Hygiene Specialists Research Articles

On the content and control of silicon in water sources and drinking water (literature review)

Introduction. The problem of the presence of silicon in water sources and drinking water remains relevant, since there is still no sufficient understanding of the role of silicon contained in drinking water in the prevention and development of human diseases, there is no consensus on the need to establish hygienic maximum concentration limits for silicon and the feasibility of monitoring the silicon content in water. There are two opposing points of view on the effect of silicon presented in drinking water: on its definitely positive effects, and on its negative impact on human health. None of these points of view is fully confirmed and definitively proven.
 Literature Search Methods. Literature search methods on Scopus, CyberLeninka, PubMed databases: selective, analytical-synthetic, typological.
 The main part. The review provides evidence of the importance of controlling the content of silicon in drinking water. The results of a number of studies devoted to assessing the ability of silicon supplied with drinking water to counteract the toxic effect of aluminum on brain tissue, thus reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, are considered. Examples are given of studying the possible relationship between silicon content in drinking water and an increase in cases of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (on the examples of India and Indonesia), and the data on the negative health effects of long-term drinking of silicon-containing water in the silicon province of Chuvashia. Information is also given on the content of silicon in the water of water sources and drinking water in the Russian Federation and abroad, also the currently used methods for the analytical control of silicon in water.
 Conclusion. The problem of the content and control of silicon in drinking water and water sources includes many unresolved issues, which will be considered by the joint actions of toxicologists, epidemiologists, chemists, specialists in hygiene and sanitary protection of water bodies.

Eye-tracking to observe compliance with hand hygiene in the intensive care unit: a randomized feasibility study

Healthcare-associated infections are associated with increased patient mortality. Hand hygiene is the most effective method to reduce these infections. Despite simplification of this easy intervention, compliance with hand disinfection remains low. Current assessment of hand hygiene is mainly based on observation by hygiene specialists. The aim of this study was to investigate additional benefits of eye-tracking during the analysis of hand hygiene compliance of healthcare professionals in the intensive care unit. In a simulated, randomized crossover study conducted at the interdisciplinary intensive care unit at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, doctors and nurses underwent eye-tracking and completed two everyday tasks (injection of 10μg norepinephrine via a central venous line, blood removal from the central line) in two scenarios where the locations of alcoholic dispensers differed ('in-sight' and 'out-of-sight'). The primary outcomes were dwell time, revisits, first fixation duration and average fixation duration on three areas of interest (central venous line, alcohol dispenser, protective glove box) for both scenarios. Compliance with hand hygiene guidelines was analysed. Forty-nine participants (35 nurses, 14 doctors) were included in this study. Eye-tracking provided additional useful information compared with conventional observations. Dwell time, revisits, first fixation duration and average fixation duration did not differ between the two scenarios for all areas of interest. Overall compliance with recommended hand hygiene measures was low in both doctors (mean 20%) and nurses (mean 42.9%). Compared with conventional observations, eye-tracking offered additional helpful insights and provided an in-depth analysis of gaze patterns during the recording of hand hygiene compliance in the intensive care unit.

Factors influencing the formation of physical development of children and adolescents at the present stage (literature review)

The article studies and analyzes the scientific works of leading specialists in hygiene of children and adolescents on search electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, eLIBRARY and Research Gate) according to the keywords: Physical development, Teenagers, Educational institutions, Intra-school environment. Of the 277 sources found, the authors selected 115, taking into account the keywords, after an analysis of the selected literature, 49 sources were included in the present study in accordance with the topic of the work. It has been established that social, biological and environmental factors have the most effective influence on physical development. It has been determined that the school environment plays a large role in the formation of the physical status where the child spends most of his day. There are contradictory information about the influence of various forms of education on the state of health: in educational institutions of an innovative type of healthy children, there were 2.3 %, in ordinary schools — 10.1 %. However, according to other authors, higher anthropometric indicators were characteristic of students of educational institutions of the new type.

STATE AND PROSPECTS OF PROCESSING OF SECONDARY RAW MATERIALS OF WINE-MAKING IN UKRAINE

The analysis of the current state of processing of secondary raw materials of wine-making in Ukraine is given. It is proved that the latter is a rich source of biologically active compounds, including phenolic ones, which makes it possible to use it for the production of a wide range of products (raccoon, polyphenol extracts, tartaric acid, beverages, fertilizers, grape oil, cake, vitamin D, animal feed, food powder, abrasives) with high consumer value for various industries: food, pharmaceutical, perfume and cosmetics, chemical, feed, etc. In the light of modern research, the role of phenolic compounds as essential nutrition factors that cannot remain out of the field of view of physiologists, pharmacologists, and food hygiene specialists is shown. However, currently in Ukraine there are no specialized enterprises for complex processing of secondary raw materials of winemaking; traditional technologies are not effective from a technological, economic and environmental point of view, which indicates not rational use of resources and loss of material resources; there are no systematic studies on physical and chemical, microbiological, Toxicological composition in order to determine the optimal direction of its use. A limiting factor is also the lack of comparative analysis of innovative domestic and foreign technologies for processing secondary raw materials of winemaking. In the vast majority of cases, in particular, combs and pomace are taken out of control to agricultural land without special treatment, which leads to acid soil erosion and pollution of the environment with metabolites of micromycetes, increasing one of the global problems of mankind-environmental. At the present stage of technological development, there are a number of innovative developments in the field of processing secondary raw materials, in particular grape pomace, in order to obtain biologically active additives, the limiting factor for the introduction of which is the lack of domestic and expensive imported equipment. A promising way to solve the existing problems is to create a mechanism that will unite the interests of wineries (producers of secondary raw materials of winemaking), processing enterprises (producers of products from secondary raw materials of winemaking), scientists and potential consumers of innovative products. Consolidation of the above-mentioned institutions and enterprises is possible by creating clusters for the development and implementation of innovative technologies and equipment

COVID-19 among nursing home residents: results of an urgent pre-hospital intervention by a multidisciplinary task force

The current coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused 10,541 deaths among nursing home residents in France, by July 17th, 2020. This study reported the results of an urgent pre-hospital intervention in eight French nursing homes.A retrospective study was conducted from March 26th to May 7th, 2020, before and after the intervention of a task force which took action from April 9th to April 11th, 2020. The task force included nurses and specialists of the county general hospital. The intervention had four steps: i) daily notification of deaths; ii) audit by infectious diseases and hygiene specialists focused on nursing team reinforcing, tracking of suspected cases, patients’ cohorting, review of preventive and protective measures, hydration, thromboembolism prevention; iii) intervention of an emergency team which urgently performed procedures suggested; iv) relay with a geriatric team.There were a total of 770 residents distributed in eight facilities with capacity varying from 53 to 145 residents. The number of deaths peaked at 139 in week 2 and the trough at 0 occurred in weeks 6−7. Comparison between periods (before vs after intervention) showed a significant decrease in number of new deaths (83/770; 11% vs 35/687; 5%, p = 0.0001) and new COVID-19 cases (348/770; 45% vs 123/422; 29%, p < 0.001).The urgent pre-hospital intervention by a multidisciplinary task force achieved mortality reduction during COVID-19 outbreak in nursing homes. Pre-hospital intervention is a valid alternative to hospitalization in case of hospital saturation.

Die COVID-19-Pandemie im akutstationären Setting aus Sicht von Führungspersonen und Hygienefachkräften in der Pflege - Eine qualitative Studie

The aim of this study was to explore how acute inpatient care was influenced by the pandemic and which implications may result for the future from nursing managers' and hygiene specialists' point of view. Qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with five nursing managers and three hygiene specialists in four German acute care hospitals. Interviews were interpreted by using content analysis. Interviewees described how everyday routines in their hospitals were adapted to the prioritized care for COVID-19 patients. Main challenges were uncertainty and anxiety among staff, relative scarcity of equipment and workforce resources and rapid implementation of new requirements for treatment capacities. This was addressed by targeted communication and information, large efforts to ensure resources and coordinated control of all processes by cross-department, interprofessional task forces. Adaptations made to the structures and procedures of care delivery during the pandemic hold potential for future improvements of routine care, e. g. new workplace and skill mix models. To identify detailed practical implications, a renewed and deepened data analysis is needed at a later point of time, with a larger distance to the period of the pandemic.

A competency domains-items set for occupational hygienists in Japan

The objective of this study was to summarize a combined competency domains and items set for occupational hygienists in Japan since there is a lack of such a set due to the existence of several national certification specialists in the field of occupational hygiene. A literature search, Kitagawa Jiro's (KJ) method study, Delphi method study, and a questionnaire survey were utilized. The domains, roles, knowledge, and skills included in the home pages and reports of representative organizations in the USA, UK, and Japan, and those in papers found through Google Scholar were compared and rearranged to about 150 items. From these, occupational hygiene competency domains and items were discussed and selected by five occupational hygiene specialists using the KJ method and prioritized by 13 occupational hygiene specialists using the Delphi method. Additionally, responses of 53 union members of occupational hygiene specialists from a university were obtained by a questionnaire survey. Ten occupational competency domains and 147 items were identified through the literature search, 10 domains and 135 items through the KJ method, six domains and 63 items through the Delphi method, and lastly, five domains and 51 items were identified through the questionnaire survey. The five domains included (1) discovering problems and potential developments and making decisions, (2) solving problems and promoting developmental occupational hygiene, (3) communicating with stakeholders and recovering in an emergency, (4) empowering organizations to which you belong, and (5) educating and facilitating workers. Although the 53 subjects in the questionnaire survey were predominantly 20 to 30 years old and more than half of the 13 Delphi method participants were relatively old veterans, there was a positive correlation between the evaluation of 63 items by both methods. These results suggest that the occupational hygiene competency set of five domains and 51 items obtained in this study is a combined competency set that is representative of Japan.

Personal preconditions for the prevention of nosocomial infections-guidelines of the German Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO), federal state hygiene regulations in Germany, and compliance by hospitals in Frankfurt am Main

According to the amendment of the Infection Protection Act (2011), §23, 8, all federal states in Germany had to pass their own hospital hygiene regulations, in which the need for hygiene specialists in ahospital is defined.This publication explains in its first part the differences between the nationwide Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) regulations and the hygiene regulations of the different federal states (Hesse, Bavaria, etc.). All federal states - with the exception of Hesse (Hessian Hygiene Regulation, HHygVO) - refer to the relevant expert recommendations of KRINKO.In asecond part of this publication, we highlight differences between KRINKO and HHygVO with the example of hospitals in the city of Frankfurt. In 2017, all Frankfurt hospitals had the necessary hygiene specialists (authorized hygiene practitioners, infection control nurses, authorized hygiene care nurses). However, the need for hospital hygienists could not be met, because there is an insufficient number of physician specialists for hospital hygiene available in Germany.The hospitals cannot solve this problem on their own - apolitical, superordinate decision and regulation must be made, i. e. by regulation and financial support for the advanced training of post-graduate physicians in hygiene. This is important since only experienced hospital hygienists can instruct or supervise hygiene specialists-in-training.

The prevention of doping and the improper use of drugs and food supplements in sports and physical activities: a survey on the activity of the prevention departments of Italian local health authorities.

Doping is an important public health problem widespread not only among elite athletes, but also among amateur and recreational athletes and the general population. In Italy the introduction of doping prevention within the Essential Levels of Care (LEA) with the DPCM 12/1/2017 represents a crucial step towards the implementation of education and health promotion interventions. In this context, the Departments of Prevention (DP) of the Local Health Authorities (LHA) have to play a fundamental role, becoming the cultural and operational reference on this issue. As part of the "Doping prevention: development of a permanent educational tool coordinated by the National Health Service Prevention Departments" project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, a survey was conducted on the activities carried out by the DP regarding doping prevention and improper use and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and physical activities, as a basis for the harmonization of organizational structures and prevention programs and the creation of a collaboration network at a regional and national level. A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of 11 questions, prepared on an electronic platform, was sent to the DP of all the Italian LHA. A total of 38 DP out of 131 (29%) completed the questionnaire, with representation from all regions. 42.1% of DP carried out or are still running programs for the prevention of doping, a percentage that decreases to 27% considering the programs for the prevention of misuse and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and in physical activities; in less than half of the DP, 37.5% and 41.7%, respectively, dedicated funds have been allocated. The professionals most involved in prevention of doping are the Specialists in Sport Medicine (81.3%) followed by Specialists in Hygiene (43.8%) and Psychologists (37.5%), while Health Care Assistants (50%) are the professionals most involved in the prevention of the improper use of drugs and food supplements, followed by Specialists in Hygiene and Specialists in Sport Medicine (40%). Most of the DP (71.9%) believe that the introduction of programs to prevent and counteract doping in the LEA will have repercussions on their approach against doping. The survey, although conducted on a limited sample, has provided an important framework relating to programs for the prevention of doping and the misuse and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and in the physical activities carried out by DP. A remarkable heterogeneity has been highlighted, both at national and regional level. It is urgent to provide DP with homogeneous and effective organizational models and adequate operational tools, paying particular attention to the training of all the professionals involved. It is also essential to implement permanent monitoring tools.

The educational background of the Top Managers of the Italian Health Authorities: results of a study on eight Regions.

The educational background of the Top Managers of the Italian Health Authorities: results of a study on eight RegionsA survey to investigate the educational background of the Health Top Managers recently appointed by Italian Regions as CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) of Local Health Authorities (ASL) and General Hospitals was performed in April 2019, approximately one year after the entry into force of the new law for their selection (D.Lgs 171/2016). The study follows a similar one carried out by Bocconi University in 2013 and focuses on 8 Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Umbria, Lazio, Basilicata, Sicily, Sardinia). The study examined the CVs of the 112 recently appointed CEOs: the average age is 58.7 years, with the proportion of female surprisingly low (16%). About half of them (50.5%) have a Degree in Medicine and Surgery. Among Managers with a non-medical degree (49.5%), Law (21) and Economic sciences (21) are the most common degrees. Among medical doctors, 33 (58.9%) are specialists in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine. Overall, our data are consistent with those recorded in 2013 (except a decrease in medical graduates -18.5%) and confirm the diversified backgrounds of Health Managers. The background in Public Health, acquired from the 35 Schools of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, remains relevant among Managers of the Italian National Health Service. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of Occupational Physicians towards seasonal influenza vaccination: a cross-sectional study from North-Eastern Italy.

The present study aims to characterize personal attitudes and knowledge of a sample of Italian Occupational Physicians (OPh) towards Seasonal Influenza Vaccine (SIV) in healthcare workers (HCWs). In total, 92 OPh (42.4% males, 57.6% females, mean age of 47.3 ± 10.4 years, 50 specialists in Occupational Medicine, 42 specialists in Hygiene and Public Health) were asked about their attitudes towards influenza vaccine, their general knowledge of vaccine practice, their propensity towards vaccines and, eventually, their risk perception about the influenza and influenza vaccine was investigated. A regression analysis was then performed in order to better characterize predictive factors for vaccine propensity. Influenza was recognized as a vaccination recommended for HCWs in 89/92 of the sampled OPh (96.7%). However, prevalence of misconceptions about vaccines was relatively high, with 26/92 (28.3%) and 24/92 (26.1%) referring vaccinations as eliciting allergic and autoimmune diseases, respectively and identifying lethargic encephalitis (18/92, 19.6%), autism (17/92, 18.5%), diabetes mellitus (15/92, 16.3%) and multiple sclerosis (13/92, 14.1%) as causatively vaccine-related. Propensity towards influenza vaccination found a significant predictor in the general knowledge (beta coefficient 0.213, p value = 0.043), risk perception (beta coefficient 0.252, p value = 0.018) and general propensity towards vaccinations (beta coefficient 0.384, p value = 0.002). In spite of a diffuse propensity towards SIV, adherence of OPh was still < 50% of the sample. Moreover, sharing of misbeliefs and misconceptions was significant. As knowledge and risk perceptions were identified as significant predictors of vaccine propensity, our results suggest that information and training programs for OPh should be appropriately designed.

PROFESSOR V. G. CHVYREV CONTRIBUTION IN RESEARCH ON SUBMARINE HABITABILITY

The artcle is devoted to the naval hygienist professor Victor Georgievich Chvyrev. His scientific and pedagogical activity amounts more than 50 years. His manyfold investigations on submarine habitability factors as well as his elaboration of well-grounded hygienic standards of habitability conditions are his main contribution to the development of naval hygiene and medicine. A lot of cientific and personal credit must go to Chvyrev efforts in changing the High Naval Command attitude to submarine habitability problem as well as to preventing measures concerning submarine accidents. Owing to his activity the habitability conditions are regarded as a significant feature of ship fighting capasity. A number of naval and radiation hygiene specialists are trained under V. G. Chvyrev scientific supervision, and all made a significant contribution to the development of hygiene — the basic preventive and medical science.

Carbapenemase Inhibition Challenge Method: a novel way for evaluating the presence of carbapenemases – a pilot study

Introduction. Resistance to carbapenems represents a public health across the world. Screening for carbapenem resistance can be done starting from the antibiogram, but confirmatory methods are usually performed in reference centers. Methods for rapid identification of carbapenemase activity are required to empower laboratories to detect carbapenemases and raise signals for infectious disease physicians, antibiotic stewardship teams and hospital hygiene specialists. Materials and methods. Eppendorf tubes containing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains with carbapenemase activity (KPC-1, NDM-1, OXA-48) and others with no carbapenemase activity (K. pneumoniae ATCC 700603 and E. coli ATCC 25922), as well as positive and negative controls were incubated at 37 °C with varying concentrations of Meropenem. After incubation, samples were spun down until a pellet formed and the supernatant was used to challenge an exponentially growing E. coli culture. This second culture was followed with nephelometric measurements every half hour. Experiments were carried out in three technical replicates. The statistical analysis was done with R (version 3.3.3) and graphs generated in RStudio (version 1.0.136) with ggplot2 (version 2.1.0). Mann Whitney U Test with the assumption of independent samples was used to analyse the results. Results. The doses of Meropenem were chosen after dose ranging experiments and multiple incubation times (from 30 minutes to two hours) were tested in order to evaluate the robustness of the method. In the cases where the antibiotic was first incubated with strains that had carbapenemase activity, the growth of Escherichia coli ATCC 25 922 was non-hindered, matching that of controls. In the absence of carbapenemase activity and in the case of negative controls, the growth indicator strain was inhibited. Statistically significant differences were identified for 0.3, as well as a 0.5 McFarland index as early as 1.5 hours total work time. Conclusions. The discovery of carbapenem resistance has direct clinical, as well as epidemiological implications. Among the mechanisms implicated in resistance to carbapenems, the presence of a carbapenemase is one of the most worrying from an epidemiological standpoint. This new tool we describe herein can be performed in all clinical microbiology laboratories, with no extra expense (as opposed to CarbaNP and BlueCarba tests).

Mathematical Approaches in Studying Stress

Occupational stress is a global phenomenon that concerns employees, employers and specialists from various fields: psychologists, sociologists, doctors, engineers, economists, hygiene specialists and last but not least mathematicians. If economists have calculated the costs of this phenomenon by showing influences on the productivity, profit, the mathematicians analyze from statistical point of view and formulate laws of variation. This paper illustrates such a concern, part of a broader research on the stress in the mining sector.

EVALUATION OF TWO DISINFECTION PROGRAMS IN DISINFECTING POULTRY HOUSES UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

An evaluation of the efficacy of the use of either formaldehyde (10% formalin) or peroxygen commercial products in disinfection of battery cage poultry houses was estimated under field conditions. For this purpose, swab samples were collected from three different sites and from drinking water dispensers from four battery caged broiler and layer houses before and after cleaning and disinfection. Also, water samples were collected from the original well water source and the storage water tanks (main and houses storage water tanks) before cleaning and disinfection. Total colony counting was used in the evaluation of both swabs and water samples followed by bacteriological examination for identifying the contaminant bacteria. The results of the examination of water samples revealed that in spite of sterility of original water source there was sever contamination of the stored water in the storage tanks with different types of pathogenic contaminant bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, coliforms, Pseudomonas earuginosa and Proteus spp.. The same contaminant bacteria were isolated from the swab samples in addition to salmonella typhymiurium contamination which was isolated from batteries and floors of both broiler and layer houses. On the other hand, both the tested disinfectant products were significantly effective (p < 0.001) in decline the viable total colony count from different sites of each house and from drinking water dispensers from either broiler or layer cage houses with depletion percentage reached 99.999% but the use of formaldehyde product failed to overcome the pathogenic contaminant bacteria except for salmonella typhymiurium contamination. The efficiency of the disinfection was more effective in broiler houses than in the layer ones. On conclusion, a high standard planning of cleaning is of great importance before the application of the disinfection process and the correct usage of disinfectants in addition to, an effective program of eradication of rodents and insects should be applied is important for a successful disinfection and biosecurity program. Also, the obtained data highlights the emergence of the necessity of improving farmers’ and hygiene specialists’ education on the use of disinfecting products in poultry houses. It was recommended to use more environmental friendly safe and efficient disinfectants as peroxygens to be alternative to the use of formaldehyde in disinfection of poultry houses which may soon become illegal in some countries due to its health hazard and environmental concerns.

Application of the instruction mode of inviting occupational hygiene specialists for enterprises

[Objective]To construct relatively and complete occupational health management system and lower the risk of occupational diseases to the utmost by the directed instruction of inviting occupational hygiene specialists.Method Totally 60 enterprises were chosen as subjects.Invited occupational hygiene specialists made the field investi-gations using “investigation table on the basic information of occupational health in enterprises”.[Results]Different industries such as electronics,printings,toys,arts,hardware models,printing inks and paints,furniture were included in the 60 enterprises.Before instruction,none of the enterprises could be assessed as excellence,3(5％) could be assessed as good,6(10％) met the requirements,9(15％) basically met the requirements,and 42(70％) didn't meet the requirements.After instruction 25％ of the 60 enterprises were assessed as excellence or good and 75％ met the requirements.[Conclusion]The instruction mode of inviting occupational hygiene specialists for enterprises could enhance the awareness and attention of enterprises on the prevention and the controlling for occupational diseases,help the enterprises construct and perfect the management systems and lower the risk of occupational diseases to the utmost. Key words: Invited specialists; Enterprise; Instruction; Occupational hygiene

Krankenhaushygiene – Hygienefachpersonal

In 2009 the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Prevention of Infections (CHHPI) at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) published recommendations on the personnel and organisational prerequisites for the prevention of nosocomial infections. Emphasis was placed on the tasks of all members of professional groups who belong to or work closely with a team of hygiene specialists in an institution for outpatient or inpatient medical care. Since these recommendations have not yet been adequately implemented and because of the repeated occurrence of hygiene deficits in the health-care services the legislature has been forced to pass a new law on hospital hygiene. This law requires the managers of hospitals and other medical facilities to avoid nosocomial infections and to abide by the recommendations of CHHPI and RKI. The already existing shortage of hygiene specialists, and especially of hospital hygiene specialists, is thereby further intensified. Thus there are initiatives to provide physicians working in hospitals with further training in hygiene so that they can take over the functions of a hospital hygiene specialist.

Preface

Food security at present is a hot topic and is increasingly receiv¬ing more attention. This is partly due to the fast growing population and partly to the more frequent extreme events that are affect¬ing food production. Drought is becoming more frequent and in many parts of the world resulting in significant negative impacts on food production. Increasing food production to meet the need of the growing population and to mitigate the impact of the drought events requires increasing cultivable lands, irrigation water sup¬plies, and the food produced per drop of applied water. The natural resources for food production are limited and in most cases, water is a limiting factor for food production. Field and laboratory research has shown that Improvements in agriculture water management can result in producing more food with the existing water supply. Non-conventional water resources could be used for irrigation provided proper manage¬ment is in place to safeguard the environment. Waste water is the most guaranteed water resource on the planet as it will always be available as long as human beings are still living on the face of the earth. The EU supported a worldwide project, SAFIR, to investigate the possible water saving techniques and the quality and safety of food produced when using treated waste water. The project involved 17 research and business part¬ners and 14 sites. Two main crops widely used in the world, namely potato and tomato, were selected. The project involved microbiologists and hygiene specialists, agronomists, wastewater treatment specialists, modellers, irrigation scientists, crop sci¬entists, agro-industrial companies, chemists, soil scientists and socio-economists. The two main objectives were how to save water without reduc¬ing the crop yield, and how to use treated waste water for irrigation, while investigating the impact on food quality and the safety of the food for human consumption. To meet the first objective, deficit irrigation which uses less water than full irrigation, where the full crop requirement is met, was considered. This included the use of the partial root drying method, PRD, where half of the vertical root zone is irrigated at any one time and alternated in the subsequent times. Deficit irrigation was also considered with the classical drip, furrow and sprinkler irrigation systems by simply applying reduced ratios of the full crop water requirement. Water saving also included application of water below the surface in case of the subsurface drip irrigation to minimize the losses by evaporation. Small water treatment stations were installed at the top of the fields for waste water treatment were developed by the industrial partners and the water was checked for quality to ensure health standards were met before irrigation. This was followed by inves¬tigation of the microbial and chemical status of the soil, and of the tomato and potato crop in terms of quality and safety for human consumption. The following papers will discuss the results obtained under the project and will highlight the issues and bottlenecks. The papers will show that there is a possibility to save water through the use of deficit irrigation, especially drip-PRD, if it is properly managed fol¬lowing root establishment. The socio-economic analysis papers will illustrate the financial gains when using such water saving tech¬niques and the role of institutions in adopting those techniques and encouraging the use of treated waste water under controlled man¬agement. The papers will also show the treated waste water could be safely used, for at least 3 years, with no harmful impact on the human health and without negative effect on either fruit quality, soil microorganisms or soil properties, especially the heavy metals content.

Microbial Biofilms: Our Life with Them

From 2 to 5 September 2009, Rome was the venue of Eurobiofilms 2009, providing the 408 participants with a valuable forum for a multidisciplinary scientific exchange in the field of microbial biofilms. The congress joined together microbiologists and specialists in infectious diseases, hygiene and public health involved in investigating different aspects of bacterial and fungal biofilms as well as in designing innovative approaches to prevention and treatment. The scientific program was developed together with the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group on Biofilms (ESGB) to combine state of the art lectures and sessions dealing with the major issues of this fast-growing area of science.

Work-related risk factors of myocardial infarction

The aim of the study was to find out which occupational factors account for the risk of the myocardial infarction. A questionnaire survey was performed during the period of one calendar year in all patients (1053 subjects, 692 men and 361 women) hospitalized at the Medical University of Łódź because of the first myocardial infarction. The questionnaire was prepared especially for the purpose of this study and consisted of two parts. The first part comprised: demographic data, health status at admittance, traditional risk factors for the ischaemic heart disease and was filled-in by physicians. Part II was done by occupational hygiene specialists and referred to education, job title and characteristics, employment data, self assessment of work-related and general stress, fatigue, socio-economic status, physical activity, alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, dietary habits. Mean age in the study group was 59.9 ± 10.4 years (26-85 years), 58.7 ± 10.0 (26-84 years) for men and 62.3 ± 10.7 (32-85 years) for women, employment duration was 32.9±8.8 (4-65 years), for men 34.0 ± 8.6 (5-65 years), for women 30.7 ± 8.8 (4-60 years. Most of myocardial infarction cases both in the group of men and women were noted in the age interval 56-60 years, 22.3% vs. 17.4%, respectively. The majority of examined men were farmers, low and middle management and self-employed workers. Among women prevailed clerks, seamstresses and farmers. The most frequent occupational risk factors were: work-related stress, experienced by 54.2% of the examined subjects, occupational noise (45,5%), dust (41,7%) and various chemical factors (33%). A majority of the study group (76.5% women and 54.4% men) linked the cardiac infarction with stress, while 39.1% men vs. 16.5% women correlated it with physical effort. Our studies indicate that, among a wide spectrum of occupational factors, stress, noise and fine particulate dust are major contributors to the increased risk of myocardial infarction.