1,721,055 research outputs found
Nuove e vecchie sfide per la prevenzione delle malattie respiratorie occupazionali = New and old challenges for prevention of occupational diseases
No full textThe determinants of the changing speed of spread of COVID-19 across Italy
Full text linkThe COVID-19 epidemic showed inter-regional differences in Italy. We used an ecological study design and publicly available data to compare the basic reproduction number (R(0)), the doubling time of the infection (DT) and the COVID-19 cumulative incidence (CI), death rate, case fatality rate (CFR) and time lag to slow down up to a 50-days doubling time in the first and the second 2020 epidemic waves (δDT50) by region. We also explored socio-economic, environmental and lifestyle variables with multiple regression analysis. COVID-19 CI and CFR changed in opposite directions in the second vs. the first wave: the CI increased sixfold with no evidence of a relationship with the testing rate; the CFR decreased in the regions where it was initially higher but increased where it was lower. The R(0) did not change; the initially mildly affected regions, but not those where the first wave had most severely hit, showed a greater δDT(50) amplitude. Vehicular traffic, average temperature, population density, average income, education and household size showed a correlation with COVID-19 outcomes. The deadly experience in the first epidemic wave and the varying preparedness of the local health systems might have contributed to the inter-regional differences in the second COVID-19 epidemic wave
Pesticide exposure and lung function: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Epidemiological studies have reported associations between pesticide exposure and respiratory health effects, but the quantitative impact on lung function is unclear. To fill this gap, we undertook a systematic review of the available literature on the association between pesticide exposure and pulmonary function. Aims: To examine all available literature regarding the relationship between occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and lung function. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases to 1 October 2017 without any date or language restrictions using a combination of MeSH terms and free text for 'pesticide exposure' and 'lung function'. We included studies that met the criteria of our research protocol registered in PROSPERO, and we assessed their quality using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: Of 2356 articles retrieved, 56 articles were included in the systematic review and pooled in meta-analyses for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), FVC and FEV1. There was tentative evidence that exposure to cholinesterase (ChE) inhibiting pesticides reduced FEV1/FVC and no evidence that paraquat exposure affected lung function in farmers. Conclusions: Respiratory surveillance should be enhanced in those exposed to ChE-inhibiting pesticides which reduced FEV1/FVC according to the meta-analysis. Our study is limited by heterogeneity between studies due to different types of exposure assessment to pesticides and potential confounders. Further studies with a more accurate exposure assessment are suggested
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
COVID-19 incidence in a cohort of public transport workers
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Previous research has shown an excess risk of COVID-19 among several occupations, but data on public transport workers are scarce. To investigate the occupational risk posed by contact with the public, we followed up the incidence of COVID-19 in a cohort of public transport workers. METHODS: We identified the incident cases of COVID-19 between 1 September 2020 - 6 May 2021 in a cohort of 2,052 employees of a public transport agency in Sardinia, Italy. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on a positive molecular test. To calculate the expected events, we applied the age- and gender-specific incidence rates in the regional population at the same time frame to the correspondent strata of the study cohort. We estimated the age- and gender-adjusted relative risk (RR) of COVID-19 as the ratio between the observed and the expected events and its 95% confidence interval (95% C.I.) among the total cohort and in two sub-cohorts: bus drivers and the rest of the personnel (administrative staff, train and metro drivers, workers in the mechanical shop, and in the railroad maintenance, and security). RESULTS: Bus drivers run an elevated risk of COVID-19 (RR = 1.4, 95% C.I. 1.07 - 1.79). There was no excess risk among the rest of the personnel. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests an excess risk of COVID-19 among bus drivers even in a relatively low incidence area, which could imply inadequacy of the preventive measures put in place. Additional studies of larger size with detailed information on personal and lifestyle characteristics are warranted
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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