[The short-term effects of air pollution on mortality: the results of the EMECAM project in the municipality of Madrid, 1992-1995. Estudio Multicéntrico Español sobre la Relación entre la Contaminación Atmosférica y la Mortalidad]. / Efectos a corto plazo de la contaminación atmosférica sobre la mortalidad: resultados del proyecto EMECAM en el municipio de Madrid, 1992-1995.

BACKGROUND: Despite the changes which have taken place in the sources of emissions, the levels of particles, SO2 and CO continue to be high in the municipality of Madrid. Apart from this, photochemical pollutants, such as NO2 and O3 are taking on growing importance due to the increased number of cars and trucks on the road and the major degrees of sunlight in this city. The objective of this article is to set out the short-term relationship between the major pollutants and the daily death rate in the city of Madrid for the 1992-1995 period, using the standardized procedure of the EMECAM Projects (Spanish Multicenter Study of Air Pollution and Death Rate). METHODS: The daily fluctuations in the death rate for all causes except external ones for all ages and for those individuals over age 69, in addition to those of the circulatory system and respiratory apparatus are related to the daily fluctuations in particles (PM10), SO2, NO2, CO and O3, by means of autoregressive Poisson regression models. The seasonality, tendency, temperature, relative humidity, flu, day of the week, holidays and events out of the ordinary are controlled. RESULTS: Statistically significant positive relationships were found to exist between SO2 and all of the death rate series analyzed, between CO and the death rate of individuals over age 69, as well as with cardiovascular and respiratory deaths and of the particles to the death rate as the result of cardiovascular disease. A statistically significant relationship was also found to exist between NO2 and the cardiovascular death rate. These impact are immediate, that is to say, they occur with the pollutants of the same day. No significant positive relationships were found to exist for O3. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, for a broad spectrum of major pollutants, the current levels of air pollution in Madrid are related to a rise in the death rate.

[Origin and distribution of seasonal allergies. A primary care view]. / Origen y distribución de la alergia estacional. Una visión desde la atención primaria.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the seasonal allergy distribution and its relation with grass pollen in environment. DESIGN: Ecological and descriptive study. SITE. Primary care centre in townshipe Coslada (Madrid). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANT: People who are attended because of seasonal allergy from 20th April to 14th June in 1990 and 1991, of the total people covered by a primary care team. MAIN MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: No differences were found in relation to sex. 5-19 age group cumulated 66.1 and 61.2% of the episodes in 1990 and 1991 respectively. 36.2 and 31% (1990-1991) described respiratory difficulties and 21.5 and 18.8% respiratory wheezings. 82.7 and 88.4% of patients asserted that the symptoms repeated annually. Patients who related known allergy, 91.8 and 98.3% attributed their problems to grass pollen. Correlations of r = 0.5207 (p < 0.001) in 1990 and r = 0.4978 (p < 0.01) in 1991 between grass pollen the day before and the notification date were found. CONCLUSIONS: We found the highest care assistance in the infant-juvenile age group, the same as an important number of cases with asthmatic symptomatology. We seen a moderate relationship between the episodes notification date and grass pollen in the environment.

[A study of family carriers in 132 cases of Giardia lamblia infestation]. / Estudio de portadores familiares en 132 casos parasitados por Giardia lamblia.

A study on 132 families where a lambliasis case was diagnosed is presented. An epidemiological investigation in each family was made; faeces were analyzed to find Lamblia carriers. The total number of investigated persons--lambliasis cases excluded--was 405; 30 of them (7.4%) were positive. Between people younger than fifteen the percentage of positive test was 14.7%, while over this age the rate of affectation was 4.2%. There is an statistic association with the assistance to child school. No correlation with sex or another determinant factors was found. Carriers treatment was successful in 96.1%.