Impact of foot-transmitted vibration on gait metrics, kinematics, and dynamic stability.

Transport operators face increased risks of injuries and falls while walking on a vibrating floor. No standards exist for human exposure to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV). In this study, twenty-one subjects walked on a treadmill constrained on a moving platform used to apply harmonic vibrations in four directions (mediolateral, anteroposterior, roll, and pitch) at four frequencies (0.

Neurosensory Response of the Hand and Foot to Vibration Exposure.

Background: This study investigated the vibrotactile perception threshold (VPT) changes in the fingers and toes of twenty-eight healthy subjects (15 males and 13 females aged 20 to 62 years) exposed to hand- and foot-transmitted vibration.

Methods: The VPT was measured before and after the exposure of the hands and feet to 5 minutes of triaxial white noise pseudorandom vibration. The post-vibration VPT was measured immediately after and 15 minutes after the end of the exposure to assess the temporary threshold shift (TTS) of vibration perception.

Subclinical finding in the perception of tactile sensation involvement after SARS-CoV2 infection: comparison with healthy controls using Semmes-Weinstein monofilament testing.

Background: Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome patients complain of sensory alterations, mainly positive symptoms such as paresthesia or neuropathic pain but also decreased tactile sensation. Using the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test (SWMT), our study aims to confront recently infected SARS-CoV2 subjects with a control group.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, single-centric study.

Cause specific mortality in an Italian pool of asbestos workers cohorts.

Background: Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and is causally associated with malignant mesothelioma, lung, larynx and ovarian cancers.

Methods: Cancer risk was studied among a pool of formerly asbestos-exposed workers in Italy. Fifty-two Italian asbestos cohorts (asbestos-cement, rolling-stock, shipbuilding, and other) were pooled and their mortality follow-up was updated to 2018.

Effect of noise and hand-transmitted vibration exposure on hearing and equilibrium under a simulated work environment with building tools.

Background: Construction workers are exposed to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) and/or noise caused by vibrating hand tools in the work environment.

Objective: The present study aims to investigate the effects of exposure to HTV and/or noise on workers' hearing loss and body balance.

Methods: Forty construction workers were exposed to HTV (10 m/s2 rms, 31.

Relation of the work ability index to fitness for work in healthcare and public employees in a region of Northeastern Italy.

Purpose: Work ability indicates an individual's capacity to match job demands according to his/her physical and mental conditions and work circumstances. Occupational physicians should take into consideration the global health status of a worker in order to correctly assess if he/she is fit for the job. The aim of this study was to verify the association between fitness for work evaluation and Work Ability Index scores, as well as individual factors (age, gender, and anthropometric characteristics) and work-related variables (job type, years of working duration).

Relation of digital arterial dysfunction to alternative frequency weightings of hand-transmitted vibration.

This study compared the relative performance of alternative frequency weightings of hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) to predict the extent of cold-induced vasoconstriction in the digital arteries of HTV workers. The cold response of digital arteries was related to measures of daily vibration exposure expressed in terms of r.m.

Combined Effects of Noise and Hand-transmitted Vibration on Workers' Muscle and Mental Fatigues in a Simulated Construction Operation.

Background: The frequent use of hand-held vibrating tools by construction workers exposes them to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) and noise. This study investigated the effect of combined exposure to HTV and noise on workers' fatigues under simulated work with a typical building destruction tool.

Methods: The repeated measures study was conducted on 40 construction workers exposed to HTV (5 m/s2 rms with frequencies of 31.

Mood regulates the physiological response to whole-body vibration at low intensity.

In the present study we evaluated the relationship between human vibrational comfort and psychophysiological processes. We exposed twenty-one participants to three levels of whole-body vibration at low intensity inside a full-scale mock-up of a ship cabin. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity, mood and well-being state during each level of vibration exposure were measured.

Transdermal permeation of inorganic cerium salts in intact human skin.

The stratum corneum protects the body against external agents, such as metals, chemicals, and toxics. Although it is considered poorly permeable to them, comprising the major barrier to the permeation of such substances, it may become a relevant gate of entry for such molecules. Cerium (Ce) is a lanthanide that is widely used in catalytic, energy, biological and medicinal applications, owing to its intrinsic structural and unique redox properties.

Force-feeding malignant mesothelioma stem-cell like with exosome-delivered miR-126 induces tumour cell killing.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumour resistant to treatments. It has been postulated that cancer stem cells (CSCs) persist in tumours causing relapse after multimodality treatment. In the present study, a novel miRNA-based therapy approach is proposed.

Low sensitivity of rapid tests detecting anti-CoV-2 IgG and IgM in health care workers' serum for COVID-19 screening.

Background: the sensitivity and specificity of a rapid antibody test were investigated for the screening of healthcare workers.

Methods: the serum of 389 health care workers exposed to COVID-19 patients or with symptoms, were analysed. All workers underwent monthly the screening for SARS-CoV-2 with detection of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs by RT-PCR.

Occupational contact dermatitis in a gender perspective: North East Italian data 1996-2016.

Background: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) ranks high among occupational diseases in Europe, but little is known as regards OCD and jobs in a gender perspective.

Objectives: To evaluate sex prevalence of OCD according to occupational sectors and agents involved. 27381 patients (1996-2016) with suspected irritant/allergic contact dermatitis (ICD-ACD) were evaluated in North-Eastern Italy.

A prospective cohort study of low-back outcomes and alternative measures of cumulative external and internal vibration load on the lumbar spine of professional drivers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the performance of alternative measures of cumulative lifetime vibration dose to predict the occurrence of low-back pain (LBP) outcomes in a cohort of 537 professional drivers investigated at baseline and over a two-year follow up period.

Methods: The exposure data obtained in the EU VIBRISKS project were used to calculate alternative measures of either acceleration- (external) or force- (internal) based lifetime vibration doses. Vibration was measured in representative samples of machines and vehicles used by the drivers.

Acoustic comfort depends on the psychological state of the individual.

Recent studies have shown that comfort can be influenced more by psychological processes than from the characteristics of environmental stimulation. This is relevant for different industrial sectors, where comfort is defined only as a function of the intensity of external stimuli. In the present study, we measured physiological and psychological comfort during the exposure to four levels of acoustic noise [from 45 to 55 dB(A)] corresponding to different comfort classes inside a full-scale mock-up of a cruise ship cabin.

[New international criteria for evaluating vascular hand-arm vibration risk and staging and-arm vibration syndrome].

Recently, a supplementary methodology to improve the assessment of occupational exposures to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) and a revision of the clinical staging of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) have been proposed. The Technical Report ISO/TR 18570:2017 provides guidance on a supplementary method to that defined in ISO 5349-1:2001 for measuring and reporting HTV exposures; the method provides an improved assessment methodology for evaluating vascular hand-arm vibration risks (vibration induced white finger). On using a Delphi procedure, an international panel of experts has achieved consensus to develop an updated staging system for the vascular and neurological disorders of the HAVS, previously defined in the Stockholm Workshop Scale (1986); a new classification has been proposed with three stages for vibration related vascular and neurological effects.

Position Paper on Asbestos of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine.

The Position Paper (PP) on asbestos of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine (SIML) aims at providing a tool to the occupational physician to address current diagnostic criteria and results of epidemiological studies, and their consequences in terms of preventive and evaluation actions for insurance, compensation and litigation. The PP was based on an extensive review of the scientific literature and was compiled by a Working Group comprising researchers who have contributed to the international literature on asbestos-related diseases, as well as occupational physicians with extensive experience in the evaluation of risks and the medical surveillance of workers currently and formerly exposed to asbestos. The PP was drafted and reviewed between 2017 and 2018; its final version was prepared according to the guidelines of AGREE Reporting Checklist.

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Absorption through Intact and Damaged Human Skin.

Cerium oxide (CeO) nanoparticles (NPs) are used in polishing products and absorbents, as promoters in wound healing, and as organopesticide decontaminants. While systemic bioaccumulation and organ toxicity has been described after inhalation, data on CeO NPs' transdermal permeation are lacking. Our study was an in vitro investigation of the permeation of 17-nm CeO NPs dispersed in synthetic sweat (1 g L) using excised human skin on Franz cells.

Exosomal transfer of miR-126 promotes the anti-tumour response in malignant mesothelioma: Role of miR-126 in cancer-stroma communication.

MiR-126 has been shown to suppress malignant mesothelioma (MM) by targeting cancer-related genes without inducing toxicity or histopathological changes. Exosomes provide the opportunity to deliver therapeutic cargo to cancer stroma. Here, a tumour stromal model composed of endothelial cells (HUVECs), fibroblasts (IMR-90 cells), non-malignant mesothelial cells (Met-5A cells) and MM cells (H28 and MM-B1 cells) was used.

Occupational status and hospitalisation for mental disorders: findings from Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, 2008-2017.

To investigate to which extent occupational status, and job titles, were associated with types of hospitalisations and psychiatric diagnoses among inpatients of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy. Cross-sectional study based on 10 years register data (2008-2017) on 2929 subjects hospitalised in General Hospital Psychiatric Units. Odds ratios (OR) of hospitalisations and psychiatric diagnoses for occupational status and job titles were calculated by logistic regression analysis.

In vitro transdermal absorption of AlO nanoparticles.

Dermal exposure to Aluminium nanoparticles (AlNPs) can occur in occupationally- and non occupationally exposed- population, due to the use of Al salts-based antiperspirants. No AlNPs transdermal permeation data exists. Our study investigated in vitro the permeation of 30-60 nm AlONPs dispersed in synthetic sweat (20 g/L) using excised human skin on Franz cells.

Contact Dermatitis in Northeast Italy Mechanics (1996-2016).

Background: Mechanics are at higher risk to develop occupational skin diseases from exposure to irritants, oils, greases, preservatives, and metals.

Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate contact dermatitis in mechanics who underwent patch test in Northeastern Italy and compare them with white-collar workers (WCW).

Subjects And Methods: From 1996 to 2016, 27,381 patients with suspected allergic contact dermatitis were patch tested in Northeastern Italy; in this group, 1270 mechanics were studied.

Risk assessment of vascular disorders by a supplementary hand-arm vascular weighting of hand-transmitted vibration.

Purpose: To provide an updated epidemiological validation for a supplementary method for assessing the risk of vascular disorders from hand-transmitted vibration.

Methods: The occurrence of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) in the vibration-exposed workers of the Italian cohort of the EU VIBRISKS study was related to measures of daily vibration exposure expressed in terms of r.m.

Four-miRNA Signature to Identify Asbestos-Related Lung Malignancies.

Background: Altered miRNA expression is an early event upon exposure to occupational/environmental carcinogens; thus, identification of a novel asbestos-related profile of miRNAs able to distinguish asbestos-induced cancer from cancer with different etiology can be useful for diagnosis. We therefore performed a study to identify miRNAs associated with asbestos-induced malignancies.

Methods: Four groups of patients were included in the study, including patients with asbestos-related (NSCLC) and asbestos-unrelated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), and disease-free subjects (CTRL).