Blastocystis in the faeces of children from six distant countries: prevalence, quantity, subtypes and the relation to the gut bacteriome.

BACKGROUND: Blastocystis is a human gut symbiont of yet undefined clinical significance. In a set of faecal samples collected from asymptomatic children of six distant populations, we first assessed the community profiles of protist 18S rDNA and then characterized Blastocystis subtypes and tested Blastocystis association with the faecal bacteriome community. METHODS: Stool samples were collected from 244 children and young persons (mean age 11.3 years, interquartile range 8.1-13.7) of six countries (Azerbaijan 51 subjects, Czechia 52, Jordan 40, Nigeria 27, Sudan 59 and Tanzania 15). The subjects showed no symptoms of infection. Amplicon profiling of the 18S rDNA was used for verification that Blastocystis was the most frequent protist, whereas specific real-time PCR showed its prevalence and quantity, and massive parallel amplicon sequencing defined the Blastocystis subtypes. The relation between Blastocystis and the stool bacteriome community was characterized using 16S rDNA profiling. RESULTS: Blastocystis was detected by specific PCR in 36% (88/244) stool samples and was the most often observed faecal protist. Children from Czechia and Jordan had significantly lower prevalence than children from the remaining countries. The most frequent subtype was ST3 (49%, 40/81 sequenced samples), followed by ST1 (36%) and ST2 (25%). Co-infection with two different subtypes was noted in 12% samples. The faecal bacteriome had higher richness in Blastocystis-positive samples, and Blastocystis was associated with significantly different community composition regardless of the country (p < 0.001 in constrained redundancy analysis). Several taxa differed with Blastocystis positivity or quantity: two genera of Ruminococcaceae were more abundant, while Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, Lactobacillus and several other genera were undrerrepresented. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic children frequently carry Blastocystis, and co-infection with multiple distinct subtypes is not exceptional. Prevalence and quantity of the organism clearly differ among populations. Blastocystis is linked to both faecal bacteriome diversity and its composition.

Psychology in the Czech lands: Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, and the Czech Republic.

The article provides a comprehensive review of Czech psychology-its history and its current state. It enumerates significant psychologists who were Czech, born in Bohemia or who were instrumental for the development of psychology in the region. The article also enumerates Czech psychological associations along with their main representatives, journals, and academic facilities involved in education and research in psychology. It is pointed out that the origins of psychology as a science are in the Central Europe-the first laboratory of W. Wundt was in Leipzig, Germany; S. Freud was born in Bohemia, in the Moravian city of Príbor and he practiced in Vienna, Austria. The Czech capital Prague will also become the capital of the psychological science in 2020 when it will be hosting the 32nd International Congress of Psychology (ICP 2020).

A brief history of tuberculosis in the Czech Lands.

Tuberculosis currently remains a serious medical problem, therefore increased attention is being paid to this disease. Paleopathological studies focused on the monitoring of morbid changes in skeletal remains of historical populations facilitate a detailed study of the development of this disease. They provide direct evidence of the existence of tuberculosis and its past forms. In addition to literary and iconographic sources, the present study is focused on recording the findings of bone tuberculosis in historical osteological sets from the Czech Lands and is the starting point for their detailed review. Approximately 76 cases of bone tuberculosis from the Czech Lands have been published and more or less reliably documented from 20 archeological sites dated back from the Eneolithic to the modern period.

Impact of perceived control on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in three urban populations of Central and Eastern Europe: the HAPIEE study.

BACKGROUND: Inverse associations between perceived control and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been reported in studies from Western Europe and the USA. To assess this relationship across different populations, we investigated the association between perceived control and all-cause and CVD mortality in three population-based cohorts of Eastern European countries. METHODS: We analysed data from a prospective cohort study in random population samples in Krakow (Poland), Novosibirsk (Russia) and six Czech towns. Baseline survey included structured questionnaire and objective examination in a clinic. Perceived control was assessed using an 11-item scale developed by the MacArthur Foundation Programme on Successful Midlife. Information on vital status was obtained from death registers. Effect of perceived control on mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: A total of 2377 deaths (1003 from CVD) occurred among 27 249 participants over a median 7-year follow-up. In the Czech and Polish cohorts, perceived control was inversely associated with mortality; the adjusted HRs for the lowest versus highest control quintiles were 1.71 (1.34 to 2.19) in men and 1.63 (1.14 to 2.35) in women for all-cause mortality and 2.31 (1.48 to 3.59) and 5.50 (2.14 to 14.13) for CVD deaths. There was no association between perceived control and mortality in Russia; the adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality were 1.03 (0.79 to 1.34) in men and 1.29 (0.82 to 2.02) in women. CONCLUSIONS: Low perceived control was associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in Czech and Polish cohorts but not in Russia. It is possible that this inconsistency may partly reflect a different sociocultural understanding of the concept of control in Russia.

[Heterogeneity of childhood diabetes and its therapeutic implications]. / Heterogenita detského diabetu a její terapeutické implikace.

The prevalence of diabetes in Czech children is 1 : 500-1 000. Its incidence rose about threefold over the past 25 years. Type 1 diabetes is the prevailing form of diabetes in childhood, but also monogenic forms are frequently diagnosed. The occurrence of type 2 diabetes is still marginal in Czech children, with a relative proportion of less than 1 % of all diabetic children. Etiological diagnosis is the basic prerequisite of an effective diabetes treatment. In this review we present novel aspects on etiology and therapy of diabetes diagnosed in childhood and adolescence.

Seroprevalence rates of HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, HPyV9, MWPyV and KIPyV polyomaviruses among the healthy blood donors.

Human polyomaviruses HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, HPyV9, MWPyV, and KIPyV have been discovered between 2007 and 2012. TSPyV causes a rare skin disease trichodysplasia spinulosa in immunocompromised patients, the role of remaining polyomaviruses in human pathology is not clear. In this study, we assessed the occurrence of serum antibodies against above polyomaviruses in healthy blood donors. Serum samples were examined by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), using virus-like particles (VLPs) based on the major VP1 capsid proteins of these viruses. Overall, serum antibodies against HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, HPyV9, MWPyV, and KIPyV were found in 88.2%, 65.7%, 63.2%, 31.6%, 84.4%, and 58%, respectively, of this population. The seroprevalence generally increased with age, the highest rise we observed for HPyV9 and KIPyV specific antibodies. The levels of anti-HPyV antibodies remained stable across the age-groups, except for TSPyV and HPyV9, where we saw change with age. ELISAs based on VLP and GST-VP1 gave comparable seroprevalence for HPyV6 antibodies (88.2% vs.85.3%) but not for HPyV7 antibodies (65.7% vs. 77.2%), suggesting some degree of crossreactivity between HPyV6 and HPyV7 VP1 proteins. In conclusion, these results provide evidence that human polyomaviruses HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, HPyV9, MwPyV, and KIPyV circulate widely in the Czech population and their seroprevalence is comparable to other countries.

[Conservative treatment of acetabular fractures: epidemiology and medium-term clinical and radiological results]. / Konzervatívna liecba zlomenín acetabula: epidemiológia a strednodobé klinické a rádiologické výsledky.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The vast majority of studies on fractures of the acetabulum are concerned with surgical treatment. All displaced fractures are presented as surgically treated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of surgical and conservative treatment of patients with acetabular fractures in relation to the degree of fracture displacement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analysed 140 fractures of the acetabulum treated in our institution by different methods between 2009 and 2013. In addition to the use of Letournel´s classification, we allocated each fracture to one of six groups: 1. Sixty displaced fractures treated surgically, 2. Twenty three fractures with a displacement of more than 6 mm, 3. Eighteen slightly displaced fractures (2-3 mm in the acetabular roof or 4-5 mm in other parts of the acetabulum), 4. Twenty non-displaced fractures, 5. Six pelvic fractures involving the acetabulum and 6. Thirteen fractures of old people, mostly displaced but not examined by CT. Groups 2 to 6 were treated conservatively. In all patients, demographic and epidemiologic factors were analysed in relation to the patient's group assignment. In 107 patients, hip function was assessed using the Matta clinical grading system at a minimum follow-up of 12 months (average 3.16 years). Radiological status, time of admission, start of weight-bearing after the accident, working ability, mortality and complications were also evaluated. RESULTS: Non-displaced fractures were often associated with serious injury or polytrauma in 20 patients; not all of them had excellent functional outcome. (mean score, 17.25). Excluding two patients who developed avascular necrosis, fourteen slightly displaced fractures had a fixal score of 16.92. Sixteen patients with displaced fractures were managed conservatively due to their poor medical condition and other circumstances. Their functional outcome (mean score, 15.25) was significantly worse than that of the patients with non-displaced fractures (p=0.02) and worse than the outcome in patients with slightly displaced fractures, but the difference was not significant (p=0.32). No occurrence of accelerated post-traumatic arthritis was observed in these groups. The mean clinical score of 14.80 and 60% of excellent and good results were achieved in surgically treated patients. Eight of them were treated by primary hip arthroplasty and osteosynthesis. A total of 11 patients required total hip arthroplasty because of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, but only one from the group of slightly displaced fractures, all others from the group of surgically treated patients. DISCUSSION: Displaced fractures of the acetabulum are best treated by open reduction and internal fixation. The type of fracture and the quality of reduction influence the functional outcome. There are a few studies reporting long-term outcomes in conservatively treated acetabular fractures. Although conservative treatment continues to be the mainstay of treatment in most centres in the developing countries, it is obvious that not all of acetabular fractures can or must be treated surgically or identically. We found that, in many cases, surgery was too dangerous for the patient and his/her medical condition or that the result of surgery was doubtful, mostly because of a late presentation. In some cases, primary hip arthroplasty is a solution. Secondary total hip replacement is technically more demanding and has a higher rate of failure. CONCLUSIONS: Conservative treatment is the method of choice for the treatment of non-displaced acetabular fractures. Excellent or very good results can also be expected in slightly displaced fractures if acetabular roof involvement is minor. In displaced fractures, if the result of surgery is doubtful under various circumstances or if high-risk medical conditions are present in the patient, conservative treatment can be the method of choice with satisfying results. Key words: acetabular fractures, conservative treatment, degree of displacement, epidemiology of acetabular fractures.

Association between endothelial NO synthase polymorphisms and arterial properties in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: Nitric oxide plays an important role in vascular biology. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the endothelial nitric oxide gene (NOS3) have been previously associated with arterial hypertension. We investigated whether these SNPs might be associated with arterial phenotypes in the Czech general population. METHODS: We genotyped three NOS3 SNPs in 426 subjects not treated for arterial hypertension (mean age, 49.1 years; 55.9% women). Arterial properties were measured using applanation tonometry. In multivariate-adjusted analyses, we assessed the gene effects of rs3918226 (-665 C>T), rs1799983 (glu298asp G>T) and rs2070744 (786 T>C) on augmentation index (AIx), central augmentation pressure (AP) and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). RESULTS: Carriers of rs3918226 mutated T allele had marginally higher AIx (145.3 ± 2.5 vs. 140.2 ± 1.1%; P = 0.064) and significantly higher AP (12.7 ± 0.7 vs. 11.1 ± 0.3 mm Hg; P = 0.033). These associations were independent of potential confounding factors. Aortic PWV was not different in the two rs39182226 genotypes groups (P = 0.35). In single gene analyses, we did not observe any association between measured phenotypes and rs1799983 or rs2070744 (P ≥ 0.11). In haplotype analysis, we observed trend for higher PWV in haplotypes containing rs3918226 mutated T allele compared with other allelic combination (P ≤ 0.079). CONCLUSION: Mutated T allele of rs3918226 polymorphism in NOS3 gene was associated with parameters reflecting central arterial stiffness and wave reflection. We hypothesize that genetic modulation of intermediate arterial phenotypes might lead to higher blood pressure.

Composition, structure and pattern of helminth assemblages associated with central European herons (Ardeidae).

Helminths parasitizing the ardeid birds are poorly understood, and the majority of studies are limited to checklists and records of novel host-parasite interactions. Here we analyzed the prevalence, intensity and diversity of the helminth component communities associated with an extensive cohort of the five most common Czech herons (Ardea cinerea, Ardea alba, Nycticorax nycticorax, Botaurus stellaris and Ixobrychus minutus) collected in the years 1962-2013. Comparison with Ukrainian datasets supports the existence of local helminth component communities, subject to strong geographic variation. The diversity of the component communities ranged between 37.3±9.6 (A. cinerea) and 2.5±1.1 (I. minutus) species. Similarly, the frequency of particular helminths differed by over one order of magnitude, whereas the helminth load differed by over two orders of magnitude. Typically, the dominant species (Echinochasmus beleocephalus, Uroproctepisthmium bursicola, Posthodiplostomum cuticola, Apharyngostrigea cornu, Desmidocercella numidica and Neogryporhynchus cheilancristrotus) were considered local, with intermediate host species available onsite, as represented by freshwater mollusks. Of the digeneans, 52% of the species likely infected their definitive hosts outside the study area, frequently utilizing invertebrates of salt or brackish waters. For A. cinerea, the largest number of species was in adult males; however the helminth load of the adults was lower than in their juvenile counterparts. This study provides the first systematically collected evidence for the intra-annual changes of the helminth assemblages in herons.

Current hormonal contraceptive use predicts female extra-pair and dyadic sexual behavior: evidence based on Czech National Survey data.

Data from 1155 Czech women (493 using oral contraception, 662 non-users), obtained from the Czech National Survey of Sexual Behavior, were used to investigate evolutionary-based hypotheses concerning the predictive value of current oral contraceptive (OC) use on extra-pair and dyadic (in-pair) sexual behavior of coupled women. Specifically, the aim was to determine whether current OC use was associated with lower extra-pair and higher in-pair sexual interest and behavior, because OC use suppresses cyclical shifts in mating psychology that occur in normally cycling women. Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression and negative binomial models were used to test associations between OC use and these sexual measures, controlling for other relevant predictors (e.g., age, parity, in-pair sexual satisfaction, relationship length). The overall incidence of having had an extra-pair partner or one-night stand in the previous year was not related to current OC use (the majority of the sample had not). However, among the women who had engaged in extra-pair sexual behavior, OC users had fewer one-night stands than non-users, and tended to have fewer partners, than non-users. OC users also had more frequent dyadic intercourse than non-users, potentially indicating higher commitment to their current relationship. These results suggest that suppression of fertility through OC use may alter important aspects of female sexual behavior, with potential implications for relationship functioning and stability.

A survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infecting house mice from a hybrid zone.

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are closely related coccidian parasites infecting a wide range of wild and domestic animals as intermediate hosts, and rodents serve as important reservoir hosts during the life cycles of these parasites. The present study is aimed at identifying T. gondii and N. caninum infection in 360 wild house mice (Mus musculus) collected across the Czech-German border, where 2 genetically distinct mouse subspecies meet and hybridize. Toxoplasma gondii or N. caninum DNA was detected in the brains of individual mice by PCR, but mixed infections were never observed. No significant differences in gender or trapping localities were found in the positive mice. The survey reveals a low frequency of T. gondii (0.6%) and N. caninum (3.6%) occurrence in the house mice population of the monitored part of the hybrid zone.

The potential impact of a social redistribution of specific risk factors on socioeconomic inequalities in mortality: illustration of a method based on population attributable fractions.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic differences in health are a major challenge for public health. However, realistic estimates to what extent they are modifiable are scarce. This problem can be met through the systematic application of the population attributable fraction (PAF) to socioeconomic health inequalities. METHODS: The authors used cause-specific mortality data by educational level from Belgium, Norway and Czech Republic and data on the prevalence of smoking, alcohol, lack of physical activity and high body mass index from national health surveys. Information on the impact of these risk factors on mortality comes from the epidemiological literature. The authors calculated PAFs to quantify the impact on socioeconomic health inequalities of a social redistribution of risk factors. The authors developed an Excel tool covering a wide range of possible scenarios and the authors compare the results of the PAF approach with a conventional regression. RESULTS: In a scenario where the whole population gets the risk factor prevalence currently seen among the highly educated inequalities in mortality can be reduced substantially. According to the illustrative results, the reduction of inequality for all risk factors combined varies between 26% among Czech men and 94% among Norwegian men. Smoking has the highest impact for both genders, and physical activity has more impact among women. CONCLUSIONS: After discussing the underlying assumptions of the PAF, the authors concluded that the approach is promising for estimating the extent to which health inequalities can be potentially reduced by interventions on specific risk factors. This reduction is likely to differ substantially between countries, risk factors and genders.

[Polio news]. / Novinky na poli poliomyelitidy--krátké sdelení.

Although the Word Health Organization (WHO) launched the global polio eradication initiative 22 years ago, reports of new cases of this serious disease from various parts of the world are far from being uncommon. Former Czechoslovakia became the first country in the world to achieve polio eradication at the nationwide level. Since summer 1960, no case of non-imported paralytic poliomyelitis has been reported since 1961, Czechoslovakia has been the first country in the world to control permanently the spread of wild poliovirus strains.

Sixty years of research of tick-borne encephalitis--a basis of the current knowledge of the epidemiological situation in Central Europe.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus was isolated for the first time in Central Europe in 1948 from both a patient and Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in the area where the patient had been tick bitten (the Beroun area - Central Bohemia) and concomitantly from a TBE patient in Moravia (the Vyskov area). Another priority discovery was alimentary transmission of TBE virus via the milk from tick infected grazing goats that was made during a TBE outbreak in Roznava (SE Slovakia). This outbreak of 660 cases has been the largest of its kind. Both of these discoveries were a challenge to multidisciplinary research into the natural focality of TBE. The results obtained were published by Czech and Slovak authors in the first European TBE monograph (1954) and were the stimulus for further research in this area. From the epidemiological point of view, among others, the impact of meteorological factors (on TBE incidence associated with I. ricinus host-seeking activity) and recreational nature of TBE were clearly defined then. At the same time, TBE became a notifiable disease (since 1971 laboratory confirmed TBE cases only). In the following decades, the phenomenon of natural focality of TBE (including anthropic impacts) was extensively studied and the determinants of high-risk areas in the field were analyzed. The results were used in the creation of I. ricinus and TBE risk prediction maps for the Czech Republic generated for the first time in Europe using LANDSAT 5 satellite data and GIS technology (1990). In the early 1990s (in particular since 1993), similarly to other countries, the Czech Republic reported a sharp rise in TBE cases that continues, with some fluctuations, until now. The cooperation with climatologists in the analysis of historical data, current epidemiological observations, and study of I. ricinus in the field have shown a decisive impact of the ongoing climate change. The analysis of the socio-economic conditions in high-risk areas for TBE has not revealed any impact of these conditions on TBE morbidity. The recreational factor that is influenced by the weather changes has a considerable impact. The seasonal trend of TBE cases shows large fluctuations as were seen in 2006, 2009, and 2010, also as a result of weather changes with seasons. This clearly implies the need for using long time series of data, covering at least a decade, to be able to draw general conclusions as is the case in the present study (2001-2010). The data broken down by Administrative Region display substantial interregional differences. Of 14 Administrative Regions of the Czech Republic, three exhibits a linear trend in TBE incidence, with a minimum deviation from the baseline, four Regions show different downward linear trends, but seven Regions display different upward trends. The upward trend is most obvious in the Highlands (Vysocina) Region where it is associated with the prevalent orographic conditions and increase in the incidence of I. ricinus ticks at higher altitudes. The knowledge of the area where the patient was tick bitten that is entered in the Epidat database as the "probable area of TBE infection acquisition" is helpful in identifying high-risk areas for TBE. By matching the area of TBE acquisition with that of the patient's domicile we revealed that TBE patients had to travel to areas other than their area of domicile to acquire TBE and thus also significance of the areas of TBE acquisition at the country level. The population of the Prague Region (NUTS3 CZ010) can be used as an illustrative example, with 37.7% of TBE cases only reported to be acquired in the Prague Region while 33.4% of TBE cases were associated with travel to the Central Bohemian Region and 13.9% of TBE cases were imported from the South Bohemian Region (the rates of TBE cases imported from other Regions were less than 5%). And conversely, the residents of the South Bohemian Region (CZ031), with the highest number of TBE cases ever in the Czech Republic, acquired TBE in the region of domicile at a rate of 99.5%. These rates are clearly associated with the recreational potential of various Regions. The probable area of TBE acquisition is identified by cadastral community. In the light of the natural focality of TBE, the analysis of the local environmental factors involved in the circulation of TBE virus in the wild environment is required to determine the high-risk areas and local risk level. Although outbreaks of TBE cases in humans are indicative of TBE natural foci, more data is needed to delineate such areas. And similarly, the absence of TBE cases in humans over a period of time may not be indicative of a no risk area.

Contribution of mutations in ATM to breast cancer development in the Czech population.

Mutations in the ATM gene are the cause of a rare autosomal recessive syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia (AT). Of the general population, approximately 0.35-1% has been estimated to be heterozygous for a germline mutation in the ATM gene. The finding that ATM heterozygotes have an increased breast cancer risk was supported by some studies but not confirmed by others. In our study, the entire coding sequence of the ATM gene was prescreened for mutations by the protein truncation test to detect the chain-terminating mutations that are highly predominant in patients with AT. DNA sequencing then characterized 3 (1.9%) pathogenic mutations among 161 high-risk breast cancer patients. The c.5177+1G>A splicing mutation was a novel gene alteration. No mutation was detected in a group of 183 control individuals. Our results suggest that truncating mutations in ATM increase breast cancer risk and contribute to inherited breast cancer. The analysis further uncovered the c.1066-6T>G splicing mutation once among high-risk patients (0.6%) and twice among controls (1.1%) suggesting that this mutation does not confer an increase in breast cancer risk. On the other hand, individuals heterozygous for this truncating variant displayed loss of exon 11 in approximately 50% of ATM transcripts. Immunohistochemistry did not detect the ATM protein in the tumor sample carrying this mutation. Thus, the association of the c.1066-6T>G mutation with familial breast cancer remains uncertain. Loss of the wild-type ATM allele has not been detected in the tumor samples from heterozygous carriers of the ATM mutation. Our experiments did not detect the hypermethylation of the ATM promoter in any of the DNA samples from tumor tissues.

One-year coronary bypass graft patency: a randomized comparison between off-pump and on-pump surgery angiographic results of the PRAGUE-4 trial.

BACKGROUND: Off-pump coronary bypass surgery has become a widely used technique during recent years. However, limited data are available with regard to 1-year patency of bypass grafts implanted on the beating heart in unselected consecutive bypass surgery candidates. The aim of this study was to compare 1-year angiographic patency of bypass grafts done on the beating heart (off pump) with those done classically (on pump). METHODS AND RESULTS: The PRAGUE-4 trial randomized 400 consecutive nonselected cardiac surgery candidates into group A (on pump; n=192) and group B (off pump; n=208). One-year follow-up coronary angiography was done in 255 patients. The arterial graft patency after 1 year was 91% in both groups. Saphenous graft patency was 59% (on pump) versus 49% (off pump; P=NS). Saphenous graft patency per patient was lower in the off-pump group: 0.7 patent anastomosis per patient versus 1.1 patent anastomosis in the on-pump group (P<0.01). There were 46% on-pump patients with all grafts patent versus 52% off-pump patients (P=NS). Grafts anastomosed distally to collateralized chronic total occlusions of native coronary arteries remained patent in 100% on the left anterior descending artery compared with 23% on other arteries (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The patency of arterial coronary bypass grafts done on the beating heart is excellent and equal to grafts done on pump. The off-pump procedure in the unselected patient population results in fewer patent saphenous grafts per patient.

No relation between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and smoking dependence.

BACKGROUND: Smoking as a major risk factor for development of cancer and cardiovascular disease is thought to be partially genetically determined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and smoking status and the number of cigarettes smoked per week. METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction, I/D polymorphism was evaluated in the ACE gene in 1204 male and 1375 female representative Caucasians. Information about smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked per week was collected via a questionnaire. RESULTS: Frequencies of the alleles and genotypes of ACE I/D polymorphism did not differ between smokers, past smokers and individuals who had never smoked. No association was found between ACE I/D polymorphism and the number of cigarettes smoked per week, either in males or in females. CONCLUSION: I/D polymorphism in the ACE gene does not play any role in genetic determination of predisposition to smoking.

Aircrew exposure monitoring: results of 2001 to 2003 studies.

Aircrew exposure represents one of the recent subjects of occupational individual dosimetry. Since 1991 many new results have been found; there is however a need to gather further data on this exposure and its variation with geomagnetic position, solar activity and flight route parameters. Since 2001, many individual and six long-term monitoring programmes have been conducted onboard aircraft of Czech Airlines (CSA). In these programmes, a Si-diode spectrometer was fixed in an aircraft. Together with it, passive dosemeters thermoluminescent detector, track-etch based neutron dosemeter linear energy transfer and spectrometer) were exposed. More than 700 regular commercial flights were monitored in this manner. CSA supplied us also with full navigation data, which allowed us to calculate the exposure levels using EPCARD 3.2 and CARI6 codes. Direct experimental readings obtained with the detectors mentioned above were interpreted on the basis of calibrations in on-Earth reference fields and compared with calculated data. A satisfactory correlation between all sets of data was observed.