[Mass catering for school children in Poland]. / Zywienie zbiorowe dzieci i mlodziezy szkolnej w Polsce.

The assessment of organization and quality of nutrition was done in 184 urban and 156 rural schools in 1998 to obtain information about changes in that aspect during last few years. Data was collected using questionnaire method. The analysis of obtained results showed that the per-cent of schools organizing one form of nutrition in towns (95.1%) was higher than in villages (64.1%), but the per-cent of pupils consuming at least one meal served in school was lower in towns (22.2%) than in villages (31.3%). In comparison with situation in the beginning of the 90th nutrition was organized by significantly higher amount of schools but improvement of situation relevant to amount of pupils consuming school meals was not so significant. Urban schools the most frequently served full dinners, in rural schools it was often sticky bun or sandwich. Significant per-cent of rural schools did not serve any meal due to bad local conditions and financial problems. From the reason that the per-cent of pupils consuming school meals is too small, it is necessary to undertake actions leading to improvement of the situation in that aspect. These activities should be relevant to increased access to school meals, especially in rural area, decreased cost and quality improvement of these meals.

Overweight and obesity among adults in Poland, 1983-2005.

INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obesity are causes for numerous non-communicable chronic diseases. In recent years their incidence have become a major epidemiological problem both in Poland and many other countries. PURPOSE: Evaluation of the current situation of the overweight and obesity prevalence among adults in Poland and changes in this regard in the years 1983-2005. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Review of the countrywide research and research in selected towns and regions on overweight and obesity occurrence conducted in Poland over the last 20 years. RESULTS: On the basis of national data for Poland, the incidence of overweight is estimated to be 39-40% among men and 28-29% among women, while the percentage of obese men and women is 16-21% and 19-22% respectively. The incidence of overweight and obesity differs with respect to gender, age, environment, the region of the country and social status. Excessive body weight is often observed in patients treated in hospitals. Abdominal obesity is very common and according to the ATP III guidelines, affects 16-28% of men and 35-40% of women, whereas under more strict IDF criteria it involves almost 40% of adult males and almost a half of adult females. CONCLUSIONS: Results from numerous surveys conducted in the last few years indicate growth of the incidence of overweight and obesity, especially among men. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Poland is comparable with most European countries.

Counteraction against obesity--is it possible?

The obesity epidemic is one of the most serious public health problems across many countries. In Poland more than half of the adult population has excessive body weight, while approx. 20% are obese. 15-20% of children and adolescents suffer from excessive body weight, while 4% of them are obese. Moreover, the number of overweight or obese children is growing alarmingly. Obesity can lead to many serious health consequences. Though the most serious disorders are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes type 2 and some cancers. In the nearest future diseases related to obesity will probably become the main cause of death in many countries. This may lead to shorter average life expectancy. The treatment costs of obesity and related diseases are constantly increasing. The most important preventive measure aiming at curbing the effects of obesity involves lifestyle change, including a change in diet and physical activity. The best results should be obtained by multifaceted programmes, which cover activities aiming at the improvement of both diet and physical activity. Due to the spread of the obesity epidemic, the countries of WHO European Region signed the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity, in which they declared their commitment to combat obesity. Activities aiming at combating obesity in Poland should be closely connected with the implementation of the National Programme for the Prevention of Overweight, Obesity and NonCommunicable Diseases through Diet and Improved Physical Activity, which will be implemented in 2007-2016.

Influence of promethazine on immune reactions. I. Characterization of promethazine effects on natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Promethazine has been shown to possess definite immunosuppressive activity in clinical and experimental organ transplantation. However, there are few data concerning the mechanism of its influence on immune reactions. In the present studies promethazine was shown to inhibit natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. Combined analysis of 51Cr-release and single-cell assays revealed that this agent affects some processes involved in delivering the 'lethal hit' but not the binding of target cells nor the recycling capacity of effector cells. The possible mechanism of promethazine action at the cellular level is discussed.