SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Prevention Model Application in a Large Retail Company Before the Vaccine Introduction.

On 11 March 2020, following the spread of SARS-CoV-2, WHO declared a pandemic status. The impact on national health and economic systems has been huge. Therefore, many countries took measures to restrict the spread of the virus. Many work activities have been subjected to lockdown measures. However, some production activities, continued to remain open, i.e., large-scale food distribution, food industry, pharmacies, hospitals, etc. In order to contain the spread of the pandemic, public health measures have been implemented by the States to reduce the contagion of the virus in the workplace. Therefore, it was important to implement measures to contrast and contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in workplaces. The aim of this study was to adopt and implement a safety protocol useful to restrict the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a large-scale retail trade company located in the south of Italy, before vaccination, during the first and second pandemic phases also exploiting telemedicine services. Antibody serological test cards were also used during the first pandemic wave and rapid antigenic swabs during the second to detect workers positive for SARS-CoV-2. A population of subjects who worked for another company similar for production activity and distribution on the territory was selected as the control group. During work activities, this group followed the minimum activity protocol provided by the Italian legislation (24 April 2020, Ministry Protocol), which provided the daily monitoring of the body temperature and in the case of SARS- CoV-2 positive subjects the extraordinary sanitation of the workplace. The measures implemented identified the positive subject for SARS-CoV-2 at an early stage. The protocol made it possible to significantly reduce the spread of the virus within large-scale retail distribution, and therefore, to avoid the temporary closure of the stores with a consequent reduction of economic losses compared with the control group.

Perceived Stress in a Gender Perspective: A Survey in a Population of Unemployed Subjects of Southern Italy.

Stressful life events, are differently handled by women and men. This study evaluates gender differences in perceived stress and health status among a sample of subjects going through a transition period from unemployment to work. This cross-sectional study enrolled 395 participants, 245 men (62%) and 150 (38%) women, between 19 and 67 years, that were going to be hired for a 6-month contract. Before being employed, all participants underwent a mandatory protocol consisting in a general medical check. Stress assessment was performed by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Most of the participants (68%) showed normal to low perceived stress level. But dividing the sample by gender, out of the remaining 32% with medium to high stress level, 11% male subjects and 22.7% females reported high perceived stress values. We found mean PSS values that are overlapping with those in the general population of developed countries. This study does not suggest an association between perceived stress and health or social parameters. However, our results highlight that the female gender is associated with higher stress level, pointing out the relevance of specific and designed interventions in the context of health promotion programs, especially in order to mitigate stress in more susceptible subjects.

How the Heart Was Involved in COVID-19 during the First Pandemic Phase: A Review.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first observed in Wuhan, Hubei Province (China) in December 2019, resulting in an acute respiratory syndrome. Only later was COVID-19 considered a public health emergency of international concern and, on 11 March 2020, the WHO classified it as pandemic. Despite being a respiratory virus, the clinical manifestations are also characterized by cardiological involvement, especially in patients suffering from previous comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus, its complications being potentially serious or fatal. Despite the efforts made by the scientific community to identify pathophysiological mechanisms, they still remain unclear. A fundamental role is played by the angiotensin 2 converting enzyme, known for its effects at the cardiovascular level and for its involvement in COVID-19 pathogenesis. The goal of this paper was to highlight the mechanisms and knowledge related to cardiovascular involvement during the first pandemic phase, as well as to emphasize the main cardiological complications in infected patients.