[Prolonged exposure to urban pollutants and arterial blood pressure: a whole evaluation of our researches]. / Esposizione protratta ad inquinanti urbani e pressione arteriosa: una valutazione d'insieme delle nostre ricerche

AIM: A significant relationship between exposure to cadmium and PAHs from urban air pollution and blood pressure has already been found. The aim of the study is to evaluate if other urban pollutants maintain a similar relationship in outdoor workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 349 subjects of both sexes were enrolled in the study; we evaluated values of environmental and biological monitoring of respirable dust, arsenic, lead, benzene, toluene, xylene and we measured blood pressure (BP) in upright and in supine position; to analyze data we used multiple linear regression. Also we valued our results in the light of those we have obtained in previous research. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression showed no significant results that demonstrate a relationship between BP and these pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study lead to assume that exposure to urban pollutants studied has not connection with blood pressure, and to retain valid the relationship previously observed for cadmium and PAHs, which seem to be the only pollutants that can affect blood pressure.

Ballet and stress. A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress is a complex problem requiring a work environment-based assessment. Artists like dancers represent a category of atypical workers potentially at high risk for work-related stress. Aim of our pilot study is to evaluate organizational stress in a population of professional dancers, using the HSE Indicator Tool for Work Related Stress. METHODS: We administered the Italian version of the HSE Indicator Tool to 38 ballet dancers, males and females. The questionnaire evaluates 7 key organizational dimensions: demand, control, managers' support, peer support, relationships, role and change. RESULTS: The standards required-ideal conditions are achieved in none of the above-mentioned dimensions. Change is the only dimension for which results fall between the 20th and the 50th percentile, while for other dimensions results fall below the 20th percentile suggesting the need for immediate corrective action. In male dancers an acceptable situation is highlighted for the dimension "change" compared to female dancers. In both sexes there is a high frequency of subjects complaining of verbal abuse, bullying and harassment. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size, our pilot study highlights the presence of heightened levels of organizational stress. Preventive measures targeted towards improving communication between managers and dancers and aimed at team building should be implemented.

Dynamic blood pressure in workers exposed to urban stressors.

BACKGROUND: The occupational exposure to urban pollution may induce adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. METHODS: Basal blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) and the dynamic blood pressure monitoring during the work shift of 16 policemen (outdoors workers) and 16 administrative employees (indoor workers) were compared. RESULTS: The mean value of all the diastolic blood pressure surveys in policemen (84,53 ± 10,78) is significantly higher (p = 0,014) than the mean value of all the diastolic blood pressure surveys in indoor workers (82,74 ± 11.52). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that the occupational exposure to urban stressors may induce an increase of the diastolic blood pressure in workers during the working hours.

Meta-analysis of studies examining long-term construction injury rates.

BACKGROUND: The construction industry is one of the employment sectors with the highest risk of injuries. AIMS: To evaluate the injury trend in the construction industry from data published from 1987 to 2010. METHODS: All papers with at least two measurements of injuries within a medium- to long-term period were included. The numbers of fatal and non-fatal injuries were examined in two separate groups: 100,000 workers per year and 200,000 worked hours per year. RESULTS: All injuries significantly decreased between the first and the second measurement, with fatal injuries decreasing by 35% and non-fatal ones by 33% in workers/year and by 22% in worked hours/year. There was high heterogeneity among the sources of data for workers/year index (I(2) = 49% for fatal injuries, 99% for non-fatal injuries) but no heterogeneity for worked hours/year index (I(2) = 0). Meta-regression analysis showed a significant linear relationship between time and risk reduction for fatal injuries (r = 0.63; P < 0.001; a 6% reduction per year); trend reduction for non-fatal injuries was not related to the time taken between the measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Fatal injuries have a reduction trend that depends on large interventions, whereas non-fatal injuries are more prone to episodic changes. Furthermore, while the workers/year index allows easier evaluation of the injury rate variation in a single working environment, the worked hours/year index is better at comparing the injury rate variation in different working environments because it reduces the sources of heterogeneity.

[Media Studies: a diachronic and cross-curricular approach]. / Le Scienze dei Media: un approccio diacronico e multidisciplinare.

Studies on Media have generated analysis and remarks involving many different disciplines. We have just entered the age of Mass Communication. Each media (papers, radio, movie, TV and web too) wants to interpret reality and offer it to its audience. Each message coming from media is sifted and proposed according to the structural and technical characteristics of the media itself (as M.McLuhan said "the medium is the message"). In time there have been interpretations in favour or against as well, as experts detractors or defenders of media; U Eco called them "apocalyptic" and "integrated". In Medicine there are many different pathologies referable to excessive or incorrect utilization of mass-media: obesity due to high-calorie intake caused by sedentary use of TV, anorexia caused by forced imitation of models created by media, anxiety and sleeping disorders in teen-agers caused by watching TV news. Research are being carried out on mental effort due to incorrect use of screen, similar to the research on VDU operators. Categories gathered from Cognitive Ergonomics are suggested to hypothesize models of correct use of media and maybe the capacity of getting free from the influence of media so that aware audience can have a conscious perspective and not the perception of reality based entirely on the use of any media.

[Cardiovascular parameters in workers exposed to urban pollutions]. / Parametri cardiovascolari in lavoratori esposti ad inquinamento urbano.

The aim of the study is to evaluate if "outdoor" workers exposed to chemical, physical and psycho-social urban stressors could have alterations of systolic and diastolic blood pressure at rest and heart disease investigated by electrocardiogram compared with a group of "indoor" workers not exposed. Among non-smoking, the mean values of systolic blood pressure at rest were significantly higher in exposed compared to non exposed (p = 0.002) and frequency of electrocardiographic abnormalities was significantly higher in exposed (20.8%) than not exposed (10.4%, p = 0.02). Among exposed, the values of systolic blood pressure at rest were significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers (p = 0.002). Among non-exposed, the frequency of electrocardiographic abnormalities was significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers (p = 0.002). The study results suggest that chronic exposure to chemical, physical and psycho-social stressors can be a cardiovascular risk factor in addition to cigarette smoking in a manner determined by the categories of outdoor workers.

[Cardiovascular diseases in workers at risk]. / Cardiovasculopatie in lavoratori a rischio.

Our research group has conducted several studies to investigate the effects of occupational risks on the cardiovascular system of exposed workers. In these studies, groups of workers exposed to possible professional cardiovascular risk factors were compared with controls with respect to some parameters (blood pressure, ECG, etc.). The groups were made comparable by age, length of service, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and possible confounding factors outside work. Four studies investigated the effects of noise exposure, three studies the effects of exposure to urban stressors, other studies the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors in various occupational categories (manual workers, agricultural workers, workers exposed to ionizing radiation, workers in rotogravure factory). The results of our studies confirm the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in various professions and the consequent need to take develop preventive strategies in workplaces to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases associated with these risk factors.