Balneotherapy for osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

This systematic review is aimed to evaluate the effects of balneotherapy with thermal mineral water for managing the symptoms and signs of osteoarthritis located at any anatomical site. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA Statement. The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, DOAJ and PEDro.

Assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare personnel regarding biomedical waste management: a systematic review of available tools.

Biomedical waste (BMW) management is an important commitment of hospitals both in terms of the possible infectious risk and from the financial point of view. Monitoring the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals on this topic represents a source of information on BMW management. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review to identify the reliable and valid tools able to assess the KAP of professionals in healthcare centers to manage BMW.

Variation of atmospheric emissions within the road transport sector in Italy between 1990 and 2016.

The concentration of road transport emissions impacts on air quality, is responsible for climate change and increases the average temperatures. The aim of this study was to analyze the trends of atmospheric emissions within the road transport sector in Italy between 1990 and 2016. A principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out to investigate the pollutants that showed similar trends over time.

Socioeconomic Deprivation Status and Air Pollution by PM and NO: An Assessment at Municipal Level of 11 Years in Italy.

The aim of this observational study was to assess the relationship between environmental risk factors and some aspects of social economic status (SES) of the population in different Italian municipalities. Nitrogen dioxide (NO) and particulate matter (PM) annual means were extracted from ISPRA-BRACE (environmental information system of 483 Italian municipalities, 6% of the total amount of administrative units) from 2002 to 2012. As an indicator of sociodemographic and SES data, we collected the following: resident population, foreign nationality, low level of education, unemployment, nonhome ownership, single-parent family, and overcrowding.

Reliability and Use of Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in Italian Sample of University Professors.

Academics often have to face with burnout syndrome at work. This cross-sectional study evaluates the reliability of the Italian version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) in a sample of Academics of Sapienza University of Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, through an online questionnaire composed of the CBI, SF12 Health Survey, and Positivity Scale. Univariate, bivariate, multivariate analyses, and Cronbach α coefficients of CBI were performed.

Association between Work Related Stress and Health Related Quality of Life: The Impact of Socio-Demographic Variables. A Cross Sectional Study in a Region of Central Italy.

The aim of this work is investigate relationship between health-related quality of life and work-related stress and the impact of gender, education level, and age on this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted among workers of various setting in Rome and Frosinone. Work-related stress was measured with a demand-control questionnaire and health-related functioning by SF (short form)-12 health survey.

Legionella control in the water system of antiquated hospital buildings by shock and continuous hyperchlorination: 5 years experience.

Background: To control the presence of Legionella in an old hospital water system, an integrated strategy of water disinfection-filtration was implemented in the university hospital Umberto I in Rome.

Methods: Due to antiquated buildings, hospital water system design and hospital extension (38 buildings), shock hyperchlorination (sodium hypochlorite, 20-50 ppm of free chlorine at distal points for 1-2 h) followed by continuous hyperchlorination (0.5-1.

Impact on knowledge and behaviour of the general population of two different methods of solid waste management: An explorative cross-sectional study.

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate knowledge among general population about the risks factors of waste management, to estimate the feeling of anxiety concerning the waste, and to compare knowledge of two different methods for collecting municipal solid waste (MSW): a street separate collection system and a door-to-door separate collection system. A cross-sectional study was performed, administering an anonymous questionnaire to 180 inhabitants in Aprilia, Latium, Italy. The study sample consisted of 183 citizens: 64 in the intervention group and 119 in the control group.

Microbiological safety of glasses dispensed at 3D movie theatres.

Recent popularity of three-dimensional movies raised some concern about microbiological safety of glasses dispensed into movie theatres. In this study, we analysed the level of microbiological contamination on them before and after use and between theatres adopting manual and automatic sanitation systems. The manual sanitation system was more effective in reducing the total mesophilic count levels compared with the automatic system (P < 0.

Association between waste management and HBV among solid municipal waste workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of this relationship using available published observational studies in the field of solid municipal waste treatment.

Methods: The review of the scientific literature was based on Medline and Scopus databases up to December 2012, using the keywords HBV, waste, solid, treatment, workers, disposal, and refuse in different combinations.

Results: 160 studies were found and checked.

Ready-to-eat vegetables production with low-level water chlorination. An evaluation of water quality, and of its impact on end products.

Introduction: We evaluated the microbiological impact of low-level chlorination (1 ppm free chlorine) on the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables by monitoring the microbiological quality of irrigation and processing water in two production plants over a 4-season period, as well as the microbiological quality of unprocessed vegetables and RTE product. Water samples were also characterized in terms of some chemical and physico-chemical parameters of relevance in chlorination management.

Materials And Methods: Both producers use water with maximum 1 ppm free chlorine for vegetables rinsing, while the two processes differ by the number of washing cycles.

Molecular Characterization of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and the hospital environment.

Objectives: To ascertain whether cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are colonized or infected with unique or multiple strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia; to understand whether some strains colonize or infect more than 1 patient, indicating clonal spread; and to explore the molecular heterogeneity of hospital water isolates and their correlation with clinical isolates.

Setting: The regional CF center of Policlinico "Umberto I" of Rome, Italy.

Methods: The study was carried out on a random sample of S.

[Quality assurance of cooked food in conventional hospital food service].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the hospital food service of the Azienda in preserving microbiological quality and temperature of cooked foods during the distribution to the different wards of the hospital. During three years, microbiological parameters and temperatures were monitored in the central kitchen before distribution (T0), in the first (T1) and in the last ward (T2) of the distribution route during a three-year period for a total of 337 analytical determinations. Temperature values before distribution improved during the study period, whereas the capacity of keeping adequate temperature values during the distribution decreased over time, in spite of the introduction of a new technology after the first year of the study.

[Hygienic monitoring in a municipal solid waste incineration plant].

Under President's Executive Order 915/1982, the Malagrotta waste disposal plant has been surrounded by a water-proof ring. This study reflects a eight-year research activity about "the Plant's steadiness and its impact on the land; hygienic monitoring of aquifers, air quality control and sound pollution; health and safety of workers; disinfection and land reclamation". For surface subsidence to be measured, 21 spots were monitored and 30 piezometers were set up in adjacent critical areas, both inside and outside the plant.