Comparison between Standard Expository Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E) and Immersive Virtual Reality CBT (CBT-VR) for Rehabilitation of Patients Affected by Occupational Stress Disorders: Study Protocol.

Work-related stress presents a significant impact on work performance and physical health. It has been associated with the onset of a multitude of symptoms that can lead to occupational stress diseases, namely Adjustment Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The literature has evidenced that "exposure therapy" of cognitive-behavioral training (CBT-E) seems to be the most effective technique to manage stress symptoms, including work stress diseases, and several studies have considered Virtual Reality (VR) as an adjuvant tool to exposure-based psychotherapy (CBT-VR) for the treatment of multiple psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT with exposure to stressful work scenarios in imaginative (CBT-E) and in immersive virtual reality (CBT-VR) scenarios in a group of workers affected by work-related stress disorders and compare the clinical and physiological outcomes between the two exposure techniques. A long-term goal would be to develop an evidence-based rehabilitation program as a treatment for the reintegration into work of patients affected by these psychiatric disorders.

A Medical Resident with a History of Alcohol Abuse and Suicidal Ideation: A Challenge for Both Psychiatry and Occupational Medicine in the Context of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This case study draws attention to the hazards of physicians with a history of alcohol addiction and a particular psychopathology framework in the context of occupational health surveillance, particularly during the challenging working conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The case involves a hospital resident in her thirties, with a previous history of addiction and attempts at suicide, who was assigned to a COVID-19 unit of an Italian hospital. In this case study, we discuss the preventive intervention put in place in order to protect physicians' health and work. What emerges is the key role that rapid substantive communications between specialists play in formulating an effective strategy for dealing with these conditions. We believe this case is noteworthy for the lessons that can be learned for tailoring prevention and treatment pathways for health care workers with addiction.

Evaluation of the Anti-Spike (RDB) IgG Titer among Workers Employed at the University of Pisa Vaccinated with Different Types of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

With the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, many authors started evaluating the immunization efficacy of the available vaccines mainly through sero-positivity tests or by a quantitative assessment of the IgG against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus in vaccinated subjects. In this work, we compared the titers resulting from vaccination and tried to understand the potential factors affecting the immune response to the available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. This study was conducted on 670 volunteers employed at the University of Pisa and undergoing a health surveillance program at the University Hospital of Pisa. For each participant, 10 mL of blood, information about contacts with confirmed cases of COVID-19, age, sex, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms, type of vaccine and the date of administration were collected. In the multivariate analysis, the type of vaccine, the presence of symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals, and the distance from the second dose significantly affected the antibody titer; the combined vaccination resulted in a faster decay over time compared with the other types of vaccination. No significant differences were observed between Spikevax and Comirnaty (p > 0.05), while the antibody levels remain more stable in subjects undergoing Vaxzevria vaccination (p < 0.01) compared with mRNA-based ones.

Do Autistic Traits Correlate with Post-Traumatic Stress and Mood Spectrum Symptoms among Workers Complaining of Occupational Stress?

The adult autism subthreshold spectrum model appears to be a useful tool for detecting possible vulnerability factors in order to develop mental disorders in the contest of work-related stress. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between autism, mood, and post-traumatic spectrum in a cohort of subjects complaining of work-related stress before the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors carried out a retrospective investigation of both medical records and self-assessment tools of a sample of subjects evaluated at the Occupational Health Department of a University hospital in central Italy. Data showed significant correlations between the AdAS spectrum, TALS-SR, and MOODS total and domain scores. A multiple linear regression evidenced that both the AdAS spectrum and TAL-SR significantly predict the MOODS scores. In particular, mediation analysis showed both a direct and indirect, mediated by TALS-SR, effect of the AdAS Spectrum on the MOODS-SR. These results corroborate the role of autistic traits in influencing the traumatic impact of work-related stress and the development of mood spectrum symptoms.

Analysis of survival at cardiac arrest in events occurred in work environments in the territory served by an operations center of the 118 of Tuscany.

BACKGROUND: Every year in Italy and all around the world, cardiac arrest hits almost 1 person every 1000 people; a great deal of these events is likely to strike people outside their private houses. OBJECTIVES: Analyzing a cohort of cardiac arrest events occurred in various public- and work-places across a territorial area concerning an Emergency Unit related to the national emergency number (118) and assessing the efficacy of a first-aid intervention and the usage of a defibrillator while handling an acute cardiac event. METHODS: We analyzed data of 32 sanitary interventions on cardiac arrest events occurred from January 2015 to June 2018 across USL Toscana Centro - Pistoia and Empoli's territory. RESULTS: The acute cardiac event occurred in a "strictly speaking workplace" in 28.2% of cases, and in 18.7% during work activity. An AED was present for immediate cardiac arrest treatment in 15.6% of cases with a survival rate of 100% (n=5/5) (p=0.04); in 84.4% of cases the AED was available only after the arrival of national emergency rescuers and the relative survival rate was 40.74% (n=11/27). Regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the survival rate appears to be higher (55.5% Vs 42.8%) when it was started by witnesses. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that early defibrillation provided by work-related First Aid Emergency Procedure, may be a primary aid and a desirable standard to improve both workers' and private citizens' survival rate after cardiac arrest.