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Jelena Macan

Publications and source records attributed to Jelena Macan.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Health effects of pyrethrins and pyrethroids].

Pyrethrins, natural extracts of Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and Chrysanthemum cocineum flowers, and pyrethroids, synthetic analogues and derivatives of pyrethrins, are powerful insecticides. They are widely used in households and insect control in pets or livestock, in textiles such as carpets, wallpapers, furniture and clothes, as well as in agriculture, forestry and public health services. This article brings a list of pyrethrin and pyrethroid insecticides registered for use in plant protection in Croatia. Pyrethrins and pyrethroids can enter the organism by ingestion (accidental or suicidal ingestion or in food), by inhalation and/or by skin contact. Although these pesticides pose a relatively low risk to mammals due to rapid metabolism with no significant accumulation, they can induce adverse health effects, more often in acute poisoning, but also due to chronic exposure. The primary target of pyrethrin and pyrethroid toxicity is the nervous system, since they act directly on the sodium channels of nerve cell axons, leading to hyperexcitation. Another important toxicological mechanism is allergenicity, which is more pronounced with pyrethrins than with synthetic pyrethroids. Because there is no antidote for pyrethrin and pyrethroid poisoning, treatment is symptomatic and supportive. The article discusses the measures for poisoning prevention and alleviation of exposure to pyrethrins and pyrethroids in occupational settings and in general population.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Analysis of dust samples from urban and rural occupational environments in Croatia.

This study estimated the exposure to dust mites in various occupational environments in Croatia. In total, 29 occupational dust samples were collected: 10 from urban areas (offices, archive of an insurance company, tobacco, paper-recycling, fish-processing and textile plants, animal unit for experimental rats, winery), nine from rural areas (barley, hay, animal food and flour warehouses, tailor's shops, wood processing plant, swine confinement house, grocer's storeroom), and 10 samples from cabins of five fishing boats (five floor and five bed samples). Mites were microscopically identified, and the levels of Der p 1, Der f 1, and Der 2 allergens measured using the DUSTSCREEN test (Heska AG, Switzerland). Microscopy showed no mites in urban areas. Pyroglyphid mites (D. pteronyssinus) were found in all bed samples from fishing boats. Non-pyroglyphid mites were found in samples taken from barley, hay and animal food warehouses, the swine confinement house, grocer's storeroom, and fishing boats. Pyroglyphid mite allergens were detected in eight of 10 dust samples from the fishing boats. Median levels of Der p 1, Der f 1, and Der 2 in cabin bed samples were 10 microg g(-1), 0.2 microg g(-1), and 3.5 microg g(-1), respectively. Our findings on fishing boats suggests that pyroglyphid mites could be considered work-related allergens for fishermen. The results of this study confirmed non-pyroglyphid mites as occupational risk factors in various rural environments.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Immunological and respiratory changes in tobacco workers.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco workers develop respiratory changes following occupational exposure to tobacco dust. METHODS: This study investigated 102 tobacco workers as well as a group of 30 matched control workers. Immunological testing, symptom questionnaire, and lung function measurements were performed in all workers. RESULTS: Increased total IgE was found in 12.7% of tobacco workers but in none of the controls (P < 0.05). Increased specific IgE (tobacco allergen) was recorded in 26.7% of tobacco workers with positive skin tests to tobacco extract but in none of the controls (P < 0.05). Regression analysis of ventilatory tests in female tobacco workers indicated a significant association of FEF75 to employment and smoking among workers with positive skin tests to tobacco. There were, however, no other associations between positive immunologic findings and lung function abnormalities and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found increased immunological reactions in the tobacco workers. However, with the possible exception of lung function at low lung volume in female workers, these reactions do not appear to contribute significantly to the symptoms and lung function abnormalities seen in these workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:76-83, 2004.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Endotoxin measurement in house dust using the end-point Limulus amoebocyte lysate method.

Endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide, a part of gram-negative bacteria cell membrane commonly present in general and many occupational environments. This paper describes sample preparation and endotoxin measurement in 16 samples of house dust from urban homes (Zagreb, Croatia) using end-point chromogenic Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) bioassay. House dust was collected on cellulose filters by vacuuming bedroom and living room floors, and was kept frozen until assayed. Samples were extracted from filters with a 0.05% solution of Tween-20 in endotoxin-free water. Serial dilutions of samples were measured in duplicates. The linearity of the standard curve was satisfying (r=0.983), as well as the recovery (92 and 110%) and repeatability (coefficient of variation from 0 to 8.5%). The endotoxin levels found in the house dust samples ranged from 4.8 to 200 EU/mg, with the arithmetic mean of 49.5 EU/mg (standard error of the mean of 12.1 EU/mg), and were in the range of house dust endotoxin values obtained by other authors.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2004

[Exposure and allergy to dust mites in general and working environment in Croatia].

This paper gives a review of the most important impacts of exposure to dust mites in general and working environment on human health. The Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb, Croatia, has been investigating the frequency and exposure levels of allergies to pyroglyphid and non-pyroglyphid mites in Croatia for the last 10 years. Investigations were performed in general urban and rural population from the inland and coastal Croatia, and several industrial inland populations occupationally exposed to organic dusts. Mite species and levels of pyroglyphid mites allergens (Der p 1, Der f 1) were established in house dust samples taken from the floors of bedrooms and living rooms and in several industrial dust samples. The frequency of allergies to pyroglyphid mites in general urban population of inland Croatia is about 20%, with significant general indoor exposure to these mites (median value for Der p 1: 0.85 microg/g of dust). General adult population of the coastal region had a significantly higher exposure to pyroglyphid mites (median value for Der p 1: 4.5 microg/g of dust), yet showed a significantly lower frequency of allergies to these mites (about 5%). New studies are necessary to investigate possible genetic and environmental factors involved in the mechanisms which protect coastal population from the development of mite allergy. Acarological and statistical analyses have shown that the high frequency of sensitisation to non-pyroglyphid mites found in the general and working populations of the inland region is not related to environmental exposure to these mites, but to the cross-reactivity between pyroglyphid and non-pyroglyphid mites and to false positive skin reactions in prick testing, particularly to T. putrescentiae. So far, results do not indicate that pyroglyphid mites are occupational allergens in paper-recycling, fish-processing and tobacco-processing.

Allergens↗
PubMed2004

Exercise and allergic diseases.

The aim of this study was to compare exercise-induced bronchial reaction between healthy control subjects and subjects with allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic asthma (AA). It included 16 controls, 16 subjects with AR and 19 subjects with AA. A skin prick test, pulmonary function test, histamine challenge test and exercise challenge test (ECT) were performed in all subjects. Bronchial reaction to exercise was expressed as the fall index FEV1 (%), AUC(0-30) (min x %), and fall index FEF(25-75) (%). After ECT, subjects with AA had a significantly greater bronchial reaction to exercise than subjects with AR and controls (respective fall index FEV1 8.4, 2.9, and 2.4%, P=0.0083; AUC(0-30) 127.7, 29.6, and 33.1 min x %, P=0.025; and fall index FEF(25-75) 14.6, 0.06, and 1.9%, P<0.001). No difference was found between subjects with AR and controls. In conclusion, ECT induced a significantly greater bronchial reaction in patients with AA and bronchial hyperreactivity to histamine than in patients with AR and bronchial normoreactivity to histamine and controls. This difference was not found between subjects with AR and controls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Stress and allergy].

Stress is one of the components in the complex interaction of environmental, genetic, physiological, psychological, behavioural and social factors that can influence the body's ability to remain healthy or become healthy, to resist or overcome a disease. Stress can alter neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms of health and disease through various psychosocial processes. In addition, it can affect health through the impact on health-impairing behaviours and on compliance with medical regimens. At the same time, the relationship between stress and health is not unidirectional but bi-directional. Current views on the relation between stress and allergy vary from the denial of any relationship that could fundamentally help in allergy treatment to the widespread opinion that psychological stress can exacerbate some skin symptoms and precipitate asthma. The role of stress in the genesis, incidence and symptomatology of allergy still remains a controversial issue since the mechanisms of that relationship are not well understood. Starting from the biopsychosocial model of disease, we introduced the Social Readjustment Rating Scale which measures stressful life events, and the WHOQOL-BREF which measures subjective quality of life, into an extensive multidisciplinary study of immunotoxic effects of indoor bioaerosols and lifestyle. This paper describes the characteristics of those two questionnaires and discusses the relationship between stress and various domains of the quality of life. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale proved to be a reliable predictor for quality of life in the domains of physical health and environment. Future analyses will examine the role of stress and subjective quality of life in allergy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Organic aerosols and the development of allergic disorders.

The aim of this study was to investigate skin reactivity to organic dust extracts and total serum IgE and their relation to the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity in workers occupationally exposed to organic aerosols. It included workers employed in processing coffee, tea, dried fruits, spices, animal food, soy, hemp, cotton, swine farmers, and control groups of workers non-exposed to organic dust. All underwent a skin prick test (SPT) with water extracts of organic dust 1:10 w/v, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, mixed moulds, bacteria, histamin solution (1 mg/ml) and buffer solution. SPT was considered positive if the diameter of the observed wheal was 3 mm greater than that of buffer solution. The total IgE was measured by the PRIST method (Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Upsala) and the values > 125 kU/L were considered increased. Data on respiratory symptoms were collected by standardized questionnaire. Ventilatory capacity was measured by recording MEFV curve. Airborne industrial dust were measured as total and respirable fraction. The exposed workers had a greater prevalence of positive SPT to organic dust extracts, except in soy processing. Increased IgE was found in workers processing coffee, tea, hemp, cotton and animal food, compared to non-exposed workers (P<0.05). Workers with positive SPT had a significantly higher total IgE. As there was no correlation between acute and chronic changes in ventilatory function, positive SPT, and level of total IgE, our findings could not predict objective respiratory impairment.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Results of clinical-toxicological assessments performed in the Poison Control Centre in Zagreb over a 10-year period.

The aim of this study was to see which harmful substances and which occupational settings most often required toxicological assessment, to evaluate exposure data provided by employers and to see to what extent could this assessment rely on actual measurements of harmful substances in a working environment. We reviewed the documentation that was submitted for toxicological assessment in all patients referred from occupational health physicians between 1992 and 2001. From 1992 to 2001, the Poison Control Centre performed a total of 260 toxicological evaluations of occupational exposure to harmful chemicals. In 162 cases (62%), measurements of harmful substance concentrations in the working environment would have been of primary significance for the best comparison of potential adverse effects and the level of exposure. The most frequent was exposure to organic solvents in the production line and the use of various paints and varnishes, adhesives and thinners in shoe, chemical and metal-processing industry. Follows exposure to respiratory irritants, mostly in plastic and metal processing. However, measurement data of harmful substances in the working environment were available only in 24 cases, that is, in 9% of all documents submitted for toxicological assessment. Exposure to organic solvents is characteristic for a large number of work places in industry and small enterprises in Croatia, and it is necessary to carry out a more comprehensive study about the real levels of exposure and modes of effective control. It is important because the EU regulations on the indicative occupational exposure limits (OELs) of harmful substances in the working environment, that will soon be implemented into Croatian legislation, recommend a reduction of maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) for commonly used solvents.

Croatia↗
PubMed2003

Exposure levels and skin reactivity to German cockroach (Blattella germanica) in Croatia.

AIM: To evaluate German cockroach (Blattella germanica) allergen levels in house dust and skin reactivity to German cockroach in adult atopic and non-atopic subjects in inland areas of Croatia. METHODS: Blattella germanica group 2 (Bla g 2) allergen was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on test strips (Dustscreen(TM) test, Heska AG, Switzerland) in 94 house dust samples collected from living room and bedroom floors, 35 from rural and 59 from urban areas. Skin prick testing with common inhalatory allergens, Blatella germanica, storage mites Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (ALK-Abello, Denmark) was performed in 187 adult outpatients, 131 from urban and 56 from rural areas. Total serum IgE levels were measured using the ELISA method. Subjects with relevant respiratory and/or skin symptoms, at least one positive skin prick test, and/or increased total IgE were considered atopic. RESULTS: Positive skin prick test to cockroach was observed in 18/187 subjects (9.6%). The frequency of skin prick test positive subjects to cockroach was higher in atopic than in non-atopic subjects, but not significantly (12.2% vs. 4.7%; p=0.098). Of 15 atopic subjects with positive skin prick test to cockroach, 14 also had positive skin prick test to storage mites, 8 to house dust mites, 1 to pollens, and none to cockroach only. Positive skin prick test to storage mites was the only factor which significantly increased the risk for having positive skin prick test to cockroach (n=187; odds ratio, 109.82; 95% confidence interval, 2.06- 5853.5; p= 0.020). In all 94 house dust samples, Bla g 2 was not detectable. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that there is no relevant exposure to cockroach allergen in house dust samples from inland areas of Croatia. Consequently, positive skin prick test to cockroach is rare in adult subjects, even in atopics. Positive skin prick test to cockroach in atopics is in the majority of cases related to positive skin prick test to storage mites, probably due to cross-reactivity.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pre-employment evaluation of atopy and contact sensitisation in the prevention of allergy-related diseases.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of markers of atopy and contact sensisation in asymptomatic young adults and to assess their role in pre-employment screening. The study included 351 subjects, of whom166 women (mean age 28.0 + / - 6/4 years) and 185 men (mean age 26.3 + / - 5.4 years). The pre-employment examination commissioned by a pharmaceutical company included a questionnaire, the patch test with the European standard series of contact allergens prick test with common inhalatory allergens, and the serum-specific IgE measurement. According to the medical history 115/166 (69.3%) women and 142/185 (76.8%) men were asymptomatic, but 28 (24.3%) asymptomatic women and 40 (28.2%) showed atopy and/or contact sensitization. Pre-employment allergy examination can be considered a reliable detection procedure for the majority of asymptomatic persons with atopy and contact sensitization. The knowledge of these conditions gives the opportunity for secondary prevention and better diagnostic validation of occupational allergic diseases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Allergic disorders of the respiratory system and skin as a public health problem].

The prevalence of allergic diseases is rapidly increasing over the last 40 years, especially in most industrialized countries of the world. Manifestations of allergic diseases are observed in about 35% of the general population. In this paper, the most frequent allergic respiratory and skin diseases are described (rhinitis, asthma, atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome, contact eczema/dermatitis, urticaria). The most important individual and environmental factors involved in the occurrence of allergic diseases are described: genetic predisposition, exposure to allergens, environmental pollution and modern life style are discussed. The results of our investigations related to the prevalence of allergy markers in general and working population are presented. The preventive measures concerning allergic diseases are considered.

Dermatitis, Allergic Contact↗