Associations between migraine and possible risk factors in the Czech Republic.

Introduction: Migraine is a widespread neurological disorder, growing increasingly common. However, the pathogenesis of the disease is often unclear and the evidence for the role of various risk factors is limited. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with migraine and to contribute towards a better understanding of this disease.

MicroRNAs as a Potential Biomarker in the Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in most developed countries. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly investigated molecules not only in CVD but also in other diseases. Several studies on miRNAs continue to reveal novel miRNAs that may play a role in CVD, in their pathogenesis in diagnosis or prognosis, but evidence for clinical implementation is still lacking.

Lifetime losses due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases attributable to air pollution in polluted and unpolluted areas.

The article assesses differences in lifetime losses caused by premature deaths from cardiopulmonary disease in populations living in areas with different environmental burdens. The results provide different perspectives on data on total years lost and lifetime losses attributable to air pollution. Such lifetime losses in the industrial area related to cardiovascular causes of death are 7.

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation in Policemen Working in Cities Differing by Major Sources of Air Pollution.

DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression, and it can serve as a useful biomarker of prior environmental exposure and future health outcomes. This study focused on DNA methylation profiles in a human cohort, comprising 125 nonsmoking city policemen (sampled twice), living and working in three localities (Prague, Ostrava and Ceske Budejovice) of the Czech Republic, who spent the majority of their working time outdoors. The main characterization of the localities, differing by major sources of air pollution, was defined by the stationary air pollution monitoring of PM2.

Lifetime Carcinogenic Risk Proportions from Inhalation Exposures in Industrial and Non-Industrial Regions.

The aim of this work was to estimate the share of selected significant risk factors for respiratory cancer in the overall incidence of this disease and their comparison in two environmentally different burdened regions. A combination of a longitudinal cross-sectional population study with a US EPA health risk assessment methodology was used. The result of this procedure is the expression of lifelong carcinogenic risks and their contribution in the overall incidence of the disease.

Examination of in Factor V Leiden and Prothrombin II Thrombophilic Mutations in Czech Young Women Using ddPCR-Prevalence and Cost-Benefit Analysis.

Background: Thrombophilic mutations in genes for factor V Leiden and factor II prothrombin are among the most important risk factors for developing the thromboembolic disease (TED), along with the use of oral contraceptives (OCs) or smoking.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of risk factors in young women using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and, based on the results of this investigation, to perform a cost-benefit analysis of ddPCR-based screening in young women starting to take OCs compared to the treatment costs of patients who develop preventable TED in the Czech Republic.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, female university students filled in a questionnaire and provided a blood sample for DNA isolation and ddPCR analysis of both aforementioned genetic risk factors.

Evaluation of Fine and Ultrafine Particles Proportion in Airborne Dust in an Industrial Area.

The health impacts of suspended particulate matter (SPM) are significantly associated with size-the smaller the aerosol particles, the stronger the biological effect. Quantitative evaluation of fine and ultrafine particles (FP and UFP) is, therefore, an integral part of ongoing epidemiological studies. The mass concentrations of SPM fractions (especially PM, PM, PM) were measured in an industrial area using cascade personal samplers and a gravimetric method, and their mass ratio was determined.

The mediating role of lung function on air pollution-induced cardiopulmonary mortality in elderly women: The SALIA cohort study with 22-year mortality follow-up.

Background: Air pollution exposure is associated with reduced lung function and increased cardio-pulmonary mortality (CPM).

Objectives: We analyzed the potential mediating effect of reduced lung function on the association between air pollution exposure and CPM.

Methods: We used data from the German SALIA cohort including 2527 elderly women (aged 51-56 years at baseline 1985-1994) with 22-year follow-up to CPM.

A study evaluating noise levels at selected schools in the Czech Republic.

Objective: Worldwide, primary schools are the most important segment of childhood education. The main disturbing source of noise in schools is human speech, the primary component of the learning process. School noise has a negative impact on information processing, teachers and pupils, and communication in the classroom.

Associations between air pollution in the industrial and suburban parts of Ostrava city and their use.

Selecting the locations and numbers of air quality monitoring stations is challenging as these are expensive to operate. Representative concentrations of pollutants in certain areas are usually determined by measuring. If there are significant correlations with concentrations of other pollutants or with other monitoring sites, however, concentrations could also be computed, partly reducing the costs.

Bioaerosols in the Suburbs of Ostrava during a One Year Period.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to provide information about the concentrations of airborne bioaerosols (airborne bacteria, fungi and endotoxins) in outdoor suburban environments in Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian region, Czech Republic.

Methods: The methods were based on systematic bioaerosol monitoring during one calendar year, subsequent analysis of the samples and statistical processing. The regression, correlation analysis and analysis of variance for one factor and pairwise comparisons were performed on bioaerosol data to determine their dependence on season, daytime, temperature, humidity and dew point.

Environmental and Socioeconomic Health Inequalities: a Review and an Example of the Industrial Ostrava Region.

Background And Aim: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 2 million premature deaths and 7 million of total deaths each year can be attributed to the effects of air pollution. The contribution of air pollution to the health status of population is estimated to be about 20%. Health is largely determined by factors outside the reach of healthcare sector, including low income, unemployment, poor environment, poor education, and substandard housing.

A Summary of Environmental Health Studies in the City of Ostrava and the Surrounding Region in the Czech Republic.

Aim: This study is concerned with environmental health studies conducted in Ostrava (Czech Republic) and the surrounding region since the early nineties.

Methods: Various databases, journals and reports, including internal or unpublished reports, were reviewed to assess the individual publications. A brief description of the studies and main results were collated.

Air Pollution and Potential Health Risk in Ostrava Region - a Review.

Aim: The aim of this review was to collect all available data about air pollution in Ostrava, which is one of the most polluted area in central Europe and to make a concise assessment of health risks resulting from historical exposures of air pollutants since the beginning of the monitoring, i.e. since 1970 to the present time.

Editorial.

This special issue of the CEJPH focuses on air pollution and its public health effects. Despite the fact that the body of knowledge of possible health effects of air pollutants is growing over the last two decades, mainly as a result of multiple epidemiological studies conducted all over the world, many questions still remain unanswered. As the air pollution in the Silesian part of the Czech Republic, and in the Ostrava Region in particular, is a significant environmental phenomenon in Europe, the data on pollution exposure, types, and health effects at various levels could be an important contribution to the body of evidence on this (sometimes) seemingly local issue.

How serious are health impacts in one of the most polluted regions of Central Europe?

Background: The long-term exposure to pollutants in ambient air is associated with higher mortality and occurrence of respiratory and cardiopulmonary diseases. The longitudinal cross-section study focuses on the associations between long-term exposures to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pollutants and the prevalence and incidence of such specific diseases including immunodeficiencies.

Methods: The data on health status from industrial and non-industrial regions were obtained from health documentation for a 5-year period from 2007 to 2011 and represent the whole population living in polluted (1,249,323 inhabitants) and unpolluted (631,387 inhabitants) regions.

Epidemiology and risk factors of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects approximately one percent of the general population. The pathogenesis of schizophrenia is influenced by many risk factors, both environmental and genetic. The environmental factors include the date of birth, place of birth and seasonal effects, infectious diseases, complications during pregnancy and delivery, substance abuse and stress.

Asthma Exacerbations and Symptom Variability in Children Due to Short-term Ambient Air Pollution Changes in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Aim: The Ostrava region suffers from high levels of air pollution during winter inversions. We investigated the association between short-term elevations of air pollutant concentrations and worsening of respiratory problems, use of asthma medication and restriction of daily activities in asthmatic patients in Ostrava.

Methods: One-hundred and forty-seven child and adolescent patients (aged 6-18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of mild to moderate persistent asthma were included in the study.

Association between childhood leukaemia and exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields in Middle Europe.

Objective: Higher levels of exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) are associated with a slightly increased risk of childhood leukaemia. Compared with more-developed Western countries, higher exposure levels are evident in the Czech Republic, probably because of the different types of housing. In light of this, we aimed to examine the association between ELF-MF exposure and childhood leukaemia in the Czech Republic.