Hearing loss among ship crewmembers

Modern life in conditions of globalization and increasing freedom of movement of people and goods is a prerequisite for increasing transport activity. As a part of it, water transport meets increased demand with flexible operation of various types of vessels, equipped with modern technologies, materials and systems. Of course, in addition to the accomplished success are some new ecological problems. Some of them are related to noise pollution. The frequencies of hearing disorder are studied among deck, machine and kitchen crew. There are 388 subjects in the study (374 or 98.4% men and 6 or 1.6% women), average age of 43,49 ± 10,7 years. Pure tone audiometry was performed. The results show pronounced professional etiology of hearing loss with peak violations at 4000Hz for machine crew. There are statistically significant correlations of the average hearing loss with age, work experience, body mass index and chronic non-communicable diseases. Additional prophylactic measures are needed to control noise levels on board vessels, medical monitoring of workers in hazardous environments and audiometric functional study of mechanics at least every two years, in accordance with international standards

Investing in Health and Market Regulation in the European Health Care System

The authors analyze the basic financial principles and the regulated entrepreneurship in the healthcare systems in Europe. They point out that the European countries organize, manage and finance their health care in different ways. Thus the health systems vary not only in the financial methods used, but also in the payment scheme of the insurance institution and the healthcare providers as well as the ways in which the state regulates the health services provision and the development of market relations in healthcare. Some of the most up-to-date challenges and opportunities in front of European healthcare systems are overviewed. An example case study is presented in order to illustrate the need for investing in health as well as for careful financial and regulatory planning and management

Immunocytochemical Study Of Cb1 Receptors In Rat ‘s Periaqueductal Gray After Cold Stress And Effects Of Peptides Tyr -W-Mif -1 And Tyr -K-Mif -1

The immunohistochemical localization of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors in periaqueductal gray (PAG) of male rats after acute cold stress and effects of endogenous antiopiate peptides Tyr-W-MIF-1 and Tyr-KMIF-1 on nociception was studied. The nociception was measured by the paw pressure test. As control were used intact rats. Stress activates PAG as an important component of the descending inhibitory pain pathway and stress-induced analgesia. CB1 immunoreactivity appeared as puncta and was found in cell bodies, axons and dendrites. The morphometric analysis revealed that acute cold stress increases the density of CB1-immunoreactive neurons in PAG compared with expression in intact animals. Secund, the results showed that Tyr-K-MIF-1 and Tyr-W-MIF-1 decreased the density of CB1-immunoreactive neurons in PAG of control rats, acute cold stress and after acute cold stress and effects of endogenous antiopiate peptides Tyr-WMIF-1 and Tyr-K-MIF-on nociception

ASSESSING SALIVARY CORTISOL IN RESEARCH OF SHIFT WORK RISKS AMONG CASINO EMPLOYEES IN BULGARIA

Although the effects of shift work on casino employees have been documented, no data exists describing the effect of stress on the hormone secretion. The present quantitative study evaluates the use of salivary cortisol concentration as a biomarker of the stress level among casino employees in Bulgaria. This new data emphasize the need to examine the circadian rhythm of cortisol in a casino environment

Investing in Health and Market Regulation in the European Health Care System

The authors analyze the basic financial principles and the regulated entrepreneurship in the healthcare systems in Europe. They point out that the European countries organize, manage and finance their health care in different ways. Thus the health systems vary not only in the financial methods used, but also in the payment scheme of the insurance institution and the healthcare providers as well as the ways in which the state regulates the health services provision and the development of market relations in healthcare. Some of the most up-to-date challenges and opportunities in front of European healthcare systems are overviewed. An example case study is presented in order to illustrate the need for investing in health as well as for careful financial and regulatory planning and management

Comparative study of heparin- and toluidine blue positive mast cells in porcine lumbar spinal ganglia

In the present study, toluidine blue for metachromasia and berberine sulfate for heparin fluorescence were used to determine the localisation and distribution of mast cells as well as the percent of hepa-rin-positive cells (MCH) in normal lumbar spinal ganglia (dorsal root ganglia) of domestic swine. Mast cells density was established after estimating the number of these cells per ganglion. Mast cells with metachromasia (MCTB) were observed predominantly in the ganglion capsule near the blood vessels. The number of mast cells inside the ganglia (2.10±1.45 in males and 2.20±1.03 in females) was significantly lower than in the capsule (13.30±1.95 in males and 13.60±2.42 in females) in both genders (P<0.001). Sexual dimorphism of the studied parameters was not established except for the slightly higher number of mast cells localised inside the left spinal ganglia of females than in males (P<0.05). The localisation of heparin-positive mast cells and the ratio between them and mast cells stained with toluidine blue (almost 2:1) was also determined. The percentage of heparin-positive mast cells in the ganglion capsule was 4 %, whereas inside the ganglion – 40%

The endogenous cannabinoid and the adrenergic systems in modulation of stress-response

In our modern, fast-paced society, excessive stress (or distress) is a major risk factor for developing a plethora of diseases. There are several neuromediatory systems in the brain that regulate the response to stress, including the adrenergic and endocannabinoid systems. In our experiments, we study the effects of the endocannabinoid system on the restrain stress-induced analgesia (r-SIA). The experiments were done on male Wistar rats. The animals were confined in special restrainers for a period of one hour. The animals were treated with Clonidine (at 4 mg/kg) – a prototypical α2-agonist; Yohimbine – an α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist; Desipramine – a NE reuptake blocker; CB1r agonist anandamide (AEA); CB1r antagonist АМ251 in different combinations. r-SIA was investigated by means of the paw pressure test in order to get a better understanding of the role that the neurotransmitter anandamide plays in the process. The degree to which the levels of r-SIA fluctuated served as an indicator of the degree to which the cannabinoid system and the adrenergic system interacted with one another. Cannabinoids that are administered exogenously were found to reduce levels of r-SIA and modulate the effects of the adrenergic system. These conclusions were reached based on the findings of our research

Feedback-regulated poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by PARP-1 is required for rapid response to DNA damage in living cells

Genome integrity is constantly threatened by DNA lesions arising from numerous exogenous and endogenous sources. Survival depends on immediate recognition of these lesions and rapid recruitment of repair factors. Using laser microirradiation and live cell microscopy we found that the DNA-damage dependent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) PARP-1 and PARP-2 are recruited to DNA damage sites, however, with different kinetics and roles. With specific PARP inhibitors and mutations, we could show that the initial recruitment of PARP-1 is mediated by the DNA-binding domain. PARP-1 activation and localized poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis then generates binding sites for a second wave of PARP-1 recruitment and for the rapid accumulation of the loading platform XRCC1 at repair sites. Further PARP-1 poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation eventually initiates the release of PARP-1. We conclude that feedback regulated recruitment of PARP-1 and concomitant local poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation at DNA lesions amplifies a signal for rapid recruitment of repair factors enabling efficient restoration of genome integrity

Rudimentary G-Quadruplex-Based Telomere Capping In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Telomere capping conceals chromosome ends from exonucleases and checkpoints, but the full range of capping mechanisms is not well defined. Telomeres have the potential to form G-quadruplex (G4) DNA, although evidence for telomere G4 DNA function in vivo is limited. In budding yeast, capping requires the Cdc13 protein and is lost at nonpermissive temperatures in cdc13-1 mutants. Here, we use several independent G4 DNA-stabilizing treatments to suppress cdc13-1 capping defects. These include overexpression of three different G4 DNA binding proteins, loss of the G4 DNA unwinding helicase Sgs1, or treatment with small molecule G4 DNA ligands. In vitro, we show that protein-bound G4 DNA at a 3\u27 overhang inhibits 5\u27-\u3e 3\u27 resection of a paired strand by exonuclease I. These findings demonstrate that, at least in the absence of full natural capping, G4 DNA can play a positive role at telomeres in vivo