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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s12995-017-0177-2.]., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Background: Occupational exposure is known to play a role in the aetiology of lymphomas. The aim of the present work was to explore the occupational risk of the major B-cell lymphoma subtypes using a case-control study design., Methods: From 2009 to 2014, we recruited 158 lymphoma cases and 76 controls in the provinces of Bari and Taranto (Apulia, Southern Italy). A retrospective assessment of occupational exposure based on complete work histories and the Carcinogen Exposure (CAREX) job-exposure matrix was performed., Results: After adjusting for major confounding factors, farmers showed an increased risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) [odds ratio (OR) = 10.9 (2.3-51.6)] and multiple myeloma (MM) [OR = 16.5 (1.4-195.7)]; exposure to the fungicide Captafol was significantly associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) [OR = 2.6 (1.1-8.2)], particularly with the risk of DLBCL [OR = 5.3 (1.6-17.3)]., Conclusions: Agricultural activity seems to be a risk factor for developing lymphoma subtypes, particularly DLBCL, in the provinces of Bari and Taranto (Apulia Region, Southern Italy). Exposure to the pesticides Captafol, Paraquat and Radon might be implicated., Trial Registration: Protocol number UNIBA 2207WEJLZB_004 registered 22/09/2008.

The monitoring of heavy metals in industrialized areas to study their association with different occupational and environmental factors is carried out in different ways. In this study, scalp hair analysis was used for the assessment of exposure to these metals in the industrial city of Taranto, characterized by a severe environmental pollution. The highest median values were observed for aluminum, barium, cadmium, lead, mercury, and uranium. Moreover, in the industrial area of Taranto, high levels of barium, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, and silver were observed in comparison with other Apulia areas. The risk odds ratios (ORs) for observing values above the 50th percentile were elevated for mercury and fish consumption, uranium and milk consumption, lead and female sex, and aluminum and mineral water consumption. No significant increased risk was observed for occupational activities. In a dendrogram of a cluster analysis, three clusters were observed for the different areas of Taranto (Borgo, San Vito, and Statte). A scree plot and score variables plot underline the presence of two principal components: the first regarding antimony, lead, tin, aluminum and silver; the second regarding mercury and uranium. The observed clusters (Borgo, San Vito, and Statte) showed that lead, antimony, tin, aluminum, and silver were the main component. The highest values above the 50th percentile of these minerals, especially lead, were observed in the Borgo area. The observed metal concentration in the Borgo area is compatible with the presence in Taranto of a military dockyard and a reported increase of lung cancer risk among residents of that area.

Coping is defined by Perlin and Shooler as "... that behavior that protects people from psychological pressure due to social situations and problems". This intention Lazarus and Folkman affirm: "... the coping allows people to use different abilities to manage the difficulties (stressors) that they experience in daily existence..." When the stressor is diabetes, the requirements and pressures due to the illness and its physiological and psychosocial consequences are continuous and become chronic. In numerous studies, the coping, suitable or not, has been linked to different medical consequences of the diabetes: changes in glycosylated hemoglobin levels, in the physiological functionality, in the specific symptomatology, in body weight and body mass index. In other research, as in the present contribution, the coping and specific socio-cognitive dimensions have been correlated with the psychosocial consequences of the diabetes, particularly with quality of life and psychological and social adaptation (PSA). This last concept refers, within the illness process, to the attainment of the characteristic behavioral and psychological objectives of recovery. The purpose of the present work is to individualize the coping styles and to note the correlations with socio-cognitive dimensions in diabetic patients, and to measure their incidence on the APS, answering to a series of questions, such as: "What are the modalities of a more functional coping? Are they correlated with the socio-cognitive dimensions? Together do they influence the APS processes?". To 123 diabetic patients (51 with diabetes type 1; 72 with diabetes type 2), with a middle age of 63.7 and 54.9, respectively, have been administered, in sequence, two questionnaires: an adaptation of the Bernese Coping Modes (BECOMO) of Heim et coll. and the Multidimensional Diabetes Questionnaire (MDQ) of Talbot et coll. The results, by using descriptive statistics and data analysis techniques, seem to point out that, in the two groups of diabetic patients, it is possible to identify different modalities of coping that favors both different levels of APS and categories of dissimilar APS.