The impact of combat deployment on asthma diagnosis and severity.

Objectives: Environmental exposures during military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan may lead to higher rates of respiratory complaints and diagnoses. This study investigates whether there is a relationship between rates of asthma diagnosis and severity associated with military deployment.

Methods: Retrospective review of active duty Army personnel underwent fitness for duty evaluation (Medical Evaluation Board) for asthma.

[Vibration on agricultural tractors].

In the article, details related to the diffusion of agricultural tractors in Italy are given and considerations about the effects of vibration on operators, the sources of vibration and suggestions to reduce them are presented. The acceleration values observed in Italy amongst 244 tractors and levels of worker exposure are shown by means of histograms. The relevant data variability is discussed.

Aquarium-borne Mycobacterium marinum skin infection. Report of 15 cases and review of the literature.

Mycobacterium marinum is a non-tuberculous photochromogenic mycobacterium, commonly responsible for fish and amphibious infections world-wide. Contagion in humans typically follows minor hand trauma from aquarium keeping and manifests as a granulomatous infection of the skin. Dissemination is rare and almost exclusive to immunosuppressed hosts.

Adult-onset Still's disease presenting as fever of unknown origin in a patient with HIV infection.

A 43-year-old African American man with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was found to have adult-onset Still's disease manifesting as fever of unknown origin. In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV-infected patients are preserving their immune status and, thus, must be evaluated in a manner similar to that for the general population.