Gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux disease are strongly associated with non-allergic nasal disorders

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been reported to be significantly associated with chronic rhinosinusitis, but the strength of the association is still debated

SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers: analysis from Verona SIEROEPID Study during the pre-vaccination era

Background: To report the baseline phase of the SIEROEPID study on SARS-CoV-2 infection seroprevalence among health workers at the University Hospital of Verona, Italy, between spring and fall 2020; to compare performances of several laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection. Methods: 5299 voluntary health workers were enrolled from 28 April 2020 to 28 July 2020 to assess immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout IgM, IgG and IgA serum levels titration by four laboratory tests. Association of antibody titre with several demographic variables, swab tests and performance tests (sensitivity, specificity, and agreement) were statistically analyzed. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 6%, considering either IgG and IgM, and 4.8% considering IgG. Working in COVID-19 Units was not associated with a statistically significant increase in the number of infected workers. Cohen's kappa of agreement between MaglumiTM and VivaDiagTM was quite good when considering IgG only (Cohen's kappa = 78.1%, 95% CI 74.0-82.0%), but was lower considering IgM (Cohen's kappa = 13.3%, 95% CI 7.8-18.7%). Conclusion: The large sample size with high participation (84.7%), the biobank and the longitudinal design were significant achievements, offering a baseline dataset as the benchmark for risk assessment, health surveillance and management of SARS-CoV-2 infection for the hospital workforce, especially considering the ongoing vaccination campaign. Study results support the national regulator guidelines on using swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening with health workers and using the serological tests to contribute to the epidemiological assessment of the spread of the virus

Incidence and Determinants of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections After Booster Dose in a Large European Multicentric Cohort of Health Workers-ORCHESTRA Project

Background: SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BI) after vaccine booster dose are a relevant public health issue. Methods: Multicentric longitudinal cohort study within the ORCHESTRA project, involving 63,516 health workers (HW) from 14 European settings. The study investigated the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 BI after booster dose and its correlation with age, sex, job title, previous infection, and time since third dose. Results: 13,093 (20.6%) BI were observed. The cumulative incidence of BI was higher in women and in HW aged < 50 years, but nearly halved after 60 years. Nurses experienced the highest BI incidence, and administrative staff experienced the lowest. The BI incidence was higher in immunosuppressed HW (28.6%) vs others (24.9%). When controlling for gender, age, job title and infection before booster, heterologous vaccination reduced BI incidence with respect to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.63-0.76]. Previous infection protected against asymptomatic infection [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of recent infection vs no infection 0.53, 95% CI 0.23-1.20] and even more against symptomatic infections [RRR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05-0.25]. Symptomatic infections increased from 70.5% in HW receiving the booster dose since < 64 days to 86.2% when time elapsed was > 130 days. Conclusions: The risk of BI after booster is significantly reduced by previous infection, heterologous vaccination, and older ages. Immunosuppression is relevant for increased BI incidence. Time elapsed from booster affects BI severity, confirming the public health usefulness of booster. Further research should focus on BI trend after 4th dose and its relationship with time variables across the epidemics.BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BI) after vaccine booster dose are a relevant public health issue.MethodsMulticentric longitudinal cohort study within the ORCHESTRA project, involving 63,516 health workers (HW) from 14 European settings. The study investigated the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 BI after booster dose and its correlation with age, sex, job title, previous infection, and time since third dose.Results13,093 (20.6%) BI were observed. The cumulative incidence of BI was higher in women and in HW aged < 50 years, but nearly halved after 60 years. Nurses experienced the highest BI incidence, and administrative staff experienced the lowest. The BI incidence was higher in immunosuppressed HW (28.6%) vs others (24.9%). When controlling for gender, age, job title and infection before booster, heterologous vaccination reduced BI incidence with respect to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.63-0.76]. Previous infection protected against asymptomatic infection [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of recent infection vs no infection 0.53, 95% CI 0.23-1.20] and even more against symptomatic infections [RRR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05-0.25]. Symptomatic infections increased from 70.5% in HW receiving the booster dose since < 64 days to 86.2% when time elapsed was > 130 days.ConclusionsThe risk of BI after booster is significantly reduced by previous infection, heterologous vaccination, and older ages. Immunosuppression is relevant for increased BI incidence. Time elapsed from booster affects BI severity, confirming the public health usefulness of booster. Further research should focus on BI trend after 4th dose and its relationship with time variables across the epidemics

SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections: Incidence and Risk Factors in a Large European Multicentric Cohort of Health Workers

The research aimed to investigate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and their determinants in a large European cohort of more than 60,000 health workers

Corrigendum: Temporal trends of COVID-19 antibodies in vaccinated healthcare workers undergoing repeated serological sampling: an individual-level analysis within 13 months in the ORCHESTRA cohort

: [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1079884.]

Temporal trends of COVID-19 antibodies in vaccinated healthcare workers undergoing repeated serological sampling: An individual-level analysis within 13 months in the ORCHESTRA cohort

Short summaryWe investigated changes in serologic measurements after COVID-19 vaccination in 19,422 subjects. An individual-level analysis was performed on standardized measurements. Age, infection, vaccine doses, time between doses and serologies, and vaccine type were associated with changes in serologic levels within 13 months.BackgroundPersistence of vaccine immunization is key for COVID-19 prevention.MethodsWe investigated the difference between two serologic measurements of anti-COVID-19 S1 antibodies in an individual-level analysis on 19,422 vaccinated healthcare workers (HCW) from Italy, Spain, Romania, and Slovakia, tested within 13 months from first dose. Differences in serologic levels were divided by the standard error of the cohort-specific distribution, obtaining standardized measurements. We fitted multivariate linear regression models to identify predictors of difference between two measurements.ResultsWe observed a progressively decreasing difference in serologic levels from <30 days to 210–240 days. Age was associated with an increased difference in serologic levels. There was a greater difference between the two serologic measurements in infected HCW than in HCW who had never been infected; before the first measurement, infected HCW had a relative risk (RR) of 0.81 for one standard deviation in the difference [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78–0.85]. The RRs for a 30-day increase in time between first dose and first serology, and between the two serologies, were 1.08 (95% CI 1.07–1.10) and 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.05), respectively. The first measurement was a strong predictor of subsequent antibody decrease (RR 1.60; 95% CI 1.56–1.64). Compared with Comirnaty, Spikevax (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75–0.92) and mixed vaccines (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.51–0.74) were smaller decrease in serological level (RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.40–0.54).ConclusionsAge, COVID-19 infection, number of doses, time between first dose and first serology, time between serologies, and type of vaccine were associated with differences between the two serologic measurements within a 13-month period

Esposizione a SLC: effetti sulla salute e monitoraggio dei lavoratori delle pietre artificiali in Veneto

La silice è un minerale tra i più diffusi in natura. La silicosi è una patologia con interessamento prevalente a livello polmonare, correlata all’esposizione a silice libera cristallina. Nella seconda metà del ‘900 è stato registrato, anche in Veneto, un picco di casi di silicosi cronica tra i lavoratori esposti in una grande varietà di settori produttivi. Negli ultimi decenni del secolo scorso il numero di casi di silicosi è andato progressivamente a diminuire, fino a raggiungere il valore più basso nei primi anni 2000. Successivamente si è assistito all’insorgenza di più casi di silicosi in aziende che producono pietre artificiali contenenti silice fino al 95% e conseguente esposizione a silice anche 20 volte oltre i limiti indicati attualmente dalle maggiori agenzie. Per ridurre il rischio è necessario verificare l’efficacia dei mezzi di protezione collettiva (aspiratori, cabine) e individuale (facciale filtrante P3) nonchè predisporre ed attuare protocolli sanitari adeguati che consentano di individuare alterazioni polmonari in fase iniziale

La diagnosi della silicosi

La silicosi è una pneumoconiosi sclerogena dovuta all’inalazione prolungata di polveri contenenti biossido di silicio in forma libera cristallina respirabile. La silice presenta tossicità diretta e indiretta con un coinvolgimento principale a livello del tessuto polmonare. Il più importante fattore di rischio per la genesi della silicosi è la dose di esposizione cumulativa a silice. La silicosi si può presentare in varie forme cliniche: cronica, accelerata, acuta o silicoproteinosi e cronica interstiziale diffusa. La variante clinica a maggior prevalenza nei paesi con migliori condizioni economiche è quella cronica. La diagnosi eziologica si basa su un’accurata ricostruzione e documentazione dell’esposizione lavorativa che deve essere compatibile per durata ed intensità, sull’anamnesi patologica e personale, sugli esami di funzionalità respiratoria completa e, soprattutto e pressoché invariabilmente, sull’imaging polmonare. La diagnosi differenziale può porsi con altre pneumopatie. Formulare diagnosi di silicosi comporta adeguato reporting e certificazione agli organi ed istituzioni competenti, nonchè provvedimenti di prevenzione primaria, secondaria e terziaria

Coronavirus disease 2019 in the occupational settings

Purpose of review Within the framework of a scientific scenario dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this work aims to briefly review the latest evidence concerning the selected impact and management of COVID-19 on the working populations in order to identify possible future research and development areas on specific topics. Recent findings The main selected theme covered by the review of the current scientific literature were Healthcare settings, Vulnerable workers, ’Post Covid-19 condition’ and vaccine effectiveness. Summary Current scientific evidence highlights the need to reassess the occupational risks, considering not only the new circumstances of virus spread and COVID-19 occurrence but also the effectiveness of preventive measures as well as the appraisal of the new medical conditions and susceptibilities that the pandemic has brought to light, such as the post-COVID-19 condition. These challenges should be tackled by occupational physicians, in particular, those who have the skills to develop tailored health surveillance and elaborate procedures adequate to protect vulnerable workers and their fitness for work while encouraging a safe return to work. These specialists need the support of high-quality, targeted scientific research, generated by field studies

La gestione del lavoratore neoplastico esposto a radiazioni ionizzanti: revisione di una casistica un ospedale del nord italia.

Il numero di operatori sanitari (OS) esposti a radiazioni ionizzanti (RI) è in aumento nel mondo, per l’incremento, in particolare, dell’uso di procedure radiologiche interventistiche che negli ultimi 20 anni si sono sempre più affermate in tutti gli ambiti, ad esempio in cardiologia, chirurgia vascolare, gastroenterologia, urologia (1). Allo stesso tempo, l’aumento dell’anzianità lavorativa ed il miglioramento della prognosi delle patologie neoplastiche, hanno fatto sì che i soggetti affetti da queste problematiche permangano più a lungo nei contesti lavorativi. Queste due circostanze hanno aumentato la possibilità che il medico autorizzato (MA) si trovi a valutare e gestire un lavoratore con neoplasia e che sia esposto a RI