Region: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Public Association, "The Medical Center"; Mogilev, Belarus; Sergei Kuntsevich, Chairperson
Consortium Member: Brest Environmental Information Center
Status: Needs Funding
Budget: $2189
Collected: $0
Needs: $2189
Goal: To increase public knowledge of preventive and early -detection measures for intestinal cancers; to train medical professionals in ultrasound screening techniques
Comment: The rising rate of intestinal cancers in Belarus is one of the legacies of radioactive contamination (of land and of food supplies) from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. This is a practical attempt by doctors in the region to improve the situation.
Information about "The Medical Union"
Our NGO "The Medical Union" was established in January of 2001. Its mission is to unite medical professionals who adhere to democratic values, in order to solve tasks of professional, social and humanitarian significance. We aim to facilitate creative and professional self-realization and self –education of the medical doctors.
Currently there are 13 members – medical doctors - in our organization, and we are implementing our first project “Medical Class” which is dedicated to preparation of teenagers on basics of physiology, hygiene, and first aid. We have also conducted a workshop for the doctors of Mogilev on ultrasonic diagnostic of emergency situations. Both projects were funded from our internal sources.
Project Need
We are experiencing an increase in diseases of the large intestine in Mogilev region. The rate of colon cancer in 1986 was 10.3 per 100,000 of population; in 1999 it reached 15.3. The rate of cancer of the rectum rose from 10.3 to 18.1 per 100,000, during the same time period. For comparison, in Russia at the end of 1990 the rate of the colon cancer was 10.3. The rising trend of these and other intestinal diseases is clear.
This is a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe [the southern and eastern regions of Belarus, where Mogilev is located, received over 60% of the fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in Ukraine, in 1986 - Ed.]The radio nuclides in the food products are making changes in the sphere of the stomach, which combined with immune system deterioration causes serious illnesses.
Governmental public health services and medical institutions only admit the situation, but are not undertaking effective measures for its improvement. It causes concern among doctors and population as a whole. Our Public Association “The Medical Union” (Mogilev) for the first time in the region plans some consecutive actions to improve this situation.
Project Goals
Methods
Seminars for physicians:Two one-day practical seminars will be carried out in cooperation with the management of public health services of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee. Proposed participants include the main experts in the area: surgeons, oncologists and gastroenterologists, doctors of ultrasonic diagnostics, medical managers who manage therapeutic and surgical branches, gastroentherologists and oncologists of treatment-and-preventive establishments of the area - in all about 90 persons.
Publishing a brochure:(format À5, 80 pages, circulation of 150 copies). The author, A.I. Kushnerov, is a member of our association, and the developer of a technique of ultrasonic research of the large intestine which can be used for mass screening of the population.
Mass media coverage Materials will be published in such newspapers as "Evening Mogilev” and "Tydnewik Magileuski” with the purpose of informing the population on new opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
Instructions for patients on prevention of digestive tract cancers will be prepared and issued by the members of our association (format À5, 4 pages, circulation of 299 copies). It will be distributed all over the areas of the region and among the medical establishments of Mogilev.
Project duration
Four months, including the following:
Explanation of the use of ultrasound diagnosis for intestinal diseases
Note: the following was written by "The Medical Union" in response to questions from the Virtual Foundation Proposal Review Committee.
Ultrasonic investigation with and without usage of diagnostic medium was carried out in 289 patients who suffered from the Irritable bowel syndrome, 72 tumors, 20 ulcerative colitis and 5 Crohn disease.
All patients underwent a preliminary preparation of the intestine to achieve its evacuation as far as possible. The total duration of all stages of the investigation was usually 20-30 min.
Total ultrasonic investigation of the large intestine without diagnostic medium was carried out. Here, lateral sections of the abdominal cavity were examined, the widths of the lumen of various segments of the intestine were detected, taking into account their original position and the quality of preparation. The tonus of the large intestine was determined by basing on gas-filled haustrae. In the case where a thickening of the intestine wall was observed, particular attention was paid to these sections during later investigations.
Artifacts due to adjacent bowel gas often prevent an ultrasonic picture of the colon. The diagnostic medium provides a suitable acoustic window for ultrasonic study of the colon, allowing a detailed vision of the lumen and colon wall, as of large bowel intestine so surround connective tissue. Ultrasonic values system, which allows objectifying functional and morphologic peculiarities of every large intestine section was developed. Distinction between Irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, colonic Chrons disease, and tumors is possible because of different ultrasonic patterns. Ultrasonic scanning results were confirmed by colonoscopy and histological test.
In our work we present possibilities of large intestine development variants with help of ultrasonography. The ultrasonic examination of the colon with and without usage of diagnostic medium is a simple, relatively non-invasive procedure that provides an alternative to radiation-free examination of the whole colon."
Expected Outcomes:
Budget
| Salary for the project leader - editor and manufacturer of the brochure (4 months) | $220 |
| Honorarium to the author of the brochure | $70 |
| Fee of the reviewer | $30 |
| Advisor for printed editions (3 months) | $60 |
| Advisor for office equipment | $45 |
| Photo master | $20 |
| Carrying out of 2 seminars - Fees to lecturers (gastroenterologist, oncologist, doctor of ultrasonic diagnostics) | $80 |
| Dinner for 90 participants | $90 |
| Coffee breaks (2) | $40 |
| Payment for preparation of the instruction materials (3 persons) | $30 |
| Payment for manufacturing the instruction materials | $30 |
| Office supplies (paper, staples, pens etc.) | $80 |
| Film for slides and photos, photographic paper, other materials | $45 |
| Photocopier | $700 |
| Printer | $70 |
| Scanner | $70 |
| Supplies for office equipment | $60 |
| Electrostapler | $250 |
| Subtotal | $1990 |
| Virtual Foundation fee (10%) | $199 |
| Total requested from Virtual Foundation | $2189 |