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From the perspective of over 20 years into the transformation process in post-communist countries, it seems important to be able to pose questions about the future of democracy, and, in particular, its social foundations. These questions become all the more significant, when we come to realize that it is the attitudes of 'the young of today' that will be shaping 'the democracy of tomorrow'. The authors of the article aim to determine what young citizens (especially Polish students) in selected Central and Eastern European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania) think of contemporary democracy and to diagnose the extent to which the democratic principles and values are reflected in the beliefs of the younger generation, especially amongst Polish students. Their attitudes towards democracy and values are the main part of the article and they were compared with values of the other CEEC young citizens. The article also highlights their distrust towards Polish political parties and political elites and belief, that existing Polish political parties do not have any proper programs or ideas for young people, which may be a chance for a new political movement in Poland.

Only one natural venomous snake-the adder viper-lives in the central European region and its bite is usually associated only with mild course of envenoming. Cases of envenoming caused by exotic snakes among their breeders are clinically more important. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological and clinical aspects of registered venomous bites caused by exotic snakes in the Czech Republic over a period of 15 years (1999-2013). Materials and methods. This is an observational case series. Data have been collected retrospectively from a database and medical charts of the Toxinology Center belonging to the General University Hospital in Prague. Results. In total, 87 cases of exotic snakebites caused by 34 venomous snake species were registered during the study period, coming from 18 genera of Elapinae, Viperinae, and Crotalinae subfamilies. In the cohort, 29 patients (33.3%) developed systemic envenoming and 17 (19.5%) were treated with antivenom. Ten cases of envenoming (11.5%) were considered as potentially life threatening. No patient died due to envenoming caused by exotic snake bites during the study period. Four illustrative cases of envenoming ( Echis pyramidum, Dendroaspis polylepis, Protobothrops mangshanensis, and Proatheris superciliaris) are described in detail. Conclusion. Bites caused by exotic snakes resulted in serious and life-threatening envenomings in some patients. Early transfer to the Center, antivenom administration, and support of failing organ functions contributed to favorable outcome of victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that ragweed pollen arrives in Poland from sources in the south, in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. It is likely that ragweed pollen also arrives from sources in the southeast (e.g. Ukraine). This hypothesis was investigated using 13 years of pollen data and back-trajectory analysis. Ambrosia pollen data were collected at three sites in Poland, Rzeszów, Kraków and Poznań. The amount of ragweed pollen recorded at Rzeszów was significantly higher than in Poznań and Kraków. This can be related to either a higher abundance of local populations of Ambrosia in south-east Poland or the proximity of Rzeszów to foreign sources of ragweed pollen. The combined results of pollen measurements and air mass trajectory calculations identified plumes of Ambrosia pollen that were recorded at Rzeszów, Kraków and Poznań on 4 and 5 September 1999 and 3 September 2002. These plumes arrived at the pollen-monitoring sites from an easterly direction, indicating sources of Ambrosia pollen in eastern Poland or Ukraine. This identifies Ukraine as a possible new source of ragweed pollen for Poland and therefore an important source area of Ambrosia pollen on the European Continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The university student population is particularly vulnerable to depression, which was identified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how depressive symptoms are interrelated with mental and physical health in students is essential. The aim of this study was to reveal the network of depressive and anxiety symptoms with respect to well-being (life satisfaction, physical health, physical activity, and perceived stress) during a difficult situation-the COVID-19 pandemic-at two measurement points of different pandemic severities. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 (T1) (lower pandemic severity) and March 2021 (T2) (higher pandemic severity) among 592 and 1230 Czech university students, respectively. The measurements used were the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PSS-10, SWLS, self-rated physical health (SRH), and sociodemographic survey. The network analysis approach was utilized. For the significance of differences, the χ 2 test, Student's t test, and ANOVA were performed. The results revealed that scale-level depression, stress, and worse SRH increased over time, whereas life satisfaction decreased. Scale-level anxiety and physical activity were stable over time. PHQ2 Sad mood was the most central and influential node at T1 and T2. PHQ9 Suicidal Ideation was closely related to other variables at T1, whereas PHQ1 Anhedonia was closely related to other variables at T2. The most influential risk factors were the PHQ-2 score and the GAD-2 score, which are associated with uncontrollable worrying, whereas life satisfaction, physical health, and physical activity were the most protective factors. It is crucial to recognize and decrease the PHQ2 score and increase life satisfaction to improve the mental health of university students., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics declarations: The University Research Committee at the University of Opole, Poland, approved the study protocol with decision no. 1/2020. The study received the Ethics Waiver from Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, as it followed the ethical standard of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its amendments and adhered to specific obligatory regulations in the Czech Republic. The study followed the ethical requirements of anonymity and voluntary participation. Each person provided written informed consent. In accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, written informed consent was obtained from each participant before inclusion. All methods were carried out under relevant guidelines and regulations. This study was a part of the international project “Mental Health of Undergraduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic”53., (© 2024. The Author(s).)