REFINING OF ASTHMA PREVALENCE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND VISUALIZATION OF OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT FACTORS USING GIS AND ITS APPLICATION FOR IDENTIFICATION OF MUTUAL ASSOCIATIONS.

Aim: This study presents a procedure of complex assessment of the environment impact on asthma prevalence. This approach is also applicable for any other disease which is supposed to be associated with the quality of the outdoor environment.

Methods: The input data included asthma prevalence values from the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) cross-section questionnaire survey (13,456 children) and annual reports on activities of all paediatricians in the Czech Republic (2,072 surgeries); concentrations of PM10, PM2.

The influence of age on transfer factor treatment of cellular immunodeficiency, chronic fatigue syndrome and/or chronic viral infections.

A group of 222 patients suffering from cellular immunodeficiency (CID), frequently combined with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and/or chronic viral infections by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and/or cytomegalovirus (CMV), were immunologically investigated and treated with transfer factor (TF). The age range was 17-77 years. In order to elucidate the influence of aging on the course of the disease and on treatment, 3 subgroups were formed: 17-43 years, 44-53 years, and 54-77 years.

[Coronary disease in patients after heart transplantation].

Coronary artery lesions are evaluated in a group of 43 patients surviving for more than 3 months after heart transplantation. An angiographic finding was obtained from 35 patients, autopsy findings were available in eight cases. Angiography demonstrated coronary artery lesions in 12 out of the 35 patients whereas autopsy findings were positive in five out of the eight post mortem examinations.

[Infectious complications in patients after heart transplantation].

The incidence of infectious complications was monitored in a group of the first 100 patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine from January 1984 through May 1993. The definition of an infectious complication was a clinically manifest infection requiring treatment. Cytomegalovirus infection and Epstein-Barr virus infection were evaluated by the development of antibody against IgM.

[A study of the immune status in patients before heart surgery using the Imunoskintest Sevac kit].

By means of a Immunoskintest Sevac kit the authors examined 99 patients who were subjected to heart surgery with extracorporeal circulation. In the group of patients with an index of more than 1.0 were 7% postoperative infectious complications, in the group with an index smaller than 1.

[The effect of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus infection on immunologic signs].

Patients with active CMV or EBV infection characterized by the presence of specific serum IgM and/or high immunofluorescence in IgG, have higher levels of circulating immune complexes and a lower phagocytic activity of leucocytes than patients with latent CMV/EBV infections or not infected patients. In active infections at the same time the absolute number of lymphocytes with the surface sign CD8 increases. The amount of lymphocytes with differential antigens CD3 and CD4 does not change substantially.

[Ensuring ureter viability: experimental study].

1. In experiments on dogs we observed that the remaining of the peripelvic and periureteral tissue in taking from the kidney is not decisive for the blood supply of the ureter. That these findings are important also for the clinic is confirmed by the following fact: in order to draw the ureter through the natireflux tunnel, 2-4 cm of the periureteral tissue must be removed.

[Results of personal experience in the long-term treatment of chronic lymphatic edema].

The author sets out his comments on the satisfactory results obtained in the treatment of lymphatic oedema of the lower limbs. He puts much stress on the need always to undertake these treatments, which even when instituted late, bring about a definite improvement. Long term surveillance is absolutely indispensable.

Optimal perfusion parameters in kidney preservation.

The optimal pressure in the renal artery during initial perfusion with Collins' solution by spontaneous pressure in canine kidneys is 40-50 cm H2O and in human kidneys 40-60 cm H2O. An average-sized human kidney can be perfused by a full current which is limited only by the lumen of the infusion set. In smaller than average-sized human kidneys the current must be reduced to diminish the pressure in the renal artery to the optimal value.

The use of autologous and allogeneic venous grafts for arteriovenous fistulas in chronic haemodialysis.

The development of haemodialysis treatment and kidney transplantation has brought forth effective therapy and long-term survival in patients with irreversible renal failure. One of the factors limiting successful long-term treatment is the difficulty involved in the patients repeatedly on to the artificial kidney. Once all the routine techniques of creating subcutaneous arteriovenous have been exploited, the use of venous grafts provides further opportunities for vascular access for regular haemodialysis.