Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3)
Quality of Life, Sustainable Future and Medical Education
Bencko V., Hnilicová H., Klein O.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):112-116 
Substantial social and environmental changes in a global world as well as a new paradigm of medicine emphasizing high technology and evidence based approach bring to the current medicine many paradoxes. Undoubtedly, new era creates many positive opportunities and challenges for medical professionals. On the other side, traditional concept of medicine as basically humanistic "helping profession" is rather threatened. In this context, there is a need for a re-defining of medical curricula and to offer to the medical students the concepts and ideas which reflect a current development. Traditional public health terms such as "Primary Prevention", "Health...
Factors Determining Changes in Self-rated Health in the Polish Community-dwelling Elderly
Tobiasz-Adamczyk B., Brzyski P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):117-124
Changes in self-rated health and its determinants have been analyzed in the group of 551 community-dwelling older age citizens of Krakow during the 12-year interval observation.Multidimensional model showed that changes in self-rated health between the studies have been significantly determined by such variables like age and self-evaluation of health status in the Ist study. Self-rated health was also less markedly decreased in men, who continued professional activity in the Ist study. Among variables analyzed in the IInd study it was age-related functional disability reported by men and reported chronic conditions that deteriorated self-rated...
Could Socio-economic Transformation and the Resulting Psychological Stress Influence Cancer Risk in Opole Province, Poland?
Tukiendorf A.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):125-131
The paper presents the results of a risk assessment analysis of cancer morbidity in Opole province before and after a political transformation in Poland, i.e. in the 1985-1989 quinquennium and the following two equivalent periods of: 1990-1994 and 1995-1999. Measures of morbidity are given and its growth in males and females are compared with the ageing effect as well as with unemployment. In the paper a general conclusion has been drawn suggesting that the socio-economic transformation begun after 1989 and the resulting stress could have been the one of the possible background effects influencing the health status in the region. It must be accentuated,...
The Role of Physical Activity in the Prevention of Stroke
Chrysohoou C., Pitsavos C., Kokkinos P., Panagiotakos D.B., Singh S.N., Stefanadis C.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):132-136
Although large-scale epidemiologic studies, as well as interventional trials have provided strong evidence of a consistent and robust association between physical activity and cardiovascular disease, the effect of exercise on the burden of stroke is not well understood and appreciated. This review has a purpose to summarize the literature on the effect of physical activity on stroke morbidity and mortality, and to provide current scientific evidences.
Risk of Congenital Anomalies in the Vicinity of Waste Landfills in Denmark; an Epidemiological Study Using GIS
Kloppenborg S.C., Brandt U.K., Gulis G., Ejstrud B.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):137-143
Waste landfills are a potential hazard to health. Public concern exists about this potential hazard and researchers agree that further research is required on this field. The objective of the study was to investigate the association between waste landfill location and congenital anomalies risk in Denmark. The study was a multisided epidemiological geographical comparison study of risk of congenital anomalies combined and congenital anomalies of the cardiovascular and nervous systems with maternal residence in the vicinity of 48 Danish waste landfills compared with those living further away in the years 1997 to 2001. We used routine health and population...
Maternal Employment Status and Isolated Orofacial Clefts in Hungary
Puhó E., Métneki J., Czeizel A.E.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):144-148
Aims: To study the role of maternal employment status as indicator of socioeconomic status in the origin of isolated orofacial clefts (OFC) and in the use of periconceptional folic acid/multivitamin supplementation.Methods: 1,975 cases with OFC (1,374 cases with cleft lip ± palate and 601 cases with posterior cleft palate), 38,151 population controls without any defects and 20,868 patient controls with other isolated defects were compared in the population-based data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities (HCCSCA), 1980-1996.Results: The proportion of professionals and managerials was lower, while...
Cadmium in Urine of Children and Adults from Industrial Areas
Nikić D., Stojanović D., Stanković A.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):149-152
Various human activities result in the release of significant quantity of cadmium to the environment. The study population included adults (230) and children (100) residing near the tobacco plant and a control group, unexposed to elevated cadmium concentrations, living in unpolluted area in the same city. Biomonitoring methods were used to assess the effects of contaminated air on the health of the public (urine samples). Ambient air samples were collected near the cadmium-related plant and in unpolluted area during the last ten years.Values of cadmium concentrations in urine found in polluted area were in range of 0.05-0.42 µg/g creatinine...
Some Trace Elements in Coal of the Czech Republic, Environment and Health Protection Implications
Pešek J., Bencko V., Sýkorová I., Vašíček M., Michna O., Martínek K.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):153-158
Mining for coal and its utilization have various impacts on the surrounding environment. Huge volumes of waste materials which are by-products of both the underground and open cast coal mining, pose one of the major environmental hazards in addition to air pollution caused by coal burning in power plants in the Czech Republic. Some of these risks could be reduced when having accurate and comprehensive data on coal quality. Statistical data processing of almost 35,000 coal samples from Late Paleozoic and Tertiary coal basins of the Czech Republic provided a unique information on the quality of lignite, sub-bituminous and bituminous coals and anthracites...
Peracetic Acid and Sodium Hypochlorite Effectiveness in Reducing Resistant Stages of Microorganisms
Briancesco R., Veschetti E., Ottaviani M., Bonadonna L.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):159-162
A comparative study on the efficacy of peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite in inactivating resistant stages of microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Cl. perfingens was carried out. Furthermore the evaluation of the potential reciprocal correlation among the concentrations of the organisms was performed. The results obtained indicate that, at the same experimental conditions, peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite have nearly similar reduction power against the resistant stages of Giardia and Cl. perfringens. Both the oxidants are instead less efficient in the abatement of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Findings have also confirmed our previous...
Handbook of Stroke Prevention in Clinical Practice
Pavel Kalvach
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):164
Infectious diseases
Jindřich Jíra
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):165
Parasitologie. Biologie der Humanparasiten
Jindřich Jíra
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):166
Microarray Analysis
Jindřich Jíra
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):167
News and Notes
Center for Occupational Health at the National Institute of Public Health. WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational Health
Cikrt M., Urban P.
Cent Eur J Public Health 2005, 13(3):107-111