Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2)

Hepatitis A vaccination by Havrix in the Czech U.N. Troops according to data of seroprevalence in 1991-1995

Beran J., Douda P., Prymula R., Gál P., Rychlý R., Splino M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):87-90  

Viral hepatitis A is a common disease, particularly in developing countries. All staff and troops of the U.N. (United Nations) are vaccinated by the Havrix vaccine. Till 1995 we did not vaccinate Czech troops which have operated in the area of former Yugoslavia. The main goal of this study was to obtain data about the seroprevalence of hepatitis A antibody among the Czech U.N. troops before their departure to the conflict area and to optimize the vaccination approach. The serum samples were examined by the MEIA (Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay) method in the fully automated system for immunoassays IMx in the Military Institute of Health in Ceské Budĕjovice....

Application of the Gen-Probe amplified MTD test (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test) in the diagnostics of tuberculosis

Půtová I., Havelková M., Svandová E.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):91-95  

A commercially available set, the Gen-Probe amplified MTD test (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test; Gen-Probe Incorporated, 9080 Campus Point Drive, 92121 California, USA) has been applied for the detection of the M. tuberculosis complex in clinical material in parallel to direct microscopy and cultivation in liquid and solid growth media. The method is based on the amplification of a specific 16 S rRNA segment. Detection of the amplified segment is facilitated by single-strand probes tagged with acridinium ester. Hybridization results are interpreted in RLU (Relative Light Unit) values and readings exceeding 30,000 RLU are considered positive,...

Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis in prostitutes in Turkey

Tanyüksel M., Gün H., Doganci L.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):96-97  

Prostitutes are an important group for the transmission of a number of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) all over the world. Infection with T. vaginalis is one of the most common. In this study, the incidence and diagnostic procedures for Trichomonas vaginalis infection as one of the sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) have been studied. In legal prostitutes in Ankara, Turkey, 64 (25%) of 225 vaginal wet smears were positive for T. vaginalis. There was no significant difference between the detection rates of direct phase-contrast microscopy and culture for the identification of T. vaginalis.

Differentiation of Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris strains by means of proticine typing: a longitudinal epidemiological study

Sekaninová G., Kolárová M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):98-101  

In the years 1979, 1980, 1982-83, 1986-87 and 1992-93, 673 strains of P. mirabilis and 25 strains of P. vulgaris were isolated from the urinary tracts of patients at a Teaching Hospital in Brno. In 1982-83 and 1992-93, strains of P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris were isolated from the urine and faeces of two groups of Brno population and used as controls. Using the P/S typing method, 94.7% of hospital isolates and 85.5% of control strains could be differentiated by their types. The strains that could not be typed (8.2%) were classified as PO/SO or N types; in the remaining strains, 182 various P/S types could be distinguished. The strains that could not...

Comparison of concentration of Cu and Zn in children population

Spěváčková V., Beneš B., Šmíd J., Spěváček V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):102-105  

The biological monitoring of essential metals in blood, urine and hair became important for the control of biological processes and for the study of the influence of environmental conditions on the human organism. To determine the normal level of copper and zinc in the children population group of Central Bohemia (Benesov), 98 samples of whole blood, 133 samples of urine and 135 samples of hair have been analysed by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy. The mineralisation of blood and hair samples in the microwave oven and 3-fold dilution of urine were used for the sample preparation. Arithmetic and geometric means as well as median and ratio Zn/Cu...

Breast cancer epidemiology in Czech Republic

Celko A.M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):106-109  

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of malignant neoplasms death in Czech female population. Only about half of all new breast cancer cases are diagnosed in early stage, consequently therapeutically and prognostically favourable. The benefit of conceptual breast cancer screening, showing an absolute decrease in mortality, can be expected after 5-7 years of screening. That is why early start of mammography hand in hand with clinical examination of the breast will have to be one of the highest priority in the national health promotion programmes.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated pesticides in human breast milk - a case study

Gajdůsková V., Ulrich R., Ledvinová J., Anton M., Kopecný J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):110-114  

Concentrations of chlorinated pesticides (p,p'-DDE, lindane), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and PCB congeners in breast milk during lactation and the distribution of the chlorinated compounds in fat tissue, blood serum and breast milk were pursued in five primi- or secundipara from the hinterland of a clinic of gynaecology and obstetrics in Brno in 1993. Capillary gas chromatography with ECD detection was used for the determination of the residues. The concentrations of HCB, lindane, p,p'-DDe, and sum of PCBs ranged from 42.5 to 238.4, from < 1.0 to 7.4 from 231.4 to 557.6, and from 661.3 to 2888.9 micrograms.kg-1...

Interaction of styrene and ethylmethylketone in the induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes in rat lung, kidney and liver after separate and combined inhalation exposures

Nedelcheva V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):115-118  

The present study compares the induction of different cytochrome P450 forms (CYP1A1/2, 2B1, 2E1) after pretreatment with styrene, ethylmethylketone separately or in combined exposures. Combined exposures lead to cumulative elevation of CYP levels, except for CYP1A1 and 2B1. Induction of CYP1A1 was higher in liver and kidney respectively and did not change significantly with the pretreatment mode. Styrene produced two times higher induction of CYP1A2 in the lung and kidney than ethylmethylketone. The simultaneous application of both inducers lead to significantly higher induction of CYP1A2 than that estimated after pretreatment with each of the inducers...

Effects of acetone on the capacity of o-xylene and toluene to induce several forms of cytochrome P450 in rat liver

Nedelcheva V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):119-122  

The influence of acetone on the induction of P450 in lung, kidney and liver by toluene and xylene was studied in an attempt to estimate more precisely the range of P450 which are proposed to function in the activation of xylenes and toluene metabolites in the conditions of combined exposures. The addition of acetone potentiated the induction of CYP1A1/2 to 4 minutes ethoxyresorufin deethylation that from control animals after pretreatment with toluene. The level of this enzymatic activity (0.4 nmol/min/mgP) estimated in this study is consistent with the turnover number of the purified CYP1A1 (0.45 nmol/min/mgP). The assay activity results were confirmed...

The role of the National Institute of Public Health in the field of infections with natural focality

Rosický B., Minár J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):123-126  

In the post-war period the National Institute of Public Health, later Institutes of Epidemiology and Microbiology, headed by K. Raska, ranked among famous laboratories in the world due to its priority findings and original results. Research results of the Institute stimulated further research not only in Czechoslovakia but also abroad, in laboratories of Europe and America. The authors emphasize the significance of certain results in the epidemiology and ecology of infections characterized by natural focality. In the first place they discuss the isolation of TBE in 1948 and 1949 by Gallia et al., and the study of the role of birds and bats as hosts...

Prevention of hand-arm vibration hazards: from laboratory to practice

Donati P., Bitsch J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):127-129  

Many studies were made throughout the world regarding the medical and technical aspects of hand-arm vibration since the first description by Loriga in 1911 of the vibration syndrome. Despite that the protection of operators against vibration hazards had progressed very slowly in practice with one notable exception, the case of chain saw users for whom several countries developed a comprehensive programme to eradicate the diseases successfully; regulations, antivibration tools, medical screening, preventive treatment. If all these actions are not carried out simultaneously in an industrial sector the transmission of knowledge from the laboratory to...

Raynaud's phenomenon in different groups of workers using hand-held vibrating tools

Harazin B., Langauer-Lewowicka H.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):130-132  

The dose-effect relationship showed in the Annex A of the ISO standard 5349-1986 can be used for preventing vibration-induced white fingers (VWF) because it allows to calculate the latent period for the lowest risk of VWF. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of VWF in three different occupational groups of workers whose members operated the same vibrating power tools and the same industrial processes throughout the workday. Each occupational group was employed in two foundries and they were considered to be very stable with a low turnover rate. The mean frequency-weighted acceleration magnitudes measured from pneumatic rammers (25.3 +/- 3.3...

Vibration exposure dose dependency of clinical stage, examination results and symptoms in vibration syndrome

Yamada S., Sakakibara H., Futatsuka M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):133-136  

The vibration exposure dose dependency of clinical stage, examination results and symptoms are valuable for evaluation of exposure effect in vibration syndrome. The 1973 national survey of 461 chain saw operators in private forests was reexamined with respect to vibration exposure dose (VD) and clinical stage (Stockholm Workshop scales: CIRP-0 to 3 and SN-0 to 3 stages). VD was calculated by the formula "ahw(eq.4h) x D (days) x Y (years)". Vibration exposure dose index (VDI) was calculated according to the VD level. Subjects were divided into five VDI, four CIRP stage and four SN stage groups, respectively. Ratio of four CIRP and SN in VDI, examination...

Evaluation of the white finger risk prediction model in ISO 5349 suggests need for prospective studies

Gemne G., Lundström R.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):137-139  

The risk prediction model for white fingers in Annex A of ISO 5349 is not likely to offer protection from all tools and all work processes. It is also probable that some work place changes it has initiated are either redundant or lack the intended effect. The main reasons for these shortcomings are the following. The often demonstrated disagreement between predicted and observed white fingers occurrence may be related to the fact that the model is based on latency data. This leads to an overestimation, to an unknown extent, of true group risks. A possible healthy worker effect, resulting in underestimation, has not been considered, and uncertainty...

Application of a new technology to the design of effective anti-vibration gloves

Reynolds D., Weaver D., Jetzer T.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):140-144  

Gloves that attenuate vibration above approximately 25 Hz and that exceed the characteristics of standard viscoelastic gloves have been developed using an air bladder system in the palm and fingers of a glove. Testing was performed on a variety of viscoelastic gloves currently marketed to obtain the ratio of energy leaving the handle of a vibrating device and the energy entering the hand. Several simple rectangular air bladders of varying thickness were developed and tested for their vibration attenuating characteristics. A four degree-of-freedom, lumped-parameter model of the vibration response of the human and air bladder was developed using measured...

A new examination system using photoplethysmography to evaluate skin blood flow during exposure to vibration

Klyscz T., Blazek V., Bussmann J., Keller M., Jünger M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):145-148  

We introduce a new examination method developed at the University Dermatology Hospital in Tübingen in cooperation with the Institute for High Frequency Techniques of Aachen Technical College and the Metabo Factory in Nürtingen, Germany. The Tübingen workplace simulator for studying vibration white finger (VWF) syndrome standardized vibrations reproducing the vibration pattern of actual hand-held tools. This stimulator makes it possible to evaluate on-line the effects of defined vibrations on skin blood flow in the fingers and to investigate the etiopathogenesis of vibration white finger syndrome. The vibration simulator itself is modelled after an...

News and Notes

Conference on the occasion of the National Institute of Public Health in Prague jubilee

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):149-152  

75th birthday of Assoc. Prof. Lubomír Syrůcek, M.D., C.Sc

Rosický B.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1996, 4(2):153