Prevalence of Hepatitis A, B, and C markers in school children of a rural area of Crete, Greece

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis A, B, and C markers in children who were attending junior and senior high schools in a high risk area in rural Crete, Greece. Methods: Three-hundred and thirty-four children who attended the three junior schools and one senior high school in the Agios Vassilios province of Southern Crete were invited to participate in the study. Three hundred and four of them were tested for hepatitis A, B, and C markers. Hepatitis B (HBV) markers (HBsAg and anti-HBc) as well as hepatitis A (anti-HAV) and hepatitis (anti-HCV) antibodies were tested with commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: Six of the 304 children (1.97%) were found to be positive for anti-HAV, 1 (0.33%) to HBsAg, 7 (2.30%) to anti-HBc and none were found positive for anti-HCV. No significant differences were seen between the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in males (2%) and females (1.95%), and of anti-HBc antibodies in males (3.33%) and females (1.30%). Conclusions: The very low prevalence of anti-HAV is obviously due to the improved conditions of hygiene and it raises the question of the possible emergence of this disease at an older age and therefore appropriate preventative strategies should be considered. The low endemicity of hepatitis B in Crete in contrast to other areas of Greece also calls for a vaccination policy probably during adolescence. The absence of hepatitis C markers in the children in contrast to the observed higher prevalence of HCV-infected people in the adult population in the same rural area raises questions regarding possible sources of transmission of hepatitis C during the preceding years.     

平顶山市儿童血脂水平及影响因素的研究

目的探讨影响城市儿童血脂异常变化的因素，为从儿童期开始进行心脑血管病的早期预防提供基础资料。方法采用整群抽样方法对平顶山市城区257名9～16岁儿童（男123人，女134人）的血压、身高、体重进行测量，并采空腹静脉血测定总胆固醇（TC），甘油三脂（TG），高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL—C），低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL—C）。通过问卷获得儿童的饮食习惯，生活方式，家族史等影响因素资料。结果TC、TG、LDL—C、HDL—C水平（x^-±s）依次为3．51±0．77、0．96±0．32、1．76±0.62、1．15±0.24（单位均为mmol／L）。BMI、体脂含量、腰臀比、心血管病家族史因素均对儿童血脂谱水平有较大影响；多因素分析表明，Tc、TG、LDL—C与BMI、体脂含量呈正相关；而HDL—C与BMI、收缩压及腰臀比呈负相关。结论BMI、体脂含量、腰臀比、心血管病家族史因素均对儿童血脂谱水平有较大影响；控制儿童血脂异常及消除不良因素，将有助于消除儿童心血管疾病的危险因素从而有效的防止儿童心血管疾病的发生。     

Pain in childhood and adolescence: diagnosis,smokescreen or everyday complaints?

A large number of adolescents complain of headaches, backache, abdominal pain and pain in the limbs.

Conclusion: Teachers and health personnel should be educated in health promoting strategies to avoid medicalisation of health complaints, and to promote functional ability through structural approaches.     

Relationship between fluoride intake in Serbian children living in two areas with different natural levels of fluorides and occurrence of dental fluorosis

The amount of fluoride present naturally in drinking water is highly variable, being dependent upon the individual geological environment from which the water is obtained. Chronic exposure to exceeding fluoride doses induces set of toxic effects, i.e. fluorosis. The aim of this study was to examine fluoride content in water and in the most frequently used vegetables, potato and bean, grown in two different Serbian regions, i.e. control region (Valjevo) and high naturally occurring fluoride region (Vranjska Banja), and moreover, to correlate estimated daily intake with dental fluorosis occurrence as an adverse effect of fluoride exposure of schoolchildren in Serbia. Study confirmed significant difference in fluoride content in water, potato and bean, consumed by 12-year-old children in two investigated municipalities. Results of the study indicated positive and statistically significant correlation between daily intake of fluoride and dental fluorosis level in the fluorotic municipality of Vranjska Banja (r = 0.61; p = 0.000017). Obtained relationship could be evaluated by means of binary logistic regression analysis, whereas probability for fluorosis occurrence could be predicted using the following equation: fluorosis occurence (%) = (34.852 × C_water − 12.644 × C_potato − 9.362 × C_bean − 7.673) × 100 (Chi-Square (3) = 33.033; p < 0.001).     

Thai War on Drugs: measuring changes in methamphetamine and other substance use by school students through matched cross sectional surveys

In 2003 the Thai government announced a radical shift in drug policy with the implementation of a War on Drugs. Although consequences of this controversial measure (e.g. drug dealer deaths) have received widespread attention relatively little work has evaluated changes in substance use. We used two anonymous representative samples of secondary school students to compare drug use in Northeast Thailand before (1998; n=4217) and after (2004/5; n=3489) the War on Drugs. Results indicate that reported levels of current illicit drug use reduced significantly between 1998 and 2004/5 (for methamphetamine from 4.2% to 0.9%). By examining trends in year of first methamphetamine use we identify that observed reductions in drug initiation are temporally consistent with the War on Drugs. However, while prevalence of alcohol use has also fallen, there was a three-fold increase in daily alcohol use. We suggest that this rise, combined with other negative impacts of 'wars' on drugs, means drug control requires a public health perspective that sees eliminating drug use as part of a wider strategy that has improvement in population health, not just drug prevention, as its core objective.     

Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: a 2-year follow-up study

Within the scope of primary prevention regarding back functioning in children, research on the stability of intervention effects is indispensable. Along this line, the transition from childhood to adolescence is an important phase to evaluate the potential stability of intervention effects because of the typically mechanical and psychological demands related to adolescence. The main aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of a back education program at 2-year follow-up, in youngsters aged 13-14 years, on back posture knowledge, fear-avoidance beliefs and self-reported pain. An additional purpose was to evaluate which aspects of postural behavior were integrated in youngsters' lifestyles. At 2-year follow-up, the study sample included 94 secondary schoolchildren in the intervention group (mean age 13.3 +/- 0.8 years) and 101 controls (mean age 13.2 +/- 0.7 years). The back posture program that had been implemented for two school years consisted of back education and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the class through support and environmental changes. A questionnaire was completed comparable to the pretest, posttest and follow-up evaluations. The current study demonstrated at 2-year follow-up stability of the improved general (F = 1.590, ns) and specific (F = 0.049, ns) back posture knowledge in children who had received early back posture education. Back posture education did not result in increased fear-avoidance beliefs (F = 1.163, ns) or mounting back and/or neck pain reports (F = 0.001, ns). Based on self-reports for postural behavior, youngsters who had received the back posture program in the elementary school curriculum integrated crucial sitting and lifting principles conform to biomechanical favorable postural behavior. The steady intervention effects 2-year post-intervention demonstrated that intensive back posture education through the elementary school curriculum is effective till adolescence. Future research on the impact of early school-based back posture promotion in relation to the integration of back posture principles according to a biomechanical favorable lifestyle and back pain prevalence later in life is essential.