Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines Among the Paediatric Population: Analysis of the European Surveillance Systems and Pivotal Clinical Trials.

Background And Objectives: The European Medicine Agency extended the use of Comirnaty, Spikevax, and Nuvaxovid in paediatrics; thus, these vaccines require additional real-world safety evidence. Herein, we aimed to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines through Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor (CVM) and EudraVigilance surveillance systems and the published pivotal clinical trials.

Methods: In a prospective cohort of vaccinees aged between 5 and 17 years, we measured the frequency of commonly reported (local/systemic solicited) and serious adverse drug events (ADRs) following the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Europe using data from the CVM cohort until April 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic and reproductive genetic counseling: Changes in access and service delivery at an academic medical center in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic widely disrupted the delivery of healthcare services, including genetic counseling. To ensure continuity of care, the reproductive genetic counselors at a large academic medical center in the United States rapidly transitioned their practice from 90% in-person patient consultations to a predominantly telehealth model. The present study describes this transition in regard to patient access to genetic counseling and genetic screening.

A real life evaluation of non invasive ventilation in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema: a multicenter, perspective, observational study for the ACPE SIMEU study group.

Background: During the past three decades conflicting evidences have been published on the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE). The aim of this study is to describe the management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to ACPE in twelve Italian emergency departments (EDs). We evaluated prevalence, characteristics and outcomes of ACPE patients treated with oxygen therapy, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) on admission to the EDs.

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in pneumonia outside Intensive Care Unit: An Italian multicenter observational study.

Background And Objective: Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) represents a standard of care to treat some acute respiratory failure (ARF). Data on its use in pneumonia are lacking, especially in a setting outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The aims of this study were to evaluate the use of NIV in ARF due to pneumonia outside the ICU, and to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality.

Predictive value of allergy and pulmonary function tests for the diagnosis of asthma in elite athletes.

Background: Asthma is frequently found in athletes, often associated with rhinitis and allergy.

Aim: To study the predictive value of allergy and pulmonary function tests for the diagnosis of asthma in athletes.

Subjects And Methods: Ninety-eight national preOlympic athletes underwent an accurate medical examination including a validated questionnaire for asthma and rhinitis, spirometric recordings and skin prick testing with a panel of the most frequent inhalant allergens.

[Composite tumour of the stomach: a case report and review of the literature].

The authors report a rare case of composite tumour of the stomach in a 53-year-old woman documenting the neuroendocrine and glandular features of the tumour by means of immunohistochemical investigations. The authors examine the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities currently available for the management of this group of rare tumours of uncertain histogenesis. They conclude in favour of elective surgical treatment depending on the site and stage of the tumour in keeping with the data reported in the literature.

Spontaneous abortion in spouses of greenhouse workers exposed to pesticides.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the association between exposure to specific pesticides (including endocrine disrupters) of greenhouse workers and spontaneous abortion in their spouses.

Methods: A group of exposed workers was compared with a non-exposed group. The risk of spontaneous abortion was evaluated using a logistic regression model.

Reduction in fertility in male greenhouse workers exposed to pesticides.

The paper examines the possible interference of pesticide exposure on male fertility, by studying the time to pregnancy (TTP) in the first pregnancy of 127 greenhouse workers and 173 controls. The TTP of exposed and control population, analysed by logistic regression model, has shown an increase in the risk of conception delay among the greenhouse workers with high exposure (OR:2.4; 95% CI: 1.

Environmental risk factors and male fertility and reproduction.

Several environmental substances and pesticides exert a direct, cytotoxic effect on male germ cells. However, an increasing concern has been raised by compounds that may act through more subtle mechanisms, for example, specific pesticides that are potentially capable of modulating or disrupting the endocrine system. Overall, exposure to pesticides with endocrine-disrupting potential raise a particular concern for male fertility because of the possible occurrence of both effects at low concentrations and additive interactions with other environmental risk factors.

[Risk perception and self-assessment of exposure to antineoplastic agents in a group of nurses and pharmacists].

Many antineoplastic drugs have shown to be carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic to humans and exposure and absorption have been showed to occur during the preparation and administration in health care practise. More recently, in many countries, national health authorities concern has been focused on promoting actions aimed to protect health of the personnel handling these drugs. The present study reports the results of a survey carried out through a questionnaire among the pharmacists and nurses working in the health care settings located in the province of Rome (Italy), with the aim to survey: occupational risk perception of health care workers; their confidence in the safety measures adopted in the work practice; their knowledge of risk factor and the kind of training received regarding these specific agents.

[Occupational exposure and male fertility. Results of an Italian multicenter study in an exposed population].

It was believed that occupational exposure to several toxic agents could negatively affect male fertility. This paper reports the results of a study on the fertility of couples in whom the man was occupationally exposed to three different toxics: metals, solvents and pesticides, having effects on reproduction. Fertility was evaluated during the time that elapsed between attempting and achieving the first pregnancy of the couple (time to pregnancy--TTP).

Localized augmentation of the maxillary sinus floor through a coronal approach for the placement of implants.

Excessive pneumatization of the maxillary sinus subsequent to the loss of teeth frequently interferes with the placement of osseointegrated implants. Many techniques have been developed and tested to reduce the size and alter the anatomy of the sinus to augment the quantity of bone available for an adequate number of prosthetically well-placed implants of a satisfactory length. Most of these describe extensive one- or two-stage sinus grafting procedures that are usually performed through a lateral approach.

[Exposure to pesticides in greenhouses and male fertility].

We attempt to study fertility problems among workers exposed to pesticides, comparing the reproductive experience of greenhouse workers and administrative staff working in the Health Local Units of the same geographical area (reference population). Data on reproductive history and time to pregnancy (TTP) at first pregnancy were collected by personal interview. For workers with children, we collected data on TTP in relation to the occupational risk factors.

Reproductive male-mediated risk: spontaneous abortion among wives of pesticide applicators.

This study was conducted among 32 pesticide applicators occupationally exposed to pesticides to determine whether paternal exposure is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. The ratio of abortion was compared between applicators and a group of 51 food retailers (control population). The ratio of abortions/pregnancies for applicators was 0.

Orocecal transit time and bacterial overgrowth in patients with Crohn's disease.

Bacterial overgrowth is frequent in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and can contribute to symptoms. Motility abnormalities can predispose to bacterial overgrowth. The hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) breath test is a sensitive and simple tool for the diagnosis of bacterial overgrowth and for the evaluation of orocecal transit time (OCTT).

Fertility of male workers of the italian mint.

Fertility among workers exposed to metal fumes and solvents in the Italian mint (stampers, founders, and other technical workers) was compared to the reproductive experience of the administrative staff. Data on the reproductive history and time to pregnancy were collected by interview. For workers with children, data on the time to pregnancy (TTP) for the first pregnancy was assessed in relation to occupational risk factors.

[Human reproduction and environmental risk factors].

Environmental pollution is a great cause of concern, in particular, growing attention is being paid to the potential of many chemicals to affect the reproductive system in humans. The key role of prevention and control of reproductive hazards is recognized world-wide. Many chemicals have been shown to impair fertility and/or prenatal and perinatal development in experimental studies.

Prevalence of HNPCC in a series of consecutive patients on the first endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a multicenter study. The Italian Collaborative Group.

Background And Study Aims: It is difficult to measure the prevalence of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in geographical areas that do not have tumor registers, as is the case in the present study, and it was therefore decided to assess the prevalence in Italy using different methods.

Patients And Methods: The pedigree was established for 485 of 501 colorectal cancer patients diagnosed with colorectal carcinomas. Patients were included consecutively in 13 gastroenterology centers; they had not taken part in prevention examinations.

Association of persistent bronchial hyperresponsiveness with beta2-adrenoceptor (ADRB2) haplotypes. A population study.

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is a hallmark of asthma and represents a strong risk factor for the disease. However, not all asthmatics have BHR and it can be observed in normal subjects too, probably because of genetic predisposition. Increasing attention is being focused on the beta2-adrenoceptor gene (ADRB2), whose genetic variability at amino acids 16 and 27 has been shown to correlate with some clinical features of asthma, including airways reactivity.

Primary systemic amyloidosis with giant hepatomegaly and a swiftly progressive course.

Although the involvement of the liver is common in systemic amyloidosis (AL), clinical features of hepatic dysfunction and liver chemistry abnormalities are often mild or absent. A mild increase in the serum alkaline phosphatase value is the most common finding. Hypertransaminasemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and portal hypertension with ascites and gastroesophageal varices occur late in the course of the disease and predict a short survival.

A database on pesticides in Italy: a progress report.

An existing database on pesticides, running in the DOS/Windows environment, is operative at the National Institute of Health and has yielded useful informations for several published researches. The database is currently being restructured for the purpose of making it available on the Web. An HTML interface, allowing to formulate queries on the database from the Web is presently under development, and it will be made available, once the problems related to confidentiality of certain parts of the database are solved.

[Agricultural antiparasitics evaluated for their potential cancerogenic, mutagenic and toxic reproductive effects].

This paper reviews the evaluations of the potential carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic-reproductive effects of the active ingredients and solvents contained in the pesticide products used in Italy. The information on the products (name and CAS number of the active ingredients and of the solvents, number of the products in which they are present, and the range of concentration percentages of a.i.