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Comparative analysis of national regulations concerning blood safety across Europe.

In October 2001, representatives of 17 European countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and UK) met in Sarajevo at a course organized by the European School of Transfusion Medicine to discuss their countries' regulations concerning different aspects of the safety of blood transfusion. Results are summarized in tables to facilitate comparisons. Most countries (13/17) have specific transfusion laws and 9/17 have hospital-based systems as opposed to national organizations. Quality assurance is common among investigated countries (14/17). Voluntary associations are responsible for donor promotion in the majority of countries (13/17). Exclusively, voluntary non-remunerated donors are found in 5/17 countries, whereas in the remaining ones, incentives, family replacement and remuneration are mechanisms stimulating blood donation. Medical doctors using official selection criteria are checking donor suitability in virtually all countries, which also perform main microbiological testing. Regulations on good clinical use of blood and derivatives are present in most countries but applied only in some. Although the data presented need to be interpreted with some caution, this preliminary analysis shows that, although some significant differences still exist, the majority of countries studied are moving in the same direction to ensure safety of their blood supply.

Blood Banks↗

Distribution of HBsAg subtypes in the world.

HBsAg subtyping was performed in 5,337 sera from chronic carriers who originated from 54 different countries of the 5 continents. Nine subtypes were defined: ayw1, ayw2, ayw3, ayw4, ayr, adw2, adw4, adr q- and adr q+. The repartition of these subtypes, according to the country of origin of the carriers, enhances the previous results and supplies new data: ayw1 is prevalent only in Vietnam (51%); ayw2 in Mediterranean countries (73%); ayw3 in Greece and Yugoslavia (54%) along with ayw2 (41%); ayw4 in West Africa (82%) and Central Africa (42%) along with ayw2; ayr was only found in Vietnam (3.4%); adw2 is prevalent in North and Central Europe (70%), East and South Africa (95%), India (55%), along with ayw3 (35%) in northern South American (74%), and in the Antilles (82%); adw4 is widespread in French Polynesia (45%)--with a 100% frequency in the Marquesas archipelago--as well as in Argentina (42%); adr q--was found only in Ocean: French Polynesia (34%) with a 69% frequency in the Australes, New Caledonia (3 out of 3 HBsAg carriers); adr q+ is the prevalent subtype in South-East Asia if we exclude Vietnam (61%). These results show that a precise geographical distribution of HBsAg subtypes needs more than 'four main subtypes' generally used. Enlarging from 4 subtypes to 9 is a requirement for valuable epidemiologic studies, as well as for the specification of anti-HBs antibodies produced by hybrids or induced by synthetic peptide. The geographical distribution of these 9 HBsAg subtypes and the serological relationship between some determinants suggest a genetic recombination of viral DNA.

Africa↗

Seroprevalence survey for Anaplasma marginale-infection of Austrian cattle.

A serologic survey study of 5,076 Austrian cattle farming herds was carried out in the period of December 1988 till March 1990. One animal was randomly selected from each herd and the antibody titer against Anaplasma marginale in blood serum samples was evaluated by means of the complement fixation test. The number of these tested blood samples was 3.6% of 140,081 cattle herd farms of Austria. 109 (2.1%) of the tested animals showed positive titers (1:10) against Anaplasma marginale, in relation to the 140,081 cattle herds 0.08%, 4,786 (94.3%) blood serum samples were sero-negative, 188 (3.8%) reacted anticomplementary. The highest number of antibody-positive animals of 8 tested Austrian districts could be found in Carinthia (46 = 5.7%). In Burgenland all tested sera turned out to be negative. Concerning the distribution of sero-positive animals in Austria it can be stated that a decrease of positive reactors from southern to northern region is evident. A connection between the occurrence of anaplasmosis in Italy, Yugoslavia, Switzerland and Hungary, is postulated as a result of the different systems of keeping cattle in the provinces and the regional increase of tick invasion. Possibly an intensive animal transportation is of importance due to the introduction of the disease mentioned before. The results obtained show that anaplasmosis does occur in different areas of Austria. For control of this disease in Austria it is proposed that all imported cattle should be tested serologically for antibodies against Anaplasma marginale. Other diseases in connection with anemia should be excluded by clinical, serological, blood-, as well as pathological examinations.

Anaplasma↗

Third Report on the Standardisation of Terminology of Lower Urinary Tract Function Procedures related to the evaluation of micturition: pressure-flow relationships. Residual urine. Produced by the International Continence Society, February 1977.

This report continues with recommendations on procedures related to the evaluation of micturition. It covers pressure-flow relationships and residual urine. These recommendations were subject to discussion during the Seventh Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society in Portoroz, Yugoslavia, September 1977. These standards are proposed to facilitate comparison of results by investigators who use urodynamic methods. It is recommended that the acknowledgement of these standards in written publications be indicated by a footnote to the section "Methods and Material" or its equivalent: "Methods, definitions and units conform to the standards proposed by the International Continence Society except where specifically noted."

Humans↗

Innocents abroad: Western fantasies of childhood and the iconography of emergencies.

In this paper I explore the emotional interests maintained by the imagery of children used in Third World emergencies. Boundaries between adult and child are reproduced through relations of paternalism between North and South, such that the infantilisation of the South exemplified in imagery of children works to secure the competence and maturity of the Northern donor. Drawing on both analyses of the cultural origins and meanings of concepts of childhood and psychoanalytic perspectives, I suggest that media coverage of disasters arouses both identification and strategies to ward off and protect from the anxiety this brings. The gendered as well as geographical distribution of qualities of children's innocence and experience are discussed, drawing on both general imagery of children and recent coverage of children and child-saving, particularly in the former Yugoslavia. Developing analyses of 'disaster pornography', the paper explores how children appear as the principal focal objects onto which attention is pinned and as the signifiers of distress. This is at the cost of dehumanizing both children, their families and their cultures, and rendering them passive objects of a western gaze which seeks to confirm its own agency and omnipotence to ward off its own insecurities. While aid organisations and campaigns necessarily engage with, and sometimes collude with, these reactions, the paper ends by suggesting that there may be strategies whereby images of children can function to comment on rather than maintain prevailing colonial and paternalistic relations.

Advertising↗

Aspects of tooth decay in recently arrived refugees.

OBJECTIVE: To measure and compare the prevalence and distribution of tooth decay among two refugee groups recently arrived in Australia. METHOD: The study included refugees aged 15-44 years from Iraq and the former Yugoslavia and random, age-matched social security recipients attending for emergency dental care in 1996. RESULTS: In younger persons, former Yugoslavian refugees had significantly greater decay experience than Iraqis and emergency care recipients. Refugees had significantly more untreated decay than emergency care recipients and a similar distribution of untreated decayed teeth, with only 15% having none and more than 10% having high decay levels. More than 33% of emergency care recipients had no untreated decay and less than 5% had high levels. CONCLUSION: Significant differences were found between refugees and emergency dental care recipients, with refugees having a higher prevalence and more uniform distribution of untreated decay. IMPLICATIONS: Consistent with public health objectives, the finding that refugees had significantly more untreated decay than other disadvantaged Australians provides support for improved access to dental care during the settlement period.

Adolescent↗

Attempted suicide and immigration in Perth, Western Australia, 1969-1978.

Rates and methods of attempted suicide during 1969-1978 of migrants in Perth, Western Australia, were compared with native born Australians. There was a 4.6-fold male and a 2.8-fold female differential rate for migrants from individual countries of birth - significantly higher rates in migrants from New Zealand and Scotland (men) and lower rates in those from Greece, Italy and India/Pakistan (men) and Italy, Poland and Yugoslavia (women). The data were compared with previously published suicide rates of migrants in Australia 1962-1970, showing both similarities and differences. There was very little difference in attempted suicide methods used by different groups. These results were discussed considering factors in the country of origin, in the country of resettlement and relating to the migration itself. Difficulty was encountered in comparing the rates with those in the countries of origin. Strong family ties, religious adherences and maintenance of traditional values were postulated to explain the low Asian and Southern European rates.

Adolescent↗

Longitudinal study of oral hygiene and dietary habits among immigrant children in Sweden.

Families immigrating to Sweden from Finland and Southern Europe (Greece, Yugoslavia, and Turkey), as well as Swedish control families of the same social class, were interviewed twice on their children's oral hygiene and dietary habits and on the parents' knowledge of oral health. The first interview was made on the immigrants' arrival in Sweden and the second one 30 months later. The material comprised 35 Finnish, 23 South-European and 54 Swedish families. During the observation period more immigrant than control children had complained about toothache. The frequency of toothbrushing was lower among the immigrants than among the Swedes at both interviews. The frequency of sweets consumption was significantly higher among the immigrants. Fewer immigrant than Swedish children had been examined or treated by a dentist before the first interview. There was no difference between the immigrants and the controls in channels of information about oral hygiene, the schools and the dentists being the foremost source of information for both groups. The Swedish parents had a more competent knowledge of oral hygiene than the parents of the immigrant children. It was concluded that Finnish and South-European immigrant children definitely have a great need of preventive dentistry.

Adolescent↗

Rotavirus vaccine studies in Europe.

Following the discovery and recognition of rotavirus as an important human enteropathogen, work towards the development of rotavirus vaccines was begun in the USA and Europe. The first candidate rotavirus vaccine was launched by SmithKline-RIT, Belgium, and studied in clinical trials in Finland, Yugoslavia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and the UK. Efficacy trials in Finland of RIT 4237 strain live oral bovine rotavirus vaccine resulted in some fundamental findings about rotavirus immunity in humans: protection against disease rather than infection; better protection against severe than mild disease and heterotypic rather than homotypic protection. Another bovine rotavirus vaccine, strain WC-3, was studied briefly in France. Also studies of rhesus rotavirus vaccine were started early in Europe, and efficacy studies were carried out in Finland and Sweden. Recently, rhesus-human re-assortant tetravalent (RRV-TV) rotavirus vaccine was tested in a field trial in Finland this study was pivotal for the registration of the vaccine in the USA and European Union countries. Despite extensive experience with rotavirus vaccines in Europe, the need for such vaccines in many European countries still requires further assessment.

Animals↗

Balkan (endemic) nephropathy and foodborn ochratoxin A: preliminary results of a survey of foodstuffs.

Ochratoxin A is a nephrotoxic fungal metabolite (mycotoxin) occurring in foodstuffs. The compound is causally associated with mycotoxic porcine nephropathy, a disease comparable with a human kidney disease, Balkan endemic nephropathy. A preliminary survey of home-produced foodstuffs in areas of Yugoslavia revealed that contamination with ochratoxin A is more frequent in an area where Balkan endemic nephropathy is prevalent (endemic area) than in area where this disease is absent. This indicates higher exposure to foodborn ochratoxin A in the endemic area. Thus further evidence is provided supporting the hypothesis that ochratoxin A is a disease determinant of Balkan endemic nephropathyk0

Food Analysis↗

Migratory Prostitution with Emphasis on Europe.

In many European countries, foreigners constitute the majority of certain groups of prostitutes, e.g., approximately 90% of the window prostitutes in the red light district of Amsterdam are not native to the Netherlands. The same is true for prostitutes working in bars in Vienna. In cities where registered prostitution is legal, unregistered prostitutes, most of whom are foreigners, often outnumber the registered ones. Central European countries often receive "sex workers" from eastern Europe, e.g., from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, whereas the majority of migratory prostitutes in Great Britain and continental western Europe come from Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. In northern Europe, women from Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and the Baltic states are prostituting themselves in increasing numbers. Scandinavia has so far been affected relatively less by this mobility. In Spain, France, and Italy, women from Arabic and subSaharan countries are common among prostitutes. Foreign prostitutes move into Turkey along two main routes: women from the Balkan countries come to the western part of the country, whereas those from the former Soviet Union cross the border from Georgia, where they usually operate at resorts along the eastern Black Sea coast. Prostitutes are also mobile within the former communist bloc. For instance, women from Russia prostitute themselves in Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. the customers are locals, particularly those with "hard currency", such as businessmen and "sex tourists" from the West. Following the outbreak of civil war in the former Yugoslavia, women from that country are now more frequently seen among the population of migratory prostitutes in Europe.

Journal Article↗

Oncology in neuroimmunomodulation. What progress has been made?

In 1987 in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, N.H. Spector named a new discipline: Neuroimmunomodulation. R. Ader called this new discipline psychoneuroimmunomodulation when the major emphysis was on its behavioral aspects. Neuroimmunomodulation (NIM) is devoted to the study of the interactions at different morphologic and functional levels among the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. In fact, this science is the modern manifestation of an old science: in the words of B.D. Jankovic (1987), "Neuroimmunomodulation is a modern reflection in neurosciences and immunosciences of the ideas and experience of philosophers and ingenious observers of ancient Egypt, Greece, China, India, and other civilizations that the mind is involved in the defense against diseases." Twelve years ago NIM was regarded by many conventional scientists almost as a form of witchcraft. Today it may be the fastest growing area of biomedical science research in the world. Important clinical applications will not be far behind. NIM research has also progressed in the field of oncology research. Topics such as treatment of hormone-dependent cancer with analogues of hypothalamic hormones, the role of opioids and T cells in cancer, stress-cancer-immune connections, the anticancer role of melatonin and cytokines, immunotherapy of cancer, and the role of psychotherapy in cancer patients represent some lines of research that have been or are being investigated by scientists. Some areas remain to be thoroughly investigated such as the influence of physical exercise (sports), music (classical or modern), and/or relaxation techniques (e.g. yoga) on the development of human cancer. This paper reviews the role of NIM in oncology and provides some perspectives for further research and development of clinical applications.

Humans↗

Effect of traffic noise on the cyclical nature of sleep.

Sleep changes from shallow to deep and back again in a cyclical manner with a period of around 90 min. The sleep of 12 subjects, each sleeping for 24 nights, was monitored by EEG. The results indicate that the cyclical nature may be somewhat disturbed by continuous free-flowing traffic noise, at a level of 60 dB, if, for instance, waking is always considered as the end of one cycle. However, if a cycle is judged from a bird's-eye view of the sleep record, then it appears that the average subject persists in his normal cycle and the effect of noise is negligible. But individual differences are great and may even be in opposite directions [G. J. Thiessen and A.C. Lapointe, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 1078-1080 (1978)], which may result in obscuring real effects when data are averaged over a number of individuals. Defining a "sleep cycle" is of importance in view of reports [M. Herbert and R.T. Wilkinson, Proc. of Congress on Biological Effects on Noise, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia (1973)] that the disturbance of the sleep rhythm has an effect on performance during the following day.

Adult↗

Ecological genetics and natural selection in molluscs.

Polymorphic snails of the genus Cepaea have been widely used for research in ecological genetics. Natural selection by selective predation is important in controlling morph frequencies in some populations of C. nemoralis in England. The importance of environmental selection in affecting other patterns of local genetic differentiation of population structure (area effects) is a matter of controversy. Some authors emphasize divergent evolution of whole gene pools between area effects, while others feel that climatic selection acting on individual loci is important. Analysis of 500,000 C. nemoralis snails from throughout Europe shows that there is a strong positive association between gene frequencies at the shell color locus and mean summer temperature, but that no climatic correlations are obvious at other loci. Another species, C. vindobonensis, which has a much simpler system of polymorphism than does C. nemoralis, was investigated in Yugoslavia, in a region where there is known to be intense microclimatic differentiation because of the accumulation of cold air in frost hollows. There was a striking tendency for snails with lightly pigmented shell bands to be found in places with a warm microclimate. Physiological and behavioral experiments demonstrate that this is due primarily to differential energy absorption from sunshine by the different shell phenotypes. As in C. nemoralis, other C. vindobonensis phenotypes show no detectable association with the environment. It is possible that genes whose frequencies cannot be related to environmental selection may have evolved strong linkage interactions with other genes in the population's gene pool. Selection by the ecological environment and the genetic environment may therefore both be important in controlling the genetic structure of snail populations.

Animals↗

Spectrum and mode of action of azithromycin (CP-62,993), a new 15-membered-ring macrolide with improved potency against gram-negative organisms.

The macrolide antibiotic azithromycin (CP-62,993; 9-deoxo-9a-methyl-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A; also designated XZ-450 [Pliva Pharmaceuticals, Zagreb, Yugoslavia]) showed a significant improvement in potency against gram-negative organisms compared with erythromycin while retaining the classic erythromycin spectrum. It was up to four times more potent than erythromycin against Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae and twofold more potent against Branhamella catarrhalis, Campylobacter species, and Legionella species. It had activity similar to that of erythromycin against Chlamydia spp. Azithromycin was significantly more potent versus many genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae; its MIC for 90% of strains of Escherichia, Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia was less than or equal to 4 micrograms/ml, compared with 16 to 128 micrograms/ml for erythromycin. Azithromycin inhibited the majority of gram-positive organisms at less than or equal to 1 micrograms/ml. It displayed cross-resistance to erythromycin-resistant Staphylococcus and Streptococcus isolates. It had moderate activity against Bacteroides fragilis and was comparable to erythromycin against other anaerobic species. Azithromycin also demonstrated improved bactericidal activity in comparison with erythromycin. The mechanism of action of azithromycin was similar to that of erythromycin since azithromycin competed effectively for [14C]erythromycin ribosomebinding sites.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Laboratory assays of different types of field trial typhoid vaccines and relationship to efficacy in man.

Pittman, Margaret (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.), and Howard J. Bohner. Laboratory assays of different types of field trial typhoid vaccines and relationship to efficacy in man. J. Bacteriol. 91:1713-1723. 1966.-Antibody responses of rabbits to H, O, and Vi antigens did not differentiate vaccine K (acetone-killed and dried) from vaccine L (heat-phenolized and dried) relative to human efficacy. A mouse protection assay in which intraperitoneal vaccination and challenge suspended in mucin were used showed vaccine K to be 3.69 times more potent than vaccine L; with subcutaneous vaccination, vaccine K was only 0.78 as potent. With the challenge suspended in saline, the effect of the route of vaccination was accentuated. An old U.S. reference vaccine, heat-phenolized, induced the same types of response as vaccine L. In the assay with intraperitoneal vaccination and mucin-suspended challenge, the potency of vaccine K relative to vaccine L and the potencies of Polish vaccines, P, N, and T, relative to vaccine K were directly correlated with the efficacies of the vaccines for man, as reported for the recent World Health Organization cooperative field trials in British Guiana, Yugoslavia, and Poland. This assay gave a high potency for alcohol-treated vaccine V relative to vaccine L, but the values did not reflect relative efficacy in the USSR field trial; the subcutaneous vaccination assay more closely reflected their human efficacy. An analysis suggested that vaccine K had a mouse protective factor not present in vaccine L and that vaccine V may have had a third factor. The influence of a few variable factors on the assay with intraperitoneal vaccination and mucin-suspended challenge was studied briefly.

Agglutination Tests↗

Outbreake of Marburg virus disease in Johannesburg.

The first recognised outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Africa, and the first since the original epidemic in West Germany and Yugoslavia in 1967, occurred in South Africa in February 1975. The primary case was in a young Australian man , who was admitted to the Johannesburg Hospital after having toured Rhodesia. Two secondary cases occurred, one being in the first patient's travelling companion, and the other in a nurse. Features of the illness included high fever, myalgia, vomiting and diarrhoea, hepatitis, a characteristic maculopapular rash, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and a bleeding tendency. The first patient died on the seventh day from haemorrhage resulting from a combination of disseminated intravascular coagulation and hepatic failure. The other two patients were given vigorous supportive treatment and prophylactic heparin and recovered after an acute phase lasting about seven days. During this period on developed pancreatitis, the serum amylase remaining raised until the 32nd day after the onset of the illness. The other developed unilateral uveitis after having been asymptomatic for two months. This persisted for several weeks and Marburg virus was cultured from the anterior chamber of the eye.

Adult↗

Percutaneous transarterial balloon dilatation of the mitral valve: five year experience.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the value of transarterial balloon dilatation of the mitral valve for treatment of patients with mitral stenosis over a period of five years. DESIGN: Analysis of patients' functional state, and haemodynamic and echocardiographic variables, before and immediately after the procedure and during a follow up of up to five years. SETTING: A cardiovascular centre in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. PATIENTS: Two hundred and ninety four patients who underwent percutaneous transarterial dilatation of the mitral valve between February 1985 and February 1990. RESULTS: Mean mitral valve area was enlarged by 109%. Complications included death (0.7%), severe mitral insufficiency (2.3%), mild mitral insufficiency (9.9%), cerebral embolism (2%), and injury to the femoral artery (2%). Two more patients died at two and 11 months after the procedure. Late cardiac surgery was needed in eight patients (mitral insufficiency in three, restenosis in three, thrombus in one, and endocarditis in one. Restenosis occurred in seven patients. Four of these underwent repeat dilatation and three had surgery. Improvement of symptoms was seen in 94% of patients during the follow up. CONCLUSION: Transarterial balloon dilatation of the mitral valve gave good results with acceptable morbidity and mortality and had some advantages over the anterograde approach.

Adolescent↗