1,721,062 research outputs found
Echinococcosi cistica nell'area di Rieti: conoscenza del fenomeno e proposta di un modello di valutazione dei rischi per i lavoratori del settore zootecnico
Get PDFHuman cystic echinococcosis (CE), also known as hydatid disease, is an helminthic zoonosis caused by infection with the larval stages of the cestode parasites Echinococcus granulosus. CE continues to represent a global health hazard affecting approximately over 1 million individuals worldwide. Indeed, Echinococcus granulosus infection is globally distributed and found in every continent, except Antarctica. In endemic regions, human incidence rates for CE can reach greater than 50 per 100,000 person-years, and prevalence levels as high as 5–10% may occur in parts of Argentina, Peru, east Africa, central Asia and China. Echinococcus granulosus may cause illness in intermediate hosts, generally herbivorous animals and people who are infected accidentally. Workers such as slaughters, tanners, stockbreeders, shepherds, butchers, veterinarians are supposed to be at higher risk of the infection.
The present study aims to evaluate the seroprevalence of CE in workers exposed and in blood donors, and to determine the prevalence of occupational and non-occupational risk factors associated with CE infection in both groups.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in a central region of Italy (Latium) in the period from September 2015 to September 2016. It included 177 workers exposed to biological risk of the Echinococcus granulosus infection (shepherds) and 192 apparently healthy blood donors selected from the same geographical area. General and medical information, including job history, occupational and non-occupational risk factors were collected using specific questionnaire. Human sera from shepherds and donors were sampled and analyzed using a commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seropositive samples were further analysed by Western blotting. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the potential risk factors associated with the presence of antibodies.
The results showed that 18 subjects (4.88%) were ELISA seropositive. High seropositivity was recorded in workers (5,65%), followed by the donors (4.17%). Only one seropositive sample was confirmed by Western blotting. The Individual Risk Score (IRS), based on sum of occupational and non occupational risk factors, was associated to seropositivity (P=0.000 8; OR=1.889; 95% CI=1.689-2.113).
The results of this study reinforce the necessity to implement the prevention of risks at workplace, with special reference to the biological risk, using appropriate tools for the identification and the assessment of hazards combined with public health education and information
Rischio tubercolosi per gli operatori sanitari dell’emergenza
No full textLa riemergenza della tubercolosi (TB), indicata dall’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità
(OMS) come grave problema di sanità pubblica a livello mondiale già dal 1993, non accenna
a diminuire. E’ stato stimato che circa un terzo della popolazione mondiale ospita il
Micobatterio tubercolare (MTB) allo stato di latenza (infezione tubercolare latente o ITL).
(Circolare Ministero della Salute Italiana 23-08-2011).
Gli operatori sanitari risultano essere tra le categorie professionali a maggior rischio, rispetto
alla popolazione generale, di contatto con persone affette da TB.
(Tuberculosis clinical diagnosis and management of tuberculosis, and measures for its
prevention and control; NHS 2011).
La legislazione Italiana, in recepimento della normativa Europea, prevede, all’art.28 del DLgs
81/08 esmi, l’obbligo di effettuare la valutazione di tutti i rischi presenti nei luoghi di lavoro,
dunque anche del rischio di trasmissione dell’infezione tubercolare, ed elaborare la
corrispondente documentazione.
Nel fornire cure a pazienti con - o sospetto di - TB, medici e persone responsabili di strutture
sanitarie devono adottare misure che riducono le possibilità di trasmissione di MTB agli
1.er Congreso Internacional Italia Argentina de Medicina del Trabajo y Salud de los Trabajadores
2
operatori sanitari e ad altri pazienti, attenendosi a linee guida locali, nazionali o internazionali
per il controllo delle infezioni.
(International Standard for Tuberculosis Care; TBCTA 2009)
Scopo del presente lavoro è quello di evidenziare le criticità emerse nell’applicazione delle
linee guida/indicazioni disponibili sulla valutazione dei rischio di trasmissione dell’infezione
tubercolare in un ambito lavorativo particolare quale quello degli operatori sanitari
dell’emergenza e proporre una scheda di segnalazione da utilizzare nei casi di malattia
contagiosa in soggetti soccorsi/trasportati dal servizio di emergenza territoriale pubblica
Anthropogenic Monsters: A CAS and Liberating Perspective on the Contemporary Production of Human and Nonhuman Monsters.
No full textHuman imagination has always been haunted by monsters. In the past, monsters, like angels, used to be messengers of the extraordinary, often a divine warrant. Can contemporary monsters still transmit a message? And can the category of monstrosity be relevant for Critical Animal Studies?
This essay explores, through a CAS perspective, the contemporary production of monsters, both human and nonhuman, and the possible liberating message of monsters. In this context, contemporary monsters are referred as “anthropogenic” because they are materially produced by human activities or ideologically created by human discourses. First, the chapter looks at the serial production of monstrous animal bodies, through genetic modification, intensive animal farming and environmental degradation. Then, it considers the proliferation of human monsters in the cultural imaginary, through the discrimination and animalization of non-conforming human bodies, such as disable, black and trans* bodies. Finally, it proposes a liberating perspective starting from the work of some writers and activists – such as Susan Stryker and Filo Sottile – who decided to claim back the concept of monstrosity as empowering. By embracing and accepting monstrosity, they dismantle the separation and hierarchy between human and nonhuman beings. Therefore, monsters can show unexpected pathways and turns to follow in order to overcome anthropocentrism and speciesism
Anisakis rischio emergente in medicina del lavoro: stato dell'arte
No full textAnisakis è un parassita presente in ambiente acquatico marino i cui ospiti intermedi sono piccoli crostacei e quelli paratenici sono pesci e cefalopodi, mentre gli ospiti definitivi sono mammiferi marini. L’uomo può accidentalmente infestarsi mangiando pesci e cefalopodi crudi, sviluppando una zoonosi chiamata anisakidosi. Le manifestazioni cliniche, che possono essere aspecifiche e interessare prevalentemente il tratto gastrointestinale, possono comprendere anche reazioni allergiche molto gravi (asma, dermatite, shock anafilattico). Obiettivo del presente lavoro è stato quello di descrivere Anisakis quale possibile rischio emergente in medicina del lavoro attraverso l’analisi dei casi occupazionali pubblicati. Gli studi analizzati mostrano una relazione esistente tra manifestazioni allergiche e sensibilizzazione ad Anisakis nei lavoratori esposti ai prodotti della pesca. I casi professionali di sensibilizzazione sono stati descritti in addetti alle pescherie, pescatori, addetti alla lavorazione del pesce e addetti alla ristorazione
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Exploring the complexity of obstructive sleep apnea: findings from machine learning on diagnosis and predictive capacity of individual factors
No full textPurpose: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder characterized by pharyngeal airway collapse during sleep, leading to intermittent hypoxia, intrathoracic pressure swings, and sleep fragmentation. OSA is associated with various comorbidities and risk factors, contributing to its substantial economic and social burden. Machine learning (ML) techniques offer promise in predicting OSA severity and understanding its complex pathogenesis. This study aims to compare the accuracy of different ML techniques in predicting OSA severity and identify key associated factors contributing to OSA. Methods: Adult patients suspected of OSA underwent clinical assessments and polysomnography. Demographic, anthropometric and clinical data were collected. Five supervised ML models (logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, support vector machine) were employed, optimized through grid search and cross-validation. Results: ML models exhibited varied performance across OSA severity levels. SVM demonstrated the highest accuracy for mild OSA, XGBoost for moderate OSA, and random forest for severe OSA. Logistic regression showed the highest AUC for moderate and severe OSA. Anthropometric measures, gender, and hypertension were significant predictors of OSA severity. Conclusion: ML models offer valuable insights into predicting OSA severity and identifying associated factors. Our findings support the relevant potential clinical utility of ML in OSA management, although further validation and refinement are warranted
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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