[Long-term experience with testing family and sexual contacts of HBsAg positive persons]. / Dlouhodobé zkusenosti s vysetrováním rodinných a sexuálních kontaktu HBsAg+ osob.

UNLABELLED: The study objectives were to identify HBsAg positive persons and to offer free vaccination against the infection to their family and sexual contacts found negative in screening for viral hepatitis B (VHB) postinfection markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Any person testing HBsAg positive in the Plzen region was registered in cooperation with laboratories. The collected data included reason for testing, clinical diagnosis and ethnicity. Contacts were screened for postinfection markers and vaccinated. RESULTS: Between 1997 and 2004, 939 HBsAg positive persons were registered by laboratories in the Plzen region. Their mean age was 42.2 (0-90) years. As many as 63.4 % of the infected persons appeared to be "healthy" carriers. Nevertheless, a significant upward trend in HBsAg positivity was recorded among immigrants (mainly those from Vietnam). Altogether 18.2 % of 829 family and sexual contacts tested positive for VHB postinfection markers (HBsAg, anti-HBc). The highest percentages of infected contacts were detected among siblings and parents of HBsAg positive persons (36.5 % and 27.3 %, respectively). Free vaccination has been requested by 82.2 % of susceptible contacts. CONCLUSION: Systematic vaccination of family and sexual contacts of HBsAg positive persons can contribute to more rapid VHB elimination in the Czech Republic. Currently, special attention in detecting infected persons is to be paid to immigrants from Asia.

[Experience with the use of folk culture in rehabilitation in day care psychiatric units (preliminary information)]. / Skúsenosti s vyuzívaním l'udovej kultúry v rehabilitácii v dennom psychiatrickom stacionári (predbezná informácia).

The author presents preliminary information on the orientation of rehabilitation in the day sanatorium of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Medical Faculty, Comenius University and Faculty Hospital in Bratislava on folk culture. She describes procedures and initial experience which is positive. The author reflects also on effective mechanisms in the orientation of activities on folk culture.