[Protection of working mothers: operational guide document. The Marche Regional Section of the Italian Society of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (SIMLII) ]. / Tutela delle lavoratrici madri: documento di indirizzo operativo.

Protection of working mothers: operational guide document. The aim of this operational guide document is to protect the health of working mothers and their babies during pregnancy, puerperium and breastfeeding. The project was developed by a technical working group which included professionals in the pertinent fields from the Workplace Prevention and Safety Services of the local Vasta-2 Area of the Marche Regional Health Service:physicians, health assistants, and nurses. It is considered to be a useful tool for risk assessment at the workplace aimed at professionals who are involved, with various duties and responsibilities, in the health care of the working mother. This paper consists of two functionally related sections, "Table of risks" and "Technical specifications". In the "Table of Risks" section, the occupational hazards for women during pregnancy or postpartum were analyzed with the highest possible degree of care. To this end the technical group provided, for each occupational hazard, its own operational suggestions, in relation to legislation, current scientific knowledge and Guidelines of other Italian Regions. The Marche Regional Section of the Italian Society of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (SIMLII) participated in the final draft of the entire document. The second section, "Technical Specifications", illustrates the main tasks and any risks involved in the 34 manufacturing sectors most prevalent in this area. This operational guide document is intended to be the beginning of a common strategy in public health to achieve a wider field of action in promotion and information aimed at protecting the reproductive health of working mothers.

Ion channels and bacterial infection: the case of beta-barrel pore-forming protein toxins of Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus strains causing human pathologies produce several toxins, including a pore-forming protein family formed by the single-component alpha-hemolysin and the bicomponent leukocidins and gamma-hemolysins. The last comprise two protein elements, S and F, that co-operatively form the active toxin. alpha-Hemolysin is always expressed by S. aureus strains, whereas bicomponent leukotoxins are more specifically involved in a few diseases. X-ray crystallography of the alpha-hemolysin pore has shown it is a mushroom-shaped, hollow heptamer, almost entirely consisting of beta-structure. Monomeric F subunits have a very similar core structure, except for the transmembrane stem domain which has to refold during pore formation. Large deletions in this domain abolished activity, whereas shorter deletions sometimes improved it, possibly by removing some of the interactions stabilizing the folded structure. Even before stem extension is completed, the formation of an oligomeric pre-pore can trigger Ca(2+)-mediated activation of some white cells, initiating an inflammatory response. Within the bicomponent toxins, gamma-hemolysins define three proteins (HlgA, HlgB, HlgC) that can generate two toxins: HlgA+HlgB and HlgC+HlgB. Like alpha-hemolysin they form pores in planar bilayers with similar conductance, but opposite selectivity (cation instead of anion) for the presence of negative charges in the ion pathway. gamma-Hemolysin pores seem to be organized as alpha-hemolysin, but should contain an even number of each component, alternating in a 1:1 stoichiometry.

Ventilatory function in rubber processing workers: acute changes over the workshift.

When considering rubber tyre manufacturing from an occupational health viewpoint, three areas may be identified in which exposure to respirable materials are potentially harmful: the processing, curing, and talc areas. A study of the ventilatory function of the entire work force employed in the processing area in a rubber tyre manufacturing plant was undertaken to determine whether an acute reduction in lung function occurs over the course of their working shift (the plant worked a three shift system) and whether a chronic exposure to the occupational airborne contaminants causes permanent changes in lung function. The ventilatory function was measured at the worksite at the beginning and immediately after the end of the workshift. No evidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found and in most cases no significant decline in FEV1 was observed. Only one of the 79 individuals showed a moderate obstruction, measured by the ratio FEV1/FVC which gave the value of 0.55, with no variation over the shift. For non-smokers, the FVC, FEV1, and FEF25-75% were lower in those exposed for more than five years than in those exposed for five years or less. A similar pattern was also observed in the FVC and FEV1 of the smokers. None of these differences was statistically significant. Within each exposure group the pulmonary function of the smokers was lower than that of the non-smokers, but the only significant difference was found in the values of FEF25-75%. Only one man showed a decline in the FEV1/FVC ratio over the shift, but during each shift, a decrease in all the lung function tests was observed. The decrease was smallest during the first of the three shifts. These results are thought to support the hypothesis that there are acute adverse effects over an eight hour shift. Further investigations are needed to discover whether these acute changes in lung function result from a chemical stimulation or irritant receptors in the airways.

[Occupational asthma caused by azodicarbonamide: clinical case]. / Asma professionale da azodicarbonamide: caso clinico.

A case of asthma due to a plastic blowing agent - azodicarbonamide - is discussed. Administration of disodium cromoglycate before exposure decreases the grade of bronchoconstriction: we suggest an immunopathological mechanism involved in the asthma.