Underreporting of work accidents associated with blood-borne risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Work accidents (WA) due to percutaneous or mucocutaneous injury are extremely frequent among health professionals. The notification of these accidents ensures not only the compliance with legal requirements, but it also enables health institutions to develop, implement and evaluate strategies to prevent them. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of underreporting of work accidents caused by percutaneous and mucocutaneous lesions in a hospital setting, as well as its determinants. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was made available to all hospital employees. Age, gender, professional category and type of service adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were computed by multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Underreporting of WA associated with biological risk factors was high, particularly in accidents by mucocutaneous injury (80.9%). Physicians were the professional category that least reported this type of work accidents (OR=4.64; 95%CI 2.20-9.78). The main determinants of underreporting were the underestimation of the risk of transmission and the excessive bureaucracy. CONCLUSIONS: The underreporting of work accidents associated with biological risk factors was considerable and it contributes to a high degree of uncertainty on accidents' characterization.

Characterization of a mine legacy site: an approach for environmental management and metals recovery.

The characterization of historical mine tailings provides important information for land-management decisions, in particular when considering potential reprocessing activities or the development of an environmental protection program. In addition, outcomes from such characterization may define the scope for a more detailed investigation. The present work describes the characterization of the waste material from the Cabeço do Pião tailings impoundment performed within the project ReMinE: Improve Resource Efficiency and Minimize Environmental Footprint. The purpose of the work was to investigate alternative mine waste management options such as the extraction of valuable resources from an environmental liability. The study involved the collection of 41 samples at different locations at two different depths, physical and chemical characterization of the wastes, natural leaching tests, and potential for acid generation. The results showed that, apart from the potential instability of the dyke (with an average slope of 35°), the drained solutions flowing by percolation contain very small particles with high arsenic contents that are being incorporated into the river sediments. In addition, these very fine-grained materials are available for the transport by the wind creating secondary sources of environmental contamination. This data is fundamental for economic and environmental assessment of the two main alternatives, reprocessing or removal.

Farm practices and risk factors which influence the high prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminant flocks in Northeast Portugal.

The region of Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro in northeast Portugal displayed the highest prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants of the country. A vaccination programme of the whole population with Brucella melitensis Rev-1 was carried out from 2001 to 2004 in an attempt to reduce prevalence levels and protect public health. Although individual prevalence decreased from 5.6% in 2001 to 0.4% in 2007, several flocks continued to present individual prevalence ≥ 5.0%. Given the multifactorial characteristics of brucellosis, the current study evaluated farming practices and risk factors in flocks with an individual prevalence over 5% by multifactorial correspondence analysis. Results showed that a lack of recognition of the symptoms of brucellosis and lack of Rev-1 vaccination were the main factors contributing to the high individual prevalence of brucellosis in flocks. Other factors such as the consumption of raw milk, presence of dog commingling with animals and use of communal pastures also contributed to the persistence of the disease. Family farms with low economical profit, minimal training/education of farmers, and a scarcity of veterinary support may explain the persistence of factors contributing to the high prevalence of brucellosis. The results of this study highlight several risk factors and farming practices that might have contributed to the maintenance of a high prevalence of brucellosis in flocks with high brucellosis prevalence. These results could be used to adopt new approaches to improve the efficiency of brucellosis eradication programs.

Age-Friendly Cities Performance Assessment Indicators System hierarchization / Jerarquización de un Sistema de indicadores para la evaluación de desempeño de las Ciudades Amigas de los Ancianos / Hierarquização de um Sistema de Indicadores para avaliação das Cidades Amigas dos Idosos

This study aimed to validate and prioritize a system of indicators to assess the performance of age-friendly cities. The methodological procedures consisted of the application of the system indicators content validation model developed by Fehring in 1987 and used the multicriteria method Analytical Hierarchy Process for priorization. These analyzes, there was a satisfactory level of consistency and correspondence between the position of the experts on the prioritization of active ageing issues in urban environments.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo validar y priorizar un sistema de indicadores para evaluar el desempeño de las ciudades amigables de los mayores. Los procedimientos metodológicos consistieron en la aplicación del modelo de validación de contenido de indicadores del sistema desarrollado por Fehring en 1987 y utilizaron el método de jerarquización analítica multicriterio para la priorización. En estos análisis, hubo un nivel satisfactorio de coherencia y correspondencia entre la posición de los expertos sobre la priorización de los problemas de envejecimiento activo en entornos urbanos.

Este estudo teve como objetivo validar e priorizar um sistema de indicadores para avaliar o desempenho de Cidades Amigas do Idoso. Os procedimentos metodológicos consistiram na aplicação do modelo de validação de conteúdo de indicadores do sistema desenvolvido por Fehring em 1987 e utilizou o método multicritério Analytical Hierarchy Process para priorização. Nestas análises, houve um nível satisfatório de consistência e correspondência entre a posição dos especialistas na priorização de questões de envelhecimento ativo em ambientes urbanos.

Use of "Cold Spell" indices to quantify excess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) morbidity during winter (November to March 2000-2007): case study in Porto.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the occurrence of cold episodes and excess hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Porto, Portugal, in order to further understand the effects of cold weather on health in milder climates. Excess COPD winter morbidity was calculated from admissions for November to March (2000-2007) in the Greater Porto Metropolitan Area (GPMA). Cold spells were identified using several indices (Díaz, World Meteorological Organization, Cold Spell Duration Index, Australian Index and Ondas' Project Index) for the same period. Excess admissions in the periods before and after the occurrence of cold spells were calculated and related to the cold spells identified. The COPD seasonal variation admission coefficient (CVSA) showed excess winter admissions of 59 %, relative to other months. The effect of cold spell on the aggravation of COPD occurs with a lag of at least 2 weeks and differs according to the index used. This study indicates the important role of the persistence of cold periods of at least 2 weeks duration in the increase in COPD admissions. The persistence of moderate temperatures (Tmin ≤5 °C) for a week can be more significant for increasing COPD admissions than very low temperatures (Tmin ≤ 1.6 °C) for just a few days. The Ondas projects' index provides the most accurate detection of the negative impacts of cold persistency on health, while the Diaz index is better at evaluating the consequences of short extreme cold events.