The Presence of in Water Used for Car Washing: Implications for Public Health.

Although today all of the aspects of are better understood than in the past, in many countries the interest is still mainly focused on healthcare and tourism facilities. Other at-risk areas are less explored, such as those where workers are often in contact with water during their activities. In reality, any water system capable of producing aerosols can be considered a potential source of transmission, including car washes, where a large number of users work and flow through annually.

Phenolic Substances in Foods and Anticarcinogenic Properties: A Public Health Perspective.

The interest in polyphenols from vegetable sources has been progressively increased because of the demonstrated correlation between their abundance in certain foods or food preparations of traditional importance and heritage, and the answer of anti-inflammatory strategies in hospitalized patients in the presence of polypehnol-rich foods (as a complementary therapy). Consequently, research involving the accessory role of polyphenols as anti-tumoral aids have been carried out with the aim of finding new additional strategies. The purpose of this paper to evaluate the role of phenolic compounds in foods with reference to health effects for human beings.

The contribution of professors of Hygiene to the progress and development of public health in Italy: one hundred years of history.

In 1917 Achille Sclavo, a distinguished researcher and founder of the Italian Society of Hygiene, ended up the first term as Rector of the University of Siena. Since then, the contribution of professors of hygiene in Italian universities has ranged over several relevant topics including vaccinations, environmental hygiene, hospital hygiene, healthcare organization and management, with an important contribution to the health reform of 1978 by Augusto Giovanardi and Alessandro Seppilli. Several Academic Schools (Roman, Neapolitan, Genoese, Sicilian, Venetian, Lombard, etc.

Phenolic Substances in Foods: Health Effects as Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Agents.

The interest in phenolic compounds present in foods of vegetable origin has shown a notable increase in recent decades. This interest is due to the growing number of scientific studies concerning their beneficial role in human health. The interest in polyphenols has been supported by the current and growing awareness, and attention of consumers to food from a food safety viewpoint and also because of the beneficial effects ascribed to polyphenols.

Environmental Surveillance of Legionellosis within an Italian University Hospital-Results of 15 Years of Analysis.

Legionnaires' disease is normally acquired by inhalation of legionellae from a contaminated environmental source. Water systems of large and old buildings, such as hospitals, can be contaminated with legionellae and therefore represent a potential risk for the hospital population. In this study, we demonstrated the constant presence of in water samples from the water system of a large university hospital in Messina (Sicily, Italy) consisting of 11 separate pavilions during a period of 15 years (2004⁻2018).

Innate Immune Surveillance in the Central Nervous System Following Legionella pneumophila Infection.

Background & Objective: The innate immune response is a common occurrence in many neuroinflammatory diseases. Central Nervous System (CNS) resident immune cells are able to detect and react to infections and sterile trauma. Peripheral immune cell migration into CNS is regulated by the blood-brain barrier, although peripheral immune cells can invade CNS through meninges, choroid plexus, perivascular spaces, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Bacterial isolates from the Arctic region (Pasvik River, Norway): assessment of biofilm production and antibiotic susceptibility profiles.

Bacterial biofilm production is recognized as a strategy that helps aquatic bacteria in resisting to the presence of several kinds of pollutants, including antibiotics, in the bulk environment. The Pasvik River, located between Norway, Russia and Finland, is a sub-Arctic site polluted by wastes from metallurgic and mining activities. In order to study whether and to what extent bacteria are able to produce biofilms, and to assess whether this physiological characteristic influences their resistance to antibiotics, an investigation was performed on bacteria isolated from water and sediment collected along the Pasvik River course during two surveys (May and July).

Legionella risk assessment in cruise ships and ferries.

The increasing development of marine traffic has led to a rise in the incidence of legionellosis among travellers. It occurs in similar environments, especially closed and crowded, and aboard ships Legionella survives and multiplies easily in water pipes, spreading into the environment through air conditioning systems and water distribution points. Although in recent years in the construction of cruise ships preventive measures aimed at curbing the proliferation of Legionella (design, materials, focus on the operation and maintenance of the water system), have been taken account, little or no attention has been paid to small ships which, in many cases, are old and not well maintained.

Evaluation of Legionella Air Contamination in Healthcare Facilities by Different Sampling Methods: An Italian Multicenter Study.

Healthcare facilities (HF) represent an at-risk environment for legionellosis transmission occurring after inhalation of contaminated aerosols. In general, the control of water is preferred to that of air because, to date, there are no standardized sampling protocols. air contamination was investigated in the bathrooms of 11 HF by active sampling (Surface Air System and Coriolisμ) and passive sampling using settling plates.

Serological and molecular identification of Legionella spp. isolated from water and surrounding air samples in Italian healthcare facilities.

Background: Legionella is an intracellular microorganism living in natural and artificial aquatic environments. Although its transmission to humans is linked to the inhalation of contaminated aerosols, there is no validated air sampling method for the control and prevention of the disease. The aim of the present study was to provide more information on the distribution of Legionella spp.

Geostatistics - a tool applied to the distribution of Legionella pneumophila in a hospital water system.

Introduction: Legionnaires' disease is normally acquired by inhalation of legionellae from a contaminated environmental source. Water systems of large buildings, such as hospitals, are often contaminated with legionellae and therefore represent a potential risk for the hospital population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential contamination of Legionella pneumophila (LP) in a large hospital in Italy through georeferential statistical analysis to assess the possible sources of dispersion and, consequently, the risk of exposure for both health care staff and patients.

[Legionella spp. contamination in indoor air: preliminary results of an Italian multicenter study].

Objective: To propose a standardized protocol for the evaluation of Legionella contamination in air.

Design: A bathroom having a Legionella contamination in water >1,000 cfu/l was selected in 10 different healthcare facilities. Air contamination was assessed by active (Surface Air System, SAS) and passive (Index of Microbial Air, IMA) sampling for 8 hours, about 1 m away from the floor and 50 cm from the tap water.

Legionella spp., amoebae and not-fermenting Gram negative bacteria in an Italian university hospital water system.

Introduction: In hospital and other health care facilities, contamination of water systems by potentially infectious microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa, is a source of nosocomial infections, which may originate fromcolonization of water pipes, cooling towers, spa pools, taps, showers and water supplies. Objective. The study focuses on the occurrence of Legionella spp.

Susceptibility to antibiotics of Vibrio spp. and Photobacterium damsela ssp. piscicida strains isolated from Italian aquaculture farms.

The antibiotic resistance patterns of aetiological agents responsible for vibriosis and pasteurellosis were studied to contribute to control the spread of these two bacterial diseases in Mediterranean fish farming. Strains of Photobacterium damsela ssp. piscicida, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio metschnikovii, isolated from Italian aquaculture (fish, shellfish and crustaceans) sites, were assayed for their susceptibility to some antibacterial agents currently used in farming practices.

[Energy sources. Social and environmental impact and societal models: future perspectives. Part 1: General aspects and reflections.].

In this paper, the authors discuss energy sources, highlighting their impact on the environment and on human beings, their influence in economy and finance and on relations between governments. They attempt to analyse whether the above factors together can lead to a negative impact on health, defined as an individual's "complete physical social and psychological well being". The role of petroleum in the world economy is understandable if one considers that energy, heat, light, electricity, transportation and large part of mass production are all dependent on this energy resource.

[Adolescents and alcohol: a survey in the city of Messina (Italy)].

Alcohol abuse represents a relevant social problem in industrialized countries. Italy has an age-long tradition of producing and drinking wine, a beverage which in moderate doses is considered to be part of the much appreciated "Mediterranean diet". However, drinking other alcoholic beverages is becoming increasingly common, especially among adolescents.

[Prevention of legionellosis in hotel establishments: a proposal to introduce a plan of action in accordance with Provision 13 January 2005 (Italy)].

Provision 13 January 2005 (Italy) gives guidelines for legionellosis control and prevention in hotel and thermal establishments. Considering that Legionella pneumophila is an ubiquitous organism , the implementation of actions to control the risk of Legionella in the water distribution systems of various types of establishments (hospital, hotel, thermal), or to at least reduce it to acceptable levels, is warranted. The authors have prepared a plan of action for Legionella which, besides describing the main points of the provision and the roles of managers and technicians, also includes the data sheets to be used during environmental monitoring procedures.