We aimed to assess exposure to respirable particulate matter (PM) of beauty salon personnel, identify its determinants and ascertain the associated respiratory effects. We collected 122 full-day respirable PM samples from 12 beauty salons (floor area ranging from 24 to 550 m3, staff from 4 to 8) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, taking 10 samples from each place using a portable SidePak AM520 monitor. We also assessed lifestyle (smoking, etc.), respiratory symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQL) of the personnel using questionnaires. Out of 11,831 5-min data points, daily median respirable PM concentrations were highly variable and ranged from 0.013 to 0.666 mg/m3 with 8.5-times difference in the median concentrations between the venue with the highest median (0.29 mg/m3) and the least median (0.034 mg/m3). In a multivariate linear regression modelling, ambient PM2.5 concentration was the strongest predictor of daily median respirable PM concentration (beta 2.12; 95% CI 1.89; 2.39), and R2 of the model was 0.63. We also found a positive association of the median respirable PM with respiratory symptoms and seasonal allergy, but not with HRQL. Short-term respirable PM levels in the beauty salons may be very high, but the median concentrations are mainly determined by the ambient air pollution.

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Introduction. Iodine deficiency is one of the most important public health problems in the world. It mostly affects pregnant women and children. The lack of iodine leads to an increase in the numbers of perinatal mortality and mental retardation. Materials and method. In 2012-2014, a survey was carried out of 2,342 women, of whom 2284 were analyzed for salt to measure the content of iodine, and 2,242 women of reproductive age had their urine samples analyzed by the ceriumarsenite method based on the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Determination of the medical and social effectiveness of biological monitoring of IDS was carried out in 3 stages. Results. The study revealed that in the eastern Kazakhstan region the relative risk (RR) of overall prevalence of iodine deficiency among women was 1.1 times higher (95% ID: 0.35-3.61; Z statistic = 0.192) among household respondents (≤15mkg/kg). In the Pavlodar region, the RR of the prevalence of total iodine deficiency is 0.5 times higher in households where the salt was not sufficiently iodized. In the Zhambyl region the RR of the iodine deficiency prevalence was about twice as high due to insufficient iodized salt. Conclusions. The introduction of biological monitoring of IDS among women, especially pregnant women, may positively affect the detection of the risk limits for the birth of infants with reduced mental abilities or other diseases during pregnancy, using timely targeted preventive measures to exclude factors that affect the spread of IDS.

В условиях социального медицинского страхования удовлетворенность пациентов полученной медицинской помощью является одним из основных критериев оценки её качества. Цель исследования. Оценить уровень удовлетворенности пациентов, получающих лечение в стоматологическом кабинете. Материал и методы. Был проведен социологический опрос 83 пациентов, получающих лечение в стоматологическом кабинете. Выводы. На основании проведенного нами опроса и полученных результатов выявлено, что в целом респонденты отмечают удовлетворенность стоматологической услугой. Также отмечают высокое качество оказываемых услуг. In the context of social health insurance, the satisfaction of patients with the received medical care is one of the main criteria for assessing its quality. Purpose of the study. Assess the level of satisfaction of patients receiving treatment in the dental office. Material and methods. A sociological survey was conducted of 83 patients receiving treatment in the dental office. Conclusions. Based on our survey and the results obtained, it was revealed that, in general, the respondents note satisfaction with the dental service. They also note the high quality of the services provided.