What do parents know about dental trauma among school-age children? A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Health published in November 2012 the "National guidelines for the prevention and clinical management of dental trauma in individuals during their developmental age". The aim of this study is to verify the knowledge among parents of children of primary schools to plan corrective actions. METHODS: The study was carried out filling in an anonymous questionnaire distributed to parents enrolled in three primary schools. RESULTS: Despite the publication of the National guidelines, the survey results confirm parents' lack of awareness, knowledge and skills in relation to dental trauma. CONCLUSIONS: This survey will allow to plan a training on interventions aimed at the protection of oral health.

Pilot study on the antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide and silver ions in the hospital environment.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial environmental contamination plays an important role in the transmission of several health care-associated pathogens. Control of surfaces contamination can reduce the risk of cross-infection in hospitals. The aim of our study is to evaluate the disinfectant effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide and silver ions, against nosocomial multidrug-resistant strains, when it's used directly on surfaces. METHODS: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 and the same multidrug-resistant clinical isolates were selected to study the effectiveness of the disinfectant used in suspension or on the clean and dirty surface. RESULTS: Regarding the suspension activity test, the hydrogen peroxide and silver ions resulted effective after 5 min for ATCC strains and after 10 min for multidrug-resistant isolates; about the surface activity test, its action resulted after 10 min for ATCC strains and after 15 min for multidrug-resistant isolates. Moreover, it was more effective when used in the absence or in presence of a low concentration of biological materials. CONCLUSIONS: In a complex environment such as hospital wards, to have a disinfectant notoriously effective but more easy and quick to use would be an useful solution to treat small surfaces occasionally contaminated by biological materials.

SIMIFF study: Italian fungal registry of mold infections in hematological and non-hematological patients.

PURPOSE: We compared the risk factors, the diagnostic tools and the outcome of filamentous fungal infections (FFIs) in hematological patients (HAEs) and non-hematological patients (non-HAEs). METHODS: Prospective surveillance (2009-2011) of proven and probable FFIs was implemented in 23 Italian hospitals. RESULTS: Out of 232 FFIs, 113 occurred in HAEs and 119 in non-HAEs. The most frequent infection was invasive aspergillosis (76.1 % for HAEs, 56.3 % for non-HAEs), and the localization was principally pulmonary (83.2 % for HAEs, 74.8 % for non-HAEs). Neutropenia was a risk factor for 89.4 % HAEs; the main underlying condition was corticosteroid treatment (52.9 %) for non-HAEs. The distribution of proven and probable FFIs was different in the two groups: proven FFIs occurred more frequently in non-HAEs, whereas probable FFIs were correlated with the HAEs. The sensitivity of the galactomannan assay was higher for HAEs than for non-HAEs (95.3 vs. 48.1 %). The overall mortality rate was 44.2 % among the HAEs and 35.3 % among the non-HAEs. The etiology influenced the patient outcomes: mucormycosis was associated with a high mortality rate (57.1 % for HAEs, 77.8 % for non-HAEs). CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiological and clinical data for FFIs were not identical in the HAEs and non-HAEs. The differences should be considered to improve the management of FFIs according to the patients' setting.

Prevention of foodborne diseases and home safety.

Injuries and infectious diseases show high levels of morbidity at home. It is known that diseases associated with the consumption of contaminated or poorly preserved food, can be significantly reduced if proper hygiene practices are observed. This article analyzes the main risks associated with household food consumption and aims to highlight some of the recommendations that are still widely disregarded. In particular, we highlight the issues concerning the management of food (especially cooking and storage) and water (mineral and tap water), as well as good manufacturing practices that the consumer have to take to avoid food contamination. For this purpose, a detailed information on prevention would provide people with a greater awareness of risk and, therefore, a improved perception to the real dangers.

Epidemiology of invasive fungal infections in the intensive care unit: results of a multicenter Italian survey (AURORA Project).

PURPOSE: The aims of this study are to evaluate the epidemiology of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Southern Italy and the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of isolates. METHODS: A surveillance program was implemented in 18 ICUs. IFI cases were recorded using a standardized form. RESULTS: A total of 105 episodes of IFIs occurred in 5,561 patients during the 18-month study. The main infections were caused by yeasts, more than filamentous fungi (overall incidence of 16.5 cases per 1,000 admissions and 2.3 cases per 1,000 admissions, respectively). The overall crude mortality rate was high (42.8 %), particularly for mold infections (61.5 %). All yeast infections were Candida bloodstream infections. Over half (59.8 %) were caused by Candida non-albicans, with C. parapsilosis being the most common (61.8 %). In the multivariate model, trauma admission diagnosis, prolonged stay in the ICU, and parenteral nutrition were independently associated with candidemia due to C. parapsilosis [odds ratio (OR) 3.5, (1.8-5.2); OR 3.5, (1.02-3.5); OR 3.6, (1.28-6.99), respectively]. Among mold infections, 12 patients suffered from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, with Aspergillus fumigatus as the predominant pathogen (41.7 %). One case of brain scedosporiosis was identified. Overall, azoles and echinocandins resistance was uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Candida non-albicans species are the most frequent cause of candidemia in ICU patients. Mold infections are associated with a high mortality rate. This study confirms the importance of the epidemiological surveillance on IFIs in the ICU setting for documenting species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns to guide therapeutic choices.

Retrospective analysis of microorganisms isolated from cystic fibrosis patients in Southern Italy, 2002-2010.

OBJECTIVE: This study aim was to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) admitted to the CF Reference Centre in Southern Italy between 2002-2010. METHODS: Microbiology assessment of samples (sputum and tracheal aspirates) collected from patients with pulmonary exacerbation admitted to hospital was carried out. All patients were registered in a database and clinical and microbiological data were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Overall, 188 patients were included and a total of 1217 samples were analysed. The most common microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (78.7% of the patients) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (58%), followed by Candida albicans (19.1%), Haemophilus influenzae (13.3%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (9.6%). CONCLUSION: Compared to similar studies performed in other European countries, our microbiological data, especially the low occurrence of filamentous fungi, suggest a specific local epidemiology, probably related to some uncommon CFTR mutations, which are specific to Southern Italy.