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Epidemiology and impact of rotavirus diarrhoea in Poland.

Hospital and laboratory data were analysed in three hospitals to estimate rotavirus disease burden in 1994-96. Community acquired gastroenteritis was diagnosed in 757 children of whom 41% tested positive for rotavirus. A total of 196 children had rotavirus nosocomial infections (39% of all rotavirus community-acquired and nosocomial cases). Infants less than 24 months old and children less than 3 months old comprised 74% and 11.9% of admissions for rotavirus, respectively. Almost 94% of children with rotavirus infection had severe gastroenteritis (score > or =11). The annual rate of rotavirus associated hospitalization in Poland in 1996 was 3.1/1000 children under the age of 60 months and 5.2/1000 infants under 24 months of age. The mean hospital stay was 9.5 d (+/-9.8 d). We estimated that 8918 children under 60 months of age were hospitalized for rotavirus gastroenteritis in 1996; they accounted for 84899 inpatient days. We conclude that rotavirus is a leading aetiological agent of severe gastroenteritis in young children in Poland and that the burden of this infection is significant. Rotavirus vaccine could significantly decrease the hospitalization rate and the financial impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Poland.

Child, Preschool↗

Phenotypic and molecular analysis of penicillin-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in Poland.

beta-Lactams are the drugs of choice for the treatment of infections caused by the important bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. The recent growth of resistance of this organism to penicillin observed worldwide is of the highest concern. In this study, using 887 surveillance pneumococcal isolates recovered in Poland from 1998 to 2002, we observed the increase in penicillin nonsusceptibility from 8.7% to 20.3%. All of the 109 penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae (PNSP) isolates identified, together with 22 archival PNSP isolates from 1995 to 1997, were subsequently analyzed by susceptibility testing, serotyping, profiling of pbp genes, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Four predominant serotypes, serotypes 6B, 9V, 14, and 23F, characterized 85.5% of the isolates. MLST revealed the presence of 34 sequence types, 15 of which were novel types. Representatives of seven multiresistant international clones (Spain(23F)-1, Spain(6B)-2, Spain(9V)-3, Taiwan(23F)-15, Poland(23F)-16, Poland(6B)-20, and Sweden(15A)-25) or their closely related variants comprised the majority of the study isolates. The spread of Spain(9V)-3 and its related clone of serotype 14/ST143 has remarkably contributed to the recent increase in penicillin resistance in pneumococci in the country.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Multilocus sequence types, serotypes, and variants of the surface antigen PspA in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from meningitis patients in Poland.

Meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae represents an important factor of morbidity and mortality in humans. In a significant number of cases, this disease is associated with specific clones of the organism, the so-called invasive pneumococcal clones. The aim of the study was to analyze 156 S. pneumoniae isolates identified as etiological agents of meningitis in Poland in the years 1997 through 2002. The isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and the results were compared with those obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and with the MLST data on invasive pneumococci from other countries. Eighty-nine different sequence types were found in the group of isolates, 50 of which had been known before including 19 of the major invasive clones. However, a significant fraction of the isolates possessed novel combinations of known and new MLST alleles. The majority of penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates belonged to the group of international multiresistant clones (Spain(23F)-1, Spain(6B)-2, Spain(9V)-3, Poland(23F)-16, and Poland(6B)-20), which underlined the importance of these in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The results of the MLST analysis correlated well with the PFGE data, thus again demonstrating good congruence between the two typing methods for S. pneumoniae. The majority of the isolates (95.5%) belonged to families 1 or 2 of the surface protein PspA, confirming its potential usefulness as the vaccine antigen candidate.

Animals↗

Molecular epidemiology of Serratia marcescens in two hospitals in Gdańsk, Poland, over a 5-year period.

The history of the Serratia marcescens population in two hospitals in Danzig, Poland, over a 5-year period was analyzed in a study that combined MIC evaluation, typing by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). We analyzed 354 isolates collected from 341 patients in two teaching hospitals in Danzig, Poland, from 1996 to 2000. The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles varied greatly, and for resistance to newer beta-lactams, probable AmpC cephalosporinase derepression and ESBL production occurred in about 23 and 19% of the isolates, respectively. RAPD typing, by which 69 types were discerned altogether, revealed a high degree of clonal diversity among the populations. However, the four most prevalent types were highly predominant, grouping approximately 71% of the isolates studied. These clones were observed in the two hospitals and were strong contributors to both outbreaks and the background of endemicity of the S. marcescens infections. Some of the strains that were not so widely spread (12 RAPD types; approximately 14% of the isolates) were responsible for several smaller outbreaks, and the remaining isolates represented unique RAPD types (53 types; approximately 15% of the isolates) and were probably sporadic introductions from other environments. ESBLs were identified in several different clones, and some of these had most likely already been introduced into the hospitals as ESBL producers, whereas the others acquired the ESBL-encoding genes from other enterobacterial strains in these environments. The CTX-M-3 enzyme, which is widely observed in Poland, was the most common ESBL type among the S. marcescens isolates, followed by TEM-47 and SHV-5. The complex epidemiology of ESBLs, especially in 1999 and 2000, must have arisen from the introduction of ESBL producers from other centers, their clonal dissemination, and the constant penetration of the S. marcescens populations with plasmids with ESBL genes. Multiple S. marcescens isolates were obtained from 11 patients, who probably represented both patients with recolonizations and reinfections and patients with recurrences of infections with the evolution of the strain's susceptibility.

Adolescent↗

Type specific seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in four geographical regions of Poland.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the type specific seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 infections, stratified by age and gender, and associated risk factors for HSV-2 seropositivity in Poland. METHODS: 2257 serum samples of individuals from 15-65 years were randomly selected from serum banks in four different geographical regions of Poland, including the Zachodnio-pomorskie, Warmińsko-mazurskie, Lubelskie, and Mazowieckie districts. Type specific serum antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 were detected using HerpeSelect IgG ELISA tests. RESULTS: Overall prevalences of type specific HSV-1 and HSV-2 serum antibodies were 90.4% and 9.3%, respectively. Age standardised HSV-2 seroprevalence was higher in women (9.7%) than men (8.8%) (p = 0.06), and increased notably with age from 4% in 15-24 year olds to 12% in those aged 50-65 years. HSV-1 seroprevalence was consistently higher than HSV-2 seroprevalence in each specific age group, ranging from 74.5% in 15-24 year olds to 98.8% in 50-65 year olds. HSV-2 seroprevalence varied significantly by geographical region, with the highest prevalence in the Zachodnio-pomorskie district (12%). Significant multivariate risk factors for HSV-2 seropositivity included older age, female gender, and geographical place of residence. CONCLUSION: This large survey found a notably high seroprevalence of HSV-1, even among young female adolescents 15-19 years of age (80%). HSV-2 seropositivity was under 12% in all age groups surveyed in Poland, tending to be among the lowest overall HSV-2 seropositivity rates reported thus far in Europe.

Adolescent↗

Breast cancer development in a female with Poland's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Poland's syndrome, a rare congenital anomaly characterized by a defect of the pectoralis muscles, has been reported in association with lymphoreticular malignancies and some solid tumors. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with Poland's syndrome who developed breast cancer in the afflicted ipsilateral hypoplastic breast. FNA cytology revealed a moderately differentiated carcinoma and histology was consistent with a well differentiated invasive ductal carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Poland's syndrome can be associated with breast cancer so all females with the syndrome should be thoroughly examined for early detection of neoplasia.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Stroke mortality rates in Poland did not decline between 1984 and 1992.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke mortality has decreased in most industrialized countries in recent decades. In Poland, as in other eastern European countries, mortality rates for stroke remain high. METHODS: The Warsaw Stroke Registry (WSR) registered patients in the Mokotów district of Warsaw from 1991 through 1992. The Warsaw Pol-MONICA study registered stroke patients in the North and South Praga regions of Warsaw from 1984 through 1992. Stroke incidence rates, case-fatality rates, and stroke mortality rates were computed based on both studies and compared with published mortality rates based on death certificates. Eight-year trends of stroke incidence, case-fatality rate, and mortality were derived from the Warsaw Pol-MONICA study. RESULTS: The WSR and Warsaw Pol-MONICA studies showed similar incidence rates, mortality rates, and 28-day case-fatality rates for stroke. Mortality rates from the WSR and the Warsaw Pol-MONICA study were similar to rates from death certificate data. Mortality rates in the group aged 35 to 64 years were higher in men (47.5 to 50/100000 per year) than in women (30/100000 per year). CONCLUSIONS: Two different population-based studies suggest that stroke mortality is high in Poland because of high 28-day case-fatality rates. Stroke mortality failed to decline in Poland in the period 1984 through 1992 because neither case fatality nor stroke incidence declined in this period.

Adult↗

Treatment, care, and rehabilitation of the chronic mentally ill in Poland.

In Poland primary health settings provide about 71 percent of mental health services, particularly to patients with less serious illnesses, while psychiatry provides specialized mental health care for the chronic mentally ill, the mentally retarded, and patients with alcohol or drug dependence. Poland has a large number of outpatient clinics and an extensive network of sheltered workshops. Most inpatient psychiatric beds are located in mental hospitals; few general hospitals have psychiatric units. Deinstitutionalization has been less extensive in Poland than in many other countries; only about 10 percent of the chronic patients treated in mental hospitals were deinstitutionalized between 1970 and 1981. During that period the proportion of patients hospitalized for a year or more decreased, the number of chronic patients treated in nursing homes increased, and the pattern of hospitalization shifted toward multiple readmissions.

Chronic Disease↗

Management of packaging waste in Poland--development agenda and accession to the EU.

In recent years the issue of the municipal waste in Poland has become increasingly topical, with a considerable rise in the waste generation, much of which can be attributed to a boom in product packaging (mainly plastic). The annual production of plastics packaging has been constantly increasing over the last 20 to 30 years, and now exceeds 3.7 million tons. Due to a lack of processing technologies and poorly developed selective segregation system, packaging waste is still treated as a part of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, most of which is landfilled. As a result of Poland's access to the European Union, previous legal regulations governing municipal waste management have been harmonized with those binding on the member countries. One of the main changes, the most revolutionary one, is to make entrepreneurs liable for environmental risks resulting from the introduction of packaging to the market, and for its recycling. In practice, all entrepreneurs are to ensure recovery, and recycling, of used packaging from products introduced to the market at the required level. In recent year, the required recycling levels were fulfilled for all types of materials but mainly by large institutions using grouped and transport packaging waste for that matter. Household packaging gathered in the selective segregation system at the municipalities was practically left alone. This paper is an attempt to describe the system and assess the first year of functioning of the new, revamped system of packaging waste management in Poland. Recommendations are made relating to those features that need to be included in packaging waste management systems in order to maximize their sustainability and harmonization with the EU legal system.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

The incidence of metamizole sodium-induced agranulocytosis in Poland.

Metamizole sodium continues to be used extensively as an analgesic in Poland. This study was the first undertaken to quantify the incidence of agranulocytosis associated with metamizole sodium in Poland, and to compare the findings with those from other countries. Based on data obtained retrospectively from medical records covering the period 1997-2001 in six haematology centres representative of Poland as a whole, the crude estimate obtained was a rate of 0.2 cases per million person-days of use. This is the same order of magnitude as the value from an epidemiological study covering several countries (0.3-4.0).

Administration, Oral↗

Passive smoking and pregnancy outcome in central Poland.

1. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the risk of preterm delivery (PD) and small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants in a female non-smoking population of central Poland. 2. The study group were 1751 women classified as non-smokers in the comprehensive project on 'Socio-economic and environmental risk factors of preterm delivery and small-for-gestationaI-age babies in central Poland' conducted on a randomly selected population of 2080 women who gave birth to a child between June 1, 1996 and May 31, 1997. The PD group comprised 95 non-smoking women who delivered before 37 weeks of pregnancy and the SGA group included 111 non-smoking mothers of babies with birthweight below the 10th percentile of the standard curves for central Poland. Passive exposure to tobacco smoke was determined based on a structured interview. 3. In the stepwise multiple logistic regression model maternal passive smoke exposure lasting 7 h or more was found to be a significant risk factor for preterm delivery. No significant effect of passive smoking on the risk of SGA was observed. 4. The information about the adverse effects of ETS exposure on pregnancy duration and outcome should be incorporated in the health promotion programmes for women.

Female↗

Ischemic strokes are more severe in Poland than in the United States.

Case fatality rates for stroke were ascertained prospectively in two regional catchment hospitals in Poland and 36 teaching hospitals in the US University Hospital Consortium. Case fatality rates in Poland (23.9%) were higher than in the United States (7.5%). Angina, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure were more frequent in Polish stroke patients (40%, 26%, and 25%, respectively) than in US patients (17%, 12%, and 10%). Stroke severity as indicated by higher frequencies of hemiplegia, disordered consciousness, dysphagia, and aphasia was greater in Poland (19%, 39%, 28%, and 42%, respectively) than the United States (11%, 13%, 14%, and 26%).

Adolescent↗

Seasonal variations in levels of DNA adducts and X-spots in human populations living in different parts of Poland.

White blood cell DNA adducts were measured in coke oven workers, in residents from the area next to the coke oven in Silesia, Poland (highly industrialized region), and in residents from the rural area of Poland using the 32P-postlabeling technique. This method detected aromatic adducts including adducts formed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Highest levels of adducts in DNA were seen in the group of coke battery workers (6.9 adducts/10(8) nucleotides). Seasonal variations in levels of DNA adducts were observed both in residents of the district near the coke oven area and individuals from the rural area of Poland. Blood samples collected from people living near the coke oven in winter showed much higher levels of DNA adducts than blood samples obtained in summer (5.0 adducts/10(8) nucleotides in winter and 1.4 adducts/10(8) nucleotides in summer). The difference in the level of DNA adducts between winter and summer was smaller in the group of people living in the rural area (3.2 adducts/10(8) and 2.2 adducts/10(8), respectively). In most cases the levels of X-spots correlated with the levels of other DNA adducts. Correlation coefficients(r) between the levels of X-spots and other adducts ranged between 0.46 and 0.74 (p < 0.05), except for coke oven workers where no correlation was observed.

Adult↗

Molecular identification of Babesia parasites isolated from Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in northwestern Poland.

In the present study, PCR has been applied to detect and analyze DNA of Babesia spp. extracted from Ixodes ricinus ticks. Collection of I. ricinus was made in 6 forested areas of Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship, Poland, during 2 seasonal peaks of tick activity, i.e., spring and autumn, 2001. In total, 1,328 I. ricinus were collected and processed for PCR with F34 and R323 primers. Babesia spp. was detected in 28 (2% of 1,328 tested) ticks; 26 were identified as B. divergens. The other 2 were identified as B. microti. PCR was conducted with 18S rRNA specific primers and sequencing was processed to precisely identify and compare these isolates with B. microti and B. divergens sequences from Europe, North America, and Asia obtained from the GenBank. Analysis revealed that sequences of B. microti from northwestern Poland are almost identical (99.94%) with those referred to as "Munich strain"; both form a clade different from other European strains, as well as those from Asia and North America (called B. microti, sensu stricto). An investigation performed with B. divergens sequences showed that the sequence from northwestern Poland is 99.94% homologous to an isolate from Ireland ("Purnel"), and differs in just a few nucleotides from other European sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequence of B divergens isolated from Polish ticks form a group that comprise 4 European sequences from Great Britain and Ireland and is, therefore, closely related to other European and North American B. divergnens sequences.

Animals↗

Perspectives of nursing education in Poland.

Nursing education in Poland are developing slowly but steadily in response to changing social needs and emerging healthcare issues. In particular, the immediate demand for more nurses is generating innovation in nursing education and encouraging Polish universities to graduate more nurses. Unfortunately, nursing wages remain low in regards to other professions, which only fuels the nursing shortage. Polish nurses are also facing staffing issues. At times, the nurse-patient ratio is 28 to 1. These working conditions also discourage people from pursuing a career in nursing. Finally, male nurses are rare in Poland. The future of nursing in Poland will be dictated by the Polish government and university systems and their efforts to produce more graduate nurses who can thrive and practice in a more complex, evolving world and who receive competitive pay for their expertise.

Education, Nursing↗

[Alternative imporisonment measures in the penal legislation of the Socialist Republic of Poland].

On April 19th, 1969 the People's Poland Parliament adopted a new penal legislation consisting of a Penal Code, a Code of Criminal Procedure and an executory Penal Code, which all came into force January 1st, 1970. The distinctive peculiarity of the above mentioned Codes, as the Authors have pointed out, is that they conform to the recent political, social and economic democratization of Poland and to the structure and dynamics of delinquency in this country. In examining the measures concerning educational rehabilitation provided for by the penal law in question, the Authors have started discussing questions like restriction on personal freedom, conditional suspension of criminal procedings, supervision of the convict who has been given the benefice of conditional suspension of the execution of sentence or of conditional release and supervision of the recidivist as well as points related to warranty and postjail care. Though these measures show some similarity to those provided for by bourgeois penal legislations, they result from a quite anthithetic ideology according to which punishment has to perform a double function of defence of working-class achievements as well as of an effective rehabilitation of the convict. A detailed analysis of the theoretical premises and of the actual carrying out of these measures shows, the Authors say, that though they represent only a further stage in the development of socio-juridical progress, they are put in conformity with the criminal policy's trends and the politico-ideological contents of a socialist government. They testify therefore an actual effort to make social rehabilitation of the convict possible in that they prevent the exertion of all negative psycho-pathogenic influences of jail environment on the convict, especially in case of slight crimes. The ultimate importance of these measures is that they can be considered an articulate attempt to promote actual social rehabilitation of the convict and therefore they are a real contribution in the resolution of delinquency which is viewed in Poland, where a process of socio-political trnasformation has been recently taking place, as part of the heritage from the past bourgeois government.

Crime↗

[Wide spread inflammation of the parotid glands (mumps): underestimated disease. I. Epidemiology of the mumps and its medical meaning in Poland].

Mumps is commonly considered a "mild" infectious disease in children because death due to mumps is very rare. However, mumps causes a high rate of complications in young adults, and its burden should not be underestimated. Before the introduction of vaccine, mumps was a common infectious disease with high incidence rates which exceeded 100 per 100,000 population in most countries. Poland continues to belong to the group of countries, which do not use mumps vaccine. In Poland, the number of reported mumps cases per year ranges from 40,000 to 220,000, yielding an annual incidence rates of 110 and 570 per 100,000 population. It is estimated that each year in Poland, mumps causes 1000 cases of aseptic meningitis (range 400 to 2,200), 100 cases of encephalitis, 250 to 1375 cases of epidymo-orchitis in post-pubertal men, 50-275 cases of oophoritis in women. The age distribution of mumps cases is characteristic for a country that does not use mumps vaccine. For more that 20 years, the highest mumps incidence has occurred in children aged 5-9 years. In many countries the number of reported cases has declined significantly following the introduction of mumps vaccine, and in several countries the incidence has fallen to less than 1 per 100,000 population. Several countries using mumps vaccine have reported a shift in the age distribution of mumps cases, with an increased incidence in older children and young adults. Countries with high levels of coverage with measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine have nearly eliminated encephalitis associated with these diseases. A few countries using mumps vaccine have experienced relative resurgence of the disease, either due to incomplete vaccine coverage of certain age groups (USA) or problems with the long-term immunogenicity of mumps vaccine based on the Rubini strain (Portugal, Switzerland).

Adolescent↗

[Rabies in Poland in 1997].

Mass oral vaccination of wild animals against rabies introduced in 1993, shows a positive impact on the epizootic situation of rabies in Poland. In parallel to the decreasing number of rabies cases in animal, the number of persons exposed to rabid parallel animals declines. No case of rabies in human beings has been reported in Poland since 1986. Of 7566 persons vaccinated in Poland against rabies only 1492 (19.7%) were bitten by or were in contact with a rabid animal. Main reason of vaccination against rabies were contact with animals of category C (rabies not excluded) (68.8%) and with animals healthy during the exposition (category D) (11.5%).

Adolescent↗