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Internal dosimetry intercomparisons are essential for the verification of applied models and the consistency of results'. To that aim, the First Regional Intercomparison was organised in 2005, and that results led to the Second Regional Intercomparison Exercise in 2013, which was organised in the frame of the RLA 9/066 and coordinated by Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear of Argentina. Four simulated cases covering intakes of (131)I, (137)Cs and Tritium were proposed. Ninteen centres from thirteen different countries participated in this exercise. This paper analyses the participants' results in this second exercise in order to test their skills and acquired knowledge, particularly in the application of the IDEAS Guidelines. It is important to highlight the increased number of countries that participated in this exercise compared with the first one and, furthermore, the improvement in the overall performance. The impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Projects since 2003 has led to a significant enhancement of internal dosimetry capabilities that strengthen the radiation protection of workers.

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INTRODUCTION: Environmental contamination causes an increase in respiratory symptoms, especially in patients with asthma. The severity of allergic asthma in children is associated with the presence of intradomicilliary aeroallergens and intramural contaminants. OBJECTIVE: Correlation to clinical abnormalities, spyrometryand skin test with the intradomiciliary pollution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children who participated ranged in age from 6 to 15 years, attended public schools, and were classified as healthy and asthmatic. A questionnaire was applied to them, as well as a clinical history, spirometry, skin tests, and an environmental study at home. RESULTS: Fifty-seven children were studied, of 10 years of age (+/- 3). Group 1 (23 healthy children): Positive skin tests, dust 66.6%, cockroaches 66.6%, mites 33.3%, cat 33.3%, dog 4.3%. Principal clinical symptoms were cough 91.3%, wheezing 78.3%, respiratory difficulty 39.1% with a morning predominance of 78.3%. Spirometry showed an obstructive pattern in 30.5%. Group 2 (34 asthmatic children): Positive skin tests, mites 52.1%, dust 47.8%, cockroach 21.7%, cat 21.7%, dog 4.3%, passive exposure to tobacco smoke 79.5%. Principal clinical symptoms were cough 91.3%, respiratory 82.3%, wheezing 79.4%, predominantly at night 70.5%. Spirometry showed obstructive pattern in 67.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Children with asthma present great contact and sensitivity for intradomicilliary allergens such as mites in household dust, proteins from cat, dog, and cockroach feces, in addition to greater frequency of passive smoking. It is important to point out that these factors can be modifiable at low cost, thus presenting the conditions for a better quality of life for the patient and diminishing costs of medical attention.

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BACKGROUND: Asthma is a world health problem. Education of asthmatic patient has been proposed as a choice for diminishing mortality due to asthma. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that educational programs for asthmatic patients help to reduce disease's severity, crises and hospitalizations number and encourage a bigger therapeutic compliance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 80 asthmatic patients were divided into two groups; first one received educational curse and second one does not. All patients received treatment according to international guides, including monthly consultation, flow-meter, and symptoms day book; an initial and final evaluation was made about disease's knowledge. Course consisted of a workshop including crisis management, use of inhaled medication, flow-metry and relaxation techniques. RESULTS: We studied 76 patients, with a mean age of 34 years; 36 were assigned to group 1 and 40 to group 2. Initial assessment of both groups was of 7.8, while final evaluation of groups 1 and 2 was of 9.3 and 8.4, respectively. Group 1 had lesser number of hospitalizations than group 2 (p-0.005), lesser number of emergency consultations (p-0.005) and a higher overall improvement than group 2, in which only 8 patients got well. A third part of the group 1 abandoned treatment, while patients that abandoned treatment in group 2 accounted for 79% (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Educational programs for asthmatic adult patients diminish severity of disease, number of crises and hospitalizations, and also increase therapeutic compliance.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree of knowledge of family physicians related to the International Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment (GINA) of Asthmatic Patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We invited the family physicians from some clinics of Mexico City. A questionnaire was applied to 50 doctors who accepted to participate in the study; they had a 46 year-old age average and a proportion 1:1 between genders. The analysis was carried out with the test r of Pearson. RESULTS: The correlation between general knowledge of asthma and knowledge of GINA was r = 0.022; between the general knowledge of asthma and the specialty of family medicine was r = -0.117; and that among the knowledge on International Guides of Asthma and the specialty of family medicine was r = 0.33. CONCLUSIONS: A scarce knowledge exists on the guides proposed by GINA.

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To assess the frequency of exposure to allergens and indoor pollutants of school age asthmatic children at the time of their first visit to the specialist, we studied 14 cases with the diagnosis of asthma according to international criteria, and 21 healthy controls. The parents of the children filed a questionnaire asking about socio-economic level, family history of asthma, exposure to allergens or indoor pollutants, and clinical severity of the disease. Questionnaires with less than 80% of the responses were excluded from analysis. Asthmatic patients had higher frequency of exposure to tobacco smoke (42.8% vs 38%), moisture in the home walls (42.9% vs 19%), and to dust reservoirs (71.4% vs 52.4%). A high proportion of the asthmatic patients did not apply adequate environmental control measures. Education for the patients and their primary care physicians must be increased, to reduce the morbidity of the diseases.

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This work was done to determine the mortality and morbidity rates secondary to asthma in Mexico, for age, gender, state of the country and time. Data were obtained from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Geografía e Informática. We calculated morbidity and mortality rates adjusting for age, by a direct method. In the results, there was a reduction in mortality rate in both genders, from 1960 to 1987. Age groups up to 4 years and older than 50 were the mainly affected. From 1960 to the present time, the state with highest mortality is Tlaxcala. The states with highest hospitalization rates were Morelos, Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, Durango and Tamaulipas. In conclusion, mortality rates secondary to asthma in Mexico show a decreasing trend, with a considerable rise in morbidity, especially in the adolescent group.

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The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of prenatal care on maternal and perinatal morbi-mortality. The obstetrics hospitalizations from "Hospital General Regional, Orizaba, Veracruz" were reviewed from 1991 to 1992. 2595 patients were studied and classified according to the attendance or not to the prenatal care program. We analyzed data related to mother, child and obstetric care. 73% of women had prenatal care with 9.4% of complications. From the group without prenatal care 8.9% had complications. When we compared the demographic characteristics of groups, we found that they came from different populations, and it could explain the different percentage of complications. The most frequent maternal complications were membrane premature rupture, pregnancy toxemia (preeclampsia-eclampsia) and endometritis. There was no association between the frequency of product complications with attendance to prenatal care program (OR = 1.4, CI = 1.05-2.09). The group without prenatal care had higher premature rate.

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The objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate mortality and morbidity from asthma in Mexico by federative entity (state) of residence, age, and sex during the period between 1960 and 1988. Statistics published by the National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information Science were reviewed, as were vital statistics and information from other sources. Data were selected on mortality, hospital admissions, and outpatient visits, as well as population by federative entity, age, and sex. Mortality and morbidity rates were adjusted for age using the direct method. From 1960 to 1987, mortality decreased for both sexes. The groups with the highest asthma mortality were those under 4 years of age and those over 50. From 1960 to the present, the state with the highest mortality was Tlaxcala. Hospitalizations increased from 10 to 140 per 100,000 population for the country as a whole. When both outpatient visits and hospitalizations were considered, the morbidity rates rose from 180 to 203.4 per 100,000 between 1960 and 1970. In 1970, hospital morbidity was higher among males than females. From 1960 up to the 1990s, the highest rates of hospitalization and outpatient visits were registered among those under 4 and those over 60. The states with the highest asthma hospitalization rates were Morelos, Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, Durango, and Tamaulipas. It is concluded that asthma mortality in Mexico is showing a downward trend, while morbidity is increasing considerably, especially among adolescents.

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The objective of this study was to determine the morbidity and mortality rate due to asthma from a Health Institution, which represents the majority of working population. Asthma data were obtained from the National Institute of Informatical, Geography and Statistics (INEGI), Mexican Health Secretary (SS) and Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). The underlying cause of death hospitalization or visit were obtained. Asthma was coded according to the International Classification of Disease (ninth revision). Asthma death rate was adjusted by age using direct method. In the IMSS, asthma death rate increased from 3.24/200,000 in 1980 to 12.76/100,000 in 1990. The asthma letality increased from 0.34 in 1980 to 1.23 in 1990. The average length of hospital stay was 3.96 days in 1990; there was noy significant differences by sex the most affected groups were children under 4 years of age and persons older than 65 years of age. In conclusion, from 1980 to 1990, the morbidity and mortality rate due to asthma in IMSS increased. It suggests that future health policy efforts should be focused to reduce the morbidity, mainly in high risk groups.

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