RESUMEN
Halogenated gases potentially harmful to the stratospheric ozone layer are monitored worldwide in order to assess compliance with the Montreal Protocol requiring a phase out of these compounds on a global scale. We present the results of long term (2002-2011) continuous observation conducted at the Mt. Cimone GAW Global Station located on the highest peak of the Italian Northern Apennines, at the border of two important regions: the Po Valley (and the Alps) to the North and the Mediterranean Basin to the South. Bi-hourly air samples of CFC-12, CFC-11, CFC-114, CFC-115, H-1211, H-1301, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, HCFC-22, HCFC-142b, HCFC-124 and methyl bromide are collected and analysed using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, providing multi annual time series. In order to appreciate the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol from a regional perspective, trends and annual growth rates of halogenated species have been calculated after identification of their baseline values. A comparison with results from other international observation programmes is also presented. Our data show that the peak in the atmospheric mixing ratios of four chlorofluorocarbons, two halons and two chlorocarbons has been reached and all these species now show a negative atmospheric trend. Pollution episodes are still occurring for species like halon-1211, methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, indicating fresh emissions from the site domain which could be ascribed both to fugitive un-reported uses of the compounds and/or emissions from banks. For the hydrofluorocarbons changes in the baseline are affected by emissions from fast developing Countries in East Asia. Fresh emissions from the site domain are clearly declining. Methyl bromide, for which the Mediterranean area is an important source region, shows, in a generally decreasing trend, an emission pattern that is not consistent with the phase-out schedule of this compound, with a renewed increase in the last two years of pollution episodes.
Asunto(s)
Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Atmósfera/química , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminación Ambiental/análisis , Pérdida de Ozono , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/química , Clorofluorocarburos/análisis , Clorofluorocarburos/química , Contaminación Ambiental/legislación & jurisprudencia , Contaminación Ambiental/prevención & control , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Calentamiento Global , Halogenación , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/análisis , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/química , ItaliaRESUMEN
The long-term effects of sand extraction on macrozoobenthic communities were investigated in an offshore area in the Northern Adriatic Sea characterised by relict sands formed during the last Adriatic post-glacial transgression. Surveys were carried out before, during and 1, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months after extraction at three impacted and seven reference stations. The operations did not influence the physical characteristics of the sediment, but they caused almost complete defaunation at dredged sites. Univariate and multivariate analyses highlighted that the macrozoobenthic community responses to the dredging operations were (1) a rapid initial recolonisation phase by the dominant taxa present before dredging, which took place 6-12 months after sand extraction; (2) a slower recovery phase, that ended 30 months after the operations, when the composition and structure of the communities were similar in the dredged and reference areas. This pattern of recolonisation-recovery fits well with the commonly encountered scenario where the substratum merely remains unchanged after marine aggregate extraction.
Asunto(s)
Biodiversidad , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Sedimentos Geológicos/análisis , Invertebrados/fisiología , Animales , Carbono/análisis , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales , Invertebrados/clasificación , Italia , Océanos y Mares , Tamaño de la Partícula , Densidad de Población , Dióxido de Silicio , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible role of ultrasonography in case definitions for epidemiological studies of work-related wrist tenosynovitis. METHODS: Clinical and ultrasonography (7.5 MHz linear probe) data systematically collected from meat workers (n = 128) with biomechanical exposure characterisation were analysed. The diagnostic accuracy of different combinations of potentially relevant ultrasonography findings (nonhomogeneity, thickening and anechoic halo) was evaluated using symptomatology as a reference standard. The concordance between ultrasonography findings and symptoms was then analysed. RESULTS: Analysis of wrist biomechanical exposure was suggestive of increased prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Using symptoms as a reference standard, each of the three ultrasonography findings (and their combinations) showed good specificity (> or =85%) accompanied by low sensitivity (<60%); the positive likelihood ratio for at least two findings was 4.1. kappa Values (95% confidence intervals) between symptoms and different sets of ultrasonography findings were as follows: for non-homogeneity, kappa = 0.31 (0.19 to 0.43); at least one finding, kappa = 0.28 (0.16 to 0.40); at least two findings, kappa = 0.32 (0.20 to 0.44); all p<0.01. CONCLUSION: The use of ultrasonography in symptomatic subjects could contribute to a more specific epidemiological case definition of wrist tenosynovitis. The results of this study could help orient future research in this direction.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades Profesionales/diagnóstico por imagen , Tenosinovitis/diagnóstico por imagen , Articulación de la Muñeca/diagnóstico por imagen , Adulto , Fenómenos Biomecánicos , Métodos Epidemiológicos , Femenino , Humanos , Italia/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Enfermedades Profesionales/epidemiología , Exposición Profesional/análisis , Tenosinovitis/epidemiología , UltrasonografíaRESUMEN
Pathologies due to repetitive activity of the upper limb, well known in scientific literature as WMSDs (Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders), are considerably increased in the last years. At the moment, there are no validated methods for the assessment of the work-related risk. This study compares two different methods proposed in literature for the assessment of the work-related risk, combining objective and subjective measures.
Asunto(s)
Brazo/fisiopatología , Trastornos de Traumas Acumulados/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Profesionales/diagnóstico , Fenómenos Biomecánicos , Trastornos de Traumas Acumulados/epidemiología , Trastornos de Traumas Acumulados/fisiopatología , Humanos , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/epidemiología , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/fisiopatología , Enfermedades Profesionales/epidemiología , Enfermedades Profesionales/fisiopatología , Medición de Riesgo , Factores de Riesgo , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
Sediment from harbors of the Emilia-Romagna (Northern Adriatic Sea) were dredged and dumped in four disposal areas characterized by muddy bottoms. The long-term effects of the dumping on macrozoobenthic communities were investigated before and after 6 month, 8 month, 2 years and 4 years. The disposal of dredged material did not influence the granulometry and %TOC in the sediment, and no alterations in the structure of the macrobenthic communities were observed in the four areas. The lack of impact could be ascribed to the environmental characteristics and precautionary measures taken to minimize the effects of the dumping. It appears that: (1) the communities of the dumping areas are well adapted to unstable environments; (2) the sediments were disposed gradually and homogeneously over relatively large areas; Other factors that help to reduce the impact of sediment disposal are the low concentrations of contaminants in dredged materials and the similarity of sediment in the dredged and disposal areas. Off-shore discharge appears a sustainable strategy for the management of uncontaminated dredged sediments from the Northern Adriatic Sea harbors.
Asunto(s)
Biodiversidad , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Sedimentos Geológicos/química , Invertebrados/clasificación , Eliminación de Residuos , Animales , Carbono/análisis , Ecosistema , Invertebrados/crecimiento & desarrollo , Italia , Biología Marina , Análisis Multivariante , Océanos y Mares , Tamaño de la Partícula , Dinámica PoblacionalRESUMEN
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the commonest nerve entrapment syndrome, is one of the most frequent occupational disorders related to manual work. Both occupational and personal risk factors make it difficult to recognize the true origin of its occurrence and to devise prevention strategies. Most of the information available about occupational CTS originates from cross-sectional studies on various job titles, where the prevalence of the disease has been reported to vary between 0.6% and 61%. Few longitudinal studies are available on occupational CTS. Consensus has been reached about the criteria to diagnose CTS in epidemiological studies. However, different methods are used by different investigators to assess exposure to repetition and force, the two factors which appear to be most important in originating the disease. This could help explain the difficulty in establishing a sound exposure-effect relationship (an indispensable basis for setting exposure limits). To help fill the gap in knowledge regarding occupational CTS incidence and its relationship to occupational exposure we are performing a large longitudinal multisector study, denominated OCTOPUS. OCTOPUS has been designed to assess the incidence of CTS in a large cohort of workers employed in different sectors and exposed to different level of repetitive and forceful manual work and to relate the incidence of the disease to the possible casual factors and their variation over time. Herein, the study protocol is described.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome del Túnel Carpiano , Enfermedades Profesionales , Síndrome del Túnel Carpiano/diagnóstico , Síndrome del Túnel Carpiano/etiología , Humanos , Estudios Longitudinales , Enfermedades Profesionales/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Profesionales/etiología , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
We studied Carpal Tunnel Syndrome prevalence in part time and full time female supermarket cashiers and in a control group (female primary school teachers). Subjects underwent a clinical examination in which information about personal, physiological, pathological and occupational factors were collected by a physician with a questionnaire and a self-administered Katz's hand diagram. The study protocol included median nerve conduction studies (NCS) for each worker, performed bilaterally according to the palmar technique described by J. Kimura. Case definition of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was based on the combination of typical symptoms (classic/probable or possible) and electrodiagnostic findings according to the Consensus Criteria for the Classification of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome published by Rempel et al. in 1998. Biomechanical risk for upper limb was assessed by a group of trained observer using videotape and scales of hand activity level (HAL) and normalized peak of force (PF) proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH): supermarket cashier job tasks resulted on the threshold limit value line, confirming high biomechanical risk factors for CTS. Both symptoms and case prevalence resulted higher in supermarket cashiers than in control group and in full time cashiers if compared with part time ones. This difference between groups of part-/full-time cashiers could be due to total hours of exposure during the week and/or to the amount of recovery time between work sessions. Further longitudinal study could give more information about the role of different biomechanical risk factors in the onset of cumulative trauma disorders of the upper limb.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome del Túnel Carpiano/epidemiología , Comercio , Enfermedades Profesionales/epidemiología , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , PrevalenciaRESUMEN
Temperature-sensitive mutants of phage alpha were obtained by means of various mutagens and assigned to 25 complementation groups. Temperature-sensitive mutants belonging to 21 complementation groups and a mutant giving turbid plaques were used to perform two- and three-factor crosses. Seventeen of the cistrons and the turbid mutant were shown to belong to the same linear linkage group, which showed no signs of circularity. The remaining four unlinked cistrons showed peculiarities in their recombination properties. Genes which are known to be expressed earlier apear to be grouped together in a terminal segment of the linkage group.
Asunto(s)
Bacillus megaterium , Bacteriófagos , Mapeo Cromosómico , Genética Microbiana , Bacteriófagos/efectos de los fármacos , Bacteriófagos/crecimiento & desarrollo , Bacteriófagos/aislamiento & purificación , Bacteriófagos/efectos de la radiación , Cruzamientos Genéticos , Prueba de Complementación Genética , Guanidinas/farmacología , Hidroxilaminas/farmacología , Metano/farmacología , Mutágenos , Mutación , Nitritos/farmacología , Compuestos Nitrosos/farmacología , Recombinación Genética , Espectrofotometría , Ácidos Sulfónicos/farmacología , Temperatura , Rayos UltravioletaRESUMEN
Temperature-sensitive mutants of phage alpha were subjected to short pulses of permissive temperature at various times during the lytic cycle. All the mutants showed an optimal response to the permissive pulse at a specific time after infection. The optimal responses of the mutants belonging to the same complementation group fell close together in the same time interval; the optimal responses of mutants contained in 20 different complementation groups were more or less uniformly scattered throughout the lytic cycle. Temperature sensitivity, therefore, seems to afford, at least in the case of phage alpha, an independent way of grouping the genes in an ordered sequence with respect to the steps they control.