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Background: Violence in the workplace is now universally recognized as a significant global public health issue and is one of the most serious issues affecting the healthcare sector. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of workplace violence. Methods: We performed a multicenter cross-sectional study using an anonymous questionnaire submitted to doctors from Northern Italy. The survey investigates socio-demographic information, the number of years of work in the health sector and the physical and verbal aggressions that occurred in the workplace in the last 12 months. Results: The sample consists of 4545 healthcare workers, of whom 2603 (57.27%) are females. The mean age of the sample is 49.79 years (SD ± 12.63). The risk of being victim of physical aggression at work in the last 12 months is significantly associated with the following independent variables: male gender (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.51-2.88), work in the public sector (aOR 2.57, 95% CI 1.72-3.85), being victim of verbal aggression at work in the last 12 months (aOR 22.52, 95% CI 10.97-46.20), work in the operational units of the Medical area (aOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.33-4.21) and the Territorial area (aOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.04-3.74). Discussion: The prevalence of violent behaviour is difficult to assess, because violent incidents are underreported or unreported. The results of the study suggest that increased awareness is necessary to develop effective control strategies at individual, hospital and national levels.

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the determinants of nursing students’ compliance with flu vaccination. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous paper ques- tionnaire was administered to students attending the 3-year nurs- ing course at the University of Palermo. Adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. Results. 403 nursing students (65% female) completed the ques- tionnaire (response rate 98.5%). The average age of the respond- ents was 22.0 years (SD ± 3.04). The dependent variable: “In the next season, do you intend to be vaccinated against flu? Yes”, displayed a statistically significant association with the follow- ing independent variables: “year of study: second” (aOR 2.66), “year of study: third” (aOR 1.72), “Perceived health status: medium-high” (aOR 6.61), “Did you get vaccinated against sea- sonal flu last year? Yes” (aOR 22.47). Conclusions. Although nursing students are not yet health pro- fessionals, they spend part of their time in health facilities for their clinical training and will be the health workers of the future. Involving nursing students in influenza vaccination campaigns can also help them take better care of themselves and their patients., Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 61 No. 4 (2020): 2020614

Vaccination coverage rates in healthcare workers in Italy are among the lowest in Europe, and only 10-15% of hospital staff members are immunized against seasonal influenza. The goal of this study was to analyze the attitude and awareness factors of influenza vaccination compliance among Italian future healthcare professionals. A multi-center cross-sectional study was performed using an online, self-reported and anonymous questionnaire, given to students attending different Healthcare degree programs in 14 Italian Universities. A total of 3,123 questionnaires were collected. More than 90% of students >23 years old were not vaccinated against seasonal influenza during the past years. Students vaccinated over the previous seasons, those that were usually recommended influenza vaccination based on their clinical evaluation or in accordance with the ministerial guidelines, and those that were recommended vaccination by other healthcare workers in the past years, demonstrated a greater acceptance of influenza vaccination. Campaigns promoting influenza vaccination among healthcare workers should consider students attending healthcare courses as a priority group, not only for their training activities in healthcare facilities, but also for their future and potential active role in the healthcare system.

Introduction. Influenza is an infectious disease with a high burden, for which a safe and efficacy vaccine is available. However, vaccination coverage is generally low, also among Health Care Workers (HCW). Health Professions students are comparable to HCW in terms of workplace exposure. Aim. The study aim was to identify predictive factors of flu vaccination acceptance among Italian students of Health Professions. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed using a validated, on-line, anonymous questionnaire. Data were analyzed performing both univariable and multivariable logistic analysis. Results. The results showed a statistically significant association between intention to vaccinate next year and: geographical distribution, considering themselves at higher risk due to their profession, having been vaccinated last year, having recommended the vaccination last year, and being willing to recommend it next year and being favorable to mandatory vaccination. In conclusion, identifying an effective vaccination strategy and including students in flu vaccination campaigns might have positive effect on vaccination acceptance.

Introduction: Caregiver is the person who takes care of the patient from the practical point of view, helping him in managing the disease and carrying out daily activities, but also supporting him on an emotional level. Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may be accompanied by a change in attitude from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. The aim of the study was to understand what factors were associated with having panic attacks or crying crises in the caregivers of our study population. Materials and methods: The study design is observational. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to caregivers of the patients of a hospital for the intensive post-acute rehabilitation from April 2016 to December 2018. The statistical significance level chosen for the entire analysis was 0.05. The covariates to be included were selected using a stepwise backward selection process, with a univariate p-value

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 Sanita (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.

Introduction: Obesity is a medical condition associated with premature death and it is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. In this context, performing a regular physical activity promotes a healthy lifestyle, with significant health benefits. The aim of the study was to investigate behaviors that increase the risk of obesity and the determinants that encourage physical activity among adolescents. Materials and methods: The HBSC (Health Behavior in School-aged Children) questionnaire was administered to students in Palermo's private and public schools. For the sampling of public schools the protocol of the HBSC Surveillance System was followed; for the private ones it was opportunistic. Results: Private school students are more likely to exercise more than 3 days per week (OR 1.58) and are more likely to exercise more than 2 times a week (OR 2.08). Obese students in private schools in Palermo are more likely to perform physical activity for less than 3 days a week (OR 3.52) and a higher risk of not having breakfast (OR 10.11) and a snack between main meals (OR 3.82) every day. For all the schools examined, it emerged that obese subjects are more likely not to consume fruit (OR 3.13), to stay more than 6 hours a day in front of PCs and video games (OR 3.24) and more than 2 hours a day in front of TV (OR 3.79). Male students are more likely to perform physical activity for more than 3 days per week (OR 1.48) and intense physical activity at least 2 times per week (OR 1.76) Conclusions: It is necessary to intervene early with training on school and family in order to promote correct and responsible food choices and increase the level of physical activity among students. Therefore prevention interventions must be an integral part of coherent strategies based on tests of agreed effectiveness in order to minimize the risk linked to the development of diseases.

Background. It is necessary to implement current teaching in the healthcare and university sector by promoting new tools for the enhancement of public health, bearing in mind that some health determinants seek to create a context in which to present their own idea of innovative Startup, can represent the opportunity to give your professional contribution to the development of another's idea or to propose an improved solution to the private business. On the other hand, networking with companies and networking between training participants will allow us to recognize the importance of demonstrating their diverse skills as a key element to create a successful Startup or to implement the activities of a reality already consolidated. Methods. This paper describes the research protocol of a Hackathon Public Health (HPH) teaching methodology aimed at: a) increasing public health knowledge; b) changing the proactive approach of the healthcare provider, especially by increasing the sectoral training activity; c) to promote educational and training activities in Italian regions. The subjects involved will be healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, health professions, psychologists, biologists, assistants in training) who are selected to receive or not the intervention through the implementation of a HPH which also includes training activity. Conclusion. HPH is an innovation in the national health landscape, with the aim of creating environments and training policies aimed at promoting proper clinical risk management as part of the continuous improvement of the quality of healthcare organizations and proper training activities.

Anthocyanins are a chemically diverse class of secondary metabolites that color most flowers and fruits. They consist of three aromatic rings that can be substituted with hydroxyl, sugar, acyl, and methyl groups in a variety of patterns depending on the plant species. To understand how such chemical diversity evolved, we isolated and characterized METHYLATION AT THREE2 (MT2) and the two METHYLATION AT FIVE (MF) loci from Petunia spp., which direct anthocyanin methylation in petals. The proteins encoded by MT2 and the duplicated MF1 and MF2 genes and a putative grape (Vitis vinifera) homolog Anthocyanin O-Methyltransferase1 (VvAOMT1) are highly similar to and apparently evolved from caffeoyl-Coenzyme A O-methyltransferases by relatively small alterations in the active site. Transgenic experiments showed that the Petunia spp. and grape enzymes have remarkably different substrate specificities, which explains part of the structural anthocyanin diversity in both species. Most strikingly, VvAOMT1 expression resulted in the accumulation of novel anthocyanins that are normally not found in Petunia spp., revealing how alterations in the last reaction can reshuffle the pathway and affect (normally) preceding decoration steps in an unanticipated way. Our data show how variations in gene expression patterns, loss-of-function mutations, and alterations in substrate specificities all contributed to the anthocyanins' structural diversity. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to develope hydrophilic nanoparticles able to encapsulate and deliver lipophilic curcumin to intestinal epithelial (I-407) and colorectal cancer (HT-29) cells.

Background: Neutropenia and its complications represent one of the principal dose-limiting toxicity issues in chemotherapeutic regimens for soft tissue sarcoma. Prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces the risk of febrile neutropenia (FN). The correct timing of G-CSF administration should be considered in order to optimize the prophylactic treatment. Patients and Methods: Patients (≥18 years old) affected by soft tissue sarcoma and treated with epirubicin and ifosfamide, underwent prophylactic treatment with G-CSF (lenograstim at 263 μg) from day 5 to day 9. The proportion of patients experiencing FN and G4 neutropenia was considered. Results: A total of 36 patients receiving three cycles of chemotherapy with epirubicin plus ifosfamide were treated. None developed FN; G4 neutropenia was reported in 17% of patients. No treatment delay or dose reduction was required, no antibiotic therapy was administered and no hospitalization occurred. Conclusion: Five-day lenograstim treatment is efficient as prophylaxis of FN for soft tissue sarcoma chemotherapy regimens and allows maintenance of chemotherapy dose intensity.

The Paper aims to contribute to reflection on the peculiarities of the cases of functional and morphological regeneration of the waterfront historic European cities. Since the identification of a range of issues common to these types of projects, some interventions are analyzed and characterized by approaches different outcomes. We analyze in detail the case of redevelopment of the waterfront's historic city of Palermo, whose degradation is similar to that of many other big cities of the Mediterranean and whose dynamics retraining, are believed to be a useful contribution for debate on the issue of redevelopment of the waterfront of the historic centers. Today the city of Palermo is "denied Sea" are in fact very few public spaces associated with the use or even the mere sight of the sea. In recent years the Port Authority of Palermo has initiated a process of reconnecting to the port with the city through a series of actions designed to hybridize to the port functions defining new public spaces open to the enjoyment of the community. The paper aims to describe the main phases of the project for a new waterfront historic city. The project rewrites the Old Port of Cala, which covered an area of 27,000 square meters affected by the presence of important historical monuments emergencies. In short the aim of the project, in accordance with current trends in the culture of urban waterfront project, is to bring the basin of the Cala to the role of "port city", in which the specific functions of the port, you hybridize with urban areas intended for public use and in which Palermo has rediscovered the etymological symbiotic relationship with its port system.

The growing number of projcts for floating structures or artificial islands in response to the problems of urhan congestion or environmental emergency requires a critical reflection on the prospectives and the risks implied in this new trend of urban water colonization. This paper intends to test the hypothesis thaht the value of a new and emerging issue of Architecrure can be recognized to this trend and, trhrough a comparison with a series of experiences, wants to bring to the attention of the debate a number of questions which, for exigency of synthesis, analyze in particular the morpholinguistic issues re1ated to the diffusion of this new architecture theme.

The full-term human umbilical cord is made of three blood vessels (two arteries and a vein) surrounded by the Wharton’s jelly, a soft connective tissue made of few mesenchymal stromal cells and an abundant extracellular matrix. Both endothelial and Wharton’s jelly cells are versatile in their differentiation potential; they have shown to be able to differentiate into several cell lineages. Since the differentiation potential of these cells is very wide, we thought it could be interesting to investigate the expression of several cell differentiation markers in the different regions of human umbilical cord. Immunohistochemistry showed the expression of E-cadherin and cytokeratins in the amniotic epithelium, cytokeratins were also expressed in the cells of Wharton’s jelly. Actin and Desmin immunoreactivity localizes in vessel musculature and in Wharton’s jelly. CD31 was expressed only in vessels endothelium, while CD68 by many cells scattered in the Wharton’s jelly and in the vascular compartment.

The full-term human umbilical cord is made of three blood vessels ( two arteries and a vein) surrounded by the Wharthon's jelly, a soft cennective tissue made of new mesenchymal stromal cells and an abundant extracellular matrix. Both endothelial and Wharton's jelly are versdatile in their differenciation potential;tewhy have shown to be able to differentiate into sevaral cell lineages. Since the differentiation potential of these cells is very wide, we thought it could be interesting to investigate the expression of several cell differentiation markers in the different regions of human umbilical cord. Immunohistochemistry showed the expression of E- Cadherin and cytokeratyns in the amniotic epithelium, cytokeratins were also expressed in the cells of Wharthon's jelly. Actin and Desmin immnuoreactivity localizes in vessels musculature and in Wharton's jelly. CD31 was expressed only in vessels endothelium, while CD68 by many cells scattered in teh Wharton's jelly and in the vascular compartment.

Introduction. Cytokeratins (Cks) are the proteins that constitute intermediate filaments. The pattern of expression of cytokeratins is frequently organ or tissue specific and depends mainly on the type of epithelium, the level of differentiation and the stage of development. With this study we tried to make light on the pattern of expression of a wide range of CKs in human umbilical cord at term. Materials and methods. We investigated the expression of CKs through immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR assay. Results. AE1/AE3 antibody reacts with the basic CKs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and with the acidic CKs 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19. The reactivity for this antibody is localized in the amniotic epithelium. Fibroblasts of the Wharton’s jelly did not react with this antibody. Endothelial cells and some cells of the vessel wall seem to express CKs at low levels. Reactivity for 34βE12 antibody (that recognizes CKs 1, 5, 10 and 14) is localized in the cells of the umbilical epithelium, while all the other regions of the umbilical cord did not react with the antibody. The immunoreactivity for MNF116 antibody (that recognizes CKs 5, 6, 8, 17 and 19) is restricted to the cells of the umbilical epithelium while all the other cells of the umbilical cord seems not to express these types of Cks. RT-PCR analysis revealed gene expression for CKs 5, 6, 8, 10, 14 and at a lower level also cytokeratins 1 and 17. Conclusions. We identified the expression of several types of CKs in human umbilical cord at term both at proteic and RNA level. References. 1) Bea F, Bär H, Watson L, Blessing E, Kübler W, Kreuzer J, Jahn L.Cardiac alpha-actin in smooth muscle cells: detection in umbilical cord vessels and in atherosclerotic lesions.Basic Res Cardiol. 2000 Apr;95(2):106-13. 2) Livasy CA, Karaca G, Nanda R, Tretiakova MS, Olopade OI, Moore DT, Perou CM.P henotypic evaluation of the basal-like subtype of invasive breast carcinoma. Mod Pathol. 2006 Feb;19(2):264-71.

This study was aimed to explain the functional role of mediation in the organs of the male reproductive system (prostate and seminal vesicles of rat and hamster), representing throught the visualization of adrenergic fibres (Falck Method), cholinergic fobres (Martinez-Rodriguez method) and by immunohistochemical methods to detect the P substance and the CGRP (PAP) in glandular structures. The adrenocholinergic and peptidergic mediators have a growing interest for their synergic action in the control of contractility, vasodilatation and most likely, of the secretory activity of the epithelium, probably expressed by andocrine-paracrine mechanisms.