PSYCHOLOGICAL GENERAL WELL-BEING, COGNITIVE FAILURE, AND INFLAMMATION BIOMARKERS AMONG WORKERS FOUR MONTHS AFTER A MILD/ASYMPTOMATIC SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between cognitive complaints, systemic inflammatory biomarkers and psychological general well-being (PGWB) after mild/asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to the presence of long COVID and work tasks. METHODS: University employees and metal workers were recruited in a cross-sectional study four months after SARS-CoV-2 infection to assess cognitive impairment, individual PGWB index, inflammatory biomarkers, namely platelet-lymphocyte, neutrophil-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios, and the presence of long COVID symptoms. RESULTS: A significant increase in the levels of inflammatory biomarkers was observed in subjects with long COVID. Furthermore, the PGWB index was influenced by long COVID symptoms and subjective cognitive and depressive symptoms, but not by work activity. CONCLUSIONS: In occupational settings, it is crucial to detect the presence of long COVID symptoms and systemic inflammation early, as they may be associated with lower PGWB.

West Nile Virus Infection in Occupational Settings-A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne neurotropic virus, belonging to the Flaviviridae family and the Orthoflavivirus genus. The effective control of WNV requires a targeted preventive strategy that also needs the identification of the higher-risk populations. Hence, this study focused on a systematic literature review of WNV-acquired infection in work-related settings and the assessment of the exposure risks among different occupational categories. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify studies until September 2023 in multiple databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS and Web of Science, according to the PRISMA 2020 statement. Risk of bias of collected papers was assessed by the ROB tool of the National Toxicology Program's Office of Health Assessment and Translation handbook. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies were included in the systematic review, out of which seventeen were observational studies and four were case reports. Workers identified as at higher risk for WNV infection were military workers, veterinarians, agricultural workers, farmers, and laboratory workers with contact with infected fluids or aerosols. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of higher-risk workers could facilitate active surveillance by occupational physicians, which could improve our understanding of the epidemiology of WNV and, in addition, could help tailor appropriate preventive recommendations, reducing the overall burden of disease in high-risk areas.