Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1)
Detection of Antibodiesto Polyomavirus SV40 in Two Central European Countries
Butel J.S., Wong C., Vilchez R.A., Szücs G., Dömök I., Kříž B., Slonim D., Adam E.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):3-8 
Simian virus 40 (SV40) is significantly associated with some human cancers. However, the frequency of tumor-associated virus detection differs by geographic regions, so it is important to understand the status of SV40 infections in different populations. Poliovaccines potentially containing live SV40 were used in well-documented nationwide vaccination programs in Hungary and the Czech Republic that are reported here. We analyzed serum samples from periodic surveillance programs in those two countries for antibodies to SV40 using a specific plaque reduction neutralization assay. The prevalence of antibodies was between 1.3 and 8.7% in Hungary and from...
Occupational and Personal Risk Factors for Musculo-Skeletal Disorders in Fertilizer Plant Workers
Koleva M., Kostova V.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):9-13
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of some personal and work-related risk factors for the occurrence and development of MSDs as well as to assess the prevalence and relative risk by means of odds ratio and 95% confidence interval.Subjects of this comprehensive cross-sectional study were 921 workers and employees from the four main departments of the plant. The following complex of methods was applied: personal anamnesis, occupational history, physical examination, clinical laboratory testing, anthropometric examination, conventional radiography and statistical method.Results. Age is the first risk factor, discussed by authors....
Administration of Antibiotics Before Admission of Patients with Meningococcal Disease
Rožnovský L., Křížová P., Štruncová V., Dostál V., Plíšek S., Kasal E., Burget I., Chalupa P., Dlouhý P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):14-18
Purpose: To determine whether parenteral or oral antibiotics given before admission to a regional hospital with a special intensive care unit (ICU) reduce the case fatality rate in patients with meningococcal disease.Design: Prospective analysis of 164 consecutive patients with meningococcal disease admitted to 5 regional hospitals in the Czech Republic between August 1996 and October 2001. Main outcome measure was number of deaths from meningococcal disease. Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis. Main findings: Nine out of 116 patients (8%) given antibiotics before admission died, compared with five deaths in 48 patients (10%)...
Analysis of Unusual Accumulation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Cases in Orava and Liptov Regions (Northern Slovak Focus) 1983-2000
Maďar R., Maslenová D., Ranostajová K., Straka Š., Baška T.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):19-22
While familial cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are extremely rare all over the world, 3 familial clusters were observed between 1983-2000 in a relatively small area situated in the North of Slovakia. Prevalence of CJD in this area exceeded the overall prevalence in Slovakia more than 8 times. The majority of CJD patients admitted consuming sheep brain. Most patients lived in small secluded villages with rather common familial intermarriage. CJD affected both sexes equally. All patients were prior to the disease mentally normal individuals. Shortly after the onset of CJD their mental status deteriorated remarkably with an average survival rate of...
Cytolytic Vaginosis: Examination of 2947 Vaginal Smears
Demirezen Ş.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):23-24
The aim of this study is to detect the rate of cytolytic vaginosis (CV) cases in patients with symptoms resembling those ones of candida vaginitis and to distinguish them from candidiasis cases by examining of 2947 Papanicolaou-stained vaginal smears.Fifty four of 2947 patients (1.83%) were diagnosed as having CV based on cytologic criteria such as naked nuclei of intermediate cells (IC), the overgrowth of lactobacilli, cytoplasmic fragmentations due to lysis of the cells. None of these smears contained candidal blastospores and hyphae and polymorphonuclear leucocytes. The pH was 3,5 to 5,5 and the clinical symptoms were profuse vaginal discharge...
The Association Between Occupational Stress and the Risk of Developing Acute Coronary Syndromes: The CARDIO2000 Study
Panagiotakos D.B., Chrysohoou C., Pitsavos C., Antoniou S., Vavouranakis E., Stravopodis P., Moraiti A.D., Stefanadis C.I., Toutouzas P.K.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):25-30
Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between occupational stress and the risk of developing acute coronary syndromes, in a population-based sample of patients and controls. Methodology. During 2000-01, a case-control study was conducted (CARDIO2000). A random and stratified sample of 848 middle aged patients with a first event of an acute coronary syndrome and 1078 cardiovascular disease free participants, matched with the patients by gender, age and region, was selected from all regions of Greece. In addition to the common cardiovascular risk factors, the effect of occupational stress on coronary risk was evaluated,...
The Disinfection of Water by Microalloyed Aluminium Based Composite
Bojić A., Purenović M., Kocić B., Perović J., Uršić-Janković J., Bojić D.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):31-37
In the submitted paper the water disinfection capacity of the microalloyed aluminium based composite (MABC) was studied. MABC is material in the form of steel wire, plated with microalloyed aluminium. The effects of the composite are based on the very negative stationary potential of microalloyed aluminium, and its spontaneous dissolution in water with generation of Al(III) ions, and reduction of water with the generation of H2 and OH- ions. As a final product of these reactions, a voluminous Al(OH) 3 precipitate is formed. Having in mind its great efficacy in purification of different waters from many chemical pollutants we made the following hypothesis:...
Hungry for Hungary: Examples of Tobacco Industry's Expansionism
Szilágyi T., Chapman S.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):38-43
Objective: To give an overview of available internal tobacco industry documents on the transnational tobacco companies' (TTCs) efforts to enter the new market of the emerging democracy of Hungary and how it developed allies in its efforts at resisting tobacco control regulations.Method: Internal tobacco industry documents relevant to Hungary, available on the World Wide Web, were searched between 26 July and 30 November 2001. Documents on the identification of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as a great market potential have been reviewed; another set of reviewed documents are of particular relevance to Hungary, as they indicate who the main partners...
Perceptual Differences Regarding Health and Environmental Problems and Their Remedies in Two States of the Former Czechoslovakia
Šlachtová H., Avdičová M., Tvrdík J., Fletcher T., Dusseldorp A., Kolářová D., Farkas I., Zycinska J., Gurzau E., Minca D., Ball D., Jones K., Lebret E., Woudenberg F.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(1):44-49
In the framework of the Central European Study on Air pollution and Respiratory Health (CESAR), a risk perception and risk communication study was carried out in a total of 25 areas in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic.This paper is focused on the differences of perception between the Czech (CR) and the Slovak Republic (SR), and the other involved countries. The analysis is based on the data of a structured risk perception questionnaire survey of a random population sample. 6,043 completed questionnaires were collected from the total number of 14,400 distributed ones in 25 areas of the 6 countries. The...