Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 was carried out in May 2017. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. The study was conducted in public areas (14 sites in Yerevan and 18 in regions), both indoor and outdoor, as well as in 42 primary care centres. A total of 9199 individuals were screened during MMM17 of which 9186 had three BP measurements available. The mean age of screened individuals was 50 ± 16.7 years, 57.3% was female. At the time of screening 17.9% were on antihypertensive medication. After imputation, a percentage of participants with hypertension was 33.9%, and 52.9% of them were on treatment. Of those treated, 77.0% had uncontrolled BP. MMM17 was the largest BP screening campaign undertaken in Armenia. We found that in Armenia, untreated hypertension is common, as is not adequately treated hypertension.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide and is the leading cause of mortality and disability-adjusted life years all over the world. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative aimed to raise awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 was carried out in May to July 2018. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension (HTN) and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. The study was conducted in public areas (17 sites in Yerevan and 22 in regions), both indoor and outdoor, as well as in 78 primary care centres. A total of 21 112 individuals were screened during MMM18, of which 20 732 had three BP measurements available. The mean age of screened individuals was 46.2 ± 17.3 years, 57.8% were female. At the time of screening, 26.1% were on antihypertensive medication. After imputation, the percentage of participants with HTN was 38.7%, and 76.7% of them were aware of their high BP. Of participants receiving treatment, 47.1% had a controlled BP. MMM18 was the largest BP screening campaign undertaken in Armenia. We found that the proportion of HTN is substantial in Armenia, which may be a vital contributor to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Our results also suggest that untreated HTN is common and when treated still not adequately controlled in Armenia. The current situation, with an insufficient control rate of HTN, must be changed as soon as possible.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is an enormous public health problem and a growing burden worldwide and the biggest single risk factor for cardiovascular death. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative aimed to raise awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 years was carried out in May to July 2019. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. The study was conducted in public areas (23 sites in the capital city Yerevan and 13 in other regions), both indoor and outdoor, as well as in primary and secondary healthcare centres. In total, 9818 individuals (11.3% participated in either MMM2017/2018 or both) were screened of which 9786 had three BP measurements available, 1.6% of them reported never having had their BP measured. The mean age of screened participants was 47.6 (SD ± 16.5) years, 61.9% were female. After multiple imputation, 41.6% of participants had hypertension and 72.8% of them were aware of their high BP, 65.4% were on treatment, and of those treated, 46.5% had controlled BP (<140/90 mmHg). Of 4088 participants with hypertension, 30.4% had controlled BP. Of all risk factors analysed, reported use of anti-hypertensive medication and a previous diagnosis of hypertension were the strongest predictors of higher levels of BP. We found that the prevalence of hypertension, untreated and treated, but uncontrolled hypertension is still substantial in Armenia, which maybe a vital contributor to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Objective. Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of the cancer mortality worldwide. It is most often diagnosed at a locally advanced or metastatic stage. Angiogenesis has become an important target in the treatment of solid tumors, and antiangiogenic agents are a promising approach to cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the treatment of gastric and gastroesophageal cancer with ramucirumab, an antiangiogenic agent specifically targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). Material and methods. We conducted a systematic search in May 2016 of PubMed and relevant congress proceedings including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology, and the European Cancer Congress. Included studies were aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer. Results. Our search yielded 91 publications including 5 manuscripts and 6 congress abstracts meeting the predefined inclusion criteria. Included studies reported outcomes were related to ramucirumab in gastric cancer, published within the past 5 years. Conclusion. Second-line treatment with ramucirumab, either as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel, significantly improves the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer. Ramucirumab is well tolerated and has an acceptable safety profile. Furthermore, the patient quality of life is maintained with delayed both symptom worsening and deterioration of the functional status. Studies are required to identify potential predictive biomarkers of ramucirumab efficacy.

Objective. The aim of the study is the evaluation ofpsychosocial and medico-social aspects of outpatient cancer care by patients in Russian Federation for the time present. Material and Methods. There was executed a sociological survey of consecutively included oncological patients who received chemotherapy or hormonal therapy at two medical institutions in Russia from May 2009 to May 2011. Results. A total of 350 oncological patients participated in the study. The majority of participants (79.7%) were females, the age of the majority of patients ((79.7%)) varied between 50 and 79 years. The most common primary lesion type was breast cancer (51.1%). 17.3% of patients reported that they felt fear, and this number increased to 37.5% in the aged group of from 40 to 49 years. A substantial number of patients (24.0%) felt uncertainty over outcome of their disease and 5.0% reported a feeling of hopelessness. A part of surveyed patients (21.7%) would like to get an understandable instructions in the form of the booklet as on the organization of everyday living as about their disease. 10.9% of patients noted that they had insufficient information about their disease and 18.8% of cases would like to know more about their diagnosis. Approximately the one-third ofparticipants reported about the improvement of the attitude of their spouses (31.7%) and children (32.0%) after the establishment of the oncological diagnosis. Conclusions. Diagnosis of the oncological disease was frequently associated with feelings of discomfort andfear that it might negatively impact on the quality of life in patients and their families. These feelings and the impact may be reduced by virtue of more effective communication and provision of information concerning the disease. Results of the performed two-center survey indicate to the need for elevation of the efficacy of communication between the patient and physician.