Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanità
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West Nile virus infection in Europe:need for an integration of occupational health practice and public health activities
Get PDFIn these days, the West Nile Virus, which is the most widespread arthropod-borne virus infection in the world, is an emerging issue in Europe, wherein 2018, partial figures (until 25 August) showed a number of WNV infection cases more than coupled in comparison with previous five years. This mosquito-transmitted disease is surely a challenge for policymakers, but it is an occupational hazard for outdoor workers, as well. Occupational Medicine is a public health discipline based on the principles of epidemiology. Therefore, we argue that addressing the WNV hazard may be an opportunity for integrating the occupational health practice with public health activities to boost their respective preventive strategies.
Association between epicardial fat thickness and cognitive function in elderly. A preliminary study
Get PDFBackground: Recent studies suggested that the visceral fat could exert a predictive role in the pathogenesis of dementia. The aims of the present study were to evaluate a) the possible correlation between the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and the cognitive impairment; b) the possible predictive role of the EAT levels on cognitive functioning. Methods: 65 community-dwelling subjects were enrolled. The metabolic profile was assessed through the evaluation of the biochemical parameters whereas the EAT thickness was measured through the transthoracic echocardiography. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was also administered. Results EAT thickness values showed several significant correlations with the variables examined in the study and a strong negative correlation with the MMSE scores (r= -.68; p=.001) was found. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the EAT thickness levels and the hypertension had a predictive effect on the MMSE scores. Conclusions These preliminary findings support the association between EAT thickness levels and cognitive impairment
Facial transplantation: from the early trials to ethical and clinical guidelines
Get PDFFacial transplantation is a complex technique that involves a number of risks. However, although it is not a lifesaving transplant, for individuals in dramatic conditions due to severe facial disfigurements, it constitutes the only possibility of recovering an acceptable quality of life. For this reason, even from an ethical point of view, it is considered an important therapeutic resource, provided it is conducted in rigorously-controlled conditions
From the impatient doctor to the patient-doctor
Get PDFThe editorial deals with the problem of the relationship between the doctor and the patient, in its present evolution: From the impatient Doctor to the Patient-Docto
A combination of infrared spectroscopy and morphological analysis allows successfully identifying rare crystals and atypical urinary stones
Get PDFBackground: The combination of infrared spectroscopy and morphological analysis significantly improves the urinary stone analysis.In addition to common urinary stones, it is not unusual to encounter spurious or factitious stones that, if not appropriately identified, can lead to errors in the diagnosis. In this study we shows the importance of Infrared spectroscopy and the morphological analysis, for determining the presence of drugs crystals or atypical components in the calculi.Methods: among 1.041 urinary stones analyzed by morphocostitutional analysis the rare stones were also analyzed by chemical spot test analysis.Results: Among 1.041 calculi analyzed, 1.018 had a known composition, 23 samples were stones with rare composition or fake urinary stones.Conclusions: FT-IR, allows to identify, theoretically, any substance, including drug-containing calculi or calculi with unusual composition and identify false stones. This is mandatory to treat patients affected by urolithiasis with a personalized clinical approach
Use of probiotics in medical devices applied to some common pathologies.
Get PDFProbiotics, defined as “living microorganisms that, whether ingested in useful amount, may have beneficial effects on human body”, are widely used in various products for human use, such as dietary supplements, medical devices and pharmaceutical products. The European Directive on medical devices (MDs) (DDM 93/42), also includes those MDs containing live microorganisms, particularly probiotics, that may have various destinations of use, including that of assisting the therapy of several human pathologies. In this brief note we analyzed the use of probiotics in MDs and how probiotics administration could represent one of the new frontiers of scientific research on the prevention and treatment of various diseases. We’ll analyze the literature on probiotics based MDs, to review their major targets in the therapy of some of the most common human pathologies: bacterial vaginosis and vaginitis, atopic dermatitis, infant colic, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and pharyngotonsillitis
Impact of the lack of integrated care for older people with urinary incontinence and their family caregivers: results from a qualitative pilot study in two large areas of the Marche Region
Get PDFObjectives: Urinary Incontinence may have a severe impact on older people and on their family caregivers’ quality of life, especially when support services are scanty or inadequate. This study investigated the support needs and expectations of community-dwelling older people with UI and their family caregivers in the Marche Region (Central Italy).Methods: Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were carried out to eight over-60-year-old patients with UI, four family caregivers, two representatives of the Regional Health System and two pharmacists.Results: Findings show that the insufficient supply and low quality of continence products and the lack of integrated care services negatively affects the well-being of both older people and family caregivers.Discussion: Integrated care services and a standardized system for the periodic assessment of sufferers and a more customized service delivery, including the possibility of choosing brand and type of products for users, may improve the current provision in this Italian regio
Health issues and informal caregiving in Europe and Italy
Get PDF Informal caregivers are the unpaid persons who take care of a not self-sufficient family member, due to old age or chronic illness or disability. As in all the European countries, the demand for informal cares is further increased as a result of the ageing societies and the social and political fallout of informal caregiving is a very current and important issue.We have overviewed some international scientific literature, with the aim of understanding the key research objectives to be firstly pursued to address this problem. In particular, we focused on the psycho-physical health differences in informal caregivers, subjected to long lasting load and prolonged stress, as compared to non caregiver persons. We also underlined the relationship between caregiver health differences and stress, gender type, kind of the care recipient (autism) and social and political situation in Europe and Italy.The collected data indicate the necessity to prevent caregiver psychological and physical health by appropriate laws, especially supporting women, often most involved in care activities
A web-based tumor registration system for a regional Canine Cancer Registry in Umbria, central Italy
Get PDFThe Umbria Canine Cancer Registry (CCR) is a web-based platform for cancer registrationset up in order to estimate the incidence of spontaneous tumors. It is an integralpart of the regional canine demographic registry in which veterinary practitioners andpathologists interact. Veterinary pathologists perform double-blind comparisons andclassify neoplasms in an automated classification process using the WHO criteria forcanine neoplasms and the ICD-O tumor topographical and morphological keys. Herewe describe the organization, on-line procedures and the methods used to assess caninedemography, a pre-requisite for accurately estimating the incidence of cancer.In its first 4 years the CCR recruited 4857 cases of suspected tumors, as diagnosed bypractitioners, clinics and a veterinary hospital. After the first year the number of enrolledcases increased by 63%, suggesting growing interest from the regional veterinarycommunity