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Háztartásainkban előforduló mikroszkopikus gombák gyakran extrém környezethez alkalmazkodtak, ilyen például a különböző vizes berendezésekben kialakuló magas hőmérséklet, változó kémhatás és nedvesség. E környezet a higiénés szokásaink megváltozásával időről-időre átalakul. A készülékekben megtelepedő gombáknak egészségkockázata lehet. Vizsgálatunk során célul tűztük ki a mosógépekben előforduló gombafajok azonosítását, gyakoriságuk és növekedésük vizsgálatát a mosógépekre jellemző fizikai és kémiai körülmények között, továbbá a mosógép-használati szokások és a gombaszennyezettség közötti összefüggések elemzését. Ennek érdekében tenyésztéses gombavizsgálatokhoz mintákat gyűjtöttünk 62 mosógépből, továbbá ezzel párhuzamosan kérdőíves felmérést végeztünk a használati szokásokra vonatkozóan. A mosógépek 32%-a erősen szennyezettnek bizonyult. A vizsgált készülékek 46%-át opportunista humánpatogén gombák kolonizálták. Szignifikánsan több gombafajt találtunk azokban a mosógépekben, melyeket konyhában (p=0.021), illetve fűtetlen helyiségben (p=0.003) tartottak. A kimutatott fajok patogének lehetnek cisztás fibrózisban és asztmában szenvedők esetében. Vizsgálataink alapján ajánlásokat fogalmaztunk meg a mosógéphasználattal járó esetleges egészségkockázat csökkentésére.

Bevezetés: Azt tűztük ki célul, hogy elemezzük az összefüggést a hazánkban jelentős népegészségügyi problémának számító parlagfűpollen-allergia előfordulási gyakorisága és a hosszú távú pollenterhelés, valamint egyes légszennyezők (NO2, PM10, CO) hatása, továbbá egyes kora gyermekkori környezeti tényezők között. Módszerek: A vizsgálathoz az Országos Közegészségügyi Központ által végzett országos szintű, az ISAAC tanulmány kérdőívén alapuló felmérés (Országos Gyermek Légúti Felmérés, OGYELF, 2005) parlagfűallergiára és lehetséges kockázati tényezőire vonatkozó kérdéseit használtuk fel. A települések hosszú távú pollenexpozícióját az országot lefedő 19 aerobiológiai mérőállomás átlagos napi pollenkoncentrációiból számoltuk, míg a hosszú távú légszennyezettséget kormányrendelet alapján kialakított légszennyezettségi zónákba sorolás alapján kaptuk. Az elemzéshez leíró és analitikus statisztikai módszereket alkalmaztunk. Eredmények: A mérések alapján jellemző magas tartományban a pollenterhelés nem mutatott szignifikáns összefüggést az allergia rizikójával. Országos szinten szignifikánsan kisebb volt az allergia előfordulása az alacsonyabb légszennyezettségű területeken, Pest megye kizárása után azonban ez a szignifikáns hatás eltűnt. Gyakrabban fordult elő allergia fiú gyermekeknél, továbbá növelte az allergia rizikóját a pozitív családi anamnézis, a kora gyermekkori súlyos, alsó légúti infekció, a különálló, saját gyermekszoba. A rendszeres szociális juttatásban részesülő szülők gyermekeinél kisebb gyakorisággal fordult elő allergia. A várandósság alatti dohányzás negatív összefüggést mutatott a kimenetellel az országos elemzésben, de Pest megye kizárásával a szignifikancia eltűnt. Az anyai életkor a gyermek születésekor nem mutatott szignifikáns összefüggést az allergiarizikóval. Következtetés: A genetikai hajlam mellett számos környezetei tényező is szerepet játszik a fokozott allergiarizikó hátterében, ugyanakkor az előfordulási gyakoriságot egyéb faktorok (szülői ismeretek az allergia tüneteiről, infrastrukturális különbségek, ellátórendszerhez való hozzáférhetőség) is befolyásolhatják, melyek hatását további vizsgálatokban tervezzük elemezni.

BACKGROUND Higher exposure to air pollution may contribute to the increased prevalence of allergic diseases in children. The study investigated the associations between the prevalence of childhood respiratory diseases and long-term exposure to NO2, SO2, PM10, furthermore some surrogates in schoolchildren in Hungary. We also analysed the possible modification effects of some confounders by interaction analysis. METHODS A total of 6,771 children aged 8-9-year-old residing at their current addresses since their births with air pollution monitoring stations were selected into this analysis. Health outcomes and their possible determinants, as well as, surrogates of air pollution were surveyed by using a standardized questionnaire. Long-term exposure to PM10, NO2, and SO2 was calculated at settlement level derived from daily average concentrations of pollutants. Descriptive and analytical statistical methods were applied. RESULTS NO2 levels were positively associated with respiratory allergies and asthma. Decreased risk for ragweed, any other pollen, house dust mite and animal fur allergy was detected with PM10 level. There were significant associations between respiratory allergies to ragweed, any other pollen, house dust mite, animal fur, wheeze symptoms and living or attending school nearby a factory, power station or bus station as well as living in a home with intensive noise or vibration. Gender, parental atopy, home mold and early respiratory infection were significant effect modifiers in some cases. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that respiratory health in children is adversely affected by air pollutants.

Washing machines (WMs) are convenient places for fungal colonization. This study is focused on fungal diversity of WMs, and investigates relationships between habits of WM users and colonising species. Housekeeping conditions and habits were assessed in Hungary with a questionnaire. Several fungal species were identified by microscopy and sequence analysis of diagnostic loci. Based on the results, 32 % of the sampled WMs were highly polluted with various species of fungi. Forty six percent of them were colonised also by opportunistically human pathogenic species. In total, 32 yeast and 39 filamentous fungal strains were isolated. Growth tests were conducted with five selected taxa (Cutaneotrichosporon dermatis, Cystobasidium slooffiae, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Candida parapsilosis and the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC)) to ascertain their tolerance ranges. None of the examined isolates were able to grow50 °C, 4.10pH10.88. FOSC could grow at high salinity. More species were detected in WMs operated in rooms without heating systems (p = 0.0025). The number of species was higher in WMs located in the kitchen than the ones kept in bathroom or in other rooms (p = 0.0205). WMs may serve as a reservoir of pathogenic fungi, the presence of which may depend on the usage of these devices.

Introduction and objective Hungary is one of the areas in Europe most infected with ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) and its pollen, and is the most important cause of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in the country. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between ragweed pollen allergy and long-term ragweed pollen load, as well as analysis of the the impacts of additional potential risk factors on health outcomes. Material and methods A modified version of standardized questionnaires, based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood, were completed by the parents of schoolchildren aged 8 - 9 attending 3rd grade classes throughout the country. Pollen load was calculated for each settlement from daily ragweed pollen concentrations monitored by 19 monitoring stations in the country. Descriptive and analytical statistical methods were applied. Results At national level there was a significant inverse association between prevalence of ragweed allergy and its pollen load, but significance was lost after excluding data from Budapest, the capital city, due to the impact of urbanization. In the adjusted model, parental atopic disease was the strongest risk factor (either parent had atopic disease aOR=2.60; 95% CI=2.31-2.93 or both parents had atopic disease aOR=4.56; 95% CI=3.71-5.60). Further significant risk factors were male gender (aOR=1.52; 95% CI=1.36-1.71), lower respiratory infection in the first two years of life (aOR=1.91; 95% CI=1.70-2.16), and unshared children's room (aOR=1.22; 95% CI=1.09-1.37). Allergy was significantly less common among children whose parents received social aid (aOR=0.83; 95% CI=0.72-0.97) and whose mother smoked during pregnancy (aOR=0.80; 95% CI=0.64-0.99). Conclusions Higher ragweed pollen exposure was not found to be associated with higher risk of ragweed allergy.

Total infant mortality in Hungary has been higher than other European countries; however, the reported incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been lower than those of Western Europe and the United States. The low incidence of SIDS in Hungary has been supported by evidence obtained from the high rate of scene of death investigation and medico-legal autopsy mandatory since the 1950s. In this study, we compared the incidence of explained and unexplained infant deaths in Hungary for three periods: 1979-1989 when the incidence of SIDS was high in western Europe; 1990-1999 when the incidence of infant deaths was falling following introduction of the public health campaigns to reduce the risk factors associated with SIDS; 2000-2012 to determine if introduction of Hib or pneumococcal vaccines or introduction of an earlier immunization schedule during this period had an effect on SIDS or SUDI. Explained infant deaths fell consistently during this period; however, unexplained deaths (SIDS) rose during the second period when the incidence of SIDS was falling in other European countries. Evidence for infection and/or inflammation was observed for the majority of SIDS during each period. The results are discussed in relation to campaigns to reduce infant mortality in Hungary and the introduction of new vaccines and an earlier immunization schedule in 2006.

Medicolegal evaluation of postmortem findings at the death scene represents an important part of forensic medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and characteristics of suicide events. Data collection was performed from the police scene investigation reports in capital Budapest between 2009 and 2011. In this study, epidemiological parameters such as age, gender, time and place of death, postmortem changes, suicidal method, seasonal and daily distribution, natural diseases, earlier psychiatric treatment, socioeconomic risks, supposed cause of death, final notes, earlier suicide attempts, and suicide ideations were analyzed. There were 892 suicide cases (619 males, 273 females) detected in the investigated period. Hanging, overdose of prescription medications, jumping, use of firearms, drowning, and electrotrauma showed statistical differences among genders (p

Cardiac death remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Recent research has shed light on pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cardiac death, and several genetic variants in novel candidate genes have been identified as risk factors. However, the vast majority of studies performed so far investigated genetic associations with specific forms of cardiac death only (sudden, arrhythmogenic, ischemic etc.). The aim of the present investigation was to find a genetic marker that can be used as a general, powerful predictor of cardiac death risk. To this end, a case-control association study was performed on a heterogeneous cohort of cardiac death victims (n=360) and age-matched controls (n=300). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from five candidate genes (beta2 adrenergic receptor, nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein, ryanodine receptor 2, sodium channel type V alpha subunit and transforming growth factor-beta receptor 2) that had previously been shown to associate with certain forms of cardiac death were genotyped using sequence-specific real-time PCR probes. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the CC genotype of the rs11720524 polymorphism in the SCN5A gene encoding a subunit of the cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel occurred more frequently in the highly heterogeneous cardiac death cohort compared to the control population (p=0.019, odds ratio: 1.351). A detailed subgroup analysis uncovered that this effect was due to an association of this variant with cardiac death in chronic ischemic heart disease (p=0.012, odds ratio = 1.455). None of the other investigated polymorphisms showed association with cardiac death in this context. In conclusion, our results shed light on the role of this non-coding polymorphism in cardiac death in ischemic cardiomyopathy. Functional studies are needed to explore the pathophysiological background of this association.