Search

Background. Increasing adherence to influenza vaccination among healthcare workers is a public health priority, stated that actually remains far below than international recommendations. During the 2020/2021 pandemic season, COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available until the end of December 2020, and influenza vaccines were the only one available to protect against seasonal respiratory diseases. The main objective of the present study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and adherence to influenza and other vaccinations recommended by the National Immunization Plan 2017-2021 for healthcare workers. Methods. Enrollment lasted from October and December 2020 at the vaccination unit of the University Hospital of Palermo. Data were collected through an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, divided into 5 sections and 31 items. Results. Among 734 healthcare professionals that completed the survey, a significantly higher adherence to influenza vaccination was observed among healthcare workers that were more prone to receive COVID-19 vaccination (OR=4.02; 95% CI: 1.63-9.91). Moreover, higher influenza vaccination rates were observed among healthcare professionals that received influenza vaccination during previous 2019/2020 season (OR=15.3; 95% CI: 5.17-45.1) and that were favorable to the possible impact on increasing adherence of influenza mandatory vaccination (OR=4.88; 95% CI: 2.43-9.80). Conclusions. Propensity of healthcare workers to undergo vaccinations recommended in the National Immunization Plan increased during the first pandemic season. At the end of the vaccination season, flu vaccination coverage reached highest rates ever at the University Hospital of Palermo (around 60%), remaining anyway below the recommended minimum value of 75%. During next seasonal flu vaccination campaigns, it becomes essential to promote communication and information strategies to increase flu vaccination among healthcare workers, also focusing on co-administration with the anti-COVID-19 booster/seasonal doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary changes expose consumers to risks from Anisakis larvae in seafood, leading to parasitic diseases and allergies. Anisakis is recognized by EFSA as a significant hazard, with potential oncogenic implications. Diagnostic advancements, like the Basophil Activation Test (BAT), enhance sensitivity and accuracy in identifying Anisakis sensitization, complementing traditional IgE tests. We conducted a cross-sectional study on patients with allergic symptoms from April 2021 to April 2023 at two outpatient clinics in western Sicily. Our goal was to assess the prevalence of Anisakis -related allergies and to identify risk profiles using specific Anisakis IgE and the BAT, especially in regions with high raw fish consumption. The study evaluated specific Anisakis IgE as a screening tool for Anisakis sensitization, using questionnaires, blood samples, and immuno-allergology analyses. Anisakis -specific IgE values were compared with the BAT results, with statistical analyses including Fisher's exact test and logistic regression. The results showed an 18.5% seroprevalence of Anisakis IgE, while the BAT as a second-level test showed 4.63%, indicating the BAT's superior specificity and accuracy. The study highlighted the importance of the BAT in diagnosing Anisakis sensitization, especially in cases of cross-reactivity with Ascaris and tropomyosin. The findings confirm the BAT's exceptional specificity in identifying Anisakis sensitization and support using Anisakis -specific IgE for population-based risk profiling. The BAT can effectively serve as a confirmatory test.

Background: Asbestos is a foremost occupational carcinogen globally. Despite the prohibition under Law 257/1992, Italy persists as one of the European nations most burdened by asbestos-related diseases (ARDs). This research assessed ARD cases in asbestos-exposed workers from the Province of Palermo, Italy, spanning 2010-2021., Methods: Data acquisition utilized the epidemiological dataset from the 'Service of Prevention and Safety on Work Environment' under the Prevention Department of Palermo's Local Health Authority (LHA)., Results: Between 2010 and 2021, we identified 245 ARD instances, comprising 163 Asbestosis/Pleural plaques, 41 Lung Cancers, 38 Mesotheliomas, and 3 unspecified cases. Multivariate analysis indicated a notable decline in temporal exposure for mesothelioma (HR=0.933; 95% CI=0.902-0.965) and lung cancer (HR=0.93; 95% CI=0.90-0.978) relative to pleural plaques/asbestosis. Tobacco use displayed a pronounced correlation with lung cancer (smoker HR=64.520 95% CI=13,075-318.390; former smoker HR=20.917 95% CI=4,913-89.048). A significant link was observed between mesothelioma and pleural plaques/asbestosis in those employed in shipbuilding and repair (HR=0.371 95% CI=0.155-0.892)., Conclusions: ARDs persist in clinical observations, even following the 1992 cessation of asbestos-related activities, emphasizing an enduring public health challenge. Enhancing prevention strategies is paramount, focusing on amplifying anamnestic and occupational data collection, thereby facilitating superior early diagnosis strategies for these maladies in the occupationally exposed cohort.

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in frail individuals, including children, the elderly and immunocompromised people, with mild to severe symptoms. World Health Organization claims hRSV causes most elderly influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). In this study, different case definitions for hRSV surveillance were examined for accuracy., Methods: The following search query ('Respiratory Syncytial Virus' OR 'RSV' OR 'hRSV' AND 'case definition') was used on PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus with a 15-year-old baseline age restriction to conduct a systematic literature review., Results: Of 12 records, 58% employed the SARI definition, 50% the ILI definition and 42% the acute respiratory infection (ARI) definition, with some overlap. In young adults (18-64 years old), most studies show RSV prevalence between 6.25 and 72.54 cases per 1000 per year, and 19.23 to 98.5 in older adults. The outpatient ARI and hospitalized SARI criteria are particularly sensitive and specific., Conclusions: Disease burden measurement requires a clear case definition; however, current literature is questionable. Currently, hRSV surveillance uses numerous case definitions with debatable accuracy. The epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and disease burden of hRSV are difficult to characterize without a standard surveillance case definition., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Satellite remote sensing is currently an established, effective, and constantly used tool and methodology for monitoring agriculture and fertilisation. At the same time, in recent years, the need for the detection of livestock manure and digestate spreading on the soil is emerging, and the development of spectral indices and classification processes based on satellite multispectral data acquisitions is growing. However, the application of such indicators is still underutilised and, given the polluting impact of livestock manure and digestate on soil, groundwater, and air, an in-depth study is needed to improve the monitoring of this practice. Additionally, this paper aims at exposing a new spectral index capable of detecting the land affected by livestock manure and digestate spreading. This indicator was created by studying the spectral response of bare soil and livestock manure and digestate, using Copernicus Sentinel-2 MSI satellite acquisitions and ancillary datasets (e.g., soil moisture, precipitation, regional thematic maps). In particular, time series of multispectral satellite acquisitions and ancillary data were analysed, covering a survey period of 13 months between February 2022 and February 2023. As no previous indications on fertilisation practices are available, the proposed approach consists of investigating a broad-spectrum area, without investigations of specific test sites. A large area of approximately 236,344 hectares covering three provinces of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) was therefore examined. A series of ground truth points were also collected for assessing accuracy by filling in the confusion matrix. Based on the definition of the spectral index, a value of the latter greater than three provides the most conservative threshold for detecting livestock manure and digestate spreading with an accuracy of 62.53%. Such results are robust to variations in the spectral response of the soil. On the basis of these very encouraging results, it is considered plausible that the proposed index could improve the techniques for detecting the spreading of livestock manure and digestate on bare ground, classifying the areas themselves with a notable saving of energy compared to the current investigation methodologies directly on the ground.

A retrospective observational study utilising cancer incidence data from a population-based registry investigated determinants affecting primary liver cancer survival in a southern Italian region with high hepatitis viral infection rates and obesity prevalence. Among 2687 patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2019 (65.3% male), a flexible hazard-based regression model revealed factors influencing 5-year survival rates. High deprivation levels [HR = 1.41 (95%CI = 1.15-1.76); p < 0.001], poor access to care [HR = 1.99 (95%IC = 1.70-2.35); p < 0.0001], age between 65 and 75 [HR = 1.48 (95%IC = 1.09-2.01); p < 0.05] or >75 [HR = 2.21 (95%CI = 1.62-3.01); p < 0.0001] and residing in non-urban areas [HR = 1.35 (95%CI = 1.08-1.69); p < 0.01] were associated with poorer survival estimates. While deprivation appeared to be a risk factor for primary liver cancer patients residing within the urban area, the geographic distance from specialised treatment centres emerged as a potential determinant of lower survival estimates for residents in the non-urban areas. After balancing the groups of easy and poor access to care using a propensity score approach, poor access to care and a lower socioeconomic status resulted in potentially having a negative impact on primary liver cancer survival, particularly among urban residents. We emphasise the need to interoperate cancer registries with other data sources and to deploy innovative digital solutions to improve cancer prevention.

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have been approved due to their excellent safety and efficacy data and their use has also permitted to reduce neurological complications of SARS-CoV-2. However, clinical trials were underpowered to detect rare adverse events. Herein, the aim was to characterize the clinical spectrum and immunological features of central nervous system (CNS) immune-related events following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination., Methods: Multicenter, retrospective, cohort study (December 1, 2020-April 30, 2022). Inclusion criteria were (1) de novo CNS disorders developing after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (probable causal relationship as per 2021 Butler criteria) (2); evidence for an immune-mediated etiology, as per (i) 2016 Graus criteria for autoimmune encephalitis (AE); (ii) 2015 Wingerchuk criteria for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders; (iii) criteria for myelitis., Results: Nineteen patients were included from 7 tertiary referral hospitals across Italy and France (one of them being a national referral center for AE), over almost 1 year and half of vaccination campaign. Vaccines administered were mRNA-based (63%) and adenovirus-vectored (37%). The median time between vaccination and symptoms onset was 14 days (range: 2-41 days). CSF was inflammatory in 74%; autoantibodies were detected in 5%. CSF cytokine analysis (n=3) revealed increased CXCL-10 (IP-10), suggesting robust T-cell activation. The patients had AE (58%), myelitis (21%), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) (16%), and brainstem encephalitis (5%). All patients but 2 received immunomodulatory treatment. At last follow-up (median 130 days; range: 32-540), only one patient (5%) had a mRS>2., Conclusion: CNS adverse events of COVID-19 vaccination appear to be very rare even at reference centers and consist mostly of antibody-negative AE, myelitis, and ADEM developing approximately 2 weeks after vaccination. Most patients improve following immunomodulatory treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Vogrig, Tartaglia, Dentoni, Fabris, Bax, Belluzzo, Verriello, Bagatto, Gastaldi, Tocco, Zoccarato, Zuliani, Pilotto, Padovani, Villagrán-García, Davy, Gigli, Honnorat and Valente.)

(1) Background: Increasing evidence supports the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective role of perampanel (PER), mediated by decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and by interference with apoptosis processes. Therefore, the use of PER to treat status epilepticus (SE) with suspected inflammatory etiology is appealing and deserves further investigation. (2) Methods: We retrospectively analyzed seven patients (five F, two M; median age: 62 years) with refractory and super-refractory SE due to a probable or defined inflammatory etiology and treated with PER. (3) Results: PER was administered as the third (4/7) or fourth drug (3/7), with a median loading dose of 32 mg/day (range: 16-36 mg/day) and a median maintenance dose of 10 mg/day (range: 4-12 mg/day). In five cases, SE was focal, while in two patients, it was generalized. SE was caused by systemic inflammation in three patients, while in the other four subjects, it was recognized to have an autoimmune etiology. SE resolution was observed after PER administration in all cases, particularly within 24 h in the majority of patients (4/7, 57.1%). (4) Conclusions: Our data support the efficacy of PER in treating SE when first- and second-line ASMs have failed and suggest a possible earlier use in SE cases that are due to inflammatory/autoimmune etiology.

Background: Increasing adherence to influenza vaccination among healthcare workers is a public health priority, stated that actually remains far below than international recommendations. During the 2020/2021 pandemic season, COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available until the end of December 2020, and influenza vaccines were the only one available to protect against seasonal respiratory diseases. The main objective of the present study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and adherence to influenza and other vaccinations recommended by the National Immunization Plan 2017-2021 for healthcare workers., Methods: Enrollment lasted from October and December 2020 at the vaccination unit of the University Hospital of Palermo. Data were collected through an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, divided into 5 sections and 31 items., Results: Among 734 healthcare professionals that completed the survey, a significantly higher adherence to influenza vaccination was observed among healthcare workers that were more prone to receive COVID-19 vaccination (OR=4.02; 95% CI: 1.63-9.91). Moreover, higher influenza vaccination rates were observed among healthcare professionals that received influenza vaccination during previous 2019/2020 season (OR=15.3; 95% CI: 5.17-45.1) and that were favorable to the possible impact on increasing adherence of influenza mandatory vaccination (OR=4.88; 95% CI: 2.43-9.80)., Conclusions: Propensity of healthcare workers to undergo vaccinations recommended in the National Immunization Plan increased during the first pandemic season. At the end of the vaccination season, flu vaccination coverage reached highest rates ever at the University Hospital of Palermo (around 60%), remaining anyway below the recommended minimum value of 75%. During next seasonal flu vaccination campaigns, it becomes essential to promote communication and information strategies to increase flu vaccination among healthcare workers, also focusing on co-administration with the anti-COVID-19 booster/seasonal doses.

Introduction: Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a universal model of nutrition that prevents several metabolic, cardiovascular, and oncological diseases. Main objective of the present study was to analyze adherence and knowledge regarding MD principles in a sample of individuals practicing amatorial sports from the Metropolitan Area of Palermo., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 Sports Centers, between October 2020 and September 2021, through a previously validated anonymous questionnaire structured in five sections including 74 items., Results: Overall, 337 subjects answered to the questionnaire. Based on the multivariable analysis conducted, a higher knowledge score (KS) on MD principles was observed among individuals daily consuming vegetables (OR: 3.32; CI95%: 1.82-6.02) and in the ones more adherent to MD principles (OR: 10.15; CI95%:5.47-18.85). More in depth, using MEDAS score to analyze the adherence to MD, a significant lower adherence was observed among overweight/obese (OR: 0.57; CI95%:0.33-0.99) and among employed subjects (OR: 0.52; IC95%: 0.28-0.98); while, a higher adherence was highlighted among daily consumers of vegetables (OR: 2.52; CI95%:1.52-4.17), daily consumers of fruit (OR: 1.77; CI95%:1.08-2.90), and in individuals that have daily breakfast (OR: 4.29; CI95%:1.15-15.96)., Discussion: In accordance with the WHO Europe Gaining Health Campaign, Public Health Authorities should simplify accessibility to healthy food among general population, promoting principles and accessibility to MD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Costantino, Casuccio, Belluzzo, Balsamo, Bonaccorso, Carubia, D’Azzo, Gattuso, Lo Porto, Sciortino, Vitello, Tabacchi, Vitale and Mazzucco.)

The rising popularity of undercooked or raw seafood containing larvae of the Anisakis parasite has led to issues of public health concern due to allergic manifestations. We conducted an observational study on the use of an innovative Anisakis allergy diagnostic algorithm in a convenience sample of 53 allergic outpatients recruited in Western Sicily, between April 2021 and March 2022. We included individuals with an anamnesis suggestive of IgE sensitization to Anisakis reporting clinical manifestation in the last month due to allergic reactions after eating fresh fish, or in subjects at high exposure risk with sea products while abstaining from fish ingestion, excluding those with documented fish sensitization. Outpatients were tested via Skin Prick Test, IgE-specific dosage and Basophil Activation Test (BAT). Twenty-six outpatients were diagnosed with Anisakis , while 27 with Chronic Urticaria (CU). We found a seven-fold excess risk for Anisakis (p4) positivity in the Anisakis allergic outpatients, as compared to the CU ones. BAT showed the best diagnostic accuracy (92.45%) and specificity (100%), while specific IgE to Ascaris (p1) documented the best sensitivity (92.31%) but a very low specificity (37.04%). In conclusion, our findings may represent a potentially useful contribution to the future development of updated clinical guidelines.

Background: In Italy, the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose started on 27 September 2021, supported by clinical trials corroborating its efficacy. Given the paucity of real-world effectiveness data, this study aims to estimate the vaccine effectiveness of the booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 infection, severe disease, and death in the adult Sicilian population., Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out from 1 January to 31 March 2022 and included all residents in Sicily aged ≥ 18 years without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and with a complete mRNA vaccine primary cycle. The cohort was split into two groups (booster and primary cycle) matched by age, gender, vaccine type, and month of completion of the primary vaccination cycle., Results: 913,382 subjects were observed in the study: 456,690 (50%) were vaccinated with two doses and 456,692 (50%) with three doses. There were 43,299 cases of SARS-CoV-2 among the two-doses vaccinees (9.5%) and 10,262 (2.2%) among the three-doses counterpart. Vaccine effectiveness in the booster cohort was 76.5% and 74.4% against SARS-CoV-2 infection, 85.7% and 79.7% against severe disease, and 84.1% and 73.1% against intubation or death, for BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively., Conclusions: This study confirmed the remarkable efficacy profile of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster dose against infection, severe disease, and death attributable to the virus. Overall, the results of this study provide important real-world data to support the continued roll-out of the COVID-19 booster dose and have the potential to inform public health policy and guide decisions on vaccination strategies in countries around the world.

Background: Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 infection are well recognized. Seizures and status epilepticus (SE) have been reported as possible manifestations and/or complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection at different disease stages, but few data are known about the type, severity, treatment response, and recurrence., Methods: Single-center retrospective case series., Results: This case series describes four COVID-19-positive patients admitted to an Italian University Hospital, who developed status epilepticus during the active phase of disease, independently from the severity of respiratory symptoms. Two of them presented a relapse after resolution of the acute viral infection, a feature that has not been previously reported., Conclusions: Although a possible association between SE and COVID-19 has been reported, the exact etiopathogenetic mechanism remains still not understood. Our series adds new insights to shed further light on this controversial issue., (© 2021. Fondazione Società Italiana di Neurologia.)

Objective: pre-morbid patient conditions and hospitalization complications possibly play a role in status epilepticus short-term outcome, although evidence is incomplete and non-conclusive. The study's aim was to define whether comorbidities and in-hospital complications arising after status epilepticus affect its prognosis., Methods: A retrospective single center study was carried out. All selected patients were adults presenting an EEG-proven status epilepticus episode between 2003 and 2014. Medical charts were comprehensively reviewed. In-hospital mortality and length of hospital stay represented study outcomes., Results: One hundred seventy-three subjects met the inclusion criteria. Seventy-one cases (41%) developed infections and 59 (34%) non-infectious complications. Median hospital stay was 16days and overall in-hospital mortality was 44%. Multivariate analysis revealed the association between in-hospital mortality and the following comorbidities: history of diabetes mellitus (Odds ratio=7.89, p=0.002) and evidence of extracranial malignancy (Odds ratio=10.28, p=0.009). Complications were not associated to death after multivariate statistics, which instead displayed systemic inflammatory response syndrome significance (Odds ratio=12.90, p<0.001). Infections and non-infectious complications were associated with longer hospital stay (p=0.025 and p=0.01 respectively)., Conclusions: status epilepticus management is a multifaceted problem., Results: suggest that some pre-morbid patient conditions and in-hospital adverse events play an unfavorable prognostic role. This preliminary information may help clinicians optimize preventive and therapeutic strategies to guarantee patients the best chances of survival., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Although status epilepticus is a common neurological emergency, literature about its short term functional disability is scarce and often difficult to interpret. The aim of the present study was to identify possible predictive factors of functional disability in a well-selected cohort of EEG-confirmed status epilepticus patients., Methods: We carried out a retrospective evaluation of clinical and radiologic parameters potentially affecting status epilepticus-related disability in a cohort of adult patients admitted to our institution between 2003 and 2013. Functional decline was defined as a ≥ 1 increase in the modified Rankin scale from preadmission to discharge., Results: Seventy-nine patients fulfilled inclusion criteria (46% male). Median age was 69 years. History of epilepsy was present in 49% of patients. Deterioration occurred in 46 subjects (58%). Multivariate analysis revealed the following negative predicting factors for disability: normal neuroimaging (OR = 0.031) and presence of status epilepticus on hospital admission (OR = 0.127)., Significance: Patients without evident brain lesions are at low risk of functional deterioration development. SE on admission portends a good prognosis as well, probably because it is more promptly treated and it develops in subjects with less systemic complications compared to those in hospital., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The long-term outcome of chronic epilepsy remains largely unknown, despite a long historical experience. We report the lifelong course of epilepsy of an historical cohort of 235 subjects who were in residential care at the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy: 122 had comprehensive post-mortem examination. The populations admitted as resident to the centre over time followed the evolution of society's perception of epilepsy. 'Early residents' (before 1972) were admitted for sheltered employment, escaping stigmatization, whereas 'later' residents with more severe epilepsies were admitted for care. Subjects admitted before 1972 were similar to subjects followed nowadays as outpatients, whereas patients admitted later with a higher burden of disabilities are often those in residential care. This long follow-up allowed exploration of a wide spectrum of epilepsies, affecting both subjects who were otherwise healthy and those with co-morbidities. Age at death showed a bimodal distribution with an early peak of mortality between 45-50 years old, whilst the remainder had life expectancy comparable to the general population. As a group, subjects who had post-mortem examination were not significantly different from patients who did not have post-mortem examination, but post-mortem examination provided data that were otherwise unavailable. For those who had post-mortem examination, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP, 18% of all deaths) did not fully explain the early mortality, to which co-morbidities contributed. High seizure frequency was a significant independent predictor of early death even after excluding SUDEP (e.g. reduction in years of life for those who had >4 seizures/month compared with those who had <1 seizure/month: 13 years; 95% confidence interval: 6-19; overall P = 0.0006). Those who survived to older age increasingly went into spontaneous remission lasting until death (in the whole cohort, 38/166, 23% of those who died in or after sixth decade). In subjects who had post-mortem examination, older age (odds ratio = 1.13; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-1.20) and presence of neuropathologically confirmed degenerative changes (that were not the cause of epilepsy) (odds ratio 7.14; 1.95-26.2) were independent predictors of terminal remission. Epilepsy may cause premature death indirectly through co-morbid conditions. Terminal remission occurs even without prior remissions; ageing may improve epilepsy drug responsiveness although unknown factors related to the natural history may also play a role.