Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine最新文献

Introduction and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of intervention on exacerbations of COPD in elderly patients compared to those receiving usual care.

Material and methods: A 12 month, multicentre, three-arm, pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial was performed (CRCT). The 97 largest PHC clinics with at least 46 COPD registered patients in the Łódż Province, in central Poland. In total, 27,534 COPD patients aged 65 and over were identified from the National Health Fund (NFZ) electronic health records. A checklist of selected, recommended COPD interventions sent to GPs once or twice by post and shown on their desk in their clinics, in the intervention arms.

Results: A primary outcome was the difference in exacerbations or deaths between the 3 arms at 12 months. The amounts of specific short- and long-acting drugs purchased by patients were also assessed as secondary outcomes. Only 0.44% (122 of 27 534) COPD patients demonstrated exacerbations after the one-year study period. No statistically significant associations were found between interventions and exacerbations (p=0.1568, Chi-Square) or deaths (p=0.8128, Chi-Square) at 12 months.

Conclusions: As this study coincided with the pandemic period, the results should be interpreted with care. The intervention had no association with exacerbations. Future research on interventions aimed at improving chronic illness care are needed.

Introduction and objective: The purpose of this follow-up study on the implementation of advanced closed-loop hybrid insulin pumps in people with type 1 diabetes was to assess the impact of introducing this advanced technology on quantitative and qualitative parameters of diet.

Material and methods: 18 patients (8 women and 10 men, mean age 40.9 years) patients using the CE-marked MiniMed 780G AHCL system who completed 1 year of follow-up were included into the study. The research tool was the KomPAN questionnaire with several own questions added, asked in three study periods, concerning the number of meals consumed, general and night snacking, carbohydrate counting, frequency of consumption of various groups of products that affect postprandial glycaemia.

Results: Although the mean body weight of the examined group did not increase significantly (from 75.1 kg at the beginning to 75,9 kg at the end), five various individual scenarios of weight change were observed. The eating habits has not changed, but patients began to consume less products containing simple sugars, e.g. fruit preserves, milk chocolate or fish in sauces (p<0.05). No statistically significant correlation was found between the change in body weight at the end of the study and the average amount of carbohydrates entered into the pump from the entire 12 months (p = 0.460).

Conclusions: The implementation of AHCL system in technology naïve patients, despite offering more freedom of food choices due to better glycaemic control, did not have a significant impact on patients' dietary patterns, also did not result in weight gain. This is important since AHCL system offers more freedom of food choices due to better glycaemic control. However, the longer follow up and the study based on larger population is required to finally address the issue of the impact of AHCL on body mass.

Introduction and objective: The identification and understanding of interactions between contaminants present in sediments from stormwater and combined sewer systems is a prerequisite for their proper management, and provides a basis for developing effective strategies to minimize their negative impact on humans and the environment. The studypresents the method described in PN-EN 12457-2:2006 as a possible technique for studying the mobility of heavy metals in sediments from stormwater and combined sewer systems.

Material and methods: The presented PN-EN 12457-2:2006 method is a relatively simple technique for preparing extracts for the determination of heavy metals in sediments from stormwater and combined sewer systems, consisting of one-step leaching, which is quick to perform. In addition, it allows determination of the characteristics of the samples to be analyzed, and indicates procedures and tests for evaluating hazardous substances released from solid waste.

Results: The results of the concentrations of leached heavy metals: chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc, obtained in the study, corresponded to the concentrations of the exchange fraction of sludge when using the recommended method with sequential extraction (Student's t-test, p=0.263). In the literature review conducted, no papers were found on the application of the leaching method to prepare extracts for the determination of heavy metals in sediments from stormwater and combined sewer systems.

Conclusions: The PN-EN 12457-2:2006 method is capable of providing important data on the potential risks to humans and the environment from the presence of contaminants in sewage sludge.

Introduction: Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome is caused by mutations in the KMT2A gene (11q23.3). It might be inherited autosomal dominant or appear de novo. Features described in the syndrome include developmental delay, short stature, hypotonia, hypertrichosis, facial dysmorphic features, and intellectual disability.

Case report: A boy aged 5.5 months was admitted to the Genetics Outpatient Clinic due to delayed psychomotor development. Microsomia, hypotonia, joint laxity, and facial dysmorphic features were noticed. No genomic imbalance was found in microarray, based on comparative genomic hybridization. The c.3528G>T variant of the KMT2A gene was identified on chromosome 11 of the missense type in next-generation sequencing. The reasons for phenotypic features were confirmed in genetic research.

Conclusions: Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome has a variable clinical phenotype. There is a strong need to pay attention to phenotypic features that may suggest the syndrome and refer patients for appropriate genetic diagnostics.

Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease that is still present worldwide despite efforts aimed at elimination of the disease. The BaAka Pygmy community inhabiting rural areas in the Central African Republic is one of the most leprosy-vulnerable populations. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of leprosy in the BaAka Pygmy population. People living in the Dzanga Sangha protected area were regularly visited by a mobile clinic in 2019/2020. The diagnosis was based on the clinical manifestation of the disease. Deformations of skin and extremities were assessed. In a 12-month period 26 cases of leprosy were diagnosed and 25 patients received treatment. 24 of those patients were BaAka Pygmies, 10 were women, 7 were children under 15 years old and 8 were diagnosed with grade 2 disability. Presented data shows that leprosy in Dzanga Sangha region is not well controlled due to the high transmission rate. Efforts to diagnose and report new leprosy cases should be intensified.

Introduction and objective: Abundant evidence has shown that an increase in the concentration of fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) leads to a simultaneous increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases. Xigu District is the main industrial district of Lanzhou, located in Lanzhou City in northwest China and central Gansu Province. Because of limited research and data in the region, the impact of PM2.5 on human health has not been systematically recognized. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between PM2.5 pollution and upper respiratory tract infections in urban industrial areas of Lanzhou City.

Material and methods: Data on outpatient visits, air pollutants, and meteorological indices were collected in the Xigu District of Lanzhou City from 1 January 2013 - 31 December 2019. A generalized additive model was used to evaluate the association between PM2.5 and outpatient visits for upper respiratory tract infections.

Results: The results show that PM2.5 had the greatest impact on outpatient visits for upper respiratory tract infections on 7 cumulative lag days. At cumulative lag days 1, 3, and 5, the effects gradually increased. In the subgroup analysis, the effect of PM2.5 on visits for upper respiratory tract infections was significantly influenced by gender. Men were more susceptible to PM2.5 pollution.

Conclusions: An increase in atmospheric PM2.5 concentration was associated with an increase in visits for upper respiratory tract infections with the lag effect. The obtained results can provide a reference for the development of prevention strategies to protect the population from the adverse effects of PM2.5 pollution.

Introduction and objective: Although it has previously been shown that temperature is associated with cardiovascular disease, no investigations exploring the association between apparent temperature (AT) and hypertension in farmers in Zhangye and Longnan, Gansu Province, China, have been undertaken. As hypertension is a commonly known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the relationship between apparent temperature (AT) and hypertension is examined in Zhangye and Longnan to provide advice to local governments on preventive measures.

Material and methods: Daily data and weather conditions were collected in Zhangye and Longnan from 2014-2015. The Poisson generalized linear model and the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) were combined to investigate the relationship between AT and hypertension in hospital admissions in the study areas.

Results: A non-linear relationship between AT and hypertension in hospital admissions in both Zhangye and Longnan were recorded. The cold effects were stronger in Zhangye than that in Longnan for both study group and subgroups. The heat effects were more deleterious for the entire study group, female subgroup and adult subgroup in Longnan, but stronger for the male subgroup and elderly subgroup in Zhangye.

Conclusions: This investigation indicates that AT has adverse impacts on hypertension hospital admissions in Zhangye and Longnan, especially under low AT exposure levels. The results from this study may promote the formulation of further prevention measures for hypertension disease.

Introduction and objective: The study compares the effect of two concentrations (0.1% and 1%) of plant material on repelling two dangerous stored pests - Rhyzopertha dominica F. and Sitophilus granarius L. Both species were treated with the essential oils of Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Carum carvi L., Mentha pulegium L., and Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson, as well as the chemicals contained in these oils: anethole, L-carvone, pulegone and thymoquinone.

Material and methods: Laboratory tests were carried out at 29±1 °C with 60±5% relative humidity (RH). Repellence of insects were noted after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 24 and 48 h.

Results: A lower dose of essential oils and some of the tested compounds caused a stronger repellence in the specified species of beetles. In the case of R. dominica, the concentration of 0.1% pulegone and L-carvone had the greatest repellent effect. Differences in the repellence of R. dominica were found between the concentrations of 0.1%-1% among all the tested substances in each time interval. This difference ranged from 5.0%-52.92%. All substances used in the tests had a strong repellent effect on S. granarius (30%-100%). There were differences in the repellency of S. granarius between 0.1%-1% concentration in most of the tested substances in each time interval, but they were not as large as for R. dominica..

Conclusions: The most interesting results were obtained concerning the relationship: the lower tested substance concentration caused a much stronger repellent effect of R. dominica and S. granarius..

Introduction and objective: The number of patients diagnosed with diabetes is constantly increasing. Opportunistic screening for diabetes, based on blood glucose tests, can result in early diagnosis and mitigation of its complications. The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of blood-glucose tests in adults in Poland, and factors associated with the frequency of blood-glucose tests, including respondents' knowledge about diabetes.

Material and methods: In June 2022, a nationwide cross-sectional survey was carried out among adults in Poland.` The survey used a computer-assisted web interview technique and a self-developed questionnaire that included questions on respondents' self-reported knowledge of diabetes, time since last blood glucose test and socio-demographic characteristics of participants.

Results: The study population comprised 1,051 individuals aged 18-85 years, among whom 53.3% were females. Over a third of respondents (36.3%) declared a bad or rather bad knowledge about diabetes. Almost half of the respondents (48.7%) had a blood glucose test in the last 12 months, and 12.4% declared that they had never had a blood glucose test. Among respondents without diagnosed diabetes, female gender (OR=1.30, 0.96-1.76; p=0.009), age over 50 years (p<0.05), history of diabetes in the respondent's family (OR=1.83, 1.33-2.51; p<0.001), and good or at least moderate level of knowledge of diabetes were significantly associated (p<0.05) on blood glucose test frequency.

Conclusions: The presented data manifest the need to intensify screening for diabetes combined with implementing a comprehensive education strategy regarding diabetes in Poland.

Alveolar echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis is common parasitic disease among humans and animals in the northern hemisphere. Dogs, foxes, and other wild canids are definitive hosts, whereas small rodents play the role of intermediate hosts. In rare cases, after incidental ingestion of tapeworm eggs, dogs can become an intermediate host. The study describes briefly two cases of alveolar echinococcosis in dogs in Poland, including clinical management, diagnostic, treatment and molecular confirmation. Diagnostic procedures included laparotomy, cytology, histopathology and molecular analysis. Obtained sequences data were 100% homologous to E. multilocularis dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene sequences in GenBank®. To the authors' knowledge, alveolar echinococcosis has not been reported previously in a dog in Poland.