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Results for “Eastern Europe”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Comparison of serological and DNA HLA-DR typing results for transplantation in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America and South America.

In a previous study, DNA typing revealed that 25% of serological HLA-DR typings of kidney transplants were incorrect. In the current study, we analyzed whether this error rate had improved in recent years, and whether there were differences according to geographical region. From 1988 to 1991 the error rate of serological typing improved slightly in Western Europe from 19% to 16%, and in North America, from 21% to 16%. In Eastern Europe, the error rate decreased from 49% to 33% in 1991, whereas the rate remained high in South America at 60% in 1988 and 72% in 1991. The high error rates in South America and Eastern Europe reflected a lack of good quality serological typing reagents. The 16% typing errors in Western Europe and North America demonstrated the current limit of serological techniques for cadaver donor typing and underlined the need for prospective DNA typing.

DNA↗

PubMed1985

Radiofrequency radiation exposure limits in Eastern Europe.

Eastern European standards on radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure limits (EL) are reviewed. These standards are mandatory. Additional standards specify requirements for equipment and methods for RFR measurements to determine compliance. The standards are based on USSR ELs with the exception of Poland and Czechoslovakia, where different approaches to exposure limitation were used. According to informal private communications, a new joint recommendation on RFR ELs for all countries belonging to the Council of Mutual Economic Cooperation (COMECON) is being developed. As far as can be judged from recent USSR publications, the new recommendations will establish ELs at levels comparable to those indicated in the international guidelines developed by the International Non-Ionizing Radiation Committee of the International Radiation Protection Association (INIRC/IRPA).

Czechoslovakia↗

PubMed1998

Evolution of renal replacement therapy in Central and Eastern Europe 7 years after political and economical liberation. Central and Eastern Europe Advisory Board in Chronic Renal Failure.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The conditions of renal replacement therapy (RRT) were very poor in the countries located in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) when they were members of the so-called 'socialist bloc'. The aim of the present analysis was to document the impact of the socioeconomic changes on dialysis therapy in the CEE countries. DESIGN: This was a special survey with the participation of 12 CEE countries, with data obtained through national registries (with the exception of Russia). RESULTS: During the period 1990-1996 the number of haemodialysis units increased by 56% and the number of centres performing peritoneal dialysis by 296%. The number of patients increased respectively by 78% (haemodialysis) and 306% (peritoneal dialysis). The percentage of patients with diabetic nephropathy and elderly patients rose dramatically during this period. One of the main reasons of such expansion was the rapid development of peritoneal dialysis programmes in the majority of the CEE countries. The introduction of modern haemodialysis machines and a wider choice of different dialysers and concentrates permitted individualization of dialysis procedures. These points and the wider use of erythropoietin had a positive influence on quality of life and treatment outcome. There was also a notable increase in the number of transplant centres, but less so of the number of transplanted patients. CONCLUSION: Renal replacement therapy experienced a major expansion in the CEE countries. Despite the progress achieved, the level of RRT is not yet completely satisfactory in most CEE countries.

Europe↗

PubMed1983

Doctoring in eastern Europe.

Health care in Eastern Europe has not achieved world standards nor the goals of planners of socialist societies. With luck, perseverance, bribes or good connections, it is possible to obtain good medical and surgical care in Eastern Europe for a major illness. Primary and even secondary care usually are substandard, however, and often completely unacceptable to most Western foreigners. The reasons for this are complex but mainly rooted in different attitudes of health workers towards their patients, poor physical plants, poor salary structures, inadequate advancement opportunities for health care workers, poor social status and professional recognition for nurses and almost complete isolation of the average primary care doctor from hospital medicine.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1993

Ethnicity as a cause of migration in Eastern Europe.

"Migration within and from Eastern Europe [including Yugoslavia] has recently risen as a topic of significance on the European political agenda. One aspect of this complex migration matrix relates to ethnic unrest. This paper examines the scale and spatial ramifications of this movement.... An attempt is made to divide the ethnic quilt of Eastern Europe into those countries with few such problems and those with many. It is possible then to define areas of active migration (hot spots) from those of potential migration ([flammable] spots) based on predictions from the current situation."

Culture↗

PubMed2002

[Tuberculosis control in Eastern Europe].

The annual incidence of tuberculosis in Eastern Europe has increased from an average of 40 per 100,000 in 1990 to 60 per 100,000 in 1998. In particular, the increase in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, which is difficult to treat, is a great cause for concern due to increasing migration. The breakdown in the healthcare infrastructure, which has jeopardised medicine supplies, is largely to blame for this increased incidence. Eastern Europe has a long standing tuberculosis control system which is characterised by extensive and specialised knowledge about the disease, but also by a lack of knowledge concerning its control. A great deal of attention is paid to the number of medical procedures carried out, but the results are ignored. For a few years now, Western aid organisations have been involved in tuberculosis control in Eastern Europe and have introduced the WHO DOTS strategy ('directly observed treatment, short-course'), with emphasis on case detection by sputum smear microscopy, directly observed uninterrupted treatment with short-course intensive chemotherapy and evaluation of treatment outcome. The Netherlands play a prominent role in these activities. The DOTS strategy is only slowly becoming accepted in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia. It is in Western Europe's interest to help Eastern Europe rebuild their tuberculosis control system. Education and training are important elements to prepare doctors for their new role, in which public health should be given greater emphasis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed1993

Action plan for a tobacco-free Europe: implementation in central and eastern Europe, 1993-94. WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Major political and social changes in central and eastern European (CEE) countries offer new opportunities and challenges in tobacco control. Action against tobacco in CEE countries is part of an overall European strategy, the action plan for a tobacco-free Europe. Several CEE countries have voiced their concern about the deterioration of tobacco control and about the entry of the international tobacco industry. In response, the Regional Office has set up a framework for an international task force. The core of the task force consists of the EURO staff and a special consultant. Several European countries and organizations have already expressed their willingness to joint the task force by seconding an expert to participate in the country missions and consensus conferences. This paper describes particular steps to implement the action plan in central and eastern Europe. It outlines priority action to be carried out by the CEE countries themselves and describes possibilities for assistance by all European countries. A key role is assigned to a European alliance on tobacco or health to create psychological and material prerequisites for action as well as act in an advisory role. Some of the projects are already underway, but they can be considerably strengthened by extra resources and support. Some of the projects are possible only with new resources. The project proposals are classified according to the six areas of the new action plan but presented in a different order. This paper sets out a range of activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Environmental Health↗

PubMed2004

Deteriorating health satisfaction among immigrants from Eastern Europe to Germany.

BACKGROUND: Migrants from Eastern Europe constitute more than 5% of Germany's population. Since population health in their countries of origin is poor their health status upon arrival may be worse than that of the native-born German population (hypothesis H1). As a minority, they may be socio-economically disadvantaged (H2), and their health status may deteriorate quickly (H3). METHODS: We compared data from 1995 and 2000 for immigrants from Eastern Europe (n = 353) and a random sample of age-matched Germans (n = 2, 824) from the German Socioeconomic Panel. We tested H1-3 using health satisfaction, as a proxy for health status, and socioeconomic indicators. We compared changes over time within groups, and between immigrants and Germans. We assessed effects of socio-economic status and being a migrant on declining health satisfaction in a regression model. RESULTS: In 1995, immigrants under 55 years had a significantly higher health satisfaction than Germans. Above age 54, health satisfaction did not differ. By 2000, immigrants' health satisfaction had declined to German levels. Whereas in 1995 immigrants had a significantly lower SES, differences five years later had declined. In the regression model, immigrant status was much stronger associated with declining health satisfaction than low SES. CONCLUSION: In contrast to H1, younger immigrants had an initial health advantage. Immigrants were initially socio-economically disadvantaged (H2), but their SES improved over time. The decrease in health satisfaction was much steeper in immigrants and this was not associated with differences in SES (H3). Immigrants from Eastern Europe have a high risk of deteriorating health, in spite of socio-economic improvements.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1991

Current status of food-borne parasitic zoonoses--eastern Europe.

For this review, the countries of Eastern Europe are the USSR and Poland (in the eastern part of the European continent), what was formerly East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary (in the north and center), and Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania (to the south). During 1989 and 1990, all of these countries experienced remarkable political and social change, thereby making the term "Eastern Europe" a political anachronism. There are a great many differences among these countries in terms of human behavior, parasites, environment and animal husbandry practices. In spite of recent political changes, however, livestock husbandry practices, which affect the status of food-borne parasites, will not likely change in the near future. Some of the characteristics of the eastern European countries allow the epidemiology of food parasitic zoonoses to be discussed as a common problem.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Comparison of the post-Chernobyl 137Cs contamination of mushrooms from eastern Europe, Sweden, and North America.

A comparison was made of 134Cs and 137Cs contamination in fungi from eastern Europe and eastern North America. Mean activities of 25 Ukrainian, 6 Swedish, and 10 North American collections were 4,660, 9,750, and 205 Bq/kg (dry weight), respectively. Additional measurements were made on samples from the Moscow, southern Belarus, and Yugoslavia/Bulgaria regions. Activity values were found to vary by several orders of magnitude within all geographic areas, even for the same mushroom species. Significantly higher specific activities were observed in mycorrhizal species than in saprophytic and parasitic fungi. Unfortunately, many of the European mycorrhizal species considered as prized edibles contained unacceptably high levels of 137Cs (> 1,000 Bq/kg [dry weight]) and should be used sparingly as food. By contrast, no mushrooms collected in Ontario or northern Michigan exceeded 1,000 Bq of 137Cs per kg (dry weight). The excessive 137Cs contamination was evident in mushrooms from areas that had substantial fallout from the 1986 accident in reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. However, observations suggest that about 20% of the 137Cs in eastern Europe (Moscow area, Belarus, and Ukraine) is of non-Chernobyl origin.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗

PubMed1992