Age at first intercourse and HPV immunization

The licence of the first human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) has important implications for the most appropriate age for a mandatory immunization.In this paper data taken from a recent study show that more than 10% of the Italian women report having already had a sexual intercourse by the age of 15.There is thus sufficient evidence to recommend administration of the HPV vaccine to all girls by the age of 12

Typology characterization of farmers in Africa RISING sites in Tanzania

United States Agency for International Developmen

Typology characterization of farmers in Africa RISING sites in Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Typology characterization of farmers in Africa RISING sites in Ethiopia

United States Agency for International Developmen

Typology characterization of farmers in Africa RISING sites in Mali

United States Agency for International Developmen

Typology characterization of farmers in Africa RISING sites in Malawi

United States Agency for International Developmen

Zinc exposure for female workers in a galvanizing plant in Northern Italy

Objectives Very little is known regarding the toxicokinetics of inhaled zinc, in particular in the case of female workers and for modern, low exposure settings. Our aim is to evaluate the relationship of external zinc levels to those of serum and urine for female workers. Material and Methods Eleven female workers (age: 41.7±8 years old, body mass index (BMI): 23.5±4.2 kg/m 2 ) in a galvanizing plant were investigated. Exposure assessment consisted of personal/environmental air samples, and measurement of zinc in serum (collected at the end of first shift of the working week (T1)) and urine, collected before the first shift of the working week (T0), T1 and at the end of the last shift of the working week (T2). Results Both environmental and personal air samplings for zinc and zinc compounds were below the recommended by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG) limit values of 2 mg/m 3 (7.34±2.8 μg/m 3 and 8.31±2.4 μg/ m 3 , respectively). Serum (118.6±20.9 μg /dl) and urine zinc levels were within reference values for female Italian subjects: the latter increased from 56.4±33.5 μg/dl at T0, to 59.8±37.0 μg/dl at T1, and ultimately 65.4±34.4 μg/dl at T2, but no significant trend was found. End of shift (Spearman's correlation coefficient p value = 0.027) and differential excretion of urinary zinc (both: T0 vs. T1 and T0 vs. T2) were correlated with airborne zinc concentration (p = 0.002 and 0.006, respectively). Conclusions In general, our data suggests that urine may be a useful medium also for female in order to assess zinc exposure. Further studies are required in order to evaluate whether differential excretion may be useful for the biomonitoring of zinc exposure in the workplaces also for male workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):113–12

Meningococcal serogroup B vaccine in Italy: state-of-art, organizational aspects and perspectives

Neisseria meningitidis causes severe invasive meningococcal diseases (IMDs) in humans including meningitis and septicemia, responsible for serious clinical conditions and leading to life-long disabilities and death. Serogroup B dominates IMDs burden in Italy, accounting for over 60% of total cases. On January 2013 the European Medicine Agency (EMA) licensed the first serogroup B meningococcal (Men B) vaccine in Europe. A number of European countries and Regions have introduced the new Men B vaccine in their immunization schedule, including Italy. In this paper we present the state of art, related critical issues and future perspectives of Men B vaccine introduction in Italy, in the context of the most recent available epidemiological data. In particular, we systematically assess the ongoing processes in the 8 Italian regions and one autonomous province that have already introduced Men B vaccine. With the new National Vaccine Prevention Plan including active Men B vaccine offer about to be adopted, it is of fundamental importance to gather further evidence on Men B vaccine clinical effectiveness, duration of protection and cost-effectiveness. Italian regions are called to organize and manage Men B immunization programs. Careful consideration will need to be devoted on timing, doses, and co-administration with other vaccines but also to economic assessments and strengthened communication to the general public. Our data will help to plan, implement and evaluate Men B immunization programmes in other Italian and international settings

Back and neck pain disability and upper limb symptoms of home healthcare workers: A case-control study from Northern Italy

Objectives: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are quite frequent in healthcare workers (HCWs), but data about MSD in home-based healthcare workers (HHWs) are lacking. In this study we describe the prevalence of MSD among Italian HHWs. Material and Methods: A case-control study was carried out among 300 random-selected female HCWs, the sample comprising 100 HHWs, 100 HCWs with a low exposure to patient handling (MAPO – Movimentazione e Assistenza Pazienti Ospedalizzati – Movement and Assistance of Hospital Patients index 0–5) and 100 HCWs with high exposure to patient handling (MAPO index ≥ 5.01). As a negative control group, 200 visual display unit workers were also randomly selected. Musculoskeletal disorder cases were collected using a standardized case definition. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed comparing the MSD prevalence in the 4 groups. Results: The overall prevalence of MSD was 17% in the reference group and 28.3% for HCWs. HHWs and HCWs with MAPO index ≥ 5.01 had similar prevalence of neck pain (9% and 11%, respectively), whereas lumbosacral pain prevalence was higher in the HHWs group (31%), with similar results in residential HCWs groups (21% in MAPO index 0–5 group and 25% in MAPO index ≥ 5.01 group). HCWs of group MAPO index ≥ 5.01 and HHWs showed the higher prevalence of upper limb complaints, with a prevalence of 20% and 10%, respectively. In multivariate regression analysis, prevalence of MSD complaints was quite similar in HHWs (adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) = 2.335, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.318–4.138) and in HCWs of the group MAPO ≥ 5.01 (ORadj = 2.729, 95% CI: 1.552–4.797). Conclusions: The prevalence of MSD in the examined HCWs was relatively high, with HHWs appearing as a particularly high-risk group for lumbosacral back pain. In higher exposed HCWs, upper-limb symptoms were particularly frequent, probably reflecting the different tasks required to manage residential and homebased patients. In conclusion, this study reaffirms the high prevalence of MSD in HHWs, seemly similar to high-risk residential groups. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):291–30