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Biomedical subjects

W Jedrychowski

Publications and source records attributed to W Jedrychowski.

197 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of prolonged occupational exposure to the low concentrations of nitrogen oxides in combination with ammonia on chronic bronchitis and the lung function.

The purpose of this study was the assessment of the effect of low concentrations of nitrogen oxides and ammonia on the appearance of the chronic bronchitis symptoms and lung function. The material in total consisted of 183 workers employed in the Chemical Factory in Tarnów (Poland). The study methods encompassed the environmental factors in all places of work and the questionnaire based interviews with the lung function testing of the workers. The results obtained prove that prolonged effect of the exposure to nitrogen oxides, even below the accepted safety level, causes a more frequent appearance of chronic bronchitis symptoms and lower FMF values. This may signal the narrowing of bronchiole as a result of the exposure to nitrogen oxides, independent of the effects on the mucous membranes of the bronchi, demonstrated by the excessive prevalence of chest symptoms. There is no reason to believe, as based on the results of this study, that the effects of nitrogen oxides could be in any way dependent on the tobacco smoking or on the accompanying concentrations of NH3.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The joint effect of overweight and familial predisposing factors on the occurrence of hypertension in the industrial population. The Pavia study.

The main purpose of the study was to assess the effect of overweight and predisposing familial factors on the occurrence of hypertension in the industrial population. The data were based on large sample (1523 males and 438 females) of workers employed in the petrochemical industry. The results of the cross-sectional study show that the prevalence of hypertension and borderline hypertension was significantly related to age, obesity and cardiovascular familial history. The effect of obesity alone was slightly stronger than the impact of family history on the occurrence of hypertension among men, but inverse relationship has been found in women Relative excess risk due to interaction between obesity and heredity was 0.60 in males and 2.75 in females. Total proportion of hypertension cases attributable to overweight and heredity together or singly in men was 71.5% and in women 79.4%. That part of the disease attributable to interaction between both factors was 17.1% in men and 56.7% in women.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

IgG and IgA in saliva and blood serum in relation to smoking and respiratory symptoms.

The main purpose of the paper was to find a possible relationship between smoking and immunological disorders, which are to be the common ground for chronic respiratory diseases. Measurements of IgG and IgA in saliva and blood serum were performed in 87 persons during medical check-up before admission to work in a sulphur mine. Persons with cough and/or sputum production usually in the morning or during the day or at night were defined as positive symptoms. From the study, different immunoglobulin patterns have emerged in saliva and serum in relation to smoking. IgG content in saliva of smokers was lower and IgA higher than in non-smokers. Levels of both immunoglobulins in serum were lower among smokers. In persons with respiratory symptoms IgG content in saliva was markedly lower especially in smokers.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biological markers of host susceptibility to air pollutants in epidemiologic studies on chronic airways obstruction.

Measuring the variations in risk among individuals or populations of environmentally induced chronic airways obstruction is necessary to develop rational policy to reduce the incidence of those diseases in a given population. Before being able to formulate this policy, however, one must know how to detect those individuals who are susceptible to ari pollutants since they are at increased risk of disease. In the paper the authors discussed several monitoring techniques to detect markers of early biological events relevant to host susceptibility and disease progression. The biological markers are based on genetic traits, pulmonary function tests, biochemical and immune changes. The authors discuss merits and demerits of particular approaches in identifying persons prone to chronic airways obstruction. They stress the point that more research is needed on biochemical and immunological markers of lung injury to assess their usefulness in identifying individuals at higher risk.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Better perspectives on use of biological markers in monitoring of lung cancer risk in occupational settings.

Although conventional approaches in cancer epidemiology and prevention have provided a wealth of information, they are seriously limited in their ability to detect and evaluate carcinogenic hazards. However, traditional methods combined with newly developed laboratory procedures provide biological markers of molecular or biochemical events linked to carcinogen exposure and open a new approach to the study of human cancer risk assessment. The goal of the new approach is to identify as precisely as possible specific carcinogenic hazards in the environment, to assess their biologically effective dose and biological effect, and to provide a means of appraising host factors that modify susceptibility. A particular promising new tool of cancer risk assessment is the highly sensitive immunoassay for carcinogen-DNA adducts. These assays may provide a tissue dosimeter of carcinogen exposure. In this paper research studies were mentioned that aimed at assessing the levels of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts and protein adducts, utilizing white blood cells, or tissue specimens obtained from tissue biopsy or autopsy. Another promising method in discovering BAP exposure are levels of carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes. The potential significance in surveillance and monitoring of aryl-hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) has been discussed.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Needs and requirements for undergraduate and graduate training in environmental and occupational epidemiology.

Training in modern medicine aims at teaching not only the structure and function of the human organism in health and in disease, but also it aims at revealing the factors responsible for human health. The second field of teaching is based mainly on epidemiology. In undergraduate teaching, the epidemiological training should be introduced as early as possible in the curriculum and possibly divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. With the increasing awareness that the maintenance of health in populations is an ecological problem, there is also a growing need for professional epidemiologists who could assist in recognizing health risks, assessing and developing prevention strategies and in arranging of health services in a responsible way. The objectives of graduate teaching in epidemiology are different from those of undergraduate teaching. The graduate teaching should cover not only professional epidemiologists but also should be addressed to health services administrators, clinicians and graduates from other specialists and paramedical and auxiliary personnel. The needs and requirements for teaching epidemiology in undergraduate and postgraduate levels have been discussed against the background of currently available courses in Europe and local perception of environmental and occupational problems in European countries.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Individual susceptibility to inhaled pollutants--identification, mechanisms and public health policy implications.

In every community, there are individuals whose chances of illness or accident are greater than those of others. In susceptible persons, adverse health effects occur at a lower exposure than in the majority of population. The reason for this, though often weak, can usually be ascertained. The paper focuses primarily on host factors that may increase an individual's susceptibility to air pollutants present in the general environment. These factors include genetic background, age, gender, nutritional status, physiological status, presence of coexisting lung disease, and lifestyle. They relate to various mechanisms of individual susceptibility to air pollutants from the environment into the body, to alterations in detoxification and immunological reactions, and to variations in the responsiveness of lung tissues. Several epidemiological techniques to detect biological events relevant to host susceptibility and disease progression are mentioned. They are mainly based on genetic traits, host characteristics, pulmonary function tests, biochemical and immune changes. Measuring the variations in risk among susceptible individuals is necessary to assess correctly respiratory health risk due to inhaled pollutants at the population level, and subsequently to develop rational public health policy to reduce the incidence of those diseases in a given population. Before being able to formulate this policy, however, one must know how to detect those individuals who are susceptible to air pollutants.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exposure misclassification error in studies on prenatal effects of tobacco smoking in pregnancy and the birth weight of children.

Adverse effects of maternal smoking have been mostly identified through epidemiologic investigations that have used questionnaires to assess active and passive smoking. However, unvalidated self-reports of cigarette smoking may bias true estimates of relative risk of smoking-related health outcomes. This report is based on two separate investigations. First, within a molecular epidemiologic study of the relationship between environmental exposures (smoking, air pollution, diet) and developmental impairment, we have compared self-reported tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy to plasma cotinine measurements in mothers. One hundred and fifty-eight patients from obstetrical wards in Cracow and in Limanowa, Poland were included in the parent study. Biochemically-identified smokers were defined as persons with plasma cotinine levels greater than 25 ng/mL. The data showed that exposure classification based on self-reported smoking status compared with cotinine values was of low sensitivity (52%) but of high specificity (98%). We assessed the effect of this exposure classification error on the association between low birth weight (LBW) and smoking in pregnancy using data from a related epidemiologic study of children's health in Cracow involving 1115 subjects. The odds ratio (OR) estimates for smoking and LBW after adjustment for exposure misclassification error were significantly higher than before adjustment (crude OR = 2.9, corrected OR = 5.1). The estimated attributable fraction (AF(pop)) based on the crude OR amounted to 22%; however, after adjustment it reached 50%. The corresponding values for the attributable fraction in the exposed group (AF(exp)) were 66% and 80%. These results illustrate the value of validating questionnaire responses on smoking during pregnancy against reliable biologic markers.

Adult↗