Migration, Urbanization and Development: A Case Study of Mexico

A group of scholars at IIASA is studying national processes of structural transformation, seeing to further our understanding of the relationships between agriculture, industry, and urbanization in economic development. An integral component of this activity is a collection of national case studies of urbanization and development experiences, among them Mexico's

MECHANISMS MEDIATING REPLICATION FORK COLLAPSE AND PROCESSING IN CHECKPOINT DEFECTIVE CELLS

ABSTRACT An accurate DNA replication is essential to prevent genome instability events, such as mutations and chromosomal rearrangements that are hallmarks of neoplastic transformation and cancer onset. A dedicated branch of the DNA damage checkpoint maintains the integrity of replicating chromosomes by stabilising replication forks in the presence of genotoxic agents, thus ensuring cell viability. Upon fork collapse, budding yeast checkpoint mutants experiencing replication stress accumulate aberrant replication intermediates, such as gapped and hemireplicated molecules, as well as four-branched structures known as reversed forks. Aberrant replication intermediates are potentially harmful for the cells since they are thought to trigger unscheduled recombination events that cause genome rearrangements. In this PhD thesis, I examined checkpoint-dependent mechanisms controlling fork stability, and I provide in vivo evidence that positive supercoiling accumulating ahead of replication forks is the main mechanical force driving fork reversal. Thus, DNA topology is a critical determinant of replication fork stability in vivo. Furthermore, a 2D-gel screening for enzymatic activities involved in the metabolism of collapsed forks, revealed a novel role for the Sae2 and Dna2 endonucelases in replication intermediates processing

Combined Biologic Augmentation Strategies with Collagen Patch Graft, Microfractures, and Platelet Concentrate Injections Improve Functional and Structural Outcomes of Arthroscopic Revision Rotator Cuff Repair

Background: Arthroscopic revision rotator cuff repair (ARRCR) is challenging. Biologic strategies seem to be promising. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of microfractures of the greater tuberosity, augmentation with collagen patch graft, and platelet concentrate injections in ARRCR. Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted on patients that underwent ARRCR with a minimum follow-up of two years. Patients in the augmentation group underwent ARRCR combined with microfractures, collagen patch graft, and postoperative subacromial injections of platelet concentrate. A standard rotator cuff repair was performed in the control group. Primary outcome: Constant-Murley score (CMS). Secondary outcomes: disease-specific, health-related quality of life using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score; assessment of tendon integrity with magnetic resonance at least six months after surgery. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Forty patients were included. Mean follow-up was 36.2 ± 8.7 months. The mean CMS was greater in the augmentation group (p = 0.022). No differences could be found for DASH score. Healing failure rate was higher in the control group (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Biologic augmentation of ARRCR using a combination of microfractures, collagen patch graft, and subacromial injections of platelet concentrate is an effective strategy in improving tendon healing rate. Level of evidence: retrospective cohort study, level III

Valutazione dei dati sperimentali per la neurotossicit\ue0 dello sviluppo dei pesticidi

EVALUATION OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA FOR DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY OF PESTICIDES. Epidemiological studies on neurodevelopmental effects of pesticides are inconclusive. Experimental developmental neurotoxicity studies, sometimes show effects on pups given doses lower than adults; most of the times these effects were transient, aspecific, with scattered biochemical, molecular or neurobehavioural changes, generally associated with high bolus doses. At repeated low doses, effects in pups did not occur at doses lower than in adults.Since the effects of high bolus doses are possible, preventive interventions should aim at reducing these exposures

Trends in occupational diseases in the Italian agricultural sector, 2004-2017

Objective: To estimate the incidence of, trends in and effect of change in reporting rules on occupational diseases (ODs) in the Italian agricultural sector. Methods: Over a 14-year period (2004-2017), ODs among Italian agricultural workers were diagnosed by physicians and reported to the National Institute for Insurance against Workplace Accidents and Occupational Diseases. OD was defined as a disease with a specific clinical diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases) and was predominantly caused by work-related factors. Trends in incidence and effects of changed eligibility criteria for reporting occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) were estimated using a Poisson regression model. Results: In 2017, the incidence of all ODs was 1295 per 100 000 agricultural workers. MSDs (961 per 100 000 workers) were the most frequently occurring ODs. MSDs and NIHL showed statistically significant increasing time trends, 26% and 7% annual increase, respectively, during the 2004-2017 period. There was no statistically significant change in the incidence of occupational respiratory, skin and cancer diseases during the 14-year period. After changes in reporting rules, the incidence of MSDs showed an immediate increased effect, with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 2.9 (95% CI 2.65 to 3.14) and a significant annual decreasing trend of -9% (95% CI -6% to -12%) over the years after the changed reporting rules (from 2008 to 2017), and an immediate effect on NIHL with an IRR of 1.3 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.53). Conclusion: In total, 1.3% of the Italian agricultural workers were diagnosed in 2017 as having an OD. Over a 14-year period, the annual incidence of ODs showed a considerable increasing trend consistent with changed eligibility reporting criteria for occupational MSDs and to a lesser extent for NIHL

Assessment of penconazole exposure in winegrowers using urinary biomarkers

Penconazole (PEN) is a fungicide used in agriculture. The aim of this work was to evaluate the exposure to PEN in vineyard workers focusing on urinary biomarkers. Twenty-two agricultural workers were involved in the study; they were investigated during PEN applications and re-entry work, performed for 1-4 consecutive working days, for a total of 42 mixing and applications and 12 re-entries. Potential and actual dermal exposure, including hand exposure, were measured using pads and hand washes. Urine samples were collected starting before the first application, continuing during the work shift, and ending 48\u202fh after the last shift. The determination of PEN in dermal samples and PEN metabolites in urine was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Dermal potential body exposure and actual total exposure showed median levels ranging from 18 to 3356\ub5g and from 21 to 111\u202f\ub5g, respectively. Urinary monohydroxyl-derivative PEN-OH was the most abundant metabolite; its excretion rate peaked within 24\u202fh after the work shift. In this period, median concentrations of PEN-OH and the carboxyl-derivative PEN-COOH ranged from 15.6 to 27.6\u202f\ub5g/L and from 2.5 to 10.2\u202f\ub5g/L, respectively. The concentration of PEN-OH during the work shift, in the 24\u202fh after and in the 25-48\u202fh after the work shift were correlated with actual body and total dermal exposure (Pearson's r from 0.279 to 0.562). Our results suggest that PEN-OH in the 24\u202fh post-exposure urine is a promising candidate for biomonitoring PEN exposure in agricultural workers

Developing approaches to control SARS-CoV-2 in a public hospital

The Territorial Public Health Care Company (in Italian, ASST) of the Saints Paolo e Carlo of Milano includes two large public hospitals, and several outpatients and territorial healthcare services. It employs 5642 workers. The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reached our ASST in the last week of February when a doctor in the Intensive Care Unit of the San Paolo Hospital was diagnosed with COVID-19. Our Occupational Health Unit immediately introduced measures to control the epidemic. Our approach was based on contact tracing and isolation of asymptomatic infected workers. A \u2018close contact\u2019 was defined as a person who had face-to-face contact or spent at least 15 min in an indoor environment with a positive subject (patient, colleague or relative) without any protective equipment (surgical mask). From 27 February to 23 April we tested 2907 workers (51% of the total workforce) with nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) using rtPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection [1,2], with positive results in 152 hospital and 33 territorial workers (3% of the total workforce). All the infected workers were asked to fill in a daily electronic data collection form for the duration of the infection. About 50% remained substantially asymptomatic for the quarantine period, which ended when the workers underwent two NPS on two consecutive days with a negative result. The time to recovery took from 12\u201347 days, with a median duration of about 30 days, which is longer than normally expected. Symptomatic workers showed only very mild symptoms; mainly loss/change of smell and taste. Four were hospitalized but none had severe or life-threatening infection. The data suggest that the \u2018active search approach\u2019 is more effective in closed communities such as groups of healthcare workers than generalized testing. We have started a retrospective survey of 100 positive workers studying symptoms, source of exposure and co-morbidities using a modified version of the \u2018WHO novel coronavirus acute respiratory infection clinical characterization data tool\u2019, administered by telephone interview. Finally, in order to prepare for future outbreaks, we are testing a novel telemedicine approach enabling us to follow quarantined workers with a digital platform with a mobile phone app that provides remote video examinations and online symptoms and health parameter checking (body temperature, oxygen saturation, etc.). The platform facilitates rapid intervention. Using this approach, we can follow a large cohort of workers with continuous monitoring. The tool may also be able to reduce the rate of patients\u2019 hospitalization. We are also comparing those with positive and negative swabs using a rapid immunochromatographic assay for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus in whole blood to assess potential immunity. Preliminary results are promising for IgG, even though the protective capacity of this immunoglobulin is still unknown