Food safety in hospital: knowledge, attitudes and practices of nursing staff of two hospitals in Sicily, Italy

BACKGROUND: Food hygiene in hospital poses peculiar problems, particularly given the presence of patients who could be more vulnerable than healthy subjects to microbiological and nutritional risks. Moreover, in nosocomial outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease, the mortality risk has been proved to be significantly higher than the community outbreaks and highest for foodborne outbreaks. On the other hand, the common involvement in the role of food handlers of nurses or domestic staff, not specifically trained about food hygiene and HACCP, may represent a further cause of concern. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning food safety of the nursing staff of two hospitals in Palermo, Italy. Association with some demographic and work-related determinants was also investigated. METHODS: The survey was conducted, by using a semi-structured questionnaire, in March-November 2005 in an acute general hospital and a paediatric hospital, where nursing staff is routinely involved in food service functions. RESULTS: Overall, 401 nurses (279, 37.1%, of the General Hospital and 122, 53.5%, of the Paediatric Hospital, respectively) answered. Among the respondents there was a generalized lack of knowledge about etiologic agents and food vehicles associated to foodborne diseases and proper temperatures of storage of hot and cold ready to eat foods. A general positive attitude towards temperature control and using clothing and gloves, when handling food, was shared by the respondents nurses, but questions about cross-contamination, refreezing and handling unwrapped food with cuts or abrasions on hands were frequently answered incorrectly. The practice section performed better, though sharing of utensils for raw and uncooked foods and thawing of frozen foods at room temperatures proved to be widely frequent among the respondents. Age, gender, educational level and length of service were inconsistently associated with the answer pattern. More than 80% of the respondent nurses did not attend any educational course on food hygiene. Those who attended at least one training course fared significantly better about some knowledge issues, but no difference was detected in both the attitude and practice sections. CONCLUSION: Results strongly emphasize the need for a safer management of catering in the hospitals, where non professional food handlers, like nursing or domestic staff, are involved in food service functions

Oltre il Segno/OltreMare

La realizzazione di un volume contenente le incisioni scelte all’interno della Scuola di Grafica d’Arte dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, coordinata dai Proff. Giovanni D’Alessandro e Riccardo Mazzarino rappresenta motivo di orgoglio e di soddisfazione per la nostra Istituzione che costruisce i percorsi didattici dei propri corsi a partire dall’esperienza laboratoriale. L’incisione grafica è tra le tecniche artistiche più antiche ma nel contempo più contemporanee. La gestualità intrinseca al segno, che si manifesta nella carta, svela universi della visione inaspettati.(Mario Zito - Direttore dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo) Il segno è il risultato di un gesto a volte deciso, a volte contorto, a volte leggero, i cui risultati spesso sono inattesi e sorprendenti. Il volume contiene esemplari di incisioni fortemente caratterizzanti della scuola di Grafica d’Arte che vanta all’interno del proprio corso di studi docenti-artisti che consapevoli della ricchezza del loro bagaglio esperienziale offrono agli studenti gli strumenti necessari per far sì che l’arte del saper fare artigianale, si trasformi in mera poetica artistica

Surveillance for Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Virus Incidence and RNAemia in Blood Donors at 4 Brazilian Blood Centers During 2016-2019.

BACKGROUND: Except for public health case reports, the incidence of Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and dengue virus (DENV) infection are not available to assess the potential blood transfusion safety threat in Brazil. METHODS: Pools of 6 donation samples (MP6) left over from human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus nucleic acid testing were combined to create MP18 pools (3 MP6 pools). Samples were tested using the Grifols triplex ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV real-time transcription mediated amplification assay to estimate prevalence of RNAemia and incidence, and to compare these results to case reports in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro, from April 2016 through June 2019. RESULTS: ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV RNAemia were found from donors who donated without overt symptoms of infection that would have led to deferral. The highest RNAemic donation prevalence was 1.2% (95% CI, .8%-1.9%) for DENV in Belo Horizonte in May 2019. Arbovirus infections varied by location and time of year, and were not always aligned with annual arbovirus outbreak seasons in different regions of the country. CONCLUSIONS: Testing donations for arboviruses in Brazil can contribute to public health. Transfusion recipients were likely exposed to ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV viremic blood components during the study period

Gestión digital de datos en la investigación social y artística: Horizontes y desafíos

Esta comunicación sintetiza los principales puntos de un proyecto interdisciplinario aprobado y financiado en el marco de la convocatoria 2019 del Programa de Fortalecimiento a la Ciencia y la Tecnología en Universidades Nacionales de la Secretaría de Políticas Universitarias, dentro de la categoría Proyectos Interdisciplinarios Orientados (PIO)1, para su ejecución entre 2019 y 2020…Fil: Silva, Ana Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; ArgentinaFil: Ferraggine, Viviana Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Petrini, Matías Andrés. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Arabito, Jorge. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Barandiaran, Luciano Oscar. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales - Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales; ArgentinaFil: Boggi, Silvia Marta. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Pérez Buccheri, Leandro. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Bugallo, Roberto Nelson. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Echevarría, Agustín. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Massara, Belén. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Fuentes, Teresita María Victoria. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Funaro, Fernando. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Maria Amelia. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero, Melina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; ArgentinaFil: González Girodo, Matías. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaFil: Iturralde, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Comunicación Social; ArgentinaFil: Martinefsky, Daiana Magali. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Menajovsky, Julio Mario. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Padron, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales - Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales; ArgentinaFil: Palavecino, Valeria Azucena. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales - Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Investigaciones Socio-históricas Regionales; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Patricia. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Silvestro, Micaela Evelyn. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Pcia.de Bs.as.. Facultad de Arte. Centro de Estudios de Teatro y Consumos Culturales; ArgentinaJornadas de AteneoTandilArgentinaUniversidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Arte. Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrad