Search

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in terms of prevention of disease and transmission in the pre-Delta era. The evaluation was narrowed to two mRNA vaccines and two modified adenovirus-vectored vaccines. (2) Methods: The overall risk of any SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by positive real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was estimated in partially and fully vaccinated individuals. The evidence synthesis was pursued through a random-effects meta-analysis. The effect size was expressed as relative risk (RR) and RRR (RR reduction) of SARS-CoV-2 infection following vaccination. Heterogeneity was investigated through a between-study heterogeneity analysis and a subgroup meta-analysis. (3) Results: The systematic review identified 27 studies eligible for the quantitative synthesis. Partially vaccinated individuals presented a RRR = 73% (95%CI = 59-83%) for positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR (RR = 0.27) and a RRR=79% (95%CI = 30-93%) for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 PCR (RR = 0.21). Fully vaccinated individuals showed a RRR = 94% (95%CI = 88-98%) for SARS-CoV-2 positive PCR (RR = 0.06) compared to unvaccinated individuals. The full BNT162b2 vaccination protocol achieved a RRR = 84-94% against any SARS-CoV-2-positive PCR and a RRR = 68-84% against symptomatic positive PCR. (4) Conclusions: The meta-analysis results suggest that full vaccination might block transmission. In particular, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared higher for non-B.1.1.7 variants and individuals aged ≥69 years. Considering the high level of heterogeneity, these findings must be taken with caution. Further research on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants is encouraged.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate in the Italian smokers, the effects of implementation of the law about Pictorial Health Warnings (PHWs) on tobacco products., Methods: A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was conducted between 2016 and 2017. The data were collected before (pre-PHW/Wave 1) and after (post-PHW/Wave 2) the implementation of the law. The adopted questionnaire included impact of advertisement (Label Impact Index, LII), quitting behavior and knowledge of tobacco related diseases., Results: 455 respondents completed both the Waves. 7.7% of smokers declared to have stopped smoking in Wave 2 and 29% of these declared the PHWs as one of the reasons to quit. The knowledge of tobacco related diseases was significantly (p <0.001) increased from Wave 1 to Wave 2 (58% versus 72%), similarly the LII (mean = 26.9, SD = 16.7 and mean = 40.4, SD = 16.2)., Conclusion: Tobacco addiction is a problem that needs to be addressed from different angles. PHWs confirm their complementary role as a support for smokers along with other strategies such as text warnings and the tobacco quit line of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health) reported on the packages. Nonetheless, over the years these measures have been not enough and policy makers should consider more strategies synergistically acting in the fight against tabagism.

In a previous report of two married cohabiting couples affected by polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), we noticed that the wife of one couple and both members of the other couple suffered from symptomatic diverticular disease (DD), whose diagnosis was made before the onset of PMR. We investigated whether DD might be a risk factor for the development of PMR. We conducted a case-control study informed on a database containing the prospectively collected medical records of consecutive PMR patients. Among comorbidities, attention was focused on symptomatic DD, provided that the diagnosis had been made by colonoscopy and/or computed tomography scan. As controls, we identified one control per case at random among those matched by age and sex attending the ophthalmic and orthopedic outpatient clinics, as long as a PMR diagnosis had been excluded. A logistic regression model was used, following a multiplicative model, and results were presented as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The most frequent comorbidities in the two groups of patients (121 cases and 121 controls) were chronic coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, DD, hypercholesterolemia, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and cholelithiasis. The association between PMR and DD (OR = 4.06; 95% CI: 1.76-9.35) was by far stronger than that found comparing PMR with the other comorbidities. The chronic bowel inflammation induced by dysbiosis in patients with symptomatic DD could be a critical immunopathological mechanism supporting the development or exacerbation of PMR in susceptible individuals.

Background: Inmates have a poorer health status than the general population. The physical activity is well know that improve the wellness of the people. This multicentric cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between Quality of Life (QoL) and physical activity levels among Italian prisoners., Methods: Inmates from eight prisons compiled a questionnaire. The Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) was used to measure inmates' weekly physical activity levels (MATwk). Their QoL was measured using two components of Short Form with 12 items (SF12): MCS (mental score) and PCS (physical score)., Results: A total of 636 questionnaires were compiled. High level of MET was significantly (P <0.05) associated with both PCS (OR = 1.02) and MCS (OR = 1.03). The correlations between PCS, MCS vs. METwk scores were respectively significant: r = 0.17 and r = 0.10, P < 0.05. The number of years of detention was associated to higher MET (OR = 1.04 P < 0.05). The presence of Physical Exercise Areas (PEAs) within Jails did not improve the QoL level., Conclusions: Jails may not seem like the ideal place to fight sedentary behavior, but, in any case, health promotion can occur within its walls. The heterogeneity of Italian jails, and particularly relative PEAs therein (areas had different characteristics between jails), suggests that such spaces should be regulated or well defined. Furthermore, the implement of training schedules could be done in a standardized way. Despite this heterogeneity both the physical and mental components of inmates' quality of life were associated to a high level of physical activity., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To perform an analysis of the perception of alcohol use among workers of the transportation, healthcare and building sectors., Methods: A survey was carried out on alcohol consumption and knowledge of deriving health effects. Socio-demographic characteristics of the workers were collected. Risk indexes for habitual alcohol and binge consumption were calculated., Results: The number of workers entering the survey is 3,914 (57% males; 58% married). Two-thirds of the sample reported good knowledge of alcohol-related risks that could occur at the workplace, and 55% of alcohol-related health risks. Binge drinking is inversely associated with female gender, good perceived health and good knowledge of alcohol-related risks at the workplace and of alcohol-related health risks. People who are single, young and working in the building sector show higher odds for binge drinking. The habitual use is positively associated with marital status (OR=1.51 for single) and working sector (in the building sector OR=3.28; in the healthcare OR=1.90); and inversely associated with good health (OR=0.70), good knowledge of alcohol-related risks at the workplace (OR=0.54) and of alcohol-related health risks (OR=0.41)., Conclusions: Socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender and marital status are associated with different patterns of alcohol consumption, that in turn are inversely associated with good knowledge of alcohol-related risks at the workplace and of alcohol-related health risks. These results suggest the need to increase knowledge of alcohol-related issues among the workers, both at the workplace and in everyday life.

Background: Access to healthcare services for undocumented migrants is one of the main public health issues currently being debated among European countries. Exclusion from primary healthcare services may lead to serious consequences for migrants' health. We analyzed the risk among undocumented migrants, in comparison with regular migrants, of being hospitalized for preventable conditions in the Region of Sicily (Italy). We performed a hospital-based cross-sectional study of the foreign population hospitalized in the Sicily region between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2013. The first outcome was the proportion of avoidable hospitalization (AHs) among regular and irregular migrants. Second outcomes were the subcategories of AHs for chronic, acute and vaccine preventable diseases. 85 309 hospital admissions were analyzed. In the hospitalized population, in comparison to regular migrants, undocumented migrants show a higher proportion of hospitalization for diseases preventable through primary and preventive care (AOR1·48, 95%CI 1·37-1·59). The proportion of avoidable hospitalizations associated with the lack of legal status is higher for vaccine preventable conditions (AOR 2·06, 95%CI 1·66-2·56) than for chronic conditions (AOR 1·47, 95%CI 1·42-1·63) and acute conditions (AOR 1·37; 95%CI 1·23-1·53). Between 2003 and 2013, the proportion of avoidable hospitalizations decreased both in regular and undocumented migrants but decreased faster for regular than for undocumented migrants. Undocumented migrants experience higher proportion of hospitalization for preventable conditions in comparison with regular migrants probably due to a lack of access to the national healthcare service. Policies and strategies to involve them in primary healthcare and preventive services should be developed to tackle this inequality., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.)

The decline of immunization rates in countries of origin of migrants and refugees, along with risky conditions during the journey to Europe, may threaten migrants' health. We performed a systematic review of the scientific literature in order to assess the frequency of vaccine preventable diseases, and vaccination coverage among migrants and refugees in Europe. To this end, Medline and Cochrane databases were considered. After the screening and the selection process, 58 papers were included in the review. We focused on the following vaccine-preventable diseases: hepatitis B, measles, rubella, mumps, tetanus, poliomyelitis, pertussis, diphtheria, meningitis, and varicella. The results were presented as a qualitative synthesis. In summary, several studies highlighted that migrants and refugees have lower immunization rates compared to European-born individuals. Firstly, this is due to low vaccination coverage in the country of origin. Then, several problems may limit migrants' access to vaccination in Europe: (i) migrants are used to move around the continent, and many vaccines require multiple doses at regular times; (ii) information on the immunization status of migrants is often lacking; (iii) hosting countries face severe economic crises; (iv) migrants often refuse registration with medical authorities for fear of legal consequences and (v) the lack of coordination among public health authorities of neighboring countries may determine either duplications or lack of vaccine administration. Possible strategies to overcome these problems include tailoring immunization services on the specific needs of the target population, developing strong communication campaigns, developing vaccination registers, and promoting collaboration among public health authorities of European Countries.

Background: This study aimed to provide a systematic review on the geographical distribution of Echinococcus multilocularis in definitive and intermediate hosts in the European Union (EU) and adjacent countries (AC). The relative importance of the different host species in the life-cycle of this parasite was highlighted and gaps in our knowledge regarding these hosts were identified., Methods: Six databases were searched for primary research studies published from 1900 to 2015. From a total of 2,805 identified scientific papers, 244 publications were used for meta-analyses., Results: Studies in 21 countries reported the presence of E. multilocularis in red foxes, with the following pooled prevalence (PP): low (≤ 1 %; Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden); medium (> 1 % to < 10 %; Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the Ukraine); and high (> 10 %; Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Liechtenstein and Switzerland). Studies from Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Norway reported the absence of E. multilocularis in red foxes. However, E. multilocularis was detected in Arctic foxes from the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard in Norway., Conclusions: Raccoon dogs (PP 2.2 %), golden jackals (PP 4.7 %) and wolves (PP 1.4 %) showed a higher E. multilocularis PP than dogs (PP 0.3 %) and cats (PP 0.5 %). High E. multilocularis PP in raccoon dogs and golden jackals correlated with high PP in foxes. For intermediate hosts (IHs), muskrats (PP 4.2 %) and arvicolids (PP 6.0 %) showed similar E. multilocularis PP as sylvatic definitive hosts (DHs), excluding foxes. Nutrias (PP 1.0 %) and murids (PP 1.1 %) could play a role in the life-cycle of E. multilocularis in areas with medium to high PP in red foxes. In areas with low PP in foxes, no other DH was found infected with E. multilocularis. When fox E. multilocularis PP was >3 %, raccoon dogs and golden jackals could play a similar role as foxes. In areas with high E. multilocularis fox PP, the wolf emerged as a potentially important DH. Dogs and cats could be irrelevant in the life-cycle of the parasite in Europe, although dogs could be important for parasite introduction into non-endemic areas. Muskrats and arvicolids are important IHs. Swine, insectivores, murids and nutrias seem to play a minor or no role in the life-cycle of the parasite within the EU and ACs.

Background: Frontalis suspension surgery is considered the procedure of choice in cases of blepharoptosis. Among all the materials used in this type of surgery, ophthalmic and plastic surgeons prefer to use autologous Fascia Lata. However, during years, other autogenous and exogenous materials have been introduced., Objectives: The aim of this study was therefore that of systematically reviewing the functional results and the rate of complications of different synthetic materials, as compared to autogenous Fascia Lata. The primary objective was to determine the rates of Successful Surgeries (SSs) of these materials. The secondary objective was to assess the onset of complications. The following materials were investigated: Fascia Lata, Mersilene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Silicon., Data Source and Methods: Following the Prisma procedure, on January 30th, 2016 we used the following electronic databases to select the studies: MEDLINE and Scopus., Results: The search strategy retrieved 48 publications that met the eligibility criteria of the systematic review. All studies were non-comparative. PTFE (n = 5) showed the best rate of SSs among the materials compared (statistically significant). Surgeries performed with autogenous Fascia Lata (n = 19) had a 87% rate of success those performed with Mersilene (n = 12)had 92% and those performed with Silicon (n = 17)88%. PTFE had the best outcome, with 99% success rate. As for complications, surgeries performed with PTFE had a higher rate of suture infections (1.9%) as compared to Fascia Lata, but lower incidence for all other complications., Conclusions: Although most studies were good quality cohort studies, the overall quality of this evidence should be regarded as low due to their non-comparative design. Our data suggest that PTFE seems to be the most valid alternative material for frontalis suspension surgery, with low recurrence rates and good cosmetic and functional results., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of the economic evaluations (EE) of HBV vaccination, taking also into account the studies published in the new millennium., Methods: An extensive scientific literature review was conducted using two electronic medical journal databases: Scopus and PubMed engines for published studies on EE of HBV vaccination., Results: 22 articles were reviewed, 9, 5 and 8 cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit and cost-utility analysis, respectively. Studies were mainly concerning EE of universal vaccination (UV), mostly with regards to low or low-medium income countries. For high income countries, EE were focused on the possible implementation of HBV vaccination in particular settings, such as diabetic, renal and other chronic conditions care, as well as infectious diseasesUV has usually a very good cost-effectiveness ratio (80%), ranging from cost-saving (China) or few Euro per LY/QALY gained (in Thailand, and Vietnam) to 630.00$/QALY in USA (Asian and Pacific Islands) Moreover, EE of HBV vaccination are favorable in the infectious diseases field as well as for chronic conditions. In relation to diabetes the studies gave controversial results., Conclusion: This systematic review highlighted the importance of introducing HBV vaccination not only for infant UV program but also for other settings in which patients are people affected by communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the prevalence of e-cigarette use and country-level factors across 28 European countries., Methods: The study objectives were addressed in an ecological design in which both exposures and outcomes were measured at the country level. Data from the Eurobarometer Report, the Eurostat database and the WHO observatory were analyzed. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed considering the rates of current and ever smokers of e-cigarettes as dependent variables, and socio-economic factors, health status and policies against tobacco as independent variables., Results: Both the rate of current smokers and ever smokers of e-cigarette were positively associated to the offer of help to quit tobacco use (P < 0.01; P = 0.04) and to the raise of taxes on tobacco (P = 0.01; P = 0.01). The warn on dangers of tobacco negatively correlated with the rate of e-cigarette current smokers. The rate of current e-cigarette smokers correlated with the rate of current smokers and with national Gross Domestic Product, while the rate of ever e-cigarette smokers did not correlate with any socio-economic factor., Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that both policy and non-policy factors are associated with the geographical variability seen in the prevalence of e-cigarette use. Policies against the consumption of conventional tobacco products may lead to an increase of e-cigarette smokers.

Objectives: Tobacco packaging represents an important form of promotion of tobacco products and for this reason plain packaging (PP) can be considered an additional tobacco control measure. In Italy the current tobacco packaging is branded with textual warnings. The study investigated the perception of PP with textual warnings (PPTWs) and pictorial warnings (PPPWs) in Italy., Study Design: Cross-sectional., Methods: The study was conducted on adults who were current, never and former smokers. The participants watched out three types of packages (current packaging, PPTWs and PPPWs) and eight pictorial warnings, and indicated which they considered the most effective ones to motivate smoking cessation or reduction and to prevent the onset., Results: 1065 subjects were recruited. The PPPWs were considered the most effective in motivating to quit, reduce and prevent the smoking habits (ranged 83.4%-96.1%) in all tobacco users and age groups (≤40/>40 years) (P < 0.005). In general PP does not seem to be very effective in quitting for three-quarters of the smokers and 60% declared that they would have still started smoking with PP. The younger group believed less than the older one that PP gives a motivation to quit (29.4% vs 39.1%, P = 0.002). The pictures perceived as most effective in communicating the smoking effects were lung cancer and gangrene (about one-third of the sample)., Conclusions: The textual warnings on tobacco products are a measure of control now outdated. Countries still using them should consider the idea of replace them with pictorial warnings that seem to be more effective. It is also desirable in the near future that these countries introduce the PPPWs., (Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The European Commission has proposed a review of the directive on tobacco products on labeling and packaging of tobacco products by introducing warning text with pictorial warning that occupies 75% of the cigarette packages. The aim of the survey was to assess the impact of plain packaging and pictorial warning in smoking reduction, cessation and initiation among a sample of adult. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Rome between September and November 2012. The questionnaires administered were 227, with a response rate of 82.4%. 35.8% (No. 67) of the respondents considered the image of the gangrene the most effective in communicating smoking-related damages, followed by the image on lung cancer (No. 60; 32.1%). Distinguishing between smokers and non-smokers (both former and never smokers), the picture on lung cancer was the most effective for smokers (No. 22; 38.6%); if cigarette packages have pictorial warnings like the ones shown, more than half (No. 33; 57.9%) of smokers would change brand; 66.7% (No. 38) of them would feel uncomfortable in showing the package. Comparing the 3 packagings, classic packaging, plain packaging with textual warning, and plain packaging with both textual and pictorial warning, the majority of people declared that the third is the most effective in preventing smoking initiation (No. 169; 90.9%), in motivating to quit (No. 158; 84.9%), and in changing smoking habits (No. 149; 80.5%). The survey, although its small sample size and being not representative of all strata of Italian population, shows that the plain packaging with pictorial warning is the most convincing in the three outcomes considered.