Occupational exposure to chromium and nickel in the 1980s in Finland

Two large data bases accumulated from the 1980s at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, one with results on urinary chromium and nickel analyses and the other with results on total and hexavalent chromium and nickel, were compiled and analysed in order to clarify the occupational exposure during the 1980s, and to reveal possible trends in the exposure of workers in different jobs. The data were processed in three batches: years 1980-1982, 1983-1985 and 1986-1989. The median values of urinary chromium exceeded the biomonitoring action level, BAL, in metal workers, and the mean values exceeded the BAL in both metal workers and plasma cutters. Among all worker groups the median values of urinary chromium remained quite stable during the study period. The median values of urinary nickel concentration did not exceed the BAL in any worker group studied, but an increasing trend was observed among moulders. In the breathing zone of grinders, the median value of total or trivalent chromium exceeded the occupational exposure limit, OEL. The medial of hexavalent chromium concentration in the breathing zone of metal sprayers and spray painters was higher than the OEL. No decreasing trend in exposure could be observed during the 10-year period in breathing zone air.     

Increased prevalence of hypertension and long-term arsenic exposure

A possible role of endothelin (ET)-1 in mediating hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) was examined by comparing haemodynamic differences between ET-1-induced vasoconstriction and HPV in isolated perfused rat lungs. An ETA receptor antagonist (BQ123) was also employed to assess the effects of ET-1. The pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) was significantly increased by alveolar hypoxia (3% O2) and by ET-1 (5 nM). The pulmonary microvascular pressure was not changed by hypoxia, but increased more than two-fold by ET-1 (P < 0.01). Hypoxia significantly increased pulmonary arterial resistance (P < 0.01) while ET-1 significantly increased pulmonary venous resistance (P < 0.01), and slightly increased arterial resistance. Lung weight was increased by ET-1 and decreased by hypoxia, accompanied by similar Ppa responses in both cases. BQ123 (10(-6) M and 10(-5) M) did not influence the changes in Ppa and lung weight induced by hypoxia or angiotensin II (0.3 micrograms). BQ123 did, however, suppress (P < 0.05) the increase in Ppa and lung weight induced by 5 nM ET-1. Thus, it appears unlikely that ET-1 is involved in changes in pulmonary vascular tone during acute HPV.     

Indoor radon exposure and risk of lung cancer: a nested case-control study in Finland

BACKGROUND: Inhaled radon has been shown to cause lung cancer among underground miners exposed to very high radon concentrations, but the results regarding the effects of residential radon have been conflicting. PURPOSE: Our aim was to assess the effect of indoor radon exposure on the risk of lung cancer. METHODS: To investigate this effect, a nested case-control study was conducted in Finland. The subjects of the study were the 1973 lung cancer case patients (excluding patients with cancers of the pleura) diagnosed from January 1, 1986, until March 31, 1992, within a cohort of Finns residing in the same one-family house from January 1, 1967, or earlier, until the end of 1985 and 2885 control subjects identified from the same cohort and matched by age and sex. In September 1992, a letter was sent to all study subjects or proxy respondents explaining the purpose and methods of the study. After giving informed consent, the study participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire on smoking habits, occupational exposures, and other determinants of lung cancer risk and radon exposure. The odds ratio (OR) of lung cancer was estimated from matched and unmatched logistic regression analyses relative to indoor radon concentration assessed by use of a 12-month measurement with a passive alpha track detector. RESULTS. Five hundred seventeen case-control pairs were used in the matched analysis, and 1055 case subjects and 1544 control subjects were used in the unmatched analysis. The OR of lung cancer for indoor radon exposure obtained from matched analysis was 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94-1.08) per 2.7 pCi/L (100 Bq m-3) after adjustment for the cigarette smoking status, intensity, duration, and age at commencement of smoking by subjects. For indoor radon concentrations 1.4-2.6, 2.7-5.3, 5.4-10.7, and 10.8-34.5 pCi/L (50-99, 100-199, 200-399, and 400-1277 Bq m-3, respectively), the matched ORs were 1.03 (95% CI = 0.84-1.26), 1.00 (95% CI = 0.78-1.29), 0.91 (95% CI = 0.61-1.35), and 1.15 (95% CI = 0.69-1.93), respectively, relative to the concentration below 1.4 pCi/L (0-49 Bq m-3). The unmatched analysis yielded similar results with somewhat smaller CIs. In the analyses stratified by age, sex, smoking status, or histologic type of lung cancer, no statistically significant indications of increased risk of lung cancer related to indoor radon concentration were observed for any of the subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not indicate increased risk of lung cancer from indoor radon exposure. IMPLICATION: Indoor radon exposure does not appear to be an important cause of lung cancer.     

Increased fertility of Corynebacterium glutamicum recipients in intergeneric matings with Escherichia coli after stress exposure

Corynebacterial recipient cells exposed to heat, organic solvents, pH shifts, or detergents show an increased fertility in subsequent interspecific matings with Escherichia coli. This effect is independent of de novo protein biosynthesis and seems to be due to a direct inactivation of a restriction system active against foreign DNA that enters the cell by IncP-mediated conjugation.     

Health trends in northern Finland

Along with the process of the epidemiological transition, northern Finland has experienced an increase of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, and accidental and suicidal deaths, particularly in the male population, while the females of northern Finland have shown rather favourable trends during the post-war period. Northern Finland shows a clustering of severe health problems such as coronary heart disease, accidents and suicides in smaller areas, e.g. in north-central Lapland, which records mortality rates 2-3 times higher than areas of lowest mortality. There is some indication of a high prevalence of smoking, increased serum lipids, blood pressure, body weight and alcohol consumption in the areas of highest morbidity and mortality, but evidence based on representative population samples is missing. Accidents and suicides are also common in the Sami (Lapp) area but coronary heart disease is rare, despite the unfavourable risk factor patterns.     

Cardiac interventions in Switzerland 1993

As in the previous years, a survey of all cardiac invasive, interventional and surgical procedures was carried out 1993 by a detailed questionnaire, which was sent to all Swiss centers. The resulting data are presented here for the whole of Switzerland and per individual center. The outstanding findings are: For the first time, more coronary angioplasties than coronary bypass graft operations were performed. At the same time, angioplasty in two or more vessels during the same session was attempted in 10% only. Overall the coronary stent represents the most frequently used new device in interventional cardiology in Switzerland, but large differences regarding the incidence of stent implantations exist among the centers. Compared with the public or university hospitals, the private centers have increased their interventional and surgical volume dramatically during the past years.     

芬兰奥托昆普镍生产的有效技术

简要介绍了当前世界上镍的生产技术、能源消耗和烟气污染程度,重点介绍了芬兰在初级镍生产方面降低污染排放物和能量消耗的有效技术,以及芬兰采用闪烁熔炼火法冶金工艺从硫化物精矿中回收镍。     

Epidemiology of trichinellosis in lynx in Finland

To examine the possibility of cytokine gene therapy in relation to pancreatic cancer, we evaluated the antitumor effect of human pancreatic carcinoma cells (AsPC-1) which were retrovirally-transduced with several kinds of cytokine genes. These cells were inoculated into BALB/c nude mice and their tumor volumes were assessed. The in vitro growth rate of the transduced cells was not different from that of a parental cell line. Among the transduced cells, human interleukin (IL)-6-transduced AsPC-1 and mouse granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor-transduced AsPC-1 cells showed a significant retardation of tumor growth compared with a parental cell line. In the cases of AsPC-1 cells transduced with the human IL-2 or mouse IL-4 gene, small tumors were generated but thereafter they regressed completely. Histological examinations showed monocytic cell infiltration around the tumors of IL-2- or IL-4-producing cells. These data suggest that secretion of IL-2 or IL-4 from tumor cells can induce an antitumor effect even in the defective condition of mature T cells.     

The effect of long-term UV radiation exposure on the skin autonomous microflora and on body nonspecific resistance

Hairless mice of strain HRS were exposed to vertical UV-B-irradiation (280-320 nm) at daily doses of 1 or 2 kJ/m2 (biologically effective doses 200 and 400 J/m2) five days a week for 13 and 6 weeks. As the length of exposure increased, the abundance of automicroflora of the dorsal skin first decreased, then exceeded the control value, was normalized, and remained at the normal level until the end of the experiment. The rates of effect appearance and disappearance, just as its amplitude, increased with the daily doses. No changes were found in resistance to staphylococcal alpha-toxin after its post-irradiation intraperitoneal injection.     

Ideal total hip prosthesis in 1993

Although it is a hazardous adventure to define what is an ideal in any field, it would appear that there is a certain consensus about total hip prostheses. The fundamental principle of the total hip replacement was based on the articulation of a spheric segment, a mobile head contained in a hemispheric non-retaining element. To date, the first material is a titanium in a alloy containing 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. The second material facing the titanium is polyethylene or alumine. Thus the joint couple could be "polyethylene-metal", or "polyethylene-alumine" or even "alumine-alumine". The hemispheric element can be a massive piece of polyethylene or formed by a peripheral metal (an open hemisphere) filled with the joint surface, itself made of polyethylene. This solution offers the possibility of changing the prosthesis in case of wear without interrupting the implant-bone contact. The first type is cemented to the bone with methyl polymethacrylate. With the second, the metallic part need not to be cemented and can be fitted to the bone by simple pressing. Several points are essential in the femoral piece. It should include a removable head so the length of the neck can be adjusted. It must fill the medullary canal as closely as possible and fill the methaphyseal space. It is fixed by a self-fitting system leading to stable secondary long-term fixation-a porous covering, sometimes with hydroxy apatite can also be useful. In certain cases it must be cemented, although the cement must only play the role of adaptation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

New therapeutic agents marketed in 1993

In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 25 new molecular entities (NMEs), 23 of which are for therapeutic use and two are diagnostic agents. Eleven of the NMEs for therapeutic use, as well a new biological agent intended for therapeutic use, were both approved and marketed in the United States in 1993. In addition, 11 other NMEs that the FDA approved before 1993 (most in late 1992) were marketed during the year. Thus, a total of 23 therapeutic agents reached the U.S. market for the first time in 1993, a considerably lower number than the 30 new therapeutic agents marketed in 1992 and the record number 31 new agents marketed in 1991. Many of the 13 therapeutic agents approved in 1993 but not marketed before the end of the year have become available in early 1994. This review of the therapeutic agents first marketed in 1993 considers their most important properties and, when possible, compares them with other available agents with similar properties. Of the 23 new therapeutic agents, 22 are considered in this paper. The one agent not reviewed is flosequinan, which was withdrawn from the market after being available only several months because of a concern about toxicity. This discussion of new drugs focuses on the most important properties of these agents; when additional information is needed, more comprehensive references and the product literature should be consulted.