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Biomedical subjects

U Ackermann-Liebrich

Publications and source records attributed to U Ackermann-Liebrich.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Air pollution and daily mortality in three Swiss urban areas.

Particulate air pollution, in association with other common urban air pollutants, has been associated with various measured health endpoints, including the incidence and duration of respiratory symptoms, lung function, absence from work or school due to respiratory illness, hospitalization for respiratory disease, and cardiopulmonary disease mortality. In this study, the association between daily mortality and air pollution was assessed in Zurich, Basle, and Geneva (Switzerland) for the time period 1984 through 1989. Various regression modeling techniques were used to estimate the effect of air pollution on mortality, to control for time trends, seasonal factors, and weather variables, and to assess the sensitivity of the results. A positive, statistically significant association between daily mortality counts and measures of ambient air pollution in all three cities was observed. Mortality was associated with total suspended particulate pollution, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The strongest association was with a 3-day moving average (including the concurrent day and the preceding 2 days) of these pollutants. The estimated mortality-air pollution effects were not highly sensitive to regression modeling techniques used to control for seasonality, long-term trends, and weather variables.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Cholesterol screening in childhood: results of a 9-year follow-up study in Swiss and Italian children in Switzerland.

Mass screening for blood cholesterol as part of routine preventive health care of children continues to be discussed in several countries. Results of longitudinal studies underline the importance of the predictive value of cholesterol levels assessed during childhood. Some countries have changed their recommendations during the past years to blood cholesterol screening for obese children only or for children of high risk families. In the Kindergarten-study Basel, a follow-up study on somatic, psychic and social development of Swiss and immigrant schoolchildren, cardiovascular risk factors were assessed at the ages of 5, 10 and 14 years. The age-specific levels of total and LDL-cholesterol found in our study were slightly higher and HDL-cholesterol lower than, for example, those found in the Bogalusa Heart Study. For total cholesterol no significant tracking correlations over the 5 and 9 year periods were found. Tracking of LDL- and HDL-cholesterol differed between nationalities and sexes. The total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol index tracked slightly better. Italian girls showed the best 9-year tracking for HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.56). The differences between this and other studies can only partially be explained by different sampling and laboratory methods. Individual changes in cholesterol levels between the ages of 5 and 14 were marked. Sexual maturation was found to be of minor influence. Body mass index was the most consistent risk factor in our population. Changes of sex or growth hormone levels during puberty, but also changes of nutritional habits or physical activity might influence the individual cholesterol levels. Before recommendations on mass screening of cholesterol in children are made, the different longitudinal patterns of changes in cholesterol levels, and subpopulation-specific changes of nutritional habits and physical activity, should be discussed. The results of the Kindergarten study Basel suggest that attention should be paid to screening for obesity and to health education regarding nutrition and physical activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of atopy and pollinosis in the adult population of Switzerland (SAPALDIA study). Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults.

The Swiss SAPALDIA study is a large multicenter cross-sectional study initiated in 1991 to evaluate the relationship between environment and respiratory symptoms and diseases in adults, and included subjects from eight areas in Switzerland with distinctive environmental characteristics. We present here prevalence data for atopy, pollinosis and atopic asthma obtained from a random sample of 8,357 adults (18-60 years) assessed by standardized computer-based interview as well as by allergy skin prick tests (SPTs) (performed with Phazet) to grass, birch and Parietaria pollen, house dust mite, cat and dog epithelia and the moulds Alternaria and Cladosporium and by an in vitro allergy screen test (Phadiatop CAP FEIA system). On the basis of a positive Phadiatop (total 28.9%; males 32.9%, females 25.0%; p < 0.001) and/or a positive SPT (total 23%; males 25.0%, females 20.8%; p < 0.001), 32.3% of the study population were considered atopic (males 35.7%, females 28.8%; p < 0.001). Concerning the prevalence of skin sensitization (SPT wheal > or = 3 mm), the highest rate was observed for grass (12.7%), followed by house dust mite (8.9%), silver birch (7.9%), cat (3.8%) and dog (2.8%), whereas moulds and Parietaria elicited less than 1% positive SPTs. The prevalence of atopic rhinitis (rhinitis symptoms associated with atopy) was 13.5% (males 14.3%, females 12.6%; p < 0.05) and the prevalence of current hay fever varied between 9.1% (questionnaire answer and a positive SPT to at least one pollen), 11.2% (questionnaire answer and presence of atopy) to 14.2% (questionnaire answer only) with no significant difference by sex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Variability of FVC and FEV1 due to technician, team, device and subject in an eight centre study: three quality control studies in SAPALDIA. Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Disease in Adults.

Lung function testing of a random population sample in the eight SAPALDIA (Swiss study on air pollution and lung diseases in adults) centres had to be performed simultaneously, within one year, by eight teams and 23 technicians. We conducted quality control studies to test for technician, team and device related systematic measurement errors. To assess technician effects, each centre conducted a study involving 12-19 subjects. Two studies with 13 participants each addressed team and device effects. In all studies, volunteers repeatedly performed spirometry with different technicians or devices. Effects due to technician, team or device were estimated (analysis of variance). Neither "technician" within any of eight teams nor "team" accounted for significant differences of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). The Device Effect Study revealed 10% lower FVC values for device No. 1 due to a technical problem occurring during the test day but not in the main SAPALDIA study. Further investigations revealed potential hardware and software sources of error which are not recognizable by trained technicians. These studies gave no evidence for systematic errors due to technician, team or device during the main SAPALDIA study. However, they revealed potential sources of error in modern devices, which function as "black boxes". Manufacturers should improve spirometry software to further enhance the technicians' attempts at accurate assessment.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Acute effects of ambient ozone on respiratory function of Swiss schoolchildren after a 10-minute heavy exercise.

This study was conducted in Switzerland between May and October 1989 to assess possible decrements in lung function occurring as a result of 10 minute exposure to ambient air containing different ozone concentrations. Once a month, 128 children in two different areas of Southern Switzerland (Chiasso and Aurigeno) had a pulmonary function test before and after a standardized 10 minute exercise (pulse rate, 170/min) on a cycle ergometer, outdoors. Ozone concentrations were similar in both areas, ranging from 40 to 157 micrograms/m3 (1/2h means) during the exercise tests. The two communities differed with respect to long-term average pollution levels. The mean NO2 concentration over the six months study period was 70 micrograms/m3 in Chiasso and 18 micrograms/m3 in rural Aurigeno. Of the eligible children 85% participated and attended 4-6 tests. Parents completed a standardized questionnaire on family background, home characteristics and the child's early and present illness history. A total of 500 acceptable pairs of spirograms and corresponding ozone concentrations (average 3.8 per child) were available for analysis. Regressions of each individual's pre-post differences of FVC, FEV1 and peak flow on ozone concentrations measured during the outdoor exercise indicated that elevated ozone levels significantly reduced peak flow values. Adjustments for temperature and relative humidity increased the magnitude of the peak flow slopes. The average adjusted regression coefficient for delta-peak flow on ozone was -2.28 mL/s/micrograms/m3 (95% CI, -0.57 -3.99). It is noteworthy that the observed relationships occurred at ozone concentrations below 160 micrograms/m3 and after an exercise duration of only 10 minutes.

Atmosphere↗
PubMed1994

Passive smoking exposure in adults and chronic respiratory symptoms (SAPALDIA Study). Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults, SAPALDIA Team.

The association between passive exposure to tobacco smoke and respiratory symptoms was examined in a sample of 4,197 never-smoking adults. They constituted the never-smoking subsample of a random sample of 9,651 adults (age, 18 to 60 yr) in eight areas in Switzerland. Information on passive smoking exposure and standardized questions on respiratory symptoms were obtained via a questionnaire administered by trained examiners. After controlling for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), study area, atopy, and parental and sibling history, passive smoking exposure was associated with an elevated risk of wheezing apart from colds (odds ratio [OR] = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.39 to 2.70), an elevated risk of bronchitis symptoms (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.17 to 2.15), an elevated risk of symptoms of chronic bronchitis (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.28 to 2.16), an elevated risk of dyspnea (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.20 to 1.76), and an elevated risk of physician diagnosed asthma (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.86). It was not associated with any increased risk of allergic rhinitis including hayfever. Adding a variable for low educational level, excluding subjects whose mother ever smoked or subjects with end-expiratory CO levels > or = 7 ppm, and controlling for paternal smoking during childhood or occupational exposure had little impact on the association. The association of passive smoking exposure with dyspnea, wheeze, and asthma showed evidence of a dose-dependent increase with hours per day of exposure, whereas association with symptoms of bronchitis was stronger with years of exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol consumption and other lifestyle factors: avoidable sources of excess lead exposure.

Lead concentration in whole blood of a representative sample of 471 subjects aged 20 to 74 years and living in Basle was determined in 1989/90 by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The participants in the cross-sectional study filled in a questionnaire on demographic factors, nutrition and drinking habits. The age-adjusted geometrical mean blood lead level was 0.38 +/- 0.19 mumol/litre of whole blood for males, and 0.29 +/- 0.17 mumol/litre for females. The average lead burden was about 30% below the mean concentration found in a comparable population in Western Switzerland five years earlier. Lead emissions in Switzerland decreased by about 40% from 1984 to 1990 through restriction of lead in petrol. This offers the most plausible explanation for the low blood lead levels found in Basle. Sex, age, occupation (employment in painting or printing, construction or the metal processing industry), smoking and alcohol intake (especially wine consumption) were identified as independent blood lead predictors in a multiple linear regression analysis. Participants who consumed alcohol daily had blood lead concentrations on average 12% higher than those of abstinent subjects. Regular smokers had an unconfounded average blood lead level 8% above that of people who never smoked. Place of residence and hourly frequency of cars in that area were not identified as independent predictors in the model. The analysis of 99 different wines on the market in Basle showed an average lead concentration of 50 +/- 17 micrograms/litre wine. Compared to an estimated 25 micrograms daily nutritional intake of lead in Switzerland the value appeared to be high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Breast cancer screening: should it be introduced and how?

This brief discussion of the papers by Gästrin and Paccaud is looking at differences in the results of different study types. Introducing screening means changing unsystematic to systematic screening: only the latter has been shown to be effective. The comparison between randomized trials, and follow-up of acceptors only, suggests that the non-acceptors have much higher risks. Programmes should therefore concentrate on trying to reach non-acceptors. The combination of mammographic screening and self-examination in a randomized trial could add to the existing evidence.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Childhood leukaemia in Switzerland: comparison of different sources of data.

Since 1976 the Swiss Paediatric Oncology Groups (SPOG) has registered leukaemia cases occurring in Switzerland. The registration was set up for clinical research; however, since 1985 efforts have been made to complete the registers with cases not taking part in a clinical trial. The data of the SPOG register between 1976 and 1989 are compared to data from cancer registers and the mortality statistics of the Federal Office of Statistics. Between 1985 and 1988 the SPOG register included 91% of the cases recorded by the six cantonal registries. Compared to mortality data, registration was 100% in 1989. The SPOG data file can therefore be assumed to be complete enough to be used for epidemiological studies on incidence of leukaemias and on time trends of leukaemias in Switzerland.

Child↗
PubMed1993

[Perception of traffic noise emission in Basel City canton in comparison to actually measured noise levels].

The objective of this study was to assess to what extent the subjective annoyance is influenced by the actually measured or calculated street traffic noise and by sociodemographic factors. In the study on air pollution and health in Basle a representative sample of 1033 families with children up to five years were asked how they perceived street traffic noise. The extent of annoyance was assessed with a scale from 0 (no annoyance) to 10 (unbearably annoyed). The actual noise levels were taken from the official noise-register. Nearly 30% of the families were exposed to > 65 dB(A) in daytime. Immigrant families as well as participants with low education more frequently lived in streets with higher noise levels than Swiss families or participants with higher education. 16.4% considered themselves heavily annoyed by traffic noise (scale 8-10). The proportion of heavily annoyed participants was positively correlated with the actual noise levels, the slope was steepest at a noise level between 60-65 dB(A). By means of a multiple regression it could be shown that, adjusting for education level and city district, the actual noise level was the best predictor of subjective annoyance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the Basel city population 1989-1990].

In the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt, the levels of the major cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1989/90 in a representative sample of 533 inhabitants (252 men and 281 women) aged 25 to 74. Some sex and age specific results concerning blood pressure, height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), cholesterol and smoking status are presented in the article. For the participants aged 35 to 64, the age-standardized (reference population: Switzerland 1989) prevalence rates are always higher for males than for females. High blood pressure (systolic over 160 mm Hg or diastolic over 95 mm Hg) is observed in 17% of the men and 12% of the women, whereas an elevated cholesterol level (over 6.5 mmol/l) concerns respectively 39% and 28% of them. Regular cigarette smokers represent 30% of the males and 27% of the females. Overweight is found in 27% of the men (BMI > or = 27.8 kg/m2) and in 18% of the women (BMI > or = 27.3 kg/m2). These results can be compared to those of the second population survey of the MONICA study carried out in 1988/89 in two other Swiss regions, keeping in mind that there are some methodological differences between the two studies. Overall, high blood pressure appears to be more frequent and hypercholesterolemia less common in Basel.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Regular assessment of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases: a valuable tool or not? (The MONICA experience)].

An important aspect of public health policy is the information system through which the health of the whole population and of particular groups at risk can be monitored. In Switzerland, a first national health survey (SOMIPOPS) was carried out in 1981-1982 by questionnaire and interview and paved the way for implementation of the Swiss Health Survey, whose first test run is currently ongoing. Periodic health examination surveys including measurements of physical characteristics have been conducted only at a regional level in the framework of the WHO project MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease). The mainly French-speaking cantons of Vaud and Fribourg and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino take part in this project and the levels of the major cardiovascular risk factors were measured on representative samples of the population in 1984-86 and in 1988-89. A similar survey was conducted in the German-speaking city of Basel in 1989/89. These studies allow time trend and geographical analysis, and some comparisons are presented in terms of age-standardized prevalence rates of the risk factors. The discussion focuses on the desirability of implementing a periodic health examination survey at the national level. One main advantage of such surveys is that variables of particular interest at a given time can be added to the usual set of measurements, as was the case for blood lead, vitamin D and apolipoproteins in the MONICA surveys.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed1992

[Hepatitis A outbreak in a kindergarten].

In November/December 1990 eight out of 38 children of a kindergarten in Basle were involved in an outbreak of hepatitis A, and further cases occurred among family members and friends of the children. A questionnaire survey and a serologic analysis including all families associated with the kindergarten was undertaken to investigate the source, extent and spread of the hepatitis A. Among 147 persons examined, 20 clinical cases of hepatitis A were diagnosed (9 adults, 11 children), 5 more children were unapparently infected. The hepatitis A virus was imported by an adult who contracted the disease during a journey to Mexico. The virus spread from person to person, the third case being the kindergarten child, who was responsible for the actual outbreak. In a first phase, 11 persons were affected, 6 of them children from the kindergarten. The second phase involved 5 adults and another child from the kindergarten. The hygienic measures undertaken in the kindergarten proved to be efficacious; only one further child was infected thereafter. Immunoglobulin was protective if administered in time. Only 2 out of 21 passively immunized persons who had had contact with hepatitis A patients contracted an unapparent infection, but without further transmission. Among 82 persons who were passively immunized too late or not at all, 20 fell clinically ill with hepatitis A and 3 were unapparently infected. Use of the newly available hepatitis A vaccine is discussed.

Child Day Care Centers↗
PubMed1992

[Language competence of 14-year-old adolescents in relation to their sociocultural origin: results from a logopedic study in the framework of the Basel kindergarten study].

Between 1986 and 1988 speech and language abilities of a representative sample of 341 fourteen-year-old Basle schoolchildren were assessed as part of the 2nd Follow-up examination of the Basle Kindergarten-study. The language and speech test consisted of retelling and writing two stories, one of them played by tape-recorder, the other by video recorder. In addition three established language tests (Mottier-, IMK- and KLI-speechtest) were used. The results show significant differences between Swiss children and children of Italian workers in different test parts. There are also differences between boys and girls and between social classes. The high proportion of children with language difficulties is alarming. Parts of the tests used in this study were found to be appropriate for a screening of speech and language abilities.

Adolescent↗