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Pregnant women exposed to even low levels of environmental lead and cadmium may experience adverse perinatal effects. To evaluate the usefulness of the placenta for monitoring environmental lead and cadmium exposure, concentrations of both metals were measured in placentas (n = 86) with atomic absorption spectrometry. Environmental exposure was assessed in accordance with the degree of industrial activity and transport pollution near the places of residence. The authors found significantly higher lead and cadmium levels in placentas of women living in urban-industrial areas than in placentas of women living in rural areas. Lead concentrations in placenta reflect environmental exposures; smoking during gestation explained a large portion of placental cadmium. This finding suggests that when a pregnant woman is a heavy smoker, tobacco exposure masks environmental cadmium exposure, especially in areas with low levels of cadmium pollution., INFANTS of pregnant women exposed to environmental lead and cadmium may experience adverse perinatal effects, such as decreased fetal growth and birth weight, congenital malformations, and preterm birth. (1-4) A [...]

Objectives - To analyse the attitudes of medical personnel towards terminally ill patients and their right to be fully informed. Design - Self-administered questionnaire composed of 56 closed questions. Setting - Three general hospitals and eleven health centres in Granada (Spain). The sample comprised 168 doctors and 207 nurses. Results - A high percentage of medical personnel (24.1%) do not think that informing the terminally ill would help them face their illness with greater serenity. Eighty-four per cent think the patient's own home is the best place to die: 8.9% of the subjects questioned state that they would not like to be informed of an incurable illness. Conclusion - In our opinion any information given should depend on the patient's personality, the stage of the illness and family circumstances. Our study confirms that a hospital is not the ideal environment for attending to the needs of the terminally ill and theft families. Keywords: Attitude; information; physician; nurse; terminal care

Summary. Since the entomosarcosaprophagous community is affected by environmental variables, it needs to be studied under different environmental conditions. In addition, because most studies are usually conducted with biomodels rather than human corpses, it is necessary to verify whether or not the type of decomposing animal matter affects the decomposition process itself, as well as the related fauna. For this reason, a study was conducted on the sarcosaprophagous Diptera community in two different environments of the Region of Murcia (SE Spain), using piglet and chicken carcasses, and Schoenly traps as collecting devices. To analyse possible differences regarding faunal composition among samples, a one-way Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) was applied. The results indicate significant differences concerning the bait. In this sense, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae and Sarcophagidae families are the main groups responsible for such differences. In terms of environment-related differences, the only species that contribute are those of the dominant families, Calliphoridae and Muscidae.

El consumo de sustancias psicoactivas entre población penitenciaria es un importante problema de salud pública por su magnitud y consecuencias. El objetivo ha sido estimar su prevalencia en prisión y analizar su asociación con factores sociodemográficos y penitenciarios, destacando el mayor tamaño de la prisión.

Describir las frecuencias de consumo de alcohol y otras drogas, así como de diferentes tipos de victimización en la población reclusa de los centros penitenciarios de Castilla-La Mancha.

Screening for Hazardous Drinking in Migrant Workers in Southeastern Spain : Maria D. PEREZ‐CARCELES, et al. Department of Health and Social Sciences, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, E30100, Spain— Despite the great impact the migration has had in economic, social and health‐related fields, and the repercussions of alcohol consumption on them, few data exist concerning the extent of alcohol consumption in migrant workers. The aims of this study were to identify workers with a hazardous drinking problem by means of a self‐reported questionnaire (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test‐AUDIT) and a biomarker (carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin‐CDT) and to ascertain associated risk factors. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted using a random sample of 385 migrant workers, undergoing a routine health examination as part of occupational health services. The results showed that 13.8% (n=53) of the workers were screened as positive with the AUDIT (≥8) and/or CDT (>2.6) and identified as hazardous drinkers and that 53.8% (n=207) were teetotallers. Being a man (OR: 2.0), working in the construction industry (OR: 2.8) or agriculture (OR: 2.2), being resident in Spain for more than 7 years (OR: 2.3) and sharing a house with friends were the factors most closely associated with hazardous drinking. Prevention‐orientated programs, adjusted to the characteristics of each country and the origin of the migrants themselves, should be instituted to modify the drinking habits of migrant workers considered at risk.

Abstract: We present the results of the first study concerning Diptera carried out on the sarcosaprophagous fauna of southeastern Spain. This work represents the first attempt to describe dipteran sarcosaprophagous fauna in the Iberian peninsula, the seasonal succession, main features of the population dynamics and the main taxa useful for estimation of the post-mortem interval. The results of this study could be very useful for further forensic case work in the west Mediterranean area.

Summary To compare two methods of biological monitoring for the evaluation of risk of occupational exposure to n-hexane, we analyzed the relationship between environmental exposure to this solvent and urinary excretion of 2,5-hexanedione and n-hexane in exhaled air in 69 workers employed in the shoe industry. Environmental exposure to the solvent was monitored with personal diffusive samplers, which were desorbed with carbon sulfide and analyzed by gas chromatography. To measure 2,5-hexanedione, urine was subjected to acid hydrolysis, separation in octadecyl silane columns, elution with 5% aqueous acetonitrile solution and extraction with dichloromethane, followed by gas chromatography. In exhaled air, n-hexane was measured with a sampling system that permitted concentration of aliquots of end-exhaled air (alveolar air) from one or more exhalations in a tube packed with activated charcoal, which was then desorbed with carbon sulfide and analyzed by gas chromatography. Concentrations of n-hexane in breathing zone air were significantly correlated with urinary concentrations of 2,5-hexanedione (r = 0.88) and with exhaled air n-hexane (r = 0.86); in addition, the two biological indicators correlated significantly (r = 0.70). Analyses in both exhaled air and urine were thus considered useful for biological monitoring of the risk of exposure to n-hexane.

Summary The diagnosis of myocardial infarction requires the use of a group of tests that are very efficient, quick and inexpensive. Another important consideration is the choice of myocardial sampling zones, especially in cases of differential diagnosis between a cardiac injury secondary to a trauma or violent asphyxia and others, secondary to myocardial infarction. The aim of this work was to choose, through discriminant analysis, the most useful zones of cardiac tissue for the quantification of free fatty acids and free carnitine and for the performance of the K/Na quotient, as biochemical parameters for the postmortem diagnosis of myocardial infarction. According to the discriminant analysis performed, seven zones of cardiac tissue are necessary to achieve a differential diagnosis among “myocardial infarction,” “other natural deaths,” and “violent deaths” with a 71.9% efficacy. Greater diagnostic efficacy was found (78.1%) for differentiating between “natural deaths” and “violent deaths.”