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PubMedDate not supplied

Genotoxic impacts in Klaipeda Marine port and Bŭtinge oil terminal areas (Baltic Sea).

Genotoxic effects were evaluated in the somatic and gonadal cells of bivalve and gastropod molluscs inhabiting different sites of Klaipeda port area in Lithuania. The occurrence of aneuploidy and polyploidy of cells, meiotic injures, centromere dissociation and fragmented polyploid nuclei as cytogenetic indicators of environmental stressors was assessed in snails Lymnaea ovata . The highest level of environmental genotoxicity (in 43.2 and 46.2% of studied cells) was observed in the tissues of snails inhabiting Malku Bay in 1995 and 1996. Dredging and thus removal of contaminated sediments from Malku Bay resulted in significant decrease (up to 27.2% in 1999) of cytogenetic injures in molluscs studied over the period from 1997 to 1999. However, the frequency of cytogenetic disturbances in molluscs from Vilhelmo Channel was increasing (1.8 times) from 1995 to 1999. Therefore, the ecological safety of the biggest drinking water supply for Klaipeda population became questionable. Assessment of cytogenetic damage in Mytilus edulis (MN test) and the crustacean, Balanus improvisus, (aneugenic effects) inhabiting the Baltic Sea at Bŭtinge oil terminal has shown the highest genotoxicity level in the zone of sewage effluents from Palanga town and Mazeikiai oil refinery plant. Extensive cytogenetic injuries in gonadal cells indicated the potential long-term hazards of pollutants to ecological health and integrity of aquatic species.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed2001

Hepatitis B: vaccination programmes in Europe--an update.

In the eight years since the Global Advisory Group of the Expanded Program on Immunisation set 1997 as the target for integrating hepatitis B (HB) vaccination into national immunisation programs world-wide, more than 116 countries have included HB vaccine as part of their routine infant or adolescent immunisation programs. Meanwhile, many countries have performed economic evaluation studies, while others have initiated sero-epidemiological studies to generate input data for burden of disease calculation. These studies have indicated that epidemiological and economic arguments cannot be used to delay the implementation of universal hepatitis B vaccination. Some countries have improved their surveillance system and included viral hepatitis in the surveillance programs. Other have put hepatitis B vaccination on the political agenda. By the year 2000, following countries of the WHO European Region (51 countries) have implemented a universal hepatitis B immunisation programme: Andorra, Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, parts of the Russian Federation, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The Netherlands and some other European countries are seriously studying the issues or are making budgetary provisions for introduction of HB vaccine into their vaccination programme. Most of the European countries, which now use the vaccine routinely, have started with adolescent or infant immunisation. Belgium (1999), France (1994) and Italy (1991) have begun with both adolescent and infant HB immunisation. France continues since 1st October 1998 with the infant immunisation programme only. The rewards of effective implementation of the programmes in these countries are becoming apparent; and their success offers an exemplary model for other countries. The deadline was 1997. Globally, work still remains to be done to support and implement interventions that will bring us closer to the WHO goal and to control, eliminate and eradicate hepatitis B in the coming generations at large. If all the 145 million infants born in 1991 had been vaccinated in this way, the number of chronic carriers would have been reduced by 7.5 million, and 1.8 million deaths prevented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growth and condition in a polluted environment: from decline to recovery.

The results of long-term investigations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growth and condition in the impact zone of one of the biggest air pollution sources in Lithuania--mineral fertilizers plant "Achema" are presented. The main attention is laid to the recovery of damaged stands since annual emissions to air were reduced essentially. The investigations indicated, that the recovery of tree increment was mostly caused by distinct reduction of emissions of nitrogen and sulphur oxides and dust of mineral fertilizers. Despite reduced pollution, crown defoliation of investigated stands has continued to increase for a certain period. After the crown recovery of damaged stands has started, the recovery of most damaged survived trees was most intensive and convergence of defoliated to a different extend stands and trees is characteristic feature of this period. No defoliation threshold has been determined beyond of which recovery of trees would be impossible. Recovery of more than a quarter of damaged trees was registered even in the case of 90% of defoliation. Recovery of dominant trees occurs to be faster of that for suppressed trees within the same level of defoliation. The impact of stand density on the crown recovery rate is negative, the higher density (more intensive competition), the slower recovery of damaged trees. The dependence of growth rate on defoliation was found to be of logistic character: while crown defoliation consists up to 25-30%, tree increment losses are rather inconsiderable, further increase of defoliation leads to the essentially higher increment losses, however having achieved 65-70% defoliation, further increase of defoliation does not result such intensive decrease of radial increment.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1997

Use of semi-permeable membrane devices to monitor pollutants in water and assess their effects: a laboratory test and field verification.

Uptake of eight pesticides of different classes (organochlorines, synthetic pyrethroids, dinitroanilines, amides) by semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) was studied in a laboratory continuous-flow system. After 20 days of exposure, membrane concentration factors were in the range of 50 000-120 000 for all the analytes except for the amide herbicides propachlor and alachlor, which were not detected in any of the SPMDs. The kinetic data and mathematical models were used to calculate analyte uptake rate constants, SPMD lipid/water partition coefficients, average sampling rates and concentrations of the pesticides in water. To assess the effects of concentrated pesticides, standard bioassays (Salmonella/histidine reversion assay and bioluminescence inhibition in Vibrio fischeri test) were incorporated in the SPMD technique. To test the method in an environmental situation, SPMDs were deployed in polluted sites in Lithuania. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons were the major pollutants detected in the SPMDs deployed in the field. All the SPMD dialysates were highly toxic in the bioluminescence inhibition test but no mutagenic activity was observed in the Salmonella/histidine reversion assay.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Acute toxicity and genotoxicity of aquatic hydrophobic pollutants sampled with semipermeable membrane devices.

Triolein-filled semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed for 4 weeks in polluted water sources in Lithuania. The mixtures of pollutants sampled by the SPMDs were fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The fraction containing average molecular weight compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides was screened by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The whole (non-fractionated) samples and their SEC fractions were tested in bioassays including Microtox, Mutatox, Daphnia pulex immobilization assay and the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in human lymphocytes in vitro test. The Microtox test was most sensitive with the estimated EC(50) values in the range of milligrams or even micrograms per milliliter based on the amount of the SPMD triolein. Part of the observed toxicity was caused by elemental sulfur co-sampled by the SPMDs from sediments. The sum of toxicity equivalents of the SEC fractions was smaller than the relative toxicity of the whole samples indicating the presence of synergistic interactions in the complex mixtures of chemical pollutants. The toxic or genotoxic response induced by the chemical mixtures and their fractions was smaller in the D. pulex, Mutatox and SCE tests. In Mutatox, a positive response was only detected without the S9 metabolic activation which indicates the presence of mainly direct-acting mutagens in the samples. Interpretation of the Mutatox data was difficult due to the complexity of dose-response and time-response relationships. The study has demonstrated the potential as well as some limitations of SPMDs in the monitoring of biological effects of bioavailable organic pollutants in the aquatic environment.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

The alpha-terpenyl acetate chemotype of essential oil of Thymus pulegioides L.

The composition of the essential oils of Thymus pulegioides L. plants growing wild in Vilnius district (Lithuania) with "ester", lemon and carvacrol (phenol) odours were collected in one location and investigated by GC, GC/MS and IR-spectroscopy. The essential oils with lemon and carvacrol odour belong to corresponding known citral-geraniol and carvacrol chemotypes. The essential oil of plants with "ester" odour containing 50-70% of alpha-terpenyl acetate belong to alpha-terpenyl acetate chemotype, which was not noticed earlier in Thymus pulegioides L. species.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Pituitary responses to thyrotropin releasing hormone stimulation in depressed women with thyroid gland disorders.

From an endocrine outpatient clinic and psychiatric outpatient clinic in Kaunas, Lithuania, 41 women with major depression were selected for study. Three groups of depressed women were established: 15 with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT); 13 with diffuse non-toxic goiter (DNG); 13 with no thyroid disease (NTD). Standard biochemical tests were used to exclude patients with overt hypothyroidism or overt hyperthyroidism. At baseline the three groups were similar in age and almost identical in severity of depression. In part because of exclusion criteria, all baseline biochemical measures were similar. However, a slight elevation of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the AIT group was noted and considered to indicate a tendency toward subclinical hypothyroidism. After thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) administration, six AIT women and six DNG women, but no NTD women, showed blunted TSH responses. As a group DNG women showed smaller TRH responses than other women. Four AIT women showed exaggerated TSH responses. In all three groups basal TSH correlated positively with TSH response to TRH. Basal prolactin (PRL) responses to TRH infusion were similar in all three groups. However, the four AIT women with enhanced TSH responses also showed enhanced PRL responses. Indeed, in the AIT group, but only in this group, PRL responses were correlated with both TSH and basal TSH. In all groups of women the PRL response was unrelated to basal PRL.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Evidence that climate change has caused 'emergence' of tick-borne diseases in Europe?

Even though tick-borne disease systems are highly susceptible to climatic influences, climate change to date is not necessarily the cause of the marked increased incidence of a variety of tick-borne diseases in many parts of Europe over the past two decades. To test for causality, rather than coincidence, we need to examine whether the right sorts of climate change have occurred at the right time and in the right places to account for the observed heterogeneous temporal and spatial patterns of tick-borne disease 'emergence'. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence, for example, showed a 3-fold step increase from 1983 to 1986 in Sweden, doubled in 1993 in the Czech Republic, increased even more dramatically in the same year in Lithuania and Poland, but declined markedly in 1997 in Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia. Within each country, TBE incidence has changed to different degrees in different regions. Because other tick-borne diseases, notably Lyme borreliosis, has commonly 'emerged' in parallel with TBE, we should first examine climate variables predicted to have a general effect on tick abundance, which has indeed increased in the past decade. These include temperature and moisture stress, which have seasonally differential impacts. Monthly mean records for 1960-2000 from the UK Climate Research Unit's interpolated global climate surface reveal that mean spring, spring-autumn and winter temperatures have all increased gradually over the past 40 years, but apparently most sharply in the late 1980s, when moisture stress also increased. These climate data do not reveal any obvious differences between sites where TBE did or did not 'emerge', and in Sweden increases in TBE pre-dated the onset of warmer springs and winters. If recorded climate changes cannot yet satisfactorily explain the temporal and spatial patterns of tick-borne disease change in Europe, the impact of biotic factors, such as increases in deer abundance and changing habitat structure, and of socio-political changes following the end of communist rule, demand more detailed quantitative analyses.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Nutrition, physical activity and health status in Middle and East European countries.

In the Middle- and East-European countries the political, economic and social situation changed fundamentally in 1989 and 1990. These alterations are reflected in markers of dietary intake, physical activity and health with a trend similar in Czechia, East Germany, Lithuania and Poland. Thus, the previous increase in energy consumption stopped and was followed by a decline. The increasing preference for a lower level of activity is demonstrated by the number of private cars clearly accelerating its rate of growth after the change. Life expectancy had been increasing during the eighties only slightly. After the change the yearly increase became higher than before. The rate difference is higher in men than in women. Beginning from 1991 the CVD mortality decreased considerably.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2003

Sensory and instrumental evaluation of catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) aroma.

The present study investigates the composition of volatile constituents and sensory characteristics of catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) grown in Lithuania. Hydrodistillation, simultaneous distillation-solvent extraction, static headspace, and solid phase microextraction methods were used for the isolation of aroma volatiles. Geranyl acetate, citronellyl acetate, citronellol, and geraniol were the major constituents in catnip. Differences in the quantitative compositions of volatile compounds isolated by the different techniques were considerable. A sensory panel performed sensory analysis of the ground herb, pure essential oil, and extract; aroma profiles of the products were expressed graphically, and some effects of odor qualities of individual compounds present in catnip on the overall aroma of this herb were observed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Study on the prevention of allergy in Children in Europe (SPACE): allergic sensitization in children at 1 year of age in a controlled trial of allergen avoidance from birth.

Several studies have demonstrated that early intervention may modulate the natural course of atopic disease. Our objective was to prevent sensitization to house-dust mite and food allergens, as well as the development of atopic symptoms during infancy, by the combination of an educational package and the use of mite allergen-impermeable mattress encasings. A multicentre European, population-based, randomized, controlled study of children at increased atopic risk [Study on the Prevention of Allergy in Children in Europe (SPACE)] was performed in five countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, the UK, and Lithuania), and included three cohorts - schoolchildren, toddlers, and newborns. We report on the newborn cohort. A total of 696 newborns were included from Austria, the UK, and Germany. Inclusion criteria were: a positive history of parental allergy; and a positive skin-prick test or specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) (IgE > or = 1.43 kU/L) against at least one out of a panel of common aeroallergens in one or both parents. At 1 year of age, the overall sensitization rate against the tested allergens [dust-mite allergens: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der p and Der f)] and food allergens (egg, milk) in the prophylactic group was 6.21% vs. 10.67% in the control group. The prevalence of sensitization against Der p was 1.86% in the prophylactic group vs. 5% in the control group. In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate, in a group of newborns at risk for atopic diseases, that the sensitization rate to a panel of aero- and food allergens could be effectively decreased through the use of impermeable mattress encasings and the implementation of easy-to-perform preventive measures.

Allergens↗
PubMed2003

Study on the Prevention of Allergy in Children in Europe (SPACE): allergic sensitization at 1 year of age in a controlled trial of allergen avoidance from birth.

Several studies have demonstrated that early intervention may modulate the natural course of atopic disease. The objective of this study was to prevent sensitization to house dust mite and food allergens, as well as development of atopic symptoms, during infancy. To achieve this we employed the combination of an educational package with the use of mite allergen-impermeable mattress encasings. A multi-center European, population-based, randomized controlled study of children at increased atopic risk [study on the prevention of Allergy in Children in Europe (SPACE)] was performed in five countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Lithuania) and included three cohorts of schoolchildren, toddlers and newborns. We report on the newborn cohort. A total of 696 newborns were included in Austria, Great Britain and Germany. Inclusion criteria were a positive history of parental allergy and a positive skin-prick test or specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) of >or= 1.43 kU/l against at least one out of a panel of common aeroallergens in one or both parents. At 1 year of age the overall sensitization rate against the tested allergens [dust mite allergens: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae (Der p and Der f, respectively)] and food allergens (egg, milk) in the prophylactic group was 6.21% vs. 10.67% in the control group. The prevalence of sensitization against Der p was 1.86% in the prophylactic group vs. 5% in the control group. In conclusion, we demonstrated, in a group of newborns at risk for atopic diseases, that the sensitization rate to a panel of aero- and food allergens could be effectively decreased through the use of impermeable mattress encasings and the implementation of preventive measures that were easy to perform.

Allergens↗
PubMed2002

Incidence, prevalence, and mortality of insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus in Lithuanian children during 1983-98.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Our purpose is to analyze interrelations of the incidence, prevalence and mortality of childhood-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1) in Lithuania. METHODS: Incidence and prevalence rates were based on the national type 1 diabetes register during 1983-98. The cohort study was performed to evaluate the standardized mortality ratios. RESULTS: The average incidence of type 1 diabetes during the 16-yr study period was 7.36 per 100,000/yr. For both males and females the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes was recorded in the 10-14 yr age group. The regression-based linear trends of the increase in incidence in various age groups and the annual percentage change for both genders was 2.05 (p = 0.0039) and the greatest regression slope is observed for both genders in the 10-14 yr age group. Regression-based linear trends in type 1 diabetes prevalence indicate an even growth in all age groups (3.47; p = 0.001), although the annual percentage change is most prominent in the 5-9 yr age group for girls (4.95%/yr) and in the 10-14 yr age group for boys (4.06%/yr). The standardized mortality ratio of all-cause mortality in people with diabetes is higher than in the common population 7.71 (p < 0.0001). The standard mortality ratio for all causes increases with longer diabetes duration. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: The significant increasing trend of incidence and prevalence during 1983-98 is observed. The annual percentage change is similar. The young patients with type 1 diabetes have a higher mortality risk.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Intensive care unit acquired infection: a prevalence and impact on morbidity and mortality.

BACKGROUND: Severe infection is a common reason for intensive care and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of infection among intensive care unit (ICU) patients and to evaluate the consequences of ICU-acquired infection on morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A total of 812 patients consecutively admitted for more than 48 h to the ICU at Vilnius University Emergency Hospital, Lithuania, were included in the prospective observational study. Organ dysfunction was assessed using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) system. RESULTS: Thirty-seven per cent of patients were identified who developed at least one ICU-acquired infection. Respiratory, bloodstream and urinary tract infections were the most common. The main isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, S. aureus, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas species. More severe degree of organ dysfunction, prolonged stay in the ICU and higher hospital mortality rate were more common among patients who acquired infection in the ICU than that of non-infected patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of infection in the ICU was similar to other studies in European countries. The occurrence of ICU-acquired infection was significantly related to the increase in morbidity and mortality. The findings are useful for the comparison of the prevalence rate of infection and implementation of strict infection control policy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Origins and benefits of dental hygiene practice in Europe.

Origins and benefits of the practice of dental hygiene were investigated in order to provide guidelines to countries where initiatives are being taken to introduce the profession. In Europe, so far the profession has been introduced in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Programmes in Ireland, Poland, and Romania are not presented in this article. Information for this study was obtained using questionnaires and followed up by e-mail correspondence with additional experts, supporting studies and reference literature. All experts consulted are involved in the professional and educational organisation of dental hygiene in their countries. Results show that dentists and dental hygienists who had been inspired by the delivery of preventive care in the US, initiated the European dental hygiene movement. In some countries, opposition of organised dentistry had to be overcome. In countries where the population has limited access to qualified dental hygiene care, such as in Austria, Belgium, Germany and France, a high prevalence of untreated periodontal disease has been reported. There, the lucrative practice of delegating dental hygiene tasks to dental assistants without qualifying education has slowed efforts to implement the profession and resulted in negative health and vocational outcomes. This leads to the conclusion that an implementation of legislation governing the practice and the educational process of dental hygiene in the EU and beyond would contribute to an equitable standard of health care as well as to equal opportunities in education and employment.

Dental Care↗
PubMed1995

Genetic analysis of idiopathic torsion dystonia in Ashkenazi Jews and their recent descent from a small founder population.

We have examined data on six closely linked microsatellite loci on chromosome 9q34 from 59 Ashkenazi Jewish families with idiopathic torsion dystonia (ITD). Our data show that the vast majority (> 90%) of early-onset ITD cases in the Ashkenazi population are due to a single founder mutation, which we estimate first appeared approximately 350 years ago. We also show that carriers preferentially originate from the northern part of the historic Jewish Pale of settlement (Lithuania and Byelorussia). The recent origin of this dominant mutation and its current high frequency (between 1/6,000 and 1/2,000) suggest that the Ashkenazi population descends from a limited group of founders, and emphasize the importance of genetic drift in determining disease allele frequencies in this population.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Population structure of the wood decay fungus Fomitopsis pinicola.

Three populations of the wood decay fungus Fomitopsis pinicola, one from each of three countries (Sweden, Russia and Lithuania), were studied by means of arbitrary primed PCR. The genetic structure of the populations was assessed by inferring the genotype of the genets by studying the haplotypes of several single-spore isolates from one sporocarp for each individual. Heterozygotes could therefore be detected with a dominant genetic marker. The amplified band and the null allele of all loci segregated in a way that was in agreement with a 50:50 ratio. Genetic analysis showed that the total population as well as the subpopulations had heterozygote frequencies in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg expectations. No population differentiation was detected in spite of large geographical distances among the populations studied. We also compared the methods of somatic incompatibility and AP-PCR in terms of their value in detecting fungal genets. This was tested for a sample of dikaryotic mycelia from Switzerland. For the tested material the two methods gave congruent results.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Overweight and obesity epidemic among children. Answer from European countries.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the methods and results used and conclusions found in available published papers on childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. SURVEYS: This paper compares the two available published papers on the prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity in Europe. The first paper was published in November 2003 and was based on 20 previously conducted surveys performed from 1992 to 2001. The other paper was published in January 2004 and was based on data from the WHO collaborative survey 'Health Behaviour in School Children', which collected the data in 1997-1998 within a period of 9 months. Height and weight were included as optional questions and 13 European countries, Israel and United States participated. METHODS: In both papers, body mass index (BMI) was used. In the first paper, measured BMI was used and prevalence of overweight was calculated using IOTF cutoff points. In the other paper, overweight and obesity prevalences were calculated from self-reported height and weight using an internal study reference standard. RESULTS: The first paper found a north-south trend in overweight in Europe, whereas the second found a more equal distribution of overweight in European children. Thus, overweight was significantly increased among 13 y olds of both sexes in Finland, Ireland, and Greece, and in Portuguese girls. Among 15 y olds, the prevalence of overweight was significantly increased in Greek boys, and in Danish and Portuguese girls. On the contrary, in Lithuania, there was a significantly low prevalence of overweight among both ages and both sexes. CONCLUSION: Critical reviews of the results of the two published papers show that the year of data collection, methods and use of appropriate statistics are of critical importance for the conclusion drawn from comparative epidemiological surveys on the prevalence of overweight.

Adolescent↗