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In four areas with different types of atmospheric pollution 534 children of school age were examined for serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE), saliva IgA (sIgA), lysozymes (LYS) and acute phase reactants (alfa-l-antitrypsin - A1AT, alfa-2-macroglobulin -A2M, ceruloplasmin -CPL, transferrin - TRF). The children were divided into two groups: those with altered resistance (AR) comprising allergoses of all types and recurrent or persistent infections and those without the above health problems, i.e. healthy (H). There were more children with AR in areas with higher atmospheric pollution than in control areas. The frequency of AR was higher among boys than among girls. In the control area BN, a number of parameters in the AR group differed significantly from those in the H group. In areas with substantial atmospheric pollution these differences were generally less pronounced. Significant differences were found between the control and polluted areas in many indicators. In the area KO characterized by an intermediate degree of industrial pollution the means of the tested parameters were habitually elevated, whereas in the heavily polluted areas they were decreased. The most sensitive tests for evaluating differences between the areas were the levels of A1AT, LYS, and IgE, while the variations of sIgA, sLYS and CPL were less pronounced.

In a previous study the levels of nine serum and two salivary proteins were measured in a group of 80 children. Some significant differences of mean levels were found between the group of children, who remained well and who fell ill in the school year following the examination. In the present study the discrimination analysis was performed between both mentioned ill and healthy subgroups of children, referring to possible interaction of two protein tested. The comparison showed significant difference between double-protein combinations in 17 from 36 possibilities in girls subgroup. Relevant double combinations were assessed only in five of nine tested proteins: IgE, IgA, CPL, TRF and A 1-AT. Two combinations revealed the greatest significance: IgE with IgA, and IgE with CPL. No such significance was found in boys subgroup. The results suggest that prevalence of respiratory disease in influenced not only by previous levels of some single proteins, how it was found in the first paper, but also by the interactions of certain proteins.

A semicohort of children, initial age about 11.5 years, from an exposure area near a secondary lead smelting plant (E group children) was examined for some humoral immune response parameters in the blood and saliva and compared to a group of control children matched by age living in a relatively unpolluted rural area (Co group children). All examinations were performed every autumn and spring over a period of 2 successive years, and the data included in the final analysis were only from children who had completed at least 3 of the 4 examination series performed. To sum up, children from area E showed a clearcut elevation of mean blood lead (Pb) levels with marked seasonal fluctuations peaking in spring; Pb levels in the blood of Co group children had no such season-related fluctuation patterns and tended to slightly decline over the two years of observation. Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratases (ALAD) levels in area E were of distinctly lower mean values than in area Co, but no correlation with mean blood Pb levels could be observed. Levels of IgG were more or less inversely correlative with Pb levels in both sexes, levels of IgM showed a distinct downward trend in E group children at all samplings. Total serum protein (SP) levels of children from area E showed a reverse correlation with plumbemia, secretory IgA (sIgA) concentrations showed a decrease in E group children of both sexes, but the values tended to converge with control values. Levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin (A 1-AT) showed marked season-related fluctuation patterns in Co children, the curves in E group children turned steeply upward from the third examination series on. Ceruloplasmin (CPL) levels in E group children had a clearcut upward trend at three subsequent blood samplings, the curves in Co group children continued to drop. Children from area E showed markedly higher frequency rates of abnormal values than did children from Co area.

Blood and saliva were collected in the autumn and spring from a group of schoolchildren (39 girls, 35 boys) with a mean age of 11.4 years. Serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE, alpha 1-antitrypsin (A 1-AT), alpha 2 macroglobulin (A 2M), transferrin (TRF), ceruloplasmin (CPL), lysozyme (LYS) and pertussis (PE) antibody levels were determined. Calcium (Ca2+) and total serum protein levels were also determined. Secretory IgA (sIgA) and secretory lysozyme (sLYS) levels were assessed in the saliva. A highly significant drop in Ca2+ levels was found in the spring in boys, while in girls there was only a greater scatter of the values. Mean IgG, IgA and IgM values fell significantly in the spring in both sexes, but IgE levels fell significantly only in boys. PE levels rose significantly in the spring in girls. Among the other proteins, all the values rose in boys, except for TRF, whose levels fell. In girls, LYS and TRF levels rose, but all the other values fell. The coefficients of correlation between Ca2+ and the tested proteins showed a significant relationship only for A 2M and PE in girls and only for the total protein level in boys; in boys, the determination coefficient for sIgA and IgM was over 10%. The results do not testify to the existence of a close relationship between blood Ca2+ levels and Ig and other blood protein levels.

The prevalence of respiratory diseases was followed in a group of 80 children (39 boys and 41 girls) of mean age 12.4 +/- 0.9 years during the part of school year (November - May incl.). The specimen of blood was taken from all studied children before the study started and the values of nine serum proteins were measured (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, alfa 1-antitrypsin = A 1-AT, transferrin = TRF, ceruloplasmin = CPL, alpha 2-macroglobulin = A 2M, lysozyme = LYS), as well as levels of two secretory proteins in saliva (sIgA and sLYS). The difference between the subgroup of boys, who fall into some respiratory illness during the observation time, and those who remain healthy, did not reach the level of significance. In contrast, the girls subgroup revealed significantly higher respiratory morbidity. With those girls, who remained healthy, the levels of serum IgE were highly increased and A 1-AT level weakly increased compared to ill girls. The level of TRF and CPL were significantly decreased with the healthy girls.