[Alpha-2 macroglobulin in serum and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthrosis]. / Alpha2-makroglobulin v syvorotke i sinovial'noi zhidkosti bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom i osteoartrozom.

AIM: To study concentrations of alpha-2-macroglobulin (A-2-MG) in blood serum and synovial fluid (SF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and formulation of basic clinical, laboratory and x-ray criteria of RA activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A-2-MG levels were measured in the serum and SF from 151 RA patients and in the serum of 20 patients with osteoarthrosis (OA) and 62 healthy donors. The serum concentration for RA patients was 166 +/- 65.3 mg%, for OA patients--175.26 +/- 36.99 mg% and for healthy donors--177.772 +/- 50 mg%. Mean concentration of SF A-2-MG in RA patients was 98.77 +/- 82.43 mg%. CONCLUSION: Changes in the concentration of A-2-MG are unrelated to inflammation activity in the joints of RA and OA patients. Serum and synovial concentration of this protein corresponds to changes in the concentration of IgM and rheumatoid factors in RA patients.

Pneumoconioses in Bulgaria--prevalence, development, prognosis and prevention.

Prevalence of the basis types of pneumoconioses (silicosis, silicotuberculosis, asbestosis) in Bulgaria was studied during a 7-year period (1985-1991). Information was taken from reports of the Department for silicosis and other pneumoconioses control in the country. As a basis of the investigation serves the total number of workers endangered by dust exposure in different risk branches. The more rarely encountered pneumoconioses are referred to in absolute numbers. Trends in the development and prognosis of the most frequently encountered pneumoconiosis in Bulgaria could be followed. Recommendations are given for future preventive activity.

[Lipid and mineral metabolism and morbidity with temporary loss of work capacity in miners]. / Sustoianie na lipidniia i mineralniia obmen i zaboliaemost s vremenna netrudosposobnost pri min'ori.

Examination is performed on 87 miners from mine for copper production subject to intensive local vibrations with average rate of increase (K) of the norms for the individual octave frequencies 2.4 times for 3 h exposure of the working shift, as well as to intensive noise--113-115 dB/A equivalent level, general dust--23 mg/m3, fine dust--3.5 mg/m3 and fine quartz--0.43 mg/m3. There are data for vibration effect--changes in the cold test, vibration sensoriness, ultra sound sonometry, in all miners. In a significant part of them are established dyslipoproteinemia--increase of triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, values beyond reference (mainly above the norm) of 10 electrolytes and microelements in blood serum (blood). An extremely high prevalence of the cases and the days of total morbidity with temporary disability (respectively 189.7 and 2935 per 100), with predominance in its structure of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems, hypertension disease, etc. The importance of vibrations for disorder in the metabolic processes in the organism and development of temporary diseases are underlined.

[Morbidity with temporary loss of work capacity in the workers of the Belmeken-Sestrimo hydroelectric cascade]. / Zaboliaemost s vremenna netrudosposobnost pri raboteshtite ot vodnoelektricheska kaskada "Belmeken-Sestrimo".

The present work presents the results from the analysis on the morbidity with temporary disability from cascade "Belmeken-Sestrimo" (n = 94, men 73, women 21). By means of personnel method are studied the cases of morbidity with temporary disability and defined the basic and enlarged number of indices, analysed in sex, age, length of service, nosological structure and dynamics for a period of 3 years (1987-1989) for the 3 sites of hydroelectric cascade "Belmeken-Sestrimo", water-power station "Momina Klisura", hydroelectric station "Sestrimo" and water-power station "Belmeken". The results point out to low and average levels of morbidity with temporary disability, with traditional arrangement of their nosological affiliations (diseases of the upper respiratory ways, cardio-vascular system, nervous system etc.). The relative part of "frequently and long suffering persons" is low, but to this group as potential source for increase of the level, structure and dynamics of morbidity with temporary disability is necessary to apply purposeful undertakings.

[Epidemiological examinations of the workers at a thermoelectric power station]. / Epidemiologicheskie obsledovaniia rabotaiushchikh na teplovoi élektrostantsii.

Medical and clinico-laboratory examinations were performed of thermoelectric power station (TES) workers who were exposed to the hazardous factors related to the technological process and contamination substances transferred from other industrial sites. Following prepathologic and pathologic states were registered: respiratory functional disorders, ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, audiometric state deviations and acoustic nerve neuritis, irritative dermatitis. Basing on the data obtained, risk groups identification was performed.

[Incidence of hypertension and ischemic heart disease with temporary disability among workers exposed to vibration]. / Zabolevaemost' gipertonicheskoi bolezn'iu i ishemicheskoi bolezn'iu serdtsa s vremennoi netrudosposobnost'iu sredi rabochikh, podvergaiushchikh vozdeistviiu vibratsii.

The article reveals the pathologic changes in man caused by vibration and detects morbidity with temporary disability (MTD), hypertension disease (HD), and ischemic heart disease (IHD) in vibration-related professions in ore extraction, metallurgic industries, etc. The morbidity data used are established on vascular tension, neuro-humoral regulation and lipid metabolism changes, and the results obtained are given in comparison with the nation-wide computerized MTD-data for 1982-1986 and those for the Communication branch. Considerably high HD and IHD incidencies have been revealed in vibration-related professions and compared to the sample branch. Computerized systems' possibilities are evaluated in MTD occupational risk-factors assessment.

[General and occupational morbidity among the personnel of the Bulgarian Medical Academy during the period of 1986-1987]. / Obshcha i profesionalna zaboliaemost na rabotetsite v Bulgarska Meditsinska Akademiia za perioda 1986-1987 godina.

Extremely important for the character of the health status of the medical staff of the Bulgarian Medical Academy is tracing the level and dynamics of their morbidity (general, expressed by means of integral parameters of morbidity with temporary incapacity for work and of the professional, including the industrial traumatism). On the basis of a two-year study performed at the Medical Academy, with the assistance of the confidential medical staff was gathered the necessary information for the extent and noslogical structure of the morbidity with temporary work incapacity and the number and nosology of the professional diseases, poisonings and occupational accidents. By making use of the basic statistical analyses, the prepared information served to establish the status of morbidity (low for the cases and high for work loss), in order to arrange the Institutes and Departments according to the incidence of temporary work incapacity for work (in days), and give recommendations for undertakings directed on the one side to more profound study of the morbidity and on the other to its practical decrease.

[Dependence of morbidity with temporary work incapacity on a combination of unfavorable occupational factors]. / Prouchvane zavisimostta na zaboliaemostta s vremenna netrudosposobnost ot kompleksa profesionalni neblagopriiatni faktori.

An attempt is made to discover the dependence between the intensive indices for cases and days of temporary incapacity for work according to branches of economy and the complex of unfavourable professional factors of the working environment after mark assessment according to the method of N. Tsaneva and M. Lukanov, etc, 1979, and after the modification formula of L. Vassileva, 1985. Significant and high dependence are established through the coefficient of class correlation of Spirman.

[Comparative analysis of the level and structure of morbidity with temporary loss of work capacity among the blind and seeing workers at the Uspekh enterprises]. / Sravnitelen analiz na nivoto i strukturata na zabolevaemostta s vremenna netrudosposobnost pri nezriashti i zriashti rabotnitsi kum PP "Uspekh".

With the follow up of the dynamics of morbidity rate with temporary disability (MRTD) during the last five years, the branch of the enterprises of the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria and the Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria keeps firmly the first place according to frequency of the cases and according to the frequency of the days it is moved from seventh to fourth place in the Trade Union of the Medical Workers. In connection with that fact, our aim was a more detailed analysis of MRTD (according to index-card of SI-1) in the Uspekh enterprises for a two-year period. The comparative juxtaposition revealed a higher level of the intensive indices among the blind workers as compared with the seeing ones. Certain discrepancies in the structure of MRTD have been established, in the values of the intensive indices according to separate nosological entities in particular. The comparative analysis contributes to the establishment of a differential approach with the realization of the therapeutic-diagnostic cares of the blind and poorly seeing workers.

[Individual-based study of morbidity with temporary loss of work capacity in 1 plant over a 3-year period]. / Vurkhu politsevoto izuchavane na zabolevaemostta s vremenna netrudosposobnost v edin zavod za trigodishen period.

The study of morbidity rate with temporary disability according to subjects, based on the Soviet experience has an approximately thirty year history in our country. Even though, numerous scientific, methodical and organizational problems with a view to the application of the method-according-to-subjects are still unsolved. The object of our study is a plant of the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria, producing cork stoppers, electrical materials and haircloth. The information derived from the patients' chart by an individual index-card, allowed a more detailed and more comprehensive analysis of the indices of the morbidity rate with temporary disability according to subjects, cases and the days lost because of temporary disability, depending on age-sex structure, occupational group, workshop, length of service and place of residence. The results obtained were compared with those supplied by the official statistics of the TIITs-Gabrovo. The groups of often and continuous sick subjects (6.96%) and (8.56%) have been established for 1983, covering about 40% of the cases with temporary disability and over 60% from the labour losses for that year. Well grounded hygienic and medical-prophylactic measures are recommended on the base of the conclusions drawn.