Is the association between precarious employment and mental health mediated by economic difficulties in males? Results from two Italian studies

Flexible employment is increasing across Europe and recent studies show an association with poor mental health. The goal of the current study is to examine this association in the Italian population to assess the possible mediating role of financial strain. Methods: Data were obtained by two Italian cross-sectional studies (PASSI and HIS) aimed at monitoring the general population health status, health behaviours and determinants. Mental health status was assessed using alternatively two validated questionnaires (the PHQ-2 and the MCS-12 score) and Poisson regression models were performed to assess if precarious work was associated with poor mental health. A formal mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate if the association between precarious work and mental health was mediated by financial strain. Results: The analyses were performed on 31,948 subjects in PASSI and on 21,894 subjects in HIS. A nearly two-fold risk of depression and poor mental health was found among precarious workers, compared to workers with a permanent contract, which was strongly mediated by financial strain. Conclusions: Even with the limitations of a cross-sectional design, this research supports that precarious employment contributes through financial strain to reduce the mental health related quality of life and to increase mental disorders such as symptoms of depression or dysthymia. This suggests that when stability in work cannot be guaranteed, it would be appropriate to intervene on the wages of precarious jobs and to provide social safety nets for ensuring adequate income

Socioeconomic inequalities in suicide mortality in European urban areas before and during the economic recession

Few studies have assessed the impact of the financial crisis on inequalities in suicide mortality in European urban areas. The objective of the study was to analyse the trend in area socioeconomic inequalities in suicide mortality in nine European urban areas before and after the beginning of the financial crisis. This ecological study of trends was based on three periods, two before the economic crisis (2000-2003, 2004-2008) and one during the crisis (2009-2014). The units of analysis were the small areas of nine European cities or metropolitan areas, with a median population ranging from 271 (Turin) to 193 630 (Berlin). For each small area and sex, we analysed smoothed standardized mortality ratios of suicide mortality and their relationship with a socioeconomic deprivation index using a hierarchical Bayesian model. Among men, the relative risk (RR) comparing suicide mortality of the 95th percentile value of socioeconomic deprivation (severe deprivation) to its 5th percentile value (low deprivation) were higher than 1 in Stockholm and Lisbon in the three periods. In Barcelona, the RR was 2.06 (95% credible interval: 1.24-3.21) in the first period, decreasing in the other periods. No significant changes were observed across the periods. Among women, a positive significant association was identified only in Stockholm (RR around 2 in the three periods). There were no significant changes across the periods except in London with a RR of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.35-0.68) in the third period. Area socioeconomic inequalities in suicide mortality did not change significantly after the onset of the crisis in the areas studied

Advancing tools to promote health equity across European Union regions : The EURO-HEALTHY project

Population health measurements are recognised as appropriate tools to support public health monitoring. Yet, there is still a lack of tools that offer a basis for policy appraisal and for foreseeing impacts on health equity. In the context of persistent regional inequalities, it is critical to ascertain which regions are performing best, which factors might shape future health outcomes and where there is room for improvement. Under the EURO-HEALTHY project, tools combining the technical elements of multi-criteria value models and the social elements of participatory processes were developed to measure health in multiple dimensions and to inform policies. The flagship tool is the Population Health Index (PHI), a multidimensional measure that evaluates health from the lens of equity in health determinants and health outcomes, further divided into sub-indices. Foresight tools for policy analysis were also developed, namely: (1) scenarios of future patterns of population health in Europe in 2030, combining group elicitation with the Extreme-World method and (2) a multi-criteria evaluation framework informing policy appraisal (case study of Lisbon). Finally, a WebGIS was built to map and communicate the results to wider audiences. The Population Health Index was applied to all European Union (EU) regions, indicating which regions are lagging behind and where investments are most needed to close the health gap. Three scenarios for 2030 were produced - (1) the 'Failing Europe' scenario (worst case/increasing inequalities), (2) the 'Sustainable Prosperity' scenario (best case/decreasing inequalities) and (3) the 'Being Stuck' scenario (the EU and Member States maintain the status quo). Finally, the policy appraisal exercise conducted in Lisbon illustrates which policies have higher potential to improve health and how their feasibility can change according to different scenarios. The article makes a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of population health. Theoretically, it contributes to the conceptualisation of health in a broader sense by advancing a model able to integrate multiple aspects of health, including health outcomes and multisectoral determinants. Empirically, the model and tools are closely tied to what is measurable when using the EU context but offering opportunities to be upscaled to other settings

Lichen ruber planus occurring after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

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INFLUENZA AVIARIA NELLE SPECIE SELVATICHE IN ITALIA: ECOLOGIA E FATTORI DI RISCHIO

L'ARTICOLO DESCRIVE L'ECOLOGIA DEI VIRUS INFLUENZALI DI TIPO A SOTTO IL PROFILO EVOLUZIONISTICO ED ECOLOGICO. VENGONO EVIDENZIATI I RUOLI DI SERBATOI E DI EPIFENOMENI NELLE POPOLAZIONI NATURALI SIA SELVATICHE SIA DOMESTICHE E NE VENGONO ANALIZZATI I FATTORI DI RISCHIO PER L'UOMO E PER LE PRODUZIONI ANIMALI

Il ruolo degli animali selvatici nel rapporto con le specie domestiche: l'esperienza dell'influenza aviaria

L\u2019allarme elevato indotto in Europa dall\u2019ipotesi che virus ad alta patogenicit\ue0 quale l\u2019H5N1 possa ricombinarsi con virus influenzali umani non \ue8 solo allarmismo. Gi\ue0 a fine 2004 il virus aviare era entrato in Europa al seguito di un contrabbandiere tailandese di Spizeti - Aquile da ciuffo tailandesi - ( Spizaetus nipalensis) e solo grazie al personale di sorveglianza dell\u2019aereoporto di Bruxelles aveva ultimato l\uec il suo viaggio. Oggi, i movimenti dell\u2019H5N1 verso Ovest che lo hanno portato in Kazakistan e sulle rive del mar Caspio portandolo a coinvolgere un numero progressivo di nazioni con un movimento verso ovest che gli sta consentendo di colonizzare gran parte dell\u2019Europa. Oggi ne \ue8 stata riscontrata la presenza in cigni reali, germani reali, polli sultani, poiane, cormorani, svassi, smerghi ed in molte altre specie. La diffusione verso occidente lo porta ad incontrare diversi elementi naturali che possono contribuire sia a rallentare sia a facilitarne la diffusione. Al primo posto troviamo la presenza di anticorpi contro virus del sottotipo H5 nella popolazione delle anatre selvatiche del mediterraneo evidenziata durante gli studi nella Oasi WWF di Orbetello. Gli anticorpi contro virus influenzali H5N2 e H5N3, H5N1 circolati negli ultimi anni tra le anatre selvatiche del nostro paese sono probabilmente in grado di limitare l\u2019infezione da virus H5N1 (Asiatico). L\u2019 evidenza sierologia della continua circolazione negli ultimi dieci anni tra le anatre di diversi virus influenzali AH5 non patogeni potrebbe funzionare un po\u2019 come una vaccinazione, creando una seppur parziale immunit\ue0 di popolazione che ostacolerebbe la diffusione dell\u2019infezione da H5N1. Di contro la stessa presenza di anticorpi potrebbe consentire una maggior diffusione del virus in virt\uf9 del fatto che i soggetti con anticorpi per il sottotipo H5 possono infettarsi e non ammalandosi contribuire al trasporto del virus tra popolazioni recettive in diverse aree. Fondamentale \ue8 quanto gi\ue0 viene attuato con i sistemi di sorveglianza veterinari degli allevamenti intensivi e con l\u2019applicazione di tutte le norme possibili di biosicurezza per gli allevamenti stessi. Qualsiasi intervento gestionale volto a eliminare l\u2019infezione dalle popolazioni selvatiche risulta inapplicabile e peraltro improponibile, cos\uec come sono da escludere azioni dirette a danno delle specie selvatiche. Le ipotesi di abbattimenti indiscriminati che ogni tanto vengono paventate risultano molto pericolose nel caso di circolazione del virus. L\u2019abbattimento delle anatre provocherebbe inoltre, spaventandole, una elevata dispersione delle stesse sul territorio con una conseguente maggior circolazione del virus (un analogo fattore di rischio \ue8 rappresentato dall\u2019effettuazione di censimenti aerei nelle aree di aggregazione)

Immunohistochemical MHC-II and IL2R (CD25) expression in lymph nodes of pigs with spontaneous post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)

Immunohistochemical expression of immunocompetent cells bearing major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) and interleukin 2-R (IL2-R) (CD25) molecules was performed on lymph nodes with spontaneous postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Control lymph nodes displayed intense diffuse immunoreactivity to MHC-II in both follicles and interfollicular areas. A marked reduction of follicular MHC-II immunoreactivity and inconsistent staining of histiocytes in interfollicular areas was observed in PMWS cases with a slight lymphoid depletion; in those cases with moderate to severe lymphoid depletion, there was a progressive decrease in MHC-II expression. In controls and in slightly depleted nodes, IL2-R was equally expressed in interfollicular tissue and in follicles, whereas in moderate and severe cases, it was detected in interfollicular remnants only. Immunohistochemical staining was scored semiquantitatively. The mean MHC-II score was significantly reduced in PMWS cases compared with controls (Spearman test), whereas there was no difference in the IL2-R score. The evident reduction of MHC-II immunoreactivity suggests an impairment in MHC-II linked antigen presenting cell expression