Fabian Cenko - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Fabian Cenko
Acta Diabetologica, Apr 15, 2020
European Psychiatry, 2013
Introduction: Violent behavior of patients is a common problem in emergency psychiatry and evalua... more Introduction: Violent behavior of patients is a common problem in emergency psychiatry and evaluation, diagnosis, management and treatment of which is very difficult.The absence of a test that could be used to predict violent behavior hampers proper decision in the case of emergency admissions, as well as discharge from the hospital. The application of such a test would upgrade assessment offering solve this problem. Objective: To identify risk and protective factors of violent behaviors : to establish the degree to which the HCR-20 predicts the frequency and severity of violent behavior; to examine the predictive validity of the scales of the HCR-20. Goal: Improve assessment, management and treatment of patients with violent behaviors in the psychiatric ward. Method: Prospective cohort study, during 24 weeks. Psychiatric evaluation based on structural clinical interviews and questionnaires related to violent behaviors and risk factors were conducted to patients admitted in psychiatric hospital on UHC "Mother Tereza" Tirana. Results: According to our data, the relationship between violence and mental illness vary considerably across different diagnoses. The highest rate of violence is reported in subjects with substance abuse disorder and antisocial personality disorder followed by Bipolar disorder and psychotic patients. Among the risk factors verified so far, the past violence behaviors reported show the highest predictive value. Conclusions: HCR-20 tool has currently shown good results to roughly estimate probability of future violence and taking appropriate measures in order to prevent unwanted consequences.
PubMed, May 5, 2005
Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem of humans. In northern Albania, nutriti... more Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem of humans. In northern Albania, nutritional deficiencies are widespread among children but there is a lack of biochemical data. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence rate of the iron deficiency anemia in a sample of northern Albanian children. A group of 112 children aged 6-60 months, recruited during the routine vaccinations, was enrolled in a cross-sectional health examination survey that included venou blood measurements of iron status. The survey was conducted during 2000 in Lezha District. The mean age was 17.1 +/- 10 months, the majority of the children were living in rural areas (61%), 47.8% were female. The mean level of hemoglobin was lower than the reference value (10.3 +/- 1.1). Iron deficiency Anemia occurred in 47 children (47%) and more likely during the first year of the life (51%). Fifty seven children were fed with whole cow's milk, among them 44 were IDA. The risk value to be anemic or iron deficient for infants aged 6 to 12 months that were fed with whole cow's milk before the fourth months of life was high (OR = 6.2 (C.L.1.0-38)). In conclusion, the high prevalence of IDA and the relationship with early feeding of whole cow's milk suggest to consider iron deficiency in infancy and childhood in Albania as an important nutritional public health problem and to implement strategies for his detection, treatment and prevention.
Water Science and Technology, Jun 1, 2001
To develop a realistic model of the situation, a study was carried out in four different socioeco... more To develop a realistic model of the situation, a study was carried out in four different socioeconomic and hygienic areas of Tirane, namely in the modern and historical centre as well as in the intermediate and peripheral areas. In each area interviewers from the city's Public Health Directorate, contacted randomly, door-to-door, the residents, submitting a questionnaire and collecting water samples at the same time. Our data show relevant differences regarding distribution and quality of drinking water between the centre and peripheral areas. One third of water samples revealed the presence of microorganisms, whereas one fifth had no residual chlorine. Altogether more than 200,000 people in the peripheral areas of Tirane live under low level hygienic conditions. The recent outbreaks of cholera, poliomyelitis and the hyperendemic hepatitis A disease are the dramatic results of the low quality drinking water.
Acta Diabetologica, Mar 15, 2019
Clinical Nutrition Supplements, Sep 1, 2012
European Psychiatry, 2014
Introduction Violent behavior and association with alcohol abuse or other substance is a common p... more Introduction Violent behavior and association with alcohol abuse or other substance is a common problem in emergency psychiatry. Assessment, diagnosis, management and treatment of this symbiosis is very difficult. Such an association affects the severity of symptoms of mental illness, progress and prognosis. Objective To review the association of violent behavior with alcohol and substance abuse. Goal Improve assessment, management and treatment of patients with violent behavior, accompanied with alcohol and substance abuse in psychiatric ward. Method Prospective cohort study, during 24 weeks. Psychiatric evaluation based on structural clinical interviews and questionnaires related to violent behaviors and risk factors were conducted to patients admitted in psychiatric hospital on UHC'Mother Tereza' Tirana. Results According to our data, there are strong links between alcohol consumption, substance abuse and an individual's risk of being either a perpetrator or victim of violence. So 20% of males and 16% of female admitted to our service had reported alcohol consumption and substance abuse, (out of 159 male and 77 female patients) 66% of them had shown violence episodes. At the discharge from hospital 3.8% of men and 1.2% of female patients had diagnosis of axis I related to alcohol or substance abuse. Conclusions There is a close correlation between the Violence and abuse of Alcohol and other substances. The comorbidity affects the progress of treatment and prognosis of the disease. The abuse of alcohol and other substances is a good indicator to predict future violence.
BioMed Research International, 2015
The objectives of the present study were to assess the occurrence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) i... more The objectives of the present study were to assess the occurrence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) in paediatric patients with gastroenteritis in Albania and to characterize HAdV strains. Faecal specimens from children admitted with acute gastroenteritis to the Paediatric Hospital in Tirana were screened for HAdV, using broad-range primers targeting the hexon gene, in combination with species-specific primers targeting the fiber gene. Phylogenetic analysis was then performed to assess the genetic relationships among the different sequences and between the sequences of the samples and those of the prototype strains. Adenovirus DNA was detected in 33/142 samples (23.2%); 14 belonged to species F (13 HAdV-41 and 1 HAdV-40), 13 to species C (1 HAdV-1, 8 HAdV-2, and 4 HAdV-5), 5 to species B (HAdV-3), and 1 to species A (HAdV-12). Rotavirus coinfection was present in 9/33 (27.2%) positive samples. In the remaining 24 positive samples (12 enteric-F species; 12 nonenteric-A, B, or C species), HAdVs were detected as unique viral pathogens, suggesting that HAdV may be an important cause of diarrhoea in children requiring hospitalization. This is the first study investigating the presence of human adenoviruses (species A-G) as etiologic agents of viral gastroenteritis in children in Albania.
Parasitology International, Dec 1, 2006
Microscopical and PCR-based techniques were performed in order to investigate the prevalence of i... more Microscopical and PCR-based techniques were performed in order to investigate the prevalence of infection and the genotypes of Giardia duodenalis from 125 stool samples collected from children living in the urban and the rural areas of Tirana (Albania) and hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. 7 out of 125 samples resulted positive for Giardia at the microscopic examination (5.6%). In 50 selected samples including the 7 samples positive for Giardia by microscopy, 3 and 15 additional positive samples were detected by immunofluorescence and PCR, respectively. Seasonality appeared as an important parameter to be evaluated in order to better understand the prevalence of infection. Sequence analysis revealed both human Assemblage A and B. This result represents the first data on G. duodenalis genotypes in Albania.
Journal of Medical Virology, Nov 6, 2015
Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute viral gastroenterit... more Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute viral gastroenteritis (AGE). The objective of this work was to investigate the prevalence of HBoV in children with AGE in Albania. Stool specimens collected from 142 children were analyzed by amplification of partial NP1 and Vp1/Vp2 genes. HBoV was detected in 13 samples (9.1%), 12 HBoV-1 and one HBoV-2. All HBoV-positive patients were co-infected with rotavirus and/or adenovirus, a finding which might indicate that there is no clear causal association of this agent with diarrhea. Further investigation is needed to assess the pathogenic role of HBoV in childhood diarrhea. J. Med. Virol. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding the dynamics of humoral immune responses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is crucia... more Understanding the dynamics of humoral immune responses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial for optimizing vaccine strategies. This study aimed to investigate the impact of infection and vaccine-induced immunity on the Albanian population from August 2021 to August 2022. Two independent samples from the Albanian general population were analyzed using an ELISA method to assess IgG class anti-Spike (S1) and anti-Nucleocapsid (N) SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The results revealed a robust immune response among vaccinated individuals with prior COVID-19 infection who received only one vaccine dose. In the 2022 cohort, most individuals who received one vaccine dose achieved comparable seropositivity and antibody levels to those who received two doses. However, individuals aged 61 and over required two or three vaccine doses to reach the same level of immune response as the younger population. Notably, the time elapsed since infection or vaccination did not significantly impact the immune...
Population Medicine
Population Medicine considers the following types of articles: • Research Papers-reports of data ... more Population Medicine considers the following types of articles: • Research Papers-reports of data from original research or secondary dataset analyses. • Review Papers-comprehensive, authoritative, reviews within the journal's scope. These include both systematic reviews and narrative reviews. • Short Reports-brief reports of data from original research. • Policy Case Studies-brief articles on policy development at a regional or national level. • Study Protocols-articles describing a research protocol of a study. • Methodology Papers-papers that present different methodological approaches that can be used to investigate problems in a relevant scientific field and to encourage innovation. • Methodology Papers-papers that present different methodological approaches that can be used to investigate problems in a relevant scientific field and to encourage innovation. • Letters to the Editor-a response to authors of an original publication, or a very small article that may be relevant to readers. • Editorials-articles written by the Editorial Board or by invited experts on a specific topic. Research Papers Articles reporting research may be full length or brief reports. These should report original research findings within the journal's scope. Papers should generally be a maximum of 4000 words in length, excluding tables, references, and abstract and key points of the article, whilst it is recommended that the number of references should not exceed 36.
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità, May 6, 2022
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità, Jul 22, 2022
New Microbiologica, Apr 1, 2022
Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology, 2016
Acta Diabetologica, Apr 15, 2020
European Psychiatry, 2013
Introduction: Violent behavior of patients is a common problem in emergency psychiatry and evalua... more Introduction: Violent behavior of patients is a common problem in emergency psychiatry and evaluation, diagnosis, management and treatment of which is very difficult.The absence of a test that could be used to predict violent behavior hampers proper decision in the case of emergency admissions, as well as discharge from the hospital. The application of such a test would upgrade assessment offering solve this problem. Objective: To identify risk and protective factors of violent behaviors : to establish the degree to which the HCR-20 predicts the frequency and severity of violent behavior; to examine the predictive validity of the scales of the HCR-20. Goal: Improve assessment, management and treatment of patients with violent behaviors in the psychiatric ward. Method: Prospective cohort study, during 24 weeks. Psychiatric evaluation based on structural clinical interviews and questionnaires related to violent behaviors and risk factors were conducted to patients admitted in psychiatric hospital on UHC "Mother Tereza" Tirana. Results: According to our data, the relationship between violence and mental illness vary considerably across different diagnoses. The highest rate of violence is reported in subjects with substance abuse disorder and antisocial personality disorder followed by Bipolar disorder and psychotic patients. Among the risk factors verified so far, the past violence behaviors reported show the highest predictive value. Conclusions: HCR-20 tool has currently shown good results to roughly estimate probability of future violence and taking appropriate measures in order to prevent unwanted consequences.
PubMed, May 5, 2005
Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem of humans. In northern Albania, nutriti... more Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem of humans. In northern Albania, nutritional deficiencies are widespread among children but there is a lack of biochemical data. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence rate of the iron deficiency anemia in a sample of northern Albanian children. A group of 112 children aged 6-60 months, recruited during the routine vaccinations, was enrolled in a cross-sectional health examination survey that included venou blood measurements of iron status. The survey was conducted during 2000 in Lezha District. The mean age was 17.1 +/- 10 months, the majority of the children were living in rural areas (61%), 47.8% were female. The mean level of hemoglobin was lower than the reference value (10.3 +/- 1.1). Iron deficiency Anemia occurred in 47 children (47%) and more likely during the first year of the life (51%). Fifty seven children were fed with whole cow's milk, among them 44 were IDA. The risk value to be anemic or iron deficient for infants aged 6 to 12 months that were fed with whole cow's milk before the fourth months of life was high (OR = 6.2 (C.L.1.0-38)). In conclusion, the high prevalence of IDA and the relationship with early feeding of whole cow's milk suggest to consider iron deficiency in infancy and childhood in Albania as an important nutritional public health problem and to implement strategies for his detection, treatment and prevention.
Water Science and Technology, Jun 1, 2001
To develop a realistic model of the situation, a study was carried out in four different socioeco... more To develop a realistic model of the situation, a study was carried out in four different socioeconomic and hygienic areas of Tirane, namely in the modern and historical centre as well as in the intermediate and peripheral areas. In each area interviewers from the city's Public Health Directorate, contacted randomly, door-to-door, the residents, submitting a questionnaire and collecting water samples at the same time. Our data show relevant differences regarding distribution and quality of drinking water between the centre and peripheral areas. One third of water samples revealed the presence of microorganisms, whereas one fifth had no residual chlorine. Altogether more than 200,000 people in the peripheral areas of Tirane live under low level hygienic conditions. The recent outbreaks of cholera, poliomyelitis and the hyperendemic hepatitis A disease are the dramatic results of the low quality drinking water.
Acta Diabetologica, Mar 15, 2019
Clinical Nutrition Supplements, Sep 1, 2012
European Psychiatry, 2014
Introduction Violent behavior and association with alcohol abuse or other substance is a common p... more Introduction Violent behavior and association with alcohol abuse or other substance is a common problem in emergency psychiatry. Assessment, diagnosis, management and treatment of this symbiosis is very difficult. Such an association affects the severity of symptoms of mental illness, progress and prognosis. Objective To review the association of violent behavior with alcohol and substance abuse. Goal Improve assessment, management and treatment of patients with violent behavior, accompanied with alcohol and substance abuse in psychiatric ward. Method Prospective cohort study, during 24 weeks. Psychiatric evaluation based on structural clinical interviews and questionnaires related to violent behaviors and risk factors were conducted to patients admitted in psychiatric hospital on UHC'Mother Tereza' Tirana. Results According to our data, there are strong links between alcohol consumption, substance abuse and an individual's risk of being either a perpetrator or victim of violence. So 20% of males and 16% of female admitted to our service had reported alcohol consumption and substance abuse, (out of 159 male and 77 female patients) 66% of them had shown violence episodes. At the discharge from hospital 3.8% of men and 1.2% of female patients had diagnosis of axis I related to alcohol or substance abuse. Conclusions There is a close correlation between the Violence and abuse of Alcohol and other substances. The comorbidity affects the progress of treatment and prognosis of the disease. The abuse of alcohol and other substances is a good indicator to predict future violence.
BioMed Research International, 2015
The objectives of the present study were to assess the occurrence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) i... more The objectives of the present study were to assess the occurrence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) in paediatric patients with gastroenteritis in Albania and to characterize HAdV strains. Faecal specimens from children admitted with acute gastroenteritis to the Paediatric Hospital in Tirana were screened for HAdV, using broad-range primers targeting the hexon gene, in combination with species-specific primers targeting the fiber gene. Phylogenetic analysis was then performed to assess the genetic relationships among the different sequences and between the sequences of the samples and those of the prototype strains. Adenovirus DNA was detected in 33/142 samples (23.2%); 14 belonged to species F (13 HAdV-41 and 1 HAdV-40), 13 to species C (1 HAdV-1, 8 HAdV-2, and 4 HAdV-5), 5 to species B (HAdV-3), and 1 to species A (HAdV-12). Rotavirus coinfection was present in 9/33 (27.2%) positive samples. In the remaining 24 positive samples (12 enteric-F species; 12 nonenteric-A, B, or C species), HAdVs were detected as unique viral pathogens, suggesting that HAdV may be an important cause of diarrhoea in children requiring hospitalization. This is the first study investigating the presence of human adenoviruses (species A-G) as etiologic agents of viral gastroenteritis in children in Albania.
Parasitology International, Dec 1, 2006
Microscopical and PCR-based techniques were performed in order to investigate the prevalence of i... more Microscopical and PCR-based techniques were performed in order to investigate the prevalence of infection and the genotypes of Giardia duodenalis from 125 stool samples collected from children living in the urban and the rural areas of Tirana (Albania) and hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. 7 out of 125 samples resulted positive for Giardia at the microscopic examination (5.6%). In 50 selected samples including the 7 samples positive for Giardia by microscopy, 3 and 15 additional positive samples were detected by immunofluorescence and PCR, respectively. Seasonality appeared as an important parameter to be evaluated in order to better understand the prevalence of infection. Sequence analysis revealed both human Assemblage A and B. This result represents the first data on G. duodenalis genotypes in Albania.
Journal of Medical Virology, Nov 6, 2015
Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute viral gastroenterit... more Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute viral gastroenteritis (AGE). The objective of this work was to investigate the prevalence of HBoV in children with AGE in Albania. Stool specimens collected from 142 children were analyzed by amplification of partial NP1 and Vp1/Vp2 genes. HBoV was detected in 13 samples (9.1%), 12 HBoV-1 and one HBoV-2. All HBoV-positive patients were co-infected with rotavirus and/or adenovirus, a finding which might indicate that there is no clear causal association of this agent with diarrhea. Further investigation is needed to assess the pathogenic role of HBoV in childhood diarrhea. J. Med. Virol. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding the dynamics of humoral immune responses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is crucia... more Understanding the dynamics of humoral immune responses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial for optimizing vaccine strategies. This study aimed to investigate the impact of infection and vaccine-induced immunity on the Albanian population from August 2021 to August 2022. Two independent samples from the Albanian general population were analyzed using an ELISA method to assess IgG class anti-Spike (S1) and anti-Nucleocapsid (N) SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The results revealed a robust immune response among vaccinated individuals with prior COVID-19 infection who received only one vaccine dose. In the 2022 cohort, most individuals who received one vaccine dose achieved comparable seropositivity and antibody levels to those who received two doses. However, individuals aged 61 and over required two or three vaccine doses to reach the same level of immune response as the younger population. Notably, the time elapsed since infection or vaccination did not significantly impact the immune...
Population Medicine
Population Medicine considers the following types of articles: • Research Papers-reports of data ... more Population Medicine considers the following types of articles: • Research Papers-reports of data from original research or secondary dataset analyses. • Review Papers-comprehensive, authoritative, reviews within the journal's scope. These include both systematic reviews and narrative reviews. • Short Reports-brief reports of data from original research. • Policy Case Studies-brief articles on policy development at a regional or national level. • Study Protocols-articles describing a research protocol of a study. • Methodology Papers-papers that present different methodological approaches that can be used to investigate problems in a relevant scientific field and to encourage innovation. • Methodology Papers-papers that present different methodological approaches that can be used to investigate problems in a relevant scientific field and to encourage innovation. • Letters to the Editor-a response to authors of an original publication, or a very small article that may be relevant to readers. • Editorials-articles written by the Editorial Board or by invited experts on a specific topic. Research Papers Articles reporting research may be full length or brief reports. These should report original research findings within the journal's scope. Papers should generally be a maximum of 4000 words in length, excluding tables, references, and abstract and key points of the article, whilst it is recommended that the number of references should not exceed 36.
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità, May 6, 2022
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità, Jul 22, 2022
New Microbiologica, Apr 1, 2022
Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology, 2016