Surveillance of paediatric exposures to liquid laundry detergent pods in Italy

Objective To analyse paediatric exposures to pod and traditional laundry detergents in Italy and changes in exposure trends. Methods Analyses of a series of patients aged <5 years and exposed to laundry detergents between September 2010 and June 2015, identified by the National Poison Control in Milan. Results In comparison with patients exposed to traditional laundry detergents (n=1150), a higher proportion of those exposed to pods (n=1649) were managed in hospital (68% vs 42%), had clinical effects (75% vs 22%) and moderate/high severity outcomes (13% vs <1%). Exposure rates were stable over time for traditional detergents (average 0.65 cases/day), but an abrupt decline in major company pods was seen in December 2012, 4 months after the introduction of opaque outer packaging (from 1.03 to 0.36 cases/day and from 1.88 to 0.86 cases/million units sold). The odds of clinical effects was higher for exposure to pods than for traditional detergents (OR=10.8; 95% CI 9.0 to 12.9). Among patients exposed to pods, the odds of moderate/high severity outcomes was four times higher for children aged <1 years than for the other age groups (OR=3.9; 95% CI 2.2 to 7.0). Ten children exposed to laundry detergent pods had high severity outcomes while no children exposed to traditional laundry detergents developed high severity effects. Conclusions The study confirms that exposure to laundry detergent pods is more dangerous than exposure to traditional detergents. In Italy, 4 months after the introduction of opaque outer packaging by a major company, product-specific exposure rates decreased sharply, suggesting that reducing visibility of laundry detergent pods may be an effective preventive measure. Further efforts are needed to improve safety

Smoking Behaviour before, during, and after Pregnancy: The Effect of Breastfeeding

Data for this study were obtained from a population-based follow-up study in 25 Italian Local Health Units (LHUs) to evaluate pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care in Italy. A sample of 3534 women was recruited and interviewed within a few days of their giving birth and at 3, 6, and 12 months after delivery, by trained interviewers using questionnaires. The objective of the study was to evaluate changes in smoking behaviour from one interview to the next. Of 2546 women who completed the follow-up, smoking prevalences before and during pregnancy were 21.6% and 6.7%; smoking prevalences and smoking relapse at 3, 6, and 12 months were 8.1% and 18.5%, 10.3% and 30.3%, and 10.9% and 32.3%, respectively. Smoking during and after pregnancy was more likely among women who were less educated, single, not attending antenatal classes, employed, and not breastfeeding. The results show that women who are breastfeeding smoke less than not breastfeeding women, even after controlling for other predictors (i.e.,  smoking relapse at 12 months: OR = 0.43, 95%  CI:  0.19, 0.94). A low maternal mood increases the risk of smoking relapse within 6 months of about 73%. This study also suggests that prolonged breastfeeding reduces the risk of smoking relapse and that this reduction may be persistent in time. Interventions targeting breastfeeding promotion may also indirectly support smoking cessation, even in absence of specific interventions

239 Surveillance of toxic exposures to liquid laundry detergents in pods in Italy

n/

Prevalence of breastfeeding in Italy: a population based follow-up study

Abstract Introduction Breastfeeding is widely recommended. Updated data are needed to assess its prevalence and the effectiveness of interventions. Breastfeeding practices in Italy need to be promoted and monitored with updated and standard data The objective of this study is to provide estimates of the prevalence of breastfeeding and exclusively breastfeeding and to identify factors that may be modified to improve them. Materials and methods Two population-based follow-up surveys were conducted to evaluate the quality of maternal care in 25 Local Health Units in Italy during 2008-2011. Women were interviewed soon after giving birth and after 3, 6 and 12 months. Breastfeeding prevalences were estimated. A logistic regression model was used to investigate factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months. Results Breastfeeding and exclusively breastfeeding prevalences were 91.6% and 57.2% at discharge, 71.6% and 48.6% at 3 months, 57.7% and 5.5% at 6 months. At 12 months, 32.5% were still breastfeeding. Women who are more likely to exclusively breastfeed at 3 months are multiparous, more educated, resident in the north/center, have attended antenatal classes and groups of breastfeeding support, have practiced the skin-to-skin contact in hospital and have initiated breastfeeding early. Conclusion In Italy many mothers do not comply with breastfeeding recommendations. The promotion and support of breastfeeding is still necessary in Italy and still needs to be monitored with representative data. Actions should aim at empowering women, reducing social inequalities and improving practices in hospitals and maternal care services which encourage breastfeeding

Integration of transcriptomic and genomic data suggests candidate mechanisms for APOE4-mediated pathogenic action in Alzheimer’s disease

Among the genetic factors known to increase the risk of late onset Alzheimer's diseases (AD), the presence of the apolipoproteine e4 (APOE4) allele has been recognized as the one with the strongest effect. However, despite decades of research, the pathogenic role of APOE4 in Alzheimer's disease has not been clearly elucidated yet. In order to investigate the pathogenic action of APOE4, we applied a systems biology approach to the analysis of transcriptomic and genomic data of APOE44 vs. APOE33 allele carriers affected by Alzheimer's disease. Network analysis combined with a novel technique for biomarker computation allowed the identification of an alteration in aging-associated processes such as inflammation, oxidative stress and metabolic pathways, indicating that APOE4 possibly accelerates pathological processes physiologically induced by aging. Subsequent integration with genomic data indicates that the Notch pathway could be the nodal molecular mechanism altered in APOE44 allele carriers with Alzheimer's disease. Interestingly, PSEN1 and APP, genes whose mutation are known to be linked to early onset Alzheimer's disease, are closely linked to this pathway. In conclusion, APOE4 role on inflammation and oxidation through the Notch signaling pathway could be crucial in elucidating the risk factors of Alzheimer's disease

Dietary habits among children aged 8-9 years in Italy

Objective To describe dietary habits and related geographic and socio-demographic characteristics among children aged 8-9 years in Italy. Materials and methods Data from the 2012 national nutritional surveillance system collected from children, parents and teachers, have been linked to determine the children's eating habits. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between incorrect dietary habits and their potential predictors. Results Of the 46307 children, 8.6% skipped breakfast, 48.8% did not eat vegetables and 28.7% did not eat fruit daily, 64.8% ate an abundant mid-morning snack, 41.4% drank sugary beverages and 12.5% drank carbonated beverages at least once a day. Three or more incorrect habits were found in 43.9% of the children. Incorrect dietary habits were more common among children with lower socio-economic conditions, who were resident in the South of the country and who spent more time watching TV. Conclusion In Italy, unhealthy dietary habits are common among children. The deficiencies identified may well be a harbinger of future public health problems

IMPLANTE IMEDIATO EM REGIÃO DE MOLAR UTILIZANDO A CIRURGIA GUIADA E PRESERVAÇÃO ALVEOLAR

: A cirurgia guiada é uma técnica promissora na qual o planejamento cirúrgico é feito de forma virtual através de um software, onde é possível simular a posição ideal do implante previamente a cirurgia. De maneira geral, o fluxo digital torna possível a visualização de todas as estruturas anatômicas do paciente onde aplica-se o planejamento prévio estabelecido para cada caso. Sendo assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo descrever as etapas do fluxo digital que levam ao planejamento e a funcionalidade da cirurgia guiada em implantodontia evidenciando seus principais benefícios para o atual cenário da reabilitação oral implantes osseointegráveis, bem como relatar um caso clínico de instalação de implante unitário em região de molar por meio de cirurgia guiada e preservação alveolar. Paciente, M.P.A, sexo feminino, 65 anos de idade, ASA I, compareceu à clínica odontológica para reabilitação do elemento 37 por razões periodontais. Após sobreposição dos arquivos STL (Standard Triangle Language) e DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) obtidos do escaneamento intraoral e tomografia computadorizada, efetuou-se o planejamento tridimensional do implante em software específico. As informações foram usadas para projetar e fabricar o guia cirúrgico dentosuportado por processo aditivo (impressora 3D). Para o procedimento cirúrgico, foi realizada a exodontia atraumática do elemento 37, seguida da instalação do implante e posterior preenchimento do gap ósseo com enxerto ósseo xenógeno, e selamento do alvéolo com cicatrizador personalizável com o objetivo de preservação óssea alveolar. Após 5 meses do procedimento cirúrgico foi solicitada radiografia periapical e confeccionada prótese parafusada sobre o implante

A VLBI receiving system for the South Pole Telescope

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment that aims to observe supermassive black holes with an angular resolution that is comparable to the event horizon scale. The South Pole occupies an important position in the array, greatly increasing its north-south extent and therefore its resolution. The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10-meter diameter, millimeter-wavelength telescope equipped for bolometric observations of the cosmic microwave background. To enable VLBI observations with the SPT we have constructed a coherent signal chain suitable for the South Pole environment. The dual-frequency receiver incorporates state-of-the-art SIS mixers and is installed in the SPT receiver cabin. The VLBI signal chain also includes a recording system and reference frequency generator tied to a hydrogen maser. Here we describe the SPT VLBI system design in detail and present both the lab measurements and on-sky results.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of the SPIE (SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018; Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy IX