1,720,995 research outputs found
Bernardino Ramazzini, three hundred years after his death, Padua (Italy), October 18th, 2014
Full text linkThe year 2014 has marked the tercentenary from the death of Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714), universally credited as the founder of Occupational Health (5, 9, 10, 11). Indeed, the renowned physician died on November 5th 1714 in Padua, where he had been appointed as Professor of Practical Medicine at the local prestigious University from the year 1700. To commemorate this anniversary, the professors of Occupational Health of the University of Padua, the Italian Society of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (Società Italiana di Medicina del Lavoro eIgiene Industriale, SIMLII), the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and the University of Padua organized a conference in the wonderful location of Palazzo Bo (Main Hall) under the patronage of the Padua Municipality, the Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), the Venetian Region and the Societas Internationalis Historiae Medicin
Ageing and work: Technical standards [Invecchiamento e lavoro: la normativa tecnica]
No full textOver the last few years, studies on the relationship between ageing and work have attracted growing interest due to the increased probability among workers of developing major health problems as a consequence of ageing of the working population. Negative outcomes for health are possible when an age-related imbalance appears between physical workload and physical work capacity. Interventions based on workload reductions should help to keep workers on the job for as long as allowed by law. Reference masses by age and sex are suggested by the technical standards of the ISO 11228 series, which are also quoted by Italian law D.Lgs.81/2008, and EN 1005 series, which recommend limits valid also for manual material handling, and pushing and pulling. Decreasing low back pain prevalence or recurrence, in an ageing population with high prevalence of back disorders, could be more effective than many other approaches to enhance workers' quality of life and consequently maintain and improve workers' performance
Spinal Deformities in Romantic Operas
No full textThe librettos of several of the most famous Romantic operas contain references to disease. These operas can serve as valuable sources of information regarding how spinal deformities were understood during the nineteenth century by physicians and lay persons alike. Original librettos of the operas "Rigoletto" (1851) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and "La Esmeralda" (1836) by Louise Bertin (1805-1877) were analyzed. In both operas, spinal deformities of Rigoletto and Quasimodo are a central issue. In detail, Quasimodo could suffer from von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis, while Rigoletto could be affected by severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The plays are an expression of the nineteenth century attitude toward deformity: the hunchbacks are ridiculed and excluded from the society due to their deformity. Thus, they are forced by society to act as ugly and evil beings. Although both Rigoletto and Quasimodo show an intense love, at the end of each opera, they are defeated by loss of this love. This is an evident sign that, despite its willingness to tackle the subject, nineteenth-century society was not still ready to attribute success or human value to people affected by disabilities.Level of Evidence: 5
Mycobacterium tuberculosis in ospedale: è patogeno nosocomiale? oppure occupazionale?
No full textLa tubercolosi costituisce una emergenza sanitaria per la salute pubblica, oltre che una problematica confinata agli ambienti lavorativi. Per tale ragione le autorità sanitarie redigono ed aggiornano costantemente linee guida di notevole valore scientifico e pratico. Recenti episodi di cronaca hanno riportato alla ribalta la tubercolosi come patologia nosocomiale, la cui trasmissione può avvenire da operatore sanitario a paziente. Per quanto concerne gli operatori sanitari, una recente revisione della letteratura ha confermato che il rischio di infezione tubercolare latente e di tubercolosi sono maggiori in questa categoria rispetto alla popolazione generale. Gli strumenti di riduzione del rischio di tubercolosi in ambito nosocomiale si basano innanzitutto sull’adozione di misure di isolamento respiratorio; tuttavia tali procedure richiedono il rapido riconoscimento del sospetto clinico. La diagnosi microbiologica di tubercolosi si basa sul reperto di bacilli tubercolari nel campione clinico. La ricerca di tali microrganismi può essere eseguita con l’esame microscopico, colturale e con tecniche rapide di biologia molecolare.Tuberculosis is an emergency for public health, as well as an issue confined to working environments. For this reason, the health authorities draw up and regularly update guidelines of considerable scientific and practical value. Recent reports have shown tuberculosis as a nosocomial disease whose transmission can occur from healthcare environment to patient. With regard to healthcare workers, a recent literature review confirmed that the risk of latent TB infection and tuberculosis is greater in this category of workers than in the general population. The tools for risk reduction in nosocomial TB are based primarily on respiratory isolation measures. However such procedures require the rapid recognition of clinical suspicion. The microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis is based on the detection of tubercular bacilli in clinical specimens. The research of these microorganisms can be done using microscopic and coltural examination as well as rapid molecular biology techniques
L'assenteismo come indicatore di stress lavorativo in ambiente ospedaliero: analisi dell'andamento delle assenze ospedaliere per malattia negli anni 2001-2008
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Mesothelioma and asbestos, fifty years of evidence: Chris Wagner and the contribution of the Italian occupational medicine community
No full textBackground: One of the first studies that "convincingly" described the relationship between pleural mesothelioma and asbestos was made by Wagner, Sleggs and Marchard in 1960. This article, published fifty years ago, contains much of what we still know to-day about malignant mesothelioma. Objectives: The aims of this article were to analyze the historical and scientific developments that led to the publication of Wagner's paper, to critically examine its contents and to consider the contribution to the international debate on the carcinogenesis of asbestos fibres made by occupational medicine in Italy in that period. Methods: A thorough analysis of scientific and historical literature on the relationship between asbestos exposure and tumours was conducted, with special regard to the articles by Italian authors in the 1960s. Results: The decisive role of Wagner's paper in understanding the aetiopathogenetic mechanisms of asbestos-related tumours is inconfutable. In particular, his article clearly demonstrated the existence of a typical cancer of the mesothelium, expressing three fundamental principles of the epidemiology of occupational cancer: association with the carcinogen, latency and individual susceptibility. Enrico Vigliani, then director of the "Clinica del Lavoro" in Milan, made important contributions to this debate, also through the collection of data regarding mortality among Italian asbestos workers. Conclusions: Wagner's 1960 paper can be considered as a milestone not only in the history of occupational and environmental health, but also in the evolution of other medical disciplines such as epidemiology, pathology and oncology. A re-appraisal of the Italian contributions to the international debate on this subject should be considered
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