Mortality of the personnel of an interforce military shooting range in Sardinia, Italy: 1990-2010. / Mortalità del personale operante in in poligono miluitre interforze della Sardegna: 1990-2010.

BACKGROUND: As several media reports suggested an increase in cancer mortality in the surrounding area, we investigated the mortality experience of the military personnel of the Interforce shooting range of Salto di Quirra (PISQ) in Sardinia, Italy. METHODS: Based on the PISQ registers, we reconstructed the cohort of 6,828 military personnel who had been employed at PISQ for at least six months on January 1, 1990 or entered subsequently up to June 30, 2005. We searched for life status or date, place, and cause of death of each cohort member up to December 31, 2010. Based on job and operating department, we preliminarily assessed exposure of each cohort member to radiofrequencies, solvents, nanoparticles, servicing in shooting ranges, participation to peacekeeping operations abroad, and undergoing vaccination procedures while in service. For each cause of interest, we calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and its 95% confidence interval, based on the Italian and regional rates specific for age, gender and year of follow-up. RESULTS: Mortality from all causes showed a significant decrease over the expectation, based on the national and regional mortality rates (based on national rates: SMR=78, 95% CI 60-101; based on regional rates: SMR=66, 95% CI 52-84). Deaths from haemolymphatic malignancies matched the expectation from regional rates (7 cases vs 6,3 expected; SMR=111, 95% CI 38-326). We observed two deaths from neoplasms of the haemolymphopoietic system against 0.5 expected among solvent exposed cohort members. We did not observe any significant increase in mortality from all causes or specific causes of death in relation to the exposures we investigated. CONCLUSIONS: The study size was too small, and the follow-up not prolonged enough to conclude whether the operational activities at PISQ did result or not in increased risks of specific causes of death, including cancers, among the military personnel. Further follow-up will be needed before final conclusions can be drawn.

Good-enough level and dose-effect models: Variation among outcomes and therapists.

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined the good-enough level (GEL) and dose-effect model on three outcome variables: well-being, symptom distress, and life functioning, while accounting for therapist effects. The dose-effect model assumes the rate of change is consistent across clients, and the GEL model assumes that the rate of change will vary according to the total length of treatment. METHOD: The sample included 13,664 clients who completed 2-100 sessions of therapy. RESULTS: The GEL model was a better fit to the data compared to the dose-effect model for all outcomes. There were fewer changes in life functioning compared to well-being and symptom distress for clients. There were significant therapist effects for changes in symptom distress and life functioning, but not for the rates of change in well-being. CONCLUSION: Therapists should consider the rates of change for their own clients as well as by outcome.

[Vaccinovigilance: Reported adverse reactions of immunological veterinary medicinal products in 2018]. / Vaccinovigilance: Gemeldete unerwünschte Wirkungen immunologischer Tierarzneimittel im Jahr 2018.

INTRODUCTION: The registration of adverse events after the use of immunological veterinary medicinal products (VMP) is the aim of the vaccinovigilance reporting system in Switzerland. Adverse events comprise suspected adverse reactions and lack of expected efficacy. Since the Institute of virology and immunology (IVI) is the competent authority for the regulation of immunological VMP in Switzerland, the reporting system is administrated by the IVI. In 2018, 162 reports concerning authorized immunological VMP were received. While most of the reports were submitted by the marketing authorization holders (79%), practicing veterinary surgeons contributed to the reporting system, too (18%). Five reports were submitted by private persons (3%). Dogs were mainly affected (43%) with several terrier breeds and chihuahuas being the most frequently reported dog breeds. Further reports were related to cats (16%), cattle (14%) and horses (14%). Recently, the numbers of reports concerning cats (+26) and horses (+23) have considerably increased after there had been clearly less reports concerning these species (11 and 5, respectively) in the previous year. Most of the reports were based on the application of combined vaccines against canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirosis and parainfluenza with or without leptospirosis in dogs as well as cat flu and feline panleukopenia in cats. In 29.6% of the submitted cases, the causality assessment between the vaccination and the reaction described was evaluated probable.

INTRODUCTION: L'objectif du système de vaccinovigilance est d'identifier les effets indésirables pouvant survenir à la suite de l'utilisation de médicaments immunologiques pour animaux en Suisse. En plus des effets indésirables, le système couvre aussi les cas d'absence d'efficacité souhaitée. Comme l'institut de virologie et d'immunologie (IVI) est l'autorité compétente en matière des médicaments vétérinaires immunologiques, il est chargé de gérer le système d'annonces de vaccinovigilance. En 2018, 162 notifications ont été soumises concernant des médicaments vétérinaires immunologiques approuvés commercialement. Bien que la plupart des notifications aient été envoyées par les sociétés d'enregistrement (79%), les vétérinaires praticiens (18%) et les particuliers (3%) ont également contribué avec des annonces. Les effets indésirables concernaient principalement les chiens (43%), surtout les chihuahuas et les terriers. Les chiens furent suivis des chats (16%), des bovins (14%) et des chevaux (14%). Comparé aux années précédentes, il y a eu une nette augmentation des notifications concernant les chats (+26) et les chevaux (+23). La plupart des annonces concernait des vaccins combinés contre la maladie de Carré, l'hépatite, la parvovirose et la parainfluenza avec ou sans composants contre la leptospirose chez les chiens, ou des vaccins contre le coryza et la panleukopénie chez les chats. Dans 29.6% des cas, la relation entre la réaction et l'utilisation du vaccin a été jugée probable.