Purpose: The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to low doses of pollutants present in the air of the city selected for the study could cause alterations in the concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in workers from the Municipal Police with outdoor tasks, compared to those with indoor tasks.
Methods: A total of 208 non-smoking male and female subjects were enrolled and divided on the basis of whether their tasks were mainly outdoors or indoors. The dosage of plasma ANP was carried out on all workers included in the study.
Background: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) is currently considered the standard of care for suitable patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis. We sought to assess very long-term outcome after PMV.
Methods: Between 1991 and 2010, 482 consecutive patients underwent successful PMV in a single center.
Background: Typesetting industry is still the primary instrument of communication, despite the development of new technological systems. This study focuses on the analysis of the hepatic effects induced by the use of some organic solvents employed in the printing industry.
Methods: We studied a group of 194 workers: 93 exposed and 101 not exposed.
Background: The purpose of this study is to assess whether occupational exposure to low doses of nickel (Ni) present in urban air can cause alterations in the concentration of plasma testosterone in workers of the Municipal Police of a large Italian city assigned to different types of outdoor tasks.
Methods: 359 male subjects were included in the study and divided on the basis of job, age, length of service and smoking habits. The dosage of the atmospheric Ni was performed by personal dosimetries on a sample of the workers included in the study.
The aim of this study is to estimate whether the occupational exposure to low dose anesthetic gases could cause alterations of blood parameters in health care workers. 119 exposed subjects and 184 not exposed controls were included in the study. Each worker underwent the complete blood count test (CBC), proteinaemia, leukocyte count, serum lipids, liver and kidney blood markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether perceived stress in the workplace can be a risk factor able to change the blood counts in a group of male and female outdoor workers of the Municipal Police. The study examines possible relations among the levels of stress, as inferred from the scores of the questionnaire, blood counts and voluptuary habits.
Methods: We evaluated a final sample of 486 subjects (345 males and 141 females).
J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng
October 2013
The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between occupational exposure to airborne lead (Pb) and alterations in peripheral blood counts in workers of the Municipal Police assigned to different types of outdoor tasks. Then, 337 both male and female subjects were enrolled and divided on the basis of sex, cigarette smoking habit and kind of task. Exposure to airborne Pb, dosage of total blood Pb and peripheral blood count were carried out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study is to estimate whether the occupational exposure to low dose of anaesthetic gases could cause alterations of haematochemical hepatic and renal parameters in the health workers of a city hospital.
Materials And Methods: After excluding the main confounding factors, 154 exposed subjects and 98 not exposed controls were included in the study. The exposed subjects were divided in more exposed (group 1: n.
Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate, using a questionnaire developed by our research group, whether occupational exposure to physical, chemical and psychosocial urban stressors can lead to alterations in perceived stress in a group of both male and female outdoor workers. The study also examines possible correlations between the levels of stress as inferred from the scores of the questionnaire and the levels of certain stress-related parameters (prolactin levels, consumption of coffee, chocolate, alcohol and cigarette smoking).
Methods: We evaluated a final sample of 480 subjects (342 male and 138 female).
Background: The aim of this study is to estimate if low dose of occupational exposure to ionizing radiations can cause alterations of plasma concentrations of total white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes (eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils), in the health workers of a big hospital.
Methods: 266 non smokers subjects of both sexes (133 health workers and 133 controls) were included in this study, compared on the basis of sex, age and working seniority. The complete blood count (CBC) was performed in all included workers.
Aim of the study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to low doses of pollutants present in the air of the city selected for the study could cause alterations in peripheral blood counts in workers of the Municipal Police with outdoor tasks vs workers with indoor tasks. 279 non smoker males were enrolled and divided on the basis of their different kind of task. The dosage of air pollutants was carried out through the use of personal air samplers on a representative group of workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to evaluate personal exposure to As in urban air in two groups of outdoor workers (traffic policemen and police drivers) of a big Italian city through: (a) environmental monitoring of As obtained by personal samples and (b) biological monitoring of total urinary As. The possible influence of smoking habit on urinary As was evaluated. We studied 122 male subjects, all Municipal Police employees: 84 traffic policemen and 38 police drivers exposed to urban pollutants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to evaluate if there were alterations in FSH plasma levels in female outdoor workers (traffic policewomen and drivers) exposed to chemical urban stressors vs. control group. After excluding subjects with main confounding factors, traffic policewomen, drivers and indoor workers were matched by age, working life, socioeconomic status, marital status, menstrual cycle day, age of menarche, habitual consumption of Italian coffee and soy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur research group has conducted several studies to investigate the effects of occupational risks on the cardiovascular system of exposed workers. In these studies, groups of workers exposed to possible professional cardiovascular risk factors were compared with controls with respect to some parameters (blood pressure, ECG, etc.).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Arch Occup Environ Health
August 2011
Objectives: The chemical agents present in the environment, such as traffic pollutants, may affect male fertility. Traffic policemen are daily exposed to traffic pollutants. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in free testosterone plasma values in male traffic policemen versus administrative staff of Municipal Police of a big Italian city.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The immediate effects of balloon mitral valvuloplasty (BMV) on left ventricular (LV) function in patients with mitral stenosis are still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms and potential clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic predictors of transient LV dysfunction occurring in patients with mitral stenosis early after successful percutaneous BMV.
Methods: Sixty patients without residual mitral regurgitation were divided into two groups according to the changes in the left atrial (LA) pressure 15 min after successful BMV: 18 patients (group A) did not present with any reduction in LA pressure, and underwent nitroglycerin administration (0.
Background: Stent implantation for isolated stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) with preserved left ventricular function has been found to have a better clinical and angiographic outcome at one year than balloon angioplasty (PTCA).
Objective: To establish whether those results are maintained at five year follow up.
Methods: Patients were followed at least every six months.
The foramen ovale is considered an unidirectional flap-like valvular structure. Yet, it may increase in size and allow a continuous left-to-right shunt in order to reduce left ventricular filling pressures. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, referred for percutaneous closure of a coexisting secundum atrial septal defect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study tested the effect of oral prednisone on clinical and angiographic restenosis rate after successful stent implantation in patients with persistent elevation of systemic markers of inflammation after the procedure.
Background: Experimental studies have shown that corticosteroids have the potential to reduce the inflammatory response associated with stent implantation.
Methods: Eighty-three patients undergoing successful stenting with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels >0.
A sizeable proportion of patients who undergo successful coronary artery stent implantation experiences chest pain immediately after the procedure and/or in the following months in the absence of in-stent restenosis. We investigated this phenomenon in 57 consecutive patients with stable angina who underwent successful stent implantation. Chest pain characteristics were assessed before stent implantation and during 6-month follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Otorhinolaryngol Ital
October 2001
The Authors report a case of laryngeal stenosis initially treated through cervicotomy with the application of an Eliachar prosthesis and finally resolved, after recurrence, with two Z-shaped mucosa flaps. The Authors feel that this method is worthy of note because: its is simple to perform; provides excellent flap vitality; makes a stent unnecessary; and, above all, provides positive results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the last decade, large-scale clinical trials have consistently shown that therapy with statins is of great benefit to patients with and at risk of developing coronary artery disease. We assessed, in a sample of patients with coronary artery disease in whom coronary angiography was indicated and hospitalized in the last 10 years, the use of statins at admission.
Methods: One hundred patients with stable coronary artery disease were randomly selected per year from 1991 to 2000.
Background: Because plaque inflammation may modulate coronary vasomotion, the association between systemic levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and coronary vasoreactivity was assessed in patients with stable or unstable angina.
Methods And Results: In 31 patients with stable angina and 23 patients with unstable angina undergoing coronary angiography, minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of the culprit lesion was measured by quantitative coronary angiography at baseline, during the cold pressor test (CPT), and after intracoronary administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) and expressed as percent change from baseline. MLD of patients with unstable angina exhibited a greater reduction during CPT and a greater increase after NTG than did patients with stable angina (-17+/-14% versus -5+/-12%, P=0.
This study was aimed at establishing the relation between baseline C-reactive protein levels and 12-month outcome in patients with unstable angina successfully treated with coronary artery stent implantation. Our results suggest that in patients with unstable angina and 1-vessel coronary disease successfully treated with coronary artery stent implantation, normal baseline serum levels of C-reactive protein identify a subgroup of patients at low risk of cardiac events during follow-up.
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