Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1)

Chemical risk assessment and management in Czech and Slovak Republics

Cikrt M., Bláha K., Fuchs A.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):4-6

For more than 40 years, former Czechoslovakia has made minimal efforts to protect the environment. As a result, newly formed republics suffer from some of the worst environmental pollution in Europe. In all stages of a complex process of improving chemical safety both countries are facing tremendous problems: lack of efficient and powerful legislative measures, inadequate and sometimes non-reliable data, shortage of sophisticated equipment, virtual absence of basic knowledge and, generally, persisting distrust between public and governmental institutions in health and environmental issues. These factors have made the beginning of new approaches extremely...

Characteristic features of HIV/AIDS in the Czech Republic

Brůcková M., Jedlicka J., Petkov V., Tomásek L., Vojtěchovský K.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):7-9

First laboratory proved HIV infections in the Czech Republic were diagnosed in a homosexual couple in autumn of 1985. Total number of detected HIV+ cases reached 143 persons by the end of 1992 (132 men and 11 women), of that 31 cases were classified as fully blown AIDS (21 already died). Out of these 143 HIV+ cases, 93 (65.0%) are represented by homo/bisexuals, 10 (7.0%) by heterosexuals, 16 (11.2%) by haemophiliacs, 14 (9.8%) by blood recipients, 1 (0.7%) by IVDU and 9 (6.3%) by unknown transmission category. Approx. 2.1 mil. of tests have been done as routine screening of donated blood. Only 5 cases (0.0002%) of HIV positivity have been found in...

Effect of vibrations on the organism - possibilities for development of non-specific diseases and their prognostication

Tzvetkov D.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):10-15

Changes in the lipid metabolism, electrolytes, trace elements, acid-base balance in experimental animals and in workers exposed to vibrations, as well in patients suffering from vibration disease were investigated. The role of vibrations as a modifier of chemically induced cancerogenesis, and in implanted tumour cells was studied under laboratory conditions. A study was carried out on the morbidity with temporal work incapacity and total morbidity according to the turnover of the investigated groups (workers and patients suffering from vibration disease) in industrial branches with exposure to vibrations. Using statistical and mathematical methods...

Experimental justification of the approach of medical genetics to individual prophylaxis of occupational diseases of respiratory organs

Artamanova V.G., Kuznetsov N.F., Shleikin A.G.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):16-18

The effect of inhalation of paprine dust on the bronchopulmonary tract and antibody-forming function of the spleen was studied experimentally on two lines of mice: CBA and CC57W, differing from each other by haplotype H-2 and antioxidant status of the organisms under study. During comparative histomorphological examination of lungs and bronchi of the experimental animals a more intensive reaction was found in mice of the CBA line, whereas in mice of the CC57W line vascular changes prevailed without any reactions in the bronchioles. Reactions of the spleen to paprine dust in animals of different lines were also different: the quality of antibody-forming...

The role of the registry in the study of relation between cancer and environment experiences from Slovakia

Plesko I., Vlasák V., Kramárová E., Obsitníková A.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):19-24

Highly complete and detailed data on cancer incidence collected in National Cancer Registry of Slovakia in the years 1968-1988 contributed largely to the study of the relations between cancer occurrence and environment. The study of temporal trends of age-adjusted rates revealed the rapid increase of overall cancer incidence and mortality rates in males influenced mainly by extreme increase and high proportion of lung cancer. The lower but increasing overall incidence rates in females could be related to the increase in breast, other skin and genital organs cancers, while the stabilized mortality trends were caused by improving prognosis of these major...

Is chrysotile asbestos exposure a significant health risk to the general population?

Valić F., Beritic-Stahuljak D.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):26-30

The main unresolved issues concerning environmental exposure to chrysotile asbestos of the general population are discussed. A review of the results of the measurement of airborne chrysotile fibres in buildings is presented showing that the results have been consistently low with the exception of buildings with damaged friable asbestos-containing material. Quantitative risk assessments are presented indicating that the lifetime risk is small compared to many other environmental risks. Possible adverse health effects of paraoccupational exposures in the case of high domestic airborne asbestos levels cannot be excluded. Both on the basis of electron...

Rapid species identification of wild mycobacterial isolates by monoclonal antibodies in ELISA

Krest'anpol M., Kolk A.H., Kaustová J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):31-34

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the identification of cultured mycobacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Mycobacterium kansasii originally described by R. Schöningh, C. P. J. H. Verstijnen, S. Kuijper and A. H. J. Kolk (1) was used for identification of mycobacteria from three week old primary cultures. A panel of six monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) was used: two were specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) complex, one for M. kansasii, one was directed against M. avium complex and two were broadly reacting with all mycobacterial species. The ELISA was introduced to a microbiology laboratory...

Ostrava - a new endemic focus of Mycobacteria xenopi in the Czech Republic

Kaustová J., Charvát B., Mudra R., Holendová E.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):35-37

From February 1990 until late October 1991, M. xenopi was isolated from the sputa of 30 persons in one of the 4 boroughs of Ostrava. This species could also be identified in water samples and smears taken in 7 out of 14 tested households of both colonized persons and patients with mycobacteriosis xenopi. As established, the optimum conditions for multiplication of M. xenopi exist in exchanger units; control measures for this agent in the exchanger facilities are proposed.

Influences of the environmental pollution on the immune system: some recent views

Richter J., Pfeifer I.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):38-40

The authors discuss the contemporary progress in preventive immunology with special attention to unfavourable effects of environmental pollution. They followed-up these problems systematically for more than twenty years and in this paper they present some of their results. They stress the importance of the protective effect of balanced nutrition with an adequate supply of vitamins and trace elements. The unfavourable effect of pollution is documented by different health aspects of the population living in the heavily polluted region of Northern Bohemia.

The effect of cigarette smoking on the indexes of immunity and acute phase reaction in subjects with occupational exposure to organic solvents

Moszczynski P.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):41-45

The study was carried out in 156 men, including 49 nonsmokers and 47 smokers who had never been exposed to chemicals, 19 nonsmokers exposed to organic solvents, and 41 smokers exposed to organic solvents. The results of toxicological analysis of air in the working place carried out in the range depending on the type of solvents used in the process of lacquering of steel cans and on the data obtained from the producer showed that the solvents contained benzene, toluene, xylene and their derivatives partly hydrogenated, paraffin hydrocarbons, oleins, naphthenes (components of painter's naphtha), monohydric and polyhydric alcohols (butanol, cyclohexanol,...

Study of human exposure to ochratoxin A and assessment of possible sources

Ruprich J., Ostrý V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):46-48

The first study carried out in the CSFR covered 644 samples of blood sera from the district of Uherské Hradistĕ (about 1,000 km2 and 150,000 population) during March-May 1990. The samples from the selected persons (over 18 years of age) were collected within 4 sampling weeks. Ochratoxin A (OA) was established densitometrically after the minicolumn separation with HPTLC. The detection limit was about 0.5 microgram OA/l, recovery about 95%. The maximum established value was 12 micrograms OA/l. The value 1 microgram OA/l was exceeded by 12.4% of samples. Seventy-eight per cent of samples were under the detection limit. After stratification of the...

Metabolism and effect of nitrates

Mascher F., Marth E.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):49-52

The effect of nitrate on the health of mice in a long term study is described. Nitrate was given to the mice in the form of calcium nitrate in drinking water in varying concentrations, and the mice were observed over the course of 18 months. Three groups were formed: 1. control group, 2. group I (100 mg nitrate/l drinking water) and group II (1,000 mg nitrate/l drinking water). The parameters studied were liver function, kidney function, total iron, ammonium, total protein and electrophoresis of the various serum proteins, body weight, and N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid as a tumor marker. Nitrate is broken down via nitrate, hydroxylamine to ammonium and...

A history of poliomyelitis in the Czech Republic - Part I

Slonim D., Svandová E., Strnad P., Benes C.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):53-56

The incidence of poliomyelitis in the Czech Republic shows four epidemiologically different phases recorded during a lifetime of one human generation: endemicity (until 1938), epidemicity (1939 to 1956), repression (1957 to 1960) and elimination (1961 till now). The phase of the endemic incidence of poliomyelitis studied in this paper finished in 1938. Since 1919 when poliomyelitis notification was started, three waves of increasing though low mortality were observed: in 1926, 1932 and 1936 (0.27, 0.43 and 0.38 per 100,000, respectively). Between 1919 and 1938 the mortality increased in children over one year but it remained relatively highest in infants...

Hospital waste management practice in the Czech Republic

Bencko V., Culíková H.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1993, 1(1):57-59

Hospital wastes pose a serious problem. This is primarily caused by the diversity of the individual components of the waste which constitute a risk to health if inadequately handled. It is evident that economic and technical conditions for both a safe disposal as well as efficient steam sterilization and management practice based on legal regulations consequently will contribute to protections of both human health and the environment.

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