Neurobehavioral Alterations from Noise Exposure in Animals: A Systematic Review

Ecosystems are increasingly involved and influenced by human activities, which are ever-increasing. These activities are mainly due to vehicular, air and sea transportation, thus causing possible repercussions on the fauna that exists there. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the possible consequences that these activities may have in the field of animal neurobehavior, with special emphasis on the species involved, the most common environment concerned, the noise source and the disturbance that is caused. This research includes articles published in the major databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, Web of Sciences); the online search yielded 1901 references. After selection, 49 articles (14 reviews and 35 original articles) were finally scrutinized. The main problems that were reported were in relation to movement, reproduction, offspring care and foraging. In live experiments carried out, the repercussions on the marine environment mainly concerned altered swimming, shallower descents, less foraging and an escape reaction for fear of cetaceans and fish. In birds, alterations in foraging, vocalizations and nests were noted; laboratory studies, on the other hand, carried out on small mammals, highlighted spatio-temporal cognitive alterations and memory loss. In conclusion, it appears that greater attention to all ecosystems should be given as soon as possible so as to try to achieve a balance between human activity and the well-being of terrestrial fauna

Italia-Argentina: aspetti normativi e dati statistici su infortuni e malattie professionali

Scopo dello studio è l’analisi comparata dei dati statistici più recenti relativi all’andamento degli infortuni in occasione di lavoro e malattie professionali in Italia e Argentina, con particolare attenzione alle criticità relative alla differente normativa in merito alla salute e sicurezza sui luoghi di lavoro. Materiali e Metodi. È stata effettuata una revisione della normativa vigente nei due Paesi e degli ultimi dati disponibili relativi agli infortuni e malattie professionali. Risultati. Per quanto riguarda l’Italia, dai dati estrapolati attraverso i registri INAIL riguardanti le malattie professionali e gli infortuni sul lavoro, emerge che il numero di casi di malattie professionali è 58.917 (71% maschi e 29% femmine; fascia di età prevalente 50-64 aa; 63,4% casi di disturbi all’apparato osteo-articolare, 29,9% casi di disturbi all’apparato uditivo) e che casi di infortunio in occasione di lavoro sono 499.263. Per quanto riguarda l’Argentina dai dati estrapolati dai registri SRT emerge che il numero di malattie professionali è 24.576 (apparato osteoarticolare 33,8% e disturbi ORL 38,4%) ed il numero di infortuni è 437.738 (61,9% maschi, 38,1% femmine; agricoltura 11,6% ed industria 29%; apparato osteoarticolare 61%, tessuti molli 15,3%, ORL 0,8%, nervoso 10,2, vascolare 0,8%, cute 2,5%) Conclusioni. Il nostro studio suggerisce l’utilità di raccogliere ulteriori dati al fine di rendere tali confronti normativi ed epidemiologici più accurati e più efficaci per far emergere le differenze nell’approccio legislativo tra i due Stati e permettere la formulazione e conseguente attuazione di nuove strategie di prevenzione

WORKbiota : a systematic review about the effects of occupational exposure on microbiota and workers’ health

The characterization of human microbiota and the impact of its modifications on the health of individuals represent a current topic of great interest for the world scientific community. Scientific evidence is emerging regarding the role that microbiota has in the onset of important chronic illnesses. Since individuals spend most of their life at work, occupational exposures may have an impact on the organism’s microbiota. The purpose of this review is to explore the influence that different occupational exposures have on human microbiota in order to set a new basis for workers’ health protection and disease prevention. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus. A total of 5818 references emerged from the online search, and 31 articles were included in the systematic review (26 original articles and 5 reviews). Exposure to biological agents (in particular direct contact with animals) was the most occupational risk factor studied, and it was found involved in modifications of the microbiota of workers. Changes in microbiota were also found in workers exposed to chemical agents or subjected to work-related stress and altered dietary habits caused by specific microclimate characteristics or long trips. Two studies evaluated the role of microbiota changes on the development of occupational lung diseases. Occupational factors can interface with the biological rhythms of the bacteria of the microbiota and can contribute to its modifications and to the possible development of diseases. Future studies are needed to better understand the role of the microbiota and its connection with occupational exposure to promote projects for the prevention and protection of global health.peer-reviewe

Neurobehavioral alterations in occupational noise exposure : a systematic review

The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development emphasizes the value to ensure health and well-being in different environments, including workplaces. Chronic exposure to noise can cause several extraordinary effects and involve all the systems of the human organism. In addition to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and immune effects, the data in the literature show alterations in behavioral disturbances, memory capacity, and cognitive performance. Through this systematic review, the authors try to find out the main neurobehavioral alterations in the case of occupational exposure to noise. The literature review included articles published in the major databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase), using a combination of some relevant keywords. This online search yielded 4434 references; after selection, the authors analyzed 41 articles (4 narrative reviews and 37 original articles). From this analysis, it appears that the main symptoms are related to psychological distress, annoyance, sleep disturbances, and cognitive performance. Regarding tasks, the most frequent employments concern school staff, followed by employees from various industrial sectors and office workers. Although the causes are still widely debated, it is essential to protect these workers against chronic exposure to noise. In fact, in addition to a hearing loss, they can manifest many other related discomforts over time and compromise their full working capacity, as well as expose them to a greater risk of accidents or absences from work.peer-reviewe

Ergonomic risk and preventive measures of musculoskeletal disorders in the dentistry environment: an umbrella review

Introduction Dental practitioners are exposed to different occupational hazards during the course of their professional activity, such as physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic factors. The ergonomic hazards, caused by strained posture and prolonged repetitive movements, can induce musculoskeletal disorders. It occurs in 54–93% of dental professionals and involve the spine, shoulder and hand-wrist tract. Through a systematic review of international literature, we analyzed specific ergonomic risk factors and preventive measures of musculoskeletal disorders in professional dental activity. Methods This systematic review is coherent with the PRISMA statement. The scientific research on the major online databases was based on the following keywords: dentist, prevention, ergonomic, dentistry, musculoskeletal, neck pain, posture, ergonomics, work and occupational. The studies included in this review focus on disorders related to ergonomics and on the most effective preventive measures to be adopted. No restrictions were applied for language or publication type. We excluded reports not related to ergonomic prevention in dentistry, reports of minor academic significance, editorial articles, individual contributions, and studies published in scientific conferences. Results Online research indicated 4188 references: PubMed (2919), Scopus (1257) e Cochrane Library (12). We excluded 3012 of these, because they were unrelated to ergonomics theme and 187 due to duplication. From the remaining 989 studies, 960 papers did not meet inclusion criteria and they were excluded. Therefore, we analyzed 29 articles, including 16 narrative reviews and 13 original article. The main risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal disorders found in our analysis is static posture adopted during work, highlighted in 87.5% of reviews and 84% of original articles. With regard to preventive measures, 75% of the reviews highlighted the importance of stretching after each working session and at the end of the working day, while 61.5% of the original articles emphasized the use of modern and ergonomic instruments. Discussion This review showed that static postures are strongly responsible in the etiology of musculoskeletal disorders. The awkward postures more frequently identified among dental professionals are: extreme forward-head and neck flexion; trunk inclination and rotation towards one side; lifting one or both shoulders; increased curvature of the thoracic vertebral column; incorrect positioning of the lower limbs with thigh-leg angle of less than 90°. It is really important to use of a modern workstation with appropriate ergonomic supports. Among the preventive ergonomic measures, literature has widely recognized the role of physical activity and of a neutral and balanced posture. The present review has some limits: a large part of the selected studies did not have a high methodological quality score and an inadequate statistical analysis

Extra-auditory effects of noise exposure in school workers and preventive measures. A systematic review

OBJECTIVE: Noise is still today one of the main causes of occupational diseas- es; in fact, in Italy in the three-year period 2019- 2022, hearing loss represented 15% of all occu- pational diseases recognized by the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work. The extra-auditory effects related to noise expo- sure also require particular attention, because they can interfere with mental activities that re- quire concentration, memory and ability to deal with complex problems, causing sleep and learn- ing disorders. For this reason, acoustic comfort is considered a fundamental requirement for ob- taining an optimal degree of well-being in closed environments. In schools, a high degree of noise pollution not only makes it difficult for students to listen and learn, but also affects school workers. The aim of this study was to perform a systemat- ic review of international literature and analysis of the preventive measures of extra-auditory effects among school workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The presenta- tion of this systematic review is in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The methodologi- cal quality of the selected studies was assessed with specific rating tools (INSA, Newcastle Otta- wa Scale, JADAD, JBI scale and AMSTAR). On- ly publications in English were selected. No re- strictions were applied for the publication type. We excluded articles not concerned with the ex- tra-auditory effects of noise exposure in school workers and preventive measures, findings of less academic significance, editorial articles, in- dividual contributions, and purely descriptive studies published in scientific conferences. RESULTS: Online research indicated 4,363 references: PubMed (2,319), Scopus (1,615) and Cochrane Library (429) have been consulted; 30 studies were included in this review (5 narrative or systematic reviews and 25 original articles). Regarding the scores of narrative reviews, the INSA score showed an average and a median value of 6.5, thus indicating an intermediate/high quality of the studies. Regarding the scores of systematic reviews, the AMSTAR score showed an average of 6.7 and a median and a modal val- ue of 6, thus indicating a high quality of the stud- ies. The scores assigned to the original articles have an average and median value of 7 and a modal value of 6 and this demonstrates an inter- mediate/high quality of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: We can assume that, as it is highlighted by this study, to date these con- sequences are not considered at the legisla- tive level for the protection of exposed workers. The extra-auditory effects impacting health af- terward environmental noise exposure are ma- ny and widespread. Therefore, there is a need for interventions to be carried out by institutions and that the physician of the schools, during health surveillance, investigates the effects and clinical manifestations, in order to prevent disor- ders and deficits highlighted by our study