SARS-CoV-2 Emergency Management in the ASL 1 Abruzzo Companies, Italy: An Autumn 2022 Cross-Sectional Investigation.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still represents a public health emergency that affects workplaces and forces employers to develop technical, organizational and procedural measures safeguarding workers' health, particularly 'fragile' ones. This research aimed to assess employers' adherence to the emergency measures planned by the Italian government to hinder COVID-19 during Autumn 2022. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Autumn 2022, with an 18-item questionnaire derived from the Italian State's governmental indications, sent by email to 51 companies of Marsica and Peligna Valley, L'Aquila, Southern Italy. RESULTS: A total of 20 recruited companies (65% were micro-enterprises, belonging to the food and financial sector) responded to the questionnaire within a mean time of 18 days (±11.64), which was lower for medium- and large-sized companies as well as for banking sector ones (p < 0.05). As regards intervention strategies, sanitization (92.7% of positive answers) and specific training (83.3%) showed almost full compliance in contrast to working organization (47.5%) and social distancing (61.7%). The companies that reported managing fragility (50%) belong almost exclusively to the banking sector, with predominantly office-based tasks. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided insight into critical issues relating to compliance with national legislative directives and the crucial role of occupational physicians as global advisors for all workplaces.

Returning to Work after the COVID-19 Pandemic Earthquake: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has disrupted life and work habits and has produced landmark changes worldwide. This systematic review aimed to analyse the management of Return to Work (RTW) by work organisations following the virus spread. METHODS: A selection of 2477 papers, using string research on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus from January 2020 to October 2021, were analysed. RESULTS: Fifty-one articles were finally included, and the results obtained were discussed from three different points of view. Twenty articles concerning 'Remodelling of Work Organization' proposed some model strategies for resumption to work. Twenty-one papers, including 'Clinical Evaluation of Workers', mostly explored the psychosocial impact of returned workers. Finally, twelve articles explored the best 'Testing Strategies related to RTW'. Despite the heterogeneity of included articles, several interesting approaches have emerged in managing RTW. CONCLUSIONS: The reported experiences could help to develop an RTW model for COVID-19 and future pandemics.

QT dispersion in mild cognitive impairment: a possible tool for predicting the risk of progression to dementia?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to investigate relationships between cognitive function and non-invasive, repeatable cardiac parameters in elderly subjects suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-four community-living elderly subjects, 31 AD patients, 77 MCI patients, and 116 cognitively normal subjects (CNS), were evaluated for cognitive abilities (Mini Mental State Examination score (MMSE)) and for electrocardiographic [corrected heart rate QT interval dispersion (QTcD)] and echocardiographic [Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)] parameters. RESULTS: Mean values of LVEF were not significantly different between the three groups; QTcD mean values were significantly lower in CNS group than in subjects with MCI and AD. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation test, carried out in the three study groups, showed a significant inverse correlation between QTcD and MMSE score (r = -0.357; p < 0.01) in the group of MCI patients, only. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression tests, QTcD (p = 0.030) and education (p = 0.021) are associated with MMSE score in MCI group. Only the parameter of education appears to predict MMSE in CNS group; none of these parameters appear to predict MMSE in the group of patients with AD. CONCLUSION: The association between QTcD and MMSE requires cautious interpretation and further extensive investigation. However, if confirmed by longitudinal studies, the finding could play a role in the management of the subjects with MCI.