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Biomedical subjects

F S Violante

Publications and source records attributed to F S Violante.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Potential of ultrasonography for epidemiological study of work-related wrist tenosynovitis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible role of ultrasonography in case definitions for epidemiological studies of work-related wrist tenosynovitis. METHODS: Clinical and ultrasonography (7.5 MHz linear probe) data systematically collected from meat workers (n = 128) with biomechanical exposure characterisation were analysed. The diagnostic accuracy of different combinations of potentially relevant ultrasonography findings (nonhomogeneity, thickening and anechoic halo) was evaluated using symptomatology as a reference standard. The concordance between ultrasonography findings and symptoms was then analysed. RESULTS: Analysis of wrist biomechanical exposure was suggestive of increased prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Using symptoms as a reference standard, each of the three ultrasonography findings (and their combinations) showed good specificity (> or =85%) accompanied by low sensitivity (<60%); the positive likelihood ratio for at least two findings was 4.1. kappa Values (95% confidence intervals) between symptoms and different sets of ultrasonography findings were as follows: for non-homogeneity, kappa = 0.31 (0.19 to 0.43); at least one finding, kappa = 0.28 (0.16 to 0.40); at least two findings, kappa = 0.32 (0.20 to 0.44); all p<0.01. CONCLUSION: The use of ultrasonography in symptomatic subjects could contribute to a more specific epidemiological case definition of wrist tenosynovitis. The results of this study could help orient future research in this direction.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Prevention of work related eye injuries: long term assessment of the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention among metal workers.

BACKGROUND: Systematic assessments of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent work related eye injuries are needed. AIM: To investigate the long term effectiveness of a multicomponent prevention campaign. METHODS: The campaign (conducted in collaboration with the local Employers' Association and Trade Unions) targeted all 237 metal-ware factories in the district of Imola, Italy. Based on preliminary inspections, the main intervention included distribution to all factories of specific educational brochures and broadcasting/publication of television/radio programmes and local newspaper articles containing expert advice on the subject. This was followed by a four year "post-intervention reinforcement" period of unannounced official inspections. Main outcome measures analysed were eye injury rates (versus non-eye injury rates) among metal workers during "pre-intervention" (1988-90), "peri-intervention" (1991-92), "post-intervention reinforcement" (1993-96), "late post-intervention" (1997-2000), and "very late post-intervention" (2001-03) periods with respect to two comparison sectors (construction and wood/ceramics). RESULTS: A Poisson regression in which the eye injury rates were modelled for each sector, period, and interaction, adjusting for non-eye injury rates, was chosen. The periods did not by themselves determine an overall reduction in eye injuries. The period/sector interaction terms were related to significant reductions for the metal sector when crossed with the "post-intervention reinforcement" (IRR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.97; % decline = 23.4), the "late post-intervention" (IRR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.79; % decline = 37.4), and the "very late post-intervention" (IRR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.77; % decline = 42.4) periods, suggesting a sustained reduction in eye injury risk following the main intervention. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that a carefully coordinated, extensive, multicomponent intervention can lead to lasting reductions in the burden of eye injuries.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Exposure of personnel to sevoflurane during paediatric anaesthesia: influence of professional role and anaesthetic procedure.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the individual exposure of paediatric operating theatre personnel to sevoflurane and to evaluate the impact of inhalation induction and various airway approaches on exposure to airborne sevoflurane. METHODS: Mean individual environmental (workplace air) exposure to sevoflurane and a biomarker of exposure (urinary sevoflurane) were monitored in 36 subjects (10 anaesthetists, 10 surgeons, 12 nurses and 4 auxiliary personnel) working in two paediatric operating rooms. RESULTS: Environmental and urinary values were significantly greater in anaesthetists compared with other groups, with median values of 0.65ppm (interquartile range 1.36; 95th percentile 4.36) for breathing zone sevoflurane and 2.1 microgL(-1) urine (interquartile range 2.6; 95th percentile 7.6) for urinary sevoflurane. Anaesthetists exceeded the 2ppm maximum allowed environmental concentration recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 4 of 22 cases (18.1%). A positive correlation was found between the number of patients undergoing inhalational induction each day and mean values of breathing zone and urinary sevoflurane. An increase in the number of daily laryngeal mask insertions, or the use of rigid bronchoscopy, are statistically related to higher environmental and urinary values (P < 0.01 and <0.00001 for breathing zone sevoflurane, P < 0.05 and <0.01 for urinary sevoflurane, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Anaesthesia with sevoflurane can pose a hazard of chronic exposure with anaesthetists having the highest risk. Endotracheal intubation offers considerable protection against exposure. Routine anaesthesia using a standard facemask, a laryngeal mask or rigid bronchoscopy are risk factors for increased anaesthetic exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Development of a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay for urinary 1-hydroxypyrene.

A chemiluminescent enzyme-immunoassay for urinary 1-hydroxypyrene has been developed and optimized. The enzymatic activity of horseradish peroxidase-labeled tracer was measured with an enhanced chemiluminescent system and the results were compared with those from conventional colorimetric detection. The method fulfilled all the requirements of accuracy and precision and the detection limit was 0.001 pmol/well, which enabled analysis in less than 1 microL urine. Subjects working in the center of Bologna who were exposed daily to vehicular exhaust gas were studied. Their urinary 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations were compared with the levels of benzo( a)pyrene in air particulate matter. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, which ranged from 0.5 to 10 nmol L(-1), correlated poorly with the concentration of benzo( a)pyrene in air particulate matter, which ranged from 5 to 140 ng m(-3). No significant effect of vehicle exhaust gas exposure was observed among the different groups of subjects working in different areas of the town. Thus, at a relatively low level of exposure 1-hydroxypyrene does not seem to be a sensitive biomarker of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Failure of urinary trans,trans-muconic acid as a biomarker for indoor environmental benzene exposure at PPB levels.

Benzene is a widespread pollutant whose main source in the environment is automotive emission. There is increasing interest in the exposure of the population to this pollutant as benzene is present also in the indoor environment due to cigarette smoke, drinking water, and food. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in an adult nonsmoking population not occupationally exposed to benzene, whether it is possible to detect differences in the urinary concentration of trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) between low and high environmental exposure to benzene. A study sample of 31 employees working in pharmacies in a large town in Italy with low environmental exposure to benzene (4.8 microg/m3) was compared to a high (8.1 microg/m3) benzene exposure group. Analysis of urinary t,t-MA was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; photodiode array detector); analysis of environmental benzene samples was by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in urinary levels of t,t-MA of subjects with high (mean concentration: 157.9 microg/g creatinine) versus low exposure (mean concentration: 114.2 microg/g creatinine). Data show that it is difficult to correlate urinary t,t-MA with benzene exposure at parts per billion levels.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Biomonitoring of exposure to nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane by automated GC/MS headspace urinalysis.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to develop an automated method to assess by biological monitoring, the volatile-anaesthetic exposure (nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane) in operating theatre personnel. METHODS: Post-shift urine samples were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with static headspace sampling (GC-MS/ HSS); intra-assay %-RSD (n= 10) was less than 5% for nitrous oxide and less than 7% for each halogenated vapour. The biomonitoring method was validated with air monitoring data, obtained by personal samplers and a similar GC-MS method. The sensitivity achieved by single ion monitoring (SIM) was sufficient to reveal low biological and environmental exposure averages down to 1 microg/l(urine) and 0.5 ppm for nitrous oxide and 0.1 microg/l(urine) and 50 ppb for halogenated compounds, respectively. RESULTS: In 1998 we collected and analysed 714 post-shift urine samples for the biological monitoring of volatile anaesthetics in the urine of the operating-theatre personnel of Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital (Bologna, Italy). Our data showed that nitrous oxide (N20), the anaesthetic most largely used in general anaesthesia, is still the decisive factor in operating-theatre pollution. Moreover, on the basis of our results, working in close contact with anaesthetics seems to be the main determinant of risk: surgical nurses and anaesthesiologists are the most-exposed professional categories (mean post-shift urinary N2O approximately 65 microg/l(urine)) while general theatre staff, surgeons, and auxiliary personnel have significantly lower exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The biological monitoring of post-shift unmodified urinary volatile anaesthetics was confirmed to be a useful tool for evaluating individual exposure to these chemicals. The urinary concentrations of N2O and of halogenated vapours might reflect, to a certain extent, the external exposure to these compounds, and respiratory air-monitoring data support the validity of biological monitoring. Furthermore, the good relationship between air and urinary concentration of anaesthetics in people working in closer contact with these chemicals may be a good indirect means of revealing the bad air conditions of operating rooms, and may contribute to the highlighting and correction of service defects in anaesthesiology equipment and of human errors.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2001

A rapid and sensitive method for methyl tert-butyl ether analysis in water samples by use of solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

This work describes a rapid and sensitive solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for the isolation and analysis of methyl tert-butyl ether in water samples. Methyl tert-butyl ether was extracted from aqueous solutions using SPME fibre coated with Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (30 microm film thickness) and analysed by GC-MS with a Hewlett Packard 6890/5973 system equipped with a capillary column coated with Vocol (30 m x 0.25 mm, 1.5 microm film thickness). Extraction parameters and chromatographic separation conditions were optimised. The developed method showed good analytical performance in terms of precision (RSD between 2% and 8%) and accuracy (mean recovery from 96% to 104%) with a detection limit of 14 ppt. Finally the method was applied to surface, tap and commercial mineral water samples, as well as snow samples collected along a busy road of Bologna town area. The median concentration of methyl tert-butyl ether in all these samples (0.05-0.4 ppb) was well below the maximum aqueous contamination levels in water adopted in the United States (13 ppb).

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1999

Gardening work and heavy metals in urban environment.

Urban soil may be a source of occupational exposure to various pollutants in gardening and land cultivation. This paper presents data of a one-year follow-up of lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, and vanadium in the environment of the city of Bologna. Samples of soil and leaves were collected at three locations; gardens from the inner-city high-traffic area, parks in moderate-traffic area, and parks in suburban, low-traffic area. The top and deeper layers of soil and leaves were mainly polluted by lead at all locations, which corresponded to the traffic density. Personal samplers recorded greater concentrations of airborne metals than did the area samplers but the values kept below the threshold limit established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists for the working environment. Due to cumulative nature and interactive effects of toxic metals with other toxic and essential elements, long-term exposure to metals in the urban environment may be a health risk for occupationally exposed gardeners.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1999

Short-term neurobehavioural effects in anaesthetists with low exposure to nitrous oxide.

The aim of this study was to assess whether a sample of 37 anaesthetists occupationally exposed only to N2O showed any deterioration in vigilance and/or mood. The anaesthetists were examined with three neurobehavioural tests (Simple Reaction Time and Colour Word Vigilance to measure the vigilance and Mood Rating Scale to evaluate the level of stress and arousal) and underwent N2O biological monitoring (to correlate the test results with the N2O exposure) on the first and on the last day of the work week, before and after work in the operating room. No significant relationship was found between the biological monitoring and the test results. The only significant statistical difference was found between the beginning and the end of each workday in the arousal level, regardless of the result of the biological monitoring.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Assessment of human exposure to pesticides in greenhouses and effectiveness of personal protective devices.

The exposure to pesticides in a group of workers growing vegetables in greenhouses in farms near Rimini in Italy was evaluated. The pesticides used were organophosphorus compounds, organochlorine compounds, carbamates, pyrethroids, amide and anilide derivatives. Measurements were carried out in seven greenhouses randomly selected. The environment was free of atmospheric agents which could have influenced the pesticide concentrations in the indoor air. Two types of chemical sampling were performed: environmental and personal. The latter was done in the liquid for washing hands and by means of pads applied directly to the worker's skin and to the clothes. The aim of the determination of airborne pesticide concentrations was to evaluate mean environmental exposure to pesticides in the sprayed areas. The sampling went on from a fixed point during the entire spraying period. The aim of individual sampling was to determine the active ingredients as contaminants. The values obtained showed a risk of exposure for the greenhouse personnel working without using personal protective devices (masks, gloves and waterproof clothes), considering that pesticides could be absorbed through the skin in between the spraying intervals.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1992

gamma-Glutamyltransferase isoenzyme pattern in workers exposed to tetrachloroethylene.

In compliance with the mandatory medical surveillance of workers exposed to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in Italy, isoenzyme fractioning of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was performed on 141 workers of both sexes and on 130 control subjects. None of the workers showed any clinical symptoms of liver disease and their enzymatic profiles, including AST, ALT, 5'-NU, ALP, and GGT, were within the normal reference limits. A statistically significant increase in total GGT serum level was found in the exposed subjects, which was associated with an increase in one of the two fractions normally present in healthy individuals (GGT-2), as well as with the appearance and progressive increase of the level of a fraction (GGT-4) considered to be an expression of hepato-biliary impairment. Further research is ongoing among these workers, which will clarify whether or not electrophoretic GGT tests may be useful in detecting liver function changes due to occupational exposure to PCE.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Electromyography of those exposed to vibration].

Electrophysiological findings in the median and ulnar nerves of a group of ten workers who operate hand-held vibrating power tools are described. Motor conduction velocities, motor latencies and amplitude of evoked compound muscle action potentials were measured. We have observed statistically significant changes in the distal latencies and in the amplitude of evoked compound muscle action potentials of median nerves in all the subjects examined, whereas the motor conduction velocities were normal in both median and ulnar nerve. These findings are compatible with functional changes without a clinically manifest neuropathy and they are suggestive of a compression damage such as carpal tunnel syndrome: the possible pathogenic mechanism of these damages are discussed. It's necessary to emphasize the importance of further studies in order to estimate the type and entity of the exposure to vibrations to show a cause-effect relationship.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Possible risk of liver diseases from exposure to bitumen].

The influence of exposure to bitumen on hepatic enzymatic induction was examined. Measurement of serum GT in a group of exposed workers and a control group produced statistically significant results, indicating that exposure to bitumen causes enzymatic induction.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗