The thesis topic bears the name: "Aspect of smoking among students of high medical schools". Smoking is one the most often appearing drug addictions nowadays in Europe. With reference to the World Health Organization, there are 1.3 billion of smoking people in the world today whereas consequences of smoking kill approximately 4.8 million of people every year, which are 560 people each hour. If the current trend continues, then in the current pace 10 million of people will die of the consequences of cigarette smoking during the year of 2020. Smoking invokes an enormous addiction to nicotine which bears itself considerable economic, social and health problems. There were some students from 1st and 4th grade of the present form of studies of all high medical schools selected. Those were students particularly from the schools: SZŠ and VOŠZ České Budějovice, SOŠZ and SOU Český Krumlov, SZŠ Jindřichův Hradec, SZŠ Tábor and SZŠ Písek. In total, 591 of students were responded whereas most of them were girls (87%). The average age of the responded ones was 17 years. The thesis consists of theoretical and empirical parts. The theoretical part deals with history of cigarette smoking, a definition of drug addiction, chemical composition of cigarette smoke and malignity of individual toxic elements. Further, there is a chapter concerning problem issues of electronic cigarette smoking in the theoretical part. In the conclusion of this part of the thesis, there are some statistical data referring to cigarette smoking stated. There are some findings of quite a few of authors dealing with problem issues of cigarette smoking and addiction to nicotine summarized here. The empirical part consists of findings from my own research analysis which was done with the intention to map the prevalence of smoking among future health workers and their opinion to cigarette smoking among healthcare staff and people preparing for their healthcare career. There are also the respondents' opinions and attitudes included. The aim of the thesis was: 1.: To find the prevalence of smoking of 1st and 4th grade of high medical schools students. 2.: To find what influence the respondents' surroundings have on the fact of their smoking. 3.: To find what attitude high medical school students have to healthcare staff smoking cigarettes. To reach the above mentioned aims, there were three hypotheses determined: H1: There is a statistically significant difference existing in the prevalence of smoking at 1st and 4th grade of high medical school students. H2: There is a statistically significant difference existing in the prevalence of cigarette smoking among students coming from families where at least one member smokes. H3: There are statistically significant differences in the attitude of 1st and 4th grade students to cigarette smoking among healthcare workers. To prove or disprove the mentioned hypotheses there is a method of quantitative research selected. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaires including 23 questions were distributed among 591 students of high medical schools of the South Bohemia Region. Their rate of return was 85%. The collected data were processed in the form of transparent graphs and the hypotheses were statistically tested. Pursuant to the evaluation of respondents' answers including the statistical data testing were proved by the hypothesis which presumed that there were statistically significant differences in the prevalence of cigarette smoking 1st and 4th grade students. The difference really exists that the 4th grade students smoke more often. It is interesting that the most considerable difference is between the schools of SZŠ and VOŠZ České Budějovice. On the contrary, the percentage of smoking students of SOŠZ Český Krumlov in the 1st grade is considerably high. Hypothesis no. 2 was statistically proved as well. There is a real significant difference exist

Many cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are linked to tobacco use. It is the largest avoidable health risk in Europe,causing more problems than alcohol, drugs, high blood pressure, excess weight or high cholesterol. Every year in the EU, as many as 650 000 Europeans die prematurely of tobacco-related causes. It is estimated that, in terms of negative economic impact, smoking costs the EU countries at least ?100 billion. The goal of the thesis is to monitor prevalence of smoking in EU countries. It also deals with efficiency measures for protection against tobacco. The thesis deals with the issue of smoking in historical terms. It also deals in terms of health risks and it describes the measure of EU countries in the fight against smoking. The main part of this thesis is a research, which includes a prevalance of smoking among adults and adolescents, the development of lung cancer mortality and cigarette consumption in each EU country.

THE ABSTRACT OF THE DIPLOMA THESIS The Name of the Diploma Thesis: The motivation to lose the habit of smoking in patients terated for some other kind of addiction Abstract: Starting point: The prevalence of smoking in people addicted to other narcotics is usually 2 - 3-times higher than in common population. The same percentage of people addicted to tobacco is among patients treated in some in-patient treatment for people addicted to narcotics or gamblers. Simultaneous treatment of addiction to tobacco and other kinds of addiction is possible and is recommended. It seems to be also effective and favourable for treatment of other patient's addictions - it supports the improvement of physical and mental condition. The interest in treatment of addiction to tobacco often appears in patients. But the question is how much they are motivated and informed by the staff. There is no integrated schedule focused on breaking the habit of smoking in in-patient clinics for addiction treatment. Targets of Thesis: To discover the rate of addiction to nicotine in patients treated for some other addiction. To learn whether the opportunity for helping with losing the habit of smoking was offered to patients and whether they would be interested in it. To map their motivation for getting out of the habit of smoking during...

BACKGROUND: Tobacco is the most commonly used addictive substance among adolescents, according to the ESPAD study, and is often the first psychoactive substance to try out in life. However, the risks associated with the use of tobacco at the young age are not negligible. In the Ambulance for children and adolescents addictology Clinics of addictology, where attend adolescents with various addictological and psychological problems, no research regarding the use of nicotine has been carried out. AIMS: The aim of the work is to map and describe the patterns of use of nicotine and motivation for use among children and adolescents with problems with addictive substances or in the field of non-addictive addictions. Another aim of the work is to find the degree of physical dependence on nicotine in the target group of respondents. METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire, which included Fagerström's nicotine addiction test for adolescents to assess the degree of physical nicotine dependence in respondents. The questionnaire was submitted in paper form to the clients of the Ambulance for children and adolescents addictology of the Clinic of addictology. The research sample was selected by deliberate selection through the institution. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the results and...

The aim of this diploma thesis is the assay of total alkaloids in different tobacco types. To measure the content of total alkaloids are utilized types of tobacco used for preparation of tobacco blends and consecutive production of cigarettes. The samples of analyzed tobacco include various countries of cultivation and different crop years. There is described tobacco as a plant, in it contained alkaloids and the utilization of tobacco in the theoretical part. In more detail it deals with the production and construction of cigarettes which is closely related to the content monitoring of total alkaloids in tobacco. The contents of total alkaloids are determined by the continuous flow analyzer- SKALAR. On this spectrophotometer are set the contens of reducing sugars as well. The comparison of total alkaloids contents and reducing sugars from the perspective of single tobacco types, countries of cultivation and crop years is clearly summarized in the experimental part of the thesis that was performed in the company Philip Morris ČR, a.s.

Background: Tobacco use is one of the key problems that public health has to face. Tobacco smoking is among the main causes of morbidity and preventable mortality that can be effectively avoided. The eHealth approach uses information and communication technologies to improve the quality of health and healthcare. EHealth interventions delivered through technologies and the Internet are an effective therapeutic tool which contributes to behaviour change, including smoking cessation. This paper presents the results of continuous research on fully automated online eHealth intervention for smoking cessation. Aims: The main objective of this study was to identify the effect of the form of reminders (SMS vs. email) in eHealth smoking cessation intervention using the Endre eHealth program in the population of Czech tobacco smokers. Materials and methods: This research consists of two studies. First, a pilot study on user- acceptance of eHealth intervention was performed in a sample involving 30 respondents. This was followed by a randomized two-arm controlled study comparing the effect of a predictor in the form of eHealth intervention reminders for smoking cessation. Adult tobacco smokers were recruited based on advertising through a variety of online channels. 158 respondents were randomised for the...

Den här studien har studerat bolaget British American Tobacco ABs serie nikotinportioner LYFT. Nikotinportioner påminner om det traditionella portionssnuset men omfattas inte av de lagar som förhindrar marknadsföring av produkter innehållandes tobak. Studien fokuserar på att undersöka på vilket sätt LYFTs marknadsföringsaktiviteter på Instagram påverkar individens attityd mot nikotinportioner. Studien bygger på en kvantitativ undersökning utförd genom en egenkonstruerad enkätundersökning. Enkätens respondenter exponerades i samband med besvarandet för marknadsföringsmaterial hämtat från LYFTs instagramprofil. Enkäten grundas i det teoretiska ramverket Tri-component model som genom de tre oberoende variablerna kognitiv, affektiv och konativ påverkar den beroende variabeln attityd, vilket enligt modellen har en påverkan på individens beteende. Resultatet från undersökningen visar att den affektiva komponenten har ett positivt samband med attityd, medan de övriga två komponenterna, kognitiv och konativ, inte uppvisar något samband. Den affektiva komponenten har således störst betydelse gällande att påverka individens attityd mot LYFTs nikotinportioner genom marknadsföring på Instagram.

Background: Tobacco use is one of the key problems that public health has to face. Tobacco smoking is among the main causes of morbidity and preventable mortality that can be effectively avoided. The eHealth approach uses information and communication technologies to improve the quality of health and healthcare. EHealth interventions delivered through technologies and the Internet are an effective therapeutic tool which contributes to behaviour change, including smoking cessation. This paper presents the results of continuous research on fully automated online eHealth intervention for smoking cessation. Aims: The main objective of this study was to identify the effect of the form of reminders (SMS vs. email) in eHealth smoking cessation intervention using the Endre eHealth program in the population of Czech tobacco smokers. Materials and methods: This research consists of two studies. First, a pilot study on user- acceptance of eHealth intervention was performed in a sample involving 30 respondents. This was followed by a randomized two-arm controlled study comparing the effect of a predictor in the form of eHealth intervention reminders for smoking cessation. Adult tobacco smokers were recruited based on advertising through a variety of online channels. 158 respondents were randomised for the...

Vitt snus ökande popularitet har skapat oro för dess påverkan på immunförsvaret. I föreliggande studie undersöks nikotinets påverkan på uttrycket av interleukin-2-receptorn alfa (IL-2R-alfa eller CD25) hos CD4+ T-celler under in vitro-stimulering. Tidigare studier indikerar negativa effekter såsom minskat antingen upptag hos antigenpresenterande celler, cytokinproduktion och uttryck av receptorer som CD28 och CTLA-4, vilka är viktiga för CD4+ T-cellernas aktivering, differentiering samt bromsning av aktiveringen. Andra studier har visat att alfa-4- samt alfa-7-nikotinerg acetylkolinreceptorer uttrycks på CD4+ T-celler, vilket i sin tur har visat sig påverka cytokin produktionen i närvaro av nikotin under stimulering. CD25 är en viktig receptor vid aktiveringen av T-celler och är överuttryckt vid exempelvis akut T-cells leukemi (ATL). Målet med denna studie är att förstå hur nikotin kan påverka CD25-uttrycket och därmed påverka immunförsvaret och effektiviteten av terapier. Med hjälp av flödescytometri och kvantitativ polymeraskedjereaktion (qPCR) kunde en tydlig skillnad detekteras mellan nikotin/PHA-stimulering och enbart PHA-stimulering hos en donator jämfört med de andra donatorerna. Metoderna inkluderar cellseparation, stimulering med fytohemagglutinin (PHA) i närvaro av nikotin, analys av uttrycket CD25 med flödescytometri och analys av genuttryck av CD25 med qPCR. Resultaten visade varierande svar mellan tre donatorer, med en tydlig skillnad mellan nikotin/PHA- och enbart PHA-stimulering för en donator jämfört med de andra donatorerna. Denna studie pekar på potentiella effekter av nikotin på immunförsvaret och betonar behovet av vidare undersökningar för att förstå mekanismerna bakom detta. / The increasing popularity of white snus has raised concerns about its impact on the immune system. The present study investigates the effect of nicotine on the expression of interleukin-2 receptor alpha (IL-2R-alpha or CD25) in CD4+ T cells during in vitro stimulation. Previous studies have indicated negative effects such as decreased uptake by antigen-presenting cells, cytokine production, and expression of receptors such as CD28 and CTLA-4, which are important for the activation, differentiation, and inhibition of CD4+ T cell activation. Other studies have shown that alpha-4 and alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are expressed on CD4+ T cells, which in turn has been shown to affect cytokine production in the presence of nicotine during stimulation. CD25 is an important receptor for T cell activation and is overexpressed in conditions such as acute T cell leukemia (ATL). The aim of this study is to understand how nicotine may affect CD25 expression and thereby influence the immune response and the effectiveness of therapies. Using flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), a clear difference was detected between nicotine/PHA stimulation and PHA stimulation alone in one donor compared to the other donors. The methods include cell separation, stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in the presence of nicotine, analysis of CD25 expression by flow cytometry and analysis of CD25 gene expression by qPCR. The results showed varying responses among three donors, with a clear difference between nicotine/PHA and PHA stimulation alone for one donor compared to the others. This study highlights potential effects of nicotine on the immune system and underscores the need for further investigations to understand the mechanisms behind this.

Background: Given the increasing number of military deployments in modern forces and the high individual and social costs of substance use disorders, the risk of substance use (alcohol, nicotine, illegal drugs) and substance use disorders (abuse, dependence) associated with deployment and deployment-related stressful experiences is an important area of research. Main questions in this area are: Are deployment and deployment-related stressful experiences associated with problematic substance use patterns and substance use disorders? Are there high-risk groups for deploymentrelated increases in substance use and the occurrence of substance use disorders? Do other mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder play a role for the risk of substance use disorders? This dissertation thesis aims to contribute to these questions. The thesis is based on a research program in German military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. The program includes a crosssectional and a prospective-longitudinal study component. In the cross-sectional component, a random, stratified sample of 1483 was assessed twelve months after return from deployment. As a control group, 889 never deployed soldiers were also assessed. In the prospective-longitudinal component, another sample of 358 male soldiers was assessed directly before and twelve months following deployment. Information about substance use and substance use disorders was obtained using a standardized diagnostic interview. Deployment-related stressful experiences and other relevant variables were assessed with additional scales and questionnaires. Based on this study program, the following research questions were addressed: (1) Do deployed and never deployed soldiers differ regarding the prevalence of problematic substance use patterns (alcohol, nicotine, illegal drugs) and substance use disorders (alcohol, nicotine)? (2) How are soldiers with deployment-related changes in alcohol use characterized? (3) Are posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms related to the risk for substance use disorders (alcohol, nicotine)? (4) Are soldiers with prior mood and anxiety disorders at higher risk for the onset of substance use disorders (alcohol, nicotine) following deployment-related stressful experiences? Main results: Regarding these research questions, the following main results were observed: (1) Deployed and never deployed do not differ considerably regarding the prevalence of substance use and substance use disorders. (2) There was evidence for both deployment-related increases and decreases in alcohol use in specific subgroups. Compared to soldiers with a stable consumption, soldiers with increased alcohol use were characterized by lower ranks, less acceptance, less social support, more sleeping problems after deployment and more deployment-related negative cognitions. Soldiers with deployment-related decreases in alcohol use were characterized by fewer posttraumatic stress disorders symptoms prior deployment and less childhood emotional neglect. (3) Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were related to the risk for substance use disorders. These associations were partially attributable to other comorbid mental disorders. However, several posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were related to substance use disorders above the contribution of comorbidity. (4) Specific constellations of prior mood and anxiety disorders and high degrees of certain deploymentrelated stressful experiences predicted the onset of alcohol use disorders. Conclusions: Based on these findings it can be concluded that German soldiers deployed to Afghanistan do not have an overall elevated risk for substance use and substance use disorders. However, several subgroups with a deployment-related increase in substance use and substance use disorders could be identified for specific substances. These subgroups include soldiers with low ranks, low social support and other mental disorders, of which several posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms might be particularly relevant. In addition, soldiers who experience mood and anxiety disorders prior to deployment as well as high degrees of specific deployment-related stressful experiences might be at higher risk for the onset of alcohol use disorders. It is also noteworthy that some soldiers show a deployment-related decrease in alcohol consumption. These findings might contribute to an improved identification of high-risk groups and suggest targets for possible interventions and preventive efforts. Because of some limitations, mainly regarding crosssectional designs and limited statistical power, some observed associations have to be interpreted with caution. Further prospective studies in high-risk populations or larger samples are necessary to replicate and extend the suggested findings. Moreover, the generalizability of findings to non-military samples and other types of stressful experiences should be investigated. These investigations might help to further reduce the prevalence of excessive substance use and substance use disorders. / Hintergrund: Das Risiko für den Konsum psychotroper Substanzen (Alkohol, Nikotin, illegale Drogen)und das Auftreten von Substanzstörungen (Missbrauch, Abhängigkeit) im Zusammenhang mit Belastungen in militärischen Einsätzen ist angesichts der Zunahme militärischer Einsätze sowie der hohen individuellen und sozialen Kosten von Substanzstörungen ein Forschungsthema von hoher Relevanz. Wichtige Fragen sind dabei: Stehen Auslandseinsätze generell im Zusammenhang mit problematischen Konsummustern und Substanzstörungen? Gibt es bestimmte Risikogruppen für Anstiege im Substanzkonsum und das Auftreten von Substanzstörungen? Welche Rolle spielen andere psychische Störungen, wie z.B. die posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS), für das Auftreten einer Substanzstörung? Diese Dissertationsschrift behandelt verschiedene Aspekte dieser Fragestellungen auf der Grundlage eines Forschungsprogramms zur psychischen Gesundheit bei in Afghanistan eingesetzten deutschen Soldaten. Das Programm umfasste eine querschnittliche und eine prospektiv-longitudinale Studie. In der Querschnittstudie wurde eine randomisierte, stratifizierte Stichprobe von 1483 Soldaten zwölf Monate nach Rückkehr aus einem Einsatz in Afghanistan untersucht. Als Kontrollgruppe wurden zudem 889 Soldaten untersucht, welche niemals im Einsatz waren. In der prospektiv-longitudinalen Studie wurde eine weitere Stichprobe von 358 männlichen Soldaten unmittelbar vor und zwölf Monate nach Einsatzrückkehr aus Afghanistan untersucht. Information zu Substanzkonsum und Substanzstörungen nach DSM-IV wurden mittels standardisierter diagnostischer Interviews erfasst. Einsatzbezogene belastende Ereignisse und andere relevante Variablen wurden mit zusätzlichen Skalen und Fragebögen erhoben. Auf Basis dieses Studienprogramms wurden unter anderem die folgenden Fragestellungen bearbeitet: (1) Unterscheiden sich Soldaten mit und ohne Auslandseinsatz hinsichtlich der Prävalenz von kritischen Konsummustern (Alkohol, Nikotin, illegale Drogen) und Substanzstörungen (Alkohol, Nikotin)? (2) Durch welche Merkmale sind Soldaten mit einsatzbezogenen Veränderungen im Alkoholkonsum gekennzeichnet? (3) Sind Symptome der PTBS mit dem Risiko für Substanzstörungen (Alkohol, Nikotin) assoziiert? (4) Haben Soldaten mit bereits vor dem Einsatz bestehenden Angst- und affektiven Störungen ein höheres Risiko für das Auftreten einer Substanzstörung (Alkohol, Nikotin) nach belastenden Einsatzereignissen? Hauptergebnisse: In Bezug auf diese Fragestellungen ergaben sich folgende Ergebnisse: (1) Soldaten mit und ohne Auslandseinsatz unterschieden sich kaum hinsichtlich der Prävalenz von Substanzkonsum und Substanzstörungen. (2) Allerdings ergaben sich Hinweise auf Zu-, wie auch Abnahmeeffekte im Alkoholkonsum in unterschiedlichen Subgruppen. Soldaten mit einem Anstieg im Alkoholkonsum waren im Vergleich zu Soldaten mit stabilem Konsum durch einen niedrigeren Dienstgrad, ein geringeres Ausmaß an Akzeptanz, weniger soziale Unterstützung, mehr Schlafprobleme nach Einsatzrückkehr sowie ein höheres Ausmaß an negativen einsatzbezogenen Bewertungen gekennzeichnet. Bei Soldaten mit einer einsatzbezogenen Reduktion im Alkoholkonsum fanden sich weniger PTBS-Symptome vor dem Einsatz sowie ein geringeres Ausmaß an emotionaler Vernachlässigung in der Kindheit. (3) Es gab Zusammenhänge zwischen PTBS-Symptomen und Substanzstörungen, die jedoch teilweise durch andere komorbide psychische Störungen erklärt werden konnten. Allerdings blieben einige PTBS-Symptome über andere komorbide Störungen hinaus mit Substanzstörungen assoziiert. (4) Bestimmte Konstellationen von bereits vor dem Einsatz bestehenden Angst- und affektiven Störungen sagten bei hohem Ausmaß an einigen einsatzbezogenen Belastungen das Auftreten einer Störung durch Alkoholkonsum vorher. Schlussfolgerungen: Auf Grundlage dieser Befunde lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass in Afghanistan eingesetzte Bundeswehrsoldaten kein generell erhöhtes Risiko für kritische Konsummuster und das Auftreten von Substanzstörungen aufweisen. Allerdings konnten Subgruppen identifiziert werden, die in Bezug auf bestimmte Substanzen ein erhöhtes Risiko für einen erheblichen Anstieg im Substanzkosum oder das Auftreten einer Substanzstörung haben. Dazu gehören unter anderem Soldaten mit niedrigen Dienstgrad, geringer sozialer Unterstützung und anderen psychischen Störungen, wobei bestimmte Symptome der posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung von besonderer Relevanz sein könnten. Zudem scheint das Risiko für Störungen durch Alkoholkonsum bei Soldaten erhöht, bei denen bereits vor dem Einsatz Angst- und affektive Störungen auftraten und die gleichzeitig ein hohes Ausmaß an bestimmten Einsatzbelastungen erleben. Bemerkenswert ist aber auch, dass einige Soldaten nach dem Einsatz eine erhebliche Reduktion des Alkoholkonsums aufweisen. Die Befunde könnten zu einer verbesserten Identifikation von Risikogruppen beitragen und Ansatzpunkte für mögliche Interventionen und präventive Maßnahmen liefern. Aufgrund einiger Limitationen, die vor allem querschnittliche Designs und eine eingeschränkte statistische Power betreffen, sollten einige der beobachteten Zusammenhänge vorsichtig interpretiert werden. Weitere prospektive Untersuchungen an größeren Stichproben sowie Hochrisikokohorten sind nötig, um die Befunde zu replizieren und zu erweitern. Weiter sollte die Übertragbarkeit der Befunde auf nichtmilitärische Stichproben unter Einbezug anderer Arten von belastenden Ereignissen untersucht werden. Diese Untersuchungen könnten langfristig zur Senkung von problematischen Substanzkonsum und Substanzstörungen beitragen.