Lack of utility of measuring serum bilirubin concentration in distinguishing perforation status of pediatric appendicitis.

Background: Pediatric appendicitis is a common, potentially serious condition. Determining perforation status is crucial to planning effective management.

Purpose: Determine the efficacy of serum total bilirubin concentration [STBC] in distinguishing perforation status in children with appendicitis.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of occupational safety and health inspections of construction sites in the Piedmont region from 2001 to 2005].

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of safety inspections in the construction industry in Piedmont in terms of exposure to risk and injuries.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the surveillance activities carried out in Piedmont between 2001 and 2005: to this purpose, we used a logical framework and we identified indicators to evaluate the process and its impact on exposure and injuries.

Process: fixed standards involving the number of safety inspections and the type of constructions under control were respected; there was always sufficient diversity among the public works under control, although local health units used different working methods.

[Peculiarities and aims of first aid training in the road haulage sector].

Background: Four years after the law concerning first aid in the workplace was passed in Italy (inter-ministerial decree 388/2003), which is a useful tool in improving safety at work, it is necessary to organize first aid courses specifically for those working in the road haulage sector which would also be effective in case of traffic accidents. In view of the characteristics of the working environment in this sector (the road) and of the working conditions (generally workers are isolated and far from the company's headquarters), it would be necessary to organize ad hoc first aid courses at the workplace for the category of professional drivers.

Objectives And Methods: The aim of this article is to discuss some possible organizational aspects of first aid in the road haulage sector, such as: number of workers responsible for first aid, how to train workers for specific risks of traffic accidents, the requirements for teachers responsible for first aid and course targets that must be achieved.

[Professional driving and safety, a target for occupational medicine].

Background: Road traffic injuries constitute one of the main causes of death and disability in Italy and in the European Union. Occupational medicine should pay special attention to the field of road transport because every year a large number of road accidents occur with fatal outcomes. Via health surveillance the occupational physician can play an important role in the prevention of such events.

[Carpal tunnel syndrome: example of assessment of the role of occupational exposure based on self-reported data].

Background: The prevalence of surgical cases of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) tends to increase in the general population in Italy. Nevertheless, it is still unclear what percentage of CTS is attributable to occupational exposure, to ergonomic or psychosocial factors. Moreover, the problem of obtaining a reliable definition of occupational exposure in the absence of direct observation and measurement in the workplace remains unsolved.

[Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in the Piedmont Region: regional incidence and prevalence of CTS based on hospital records of patients who underwent surgery].

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent entrapment neuropathy of the upper extremities. Despite CTS being a priority for public health, only a few studies have investigated the prevalence and incidence in the general population. In Italy, administrative data are available only for CTS cases which were judged work-related by the Workers Compensation Board.

[Syncope and professional driving: the role of the occupational physician].

Background: Road traffic injuries constitute one of the main causes of death and disability in Italy and in the European Union. Although much scientific evidence exists on the important role of complete loss of consciousness in the dynamics of motor vehicle accidents, at present there is no specific legislation in Italy. Occupational medicine should take particular care in this field, because every year a large number of accidents with fatal outcomes occur among truck drivers.