Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3)
Cancer incidence around the Nuclear Power Plant Jaslovské Bohunice
Guliš G., Fitz O.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):183-187
The total cancer incidence in our district has been increasing during years 1986-1995. Standardised cancer incidence in district Trnava in 1994 to European population was 278.12 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Jaslovské Bohunice is situated in the centre of the district of Trnava. From 1978 five reactors have started to operate and four still work. NPP produces approximately 40 % of whole electrical energy consumption in Slovakia. There are approximately 250,000 people in the area of 30 km around the NPP. The main part of this area belongs to Trnava district. Objectives of work were to study the dependence of incidence with distance...
Colorectal cancer and environmental pollution
Guliš G., Fitz O., Wittgruber J., Suchanová G.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):188-191
Monitoring of personal exposure of population from environmental pollution is a very complicated process. There are many different pollutants in environment in very low concentrations and their distribution is non-homogenous. To measure these pollutants is not often feasible or possible due to technical problems. On the other side these can influence the health status of inhabitants by the way of a long time exposition by low doses. In our work we studied an incidence of the cancer of colon and rectum in rural area of Trnava district during the years 1986-1995. These are the most frequent types of cancer in our district-13.4 %, incidence rate is 27.5...
The perception of discrimination in the HIV policy among Czech gay men
Procházka I., Weiss P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):192-194
The study aimed to evaluate the perception of discrimination in the Czech national HIV policy among gay men. The anonymous questionnaires were published in the gay journal and 191 respondents filled them and returned back. Their assessment of discrimination in the HIV policy and other life activities were ranked in 5-points scale. Assumed discrimination in the HIV policy was found to be one of the lowest one. Forty-one percent of men who answered did not find any discrimination in the HIV policy at all, eleven percent of them perceived it at the highest level. The personal perception of HIV discrimination was related to the fear of discrimination in...
Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in Czech Republic
Uhlíková M., Hübner J.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):195-198
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with Toxocara canis excretion - secretion (TES) antigen was used for determination the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in healthy population of several districts in Czech Republic. It was found that the seropositivity ranged from 5.8 % to 36.0 % in various districts. Valuation by sex, age, profession of the examined persons and different type of their habitation (urban or rural) was used. It is obvious that the percentage of seropositivity rise in dependence on the age of examined persons. This fact may be attributed to the longlasting serological positivity detected in ELISA reaction....
Immune mechanisms of the occupational sensitization with methylen-dyphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)
Nosko M., Altunkova I., Baltadjieva D., Liapin M., Bocheva S., Tanev M.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):199-201
The aim of this study was to objectify and to clarity some mechanisms of the immune response of the professional sensitization with MDI. 26 workers were tested for sensitization of immediate type (ST with a broad set of indoor allergens and serum MDI-IgE) and of delayed type (ST with a standard battery of antigens for cellular immunity and with MDI), also the lymphocyte sub-populations and their functional state by flow cytometric analysis. The most frequent allergic complaints were: rhinits (70 %), skin manifestations (53 %), conjunctivitis (35 %) and initial bronchial asthma in two cases (12 %). We found indoor sensitization in 41 % and normal cellular...
Indicators of risk of ischaemic heart disease in patients with acute myocardial infarction under 65 years and their relatives
Komárek L., Rážová J., Pivničková M., Vignerová J., Roth Z., Ošancová K., Šoltysová T., Anděl M., Poledne R.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):202-210
The incidence of risk factors for atherosclerosis was investigated in a group of 846 patients under 65 years of age, hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AIM) in coronary hospital units in 21 districts of the Czech Republic in 1996. The group of patients comprises 649 men and 197 women. The incidence of risk factors in patients was compared with the incidence of risk factors in the population of the Czech Republic: the mean values of the investigated indicators are in patients with AIM higher in both sexes (total serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, BMI, WHR). As to anamnestic data, in the majority low or irregular physical activity predominates,...
The interaction of particulate matter and gaseous automobile exhaust in the city of Graz, Austria
Köck M., Pichler-Semmelrock F.P., Wippel R., Adlmannseder J., Kosmus W., Marth E.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):211-218
Aerosol particles collected at urban locations contain a significant portion of automobile exhaust emissions, especially lead and zinc. The most important emitted gases, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and the nitrogen oxides (NOx) play an important role in the formation of photochemical smog in urban areas. Nitrate formation through heterogeneous reactions on dust particles may provide a removal mechanism for the nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. As a consequence dust can reduce ozone formation rates by up to 25 %. At 47 sites within the city of Graz, Austria dust particles were collected. Two hundred particles with a diameter of about 1...
Active surveillance of meningococcal meningitis in Poland
Tyski S., Grzybowska W., Lind I.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):219-224
Starting from 1970, the notification of N. meningitidis cases in Poland was compulsory and separated from other cases of meningitis purulenta. Based on the experience of European Monitoring Group on Meningococci, the active surveillance of meningococcal meningitis in Poland was initiated in April 1995. It was the first time that such study was conducted to recognise the actual situation of meningococcal meningitis infections in our country. Ninety seven N. meningitidis strains were isolated (31 in 1995 and 66 in 1996) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of meningitis patients hospitalized in 54 hospitals located in 33 out of 49 provinces of...
Analysis of bacterial meningitis during 1992-1996 in Poland
Tyski S., Grzybowska W.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):225-230
Retrospective study of bacterial meningitis cases was performed by analysis of filled questionnaires received from 38 different hospitals located in 27 out of 49 provinces of Poland. Obtained data allowed to indicate that S. epidermidis, N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae were the most common bacterial strains isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of meningitis patients during the last five years. Besides data analysis performed, some strains of N. meningitidis (n = 97), H. influenzae (n = 28) and S. pneumoniae (n = 39) isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of meningitis patients hospitalized in...
Health risk assessment in evaluation of metals in TSP
Rychlíková E., Fejfušová J., Šubrt P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):231-234
The authors submit information on the prediction of the health risk assessment, they used for defining the air pollution by air particulates. Trace metal and toxic metal analysis is used in the cancer risk assessment. This approach gives a better view of adverse effects on health. The evaluation of air pollution, expressed only in nanograms of metals per cubic meter, says nothing about the health of the inhabitants.
Evaluation of the incidence and age distribution of bronchiectasis from the Finnish hospital discharge register
Säynäjakangas O., Keistinen T., Tuuponen T., Kivelä S.L.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):235-237
The incidence and age distribution of bronchiectasis is at present poorly known. The aim here was to describe the use made of hospital services by bronchiectasis patients in Finland over ten years and to estimate the incidence of this disease. Data on hospital admissions for bronchiectasis were obtained from the register maintained by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. Admissions and new cases during the period 1983-1992 were calculated by age and sex in relation to the total population. There were 5,710 admissions for bronchiectasis and 1,928 new cases. The occurrence of cases treated in hospital was 4.9 per million...
Respiratory system response to ambient air magnesite particulates
Reichrtová E., Ondrejčáková I.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):238-240
Ambient air particulates derived from a magnesite-processing plant contain magnesium oxide (85-90 %), iron oxide (7-8 %), calcium oxide (about 2.5-3 %), Al- and Si oxides (0.1-0.5 %) as well as additional elements in trace amounts as follows: Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, Hg, Cd, Pb, V, Ba, Ag, Cu and Sn. Magnesite clinker is manufactured from raw magnesite by baking in rotary furnaces using the Leseps-Polysius system, which represents the source of particulate pollutants entering the atmosphere. In the area heavily polluted by magnesite particles, the health impact using the data obtained from the exposed humans and animals was assessed. The reason for this study...
Cadmium and zinc concentrations in human placentas
Fiala J., Hrubá D., Rézl P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):241-248
Cadmium and zinc levels in placentae of 688 women who delivered their children in two university hospitals in Brno and in the regional hospital in Znojmo during January-June 1992 were determined using AAS analytical method. Average value of zinc (54.6 µg/g) and cadmium (18.02 ng/g) concentrations found out in our file are in accord with those ones reported in literature. Individual differences in zinc contained in placentae occur uniformly. Very low concentrations prevail for cadmium; values exceeding 100 ng/g of dry basis are sporadic only. Zinc vs. cadmium concentrations values in placenta are mutually positively correlated [correlation coefficient...
Using a screen filter positively influences the physical well-being of VDU operators
Hladký A., Procházka B.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):249-253
Sixty full-time VDU workers participated in a field study concerned with the effects of antiglare screen filter on the occurrence, duration, and intensity of eye and physical complaints. Forty of them were given a screen filter, the remaining 20 worked without filter. Two types of questionnaires were administered both prior to the installation of filters, and after one month of their use. The first inquired about the occurrence and duration of complaints during the last month, the other one measured their intensity on three days in the morning, before lunch and at the end of the working day. The intensity scores were corrected for hours worked at VDU...
Detection of Listeria in raw and pasteurized milk
Ahrabi S.S., Ergüven S., Günalp A.
Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(3):254-255
One hundred raw milk samples from different regions of Anatolia and 20 pasteurized milk samples from three different manufacturers in Ankara were analyzed for the presence of Listeria spp. L. monocytogenes was found in 1 % of the raw milk samples and in 5 % (1/20) of the pasteurized milk samples. L. innocua and L. seeligeri were found in 8 and 2 % of the raw milk samples, respectively. No other species of Listeria was found. The overall incidence of Listeria spp. was 10 % in the raw milk samples and 5 % in the pasteurized milk samples.