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Editorial.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19861724 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Alleva E, Francia N Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Health effects of magnetic fields generated from power lines: new clues for an old puzzle.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Thirty years ago, Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper published the first report on the association between childhood cancer and "electrical current configuration" of houses in Denver, Colorado. In 2001 the International Agency for Research on Cancer defined 50-60 Hz magnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" because of the "limited evidence" of carcinogenicity of residential exposure relatively to childhood leukemia. With respect to health effects other than cancer, namely neurodegenerative disorders, miscarriage, subtle differences in the timing of melatonin release, altered autonomic control of the heart, and c...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Comba P, Fazzo L Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

A few remarks on the rules about personal data protection when conducting clinical trials in Italy, also from abroad.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Italian Authority for the Protection of Personal Data has definitively adopted the Guidelines for data processing within the framework of clinical drug trials. The Guidelines are addressed to sponsors and other subjects who intervene, also from abroad, in clinical trials. The document provides practical instructions for the processing of personal data of human subject participating in clinical trials. PMID: 19861726 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Petrini C Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Biodosimetric tools for a fast triage of people accidentally exposed to ionising radiation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19861727 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Fattibene P, Wojcik A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Types of radiation mass casualties and their management.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Management of radiation mass casualty exposure that may occur as a result of nuclear or radiation accident will depend on the type of accident, and of the knowledge about the actual radiation exposure situation for those who might be involved. Management of the public after an accident in a nuclear or radiation installation will follow existing specific emergency plans, and will take advantage of existing radiation monitoring systems. In other radiation mass casualty exposures, whenever accidental or malevolent use of radiation, there will be a requirement to employ screening programs for indentifying and sorting out e...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jaworska A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Cytogenetic damage analysed by the dicentric assay.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Biological dosimetry, based on the analysis of dicentric chromosomes, is an internationally established, independent method applied in the area of radiation protection. The biodosimetry is mainly performed, in addition to physical dosimetry, with the aim of individual dose assessment, especially after unclear or suspected radiation dose exposures. However, a new biodosimetrical challenge has emerged in recent years in the form of a possible large scale radiation accident potentially involving large numbers of exposed persons. In order to be prepared to act in an efficient manner in such an accident, the established cyt...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Romm H, Oestreicher U, Kulka U Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

The micronucleus assay in radiation accidents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes is a standardised and validated technique for biodosimetry. Automated scoring of micronuclei allows large scale applications as in population triage in case of radiation accidents or malevolent use of radioactive sources. The dose detection limit (95% confidence) of the micronucleus assay for individual dose assessment is restricted to 0.2 Gy but can be decreased to 0.1 Gy by scoring centromeres in micronuclei using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In the past the micronucleus assay was applied for a number of large scale biomonitoring s...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Thierens H, Vral A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

gamma-H2AX as protein biomarker for radiation exposure.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
For large scale exposures of the human population to ionising radiation, there is a need for cost-effective high throughput assessment of radiation exposure levels from biological samples to allow triage decisions to be made. Here we discuss the usefulness of the DNA damage marker gamma-H2AX for this purpose. Foci of gamma-H2AX form in response to radiation-induced DNA doublestrand breaks and can be quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry. Several studies have analysed this marker in patients' blood samples to determine radiation exposures during various diagnostic or therapeutic radiation treatme...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Rothkamm K, Horn S Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Cell response to ionising radiation analysed by gene expression patterns.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Following ionising radiation exposure of living cells several mechanisms are activated through gene modulations. The measurement of these modifications can be done with QT-PCR and, since about 10 years, microarray technique. The latter approach has the advantage to allow a global monitoring of the complex cellular responses to radiation-induced stress and has been proposed to be used for dose assessment. Even if some publications have identified sets of genes specific to given doses, and that some of the genes have an induction proportional to the dose, a precise estimation of the received dose seems difficult with gen...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Roy L, Gruel G, Vaurijoux A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Protein biomarkers for radiation exposure: towards a proteomic approach as a new investigation tool.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Early biomarkers of radiation injury are critical for triage, treatment, and follow-up of large numbers of people exposed to ionising radiation after terrorist attacks or nuclear accident. Operational monoparametric protein or amino acid biomarkers (amylase, Flt3-Ligand, citrulline) can help for the diagnostic of radiation exposure or injury. However, these biomarkers are not sufficient for a fast and accurate triage, and if individuals are assessed more than 48 h after exposure. The comparative proteomic approach represents a promising powerful tool for the discovery of new radiation biomarkers. In association with mu...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Guipaud O, Benderitter M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Radiation-induced signals analysed by EPR spectrometry applied to fortuitous dosimetry.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dosimetry based on the detection by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of ionizing radiation-induced radicals is an established method for the retrospective dosimetry of past exposures and the dosimetry of potentially exposed persons in radiological emergencies. The dose is estimated by measuring the physical damage induced in materials contained in objects placed on or next to the potentially exposed person. The aim of this paper is to survey the current literature about methodologies and materials that have been proposed for EPR dosimetry, in order to identify those that could be suitable for populati...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Trompier F, Bassinet C, Wieser A, De Angelis C, Viscomi D, Fattibene P Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Radiation-induced damage analysed by luminescence methods in retrospective dosimetry and emergency response.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The increasing risk of a mass casualty scenario following a large scale radiological accident or attack necessitates the development of appropriate dosimetric tools for emergency response. Luminescence dosimetry has been reliably applied for dose reconstruction in contaminated settlements for several decades and recent research into new materials carried close to the human body opens the possibility of estimating individual doses for accident and emergency dosimetry using the same technique. This paper reviews the luminescence research into materials useful for accident dosimetry and applications in retrospective dosim...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Woda C, Bassinet C, Trompier F, Bortolin E, Della Monaca S, Fattibene P Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Biodosimetric tools for a fast triage of people accidentally exposed to ionising radiation. Statistical and computational aspects.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Consideration of statistical methodology is essential for the application of cytogenetic and other biodosimetry techniques to triage for mass casualty situations. This is because the requirement for speed and accuracy in biodosimetric triage necessarily introduces greater uncertainties than would be acceptable in day-to-day biodosimetry. Additionally, in a large scale accident type situation, it is expected that a large number of laboratories from around the world will assist and it is likely that each laboratory will use one or more different dosimetry techniques. Thus issues arise regarding combination of results and...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Ainsbury EA, Barquinero JF Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Survival for cancer patients in Europe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Comparing cancer survival among the European countries is important to evaluate the performance of Health Care Systems and reduce disparities in access to diagnostic and treatment facilities. The EUROCARE project compares survival in Europe since the nineties. The EUROCARE- 4 analysed 2 690 922 adult cancer cases from 83 cancer registries in 22 European countries, diagnosed in 1995-1999, and followed to December 2003. For each cancer site, the European area weighted mean and age-standardised country-specific observed and relative survival by age and sex is computed. Within-country variation in survival is analysed for ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Verdecchia A, Santaquilani M, Sant M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Ethical problems with neonatal screening.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The availability of novel technologies, such as tandem-mass-spectrometry (MS/MS) and DNA analysis, has expanded tremendously the number of genetic conditions that can be diagnosed through neonatal screening programs at birth, including conditions that cannot be treated nor prevented, or that will become manifest only later in life, or that identify individuals that are only at an increased risk of multifactorial conditions. This has increased the number and complexity of ethical problems related to newborn screening programs, creating considerable confusion and generating controversies and ethical concerns. The experie...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Orzalesi M, Danhaive O Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Relating with migrants: ethnopsychiatry and psychotherapy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions will discuss the importance of culture, individuality and universality of human suffering, when treating a foreign patient. PMID: 19861739 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Caroppo E, Muscelli C, Brogna P, Paci M, Camerino C, Bria P Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

New medications for the treatment of cocaine dependence.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19636162 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Kampman KM Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Effects of multivitamin/mineral supplementation on plasma levels of nutrients. Report No. 4 of the Italian-American clinical trial of nutritional supplements and age-related cataract.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this report is to investigate how a long-term vitamin-mineral supplementation following the US Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) affected the plasma levels of selected nutrients in a subset (No. = 407) of participants in the Italian-American Clinical Trial of Nutritional Supplements and Age-related Cataract (CTNS). The CTNS was a double-blind, single centre, controlled clinical trial of 1020 participants aged 55-75 years randomized to a daily tablet of Centrum(R) or placebo. A representative sample of 40% of the 1020 subjects, whom plasma level of selected vitamins was determined at the baseline, was retested...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Maraini G, Williams SL, Sperduto RD, Ferris FL, Milton RC, Clemons TE, Rosmini F, Ferrigno L Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Incidents analysis in radiation therapy: application of the human factors analysis and classification system.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The purpose of this investigation was to analyse incidents discovered in our radiation therapy department by means of human factor analysis and classification system (HFAC S). We adapted the original framework of the HFAC S and apply it to the analysis of incidents discovered in our radiotherapy department during a five-year period. Results showed that recurrent causal factors of incidents were attention failures and distracted/overconfidence behaviour as well as loss of situational awareness and mental fatigue. In our radiation therapy department the HFAC S allowed to highlight recurrent errors causal factors. Consequ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Portaluri M, Fucilli FI, Bambace S, Castagna R, De Luca MC, Pili G, Didonna V, Tramacere F, Francavilla MC, Leone A, Leo MG Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Infant botulism.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Infant botulism is a rare disease that affects infant less than 12 months of age. The illness results from absorption of botulinum toxin produced in situ by neurotoxigenic clostridia that can temporarily colonize the intestinal tract of infants. To date, all inhabited continents except Africa have reported cases of infant botulism. Recognition of cases seem directly related to physician awareness and clinical suspicion. This review summarizes microbiological, clinical and epidemiological features of infant botulism. PMID: 19636165 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Fenicia L, Anniballi F Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Health surveillance for subjects with past exposure to asbestos: from international experience and Italian regional practices to a proposed operational model.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The authors have examined Italian and international approaches to the health surveillance of subjects with past occupational exposure to asbestos, with special emphasis on the practices adopted by some Italian regional governments. The principal theoretic features of a surveillance programme, such as its usefulness in terms of oncological prevention, have been described and an operational proposal has been put forward for the consideration of interested health operators. PMID: 19636166 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Zona A, Bruno C Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Management of type 2 diabetic patients attending diabetic outpatient clinics compared with those cared for by the general practitioners: an experience of integrated diabetes management.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusions, PIDM provides satisfactory results in terms of overall glucose, pressure and lipid control, thus encouraging implementation of PIDM to meet the increasing demand for diabetes care. PMID: 19636167 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Di Bonito P, De Natale C, Salvatore T, Vaccaro O, Armentano V, Adinolfi D, Giugliano R, Capaldo B, Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Advances in diagnostics for microbial agents: can clinical validation keep pace with the technical promises?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
New technologies are revolutionizing diagnostic microbiology, but implementation of methodological advances in test evaluation has been extraordinarily slow. Published reports frequently fail to clearly distinguish between studies of analytical accuracy and those of clinical diagnostic performance. We argue that the evaluation of sensitivity and specificity, while necessary and occasionally problematic, is often inadequate to define the appropriate role of a new diagnostic test. To determine whether a test adds additional (incremental) value to the diagnostic information already available to the clinician, evaluation s...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Giocoli G, Biesheuvel CJ, Gidding HF, Andresen D Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Preemptive kidney transplantation: ethical issues.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Preemptive kidney transplantation, as a treatment modality for end-stage renal disease, offers higher clinical advantages compared to maintenance dialysis. Nevertheless, preemptive transplantations raises ethical concerns, particularly regarding medical resource allocation. From an ethical perspective, health care decisions should be focused on the patient's needs. Nevertheless, a fair distribution model also requires the settlement of general policy decisions. The first part of the paper presents general ethical principles to be followed in organ allocation. The second part summarizes main advantages of preemptive tra...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Petrini C Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

The use of microtomography in bone tissue and biomaterial three-dimensional analysis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT, microComputerised Tomography) is a miniaturized form of conventional computerized axial tomography (CAT ). This sophisticated technology enables 3D riconstruction of the internal structure of small X-ray opaque objects without sample destruction or preparation. The aim of this study is to show the possible applications of micro-CT in the analysis of bone graft materials of different origins (i.e. homologous, heterologous, alloplastic) in order to define their morphometric properties by means of SkyScan 1072 3D microtomography system. Since there is a close relationship between ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Bedini R, Meleo D, Pecci R, Pacifici L Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Italian evidence-based guidelines for the management of influenza-like syndrome in adults and children.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Specific clinical practice recommendations for the management of influenza like-illness were developed by a national multidisciplinary panel (Guideline Development Group, GDG), and included in the update of the evidence-based clinical practice guideline: "Management of influenza-like syndrome" issued by the Italian National Guidelines System (SNLG May 2008). The methodological process included: creation of a GDG, definition of key questions, search strategies, critical appraisal of the selected studies, development and grading of recommendations. Eight clinical questions were defined regarding: rapid tests for influenz...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Morciano C, Vitale A, De Masi S, Sagliocca L, Sampaolo L, Lacorte E, Mele A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Anxiety levels and related pharmacological drug treatment: a memorandum for the third millennium.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Anxiety disorders frequently affect the general population and have a lifetime prevalence ranging from 13.6% to 28.8%. This paper reviews full articles dealing with the pharmacological treatments of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (PD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This review also attempts to evaluate the use of new drugs acting on several neurotransmitters involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. Major advances include the development of glutamatergic drugs for treating GAD and OCD. Further randomized controlled trials to test the effec...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Pasquini M, Berardelli I Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Suicide in the national protocol for monitoring sentinel events.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study describes sentinel events reported to the Ministry of Welfare in the first eighteen months of activity, during which it received 123 reports of sentinel events, suicide being the most reported event. The analysis of the causes and contributing factors has highlighted the lack of application, and sometimes the total absence of appropriate procedures and guidelines which would allow the identification of the possible actions to be taken to counteract the recurrence of these serious events in the interest of public health. In particular, it highlighted the need to disseminate and implement specific recommendations ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Cardone R, Amore M, Pompili M, Ciampalini S, De Feo A, Fotaras M, Colonna A, Leomporra G, Cannizzaro G, Ghirardini A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Waste processing and health. A position document of the Italian Association of Epidemiology (AIE) - May 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: This is a position document of the Italian Epidemiological Association (AIE) on the health hazards of waste disposal. The main objectives of the document are: 1) to support the decision makers on the safety of the existing waste treatment and disposal plants and of the planned new plants; b) to recommend protective actions in favour of populations exposed to toxic agents linked to illegal waste treatment and disposal; c) to signal circumstances that require the adoption of surveillance plan or ad hoc studies in order to unveil possible health effects associated to the environmental exposure to toxic agents d...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Risk assessment elements for the management of contaminated sediments. Preface.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 18953137 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 28, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Carere M, Marcheggiani S, Miniero R, Pilozzi A, Mancini L Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

A contemporary pathology of science.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A contemporary pathology of science is outlined. This pathology suggests that "previous knowledge" drastically limits innovative thinking in science. In very raw "Bayesian" terms it is affirmed that a too rich and flexible a priori knowledge is detrimental to the appreciation of novelty coming from experimental results by both lowering the relative weight assigned to a posteriori contrasting evidence and adapting potentially revolutionary findings to an already existing frame. PMID: 18946158 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Modonesi C, Farina L, Licata I, Germano R, Zbilut JP, Giuliani A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Sediment monitoring and the European Water Framework Directive.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sediment is an essential, integral and dynamic part of our river basins. A healthy river needs sediment as a source of life. Unfortunately, sediment also acts as a potential sink for many hazardous chemicals. Above a certain level of contamination this will result in negative impacts such a loss of biodiversity. This is deemed intolerable by society and hence the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) was developed. The WFD aims to achieve a good status of all European waters by the year 2015. The WFD does not specifically deal with sediment although it is clear that there is a link between sediment quality and achie...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Brils J Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Risk management of sediments.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sediment management nowadays is often concerned around sediments that have been polluted in former times, posing the following questions: what risks remain after time has passed concerning the persistence, ageing and bioavailability of the polluting substances; where does the risk apply regarding the transport of contaminated sediments and the management objectives in the different zones of a river basin; how can solutions be found; who is responsible for paying the management measures. This publication reflects on the discussions in the SedNet Working Group on "risk management and communication" claiming that sustaina...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Heise S Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

The bioassay-based approach in sediment quality assessment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The scientific literature reports dozens of bioassay-based methods for the assessment of the sediment quality, many of them even officially standardized by national or international organizations (ASTM, OECD, ISO, EPA, etc.). Each one offers specific advantages, and suffers of possible disadvantages, but practically all have two major drawbacks: they are usually time-consuming (especially in the case of chronic bioassays), and fail to univocally identify the actual cause of the detected toxicity or the detected impairment of the investigated biological characteristic(s). Therefore, this paper will review the possible u...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Baudo R Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Assessment and management of contaminated sediments in Italian marine coastal waters.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) obliges Member State to achieve a good chemical and ecological status of all surface waterbodies within a specific deadline; in particular the good chemical status is a condition in which the concentrations of priority substances do not exceed the environmental quality standards (EQS) in order to protect human health and the environment; the WFD states that EQS have to be derived for water, sediment or biota. The good chemical status could be difficult to achieve in the historical marine contaminated water bodies due to the presence of high concentrations of toxic, bioaccumulative an...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Carere M, Depropris L, Funari E, Musmeci L, Onorati F Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Application of environmental risk analysis at contaminated sites.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Contaminated sites represent a challenge for all European Countries. Clean-up strategies currently focus on a risk-based approach for the definition of remediation goals. Many of the technical standards developed for the application of risk assessment at contaminated sites do not take into account the risk posed to human health by sediment contamination in a common framework. The present paper describes the technical procedure for the application of human health risk assessment at contaminated sites developed and recently updated by the National Environmental Agency and Technical Services (APAT ) of Italy, according to...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: D'Aprile L, Scozza E Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Leaching tests: useful tools for the risk assessment of contaminated sediments.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study different leaching/extraction tests, aimed at the measurements of mobile fractions of trace metals and standardized at European Committee for Standardization (CEN) for the characterization of waste, have been compared with those adopted by the Italian legislation for soils. All these procedures have been applied on Venice Lagoon sediments, in order to extend the appliance of these methods to sediments and to verify the consistency of the results when different leaching tests are applied on the same sample. The results show that these tests can be applied successfully to sediments and confirm that leaching/ext...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Centioli D, Comans RN, Gaudino S, Galas C, Belli M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Environmental background assessment: basic principles and practice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background assessment is crucial in setting remediation and management goals, in identifying contamination trends and in providing screening tools for the selection of contaminants of concern. Legal requirements and guideline documents place great emphasis onto the establishment of background levels. This contribution discusses background estimates for metals and organics in relation to bioavailability and to its potential impact onto living systems. Methods for defining background in Environmental Risk Assessment are provided by the US EPA and by the Dutch Added Risk Approach. Cited case studies, taken from projects c...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Pacini N Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Microbiological indicators and sediment management.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Water Frame Directive 2000/60/CE underlines the importance of sediments and requests the creation of a European net (SedNet) for their management. Sediments play an important role for the river basin and offer a variety of habitats to many aquatic organisms. Microorganisms, such as Clostridia, are indispensable for a lot of symbiotic and pathogenic relationships with higher organisms and the disappearance of these communities could cause extinction of many species. Thus, Clostridia communities represent the most suitable microbiological indicators to characterize the ecological quality of sediments. The creation of...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Mancini L, Rosemann S, Puccinelli C, Ciadamidaro S, Marcheggiani S, Aulicino FA Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Enterobacter sakazakii: epidemiology, clinical presentation, prevention and control.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Enterobacter sakazakii is considered an emerging pathogen and has been recently connected to neonatal cases of necrotizing enterocolitis and meningitis due to use of contaminated powdered infant formula. However its presence is not limited to powdered infant formula; it can also be found in a broad range of foods and in water, in a variety of areas, including hospitals and houses. Due to the gravity of the infections attributed to E. sakazakii, it is necessary to introduce rigorous control measures to reduce the risks of contamination at various levels: industrial, to prevent from production to marketing the contam...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Fiore A, Casale M, Aureli P Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Maternal blood levels of persistent organic pollutants can be used to estimate in utero exposure.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the fetal environment raises concerns for their possible interferences with the developmental process, resulting into morphological and/or functional impairments of the organism. Human biomonitoring has been widely recognized as the action to be undertaken to characterize children's exposure to environmental pollutants in the different life stages, starting from conception. The main objective of the present study was to analyze the relationship between concentrations assessed in maternal blood versus those present in umbilical cord blood to evaluate if POP levels ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Abballe A, Guarino M, Taggi F, Traina ME, Urbani E, Valentini S, De Felip E Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Characterization of multi-drug resistance in Salmonella strains isolated from animals.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Spread of antibiotic resistances through agro-food chain remains an actual question for both researchers and public health operators. Our study investigates antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella spp. strains isolated from avicultural and swine samples (prevalence: 2% and 5.5% respectively). Strains belonging to different serotypes-pulsetypes have resulted multi-resistant in 76% of cases (avicultural strains: 13/23, swine strains: 73/90). Multi-drug resistant strains (MDR) have been studied for transferability by conjugation - observed in 25.6% cases - and for genetic determinants of resistances: 73.3% MDR strains harb...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - October 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Romani C, Aleo A, Pellissier N, Viganò A, Pontello M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

HELLODOC: a European experience on tele-rehabilitation. Preface.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 18660561 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita)
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Macellari V, Scattareggia Marchese S, Giacomozzi C Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Tele-rehabilitation: present and future.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
During the last decade we assisted to relevant progress in rehabilitation studies and in technological development. From the combination of these issues rises the tele-rehabilitation - a subfield of telemedicine consisting of a system to control rehabilitation "at distance" - as an actual possibility of application and a promising development in the future. The present paper offers a short review of the state of the art in the field of tele-rehabilitation, with a special focus on upper limb tele-rehabilitation. The experience is also briefly reported of the preliminary application of the H-CAD (home care activity desk)...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Zampolini M, Todeschini E, Bernabeu Guitart M, Hermens H, Ilsbroukx S, Macellari V, Magni R, Rogante M, Scattareggia Marchese S, Vollenbroek M, Giacomozzi C Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Technical assessment of the HELLODOC service.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A technical assessment activity has been conducted by Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) in the European project HELLODOC (Healthcare service linking tele-rehabilitation to disabled people and clinicians) for evaluating the tele-rehabilitation service. The activity was mainly focussed on architectural aspects and a step by step monitoring of the service. It was mainly related to the following aspects: service implementation, service performances, service integration and fault management. The technical assessment analysis demonstrated that the service worked in a quite satisfactory way, also considering the pioneer...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Scattareggia Marchese S, Baratta S, Cingolani P, Fadda A, Giacomozzi C, Macellari V, Magni R, Magnino F, Opisso Salleras E, Paolizzi M, Rogante M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Tele-rehabilitation and e-learning: the HELLODOC educational experience.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A web-based learning activity in the field of tele-rehabilitation was conducted by Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), the Italian National Institute of Health, within the EU project HELLODOC. The activity aimed at training professionals to effectively manage the tele-rehabilitation service. ISS adapted the Moodle e-learning platform and implemented the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology. One clinical and one technical module were prepared by using traditional learning sources as well as interactive tools. Each module included 4 units; each unit was based on a 5-days cycle. The courses remained open from Jan...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Giacomozzi C, Campobello G, Huijgens B, Ilsbroukx S, Macellari V, Magni R, Ratti A, Rogante M, Scattareggia Marchese S, Schifini MF, Termos JM, Cordella D Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Clinical assessment of the HELLODOC tele-rehabilitation service.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Within the EU project HELLODOC, the clinical effectiveness was investigated of the home care activity desk (H-CAD). Eighty-one patients with chronic stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited; 50 out of 81 received 1 month of H-CAD intervention, with one training session a day lasting 30 minutes for 5 days a week. The overall satisfaction of both patients and therapists was high. The Action Research Arm (ARA) and the Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) were used as main outcome measures. They proved the H-CAD system to be at least as effective as usual care. Maybe due to limited length and in...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Hermens H, Huijgen B, Giacomozzi C, Ilsbroukx S, Macellari V, Prats E, Rogante M, Schifini MF, Spitali MC, Tasies S, Zampolini M, Vollenbroek-Hutten M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Clozapine or Haloperidol in rats prenatally exposed to methylazoxymethanol, a compound inducing entorhinal-hippocampal deficits, alter brain and blood neurotrophins' concentrations.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Rats exposed during prenatal life to methylazoxymethanol (MAM) display in postnatal age structural and behavioral deficits resembling those observed in schizophrenic patients. These deficits are associated with significant changes in brain nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), particularly in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. In the present study, we used the MAM model to investigate in young rats the effect of antipsychotics, Clozapine and Haloperidol, on brain and blood NGF and BDNF presence. Young animals were used because administration of antipsychotics during adolescence is ...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Fiore M, Di Fausto V, Iannitelli A, Aloe L Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

Electrospun bioresorbable trileaflet heart valve prosthesis for tissue engineering: in vitro functional assessment of a pulmonary cardiac valve design.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Currently implanted prosthetic heart valves, both mechanical or biological ones, are used to restore the proper blood hemodynamics when the native valves fail. However, these medical devices are not free from drawbacks, such as hemolysis or calcification, also presenting the relevant disadvantage of being unable to growth, repair and remodel. An improvement could be represented by bioresorbable polymeric tissue-engineered heart valves. In this paper a poly(epsilon -caprolactone) (PCL) heart valve prosthesis, realized by means of electrospinning, and its in vitro functional characterization in a pulse duplicator, resemb...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Del Gaudio C, Bianco A, Grigioni M Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals

The use of common swift (Apus apus), an aerial feeder bird, as a bioindicator of persistent organic microcontaminants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study we investigated the accumulation of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and the chlorinated pesticides 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethene (DDE), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethane (DDT), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the breast muscle, liver, lung, heart and brain tissues of adult common swifts (Apus apus, a long-lived aerial feeder bird). Individuals were collected in an urban area located in Rome during the breeding period. As shown by lipid-base normalized data, in general analytes had a significant minimum concentration in...
Source: Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Miniero R, Carere C, De Felip E, Iacovella N, Rodriguez F, Alleva E, Di Domenico A Tags: Ann Ist Super Sanita Source Type: journals