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PubMed2003

The relationship between water concentrations and individual uptake of chloroform: a simulation study.

We simulated the relationship between water chloroform concentrations and chloroform uptake in pregnant women to assess the potential extent of exposure measurement error in epidemiologic studies of the health effects of exposure to water disinfection by-products. Data from the literature were used to assign statistical distributions to swimming pool chloroform concentrations, frequency and duration of swimming, showering and bathing, and average tap water consumption. Measured increases in blood chloroform concentrations after these activities were used to estimate average uptake per microgram per liter chloroform in the water, per minute spent in the activity or per liter consumed. Given average tap water chloroform concentrations from a U.K. epidemiologic study, an average daily uptake over 90 days was simulated for 300,000 mothers. The correlation between simulated uptakes and home tap chloroform concentration was 0.6. Mothers who swam regularly received far greater doses than did nonswimmers. Results suggest there will be considerable attenuation in risk estimates and/or power loss in epidemiologic studies if the putative agent is chloroform.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Acute spinal-cord lesions from diving--epidemiological and clinical features.

The aquatic activity that produces the greatest number of spinal-cord lesions is diving. Persons in the general population at greatest risk are males aged 15 to 19 years. Of the cases identified, 45 percent resulted from diving into a river or stream, 27 percent into swimming pools and 28 percent into lakes, reservoirs or the ocean. Distribution by age differed for the major groups of bodies of water. The incidence of spinal-cord injuries was related to season (spring-summer) and day of the week (weekends). The incidence of injuries was highest in those county areas with the least opportunity for exposure to swimming pools or rivers. Of the injured persons, 60 percent were tetraplegic at hospital admission. The most frequent radiologic finding was wedge fracture. This finding, in the absence of objective evidence that most divers struck the bottom of the water reservoir or a hard object, suggests that hyperventroflexion was the mechanism responsible for injury in most of the cases. Physicians and others should be aware of strategy options for preventing or reducing such injuries.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

Chlordiazepoxide, an anxiolytic benzodiazepine, impairs place navigation in rats.

There are separate proposals that the hippocampus is involved in 'spatial memory' and in the control of 'anxiety'. Despite a larger number of common effects of anxiolytic drugs and hippocampal lesions, no effect of anxiolytic drugs has yet been reported in those spatial tasks which are particularly sensitive to the effects of hippocampal lesions. The present study addresses this issue. Separate groups of rats were treated, i.p., with 5 mg/kg chlordiazepoxide (an anxiolytic benzodiazepine), 1 mg/kg scopolamine (a muscarinic antagonist which has previously been shown to impair spatial learning) and a saline placebo. They were then trained to find a platform which was hidden in a constant location just under the surface of opaque water in a swimming pool. Separate groups of rats were trained with 4 trials per day and with 1 trial per day. Number of trials per day did not significantly influence the effects of the drugs. Chlordiazepoxide and scopolamine produced similar degrees of impairment in spatial learning to each other--but less impairment than has previously been reported with hippocampal lesions. The effectiveness of the anxiolytic drug chlordiazepoxide in the swimming pool, a specifically spatial task, suggests that the opposing concepts of 'spatial memory' and 'anxiety' which have been used previously to describe hippocampal function may represent different aspects of a unitary concept.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

[Studies on the viability of pathogenic amebae of the genus Naegleria in water of different sources (author's transl)].

Water specimens taken from the public water supply (A), a swimming-pool (B), and an inland lake (C) were infected with pathogenic amebae of the genus Naegleria (strain TY/Richmond). The specimens were stored at various temperatures for different periods. The water was then filtered and examined for naegleriae by animal inoculation. The results summarized in table 1 indicate that pathogenic naegleriae are viable at least for some weeks in warm tap and natural waters. Water from indoor swimming-pools however, may be a less suitable medium for the viability of pathogenic naegleriae.

Amoeba↗
PubMed1983

Stimulus sampling and the use of distal visual cues in rats with lesions of the superior colliculus.

Rats with bilateral ablation of the superior colliculus (SC) were compared with sham-operated rats in two experiments. In the first, it was found that discrimination performance deteriorated as a function of S-R separation, to a similar extent in both groups. In this experiment, unlike earlier ones which found a deficit, the separation was introduced in a horizontal direction. In the second experiment, spatial orientation in the Morris Swimming Pool was found to be impaired in the SC rats both when the target platform was visible and when invisible. During their presence on the platform, these rats also engaged less often in upward orienting movements, although horizontal movements were of normal frequency. It is proposed (i) that there is an anisotropy in the SC's control of orienting head and eye movements in rats, and (ii) that the swimming pool deficit may be due to an impairment of ambient vision.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Outbreaks of waterborne infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales, 1992-2003.

We reviewed the epidemiological and microbiological characteristics of 89 reported outbreaks of waterborne infectious intestinal disease affecting 4321 people in England and Wales over the period 1992-2003. Public water supplies were implicated in 24 outbreaks (27%), private water supplies in 25 (28%), swimming pools in 35 (39%) and other sources in five outbreaks (6%). Cryptosporidium was implicated in 69% of outbreaks, Campylobacter sp. in 14%, Giardia in 2%, E. coli O157 in 3% and Astrovirus in 1%. From 2000, there was a consistent decline in the number of outbreaks of waterborne disease associated with public water supplies. The incidence rate of outbreaks in recipients of private water supplies may be as high as 35 times the rate in those receiving public water supplies (1830 vs. 53 per million population). Private water suppliers need to be aware of the importance of adequate treatment and the prevention of faecal contamination of storage water. Swimming-pool operators need to ensure chlorination and in particular adequate filtration measures are in place.

Communicable Diseases↗
PubMed1990

Common cutaneous disorders in athletes.

Athletic activity may cause or aggravate skin disorders, which in turn may diminish athletic performance. Since many sporting activities necessitate prolonged exposure to the sun, athletes must avoid painful sunburn which will adversely affect their performance. Drugs and chemicals also may cause photoallergic and/or phototoxic reactions, including polymorphous light eruption and athletes should thus avoid photosensitising drugs and chemicals. The effects of chronic ultraviolet exposure include ageing, pigmentation and skin cancers. The most effective protection against excessive exposure to sunlight is the use of sunscreens, although inadequate application and poor protection in the UVA spectrum may diminish their effectiveness and contact allergies may create other problems. Viral, bacterial and fungal infections are common in athletes due to heat, friction and contact with others. Herpes simplex may be treated with any drying agents (e.g. alcohol) as they are as effective as more expensive topical agents such as acyclovir. Molluscum contagiosum may be spread by close contact or water contact and is treated by superficial incision, cryotherapy or standard wart varnishes. Plantar wart infection is transmitted by swimming pool decks, changing rooms and hand-to-hand from weights in gymnasiums. Plantar warts presenting with pain may be aggressively treated, by blunt dissection, but painless ones are best treated conservatively. Impetigo and folliculitis often develop after trauma. Antibiotics are effective against mild infections while abrasions and lacerations should be cleansed and dressed with occlusive dressings. Diphtheroid bacteria in moist footwear may produce pitted keratolysis and erythrasma. Tinea pedis is common in athletes and probably originates in swimming pools, gymnasium floors and locker rooms. Interdigital, dry-moccasin and pustular-midsole forms can be distinguished. The latter two forms respond to topical antifungal agents, while the interdigital form, a mixed fungal/bacterial infection, is treated with debridement, antibiotics and drying routine similar to the therapy of otitis externa. Nail infections by a variety of organisms may appear as onycholysis with or without paronychia and should be treated with the appropriate antibiotics. Tinea versicolor occurs in heat and humidity. Since Pityrosporum orbiculare is part of the normal flora it often recurs, necessitating regular treatment. Acute trauma injuries include contusions, black heel or petichiae of the heel, black toe (bleeding under the nail), 'jogger's nipple' caused by chafing, and foot blisters. Chronic trauma may result in calluses, corns and paronychia. Plantar corns can be disabling and may be caused by overly tight shoes or abnormalities in biomechanics; treatment includes restoring normal foot function and minimal surgical procedures. Paronychia is treated best by wedge resection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Prevalence of pityriasis versicolor in young Italian sailors.

BACKGROUND: Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial fungal disease with a world-wide distribution, but there are few available studies on its prevalence in the general population. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of pityriasis versicolor in a representative sample of young Italian sailors, evaluating the influence of habits and risk factors in the affected individuals. METHODS: Young cadets (n = 1024: 975 men and 49 women, mean age 22 years) of the Italian Navy Petty Officers' School in Taranto were consecutively examined by the same observer. The diagnosis of pityriasis versicolor was based on clinical picture and/or Wood's lamp examination. All the subjects filled in a questionnaire about sport practice, swimming pool attendance, marching, presence of hyperhidrosis and a positive clinical history of pityriasis versicolor in the past. The affected individuals were also asked if they were aware of their skin lesions. Differences between answers of affected and unaffected subjects were tested by Fisher's exact P-value test, and odds ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Pityriasis versicolor was diagnosed in 22 subjects (2.1%), all men, of whom 15 (68%) were not aware of their condition. No statistical association was found between active pityriasis versicolor and sport practice, swimming pool attendance, marching or presence of hyperhidrosis. A significant association [odds ratio 8.7 (95% confidence interval 3.3-21.5); Fisher's exact P-value test P < 0.01] was documented between active pityriasis versicolor and a previous clinical history of pityriasis versicolor. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pityriasis versicolor in this sample of young Italian sailors was not high, in agreement with the available surveys performed in the general population in temperate climates. Many affected subjects were not aware of their condition. The only important factor associated with pityriasis versicolor was a previous history of pityriasis versicolor. This observation could confirm the hypothesis that constitutional factors, e.g. seborrhoea and chemical constitution of sebum, may play a crucial role in temperate climates, leading to relapsing forms of this superficial mycosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Effects of varying the amount of preexposure to spatial cues on a subsequent navigation task.

In each of two experiments rats were preexposed to four compound landmarks (AX, BX, CX, and DX) one at a time; they were then trained to find a submerged platform located in a fixed position in a swimming pool using these same landmarks. When the preexposure was SHORT (4 sessions) it facilitated subsequent learning (a perceptual learning effect), whereas when rats were given a LONG preexposure phase (8 sessions) this facilitatory effect disappeared. EXTRA-LONG preexposure (16 sessions) reversed the facilitatory effect--that is to say, we observed retarded learning. The results show that rats' ability to navigate towards an invisible goal is affected by the length of their preexposure to the spatial cues that signal the location of the goal. These data are consistent with an associative analysis of the swimming pool navigation task.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Risk factors linked to the transmission of papilloma virus in the school environment. Alicante, 1999].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe an outbreak of plantar warts and to analyse the risk factors wich determining the transmission. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A school of Alicante. PARTICIPANTS: 1,620 students. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Description and analysis of the outbreak. We studied the magnitude and the association between risk factors (sports activities and hygiene habits) and disease by logistic regression model. We estimated the crudes and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and the confidence intervals (CI) of 95%. We carry out environmental study and active search of cases. The global rate of answer to the cross-secctional survey was 70.86%. Reported cases were 221, the global attack rate was 19.25%. The outbreak occurred over 16 months. We did not find statistical significal difference either by sex (P=.138) or age (P=.233). The hygiene conditions of the swimming pool and the changing room were adapted. The risk of disease increased with the number of activities taking place (P=.001). The OR adjusted for hygiene habits was: use of changing room 0.95 (95% CI, 0.38%-2.41%), use of shower rooms 1.06 (95% CI, 0.70%-1.62%), walking barefoot in the changing room 1.97 (95% CI, 1.39%-2.79%) and showering barefoot 0.97 (95% CI, 0.58%-1.64%). CONCLUSIONS: Outbreak of person to person transmission, the floor of the changing rooms was the prime cause of transmission. We did not find any association between the use of public swimming pool and the disease

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Drowning deaths in toddlers and preambulatory children in South Australia.

Infants who are preambulatory and toddlers who have only just learned to walk have particular characteristics that give them a unique susceptibility to drowning in certain circumstances. A study of drowning deaths in 32 infants and children <2 years of age in South Australia over a 35-year period from March 1963 to February 1998 was undertaken. The age range was 3 to 24 months (average, 15.4 months), and there was a male:female ratio of 21:11. Drownings occurred in home swimming pools (N = 10); baths (N = 9); waterways (i.e., rivers, irrigation ditches, sea; N = 5); buckets, bins, sinks (N = 4); and fish ponds (N = 3). Details were lacking in one case. Two cases raised questions regarding the manner of death and the possibility of inflicted injury. Specific problems that occur in the assessment of infant drownings include the vulnerability of infants to accidental and nonaccidental drowning, the absence of autopsy findings in inflicted drowning, and the lack of independent witnesses to the fatal episodes. Although the numbers of childhood drownings have declined in recent years, specific situations that remain dangerous for infants include unsupervised bathing and access to swimming pools, fish ponds, and industrial buckets containing water. Complete submersion does not have to occur for drowning to take place.

Accidents↗
PubMed2002

The international atom: evolution of radiation control programs.

Under the Atoms for Peace program, Turkey received a one MWt swimming pool reactor in 1962 that initiated a health physics program for the reactor and a Radiation Control Program (RCP) for the country's use of ionizing radiation. Today, over 13,000 radiation workers, concentrated in the medical field, provide improved medical care with 6,200 x-ray units, including 494 CAT scanners, 222 radioimmunoassay (RIA) labs and 42 radiotherapy centers. Industry has a large stake in the safe use of ionizing radiation with over 1,200 x-ray and gamma radiography and fluoroscopic units, 2,500 gauges in automated process control and five irradiators. A 48-person RCP staff oversees this expanded radiation use. One incident involving a spent 3.3 TBq (88 Ci) 60Co source resulted in 10 overexposures but no fatalities. Taiwan received a 1.6 MWt swimming pool reactor in 1961 and rapidly applied nuclear technology to the medical and industrial fields. Today, there are approximately 24,000 licensed radiation workers in nuclear power field, industry, medicine and academia. Four BWRs and two PWRs supply about 25% of the island's electrical power needs. One traumatic event galvanized the RCP when an undetermined amount of 60Co was accidentally incorporated into reinforcing bars, which in turn were incorporated into residential and commercial buildings. Public exposures were estimated to range up to 15 mSv (1.3 rem) per annum. There were no reported ill effects, except possibly psychological, to date. The RCP now has instituted stringent control measures to ensure radiation-free dwellings and work places. Albania's RCP is described as it evolved since 1972. Regulations were promulgated which followed the IAEA Basic Safety Standards of that era. With 525 licenses and 600 radiation workers, the problem was not in the regulations per se but in their enforcement. The IAEA helped to upgrade the RCP as the economy evolved from one that was centrally planned economy to a free market economy. As this transition takes place, public radiation exposures in the medical field will continue to be high until the old x-ray equipment is phased out. A small conscientious health physics staff works with limited resources to keep radiation exposures at acceptable levels. These three country RCPs, as they have evolved, have some commonality. Today, all radiation installations are licensed, both for radioactive material and x-ray equipment. Radiation workers are individually licensed or registered. All RCPs have, or are striving to have, their radiation regulations conform to ICRP 60 recommendations as spelled out in the Basic Safety Standard (1996). Finally, all three countries have as yet to find a permanent solution for their radioactive waste.

Calibration↗
PubMed2006

Robust human detection within a highly dynamic aquatic environment in real time.

This paper presents a real-time foreground detection method for monitoring swimming activities at an outdoor swimming pool. Robust performance and high accuracy of detecting objects-of-interest are two central issues of concern. Therefore, in this paper, a considerable amount of attention has been placed on the following aspects: 1) to establish a better method of modeling aquatic background, which exhibitis dynamic characteristics with random spatial movements, and 2) to establish a method of enhancing the visibility of the foreground by removing specular reflection at nighttime. First, the development of a new background modeling method is reported. In the proposed approach, the background is modeled as a composition of homogeneous blob movements. With an implementation of a spatial searching process, the proposed method shows capability in associating and distinguishing movements caused by the background. Hence, this contributes to better performance in foreground detection. On the issue of enhancing the visibility of the foreground, a decision-based filtering scheme is proposed as a preprocessing step. A defined concept term, fluctuation measure, is defined for classifying each pixel to be one of the predefined types. This has allowed suitable spatial or spatiotemporal filters to be applied accordingly for color the compensation step. All of these developments are evaluated by testing live on a busy Olympic-size outdoor public swimming pool. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are reported. This provides a comprehensive study of the system.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1987

Hippocampal, granule cell and CA3-4 lesions impair formation of a place learning-set in the rat and induce reflex epilepsy.

Rats were pretrained on a place learning-set task, in which a platform, submerged in a swimming pool filled with opaque water, was moved to a new location each day. Then they received either: suction removal of the dorsal hippocampus, intrahippocampal microinjections of colchicine to remove dentate gyrus granule cells, kainic acid to remove CA3-4 cells of the hippocampus proper, suction removal of parietal cortex overlying the hippocampus, or no surgery. Performance was then evaluated for 48 days. All lesion groups were chronically impaired with respect to the control group, but the rats with parietal cortex lesions retained the ability to solve the task, whereas rats with hippocampal damage did not. Training frequently induced task-related behavioural seizures in the rats with granule cell or CA3-4 lesions. The results show that the hippocampus, including granule cell and CA3-4 cell populations, is essential for the rapid acquisition of place responses in the swimming pool task. The finding that training on the task induced reflex epilepsy in granule cell and CA3-4-damaged rats, but not those with aspirative removals, suggests that residual portions of the hippocampus are activated by training and are involved in production of the epileptic attacks.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

[Clinical presentation and therapy of Mycobacterium marinum infection as seen in 12 cases].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Mycobacterium marinum (M.m.) is the causative pathogen of skin infections that have been called "swimming pool granulomas". An increasing number of reports that deep structures are involved in these infections was the reason for studying the clinical presentation and response of the infection to different therapeutic regimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients (eight men, four women, age range 18-73 years) were included in whom, between january 1991 and February 1995, M.m. infection had been proven by culture. The clinical data of these patients were retrospectively obtained by standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: The infection was limited to the skin in four of the twelve patients, deep structures only were involved in three, and five had both. Infections limited to the skin were successfully treated with sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim or with tetracyclines, while rifampicin, alone or in combination with ethambutol, was efficacious when deep structures were involved. No surgical intervention was--or should be--performed. CONCLUSIONS: Infections with M.m. often involve deep structures, even in the absence of the skin being involved. The term "swimming pool granuloma" is, therefore, misleading when the infection is limited to he skin. A history of a chronic and indolent course, frequent changes of doctor and striking polypharmacy in its treatment are pointers to this infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Pseudomonas aeruginosa folliculitis after shower/bath exposure.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa folliculitis (PF) can develop after exposure to contaminated water in heated swimming pools, whirlpools, and hot-tubes, or after diving suit dressing. METHODS: We observed and studied 14 cases of PF after shower/bath exposure, an underestimated pathogenic event. Cutaneous and environmental microbiological evaluations were performed. RESULTS: In our cases, the clinical expression of dermatitis was constant, PF being a clinically well recognizable skin infection, presenting with follicular, macular, and papulopustular lesions located on the lateral aspect of the trunk, axillary folds, hips, buttocks, and suprapubic area. In all cases, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from lesional skin; seven cases were serotyped revealing, in three cases, serotype 0 : 1, in two cases 0 : 8, in one case 0 : 10, and in one case 0 : 11. In three families, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated in the well water. In a further three families, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from bathroom and kitchen components. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, we suggest that shower/bath exposure should be definitively included amongst the possible pathogenic events causing PF. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for a number of clinical pictures, e.g. otitis externa, conjunctivitis, toe web intertrigo, green nail syndrome, infection of burns and wounds, and folliculitis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa folliculitis (PF) has been reported to develop as a consequence of exposure to contaminated water in heated swimming pools, whirlpools, and hot-tubes, or related to diving suits and leg waxing.1-4 We observed 14 cases of PF after shower/bath exposure. This is probably an underestimated pathogenic event; to our knowledge, only one case has been reported to date.5 In our patients, the clinical expression of dermatitis was constant, PF being a clinically well recognizable skin condition.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Management of infectious risk associated with therapeutic pools].

UNLABELLED: There is no specific legislation concerning pools and others medical hydrotherapy equipments relating hygiene and security rules. For this reason, the hydrotherapy pools use the public swimming pools legislation. METHOD: This article is based on literature review (database Medline and Embase--manual research). RESULTS: This article offers a review of pool associated infections along with the description of the measures designed to minimise the possible transmission of infection during hydrotherapy activities such as: Technical measures: pool and premises conception, water treatments, feed tanks, air quality. Hygiene rules for patients and hospital staff and pathologies which are contra-indications to hydrotherapy activities. Microbiological and physico-chemical monitoring. DISCUSSION: The infectious risk remains low with therapeutic pools. However, the development of specific legislation and surveillance should be enhanced. CONCLUSION: All these measures are part of the quality assurance program that must be implemented to control the safety of these installations.

Equipment Contamination↗
PubMed2005

Keeping plaster casts dry: what works?

Plaster casts are commonly used in the management of fractures. The mechanical properties of plasters are adversely affected by water. There are a number of commercial products available to allow patients to continue to shower and swim by protecting the plaster. The aim of this study was to compare these products with a plastic bag and elastic band. Each protector was tested in a shower, immersed in a swimming pool and worn while swimming. The volume of water intrusion was measured. There was no significant difference between a plastic bag and the commercially available products. We do not recommend the use of commercially available plaster protectors for showering or swimming: a plastic bag and elastic band is a cheaper and more convenient device.

Activities of Daily Living↗