The Evaluation of the Balance Test and MuscleLab Test for the Early Detection of Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a common source of hip pain affecting a wide range of subjects. In this work, we assessed two tests, namely the balance test and the MuscleLab test, in comparison with the flexion-abduction-external rotation (FABER) and flexion-adduction-internal rotation (FADIR) tests, in order to evaluate the functionality of the neural-musculoskeletal system of the subjects affected by FAI based on the measurement of biomechanical parameters. Our goal was to investigate the early detection of an altered hip joint and to monitor pathology progression over time. A total of 52 subjects, 29 females and 23 males, with an average age of 42 ± 13 years presenting hip impingement diagnosed using X-ray, were enrolled. Twenty-eight patients without signs of hip impingements were used as the control group. The balance test, which evaluates the capacity of a person to keep the orthostatic position against terrestrial gravity, and the MuscleLab test, which measures the force and power generated by active muscles during a movement, as well as FABER and FADIR tests, were performed in each subject. The balance and MuscleLab tests presented 100% sensitivity and higher sensitivity in FAI diagnosis, with 72.9% and 70.4%, respectively, in comparison with those obtained using FABER and FADIR tests, with 59.6% and 67.3%, respectively. The evaluation of the neural-musculoskeletal system using the balance and MuscleLab tests can help in the early detection of the severity of hip impingements and the assessment of non-operative treatments used over time.

Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG-OCCUPATION-COVID-19 Study.

Sero-epidemiological surveys are valuable attempts to estimate the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in general or selected populations. Within this context, a prospective observational study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different categories of workers and factors associated with positivity, through the detection of virus-specific immunoglobulin G and M (IgG/IgM) in serum samples. Enrollees were divided in low exposure and medium-high groups on the basis of their work activity. Antibody responders were re-contacted after 3 months for the follow-up. Of 2255 sampled workers, 4.8% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies, with 81.7% to IgG only. Workers who continued to go to their place of work, were healthcare workers, or experienced at least one COVID-19-related symptom were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies prevalence was significantly higher in the medium-high risk vs. low-risk group (7.2% vs. 3.0%, p < 0.0001). At 3-month follow-up, 81.3% of subjects still had antibody response. This study provided important information of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence among workers in northern Italy, where the impact of COVID-19 was particularly intense. The presented surveillance data give a contribution to refine current estimates of the disease burden expected from the SARS-CoV-2.

[Occupational health nurse's role in health surveillance and workers' education: national and international state]. / Il ruolo dell'Infermiere del Lavoro nelle attività di sorveglianza e formazione dei lavoratori: panorama nazionale e internazionale.

OBJECTIVES: Occupational Health Nurses have gradually changed their role. To provide a national and international overview concerning the Occupational Health Nurse's role and to evaluate which are the regulatory/professional elements currently in force in Italy that may permit to better structure and develop Occupational Health Nurse's technical/scientific knowledges. METHODS: Literature and regulatory texts review in Italy and abroad; on sight research in some public and private Occupational Health services. RESULTS: Occupational Health Nurses' role abroad is well established and it's primarily aimed to preventive health interventions and health promotions. In Italy, on the contrary, the role of nurses in Occupational Health is almost always accessory in the implementation of health surveillance and workers' health education. This fact seems to be the result of the absence of a specific training course for those professionals, that could better define their legal profile. CONCLUSIONS: We verified the need that the training curricula of the Nursing Degree and of the Post-graduate Degree in Nursing and Midwifery Sciences give more space for teaching specific Occupational Health skills. It seems useful to propose the activation of specific post-graduate training courses for nurses who wish to focus specifically their professional activity in our disciplinary field.

Lead poisoning: historical aspects of a paradigmatic "occupational and environmental disease".

Lead poisoning is one of the earliest identified and most known occupational disease. Its acute effects have been recognized from antiquity when this condition principally afflicted manual workers and slaves, actually scarcely considered by the medicine of that time. The Industrial Revolution caused an epidemic of metal intoxication, urging scientists and physician of that period to study and identify specific symptoms and organ alterations related to chronic lead poisoning. During the 20th century, the acknowledgment of occupational and environmental toxicity of lead fostered public awareness and legislation to protect health. More recently, the identification of sub-clinical effects have greatly modified the concept of lead poisoning and the approaches of medicine towards this condition. Nowadays, lead poisoning is rarely seen in developed countries, but it still represents a major environmental problem in certain areas. Consequently, it may appear as a paradigm of "occupational and environmental disease," and the history of this condition seems to parallel the historical development of modern "Occupational and Environmental Health" as a more complete medical discipline.