Population attributable fraction for lung cancer due to residential radon in Switzerland and Germany.

Studies on miners as well as epidemiological studies in the general population show an increased lung cancer risk after exposure to radon and its progeny. The European pooled analysis of indoor radon studies estimates an excess relative risk of 8% (16% after correction for measurement uncertainties) per 100 Bq m(-3) indoor radon concentration. Here, we determine the population attributable fraction (PAF) for lung cancer due to residential radon based on this risk estimate for Switzerland and Germany. Based on regionally stratified radon data, the PAF was calculated following the World Health Organization concept of global burden of disease, compared to a realistic baseline radon concentration equal to the outdoor concentration. Lifetable approaches were used taking smoking and sex into account. Measurement error corrections were applied to both risk estimates and the radon distribution. In Switzerland, the average indoor radon concentration is 78 Bq m(-3), resulting in a PAF of 8.3%. Therefore, 169 male lung cancer deaths and 62 deaths in women can be attributed to residential radon per year. For Germany, the average indoor radon concentration is 49 Bq m(-3), corresponding to a PAF of 5.0% (1,422 male and 474 female deaths annually). In both countries, a large regional variation in the PAF was observed due to regional differences in radon concentrations and population structure. Both calculations show a strong dependency on the risk model used. Risk models based on miner studies result in higher PAF estimates than risk models based on indoor radon studies due to different assumptions regarding exposures received more than 35 years ago. The use of a non-zero baseline radon concentration also contributes to the lower PAF estimates reported here. Although the estimates of the population attributable fraction of residential radon presented here are lower than previously reported estimates, the risk is still one of the most widespread environmental hazards. Radon monitoring and radon reduction programs are therefore important issues for environmental public health management.

Rapid facial mimicry in orangutan play.

Emotional contagion enables individuals to experience emotions of others. This important empathic phenomenon is closely linked to facial mimicry, where facial displays evoke the same facial expressions in social partners. In humans, facial mimicry can be voluntary or involuntary, whereby its latter mode can be processed as rapid as within or at 1s. Thus far, studies have not provided evidence of rapid involuntary facial mimicry in animals. This study assessed whether rapid involuntary facial mimicry is present in orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus; N=25) for their open-mouth faces (OMFs) during everyday dyadic play. Results clearly indicated that orangutans rapidly mimicked OMFs of their playmates within or at 1s. Our study revealed the first evidence on rapid involuntary facial mimicry in non-human mammals. This finding suggests that fundamental building blocks of positive emotional contagion and empathy that link to rapid involuntary facial mimicry in humans have homologues in non-human primates.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection in Germany: different risk factors for different age groups.

The authors conducted a matched case-control study in Germany to identify risk factors for sporadic illness associated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, regardless of serogroup. From April 2001 through March 2003, cases were prospectively enrolled through a laboratory-based sentinel surveillance system located in 14 of the 16 German federal states. One control was identified per case, matched by age and region. Conditional logistic regression was used in the analysis, which was conducted separately for three age groups (<3 years, 3-9 years, and > or =10 years). The median age of the 202 enrolled cases was 2.5 years (range, 3 months-89 years). Hemolytic uremic syndrome developed in five patients. Non-O157 strains accounted for 85% of the isolated STEC. In children under 3 years of age, having touched a ruminant had the highest odds of disease, and raw milk was the only food identified as a risk factor. In contrast, in persons aged 10 years or older, only food items (i.e., lamb meat, raw spreadable sausages) were significantly associated with illness. In this study, risk factors were age-specific. Direct transmission through food played a lesser role in children under 3 years of age, the population at greatest risk of both acquiring STEC infection and developing hemolytic uremic syndrome.