72 research outputs found
Occupational asbestos exposure and urinary bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textPurposeThere is conflicting evidence on the association between asbestos exposure and bladder cancer. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide evidence on occupational asbestos exposure and the risk of mortality and incidence of bladder cancer.MethodsWe searched three relevant electronic databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase) from inception to October 2021. The methodological quality of included articles was evaluated using the US National Institutes of Health tool. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for bladder cancer, as well as respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were extracted or calculated for each included cohort. Main and subgroup meta-analyses according to first year of employment, industry, sex, asbestos type, and geographic region were performed.ResultsFifty-nine publications comprising 60 cohorts were included. Bladder cancer incidence and mortality were not significantly associated with occupational asbestos exposure (pooled SIR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.95-1.13, P = 0.000; pooled SMR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.96-1.17, P = 0.031). Bladder cancer incidence was higher among workers employed between 1908 and 1940 (SIR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.31). Mortality was elevated in asbestos workers cohorts (SMR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06-1.30) and in the subgroup analysis for women (SMR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.22-2.75). No association was found between asbestos types and bladder cancer incidence or mortality. We observed no difference in the subgroup analysis for countries and no direct publication bias evidence.ConclusionThere is evidence that workers with occupational asbestos exposure have a bladder cancer incidence and mortality similar to the general population
Methodological issues in descriptive environmental epidemiology. The example of study Sentieri
No full textBackground: Descriptive epidemiology identifies associations between environmental exposures and health effects that require results from methodologically stronger studies before causation can be considered. Objective: To critically review the methodology and results of Sentieri, a descripitive study on residence in areas with one or more industrial source of pollution. Methods: We systematically reviewed the literature quoted by Sentieri for the selection of health effects of nine types of pollution sources of a-priori interest. We also reviewed and meta-analyzed the results of the first report of Sentieri, that analyzed mortality in 44 polluted sites (PS), and 17 causes of deaths during 1995-2002. Results: Among 159 study results quoted by Sentieri, 23.9 % were supportive of an association between residence near a pollution source and a health effect, 30.2 % were partially supportive, 10.7 % were not supportive, and 35.2 % were not relevant. Among 653 standardized mortality ratios for associations between PS-specific pollution sources and causes of death, 14.4% were significantly above 1.02, and 9.0% were significantly below 0.98. Among 48 meta-analysis, seven were significantly above 1.0, including five on exposure to asbestos. Conclusions: Sentieri exemplifies the limitations of descriptive environmental epidemiology studies, in which most hypotheses have limited prior support, most results do not show associations, data on potential confounders and other sources of bias are not available. Such studies tend to replicate well-known associations and occasionally can identify critical situations requiring more investigation, but cannot be used to infer causality either in general or in specific circumstances
Results of the implementation of a virtual control approach to improve the effectiveness and quality of Safety and Health inspections at workplaces
No full textDuring the last years, a significant technological and organisational evolution is taking place in the industrial activities, thanks to Advanced Manufacturing together with a more and more widespread use of Cloud Big Data Analytics. With special reference to the OSH (Occupational Safety and Health), these changes involve a new attention, both to the technological and employee's level. The paper discusses the characteristics, and the possible original use of a new methodology, based on virtual reality and digital checklist. This methodology can be used both to easily carry out surveillance activities and checks at workplaces, and to create a virtual itinerary of the area under investigation, in which checks and operative instructions can be virtually introduced for workers in charge of particular machinery or operations. The main results obtained thanks to the implementation of the methodology are: a reduction of the remedial actions' duration on non-compliances brought into evidence, and the deriving possible increase in the frequency and efficiency of inspections. Moreover, this approach intrinsically favors the involvement of workers and staff in charge of activities related to Prevention and Protection, supporting a process of continuous improvement and of general spread of the Culture of Safety in the Company
Il piano di ammortamento “alla francese”: possibili generalizzazioni in termini di dinamica dell’importo delle rate di ammortamento. Parte II: estensione al regime finanziario della capitalizzazione semplice
No full textNEl presente studio è stato affrontato il caso di adozione del regime finanziario della capitalizzazione semplice, le cui leggi
finanziarie non godono della proprietà di scindibilità secondo Francesco Paolo Cantelli,
ma, nell’ipotesi di epoca unica di equivalenza finanziaria, godono della proprietà di scindibilità parametrica secondo Filadelfo Insolera, ipotizzando che l’operazione sia
caratterizzata da un TANm
(Tasso Annuo Nominale con convertibilità m) e quindi da
un TPE (Tasso Periodale Effettivo). I tassi periodali effettivi impliciti nei fattori di attualizzazione rappresentano tassi (medi) “a pronti”, necessari per le attualizzazioni al tempo
iniziale 0 degli importi delle rate collocati temporalmente ai tempi k (k=1,2,..,n).
Come già detto, se si vuole effettuare la stesura del piano di ammortamento dell’operazione
di prestito bisogna disporre anche dei coerenti tassi “a termine”, necessari per il calcolo
delle quote interessi; conoscendo l’importo delle rate e tali quote interessi, sarà possibile
completare il piano di ammortamento, nelle sue altre componenti (quote capitali e debiti residui)
La primazia del creditore: causa e conseguenza della debolezza dell'Europa
No full textIl saggio analizza la particolare protezione di cui godono, all'interno del diritto europeo, i soggetti che dispongono di un diritto di credito. In particolare, si analizza tale primazia del creditore mettendo in luce: in cosa essa consista; perchè essa è da considerarsi problematica; per quale motivo essa è altresì legata alla struttura fondamentale dell'Unione economica e monetaria
The AI-extended professional self: user-centric AI integration into professional practice with exemplars from healthcare
No full textNew colleague or gimmick hurdle? A user-centric scoping review of the barriers and facilitators of robots in hospitals
No full textUpper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders in operating room nurses: A multicenter cross-sectional study
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the association between personal and job characteristics and the risk of upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among operating room nurses (ORNs). To this end, we collected data from 148 ORNs working at 8 Italian hospitals and measured any upper limb disabilities experienced in the previous year using the Italian version of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire. The associations between personal and job characteristics and risk of upper limb WMSDs were estimated by unconditional logistic regression models. The prevalence of upper limb WMSDs was 45.9%. Multivariate analysis showed the “female gender” and “monthly hours spent working as a scrub nurse” to be directly associated with a higher DASH score (adjusted OR for gender = 5.37, 95% CI: 1.65–17.51, p < 0.01; adjusted OR for monthly hours as scrub nurse = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.33–7.19, p < 0.01). Overall, our findings indicate that a full-time job (>120 h/month) as a scrub nurse significantly increases the risk of developing upper limb WMSDs among female ORNs. Thus, to reduce such risk in this particularly sensitive population, we recommend urgent implementation of ergonomic interventions on surgical equipment alongside job rotation and medical surveillance programs
Effectiveness of prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission among unvaccinated Italian healthcare workers
No full textBACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the association between personal protective equipment (PPE) use and SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS: We analyzed occupational surveillance contact forms followed by a PCR test notified between March and September 2020 by Italian HCWs. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for positive PCR based on HCWs and contacts characteristics were calculated through multivariable logistic regression models. When multiple contacts were potentially effective for a PCR test, they were weighted by the inverse of their number. RESULTS: Overall, 4,883 contacts reported by 2,952 HCWs were analyzed, and 224 contacts among 144 HCWs had positive PCR. No difference was found according to sex, age, employment, or job title, except for an OR of 0.30 (95%CI 0.11-0.78) for resident physicians, compared to administrative staff. The ORs for use of surgical mask were 0.59 (95%CI=0.40-0.86) for use only by HCW, 0.49 (95%CI=0.22-1.07) only by the infected person, and 0.40 (95%CI=0.27-0.60) by both, compared to use by neither. Use of other PPEs was not associated with infection, while the OR for hand sanitation was 0.61 (95%CI=0.40-0.93). HCWs reporting fever, cough, and asthenia had a higher risk of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Use of surgical masks was associated with a 40-60% lower risk of infection, especially when both HCWs and infected individuals used them. Our results quantify the role played by mask use and hand sanitation in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission in high-risk circumstances
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