Hipoqueratosis circunscrita palmar: tratamiento mediante crioterapia / Circumscribed Palmar Hypokeratosis: Treatment with Cryotherapy

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[The regions' contribution to assessment of work-related stress: an operative guide]. / Il contributo delle Regioni sulla valutazione del rischio stress lavoro-correlato: la guida operativa.

In order to formulate indications for work-related stress assessment established by Italian health and safety regulation (D.Lgs. 81/2008), the interregional technical committee has instituted a working group to define an operative guide. The guide indicates the elements that must be considered in the evaluation, criteria and methods for the assessment, the minimum requirements for the evaluation instruments, and the specific contents of the risk assessment document.The medical surveillance and the role of health and safety local authorities are also considered. The risk assessment must examine work organization indicators and the direct or indirect effects of work-related stress, like morbility, frequent accidents, changing job requests, legal actions, etc. Detecting subjective factors is a second step of the assessment, which must be carried out if the work organization indicators show considerable work-related stress problems, and only in the companies which employ more then ten workers.

The cluster Terzan 5 as a remnant of a primordial building block of the Galactic bulge.

Globular star clusters are compact and massive stellar systems old enough to have witnessed the entire history of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. Although recent results suggest that their formation may have been more complex than previously thought, they still are the best approximation to a stellar population formed over a relatively short timescale (less than 1 Gyr) and with virtually no dispersion in the iron content. Indeed, only one cluster-like system (omega Centauri) in the Galactic halo is known to have multiple stellar populations with a significant spread in iron abundance and age. Similar findings in the Galactic bulge have been hampered by the obscuration arising from thick and varying layers of interstellar dust. Here we report that Terzan 5, a globular-cluster-like system in the Galactic bulge, has two stellar populations with different iron contents and ages. Terzan 5 could be the surviving remnant of one of the primordial building blocks that are thought to merge and form galaxy bulges.

[The activity of the Service for Prevention and Safety in Workplaces of the Health Local Agency of Rome C towards the "competent physicians" in the enterprises of the territory]. / L'attività del Servizio Prevenzione e Sicurezza Ambienti di Lavoro della A.S.L Roma C nei confronti dei medici competenti della aziende del territorio.

In the past seven years the Service for Prevention and Safety in Workplaces of the Health Local Agency of Rome C set out some activities towards the occupational physicians (so-called "competent physicians") of three different kinds: control and surveillance, institutional activities on demand and activities for quality improvement. In the first ambit we conducted some investigations on the procedures of the workers' medical surveillance and the role of competent physicians in the risk evaluation inside three different intervention projects (monitoring the enforcement of the D.Lgs. 626/94; intervention on the chemical risk, intervention in the car repair shops). In the second ambit we analysed 92 notifications of occupational diseases and we dealt with 27 appeals against the judgement of the fitness to work. In the third ambit we made 19 meetings on various subjects: correct procedures in medical surveillance, quality in diagnostic examinations, the enforcement of new regulations. We report the results of these interventions which let us identify the most common criticalities in the activity of the competent physicians, but also to face them with a new approach based more on peer review instead of control and surveillance.

Enfermedad ateroembólica y hemorragia pulmonar / Atheroembolic disease and pulmonary haemorrhage

El síndrome de embolismo de colesterol se produce por la liberación de cristales de colesterol de placas ateroscleróticas ulceradas de grandes arterias. Puede afectar múltiples órganos simulando enfermedades sistémicas como las vasculítis, y debe ser incluido en el diagnóstico diferencial de los síndromes neumo-renales. El diagnóstico de embolismo de colesterol debería contemplarse en pacientes de edad, con enfermedad aterosclerótica previa, que desarrollan fallo renal o deterioro de una insuficiencia renal previa, y en los que aparecen hallazgos clínicos sugestivos de embolismos de colesterol periféricos, asociado a factores precipitantes, sin necesidad de demostración histológica. Este síndrome se ha asociado tradicionalmente a una alta morbi-mortalidad, aunque en recientes series se sugiere que un manejo agresivo con medidas de soporte, evitando factores precipitantes y el uso de corticoides a bajas dosis pueden proporcionar una mejoría en su pronóstico (AU)

[Technical quality control of chest x-rays for the health surveillance of workers exposed to the risk of pneumoconiosis: proposal for a qualitative screening method]. / Controllo di qualità tecnica sui radiogrammi del torace effettuati per la sorveglianza sanitaria dei lavoratori esposti al rischio di pneumoconiosi: proposta di un metodo di screening qualitativo.

BACKGROUND: The necessity of a qualitative screening has arisen from the fact that good technical quality is of fundamental importance for evaluating initial pneumoconiosis, for reducing inter- and intra-reader variability, for effective secondary prevention and for forensic medicine purposes. OBJECTIVES: The authors report experience in use of a method to evaluate the quality of chest radiographs performed in health surveillance programs for workers at risk for development of pneumoconiosis. METHODS: 747 postero-anterior chest radiographs concerning employees of 21 ceramic factories in the Province of Viterbo were examined. A standardized pattern was created for this evaluation. The pattern considers the main factors that can influence the quality of chest radiographs and assigns points for each of them. That factors are: 1) reproduced image of the lung's vascular structure, chiefly in the peripheral portions; 2) reproduced image of heart border, aorta, diaphragm; 3) deep inspiration; 4) symmetric image of the chest; 5) position of the scapulae; 6) visualization of the costal-phrenic angles; 7) technical impairments. RESULTS: The application of the method revealed that half of the chest radiographs examined had poor image quality for a suitable reading, in conformity with the ILO 1980 guidelines. The critical points are poor visualization of the lung's vascular structure due to overexposure or underexposure, technical impairments, non-correct scapulae position. CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe that the suggested method can be a useful instrument for self-testing the quality of chest radiographs performed in radiology centers and for the National Health Service to test the quality of chest radiographs performed in health surveillance programs.

[Quality control of spirometric tests used in health surveillance for occupational exposure risk, in the province of Viterbo]. / Controllo di qualità delle prove spirometriche eseguite nell'ambito della sorveglianza sanitaria per esposizione a rischio lavorativo, in provincia di Viterbo.

A quality control survey on spirometry assessments carried out in a number of factories in the province of Viterbo (Lazio Region) was made by the Local Health Unit in Viterbo, as required by law 626/94 on the promotion of workers health. The survey concerned 734 measurements concerning the same number of employees from 29 different factories. Each spirometry assessment was repeated in this study according to the quality standards defined in the literature and our own results were compared with the values which had been obtained over one year during the health surveillance program (ASP). A few main functional parameters were considered according to the following criteria: percentage of agreement (tolerance +/- 5%) between the two FVC, FEV1 and FEF25-75 measures or degree of discrepancy; for FEV1/FVC ratio, the occurrence of < 70 (suggestive of an obstructive lesion) and > 90 values (reflecting poor reliability in the measurement of the lung volumes) in the two sets of data. Further criteria concerned the comparison of the height of the individuals (tolerance range +/- 1 cm), and the comparison of the overall spirometry rating expressed as the number of tests rated normal or abnormal (during the first assessment as compared to the second). The results show poor agreement (11.4%) for FVC with as many as 85.8% underestimated values; 30.1% agreement and 64.2% underestimate for FEV1; 17% agreement and 53.5% overestimate for FEF25-75. There were 6.5% fewer < 70 FEV1/FVC ratios, and 18.3% more > 90 ratios in the tests carried out in the factories as compared to our own. There was 32.9% agreement on the height, with overestimation in 63.7% of the cases. There were 12.3% "false abnormal" and 2.6% "false normal" results in the overall rating of the spirometry (as carried out by the factories compared to our own). In conclusion, the survey revealed a trend in the measurements carried out by the factories to underestimate the volumes, overestimate the flows, improperly select the theoretical reference values because of a mistake in measuring the height, to overestimate restrictive abnormalities, and underestimate the obstructive ones.

[Cystic nephroma. Report of 5 cases]. / Nefroma quístico. A propósito de 5 casos.

OBJECTIVE: To report 5 cases of cystic nephroma and review the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. METHODS: From 1974 to 1988, 5 cases of cystic nephroma were diagnosed at our hospital. Patient evaluation included IVP and renal US, and occasionally ascending urography, fine needle aspiration biopsy and CT. The cyst was removed through a lumbar incision in 4 patients and nephrectomy in one patient. RESULTS: The patients were followed by yearly ultrasound/urography for 1 to 15 years. No evidence of local recurrence or metastatic disease has been found. CONCLUSIONS: Cystic nephroma is an uncommon, benign kidney disease whose etiology is unknown. Although new imaging techniques are available, surgical excision and histologic analysis of the tumor are the only effective methods to distinguish benign from malignant cystic lesions of the kidney. Because it is a benign lesion, surgery must be conservative. Complete excision of the cyst is advocated. We found a well-encapsulated, noninfiltrating lesion that permitted surgical excision without difficulty in most of our cases. Herniation of some cysts into the urinary tract is a characteristic radiological sign.

Colestasis gravídica: asociación entre la elevación de billirrubina total y peso al nacer mensor que 2.500 gramos / Cholestasis in pregnancy: association among the total bilirubin elevation and birth weight under 2500 grams

La colestais intrahepática del embarazo (CG) es la segunda causa de ictericia durante la gestación, luego de la hepatitis viral. Presenta una prevalencia variable según área geográfica y se la relaciona con potencial morbimortalidad perinatal y materna. En diversas revisiones realizadas por nuestro grupo en el Servicio de Obstetricia del Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón Sardá, hemos observado un claro rol diagnóstico para el valor de fosfatasa alcalina, pero a su vez esta enzima no aumenta su valor en asociación con complicaciones perinatales. Como contrapartida, en una revisión durante 1995 pareció observarse una relación entre complicaciones perinatales e incremento en los valores de bilirrubina total. Estas obvservaciones sugieren que la fosfatasa alcalina retiene un clave rol diagnçostico para CG, pero se insinúa una asociación entre complicaciones perinatales y elevación de los valores de bilirrubina total

Colestasis gravídica: asociación entre la elevación de billirrubina total y peso al nacer mensor que 2.500 gramos / Cholestasis in pregnancy: association among the total bilirubin elevation and birth weight under 2500 grams

La colestais intrahepática del embarazo (CG) es la segunda causa de ictericia durante la gestación, luego de la hepatitis viral. Presenta una prevalencia variable según área geográfica y se la relaciona con potencial morbimortalidad perinatal y materna. En diversas revisiones realizadas por nuestro grupo en el Servicio de Obstetricia del Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón Sardá, hemos observado un claro rol diagnóstico para el valor de fosfatasa alcalina, pero a su vez esta enzima no aumenta su valor en asociación con complicaciones perinatales. Como contrapartida, en una revisión durante 1995 pareció observarse una relación entre complicaciones perinatales e incremento en los valores de bilirrubina total. Estas obvservaciones sugieren que la fosfatasa alcalina retiene un clave rol diagnþostico para CG, pero se insinúa una asociación entre complicaciones perinatales y elevación de los valores de bilirrubina total

[Prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma in adults]. / El rabdomiosarcoma de próstata en el adulto.

OBJECTIVE: To report on two adult patients with prostatic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The literature is briefly reviewed and the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this unusual variety of prostate cancer are discussed. METHODS: Two patients, aged 27 and 34 years, with prostatic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma are presented. Both cases showed tumor dissemination at the time of diagnosis. Both patients received chemotherapy. RESULTS: A 60% reduction in tumor volume was achieved in one patient, who subsequently underwent rescue surgery and, in spite of a recurrence, is still alive 3 years after the diagnosis. The other patient showed no response to chemotherapy. He refused rescue surgery and was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate in the adult is an unusual and aggressive tumor, of rapid growth and progression. Early diagnosis and treatment without delay by radical surgery and chemotherapy are essential to improve the prognosis of this disease.