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Ground-glass opacity (GGO) is a common finding on high resolution CT, characterised by areas of hazy increased attenuation of the lung with preservation of bronchial and vascular margins; it is not to be confused with consolidation, in which bronchovascular structures are obscured. It correlates with several pathogenic processes, such as like partial filling of air spaces, inflammatory or fibrotic interstitial thickening, increased capillary blood volume. Infiltrative GGO can representing either interstitial or alveolar processes. GGO is a nonspecific finding; however, the correlation with any of the associated CT findings (nodular lesions, consolidation, septal thickening, fibrosis, vessels or airway calibre alterations, air trapping), and clinical data is helpful in narrowing the range of diagnostic possibilities, or even in suggesting a specific diagnosis. GGO can indicate a potentially treatable disease, help guide the type and location of biopsy and evaluate the effectiveness of therapy. This review discusses the types of lung disease associated with GGO, and the differential diagnosis between GGO caused by infiltrative processes and the mosaic patterns of lung attenuation caused by primary vascular diseases or airway abnormalities. This distinction can be made by evaluating the vessel calibre and air trapping on expiratory scans.

The authors describe a clinical case of occupational asthma due to dioctyl-phthalate in a worker using a conveyor belt for bottle stoppers. The dioctyl-phthalate is used for the production of PVC and as a compound of many other substances. The literature describes many cases of occupational asthma do to phthalate anhydride but few cases do to dioctyl phthalate. The clinical history, the environmental monitoring data, the pulmonary function tests such as bronchodilatation test by salbutamol, peak flow meter daily monitoring for three weeks, and stop and start work test showed a good correlation with the work and the worker's asthma. The authors emphasize that a detailed clinical history and a careful analysis of the production cycle are very useful and, as simple and non invasive tests, can play an important role in the diagnosis of occupational asthma.

On the basis of the results of a previous study and immuno-allergological tests, a group of workers employed in breeding insects for biological pest control were studied to ascertain whether any new sensitizations to arthropods recently included in the work cycle occurred and whether any new allergic diseases were observed. The results confirmed a high sensitization to Ephestia kuehniella and to Orius, the latter probably due to contamination; sensitization to Tetranicus urticae and to Planococcus citri were observed, although to a lesser degree. It is concluded that the insects used in biological pest control are highly allergogenic and that the protective devices used up to the present were ineffective; the authors therefore recommend the use of closed or semi-closed cycles along with local ventilation equipment.