The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the oral microbiome composition in preterm infants, sampling and collection methods, as well as exposures associated with oral microbiome composition and health implications. We conducted a scoping review of the literature using the Arskey and O'Malley framework. We identified a total of 13 articles which met our inclusion criteria and purpose of this scoping review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSyncope is a complex clinical manifestation that presents considerable diagnostic difficulties and, consequently, numerous critical issues regarding fitness for work, especially for high-risk tasks. To date, it is impossible to quantify the exact impact of syncope on work and public safety since it is highly improbable to identify loss of consciousness as the fundamental cause of work or driving-related accidents, especially fatal injuries. Working at high-risk jobs such as public transport operators, in high elevations, or with exposure to moving parts, construction equipment, fireworks, or explosives demand attention and total awareness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial prescribing practices in hospital settings in Italy, focusing on the appropriateness of antibiotic use.
Methods: This study was carried out through a retrospective review of medical records of patients admitted in three public hospitals located in Campania Region (Italy) between 1 January and 31 December 2018.
Results: More than one third (34.
The study aimed to investigate the tobacco smoking prevalence, habits and awareness among a cohort of healthcare students from a university hospital in southern Italy and the associations with socio-demographic determinants. A secondary outcome was to estimate the educational needs to receive information on smoking-related risk factors. Five hundred and forty-nine students completed a self-administered questionnaire (180 male and 369 female, average age 25 yo, ±5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare workers are at an increased risk of contracting infection. Tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) represent the available tests most used for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Different borderline zones have been proposed for defining conversions and reversions to improve the interpretation of the IGRA test results as part of serial testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected all aspects of everyday life worldwide, including the entire working sector. This study aims to evaluate the response capacity of some Italian companies to the emergency about workers' health and safety. Data were cross-sectional, collected by a specially drafted 19-item checklist sent to 60 enterprises located in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManual patient handling (MPH) is a major occupational risk in healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to propose an MPH training model involving interdisciplinary aspects. A scheduled training program was performed with 60 healthcare workers (HCWs) from a hospital in Naples, Italy, providing training divided into three sections (occupational health-section one; physical therapy-section two; psychosocial section-section three) and lasting six hours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The development of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the improvements in strategy prevention during the last decades.
Aim: To evaluate HBV-related vaccine status in healthcare workers (HCW) exposed to biological risk.
Methods: The serum markers for HBV were collected from HCWs in two tertiary care hospitals in Naples (Italy).
Background: The ubiquitous diffusion of radiofrequency (RF) radiation across human living environments has attracted the attention of scientists. Though the adverse health effects of RF exposure remain debatable, it has been reported that the interaction of such radiation with biological macromolecular structures can be deleterious for stem cells, inducing impairment of their main functions involving self-renewal and differentiation.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to RF of 169 megahertz (MHz) that is part of very high radiofrequency (VHF) range 30-300 MHz, could cause damage to stem cells by inducing senescence and loss of regenerative and DNA repair capacity.
A cross-sectional study was carried out on 641 medical students, 359 students attending a degree course in the healthcare professions, and 500 resident physicians, all undergoing health surveillance at the ambulatory of the Division of Occupational Medicine, Second University of Naples, Italy. 76.1% of the participants drank alcohol, with 85.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk than the general population of contracting tuberculosis (TB). Moreover, although subjects with latent TB infection (LTBI) are asymptomatic and are not infectious, they may eventually develop active disease. Thus, a fundamental tool of TB control programs for HCWs is the screening and treatment of LTBI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyclobutanil is a conazole class fungicide widely used as an agrichemical. It is approved for use on fruit, vegetables and seed commodities in the EU and elsewhere to control fungi such as Ascomycetes, Fungi Imperfecti and, Basidiomycetes. Its widespread use has raised the issue of possible health risks for agrarian communities and the general population, which can be exposed to residues present in food and drinking water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The study aimed to give a first data set of bisphenol A (BPA) levels in the peritoneal fluid of patients suffering from endometriosis and to investigate the relationship between BPA exposure and endometriosis.
Methods: A questionnaire investigating the occupational context, life environment, and habits was administered to 68 patients suffering from endometriosis and 60 endometriosis-free subjects (control group). Urine and peritoneal fluids samples were collected and analysed by GC/MSMS for BPA dosage.
Objectives: Coronary heart disease is frequent in the working-age population. Traditional outcomes, such as mortality and hospital readmission, are useful for evaluating prognosis. Fit-for-work is an emerging outcome with clinical as well as socioeconomic significance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo estimate the prevalence of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) in Italian dental students exposed to the same occupational risks as dental health care personnel and to evaluate potential risk factors, a cross-sectional study was conducted on undergraduate and postgraduate students. After clinical evaluation, students were given a tuberculin skin test; in those found positive, an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) was conducted. Of the 281 students enrolled, 10 were only TST positive; 8 were TST or/and IGRA positive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMancozeb, a manganese/zinc ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate, is a fungicide routinely used in pest control programs. However, it has been found to have deleterious effects on human health and on the environment. Indeed, its massive use has raised the issue of possible health risks for agrarian communities; the molecule can also reach human cells via the food chain and alter metabolism, endocrine activity and cell survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Occup Med Environ Health
January 2017
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons. In recent years, in addition to several studies about genetic mechanisms leading to motor neurons damage, various epigenetic theories have been developed, involving the study of the patients' work and lifestyle. The work aims at focusing the role of occupational exposure related to ALS by literature data analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA single coronary artery (SCA) ostium is a rare finding. In the general population, the incidence of SCA is approximately 0.024%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: From many years now, thanks to the development of modern diving techniques, there has been a rapid spread of diving activities everywhere. In fact, divers are ever more numerous both among the Armed Forces and civilians who dive for work, like fishing, biological research and archeology.
Aim: The aim of the study was to propose a health protocol for work fitness of professional divers keeping in mind the peculiar work activity, existing Italian legislation that is almost out of date and the technical and scientific evolution in this occupational field.
Background: The development of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been a major achievement in terms of prevention of HBV infection. For the present study, we analysed the long-term immunogenicity and effectiveness of HBV vaccination among healthcare students with different working seniorities.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of undergraduate and postgraduate students attending the Medical School of the Second University of Naples was conducted between September 2012 and December 2014.
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of viral hepatitis C (HCV) infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) compared to the general population. A systematic search for the years 1989-2014 was conducted in the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases. Studies on hepatitis C in HCWs were included if they incorporated either a control group or reference data for the general population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPleural malignant mesothelioma (MPM) is a detrimental neoplasm affecting pleural sheets and determining a high rate of mortality. In this study, we have enrolled 14 consecutive patients (13 males and 1 female) with MPM (mean age: 70.3 ± 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Occup Med Environ Health
December 2016
Objectives: We examined the prevalence of latex allergy in subjects with occupational exposure to latex allergens for less than 5 years, determining the disease spectrum in symptomatic workers. We identified the most frequent molecular allergens by Immuno- CAP (ICAP), correlating the findings with skin prick test (SPT) results.
Material And Methods: Seven hundred twenty-three healthcare students using latex gloves on a regular basis were invited to participate in a baseline questionnaire screening.