The Chambers in the Covid-19 Emergency. Reconstructive remarks and problematic insights

This essay considers the Italian Parliament's response to the Covid-19 health crisis. The argumentative register is twofold: on the one hand, it follows the internal dimension of the Chambers (especially with reference to organizational and procedural profiles);on the other hand, the external dimension, of relations with the Government (especially with regard to regulatory and control activities). In view of this reconstruction, the research discusses some possible solutions useful to enhance the role of Parliament, also considering, in a problematic way, the results of some doctrinal and institutional debates held during the pandemic emergency, with reference to the limits and potentialities of digitalization hypotheses applied to the life of Parliament. © 2023, Societa Editoriale Federalismi s.r.l.. All rights reserved.

Neurological and radiological findings associated with paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) in children

Background: Neurological manifestations have been reported both in adults and children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) is a recently described severe post-infectious immune-mediated disorder. Objective: Our aim was to report neurological manifestations of children with PIMS-TS. Methods: Patients (<18y) presenting to Great Ormond Street Hospital between April 4, 2020, and May 1, 2021 fulfilling PIMS-TS criteria, were included. Clinical and paraclinical features were retrieved retrospectively from electronic patient records. Results: Data was available for 125 patients who presented during the study period. Median age was 10 years (IQR 7, 12), 71 (56.8%) were male and 96 (76.8%) were of non-white ethnicities. New-onset neurological symptoms were reported in 73/125 (58.4%);headaches (n=47), encephalopathy (n=41), hallucinations (n=15), ataxia (n=12), dysarthria/dysphonia (n=12), peripheral nerve involvement (n=3), and seizures (n=1). Thirteen patients had CSF examined;one patient had 118 leukocytes in CSF. Abnormalities were noted in 16/32 patients with neuroimaging, with splenium of the corpus callosum signal changes most commonly seen in 9 patients. An excess of slow activity was found in 78/98 who had an EEG;38 mild, 34 moderate and 7 had severe encephalopathy on EEG. Myopathic and neuropathic changes were seen in 7/12 who underwent nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG). Children with neurological involvement had higher peak inflammatory markers and were more likely to be ventilated and require inotropic support in PICU (p<0.05). Conclusions: Children with PIMS-TS presented with new neurological symptoms involving both the central and peripheral nervous systems, in the absence of respiratory symptoms. Neurological symptoms were seen more frequently in more severe presentations.

Occupational safety and health risk assessment and management challenges in Brazil – lessons from the AquaSafe mobile software application

Introduction: AquaSafe is a mobile learning application that can be used as one of the modalities for teaching, training and risk assessment in aquaculture occupational health and safety (AOHS). The app has checklists, risk assessment tools and other relevant information on AOHS. Materials and Methods: Content information was based on global scientific literature, ILO, FAO, WHO and OHSAS 18001. An online survey is also available to identify which application tools are used and to assess the application’s effectiveness in promoting prevention of injury and illness in aquaculture workers. Results: Available for Android, its interfaces promote learning through a questionnaire;risk assessment checklists;and tools to identify the root cause of the AOHS problem. Users can find information on risks, personal protective equipment and educational videos on AOHS as well as COVID-19. Findings from the online survey revealed that most responders indicated that AquaSafe increased their knowledge of AOHS. Participants reported that risk tools, checklists and what-if are used more frequently than quizzes, videos and the “5-whys”. Conclusions: While AquaSafe is designed to support knowledge awareness, risk assessment and decision making in AOHS, it is not used widely enough. The low response rate to the survey and downloads suggest that AOHS is not a priority in low-middle income countries, such Brazil. AOHS awareness remains a challenge and requires differentiated approaches.