Assessing the impact of e-cigarettes on human barrier systems: A systematic review.

The use of e-cigarettes has grown rapidly in recent years, raising concerns about their impact on human health, particularly on critical physiological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), alveolar-capillary barrier, and vascular systems. This systematic review evaluates the current literature on the effects of e-cigarette exposure on these barrier systems. E-cigarettes, regardless of nicotine content, have been shown to induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of tight junction proteins, leading to impaired barrier function.

Tetanus Vaccination in Agricultural Workers: A Retrospective Study on Seroprevalence over 10 Years.

Background/objectives: Tetanus is a serious, non-contagious infection caused by , which remains a global health threat despite the availability of an effective vaccine. The current state of immunization for agricultural workers in Italy reveals significant disparities, reflecting a non-homogeneous distribution of vaccination coverage across regions and subgroups. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of tetanus antibodies in a cohort of agricultural workers in Eastern Sicily in order to evaluate possible public health strategies for improving vaccination coverage.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among European Healthcare Workers and Effectiveness of the First Booster COVID-19 Vaccine, VEBIS HCW Observational Cohort Study, May 2021-May 2023.

European countries have included healthcare workers (HCWs) among priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. We established a multi-country hospital network to measure the SARS-CoV-2 incidence and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. HCWs from 19 hospitals in 10 countries participated in a dynamic prospective cohort study, providing samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing at enrolment and during weekly/fortnightly follow-up.

Antifungal Action of Metallic Nanoparticles Against Fungicide-Resistant Pathogens Causing Main Postharvest Lemon Diseases.

Postharvest fungal diseases are the main cause of economic losses in lemon production. The continued use of synthetic fungicides to control the diseases favors the emergence of resistant strains, which encourages the search for alternatives. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) as antifungal agents against local isolates of and , each of them in a fungicide-sensitive and -resistant version, and a isolate.

Analysis of the health conditions of migrants and asylum seekers in reception centers: From scene investigation to the evaluation of signs of torture.

The phenomenon of migration is an international issue that mainly concerns Europe. In Italy, because of its close proximity to Africa, there are many migrant landings, especially on the islands of Lampedusa and Sicily. Migrants and asylum seekers suffer torture on their journey to their destination country, however, most of the time the signs are not always recognizable.

Concordance between CDKN2A homozygous deletion and MTAP immunohistochemical loss in fluoroedenite-induced pleural mesothelioma: An immunohistochemical and molecular study on a single-institution series.

Fluoroedenite-induced pleural mesothelioma (FE-induced-PM) is a rare and small subset of PM that shares with its asbestos-induced counterpart the same aggressive biological behavior and poor prognosis, but that differs from it from a pathogenetic point of view as it is associated with exposure to fluoroedenite, a carcinogenic agent that shows similarities with tremolite amphibolic asbestos fibers. Although it has been demonstrated that asbestos-induced PMs frequently harbor CDKN2A homozygous deletion and that the immunohistochemical loss of MTAP may represent a cheap and reliable surrogate marker for this molecular alteration, little is known about the molecular landscape and the reliability of MTAP immunohistochemistry in this peculiar subset of PM. The study herein presented investigated the prevalence of CDKN2A homozygous deletion and its concordance with MTAP immunohistochemical status on a cohort of 10 cases of FE-induced-PM from patients with environmental exposure to FE fibers, who were residents in the small town of Biancavilla (Sicily, Italy) or nearby areas.

Fatal acute graft-versus-host disease in Sézary Syndrome treated with Mogamulizumab and hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Sézary syndrome (SS) is a rare and aggressive T-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis in advanced stages. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) offers a potential cure, but complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) remain a clinical challenge. Mogamulizumab, a humanized anti-CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) antibody, is sometimes used as a bridge to transplantation, but its potential interactions with allo-HCT are unclear.

Inorganic phosphate modifies stationary phase fitness and metabolic pathways in CRL 1905.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentration modulates polyphosphate (polyP) levels in diverse bacteria, affecting their physiology and survival. CRL 1905 is a lactic acid bacterium isolated from quinoa sourdough with biotechnological potential as starter, for initiating fermentation processes in food, and as antimicrobial-producing organism. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the environmental Pi concentration on different physiological and molecular aspects of the CRL 1905 strain.

Overlapping features of hepatic complications after hematopoietic cell transplantation in a rare T-cell lymphoma: A clinical challenge.

We present the case of a young adult, who developed several hepatic post-HCT complications, which made differential diagnosis extremely difficult.

Mesothelin methylation, soluble mesothelin related protein levels and inflammation profiling in workers chronically exposed to naturally occurring asbestos fibers.

Exposure to asbestiform fibers, including chrysotile and amphibole, is carcinogenic, causing malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) when inhaled. Some populations globally face Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) exposure, leading to MPM cases like in Biancavilla, Italy, from Fluoro-edenite (FE) contamination. Studies show NOA exposure causes epigenetic changes, focusing on mesothelin methylation, an MPM marker, and altered inflammation, emphasizing the health risks of FE and asbestos.

Influenza immunization of healthcare personnel in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: Still a lot to do!

Healthcare-associated influenza is frequently encountered in healthcare settings with significant morbidity and mortality among vulnerable patients, absenteeism among healthcare personnel (HCP), and interruption of healthcare services. Numerous investigations indicate that nosocomial outbreaks are often traced to HCP. Despite the international and national endorsements, seasonal influenza vaccine acceptance among HCP continues suboptimal worldwide.

Workplace health promotion: results of a combined multidisciplinary intervention over a long period - preliminary results.

Objective: Obesity is a multifactorial disease that is one of the major public health problems. It is the result of the interaction between behavioral, social and endocrine-metabolic components. Already in the 80s, it was highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the workplace is an ideal setting for introducing health promotion programs.

Unmasking the Hidden Danger: A Decade-Long Systematic Review of Case-Control Studies on Single Occupational Risks and Prostate Cancer.

The present systematic review addresses the influence of occupational exposures on prostate cancer risk. Eleven studies were analyzed for a range of occupational exposures, including but not limited to firefighting, physical activity, night shift work, chemical exposure, and solar ultraviolet radiation. The results of the review reveal that firefighters exposed to harmful substances, individuals engaged in physically strenuous work, and workers with chronic night shift routines showed an increased likelihood of developing prostate cancer.

Occupational exposure to fine particulate matter in the reinforced concrete production and its association with respiratory symptoms and lung function.

Background: Reinforced concrete production is widespread, but little is known about the occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) in such workplaces, including from metalworking and concrete processing. Therefore, the aim was to characterize exposure to fine PM in the typical workplaces of the whole production cycle and to quantify the risk of respiratory symptoms and lung function in a cohort of reinforced concrete parts production industry.

Methods: At a reinforced concrete parts producing facility in Almaty, we collected 50 personal PM samples from the main exposure sites and the measured mass concentrations using gravimetric method.

Overcoming lemon postharvest molds caused by Penicillium spp. multiresistant isolates by the application of potassium sorbate in aqueous and wax treatments.

Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum are the main causal agents of postharvest diseases in lemon. Over the last decades, the appearance of isolates resistant to the main commercial fungicides has been considered one of the most serious problems for the citrus industry. In this work, potassium sorbate (KS) was evaluated as an alternative to chemical fungicides to control postharvest diseases caused by Penicillium isolates resistant to imazalil, thiabendazol, and pyrimethanil.

Immunohistochemical expression of cAMP in fluoroedenite‑induced malignant pleural mesothelioma: Preliminary results.

Despite advances in understanding of the biology of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), the prognosis of this malignancy remains poor. Although asbestos still remains the main pathogenic agent of MPM, other asbestos‑like fibers such as fluoro‑edenite (FE) fibers, induce MPM. Notable incidence and mortality rates of MPM have been found in Biancavilla, Italy, where FE fibers have been extracted from building materials for >50 years.

High levels of indoor fine particulate matter during the cold season in Almaty prompt urgent public health action.

Introduction: Almaty is the largest city of Kazakhstan with extreme air pollution, mostly in the cold season, but little is known whether staying indoors could lessen the exposure. The aim was to quantitatively characterize indoor fine PM levels and to verify the contribution of ambient pollution to it in a polluted city like Almaty.

Methods: We collected forty-six 24-hour 15-min average samples of the ambient air and a similar number of paired indoor samples (total 92 samples).

Infrared thermography for the evaluation of adolescent and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis: A systematic review.

Introduction: Adolescent and Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis are a three-dimensional spine deformity characterized by a muscle alteration of the convex and concave sides of the scoliosis, which can be evaluated with different non-invasive and radiation-free methods such as infrared thermography. The objective of the present review is to assess infrared thermography as a potential method to evaluate alterations of the scoliosis.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review was performed by collecting articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, published from 1990 to April 2022, on the use of infrared thermography to evaluate adolescent and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis.

Small RNA-Seq Transcriptome Profiling of Mesothelial and Mesothelioma Cell Lines Revealed microRNA Dysregulation after Exposure to Asbestos-like Fibers.

Environmental exposure to fibers of respirable size has been identified as a risk for public health. Experimental evidence has revealed that a variety of fibers, including fluoro-edenite, can develop chronic respiratory diseases and elicit carcinogenic effects in humans. Fluoro-edenite (FE) is a silicate mineral first found in Biancavilla (Sicily, Italy) in 1997.

COVID-19 vaccination refusal and suspension of work among healthy healthcare personnel in Italy: A cross-sectional study of their knowledge and attitudes toward vaccinations.

Despite the initial optimistic projections from various countries and the evidence that vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reduces the associated hospitalization rates and mortality, vaccine hesitancy and refusal among healthcare personnel (HCP) became a major public health concern globally. The aim of this survey was to estimate the knowledge about the Italian Vaccination Plan for HCP and attitudes about occupational vaccinations for HCP among Italian HCP who refused COVID-19 vaccination and were suspended from work. A total of 52 HCP participated in the study.

Exposure to Respirable Particulate Matter and Its Association with Respiratory Outcomes in Beauty Salon Personnel.

We aimed to assess exposure to respirable particulate matter (PM) of beauty salon personnel, identify its determinants and ascertain the associated respiratory effects. We collected 122 full-day respirable PM samples from 12 beauty salons (floor area ranging from 24 to 550 m, staff from 4 to 8) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, taking 10 samples from each place using a portable SidePak AM520 monitor. We also assessed lifestyle (smoking, etc.

Ergonomic Evaluation of Young Agricultural Operators Using Handle Equipment Through Electromyography and Vibrations Analysis Between the Fingers.

Background: Agricultural handle equipment is present on all production areas' farms. They are handy and portable; however, excessive use can lead to acute traumas or accidental injuries. Repetitive movements, awkward postures, and hand-arm vibrations predispose them to pain and work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Evaluation of Cardiovascular Activity and Emotional Experience in Healthcare Workers (HCWs) Operating in COVID-19 Wards.

The new 2019 coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 has been the first biological agent to generate, in this millennium, such a global health emergency as to determine the adoption of public health measures. During this sanitary emergency, the emotional experience of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been hugely tested by several factors. In fact, HCWs have been exposed to greatly tiring physical, psychological and social conditions.

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Prevention Model Application in a Large Retail Company Before the Vaccine Introduction.

On 11 March 2020, following the spread of SARS-CoV-2, WHO declared a pandemic status. The impact on national health and economic systems has been huge. Therefore, many countries took measures to restrict the spread of the virus.