Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4)

Possible role of rainfall in the epidemiology of tick-borne encephalitis

Danielová V., Beneš Č.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):151-154

The assumption that the amount of rainfall in the summer months influences the frequency of TBE is based on the fact that the determining factor for the existence, development and activity of Ixodes ricinus is relative air humidity (RH) and the finding that low RH negatively influences dynamics of infection and infection rate of I. ricinus with TBE virus. A higher incidence of TBE then develops due to the coincidence of increased activity of ticks and recreational activity of humans after an intense prolonged rainfall. This presumption was verified by comparing the dynamics of rainfall as an indicator of RH in the tick environment with...

Ossification of the sesamoid bone at the base of the first finger in Czech boys and girls

Prokopec M., Pfeiferová K., Josífko M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):155-159

Ossification of the sesamoid bone of the first finger was studied in left hand-and-wrist X-rays of 296 Czech boys and 272 girls 9 to 15 years old using data collected between 1962 and 1966. The logit and the YES or NO methods were used in treating the data. A sesamoid bone, clearly visible to the naked eye, was considered as positive and when it was not yet visible, as negative. The sesamoid bone was developed in 50 per cent of boys at the age of 13.6 years and in 50 per cent of girls at the age of 11.2 years. This stage preceded the age at onset of menarche in Czech girls by 1.9 years. Boys showed a greater variability (SD = 1.4) than girls (SD =...

The roots of smoking habit in students of medicine and the ways of its prevention

Baška T., Šutarík Ľ., Straka Š.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):160-163

A questionnaire study on smoking and on the attitudes towards it has been carried out in 667 medical students. The study revealed a lower prevalence of smoking in the studied group than in general population (regular smokers: 7.3 per cent; occasional smokers: 14.3 per cent). The study confirmed the importance of family background for the initiation of smoking habit as well as the association of smoking habit with alcohol consumption. Some of the results were compared with similar study carried out on the same faculty of medicine ten years ago. The goal of the study was not only to gather the data on smoking as an important risk factor of cardiovascular...

Endemic incidence of infections caused by Mycobacterium kansasii in the Karviná district in 1968-1995 (Analysis of epidemiological data - review)

Chobot S., Mališ J., Šebáková H., Pelikán M., Zatloukal O., Palička P., Kocurová D.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):164-173

The Karviná district (northwestern part of North Moravia and Silesia) is typical by its industrial character, above all mining of black coal which is coked and which led to the devastation of the countryside. The ratio of light industry is low. In a small area (347 km²) there is a population of 824 inhabitants per km². The population is concentrated in particular in urban agglomerations of the flat block type. Up to 1990 almost 55 % of the population was employed in heavy industry. Due to its industrial activities, incl. metallurgical plants and ironworks in nearby Ostrava and Trinec, the district is one of the areas with a heavily...

Recent trends in health status of the male population in postcommunist Europe

Ginter E.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):174-176

At the time of the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989-1990, male life expectancy in Central and Eastern Europe was significantly lower than that in Western Europe. Recent trends in health status in this region are very different: steady improvement in the Czech Republic, first signs of improvement in the Slovak Republic and Poland, slight aggravation in Hungary and Bulgaria and health collapse in the Russian Federation. Male life expectancy at birth in the Czech Republic reached in 1995 70.0 years, while in the Russian Federation it decreased in 1994 to 57.7 years. The increase in life expectancy in the Czech Republic is attributable to the decline...

Determination of some metals in biological samples for monitoring purposes

Spěváčková V., Kratzer K., Čejchanová M., Beneš B.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):177-179

The biological monitoring of toxic and essential metals in biological material is important for the study of influence of environmental conditions on the human body. In this work, the determination of Cd, Pb and Hg in blood, urine and hair of children has been performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The electrothermal atomisation with Zeeman background correction was used for Pb and Cd determination and mercury was determined using Trace Mercury Analyser TMA 254. Methylmercury in hair was determined simultaneously. To check the method, SRM Lyphochek Urine Metal control - Biorad, Seronorm Trace Elements - Nycomed and GWB Human Hair (China) were...

An explosive outbreak of Q-fever in Jedľové Kostoľany, Slovakia

Varga V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):180-182

An explosive epidemic of Q-fever that occurred at Jedľové Kostoľany (Nitra District) in April 1993, had an unusual mode of transmission, unprecedented in Slovakia. The submitted case-reports can be very instructive for both health workers and the lay public. The bulk of infection was spread in the local pub through contaminated garments of animal attendants assisting abortions and births of goats in a large capacity breeding centre of Gemersan Co. By their repeated visits to the local pub the infection most probably spread to other guests by aerosol. A total of 113 persons (103 males, 10 females) contracted Q-fever. Out of them 95 were infected by...

Acute toxicity of alcohols: prediction by QSAR analysis and by molecular similarity

Rucki M., Tichý M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):183-187

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of techniques of molecular similarity as an alternative method for estimation of both acute toxicity of chemicals and their partition coefficients. The technique of atom pairs was chosen. A series of aliphatic alcohols was treated. Acute toxicity was determined by the express laboratory method as the EC50 (inhibition of movement of the worms Tubifex tubifex). Partition coefficients were determined between oil and gas. The calculated results were sufficiently close to both experimental results and the estimates calculated by a technique of QSAR analysis.

Migration and its health and social problems in the Czech Republic. Part I

Nesvadbová L., Rutsch J., Sojka S.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):188-192

Our paper considers the present situation in the care of migrants' health in the CR, its legislative aspects and attached problems as they are reported by our medical institutions. It underlines that the number of migrants in the CR is growing and that the necessity arises to create longitudinal strategic conception in their care, which would try to face social and medical problems connected with this phenomenon. Epidemiological studies carried out among the population of Europe come to the conclusion, that generally disease and injury is bigger among migrants than among the population in general. Our paper comes to similar conclusion in the examination...

Migration and its health and social problems in the Czech Republic. Part II

Nesvadbová L., Rutsch J., Sojka S.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):193-198

The study follows a theoretical introduction. It tries to analyze the health and social situation of three groups of migrants: mostly ukrainian citizens, who work with Czech firms. We try to evaluate chosen methodology for further use in longitudinal following of similar groups of foreigners, who are working with Czech firms (under international contract). Our aim is to develop a general strategy for the care of migrants.

Prevalence of Francisella tularensis in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected in adjacent areas of the Czech and Austrian Republics

Hubálek Z., Sixl W., Halouzka J., Mikulášková M.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):199-201

A total of 1098 host-seeking adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were examined in an active enzootic focus (floodplain meadow and forest ecosystem) of tularemia along the lower reaches of the Thaya (Dyje) river in South Moravia (Czech Republic) and adjacent Austria during the spring of 1996. Twenty-five isolates of Francisella tularensis were recovered (i.e., the overall minimum infection rate was 2.3 %). The prevalence rate varied between 0.6 % and 3.5 % among four localities examined (two in Moravia and two in Austria) but the difference in the rate between Moravia (2.2 %) and Austria (2.8 %) has not been significant. The results show...

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Viqarunnessa Noon Girls' School children in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Laskar M.S., Harada N., Khan F.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):202-204

Screening of serum samples from 836 apparently healthy school girls with sound socioeconomical background from Viqarunnessa Noon Girls' School in Dhaka, was done for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by Latex quick test and all Latex quick test positive samples were rechecked by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Thus the prevalence of HBsAg among healthy female school age children was 2.3 % by the former method and 0.8 % by the latter. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is more common in Bangladesh but HBsAg prevalence rate in normal school age children of the present study was much lower than reported from many other parts of the world. The reason...

Prevalence of goitre in the southern mountainous regions of Bulgaria, 1986-1989

Hubaveshki S., Powles J., Lozanov B.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):205-207

Iodine supplementation programmes began in designated high risk mountainous districts in Bulgaria in 1958. The prevalence of goitre fell. But the programmes became less effective and by the mid 1980s there were strong indications that goitre was resurgent. Ten villages that had been surveyed in 1956 and 1974 were re-surveyed between 1986 and 1989. All persons available were examined (not just residents) - at home, workplace or school - by a trainee or specialist endocrinologist. Goitres were graded according to the WHO/ICCIDD system. 2,901 females and 1,885 males were examined. Diffuse, stage 1 enlargements were common in males and females under 35,...

Parasitic opportunistic infections in Czech HIV-infected patients - a prospective study

Pospíšilová Z., Ditrich O., Staňková M., Kodym P.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):208-213

To determine the frequency of opportunistic parasites, especially causative agents of microsporidiosis and cryptosporidiosis in HIV-infected patients in the Czech Republic, more than 75 % of all Czech HIV-infected patients were examined during this study. Target staining techniques were used for parasitological examination of stool, sputum and urine of HIV-infected patients. In addition, their sera were examined by indirect ELISA technique with specific antigens from E. cuniculi, E. hellem and C. parvum. Specific antibodies to T. gondii were detected by CF test. In 2.1 % of HIV-infected patients microsporidia E. bieneusi...

Development of the epidemiological situation in invasive meningococcal disease in the Czech Republic caused by emerging Neisseria meningitidis clone ET-15/37

Křížová P., Musílek M., Kalmusová J.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):214-218

Meningococcal clone ET-15/37, which appeared as a new one in the Czech Republic in 1993, caused an emergency epidemiological and clinical situation in invasive meningococcal disease, characterized by a high fatality rate (20 %) compared to the "normal" fatality rate due to "non ET-15/37" strains. Morbidity rate increased since the first year of the new clone occurrence and reached the peak in 1995. This clone has spread all over the country and investigation of the epidemiological markers of Neisseria meningitidis allowed to quickly recognize the emergency situation and subsequently to provide a targeted vaccination with A + C polysaccharide...

Environmental Health Effects in the East Baltic Region - Assessment and Prevention. Stockholm 27-29 April 1997

Pershagen G., Bencko V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 1997, 5(4):219-220