Tobacco use among prison staff in Germany: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Studies on tobacco in the prison environment report high prevalence of use among detainees, but little data regarding staff are available. An observational study addressing tobacco control in German prisons was conducted in 2011. It involved multiple strands (quantitative and qualitative components) both among detainees and staff. This article presents quantitative results regarding staff. METHODS: Cross-sectional study among prison employees in 16 different institutions in nine regions (Länder) in Germany. Tobacco use and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure (primary outcomes) were assessed by a questionnaire designed specifically. Logistic regression models were used to assess the risk factors associated with each outcome. RESULTS: Among 704 participants (60.6% male, mean age 43.9 years ± 9.33), 27.7% are smokers and 68% declared to be exposed to SHS. Independent factors associated with smoking were female gender [odds ratio (OR) 1.49,P= 0.026], an age below 45 years (OR 1.35,P= 0.08) and working in areas other than administration (ORP= 0.08). An age below 45 was associated with a higher degree of self-reported SHS exposure. The association between SHS and gender was different depending on occupational area with significantly more men exposed to SHS in administrative area and more women in health/social area (interaction between gender and occupational area,P= 0.02). CONCLUSION: Importance of SHS exposure among prison employees and confirm the need for a comprehensive tobacco control policy including support to smoking cessation and better enforcement of the smoke-free regulation, especially where staff contributes to SHS. Particular attention has to be given to female employees.

Immunity to polio, measles and rubella in women of child-bearing age and estimated congenital rubella syndrome incidence, Cambodia, 2012.

Significant gaps in immunity to polio, measles, and rubella may exist in adults in Cambodia and threaten vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) elimination and control goals, despite high childhood vaccination coverage. We conducted a nationwide serological survey during November-December 2012 of 2154 women aged 15-39 years to assess immunity to polio, measles, and rubella and to estimate congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) incidence. Measles and rubella antibodies were detected by IgG ELISA and polio antibodies by microneutralization testing. Age-structured catalytic models were fitted to rubella serological data to predict CRS cases. Overall, 29.8% of women lacked immunity to at least one poliovirus (PV); seroprevalence to PV1, PV2 and PV3 was 85.9%, 93.4% and 83.3%, respectively. Rubella and measles antibody seroprevalence was 73.3% and 95.9%, respectively. In the 15-19 years age group, 48.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 42.4-54.1] were susceptible to either PV1 or PV3, and 40.3% (95% CI 33.0-47.5) to rubella virus. Based on rubella antibody seroprevalence, we estimate that >600 infants are born with CRS in Cambodia annually. Significant numbers of Cambodian women are still susceptible to polio and rubella, especially those aged 15-19 years, emphasizing the need to include adults in VPD surveillance and a potential role for vaccination strategies targeted at adults.

Effect of ultrasound-facilitated fixation on oral mucosa density and morphology.

We investigated the effects of ultrasound-facilitated fixation on oral mucosal morphology. Bovine dorsal tongue and porcine buccal (cheek) mucosa were sonicated for 0, 5, 10 or 15 min in a modified methacarn fixative, then incubated at 25° C for 4 h. Initial mass, volume and density of each specimen were measured before and after treatment and fixation. Morphometric analysis of the scanning electron micrographs was used to quantify changes in mucosal structure and microtexture. Statistical methods were used to describe the relation between sonication time, tissue density and relative change in tissue density. Our results indicate a linear correlation between sonication time and density of the dorsal tongue specimens. The treatment caused contraction of the tongue tissue and expansion of the buccal mucosa. Differences between initial and final tongue densities and the relative change in tissue density of the tongue vs. buccal mucosa were statistically significant. Differences observed between initial and final buccal mucosa densities were not statistically significant. Changes in buccal mucosa density correlated inversely with sonication time by contrast to the tongue density, which was correlated directly with this factor. Our study illustrates that while preservation of mucosal morphology and biopolymers can be achieved by ultrasound-facilitated fixation, its effects on tissue density are both time-dependent and specific to certain regions of the mouth.

Transcription of the Leydig insulin-like gene is mediated by steroidogenic factor-1.

The Leydig insulin-like gene (Ley I-L), a member of the insulin-related gene family, is specifically expressed in pre- and postnatal Leydig cells of the testis and in postnatal theca cells of the ovary. To determine the functional region of the mouse Ley I-L promoter and factors controlling the Ley I-L gene expression, we used 2.1 kb of the 5'-flanking region of the mouse Ley I-L gene to generate chimeric constructs with the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (CAT). Transient transfections of MA10 Leydig cells, LTK- fibroblasts, and F9 embryonic cells by a series of 5'-deleted mouse Ley I-L promoter-CAT constructs revealed that the sequence between nucleotides -157 to +4 directs the transcription of the reporter gene in MA10 but not in LTK- and F9 cells, indicating that the determinants of Leydig cell-specific expression reside within this region. Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) footprint analysis revealed that the sequences designated SF-1/1, SF-1/2, and SF-1/3 within three DNase I-protected regions are homologous to the consensus binding site of the steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1). Competition and antibody studies showed that the three SF-1-binding sites in the Ley I-L promoter have similar binding affinities for SF-1. Furthermore, transient transfections of MA10 cells with mutant reporter constructs, in which SF-1/1 or both SF-1/2 and SF-1/3 were deleted, demonstrated that all three SF-1-binding sites are required for SF-1-mediated stimulation of Ley I-L transcription. Cotransfection of an SF-1-containing expression vector together with a Ley I-L promoter-CAT construct into HeLa cells, which lack the endogenous SF-1 protein, resulted in CAT gene transcription, which indicated that SF-1 can transactivate the Ley I-L promoter. These data demonstrate an essential role of SF-1 in transcriptional activation of the Ley I-L promoter.

Improvement of superoxide production in monocytes from patients with chronic granulomatous disease by recombinant cytokines.

Cytokines have been shown to modulate the respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes from normal controls. We have examined whether monocytes from children with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) can be primed by cytokines other than interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), which has been demonstrated to improve the production of reactive oxygen species in vivo and in vitro. Monocytes isolated from peripheral blood were cultured without and with IFN gamma (500 U/mL), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (500 U/mL), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) (100 U/mL), and IL-3 (100 U/mL). After 3 days of culture, the phorbolmyristate acetate (2 ng/mL) and the formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (0.1 mumol/L)-stimulated superoxide-production was determined in a microtiter system. In nearly all of the 14 patients examined (5 autosomal, 5 X-chromosomal, and 4 of unknown inheritance), an improvement of superoxide production could be demonstrated. The most impressive effect with the cytokines newly tested was seen with monocytes from autosomal CGD patients treated with IL-3 and stimulated by phorbolmyristate acetate. In single patients cultivation of monocytes with IL-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor resulted in only slight improvement of superoxide production. Our findings indicate that cytokines other than IFN gamma can positively modulate the defective respiratory burst in CGD and that each patient reacts with an individual pattern to different cytokines.

Modulation of human monocyte superoxide production by recombinant interleukin-3.

We have examined the generation of superoxide by human monocytes isolated from peripheral blood cultured in the presence of recombinant human interleukin-3 in comparison to tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma. The rate of superoxide production of unstimulated and stimulated monocytes [by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (0.1 microM) and by phorbol-myristate-acetate (2 ng/ml and 200 ng/ml)] decreased during the culture period in the absence of interleukin-3, whereas cells treated with interleukin-3 maintained or surpassed their initial superoxide-producing capacity. An increase of phorbol-myristate-acetate- and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated superoxide production of monocytes cultured with interleukin-3 compared to control cells was detected first after 24 h of monocyte culture. It was maximal after 96 h of monocyte culture. At this time the stimulated superoxide production of monocytes cultured in the presence of interleukin-3 surpassed that of interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha treated cells. Suboptimal concentrations of the stimulus phorbol-myristate-acetate (2 ng/ml) resulted in higher priming than 200 ng/ml phorbol-myristate-acetate. A dose dependence of the effect of interleukin-3 on the superoxide production was observed. Our results demonstrate that interleukin-3 primes cultured human peripheral blood monocytes for enhanced stimulated respiratory burst activity to a higher extent than interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.