Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4)
Jubilee. National Institute of Public Health, Prague
Tichacek B.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):183-185 
National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic, in 1995-2000
Køí¾ J.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):186-188
The National Institute of Public Health in Prague is the prominent institution in the Czech Republic responsible for public health and disease prevention. According to a conceptual document, approved by the Minister of Health in 1994, the main areas of function in the years 1995-2000 will be:1. Science and research in preventive disciplines, especially in hygiene, epidemiology and microbiology, surveillance and monitoring of diseases and their determinants.2. Professional expert activities for the national health surveillance, for state administration, and for the general public.3. Reference activities and participation in accreditative...
Changing epidemiology of meningococcal invasive disease in the Czech republic caused by new clone Neisseria meningitidis C:2a:P1.2(P1.5), ET-15/37
Krizova P., Musilek M.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):189-194
Invasive meningococcal disease, caused mainly by Neisseria meningitidis B, occurred only sporadically in the Czech Republic for a long period, and the use of meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine was never indicated. This situation changed in 1993, when a new meningococcal clone appeared. By means of sero/subtyping (using Whole Cell ELISA) Neisseria meningitidis C:2a:P1.2(P1.5) was quickly revealed to be the causative agent of this unusual epidemiological situation. ET typing by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis showed the prevalence of the ET-15 electrophoretic type, which belongs to the ET-37 complex. This new clone had never been identified in the...
Malignant cells revealed in fine needle punctures of lymph nodes and tumours by electronmicroscopical methods
Hulinska D., Bruna J., Smetana K.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):195-198
Cytological, immunohistological and electron microscopical observation of 21 percutaneous fine needle punctures of retroperitoneal, pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes after borderline lymphography and computer tomography and 6 punctures of tumours after tomography allowed classification of primary metastases from the small pelvis in 14 patients and characterized tumours in 4 patients, which could not be demarcated by sonography. We distinguished yolk sarcoma metastasis, prostate gland cancer metastasis, three cases of nodular metastases of seminoma cells, and two metastases of melanoma. Malignant cells of Hodgkin's lymphogranuloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...
Hospital waste - the current and future treatment and disposal trends
Culikova H., Polansky J., Bencko V.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):199-201
Hospital wastes pose a serious public health 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, including environmentally sound manner incineration as well as efficient stem or microwave disinfection and a safe management practice based on legal regulations consequently will contribute to protections of both human health and the environment. There is no reason to assume there may be any universal, standard regulations to be used and accepted unianimously and consistently...
10th anniversary of the National Reference Laboratory on AIDS in the Czech Republic
Bruckova M., Syrucek L., Kopecka D.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):202-204
National Reference Laboratory on AIDS (NRL AIDS) was established in the National Institute of Public Health by the Ministry of Health in the late 1985. At that time the existence of HIV/AIDS and the potencial spread of this infection/disease even in a socialistic country has been officially recognized. The main tasks of NRL AIDS were and still are the laboratory diagnostic, epidemiology and research of HIV/AIDS. As one of its first steps NRL AIDS introduced HIV antibody testing methods and strongly recommended obligatory screening of all blood donations to assure the safety of blood and blood products. In 1986 NRL AIDS performed the first serological...
Stress characteristics in schoolchildren related to different educational strategies and school climates
Havlinova M., Schneidrova D.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):205-209
The goal of our paper is to verify the hypothesis that schools with different educational strategies and school climates, in the context of current diversification of educational system in the Czech Republic, have different impacts on the wellbeing and mental health of children. A sample of 868 schoolchildren from five Prague primary schools was studied. The schools selected for our study represent the spectrum of prevalent educational orientations in transforming compulsory education system. The following indicators of school stress were examined: general anxiety, school anxiety, emotional and psychosomatic balance, learning disabilities and behavioural...
Neurotoxicity profile of supermethrin, a new pyrethroid insecticide
Hornychova M., Frantik E., Kubat J., Formanek J.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):210-218
The use of a standard two-tier neurotoxicity screening procedure in the context of risk assessment is exemplified. Testing of a new pyrethroid in rats addressed the following sequence of questions: Does the substance evoke neurotoxic symptoms in sublethal doses? Do these symptoms reflect a primary neurotropic action? What are the dynamic characteristics of injury, the clinical profile of effect, and the relative potency of the tested substance compared to similar compounds? - The testing protocol is an animal analogue of a systematic neurological and psychological examination in man. First tier tests (structured observation, motor activity measurement,...
Monitoring of human exposure to occupational genotoxicants
Rossner P., Cerna M., Bavorova H., Pastorkova A., Ocadlikova D.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):219-223
The human exposure to genotoxic agents can be detected by using genetic monitoring procedures which is mainly concerned with markers of exposure and effect. Cytogenetic analysis of human peripheral lymphocytes and urine mutagenicity are routinely used in Hygiene Service of the Czech Republic. The review demonstrated the activity of National Reference laboratory and other laboratories in Hygiene Service of the Czech Republic in the problem dealing with monitoring of population exposure to genotoxic substances. Altogether, 7 regional and 15 district laboratories have been in function. Several thousands of occupationally exposed and control persons have...
Determination of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in beer by commercial elisa tests and estimation of the exposure dose from beer for the population in the Czech Republic
Ruprich J., Ostry V.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):224-229
About 150 litres of beer per person is consumed yearly in the Czech Republic. It is one of the highest consumptions in international comparison. Thus, beer can be a significant source of exposure of man to some contaminants. Among natural contaminants of beer belongs also deoxynivalenol (DON). 77 samples of beer being sold in the shopping network in the Czech Republic were examined by means of commercial ELISA sets for determination of deoxynivalenol (RIDASCREEN DON) at the end of the year 1994 and at the beginning of the year 1995. 23% of the beer samples were under a detection limit of the ELISA test (6 mu g of DON/litre). The other samples contained...
"Healthy Dubec" -design of a joint Czech-American community project for the reduction of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (adapted from American experience)
Komarek L., Kebza V., Lhotska L., Osancova K., Janovska J., Okenkova J., Roth Z., Vignerova J., Potockova J., Havel R.J.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):230-233
The project is a combination of individual and community-based intervention which adapted and modified methods and techniques originally used in The Three-City Community Study and The Stanford Five-City Project in a small community outside Prague. The goal is to reduce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors by primary and secondary prevention, using a community-based approach. 61.5% of examined population with the low risk score during the baseline survey was exposed to intervention by community-based methods. 38.5% of adult population was included in intervention activities within the framework of secondary prevention in high risk groups....
Vibratory perception threshold in the lower extremities. Normative values
Urban P., Jandak Z., Lukas E., Prochazka B.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):234-237
Objective was to obtain normative values for the vibratory perception threshold (VPT) in the lower extremities and study the dependence of VPT on various physiological factors. Thirty healthy volunteers: 10 men and 20 women entered in the study. The VPT for 8, 16, 31.5, 63, 125, and 500 Hz were estimated on the right and left external malleolus using the B&K vibration threshold meter, modified type 1800, and the threshold tracking method. The applied static force could not be controlled. The measurements were repeated twice. VPTs expressed as mean +/- SD were as follows: 8 Hz 109 +/- 3.4 dB, 16 Hz 112 +/- 4.1 dB, 31.5 Hz 116 +/- 6.2 dB, 63 Hz 116...
Kansas in the Czech Republic
Kubin M.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(4):238-239