Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1)

Evaluation of indoor air quality using the decibel concept. Part I - Proposal of new units

Jokl M.V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):3-8

Weber-Fechner's law concerning the perception of sound by man with time expressed as a logarithmic function can also be used for the odour constituent used in the evaluation of indoor air quality in buildings. A new unit dB (odour) based on the concentration of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) is proposed as it is currently the basis for determining the air change rate. On the Psycho-Physical Scale according to Yaglou, the weakest odour that can be detected by the human small sensors is equal to one and corresponds to the lower limit of percentage dissatisfaction (PD) of 5.8 % and a threshold concentration (TVOC) of 50 µg/m³...

Evaluation of indoor air quality using the decibel concept. Part II - Ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality

Jokl M.V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):9-12

Weber-Fechner's law concerning the perception of sound by man with time expressed as a logarithmic function can also be used for the odour constituent used in the evaluation of indoor air quality in buildings. A new unit dB (odour) based on the concentration of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) is proposed as it is currently the basis for determining the air change rate. On the Psycho-Physical Scale according to Yaglou, the weakest odour that can be detected by the human smell sensors is equal to one and corresponds to the lower limit of percentage dissatisfaction (PD) of 5.8 % and a threshold concentration (TVOC) of 50 µg/m³...

Success of an outpatient claudication group training program for patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD): the Tübingen model

Klyscz T., Jünger M., Jünger I., Hahn M., Rassner G.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):13-20

Active exercise therapy plays a decisive role in the prognosis for early forms of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (stages I and II). We present a model project for an outpatient claudication group which has proved successful in the active exercise therapy of early forms of arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). In addition to the training principles familiar from intensified, performance-keyed walking programs, a newly developed pedal ergometer was employed which makes controlled endurance training possible for this patient group. The distance patients were able to walk without pain increased significantly in 17 out of the 26 patients taking part...

New serovars of Plesiomonas shigelloides - 1996

Aldová E.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):21-23

Eight new 0 (91-98) and H (46-49) antigens are described. Their reference strains come from Czech Republic, Cuba and USA. The majority of reference strains are of human origin. Some of the new antigens have been found in other strains coming mostly from water.

Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus)

Sixl W., Karpíšková R., Hubálek Z., Halouzka J., Mikulášková M., Salava J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):24-26

Cloacal examination of 41 juvenile black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) by cultivation demonstrated Campylobacter jejuni in 26 (63 %) and Salmonella typhimurium in 21 (51 %) of them. All the bird samples were collected in a breeding colony near the town Hodonín, South Moravia, Czech Republic in 1996. Twenty six Campylobacter isolates were tested for antibiotic and drug sensitivity: all were resistant to at least three agents (Penicillin, Tetracyclin and Sulfomethoxazol-trimethoprim) while all were sensitive to Augmentan, Cefotaxim, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Nitrofurantoin and Cephazidine. Four percent of isolates were resistant...

Hospitalization for pneumonia in the Finnish working-age population

Säynäjäkangas P., Keistinen T., Honkanen P.O., Kivelä S.L.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):27-29

The aim of this investigation was to describe the use of hospital services among the Finnish working-age population aged 15 to 64 years on account of pneumonia. The study was based on nationwide hospital discharge records maintained by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. Pneumonia caused 63,414 periods of hospital treatment and a total of 568,861 hospitalization days among working-age people in Finland from 1984 to 1993. The mean annual age-specific rate of pneumonia-related hospital treatment periods per 1000 persons among men was 2.67 (SD 0.17) and among women 1.10 (SD 0.08). The men had more treatment periods than...

An attempt to demonstrate the increased resistance of selected bacterial strains during repeated exposure to UV radiation at 254 nm

Rameš J., Chaloupecký V., Sojková N., Bencko V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):30-31

Evidence was provided that in a repeatedly irradiated bacterial suspension of Escherichia coli K12: AB 1157, 1886, 2463, under the described experimental conditions, gradually mutants more resistant to UV radiation survive. Under these circumstances it may happen that selection and an increase of bacterial clones with an increased UV resistance develop, manifested by a reduced effectiveness of UV radiation during repeated irradiation. Although the cumulating damage of DNA in microbes can lead to a reduction of their survival as well as a reduction of their absolute numbers, it can be hardly assumed that during practical use in air conditioning...

The effects of storage time on the growth of bacterial flora in bottled drinking water

Šefcová H.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):32-34

An elevated count of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria (10³-10⁴ CFU/1 ml) was detected in uncarbonated bottled water stored for a period of 1 year. None of the 120 samples contained faecal coliform bacteria or streptococci. Psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria counts detected in bottled water within 24 hours of bottling conformed to Czech Republic standard ČSN 56 7859. Counts of the same bacteria detected up to 6 months after bottling were also within the limits set by the above norm.

Changes in some psychophysiological parameters in speech information processing under masking noise effect

Tsaneva L., Danev S., Dinkova K.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):35-37

The aim of the present work was to study the influence of masking broad-band (white), impulse and interrupted noise with intensities LAeq 60 and 90 dB(A) on the execution of some psychophysiological tasks. The following parameters were studied: pulse frequency and variation, breathing frequency and variation, vascular tone etc. The psychological tasks model different parts of the operators' activity and include: conduction of mathematical calculations at datum speed; test related to the information processing; complex optional task supplied by Piorkovski's device. After statistical processing of results by Student-Fischer's t test and monofactor dispersion...

Health aspects of formaldehyde in the indoor environment. Czech and Slovak experience

Holcátová I., Bencko V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(1):38-42

The effects of formaldehyde on human beings has been a subject of study in the former Czechoslovakia since the beginning of the 1980s. The first studies quite naturally arose from concern over its effects in occupational settings. Initially, the allergic effects of formaldehyde on the skin were studied. Two main approaches to the study of the biologic effects of formaldehyde on humans were employed. The cytogenetic analyses of peripheral lymphocytes and immunological analysis of selected humoral immunity parameters were used to demonstrate the formaldehyde exposure in both occupational and non-occupational indoor environment. The analysis of the results,...