[Risk of nasopharyngeal cancer, Leukemia and other tumors in a cohort of employees and students potentially exposed to (FA) formaldehyde in University laboratories].

FA was recently classified as carcinogen of second class (category 1B). A retrospective cohort study was conducted for the evaluation of the association between exposure to FA and cancer in professionally potentially exposed in a University setting. The cohort was composed of 140 exposed to FA and 364 not exposed in the period 1999-2015. The results showed no cancers of naso-pharynx and leukemias or lymphomas both among exposed and not exposed. Moreover, the exposure to FA is not significantly associated to an increase of other types of tumors.

[Changes in tobacco addiction and spirometric variations in workers exposed to chemical risk in biochemical research laboratories of a large Italian University--a retrospective cohort study]. / Cambiamenti nell'abitudine tabagica e variazioni spirometriche nei lavoratori esposti a rischio chimico dei laboratori di ricerca chimica e biologica di una grande realtà universitaria italiana--studio di coorte retrospettivo.

OBJECTIVE: To describe smoking cessation in a group of workers exposed to chemical risk and factors associated; to assess the changes of respiratory function over the years also in relation to risks to which they were exposed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied employees/students occupationally exposed to chemical risk from whom we also had information about smoking status and who had done a spirometry in all periodic visits and who had at least two periodic medical examinations during the follow-up. RESULTS: Variables significantly associated to the smoking cessation are gender and exposure to biological risk. The changes in Forced Vital Capacity between the last and the first visit were associated to a significant negative correlation, from multivariate analysis, to age and to exposure to the display screen equipment. The Tiffeneau index was significantly positively associated with exposure to display screen equipment and to manual handling of loads; the Forced Expiratory Flow 25-75% was significantly associated with physical risk. CONCLUSIONS: A greater awareness on the consequences of smoking is recommended in subjects exposed to chemical risk, especially in women, in addition to a serial monitoring of lung function in order to carry out an early intervention in the first phase of airflow limitation.

Practical method of control of TBC in a population of students belonging to the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

AIM: To describe the surveillance and control protocol for tuberculosis in healthcare students in use at the CMO of University "Sapienza" and founded on a dedicated database. METHODS: Analysis of health certificates through a dedicated data storage software based on Microsoft Access 2007. RESULTS: Students resulting positive to Mantoux test who did not undergo second-level examination (chest X-ray, TB Gold, prophylaxis) are invited to refer themselves within ten days to the infectious disease specialist. CONCLUSION: the methodological analysis, refined over the years by the CMO staff of the Sapienza University of Rome, allowed to match clinical certification data, to rapidly focus upon TBC spread control among healthcare settings, to register new students time zero before their admission to courses and potential professional exposure, to perform epidemiological studies aimed to increase TBC control through healthcare system released clinical certification confirmation.

Skin test screening for tuberculosis among healthcare students: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Aim of the study was to document the baseline prevalence of healthcare students positive to tuberculosis skin tests screening. METHODS: Between 2008-2010, students admitted to healthcare courses (medicine, nursing, physiotherapy...) at Sapienza university in Rome were requested to carry out personal tuberculosis skin test screening in their local district or town healthcare centers according to the italian guidelines. At the time interferongamma release assays (IGRA) testing was not adopted for large screening. Demographic characteristics, tuberculosis screening results, healthcare course, tuberculosis vaccination status were recorded. RESULTS: A cohort of 2,500 university healthcare students were screened by several Italian Hygiene Offices using tuberculin skin test and Tine test. Overall 131 (5.2%) healthcare students resulted positive to some tuberculosis skin test screening. Tuberculin skin test was carried out on 2,029 students (81.2%) and conversion was observed in 107 (5.3%), whereas Tine test was carried out on 498 students (19.9%) and positive result was observed in 24 (4.8%). The Tine test use and non optimal (<72h) recording of the forearm induration in tuberculin skin tests was related mostly to some healthcare centers in Lazio and Campania regions. Previous BCG vaccination was reported by 27 healthcare students (1.1%), and only two of them showed tuberculin skin test conversion, whereas the large majority 105 (98.1%) of Mantoux positives had not been vaccinated. In univariate analysis positive tuberculin skin test was associated to growing students age (29.2 ± 10.3 vs. 23.1 ± 6.0; p<0.01). Positive tuberculin skin test was recorded in 25 (20.3%) foreign and 82 (4.3%) italian students showing a higher risk for International students (RR 4.72; 95%CI 3.14 - 7.11; p<0.01). There was no significant correlation between the different Italian regions, the various healthcare courses or gender. CONCLUSION: The study evaluated the baseline positive skin test rate for tuberculosis among healthcare students in their first university year, showing a higher risk for the international group and revealed some problematic screening practices which need to be improved in the future screening programs.

[Revision of the behavior of Italian universities towards the HBV vaccination and tuberculosis prophylaxis]. / Revisione del comportamento degli Atenei italiani nei con- fronti della vaccinazione anti-HBV e della profilassi anti tubercolare.

Diagnostic screening for hepatitis B and tuberculosis infection bears a very important role for health care professionals even considering the decreasing epidemiological trends. According to the WHO predictions in 2030 these diseases will remain at third and fourth places among the causes of death for infectious diseases in industrial countries. The aim of this study is to verify the presence of hepatitis B and tuberculosis prophylaxis among the entry requirements for Medical Schools (MED) and Healthcare Professions Degree (PS) courses in 2011/2012 enrollment announcements. We examined 39 websites of Italian Public and Private Universities and we discovered 38 different announcements for MED and PS courses looking for any reference about hepatitis B and tuberculosis vaccinations and Mantoux skin test. The statistical analysis is descriptive (frequency tables). Hepatitis B vaccination was required in 7 (18.4%) enrollment announcements for MED and 6 (13.6%) for PS, respectively. Tuberculosis vaccination and/or Mantoux skin test were found among requirements of only 10 announcements for MED and 7 for PS, respectively. According to this study there is a great and unexpected variability among the different universities. A homologation of these requirements would be strongly desirable among Italian regions and on the entire national territory.

Endoparasites of chub (Leuciscus cephalus) in two rivers of the Abruzzo region of Italy.

The relationship between communities of chub endoparasites (Leuciscus cephalus) fished in the Orta and Pescara Rivers in the Abruzzo region of Italy, and the quality of the water in which they are caught, were studied in surveys designed to evaluate the feed quality of fish in the inland waters of the Abruzzo. Samples were taken monthly from October 2000 to September 2001 in the Orta River (Buscesi District) and the Pescara River (near the Villareia bridge); a total of 86 chub were caught. During periods of low and moderate flow in both rivers, benthonic macroinvertebrates were sampled at the fish sampling sites to classify the water quality using the extended biotic index (EBI) method. The Orta River was moderately polluted and the Pescara River slightly more polluted than the Orta. A parasitological study of the fish was conducted using conventional methods. A morphological study of the parasites led to the identification of seven species of endoparasites. Five of these (Allocreadium isoporum, Caryophyllaeus brachycollis, Caryophyllaeides fennica, Rhabdocona denudata and Pomphorhyncus laevis) were found at both sampling sites, while Acanthocephalus clavula was found only in the Pescara River and Neoechinorhynchus rutili was found only in the Orta River.

Populations of acanthocephalus anguillaePomphorhynchus laevis in rivers with different pollution levels

The distribution of two acanthocephalan species (Pomphorhynchus laevisAcanthocephalus anguillae) in the chub (Leuciscus cephalus) was studied in four river reaches characterized by different levels of pollution: the River Ticino near Abbiategrasso (unpolluted), the Naviglio Grande Canal, in Milano (slightly polluted), the River Lambro near Merone village (polluted) and the River Lambro near Monza (severely polluted).Pomphorhynchus laevis was restricted to the unpolluted and the slightly polluted sites, while the intensity of A. anguillae increased proportionally to water pollution. These differences were partially explained by the variation in abundance of their intermediate hosts (Echinogammarus stammeri for P. laevisAsellus aquaticus for A. anguillae). Data on the occurrence of P. laevis and A. anguillae showed a significant negative binomial frequency distribution, suggesting their tendency to be aggregated within the host populations of L. cephalus.

[Preliminary study on the occurrence of sylvan trichinelliasis in 589 foxes in the Province of Rome]. / Indagine preliminare sulla distribuzione della trichinelliasi silvestre in 589 volpi della Provincia di Roma.

A survey on 589 foxes for the control of trichinelliasis in the Province of Rome was carried out in collaboration with the gamekeepers of the Province of Rome. The presence of Trichinella larvae in masseters muscles was studied using trichinoscope and digestion methods. Five foxes out 589 were found infected; four infected animals were killed in the Prenestini and Simbruini mountains, one infected animal was killed in the plain north west of Rome.