Health and Safety of Pesticide Applicators in a high income agricultural setting: a knowledge, attitude, practice, and toxicity study from North-Eastern Italy

Background. We assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding pesticide handling and related health problems among pesticide applicators (PAs) from the Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy.Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed in spring 2016, involving 260 PAs. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with a safer use of pesticides.Results. The mean age of participants was 48.8 ± 13.2 years. 89.2% were males. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was diffuse, particularly gloves (92.7%), face mask (91.2%), and post-spraying personal hygiene practices were extensively applied. Overall, 43.5% had experienced pesticide-related symptoms especially in subjects misusing PPE, but also for avoiding hygienic procedures. Knowledge about pesticides was a significant predictor for frequency of symptoms.Conclusions. As a better knowledge of pesticide-related risks was a significant predictor to reduce symptoms, our results stress that improving awareness and promoting safe use of pesticide may improve the health of PAs

NMR investigation of the pressure induced Mott transition to superconductivity in Cs3C60 isomeric compounds

The discovery in 1991 of high temperature superconductivity (SC) in A3C60 compounds, where A is an alkali ion, has been initially ascribed to a BCS mechanism, with a weak incidence of electron correlations. However various experimental evidences taken for compounds with distinct alkali content established the interplay of strong correlations and Jahn Teller distortions of the C60 ball. The importance of electronic correlations even in A3C60 has been highlighted by the recent discovery of two expanded fulleride Cs3C60 isomeric phases that are Mott insulators at ambient pressure. Both phases undergo a pressure induced first order Mott transition to SC with a (p, T) phase diagram displaying a dome shaped SC, a common situation encountered nowadays in correlated electron systems. NMR experiments allowed us to establish that the bipartite A15 phase displays N\'eel order at 47K, while magnetic freezing only occurs at lower temperature in the fcc phase. NMR data do permit us to conclude that well above the critical pressure, the singlet superconductivity found for light alkalis is recovered. However deviations from BCS expectations linked with electronic correlations are found near the Mott transition. So, although SC involves an electron-phonon mechanism, correlations have a significant incidence on the electronic properties, as had been anticipated from DMFT calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, invited at M2SHTSC Conference Washington (2012

Risk perception of heat related disorders on the workplaces: a survey among health and safety representatives from the autonomous province of Trento, Northeastern Italy

Introduction. This study will investigate knowledge, attitude and practices towards heat-related health issues in a sample of safety representatives from Northern Italy (HSRs). Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in 2016-2017 among 298 HSR. Knowledge status was measured both in general but as well and focusing on first-aid issues. Assessment of risk perception included severity and frequency of heat-related events. Multivariate logistic regression analysis assessed individual and work-related characteristics associated with HSRs’ risk perception. Results: 258 questionnaires were retrieved (participation rate 86.6%; mean age 48.2±8.4 years). Knowledge status was relatively good on technical/preventive issues (62.3%%±16.8) and first aid measures (72.6%±27.2), but a large share of respondents ignored the risk from exertional heat stroke (35.9%), and for heat strokes elicited by non-environmental heat (e.g. machineries, use of protective equipment, etc. 47.9%). The majority of respondents acknowledged the high frequency of HW events (62.0%), but only 44.6% agreed on their potential health threat, with an unsatisfying cumulative risk perception score (55.4%±23.5). A specific first-aid formation course was reported by 49.2% of respondents, while 10.9% had any previous interaction with heat-related disorders. Specific countermeasures for heat waves had been put in place by parent company in 20.1% of cases. Eventually, higher educational achievements (mOR 2.239, 95%CI 1.184 - 4.233) and a better general knowledge status (mOR 1.703, 95%CI 1.073 - 2.979) were positive predictors for higher risk perception. Conclusions: Although HSRs exhibited a good understanding of heat-related health issues, stakeholders should improve the implementation of specific countermeasures on the workplaces

Extending the hydrogen storage limit in fullerene

Li6C60 has been chosen as the most representative system to study the hydrogenation mechanism in alkali-cluster intercalated fullerides. We present here a muon spin relaxation (mu SR) experiment that hints the chance to achieve a higher storage capacity on fullerene with respect to the values suggested in literature. Moreover, a linear relationship between the muonium adduct radical hyperfine frequency and the level of C-60 hydrogenation was found and it can be exploited to probe the C-60 hydrogenation level, giving more credit to this technique in the field of hydrogen storage materials. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of Occupational Physicians towards influenza vaccination: a cross-sectional study from North-Eastern Italy

Introduction. The present study aims to characterize personal attitudes and knowledge of a sample of Italian Occupational Physicians (OPh) towards influenza vaccine in healthcare workers (HCWs).Methods. In total, 92 OPh (42.4% males, 57.6% females, mean age of 47.3±10.4 years, 50 specialists in Occupational Medicine, 42 specialists in Hygiene and Public Health) were asked about their attitudes towards influenza vaccine, their general knowledge of vaccine practice, their propensity towards vaccines. Eventually, their risk perception about the influenza and influenza vaccine was investigated. A regression analysis was then performed in order to better characterise predictive factors for vaccine propensity.Results.  Influenza was recognized as a vaccination recommended for HCWs in 89/92 of the sampled OPh (96.7%). However, prevalence of misconceptions about vaccines was relatively high, with 26/92 (28.3%) and 24/92 (26.1%) referring vaccinations as eliciting allergic and autoimmune diseases, respectively and identifying lethargic encephalitis (18/92, 19.6%), autism (17/92, 18.5%), diabetes mellitus (15/92, 16.3%) and multiple sclerosis (13/92, 14.1%) as causatively vaccine-related. Vaccine propensity was significantly correlated with general knowledge and risk perception (r=0.492, p <0.001 and r=0.280, p=0.007). Regression analysis, controlled for age, sex, professional qualification, confirmed both factors as predictive towards influenza vaccine propensity.Discussion. Incomplete knowledge of evidence-based recommendations for influenza vaccinations and resulting low vaccination rates in HCWs may found their roots in the attitudes of OPh, the latter significantly influenced by an unsatisfying knowledge of vaccine pros and cons

Pertussis immunization in healthcare workers: knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of Occupational Physicians. Preliminary results from a web-based survey (2017).

Introduction: The present study aims to characterize knowledge, attitudes and practices in a sample of occupational physicians (OPh) towards pertussis immunization in healthcare workers (HCWs). Material and Methods: A total of 148 OPh (45.9% males, mean age of 40.3±13.2 years) compiled a web questionnaire including a knowledge test on Italian recommendations for HCWs, epidemiology and pathology of pertussis infection, being then investigated about risk perceptions and vaccination practices. A General Knowledge Score (GKS) and a Risk Perception Score (RPS) were calculated. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) for predictors of vaccine propensity were calculated through regression analysis. Results: 78 participants regularly recalled pertussis vaccination status and/or performed pertussis vaccination in HCWs (52.7%). Proactive status was correlated with the aim to avoid pertussis infection in HCWs and its diffusion to other adults (p < 0.001, both statements). GKS was satisfying (72.4%±14.9), but participants underestimated the clinical issues of pertussis infection (RPS 60.8%±9.5) when confronted with influenza (73.9%±10.9) and HBV infection (68.1%±10.1). GKS and RPS were well correlated (r = 0.244, p = 0.003). Eventually, a better GKS and the aim to avoid pertussis infection in HCWs were predictive of a proactive status for pertussis vaccination (OR 4.186 95%CI 1.809–9.685 and OR 11.459, 95%CI 3.312–39.651, respectively). Conclusions: Adherence of OPh to HCWs pertussis vaccination was unsatisfying. As knowledge status was predictive for vaccine propensity, information programs for OPh should be more appropriately designed, stressing that HCWs may represent a significant reservoir for pertussis infection in high risk groups (e.g. children/newborns, frail elderly)

Riconoscimento e legame sociale in psicoanalisi

Il contributo riprende le questioni sollevate dalla dialettica del riconoscimento hegeliana, attraverso la rilettura di Kojève e l'impiego all'interno dell'etica della cura analitica in J. Lacan. Se ne ricava una riflessione sul tema del riconoscimento del reale come non rapporto costitutivo del legame sociale