[Survey on musculoskeletal disorders in a group of 2755 construction workers in the province of Bergamo]. / Rilevazione dei disturbi muscoloscheletrici in un gruppo di 2755 artigiani edili nella provincia di Bergamo.

BACKGROUND: In the past ten years European and Italian statistics reported a significant increase in work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which also covered the construction industry. OBJECTIVES: To verify this issue, the EPM Research Unit, in collaboration with the Small Craft Industries Territorial Joint Committee in Bergamo (CPTA), undertook a research project on muscular-skeletal disorders. METHODS: The health survey was carried out by an ad hoc trained staff. RESULTS: Between November 2009 and September 2010, data on 2755 subjects were obtained. The entire sample and the group of masons were investigated and both exhibited high prevalence of upper limb disorders and high prevalence of degenerative diseases (herniated disc). CONCLUSIONS: Active research needs to be included in the protocol of health surveillance, of upper limb and spinal MSDs. The data also highlight the need for biomechanical overload exposure data aimed at reconstructing risk profiles and at identifying the technological and organizational solutions to eliminate this particular risk.

A shifty diagnosis: Cogan's syndrome. A case report and review of the literature.

Cogan's syndrome is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown origin, an autoimmune disease, characterized by bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular symptoms, inflammatory ocular manifestations with variable risk of developing into a systemic disease. The onset of disease is variable but is often characterized by isolated ocular symptoms or acute ear and/or vestibular manifestations, variably associated. The diagnosis of Cogan's syndrome can be a challenge as is evident in the case described here since it is based only on the association between bilateral ocular and vestibuloauditory symptoms with no specific diagnostic tests available.

[Occupational and environmental exposure to anilide and dicarboximide pesticides]. / Esposizione ambientale e professionale a pesticidi propionanilidici e dicarbossimidici.

Dicarboximide fungicides (DF) such as vinclozolin, iprodione, procymidone are widely used on vines, fruit and vegetables, and anilide herbicides (AH) such as diuron, linuron, propanil are used to control weeds on hard surfaces, such as, roads, railway tracks, paths, and in crops, forestry. Italian reports on food safety found many samples contaminated by pesticides belonging to these categories, even though only few exceeding L.M.R. Since adverse effects on human health, such as endocrine disruption, have been reported, biological monitoring is essential for exposure assessment both of occupationally exposed subjects and of the general population. Common metabolites of DF and AH are dichloroanilinines such as 3,4-DCA and 3,5-DCA, urine samples from 153 subjects living in Novafeltria, central Italy, were collected for analysis of 3,4- and 3,5-DCAs, each participant was invited to complete a very detailed questionnaire. A total of 151 out of 153 samples were found to be positive for 3,5-DCA, and 81.7% were positive for 3,4-DCA. Also 33 workers, engaged in application of propanil on rice in northern Italy, were involved in the study and 3,4-DCA was determined as marker of exposure. 3,4 and 3,5 dichloroaniline are useful and promising biological indicators for monitoring occupational and environmental exposure to these classes of pesticides.