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El artículo constituye la tercera parte de la serie de artículos sobre los marcos fundamentales de la integración en el sistema educativo AICLE (CLIL). Para empezar, la autora recuerda su modelo de cuatro marcos de integración en CLIL, ordenados según la perspectiva del alumno, dedicando el presente texto a las competencias personales integradas del alumno. A continuación, se presentan los conceptos más importantes de las competencias del alumno: competencia comunicativa personal de Wilczyńska, competencias según el MCER, competencias clave, el carácter integrativo de la competencia comunicativa según Celce-Murcia, refiriéndolas todas al contexto educativo CLIL. Para terminar, la autora propone un modelo propio de las competencias personales integradas del alumno en CLIL y expone las conclusiones.

The aim of the article is to reflect upon the tasks which might help students in the crisis caused by the return to school after distance learning connected with the pandemic. To start with, the data presented concern both mental and physical well-being, as well as the needs of Polish secondary school students during the pandemic (distance learning and the return to schools). Next, the author analyses the place of textbooks during the return to schools and suggests the typology of team tasks facilitating this process, with a special emphasis on the ones which develop the oral interaction and are in accordance with the processual approach to writing. Furthermore, in the research part, the tasks analysed proposed in the four textbooks of Spanish as a foreign language, destined for students aged 15-19 years, in order to state to what degree, they may facilitate the return to schools and what kind of adjustment to this situation they need. Finally, the conclusions were presented.

This real-world study in Japan assessed the long-term safety of persistent use of eltrombopag compared to corticosteroids. Overall, 1887 patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia were included in the study cohort, based on hospital claims data. Eltrombopag was frequently used as a second- or third-line therapy (monotherapy: 13.1% and 25.7%; combination: 24.39% and 16.52%, respectively). The risk of bleeding was approximately 30% lower in the eltrombopag group (as monotherapy and in combination with other drugs including corticosteroids) than the corticosteroid group (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.96). Results from univariate and multivariate Cox models indicated that patients aged ≥ 60 years, male patients and patients who received the drugs for peptic ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux disease have a higher risk of cerebral haemorrhage or gastrointestinal bleeding. Surgeries were more common among patients on corticosteroids compared to patients on eltrombopag (39.1% vs 34.6%, P = 0.004), while splenectomies were very rare. There was no significant difference in the costs of scheduled, emergency, or any type of hospitalisations between the exposure groups. The risk of infections, cataracts, and thrombosis did not differ between the exposure groups.

The aim of the article is to reflect upon the possibilities offered by triangulation in qualitative research, with particular emphasis placed on action research. Various types of triangulation have been presented, including the most recommended multiple triangulation. A variety of advantages and functions of triangulation have been shown, first and foremost the ones which refer to dynamic, systemic and multicausal phenomena. All the theoretical considerations have been illustrated by the author’s own research conducted in Poland, in one of the bilingual sections with Spanish language in the secondary school. The research concerned the development of students’ discursive competence within the genre of an intercultural comparison, and its conditioning. The research used multiple triangulation: of data sources, of researchers, of methods and of data analysis, as well as temporal and special triangulation. The investigation is finished with conclusions of methodological nature.

The article constitutes the second part of a series of articles pertaining to the basic perspectives of integration in CLIL educational system. At the beginning, the author’s original concept of four perspectives of integration in CLIL was presented, ordered according to the student’s perspective, the present didactic and pastoral perspective, i.e. the teacher’s. In the subsequent part of the article the author discusses in detail the second perspective, as well as indicates the main aspects of didactic integration in CLIL: (1) by terminology, (2) by discourse, (3) by higher order processing tasks, (4) by intercultural comparison, (5) by authentic materials’ scaffolding. Finally, the conclusions are presented.

Parth Vashi,1,* Katharine Batt,2,* Robert Klamroth,3 Maria Elisa Mancuso,4 Renata Majewska,5,6 Andreas Tiede,7 Lorenzo Giovanni Mantovani8,9 1US Data Generation and Observational Studies, Bayer Corporation, Whippany, NJ, USA; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Hematology/Medical Oncology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 3Department for Internal Medicine - Vascular Medicine and Coagulation Disorders, Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany; 4Center for Thrombosis and Hemorrhagic Diseases, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy; 5HEOR, Creativ-Ceutical, Krakow, Poland; 6Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland; 7Hematology, Hemostasis, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; 8Center for Public Health Research, University of Milan - Bicocca, Monza, Italy; 9Value-Based Healthcare Unit, IRCCS Multimedica, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Renata MajewskaCreativ-Ceutical, ul. Przemysłowa 12, Kraków, 30-701, PolandTel +33176704790Email renata.majewska@creativ-ceutical.comPurpose: To assess the efficacy and FVIII consumption of BAY 94-9027 versus N8-GP in prophylaxis in adolescent and adult patients with severe hemophilia A (HA).Patients and Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies on the efficacy of BAY-94-9027 and N8-GP for prophylaxis in patients with HA aged ≥ 12 years without a history of inhibitors. Eight studies met systematic literature review inclusion criteria, but only data from PROTECT VIII on BAY 94-9027 and PATHFINDER 2 on N8-GP could be used for an indirect comparison. Matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) and simulated treatment comparison were performed.Results: No significant differences (unadjusted and adjusted) were observed in the mean annualized bleeding rate (ABR) for any bleed and proportion of patients with zero bleeds when comparing BAY 94-9027 to N8-GP. The adjusted treatment difference [incidence rate ratio (IRR)] in terms of ABR was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.85– 1.44). The odds ratio (OR) of any bleed, measuring the relative effect of BAY 94-9027 versus N8-GP on the proportion of patients with zero bleeds, was 1.03 (95% CI, 0.60– 1.77). FVIII consumption was significantly lower in BAY 94-9027 [mean adjusted difference=− 1292.57 IU/kg/year (95% CI, ‒2152.44 to ‒432.70)]; a 26.7% reduction in consumption of BAY-94-9027. The results of the sensitivity analyses were similar to the main analysis for mean ABRs, percentages of patients with zero bleeds, and significant reduction in rFVIII consumption. For patients on BAY 94-9027 every-5-days and every-7-days, no differences versus every-4-days N8-GP were observed for the mean ABR for any bleed [IRR=0.90 (95% CI, 0.68‒1.20)] and proportion of patients with zero bleeds [OR=1.06 (95% CI, 0.56‒2.02)].Conclusion: BAY 94-9027 prophylaxis demonstrated 26.7% lower annual consumption when compared to N8-GP with similar efficacy in terms of ABR and percentage of patients with zero bleeds.Keywords: BAY 94-9027, N8-GP, prophylaxis, bleed, coagulation factor VIII, adults, factor VIII consumption

The aim of the article is to reflect on the autonomy development in the CLIL context in Poland. The research question is: How does the task-oriented didactics – using the example of comparison – influence the development of learners’ personal communicative competence in the conditions of semi-autonomy in the CLIL system? The article constitutes a short qualitative research report with the description of its educational context and theoretical background related to autonomy in CLIL.It also presents aims of the research, its course, the data collection techniques, as well as analysis and general conclusions.

Introduction: Vaccine opponents indicate that the infant's immune system is inadequately developed to handle multiple vaccines which may overwhelm the immune system, leading to allergic diseases. Aim: To verify the association between the vaccine antigen overload derived from DTwP and the development of atopic sensitization and allergic diseases. Material and methods: Data from an earlier established birth cohort in Krakow, followed up to the 6th year of life were used. Allergic diseases such as eczema, hay fever and asthma were diagnosed by a physician and reported every half a year from the 1st to 6th year of life by the child’s parent. Skin prick tests (SPT) were performed in children at 5 years of age. The data on infants' vaccination were extracted from the physician's records. The status of vaccine antigen exposure was based on different types of vaccines against pertussis (DTwP or DTaP) in a primary course. Results were determined by multiple logistic regression, adjusted to potential confounders. Results: The analyzed population consisted of 234 children: 53.4% - boys and 46.6% - girls. Infants up to the age of 8 months were vaccinated with the primary course against pertussis, with DTwP - 60.7%, DTaP - 32.9% and further 6.4% with a mixed course (DTwP + DTaP). There were no significant relationships between any of vaccination groups and allergic disease and allergen sensitivity in the multiple logistic regression model with adjustment to potential confounders. Conclusions: The exposure to a large number of vaccine antigens derived from DTwP has no influence on the development of allergic diseases and atopic sensitization in children.

Background: The results of several studies in the area of infection control in Poland are disturbing. The situation may be shaped by many factors. However, the key factor for effective infection prevention and control is dedicated personnel, especially infection prevention and control nurses (IPCN). Nevertheless, based on the available published data and the authors&rsquo, experience, in many Polish hospitals infection control is not sufficiently appreciated by managers, it is consequently underfunded, and treated by medical staff as a nuisance. This may influence the nurses willingness to work as IPCN. The aim of the study was to assess the nursing students&rsquo, perception of the work of IPCN and their interest in employment in this position, as well as the potential reasons for choosing this particular specialization. Materials and methods: The study was conducted using the authors&rsquo, anonymous questionnaire conducted among nursing students of three Polish universities. The questionnaire was prepared by a panel of experts working in the field of infection control, including nurses working both as academic teachers and infection control nurses in hospitals. The design of the questionnaire was based on the authors&rsquo, own experience, knowledge, and exchanging information with the practitioners in infection control in Poland. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by the Cronbach alpha test. The raw alpha values and 95% CI for two main questions concerning opinion were: 0.76 (0.72&ndash, 0.81) and 0.69 (0.63&ndash, 0.75). Results: The study was conducted among 253 students, mostly women (98%) of full-time (31.4%) and extramural (68.6%) studies. The age range of the respondents was 20&ndash, 58 years, median = 26 years, IQR = 19 years. To the key item in the questionnaire, i.e., &ldquo, Would you like to work as an IPCN?&rdquo, 84.6% (214 respondents, first group) of the respondents answered &ldquo, no&rdquo, and 15.4% (39 respondents, second group) answered &ldquo, yes&rdquo, The results revealed no significant differences between the two groups concerning the position responsibilities and appreciation by other medical staff. Additionally, for respondents willing to work as ICPN the most important issues were the influence on patient safety, expected salary, and possibility of professional development, for the respondents from the other group the most important issue was lack of contact with patients. The results concerning the students&rsquo, opinion on the perception of IPCN by medical personnel proved to be peculiar. About 80% of the respondents confirmed the IPCNs&rsquo, key role in ensuring patient and personnel safety, while only 31.6% declared their high standing in the hospital hierarchy. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate the necessity of thorough studies on the organization and structure of infection control in Polish hospitals, with a particular emphasis on building a positive perception of IPCNs by medical staff, as well as implementing an education campaign on infection control in the hospital environment.

Importance: Both low and high gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes, but optimal gestational weight gain remains uncertain and not well defined for all prepregnancy weight ranges. Objectives: To examine the association of ranges of gestational weight gain with risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and estimate optimal gestational weight gain ranges across prepregnancy body mass index categories. Design, setting, and participants: Individual participant-level meta-analysis using data from 196 670 participants within 25 cohort studies from Europe and North America (main study sample). Optimal gestational weight gain ranges were estimated for each prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) category by selecting the range of gestational weight gain that was associated with lower risk for any adverse outcome. Individual participant-level data from 3505 participants within 4 separate hospital-based cohorts were used as a validation sample. Data were collected between 1989 and 2015. The final date of follow-up was December 2015. Exposures: Gestational weight gain. Main outcomes and measures: The main outcome termed any adverse outcome was defined as the presence of 1 or more of the following outcomes: preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and small or large size for gestational age at birth. Results: Of the 196 670 women (median age, 30.0 years [quartile 1 and 3, 27.0 and 33.0 years] and 40 937 were white) included in the main sample, 7809 (4.0%) were categorized at baseline as underweight (BMI

ObjectiveTo assess the separate and combined associations of maternal pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact.DesignIndividual participant data meta‐analysis of 39 cohorts.SettingEurope, North America, and Oceania.Population265 270 births.MethodsInformation on maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and pregnancy complications was obtained. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were used.Main outcome measuresGestational hypertension, pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, small and large for gestational age at birth.ResultsHigher maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain were, across their full ranges, associated with higher risks of gestational hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and large for gestational age at birth. Preterm birth risk was higher at lower and higher BMI and weight gain. Compared with normal weight mothers with medium gestational weight gain, obese mothers with high gestational weight gain had the highest risk of any pregnancy complication (odds ratio 2.51, 95% CI 2.31– 2.74). We estimated that 23.9% of any pregnancy complication was attributable to maternal overweight/obesity and 31.6% of large for gestational age infants was attributable to excessive gestational weight gain.ConclusionsMaternal pre‐pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain are, across their full ranges, associated with risks of pregnancy complications. Obese mothers with high gestational weight gain are at the highest risk of pregnancy complications. Promoting a healthy pre‐pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain may reduce the burden of pregnancy complications and ultimately the risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity.Tweetable abstractPromoting a healthy body mass index and gestational weight gain might reduce the population burden of pregnancy complications.

Background: Gestational diabetes and gestational hypertensive disorders are associated with offspring obesity, but the role of maternal adiposity in these associations remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether these pregnancy complications affect the odds of offspring obesity independently of maternal obesity. Methods: We did an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of mother–offspring pairs from prospective birth cohort studies that had IPD on mothers with singleton liveborn children born from 1989 onwards and had information available about maternal gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia, and childhood body-mass index (BMI). We applied multilevel mixed-effects models to assess associations of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia with BMI SD scores and the odds of overweight and obesity throughout childhood, adjusting for lifestyle characteristics (offspring's sex, maternal age, educational level, ethnicity, parity, and smoking during pregnancy). We then explored the extent to which any association was explained by maternal pre-pregnancy or early-pregnancy BMI. Findings: 160 757 mother–offspring pairs from 34 European or North American cohorts were analysed. Compared with uncomplicated pregnancies, gestational diabetes was associated with increased odds of overweight or obesity throughout childhood (odds ratio [OR] 1·59 [95% CI 1·36 to 1·86] for early childhood [age 2·0–4·9 years], 1·41 [1·26 to 1·57] for mid childhood [5·0–9·9 years], and 1·32 [0·97 to 1·78] for late childhood [10·0–17·9 years]); however, these associations attenuated towards the null following adjustment for maternal BMI (OR 1·35 [95% CI 1·15 to 1·58] for early childhood, 1·12 [1·00 to 1·25] for mid childhood, and 0·96 [0·71 to 1·31] for late childhood). Likewise, gestational hypertension was associated with increased odds of overweight throughout childhood (OR 1·19 [95% CI 1·01 to 1·39] for early childhood, 1·23 [1·15 to 1·32] for mid childhood, and 1·49 [1·30 to 1·70] for late childhood), but additional adjustment for maternal BMI largely explained these associations (1·01 [95% CI 0·86 to 1·19] for early childhood, 1·02 [0·95 to 1·10] for mid childhood, and 1·18 [1·03 to 1·36] for late childhood). Pre-eclampsia was associated with decreased BMI in early childhood only (difference in BMI SD score −0·05 SD score [95% CI −0·09 to −0·01]), and this association strengthened following additional adjustment for maternal BMI. Interpretation: Although lowering maternal risk of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia is important in relation to maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes, such interventions are unlikely to have a direct impact on childhood obesity. Preventive strategies for reducing childhood obesity should focus on maternal BMI rather than on pregnancy complications. Funding: EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (LifeCycle Project). This study has received support from the US National Institute of Health (R01 DK10324) and European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh 22 Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC grant agreement no 669545. The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, The Swedish Research Council for Working Life and Social Welfare, the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association Research Foundation, The Swedish Research Council Formas, Stockholm County Council, and the European Commission’s Seventh Framework 29 Program MeDALL under grant agreement No. 261357. This study has received support from the British Heart Foundation (CS/16/4/32482), US National Institute of Health (R01 DK10324) and European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC grant agreement no 669545. The general design of the Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and Ministry of Youth and Families. Research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007- 2013), project EarlyNutrition under grant agreement n°289346, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633595 (DynaHEALTH) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 733206 (LifeCycle Project). European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreements Early Nutrition n° 289346 and by funds from the Norwegian Research Council's MILPAAHEL programme, project No.213148. This study was funded by Grants from UE (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Spain: ISCIII (G03/176; FIS-FEDER: PI09/02647, PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, and PI16/1288; Miguel Servet-FEDER CP11/00178, CP15/00025, and CPII16/00051), and Generalitat Valenciana: FISABIO (UGP 15-230, UGP-15-244, and UGP-15-249). The "Rhea" project was financially supported by European projects (EU FP6-2003-Food-3-NewGeneris, EU FP6. STREP Hiwate, EU FP7 ENV.2007.1.2.2.2. Project No 211250 Escape, EU FP7-2008-ENV-28.1.2.1.4 envirogenomarkers, EU FP7-HEALTH-2009- single stage CHICOS, EU FP7 ENV.2008.1.2.1.6. Proposal No 226285 ENRIECO, EU- FP7- HEALTH-2012 Proposal No 308333 HELIX) and the Greek Ministry of Health (Program of Prevention of obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders in preschool children, in Heraklion district, Crete, Greece: 2011-2014; “Rhea Plus”: Primary Prevention Program of Environmental Risk Factors for Reproductive Health, and Child Health: 2012-15). ROLO is supported by the Health Research Board Ireland, the Health Research Centre for Health and Diet Research, and the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), project EarlyNutrition under grant agreement no. 289346. The SWS is supported by grants from the Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust, and the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), project EarlyNutrition (grant 289346). Study participants were drawn from a cohort study funded by the Medical Research Council and the Dunhill Medical Trust.

Introduction: Rotavirus is the main etiological cause of intestinal infections in children. Voluntary rotavirus vaccines were included in the Polish vaccination schedule in 2007. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a completed rotavirus vaccination course in preventing acute gastroenteritis in Polish infants during their first five years of life. Material and methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in Lesser Poland (Malopolska Province). The sample population included a group of 303 children who received the completed rotavirus vaccination course and 303 children not vaccinated against rotavirus. The date of the child’s acute gastroenteritis diagnosis and his or her vaccination history were extracted from the physicians’ records. Each kind of diagnosed acute gastroenteritis during winter-spring rotavirus seasons was treated as the endpoint. The relative risk of having gastrointestinal infection was assessed using the hazard ratio from the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: In the examined group, 96 (15.8%) children had winter-spring gastrointestinal infections. In the non-vaccinated children, the cumulative incidence of these infections in the first 5 years of life was 20.8%, whereas in the children vaccinated with Rotarix it was only 10.9%. Those who were vaccinated with Rotarix had a 44% reduction in the risk of a winter-spring acute gastroenteritis infection compared to those not vaccinated with Rotarix (p = 0.005). Birth weight less than 2500 g increased the risk of the infection twofold and also reached statistical significance (p = 0.044). Conclusions: The results showed that Rotarix is effective in preventing acute gastroenteritis in Polish children during rotavirus seasons.

The improving epidemiological situation of the most of communicable diseases causes, that the real and potential risks attributable to them have been forgotten. The aim of study was to determine the mothers knowledge about vaccine preventable diseasesA survey was conducted among 177 randomly selected mothers. The interviews with mothers hospitalized after childbearing in two hospitals in Krakow and Myslenice were conducted at the end of 2014 and in 2015The assessment of risk to develop an infectious diseases in unvaccinated children significantly varied among mothers. Individual respondents claimed that the risk does not exist regarding each of considered disease. The highest percentage of that kind of answers was related to poliomyelitis – 3.9% of mothers assessed that unvaccinated children have no risk to become ill. The similar percentage of respondents assessed a risk as remote probable regarding poliomyelitis, pertussis and hepatitis A - 16.8%, 15.2% and 16.3%, respectively. The highest risk was attributed to varicella – 50.6% mothers gave that answers. Mothers could not state a risk of disease developing mostly with regard to poliomyelitis, diphtheria, hepatitis A and pertussis – 42.7%, 38.2%, 33.7% and 33.2%, respectively. Relatively high percentage of respondents stated a mild course of that kind of diseases like varicella, mumps, rubella, infectious diarrhea and measles - from 17.4% with respect to measles to 34.3% regarding varicella. To life-threating category mothers primarily included sepsis (74.2%), meningitis and tick-borne encephalitis (each obtained 68.5% answers)Mothers knowledge about vaccine preventable diseases varied depending on the type of disease. The lack of awareness of the risk related to communicable diseases regarded not only those diseases which have not been occurred in Poland for many years but also those ones that still represent significant epidemiological problem. The society too often has an opinion that some diseases like varicella, mumps or rubella are the mild diseases what can conduce to easy withdrawal from those vaccinations

Background Patterns of lung function development during childhood can be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases. A variety of environmental and lifestyle factors, present from the prenatal period to adulthood, may affect or modulate lung function growth. The aim of this study was to investigate, the associations between individual growth trajectories of children's lung function during childhood and prenatal exposure to airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which were hypothesized to adversely affect spirometry parameters. Material and methods The study group comprised 294 non-asthmatic, full term children from the Krakow birth cohort, who underwent annual spirometry testing at the ages of 4–9 years. Individual personal air monitoring of PM2.5 and PAH were performed over 48 h in the second trimester of pregnancy. Possible confounders or modifiers such as child's gender, height, atopic status and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were considered. Polynomial multilevel mixed models were used to assess the growth rates of children's lung functions. Results Lung function trajectories differed significantly for boys and girls for FVC, FEV1 and FEF25–75. Girls had lower rates of increase than boys: − 20.5 (95%CI: − 32.4; − 8.6) ml/year (FVC); − 19.9 (95%CI: −30.7;−9.0) ml/year (FEV1); and − 32.5 (95%CI: − 56.9; − 8.2) ml/year (FEF25–75). Spirometry functions increased with age; however the growth rate decelerated over time. Significant lung function impairment (lower FVC and FEV1 levels) was observed from 4 to 9 years among subjects prenatally exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 as well as PAH, but not in the case of FEF25-75. No significant differences were observed in the rates of increase over time in relation to prenatal PM2.5 and PAH exposure. Conclusion Our results indicate that in non-asthmatic children high prenatal exposure to airborne PM2.5 and PAH is associated with lower trajectories of FVC and FEV1, but not the rate of increase over time, suggesting that the initial effect is not diminishing in time.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread in the environment and can adversely affect human health. The aim of the present study is to describe the level of PAHs exposure in children living in Krakow, one of the most polluted cities in Poland, and to determine the relationship of urinary biomarkers with environmental PAHsexposure. Urinary monohydroxy metabolites (OH-PAHs) of 20 PAHs were assessed in 218 three-year old children, of which only 10 were present in nearly all the samples: monohydroxy metabolites of naphthalene, fluorene, phenantrene and pyrene. Of the metabolites analyzed, hydroxynaphthalenes were predominant and constituted almost 73% of total excreted OH-PAHs, while 1-OH-PYRene was the least abundant (2.3% of total OH-PAHs). All measured urinary OH-PAHs were statistically significantly correlated with each other (R = 0.165-0.880) but the highest correlation coefficients with other individual OH-PAHs and with total OH-PAHs were observed for 2-OH-FLUOR. Children exposed at home to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) had higher concentrations of fluorene and pyrene urinary metabolites compared to those without ETS exposure; and those exposed to gas-based appliances used for cooking or heating water had higher levels of fluorene and phenanthrene metabolites than children not exposed. The use of coal, wood or oil for heating was associated with elevated levels of 1-OH-PYRene. Urinary PAHs metabolites only modestly reflect high molecular weight carcinogenic PAHs exposures such as those monitored in air in the present study. None of the measured PAHs metabolites was correlated with airborne PM2.5 and only two were slightly correlated with measured higher molecular mass airborne PAHs. The average concentrations of these specific metabolites in Polish children were much higher than observed in other pediatric populations living in developed countries. Our findings suggest that to capture various sources of PAHs, in addition to 1-OH-PYRene, biomonitoring of PAHs exposure should include 2-OH-NAP and 2-OH-FLUOR.

The controversial topic of the early exposure to mercury is regarding ethylmercury, which is present in the thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs). The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the early exposure to TCVs and cognitive development in children during the first 9 years of life. The cohort included 318 children vaccinated in an early period (neonatal and up to 6 months) against hepatitis B and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) using formulation with or without thimerosal. The children’s development was assessed using the Fagan test (6th month of life), the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID)-II (12th–36th month), the Raven test (5th, 8th year), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) (6th, 7th, 9th year). Results were determined by multivariable linear and logistic regression, adjusted to potential confounders. Children exposed and not exposed to TCVs in the neonatal period had similar outcomes of cognitive-developmental tests; only the results of BSID-II at the 36th month and WISC-R at the 9th year were significantly higher for those exposed to TCVs. Developmental test results in children exposed to TCVs up to the 6th month of life also did not depend on thimerosal dose. Conclusion: TCV administration in early infancy did not affect children’s cognitive development.

Summary. The main purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the depressed lung growth attributable to prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) may be modified by the intake of antihistamine medications. Individual prenatal PAH exposure was assessed by personal air monitoring in 176 children who were followed over nine years, in the course of which outdoor residential air monitoring, allergic skin tests for indoor allergens, lung function tests (FVC, FEV1, FEV05, and FEF25-75) were performed. The analysis with the General Estimated Equation (GEE) showed no association between prenatal PAH exposure and lung function in the group of children who were reported to be antihistamine users. However, in the group of antihistamine non-users all lung function tests except for FEF25-75 were significantly and inversely associated with prenatal airborne PAH exposure. The results of the study suggest that the intake of antihistamine medications in early childhood may inhibit the negative effect of fetal PAH exposure on lung growth and provides additional indirect evidence for the hypothesis that lung alterations in young children resulting from PAH exposure may be caused by the allergic

Summary. The goal of this epidemiologic investigation was to analyze the associations between prenatal and postnatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and severity of wheeze and recurrent wheeze. The 257 children included in this analysis had a complete set of prenatal and postnatal PAH measurements and attended regular health checkups over a 4-year follow-up period since birth. Transplacental PAH exposure was measured by personal air monitoring of the mothers during the second trimester of pregnancy; postnatal exposure was estimated using the same instruments indoors at the children’s residences at age 3. Chemical analysistestswereperformedtodetermine airborneconcentrationsof ninePAHcompounds. The results show that both prenatal and postnatal exposure were associated positively with the severity of wheezing days and recurrent wheezing reported in the follow-up. While the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for severity of wheeze and prenatal PAH exposure was 1.53 (95%CI: 1.43–1.64) that for postnatal PAH exposure was 1.13 (95%CI: 1.08–1.19). However, recurrent wheezing was more strongly associated with airborne PAH levels measured at age 3 (OR ¼2.31, 95%CI: 1.26– 4.22) than transplacental PAH exposure (OR ¼1.40, 95% CI: 0.85–2.09), but the difference was statisticallyinsignificant. Inconclusion, itappearsthat prenatal PAHexposuremayprecipitate and intensify early onset of wheezing symptoms in childhood, resulting from the postnatal exposure and suggest that success in reducing the incidence of respiratory diseases in children would depend on reducing both fetal and childhood exposure to air pollution. Pediatr Pulmonol.

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic disease worldwide. Its prevalence has grown rapidly over last years, however the differences between countries are significant. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the relation between the number of urgent asthma-related hospital admissions and air pollution in the Malopolska region. Material and methods: We used data collected in the frame of the project “Hospitalization” – the Polish Survey on Overall Hospital Morbidity in Poland. We analyzed hospital records for Malopolska region with primary cause of hospital admission defined as bronchial asthma or status asthmaticus (code J45.* or J46 according to ICD-10) for years 2005–2009. Air pollution data were collected from monitoring station in Malopolska. Poisson regression model was used to assess the impact of air pollution level on number of hospital admissions with adjustment for the daily mean of temperature. Results: During the years 2005–2009 overall 6942 urgent asthma-related hospital admissions were observed. The level of air pollution during this period was high, for example, mean daily PM10 air pollution level was higher than 50 µg/m3 for more than 30% of days in most monitoring settings. The highest PM10 level was observed to be more than 350 µg/m3. Out of the analyzed pollutant the most important predictor was found to be SO2 with RR41,039 (95%CI: 1,014–1,064) and PM10 with RR41,018 (95%CI: 1.008–1.029) for 10 µg/m3 increase of pollutant. We have also examined the effect of air pollution during the previous days on asthma hospitalizations. The effect of air pollution by sulfur dioxide on number of hospital admissions from asthma was also observed with RR41,051 (95%CI: 1,028–1,075) and by PM10 with RR41,016 (95%CI: 1,007–1,025) for a seven days delay. In our study we have also observed the relation between air pollution by NO2 in previous days and asthma-related hospital admissions. Conclusions: The number of asthma hospitalizations, especially those unplanned, probably because of exacerbation of asthma episodes can be reduced by lowering air pollution level.

BACKGROUND Despite some evidence that indicates that the evolution of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is related to the activity of the endogenous opioid system, and that concentration of plasma β-endorphin levels can increase pain threshold, there are no studies which evaluate pressure pain threshold in the PCOS women population. METHODS In 48 lean women with PCOS and 38 lean women without this disorder plasma β-endorphins and PPT were measured. RESULTS The β-endorphins level was higher in the PCOS group compared to the controls (15.28±2.49 pg/mL vs. 6.33±1.71 pg/mL, P

Long-term birth cohort studies are essential to understanding the life course and childhood predictors of allergy and the complex interplay between genes and the environment (including lifestyle and socioeconomic determinants). Over 100 cohorts focusing on asthma and allergy have been initiated in the world over the past 30 years. Since 2004, several research initiatives funded under the EU Framework Program for Research and Technological Development FP6-FP7 have attempted to identify, compare, and evaluate pooling data from existing European birth cohorts (GA2LEN: Global Allergy and European Network, FP6; ENRIECO: Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts, FP7; CHICOS: Developing a Child Cohort Research Strategy for Europe, FP7; MeDALL: Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy, FP7). However, there is a general lack of knowledge about these initiatives and their potentials. The aim of this paper is to review current and past EU-funded projects in order to make a summary of their goals and achievements and to suggest future research needs of these European birth cohort networks.

The goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that prenatal Paracetamol exposure increases the risk of developing eczema in early childhood and that this association may be stronger in children who are exposed in fetal period to higher concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The study sample consisted of 322 women recruited from January 2001 to February 2004 in the Krakow inner city area who gave birth to term babies and completed 5-year follow-up. Paracetamol use in pregnancy was collected by interviews and prenatal personal exposure to PM2.5 over 48 h was measured in recruited women in the second trimester of pregnancy. After delivery, every three months in the first 24 months of the newborn's life and every 6 months later, a detailed standardized face-to-face interview on the infant's health was administered to each mother by trained interviewers. During the interviews at each of the study periods after birth, a history of eczema was recorded. The incident rate ratio (IRR) for frequency of eczema events over the follow-up was estimated from the Poisson regression model and the overall effect of main exposure variables on eczema was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) by the logistic model. The estimated relative risk of eczema occurring whenever in the follow-up was related significantly neither with prenatal Paracetamol nor higher PM2.5 exposure, however, their joint effect was significant (OR interaction term=6.04; 95%CI: 1.04-35.16). Of potential confounders considered in the analysis only damp/moldy home significantly increased the risk of eczema (OR=1.53; 95%CI: 1.14-2.05). In contrast, there was an inverse significant association between the presence of older siblings and eczema (OR=0.55; 95%CI: 0.35-0.84). The joint effect of the main exposure variables significantly increased frequency of eczema events (IRR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.22-2.61). In conclusion, the findings of the study suggest that Paracetamol use by mothers in pregnancy is not an independent risk factor for eczema in children, however, even very small doses of Paracetamol taken in pregnancy may contribute to the occurrence of allergic symptoms in early childhood if there is prenatal co-exposure to higher airborne fine particulate matter.

Several in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that metal-rich particles may enhance allergic responses to house dust mites and induce an increased release of allergy-related cytokines.The main goal of this analysis is to define the possible association of intrauterine exposure to lead and mercury with the occurrence of skin sensitization to common aeroallergens in early childhood.The present study refers to a sample of 224 women in the second trimester of pregnancy recruited from Krakow inner city area who had full term pregnancies and whose children underwent skin prick testing (SPT) at the age of 5. Lead and mercury levels were assessed in cord blood and retested in children at age of 5 years. Aeroallergen concentrations in house dust were measured at the age of 3 years. The main health outcome (atopic status) was defined as the positive SPT to at least one common aeroallergen (Der f1, Der p1, Can f1 and Fel d1) at the age of 5 years. In the statistical analysis of the association between atopic status of children and exposure to metals, the study considered a set of covariates such as maternal characteristics (age, education, atopy), child's gender, number of older siblings, prenatal (measured via cord blood cotinine) and postnatal environmental tobacco smoke together with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as measured by PAH-DNA adducts.In the binary regression analysis, which controlled for the confounders, the risk ratio (RR) estimate for atopic sensitization was significantly associated with the lead exposure (RR=2.25, 95%CI: 1.21-4.19). In conclusion, the data suggest that even very low-level of prenatal lead exposure may be implicated in enhancing sensitization to common aeroallergens in early childhood.

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the lifestyle of Polish women (characterized by the quality of diets and levels of reported physical activity) and their characteristics such as age, place of residence, physical activity at work or school, reported health status, and BMI. The sample consisted of 882 women from Southern Poland. Diet quality and the level of physical activity were evaluated by the Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire established by the Polish Academy of Sciences. The lifestyle category (healthy, moderate, or unhealthy) was based on &ldquo, Prohealthy Diet Index-10&rdquo, and participant&rsquo, s self-assessed physical activity during their leisure-time. The lifestyle category was significantly associated with age, BMI, physical activity at work/school, and health. Moderate lifestyle (high or moderate levels of physical activity combined with low prohealthy diet) was the most commonly found classification in examined women. Age (&gt, 35 years old) and overweight are the main factors determining unhealthy lifestyle behavior. Healthy lifestyle is more often chosen by the women from big cities. More intensive efforts should be undertaken to increase the knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The main goal should be concentrated on increasing the level of physical activity, especially in leisure time, and promoting the tenets of a well-balanced diet.

Background. The aim of our study was to assess the level of awareness and knowledge on environmental and occupational risk of cancer and its prevention among Polish students. We were interested also in their sources of knowledge. Methods. Survey, using the questionnaire, was conducted among 1080 respondents, who are or probably will be in their future work, exposed to harmful agents, due to study profile. Results. Students rated their knowledge on environmental and occupational cancer agents and cancer prevention mostly as limited (over 77%). Participation in “Safety Work and Environment” courses did not differentiate their level of cancer risk awareness. 901 students (84%) responded to question about specific substances, which may cause cancer. Almost 2% of students indicated none from 10 given agents as carcinogenic. About 34% of respondents pointed all given agents, 39% pointed on 8–9 of them, 5–7 agents 13.2% of surveyed and 9% of them indicated on 1–4 agents. Students were aware of carcinogenic features of radiation, asbestos, cigarettes smoking (93.2–93.8%), benzene, benzo[?]pirene and pesticides (79,2 –83,6%). Less of them declared carcinogenic features of PAHs (75.4%), heavy metals (73.9%), electromagnetic field (64.8%) and infections (60.8%). Only 48% of respondents specified possible lowering of the cancer by risk intervention practices. Medical and engineering profile, as well as attendance in courses covering the issues of health safety at work or environment (SWE) significantly decreased percentage of respondents who didn’t specified any procedure (but it was still high: 48–62%). Conclusion. Our results demonstrate that most students, only to some extent, are aware of the most well known cancer-causing substances occurrence. Their knowledge is mostly limited and they do not know prevention procedures and ways to lower or eliminate the risk. Therefore the modernization of educational programs and development of more efficient communication strategies in that issues are emerging.

Summary. The purpose of the study was to check the hypothesis that early wheezing as reported by mothers would be associated with reduced lung function in 4-year olds. Study participants were recruited prenatally, as part of a prospective cohort study on the respiratory health of young children exposed to various ambient air pollutants. After delivery, infants were followed over 4 years and the interviewers visited participants at their home to record respiratory symptoms every 3 months in the child’s first 2 years of life and every 6 months in the 3rd and 4th years. In the 4th year of follow-up, children were invited for standard lung function testing by spirometry quantified by forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), and forced expiratory volume in 0.5 sec (FEV0.5) levels. Out of 258 children attending spirometry testing 139 performed at least two acceptable exhalation efforts. Cohort children with acceptable spirometric measurements did not differ with respect to wheezing experience and exposure characteristics from those without. The study shows that episodic wheeze was reported in 28.1% of 4-year olds, 6.5% had transient wheeze, and 4.3% had recurrent wheeze. There was an increased frequency of wheezing symptoms and their duration in transient and recurrent wheezers. Adjusted multivariable regression models for gender and height showed that children who reported more than two episodes of wheezing at any point over the follow-up had FVC values lower by 120.5 ml (P ¼ 0.016) and FEV1 values lower by 98.3 ml (P ¼ 0.034) compared to those who did not report any wheezing; children experiencing more than 10 wheezing days by age 4 showed FVC deficit of 87.4 ml (P ¼ 0.034) and FEV1 values of 65.7 ml (P ¼ 0.066). The ratios of FEV1/FVC%, and FEV0.5/FVC% were neither associated with wheezing episodes nor wheezing days. In recurrent wheezers, lung function decrement amounted to 207 ml of FVC, 175 ml of FEV1 ,a nd 104 ml of FEV 0.5. In conclusion, our findings show that wheezing experience during early postnatal life may be associated with lung function deficit of restrictive character in preschool children and detailed history of wheeze in early postnatal life, even though not physician-confirmed, may help define the high risk group of children for poor lung function testing. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010; 45:919–926. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The first objective of the study was to determine whether there is a relationship between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism in children. The second objective was to examine whether the risk of autism differs between use of MMR and the single measles vaccine.Case-control study.The 96 cases with childhood or atypical autism, aged 2 to 15, were included into the study group. Controls consisted of 192 children individually matched to cases by year of birth, sex, and general practitioners.Data on autism diagnosis and vaccination history were from physicians. Data on the other probable autism risk factors were collected from mothers. Logistic conditional regression was used to assess the risk of autism resulting from vaccination. Assessment was made for children vaccinated (1) Before diagnosis of autism, and (2) Before first symptoms of autism onset. Odds ratios were adjusted to mother's age, medication during pregnancy, gestation time, perinatal injury and Apgar score.For children vaccinated before diagnosis, autism risk was lower in children vaccinated with MMR than in the nonvaccinated (OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06-0.52) as well as to vaccinated with single measles vaccine (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.91). The risk for vaccinated versus nonvaccinated (independent of vaccine type) was 0.28 (95% CI: 0.10-0.76). The risk connected with being vaccinated before onset of first symptoms was significantly lower only for MMR versus single vaccine (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22-0.99).The study provides evidence against the association of autism with either MMR or a single measles vaccine.

The occurrence of preterm labor is the cause of 75% of preterm births. Prematurity is the leading cause of mortality of children under four weeks of age. Tocolytic drugs are used widely in the treatment of preterm labor. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the tocolytic therapy on obstetric and neonatal outcomes.The prospective, cohort study included 499 pregnant women The study enrolled women who met certain criteria of age, with singleton pregnancy, having no chronic diseases. After delivery the following data were obtained: sociodemographic profile (including data on occupational activity), body height and weight before pregnancy, weight gain, duration of pregnancy, mode of delivery, obstetric complications, medications, anthropometric parameters and state of health of newborns. A group of patients treated with tocolytic drugs and a control group were identified. Then obstetric and neonatal outcomes in both groups were subjected to statistical analysis.There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the following variables: mother's age, her education, professional activity of mothers in the first and second trimester of pregnancy, weight gain during pregnancy, parity, exposure to passive smoking during pregnancy, method of pregnancy termination. We found a statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to maternal weight before pregnancy (lower in the group using tocolytics), the average duration of pregnancy (lower in the group using tocolytics), the frequency of preterm birth (higher in the group using tocolytics) and neonatal anthropometric parameters and the number of points in the Apgar score at 5 minutes of age (lower in the group using tocolytics).Low pregestational weight is a risk factor for preterm labor. Term birth rate in pregnant women treated for preterm labor is significantly smaller compared to the general population, which may indicate low efficacy of tocolytic drugs. There was no positive correlation found between the professional activity of pregnant women and the risk of threatening preterm labor.

Marta Kiałka,1 Tomasz Milewicz,1 Krystyna Sztefko,2 Iwona Rogatko,2 Renata Majewska3 1Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Kraków, Poland; 2Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Kraków, Poland; 3Department of Epidemiology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland Background: Despite the strong preclinical rationale, there are only very few data considering the utility of metformin as a potential pain therapeutic in humans. The aim of this study was to determine the association between metformin therapy and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We hypothesized that metformin therapy in lean PCOS women increases PPT. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven lean PCOS women with free androgen index phenotype >5 and 18 lean healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Fifteen of the PCOS women were randomly assigned to be treated with metformin 1,500 mg daily for 6 months. PPT and plasma β-endorphin levels were measured in all women at the beginning of the study and after 6 months of observation. Results: We observed an increase in PPT values measured on deltoid and trapezius muscle in the PCOS with metformin group after 6 months of metformin administration (4.81±0.88 kg/cm², P

Background Previous epidemiologic studies have considered the effects of individual air pollutants on birth outcomes, whereas a multiple-pollutant approach is more relevant to public health policy. Objectives The present study compared the observed effect sizes of prenatal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (a component of PM2.5) exposures on birth outcome deficits, assessed by the single vs. two-pollutant approaches. Methods The study sample included 455 term infants born in Krakow to non-smoking mothers, among whom personal exposures to PM2.5 and PAH were monitored in the second trimester of pregnancy. The exposure effect estimates (unstandardized and standardized regression coefficients) on birth outcomes were determined using multivariable linear regression models, accounting for relevant covariates. Results In the single-pollutant approach, each pollutant was inversely associated with all birth outcomes. The effect size of prenatal PAH exposure on birth weight and length was twice that of PM2.5, in terms of standardized coefficients. In the two-pollutant approach, the negative effect of PM2.5 on birth weight and length, adjusted for PAH exposure, lost its significance. The standardized effect of PAH on birth weight was 10-fold stronger (β = −0.20, p = 0.004) than that estimated for PM2.5 (β = −0.02, p = 0.757). Conclusion The results provide evidence that PAH had a greater impact on several measures of fetal development, especially birth weight, than PM2.5. Though in the single-pollutant models PM2.5 had a significant impact on birth outcomes, this effect appears to be mediated by PAH. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00420-016-1192-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Dear Editor J.P.K. Rooney and J. Dorea raised some important issues related to the design and statistics of our last study on thimerosal-containing vaccines and children cognitive development, which we feel should be explained. They are right that we did not discuss our previous results published inNeurotoxicol Teratol [5] in our last paper [6]. The last paper was focused only on children’s cognitive development and the results did not differ in that issue with the previous study, when follow-up was limited to 3-year-old infants. We found no relationship between neonatal thimerosalcontaining vaccine (TCV) exposure and mental developmental delays in children up to 3 years of age [5], which was confirmed in the last paper related to longer exposure to TCVs (both neonatal and up to the sixth month of life) and longer follow-up of children’s cognitive development (up to 9 years of age) [6]. On the other hand, our previous results have shown that ethylmercury is not completely harmless for the first stage of life and may be responsible for poorer outcomes of psychomotor development in children. The lower psychomotor scores associated with TCV neonatal exposure were observed only during the first 2 years of life. That negative association disappeared by 36 months [5]. We did not discuss it because in older children, we did not perform the psychomotor tests and we could not assess the potential influence of TCVon psychomotor development in later age. Differences in size of analyzed population between papers [5, 6] were associated with different attitudes as during the first 3 years of life, the same test was conducted [5], and repeated analysis was in our opinion the best way of analysis. The period analyzed in our last paper [6] was much longer and represented by different tests (and different scales) of children’s cognitive development. It was hardly possible to compare them in repeated analysis techniques. Furthermore, as we noted [6], there was substantial dropout from the basic number of children (at the first year of life) to 45 % at the age of 8. So each analysis was made for a particular age category and differed in number of children as a result of lack of some test performances. The full enrolled cohort was indeed 505 children; however, due to drop out, the lack of the possibility to check vaccination history, and missing cord blood results of heavy metals, the biggest possible number available for analysis was 318 [6]. It was smaller in a 2012 paper [5] as only children with Bayley (BSID-II) tests who performed repeated measures during all 3 years with a score result were analyzed. Furthermore, analyzing a period of 9 years in a rather small cohort, we needed to choose which cord blood metal, lead or mercury, introduces in final models for adjustments, as adjusting for both makes the group too small. Finally, we decided to present models adjusted for mercury level as more important as thimerosal issue was considered. During the analysis process, adjustments to lead level instead of mercury one were also performed; however, they were not changing the inference of thimerosal. They were not present in the manuscript, similarly as full models, due to the interest of simplicity. We do not This is a reply to the correspondence found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/ s00431-015-2568-7

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants produced by combustion of fossil fuel and other organic materials. Both experimental animal and human studies have reported the harmful impacts of PAH compounds on fetal growth and neurodevelopment, including verbal IQ of children. Here, we have assessed the association between cognitive function of children and prenatal PAH exposures. The study is part of an ongoing, longitudinal investigation of the health effects of prenatal exposure to air pollution on infants and children in Krakow, Poland. The subjects in this report included 170 children whose mothers were enrolled to the study in the first or second trimester of pregnancy whose cord blood were tested for PAH-DNA adducts and who were assessed at age 7 using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The outcome of a priori interest was depressed verbal IQ index (DepVIQ), which is the difference between WISC-R performance and verbal IQ scores. Prenatal PAH exposure was measured by cord blood PAH-DNA adducts, an individual dosimeter, integrating exposure from various sources of exposure over the gestational period. The estimated effect of prenatal PAH exposure on cognitive function was adjusted in multivariable regression for a set of potential confounders (child's gender, parity, maternal education, breastfeeding practice, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and postnatal PAH exposure). The prevalence of DepVIQ was significantly higher in children with detectable PAH-DNA adducts compared to those with undetectable adducts (13.7 vs. 4.4 %,). Binary multivariable regression documented that the relative risk of DepVIQ increased threefold with a ln-unit increase in cord blood adducts (relative risk (RR) = 3.0, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.3-6.8). Postnatal PAH exposure also increased the risk of DepVIQ (RR = 1.6, 95 % CI 1.1-2.5). Long-term exclusive breastfeeding (at least 6 months) showed a protective effect (RR = 0.3, 95 % CI 0.1-0.9). In conclusion, these results provide further evidence that PAHs are harmful to the developing fetal brain with effects extending through childhood, with implications for the academic success of the children.

The main goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that prenatal and postnatal exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are associated with depressed lung function in non-asthmatic children. The study sample comprises 195 non-asthmatic children of non-smoking mothers, among whom the prenatal PAH exposure was assessed by personal air monitoring in pregnancy. At the age of 3, residential air monitoring was carried out to evaluate the residential PAH exposure indoors and outdoors. At the age of 5 to 8, children were given allergic skin tests for indoor allergens; and between 5 and 9 years lung function testing (FVC, FEV05, FEV1 and FEF25-75) was performed. The effects of prenatal PAH exposure on lung function tests repeated over the follow-up were adjusted in the General Estimated Equation (GEE) model for the relevant covariates. No association between FVC with prenatal PAH exposure was found; however for the FEV1 deficit associated with higher prenatal PAH exposure (above 37 ng/m(3)) amounted to 53 mL (p=0.050) and the deficit of FEF25-75 reached 164 mL (p=0.013). The corresponding deficits related to postnatal residential indoor PAH level (above 42 ng/m(3)) were 59 mL of FEV1 (p=0.028) and 140 mL of FEF25-75 (p=0.031). At the higher residential outdoor PAH level (above 90 ng/m(3)) slightly greater deficit of FEV1 (71 mL, p=0.009) was observed. The results of the study suggest that transplacental exposure to PAH compromises the normal developmental process of respiratory airways and that this effect is compounded by postnatal PAH exposure.

Introduction. Poland is a member of the WHO European Region where a complete eradication of measles and rubella is planned to be finished by 2015. Poland accounted for 99% of all reported rubella cases in 27 EU/EEA countries in 2013. It is a good time to evaluate whether the established Polish vaccination strategy was sufficient to reach the goal of rubella elimination in the near future. Aim. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiology of rubella in Poland when the disease outbreak took place in 2013, to determine the reasons of that situation and to find the solution for future rubella elimination strategies. Material and methods. To analyze the epidemiology of rubella in Poland during the disease outbreak in 2013 the authors used rubella surveillance data collected by the Provincial and National Notifiable Disease Reporting System in 2004-2013. The information at the provincial level derived from one of the 16 provinces (Malopolska). The data on MMR vaccination coverage in 2003-2012 derived from the National Surveillance System. The percentages of rubella cases and vaccine coverage between Poland with Malopolska province were compared. Results. The outbreak started in late 2012 and continued through 2013, when 38548 rubella cases (incidence rate 100.1/ 100 000) were notified. Geographically, rubella cases were reported from the entire country, with the highest incidence rate in Malopolska province (254.9/100 000). Only 5 cases from Malopolska and 120 in whole country were laboratory confirmed, the remaining 99.7% were reported solely on the basis of clinical signs. The vaccination coverage was not sufficient to protect the population against rubella outbreak in Poland, especially among adolescents and young adult males. Conclusions. The strengthening of routine immunization program and implementation of some additional vaccination campaigns in young adults as well as laboratory confirmation of all suspected cases are the challenges that will have to be met to eliminate rubella in Poland

Fetal exposure to environmental toxicants may program the development of children and have long-lasting health impacts. The study tested the hypothesis that depressed height gain in childhood is associated with prenatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals (lead and mercury). The study sample comprised 379 children born to non-smoking mothers among whom a total of 2011 height measurements were carried out over the 9-year follow-up period. Prenatal airborne PAH exposure was assessed by personal air monitoring of the mother in the second trimester of pregnancy and heavy metals were measured in cord blood. At the age of 3 residential air monitoring was done to evaluate the level of airborne PAH, and at the age 5 the levels of heavy metals were measured in capillary blood. The effect estimates of prenatal PAH exposure on height growth over the follow-up were adjusted in the General Estimated Equation (GEE) models for a wide set of relevant covariates. Prenatal exposure to airborne PAH showed a significant negative association with height growth, which was significantly decreased by 1.1cm at PAH level above 34.7 ng/m(3) (coeff.=-1.07, p=0.040). While prenatal lead exposure was not significantly associated with height restriction, the effect of mercury was inversely related to cord blood mercury concentration above 1.2 μg/L (coeff.=-1.21, p=0.020), The observed negative impact of prenatal PAH exposure on height gain in childhood was mainly mediated by shorter birth length related to maternal PAH exposure during pregnancy. The height gain deficit associated with prenatal mercury exposure was not seen at birth, but the height growth was significantly slower at later age.

In EU countries and also in Poland, the surveillance of infectious acute gastro-enteritis is a mandatory system based on cases notification (suspected and confirm) conducted by physicians in hospitals and ambulatory care.The assessment of surveillance sensitivity on acute diarrhea in children up to 2nd year of life in Małopolskie voivodeship from 2009 to 2012.The data about 720 infants surveyed respectively from birth up to 2nd year of life were used in this study. The information on acute diarrhea cases (outpatient and hospitalized) occurred in infants during follow-up was included in analysis. The data derived from medical records. Each case of acute diarrhea in infants detected by medical records was surveyed in local surveillance system on infectious diseases whether it was notified by physician.The surveillance sensitivity on acute diarrhea in infants up to 2nd year of life increased in Małopolskie voivodeship from 14.3% in 2009 to 24.3% in 2012. The sensitivity of surveillance on hospitalized cases was twofold higher compared to all kind of cases assessed inclusively.The surveillance sensitivity on acute diarrhea in infants up to 2nd year of life improved significantly in recent years but is still too low, especially with respect to outpatient cases.

Prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure has been shown to increase DNA adduct levels and to affect neurodevelopment. Micronutrients may modify the adverse effect of PAH on neurodevelopment. Thus, we examined if micronutrient concentrations modified the association between PAH exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes.151 children from a birth cohort who had micronutrient concentrations measured in cord blood and completed the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), between the ages of 6 and 9 years, were evaluated. Prenatal airborne PAH exposure was measured by personal air monitoring. The betas and 95% CI for the associations of antioxidant concentrations and PAH exposure with each of the outcomes of CBCL raw score and dichotomized standardized T-score (based on clinical cutpoints) were estimated, respectively, by multivariable poisson and logistic models.Children below the median for alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol concentrations, compared to those above, were more likely to have thought problems, aggressive behavior and externalizing problems (p0.05). Lower carotenoid concentration was associated with more thought problems (MVβ=0.60, p0.001) and externalizing problems (MVβ=0.13, p0.05) for the same contrast. No statistically significant associations were observed between retinol concentrations and neurodevelopmental symptoms. Overall, no consistent patterns were observed when we examined the interaction between antioxidants (e.g., alpha-tocopherol) and PAH in relation to CBCL symptoms (e.g., internalizing and externalizing problems, p0.05).Lower alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and carotenoid levels may adversely affect healthy neurodevelopment, even after accounting for PAH exposure. Future research to confirm these findings are warranted given the importance of identifying modifiable factors for reducing harmful PAH effects.

The monitoring of infants development during preventive care visits to identify children whose development is concerning for delay is an essential part of pediatric practice.The aim of the study was to examine the validity and clinical utility of developmental milestones reported by mothers in assessment of children development compared with the outcomes of BSID-II (Bayley Scales of Infant Development--second edition).The cohort recruited prenatally, included 384 children. The Mental and Motor Scales of BSID-II were administered to each child at the end of the 12th, 24th and 36th month of life. When children were 3 years old, mothers were questioned about their child's age at attainment of 8 significant developmental milestones.Sensitivity for the developmental milestones compared with score on the motor and mental scales of the BSID-II varied from 25.0% to 75.0%, specificity from 54.1% to 80.2%. The all of analysed milestones were characterized by low positive predictive value and rather high the negative one.Parent report developmental milestones are a better tool for excluding those children who attain milestones rapidly, as a group with low risk of developmental delays, than in identifying children whose development is suspected of being delayed.