Occupational exposure to carcinogenic wood dust in two Italian biomass power plants.

In this study we monitored exposure to airborne dust in workers performing various tasks at two biomass-fuelled thermal power plants (27 and 46 MW) over six years. The plants are mainly fuelled by forest wood chips and, to a lesser extent, by agro-food products, with annual consumption of about 300 and 450 kt. We focused on inhalable wood dust because of its potential carcinogenicity to humans.

Early sleep after action observation plus motor imagery improves gait and balance abilities in older adults.

Action observation plus motor imagery (AOMI) is a rehabilitative approach to improve gait and balance performance. However, limited benefits have been reported in older adults. Early sleep after motor practice represents a strategy to enhance the consolidation of trained skills.

Effect of emicizumab-neutralizing antibodies on activated partial thromboplastin time-based clotting time test results in patients treated with emicizumab.

Background: Emicizumab is a bispecific humanized monoclonal antibody that shortens the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), making aPTT-based tests unreliable.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a mixture of 2 anti-idiotype monoclonal antibodies (anti-emi) in neutralizing emicizumab in samples from persons with hemophilia A treated with emicizumab.

Methods: Fifty samples from persons with hemophilia A treated with emicizumab were analyzed for aPTT and factor VIII procoagulant activity; FVIII inhibitor titer was measured using Nijmegen-Bethesda assay in 50 plasma samples of additional patients (positive for FVIII inhibitor) treated with emicizumab.

Analytical Performance of Different Laboratory Methods for Measuring Susoctocog-Alfa.

Recombinant porcine factor VIII (rpFVIII) is indicated for treating bleeding episodes in acquired haemophilia A, but there are few data regarding laboratory methods to adequately monitor treatment. This study involving three Italian laboratories aimed to evaluate the analytical performance of different assays for measuring rpFVIII. Five spiked rpFVIII samples (0.

Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials II.

Food contact materials (FCMs) are materials and articles intended to be placed in direct or indirect contact with foodstuffs, or which can reasonably be expected to come into contact with food under normal or foreseeable conditions of use. Substances intentionally used to manufacture FCMs, as well as non-intentionally added substances resulting from impurities, by-products and/or degradation products, can migrate from FMCs into food and, consequently, are taken up by humans. To protect consumers' health, EU legislation requires that FCMs must be sufficiently inert to prevent substances from being transferred into the food in quantities that could endanger human health.