Process evaluation of European 'Healthy Stadia' program.

Healthy Stadia (HS) is a European public health pilot-program started in 2007 to support sports stadia in promoting the health of people who work and visit sports stadia, as well as inhabitants of the surrounding communities. The aim of this study is to describe the process evaluation of the program, from its beginning in July 2007 to December 2009, in order to assess the feasibility and sustainability of an HS network across Europe. The program involved nine associate partners involved in the coordination of activities at a local level, in the recruitment of stadia, in the development of specific program tasks and in the dissemination of the program at a national level. The activities of associate partners were evaluated through structured questionnaires administered every 6 months. The questionnaire response rate from associate partners was 77.8% for the first and third evaluations and 88.9% for the second and fourth evaluations. According to the evaluation's results, several good practices such as alcohol prevention policies and those supporting people with disabilities were implemented in stadia over the course of the program. Conversely, practices supporting mental health and green transport were generally not achieved. The implemented activities mainly involved staff and visitors. Lack of human and economic resources, especially toward the end of the program, was considered the principal challenge for program development. In conclusion, the process evaluation presented the feasibility of the HS program and the development of health promoting practices in sport stadia over time.

In vitro propagation of Withania somnifera and isolation of withanolides with immunosuppressive activity.

Withania somnifera plantlets were produced in vitro from the shoot-tip of aseptically germinated seedlings. Culture conditions were optimized using different plant growth regulators which gave rise to 120 shoots from a single bud. The plantlets were then transferred to pots and maintained in greenhouse for 4 months. 90% of these in vitro propagated plantlets survived and showed normal growth. Leaves from these plants were used for isolation of the withanolides. Methanolic extract of leaves from plantlets growing in tissue culture and those transferred to the greenhouse were evaluated for immunomodulatory activity. While the extract from greenhouse samples showed potent immunosuppressive activity, those from tissue cultures samples did not show any activity. Fractionation and characterization of withanolides, using HPLC, NMR, MS methods revealed the presence of withaferin A in the greenhouse samples. Our results indicate that Withania species may require longer time and better differentiation and also natural environment for the production of withaferin A.

[Carcinogenic effects of diesel emission: an epidemiological review]. / Epidemiologiczne dowody kancerogennego dzialania spalin emitowanych przez silniki Diesla.

The results of recent epidemiological studies and meta-analysis relating to carcinogenic effects of diesel emissions in exposed populations were reviewed. Statistical, but still not causal association between risk of lung cancer and occupational exposure to diesel emissions was found in a great number of studies under review. Long-term exposure to diesel exhausts (> 20 years) increases by 30-40% lung cancer risk in workers of the transport industry: truck drivers, diesel engine mechanics, locomotive engineers and brakesmen. The results are inconsistent among heavy equipment operators, bus drivers and miners. Relative risk of lung cancer among workers occupationally exposed to diesel emission may be comparable with that of environmental tobacco smoke. Further research is also needed in the area of carcinogenic mechanisms, and biomarkers of exposure should be developed and validated before reliable quantitative estimates of risk of harmful effects to the human health in occupational setting are made.

[Markers of bone formation and resorption in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism]. / Markery tworzenia i resorpcji kosci w pierwotnej i wtórnej nadczynnosci przytarczyc.

Hyperparathyroidism, both primary and secondary in chronic renal failure, leads to pathologic changes in the bones. Newly introduced markers of bone metabolism enable to biochemically detect and evaluate these changes. The aim of our studies was to perform determinations of serum osteocalcin as a marker of bone formation, and C-terminal telopeptide of collagen I (ICTP) as a marker of bone resorption in patients with excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Our studies comprised of 15 patients with primary and 24 patients with secondary hyperparathydroidism. In all patients serum PTH, osteocalcin and ICTP were detected by radioimmunoassay; the correlations between PTH and osteocalcin as well as between PTH and ICTP were also performed. Serum PTH was elevated in both, primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. In primary hyperparathyroidism serum osteocalcin was moderately or definitely elevated, similarly serum ICTP was high. Following surgical removal of a parathyroid adenoma, concomitantly with a drop in serum PTH there was a rapid normalization of serum osteocalcin and ICTP. Secondary hyperparathyroidism in uraemia was characterised by markedly elevated serum osteocalcin and ICTP which surpassed the concentration of these markers in primary hyperparathyroidism. There was a positive correlation between serum PTH and osteocalcin levels, and a lower correlation between PTH and ICTP. From our studies it is concluded that excessive secretion of PTH in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism stimulates bone formation and to higher degree--bone resorption.

[Comparison of calcitonin tolerance after intramuscular or intranasal administration in treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis]. / Porównanie tolerancji kalcytoniny podawanej domiesniowo lub donosowo w leczeniu osteoporozy pomenopauzainej.

The aim of the study was to compare the tolerance of synthetic salmon calcitonin applied in two different ways, intramuscularly or intranasally, in 50 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis with bone fractures. Thirty patients were treated with calcitonin in intramuscular or subcutaneous injections, whereas in 20 cases calcitonin was applied in nasal spray. In the first group several side effects were observed, like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, skin rush, headaches, dropping blood pressure, symptoms of bronchial spasm. Finally in 13 cases it was necessary to stop calcitonin therapy. On the other hand the patients receiving calcitonin in nasal spray did not manifest any severe side effects.