without referrals to the central hospital. Two independent data entries from standard paper injury registration forms showed a 79-99% agreement, depending on the variable considered. CONCLUSION: With consideration of possible insubstantial overestimates of the average injury severity, the SHIR data can be considered sufficiently complete, reliable, and representative of the injury situation in the Shenkursk District. Therefore, SHIR is an adequate evidentiary basis for planning local injury prevention.

Daily variations in ambulance calls for selected causes in Arkhangelsk, Russia: potential role of excessive alcohol consumption on weekends.

OBJECTIVE: To assess daily variations in ambulance calls for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), mental and behavioral disorders, and external causes in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia, in 2000-2008. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based study. METHODS: Data about all ambulance calls during the years 2000-2008 were obtained from the Arkhangelsk ambulance station. Information about patient's gender, age, doctor's diagnosis according to International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, and the date of call were recorded. Pearson's Chi-squared tests were used for comparing proportions of ambulance calls across the week for CVDs (I00-99), mental and behavioral disorders (F00-F99), and external causes (S00-T98, V01-Y98). The ratio of incidence of ambulance calls on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday versus the rest of week was also calculated. RESULTS: There is a significant daily variation (p < 0.001) in calls for CVDs in men and women aged 18-59 and women aged 60 years and older, with increased numbers of calls on weekends and Mondays varying between 2 and 3% excess calls. For mental and behavioral disorders, a similar pattern was found in the age group of 18-59 year-olds. Ratios for the number of calls during weekends and Mondays vs. the rest of the week were 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02-1.08) among women and 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00-1.05) among men. For external causes, a significant variation and an increase in ambulance calls during Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from 4 to 17% excess calls was observed for both age and gender groups. CONCLUSIONS: The observed daily variations in ambulance calls with an increased number of calls on weekends and Mondays for CVDs, mental and behavioral disorders, and external causes may be associated with excessive alcohol consumption on the weekends. Further research using data on individual levels of alcohol consumption are warranted.