Effect of indoor air quality on the development of rhinitis in an urban population in Poland.

Background: Indoor air significantly impacts the incidence of rhinitis among residents of urban agglomerations. Objective: To assess the impact of indoor air pollution on rhinitis. Methods: Data were collected by using an European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) and International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires (N = 18,617), and medical examinations were carried out (N = 4783) in selected Polish regions. For statistical analysis, the odds ratio (OR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval to detect factors associated with rhinitis. The Wald test was performed to assess the significance of those factors. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The most important factors associated with allergic rhinitis declared by adults, ages 20­44 years were the following: the age of the buildings (OR 1.34), presence of central heating system (OR 1.19), gas furnace used to heat the house (OR 1.19), solid-fuel stove (OR 1.92), and bottled-gas stove (OR 1.66). More frequent declarations of nonallergic rhinitis in the study group were associated with the use of a central heating system (children ages 6­7 years: OR 1.21; children ages 13­14 years: OR 1.22; and adults, ages 20­44 years: OR 1.27), solid-fuel stove (children ages 6­7 years: OR 2.95; children ages 13­14 years: OR 2.86; adults, ages 20­44 years: OR 2.02), and bottled-gas stove (children ages 6­7 years: OR 1.89; children ages 13­14 years: OR 1.88; adults, ages 20­44 years: OR 2.06). Diagnosed seasonal allergic rhinitis in adults, ages 20­44 years was associated with the year when the building was constructed (1970­1990) (OR 1.93) and the presence of a central heating system (OR 1.85). The year of construction of a building (1946­1969) (OR 4.84) as well as the use of central heating (OR 1.79) were causes of allergies to molds in the group of children ages 6­7 years, whereas sensitization to Dermatophagoides. pteronyssinus (OR 1.62) and Dermatophagoides farinae (OR 1.78) in children ages 6­7-years was associated with the presence of a central heating system. In children ages 13­14 years, the use of a solid-fuel stove was a cause of sensitization to D. farinae (OR 1.62). Conclusion: The age of the building, home heating systems, and pollution emitted by cooking appliances have a significant impact on the incidence of rhinitis. The highlights of the study included the following: (1) the age and condition of the building, the use of heating devices, stoves, and also mold allergens and house-dust mites contributed to a higher incidence of rhinitis, mainly among adults, ages 20­44 years; (2) gas-storage tanks and solid fuels contribute to rhinitis in the group of children ages 6­7 years and children ages 13­14 years.

Short-term whole body vibration exercise in adult healthy horses.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the acute effect of whole body vibration exercise (WBVE) on clinical parameters and blood values in horses. Seven horses were exposed to a 10 min WBVE at a frequency of 15-21 Hz. Clinical parameters and venous blood samples were taken before and directly after WBVE. Acute short-term WBVE produced a decrease in serum cortisol (p = 0.02) and creatine-kinase (p = 0.02) values. Clinical parameters, hematology, fibrinogen, lactate, IGF-I, GGT, creatinine, myeloperoxidase activity and bone marker values were not significantly changed by WBVE. In adult sound horses WBVE was well tolerated and did not cause any sign of measured discomfort.

The prevalence of asthma and declared asthma in Poland on the basis of ECAP survey using correspondence analysis.

Results of epidemiological and public health surveys are often presented in the form of cross-classification tables. It is sometimes difficult to analyze data described in this way and to understand relations between variables. Graphical methods such as correspondence analysis are more convenient and useful. Our paper describes an application of correspondence analysis to epidemiological research. We apply the basic concepts of correspondence analysis like profiles, chi-square distance to medical data concerning prevalence of asthma. We aim at describing the relationship between asthma, region, and age. The data presented in this paper come from Epidemiology of Allergy in Poland (ECAP) survey in years 2006-2008. Correspondence analysis shows that there is a fundamental difference in the structure of age groups for people with symptoms compared to those who have declared asthma (regardless of the level of symptoms of asthma and the level of declaration). The variable which best differentiates declared asthma in all regions is "wheezing and whistling." Correspondence analysis also shows significant differences between locations. Our analyses are performed in the R package "ca".