HUMAN TRICHINELLOSIS IN ITALY: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REVIEW SINCE 1989

Objectives Trichinellosis is a worldwide zooantroponosis caused by a nematode of the genus Trichinella. The main source of human infection is the consumption of raw or undercooked meat (especially from pigs, wild boars and horses). Infection with Trichinella was one of the most frequent parasitic diseases inItaly until 1959 when obligatory screening for these parasites in slaughtered swine was introduced. The aim of our review was to describe the epidemiology of Trichinellosis inItaly, because the last review on this topic was performed in 1989.Study Design We performed a systematic research in MEDLINEMethods We included in our review studies that were published in the peer reviewed literature using the MESH terms “Trichinellosis” and “Italy”. The only restrictions were the language (articles should be in English, Italian, Spanish or French) and the date of publication: from 1989 to March 2017. We excluded all the articles which referred to trichinellosis in the animals or which focused only on molecular biology of trichinella or on diagnostic techniques.Results We found 56 studies, but only 8 studies were considered. A total of 764 cases of Trichinellosis occurred inItaly since the 1990:13.75%caused by T. Britovi and 84.42% by T. spiralis; in 14 cases the identification of the parasite was not performed. The outbreaks occurred inUmbria, Piedmont, Apulia (500 cases in 1990, by T. spiralis),Basilicata,Tuscany, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna,Sardinia. In 2001 and in 2008 two outbreaks occurred in Lazio andVeneto respectively, but imported from abroad. The most important sources of infections were: horse meat (82.19%); wild boar (11.91%); pig (5.89%).Conclusion Trichinellosis is an old disease, still present in our country, but often forgotten by general practitioners and infectious diseases specialists. Our review shows how it is impossible to define a region with a negligible risk, and how physicians and veterinarians should be regularly trained about this parasitic disease. A strict surveillance, especially on meat products from endemic countries or from wild animals is necessary to considerably reduce the risk of acquiring the infection

BACTERIAL LYSATES (OM-85 BV): a cost-effective proposal in order to contrast antibiotic resistance

Background Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the most frequent pathologies in which antibiotics are used because 50% of the exacerbations are attributable to a bacterial infection. The aims of our study were: i)to perform a meta-analysis on the efficacy of the bacterial lysate OM-85 BV in preventing acute exacerbations in patients with COPD; ii) to evaluate whether this preventive treatment can lead to significant savings for the National Health Service (NHS).   Methods A systematic research was conducted in the electronic database MEDLINE (PubMed) in June 2017-July 2020, collecting evidences without time restrictions. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The keywords used were "OM 85 BV AND chronic bronchitis" and "OM 85 BV AND COPD". We realized the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) considering the costs for a treatment with OM-8BV, the costs for the treatment of an acute exacerbation and the number of prevented exacerbations.   Results 59 publications were found, but the meta-analysis was conducted on 13 studies conducted between 1981 and 2015.OM-85 BV is responsible of a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of COPD exacerbations (p <0.01; WMD -0.86;CI 95% -1.38, -0.34) and in the days of antibiotic therapy (p <0.01; WMD -9.49;CI 95% -11.93, -7.05). The cost-effectiveness ratio with a negative value is in favor to treatment.      Conclusions OM-85 BV is effective in reducing exacerbations, and could lead to significant savings for the NHS. Moreover, reducing the number of exacerbations it avoids an over-use of antibiotics and the consequent antibiotic resistance

“Every cockroach is beautiful to his mother’s eyes”? A multicentric study on the perception of child’s health status according to the parent.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood obesity is a social health problem in the Western World and an important goal is to analyze and correct risk factors. However, part of the problem could be determined by a different perception of the weight. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In October 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional study in which a questionnaire was administered to the parents of primary and secondary school children in South-East Tuscany, Italy. The aim was to determine the association between children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and the parent’s perception.RESULTS: Analysis was carried out on 1,405 complete questionnaires. We found that most parents wrongly perceive the weight of their children. 88.3% of parents with obese children believe that their children are of normal weight or only “a little overweight”. 67.6% of parents who have overweight children think that their children are of normal weight (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a misperception of the weight of the children in the parents eyes. The acquisition of healthy behaviour during childhood is extremely important for health in adulthood and for avoiding the onset of associated diseases. Therefore, food education becomes a crucial objective. Children and parents need to increase consciousness of the correct weight and diseases resulting from bad nutrition

Effectiveness of near-UVA in SARS-CoV-2 inactivation

This experimental study aimed to determine the activity of a near-UVA (405 nm) LED ceiling system against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The ceiling system comprised 17 near-UVA LED lights with a radiant power of 1.1 W/each centred at 405 nm wavelength. A 96-multiwell plate, fixed to a wooden base, was inoculated with suspensions of VERO E6 cell cultures infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus and irradiated at a distance of 40 cm with a dose of 20.2 J/cm(2) for 120 min. The collected suspensions were transferred to VERO cell culture plates and incubated for 3 days. The maximum measurable log reduction obtained, starting from a concentration of 10(7.2) TCID50/mL, was 3.0 log(10) and indicated inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication by the near-UVA LED ceiling system. Near-UVA light at a 405-nm wavelength is emerging as a potential alternative treatment for localised infections and environmental decontamination because it is far less harmful to living organisms' cells than UV-C irradiation

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of midwives

Objective. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed the therapeutic relationship between women and midwives and these changes have been perceived as stressors. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of these stressors on midwives through an online questionnaire. Materials and Methods. The VRS tool was used, and statistical analysis was performed using Stata. Results. Significant differences were found in the somatization cluster and in subjective stress cluster. Conclusions. The analysis shows that there is a need to implement resilience-enhancing factors such as communication, sharing of distress and the presence of support

Factors Influencing The First Thousand Days Of Life: The importance of Nurturing Care

Background: WHO, Unicef, the World Bank and the Maternal and Child Health Partnership wrote the document "Nurturing care for early child development: a global framework action".This paper highlights the benefits of early intervention and thus the need to invest more in health during this period.The aim of our study is to assess how much social support received by pregnant mothers can influence maternity outcomes. Materials and Methods: The retrospective observational study was conducted on a sample of mothers enrolled via social networks, who were administered a questionnaire from 1 July to 1 September 2021.The questionnaire consisted of 37 questions, 6 of which were used to calculate the "Maternity Social Support Scale".The ODDs Ratio was calculated. Results:Our sample consisted of 3447 women. 59.01% were between 26 and 35 years of age.The mean Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS) score was calculated to be 23.9 points.A low MSSS score correlated with a higher probability of stopping breastfeeding before 6 months of age(OR:1. 2;C.I:1.1-1.4) and of having a caesarean section(OR:1.2;C.I:1.1-1.4) and to a lower probability of having a spontaneous labour(OR:0.9;C.I:0.7-0.9) and a spontaneous delivery(OR:0.8;C.I:0.7-0.9). In contrast, a high MSSS score had a lower likelihood of ceasing breastfeeding before 6 months (OR:0.8;C.I:0.7-0.9) and caesarean section(OR:0.8;C.I:0.7-0.9) and higher likelihood of spontaneous onset labour(OR:1.2;C.I:1.1-1.3) and spontaneous delivery(OR:1.2;C.I:1.1-1.4). Conclusions:Pregnancy, childbirth and maternity outcomes are strongly influenced and conditioned by the social context in which they occur and the support the woman may receive.The presence or lack of this support may affect the health of newborns

Food related risks during pregnancy: how much do women know about it?

Aim Infection with Toxoplasma gondii and Listeria monocytogenes during pregnancy can lead to severe illness in the foetus but it can be prevented by simple hygienic measures. This study evaluated the knowledge that women have about food related risk and the information sources used. Methods We surveyed pregnant women and new mothers in[Removed for blind peer review], using a questionnaire approved by health direction, processed by an optical reader and analyzed using χ² test and Odds Ratio. Results 149 women responded to the survey, 78.5% of them received information from the gynaecologist, 45% from internet and then books/pamphlets. 67.8% felt well informed about food-related risks connected. 94% of them knows Toxoplasma; 39.5% ignore Listeria instead. From our results it’s evident  that graduated women tend to identify all foods as less secure and had better attitudes on cleaning refrigerator, on respecting temperatures, on avoiding consumption of undercooked foods, on protecting food before consumption. Conclusions Pregnant women have good awareness of food-related risks. However there’s a high confusion, due to the use of internet and other not reliable sources. This study demonstrates that it’s necessary to improve the organization of nutritional education by adequately trained health personnel

Can a UV-C box help the cinema industry by disinfecting video cameras?

UV-C has proven to be an effective virucide and microbicide, and its cost-effectiveness allowed it to spread as a disinfecting device in different environments. The study aims to determine the microbicide activity on S. Aureus, E. Coli and Sars-CoV-2 of the UV-C Boxer by Cartoni S.p.A. Three separate experiments were performed to assess the effectiveness of the UV-C disinfection by the box on different materials, on surfaces of a videocamera and on a specific carrier for Sars-CoV-2. In all three experiments, a significant abatement of bacterial and viral contamination was reached after 60 seconds on carriers and after 3 minutes on all examined surfaces of the video camera, with a higher reduction on glass carriers. UV-C devices may be a valuable tool to implement in the working routine to achieve a higher level of safety in work environments

Pes planus and pes cavus in Southern

Introduction. Baropodometrical digital techniques map the pressures exerted on the foot plant during both static and dynamic loadings. The study of the distribution of such pressures makes it possible to evaluate the postural and locomotory biomechanics together with its pathological variations.Methods. From January 2011 to August 2016 we conducted a cross sectional study in order to diagnose flatfoot and hollowfoot through the baropodometric analysis, and collecting additional information such as gender and the age. 7816 static and dynamic baropodometric tests and radiological exams of the spine in different positions were performed in order to detect, evaluate and verify the presence of spine pathologies or postural disorders. 978 patients were screened for suspected foot deformities: 668 cases of hollow feet and 310 of flat feet were diagnosed.Results. Dividing patients in “younger” and “older” (> 60 years) according to WHO, there is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of hollow feet and flat feet (p < 0.01): the young age is a risk factor for flat feet (OR = 1.61 CI 95% 1.22-2.11) but protective for hollow feet (OR = 0.62 CI 95% 0.47-0.81). There is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.01) due to sex in the prevalence of hollow feet (OR = 0.44 CI 95% 0.33-0.59) and flat feet (OR = 2.23 CI 95% 1.68-2.98): to be a man is a preventive factor for hollow feet, but a risk factor for flat feet.Conclusions. Flatfoot and hollowfoot represent a serious public health problem which is related to working life because these deformities negatively influence the productivity of employees and the quality of life of affected patients.