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The Gulf of Naples located in a high anthropized coastal area is subjected to an infrastructural intervention for the installation of a submarine power pipeline. In order to evaluate the distribution of contaminants in the seafloor sediments, a preliminary study has been conducted in the area using multivariate techniques. The statistic approach was performed to gain insights on the occurrence of organic and inorganic contaminants within the area, aiming to identify the relevant hot spots. Three geographical sub-areas influenced by different contaminant association were recognized: Torre Annunziata (TA), Capri (CA), and middle offshore (MO). TA and CA resulted marked by a severe contamination pattern due to anthropogenic pressures. In addition, the influence of the depositional basin in governing the contamination trend has been pointed out. The supervised technique PLS_DA resulted to be a powerful tool in addressing the complexity of the huge dataset acquired during the marine survey, highlighting the main trends in the variability of quality indicators, orienting thus the deeper investigations during follow-up monitoring activities., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Texture is a relevant parameter for the assessment of cured ham's quality. In this study a rapid on-line instrumental technique for the measurement of the texture of pieces of cured smoked ham intended for sale as "Speck Alto Adige" PGI was developed. Speck samples were subjected to a compression test using a portable Shore A tester, and instrumental data were compared with conventional texture analyses (texture profile analysis and stress relaxation test) and with sensory evaluations. First, a hardness range in which a threshold value could be identified for the eligibility of 120 speck samples for the "Speck Alto Adige" PGI indication was established; afterwards, a Shore A hardness threshold value of 48 was defined based on measurements of more than 1000 samples. These findings may help manufacturers to determine the textural properties of Speck, based on a simple and rapid instrumental analysis., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Coastal habitats provide important ecosystem services, such as the maintenance of ecological sustainability, water quality regulation, nutrient recycling, and sandy beaches which are important areas for recreation and tourism. The quality of seawater is generally measured by determining the concentrations of Escherichia coli and intestinal Enterococci, which might be affected by the persistent populations of these bacteria in sand. Sand might thus be a significant source of pathogen exposure to beachgoers. The quality of coastal recreational waters can also be affected by eutrophication, water discoloration, and harmful algal blooms, which pose additional human health risks. Here, we conducted a monitoring of the beaches quality along the Taranto Gulf by determining the concentrations of fecal indicator organisms, as well as other parameters that are not traditionally measured (physicochemical parameters, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and harmful microalgae), in shallow seawater and sand sampled from three beaches. The concentrations of bacteria were determined using both standard microbiological methods and the IDEXX system. Our results demonstrate the utility of measuring a greater number of parameters in addition to those conventionally measured, as well as the importance of assessing the health risks posed by the sand matrix. Additional work is needed to develop rapid analytical techniques that could be used to monitor the microbiological parameters of solid matrices., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: to explore clinicians vision on hospital discharge records in order to identify useful elements to foster a more accurate compiling., Design: qualitative research with phenomenological approach., Setting and Participants: participants were selected through purposive sampling among clinicians of two hospitals located in Sardinia; the sample included 76 people (32 medical directors and 44 doctors in training)., Main Outcome Measures: identified codes for themes under investigation: vision of accurate compiling, difficulties, and proposals., Results: collected data highlighted two prevailing visions, respectively focused on the importance of an accurate compiling and on the burden of such activity. The accurate compiling is hindered by the lack of motivation and training, by the limits of the registration system and the information technology, by the distortions induced by the prominent role of the hospital discharge records in the evaluation processes. Training, timely updating of the information system accompanied by a proper cross-cultural validation process, improvement of the computer system, and activation of support services could promote more accurate compiling., Conclusions: the implementation of services, unconnected with evaluation and control processes, dedicated to training and support in the compiling of the hospital discharge records and in the conduction of related epidemiological studies would facilitate the compliance to the compilation. Such services will make tangible the benefits obtainable from this registration system, increasing skills, motivation, ownership, and facilitating greater accuracy in compiling.

Introduction: Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a cause of high morbidity, disability and reduced quality of life, as well as mortality and rising costs for health systems. Preventing the HAI risk by planning and implementing effective preventive strategies is important to safeguard patient health., Methods: The study aimed to evaluate the presence of procedures and protocols for infection control, to assess the adhesion to the different aspects of hand hygiene (HH) and hand washing technique by healthcare workers in six ICUs. A perspective observational study was conducted in six ICUs. In each ICU, the adherence by health care workers to both hand hygiene practices and standard precautions was assessed, as well as the presence of procedures and written protocols., Results: The findings showed that in all the involved ICUs, 73 of 142 required protocols and procedures were available. Specifically, 59 of 79 were available for general measure of risk control, 12 of 15 for hand hygiene, and 24 of 48 for standard precautions and isolation measures. Also, the results showed highly variable levels of adherence to the best hygiene practices in all the ICUs involved in the study, with compliance rates ranging from 3% to 100%, and 73 of 142 required protocols were available at the study time., Conclusions: Overall, the involved ICUs showed low levels of adherence to best hygiene practices. This suggests the need to implement immediate strategies for infection control in the ICUs. A multidisciplinary intervention could be effective in preventing and control the HAI risk.score was reached only by the third year students with regard to the proper HH. The level of knowledge about HAI was inadequate.A periodically check of nursing students' knowledge would be advisable in order to fill any gaps, improve training, reduce HAI and increase prevention measures compliance.

Based on hospital discharges in 1001-2010, we calculated risk of tumours with an elevated occupational and environmental etiological fraction by health district of residence within the Local Health Unit (LHU) N. 8 of Sardinia. With reference to the age and gender-specific hospitalization rates of the whole LHU, residents in the urban Cagliari health district showed an excess risk of haemolymphopoietic cancer (RR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.12) and bladder cancer (RR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.05-1.16); in both instances, risks were higher among female residents. The highest excess risk for lung cancer was observed among residents in the Quartu-Parteolla health district (RR = 1.13; 95% CI 1.05-1.21), and it was slightly higher among male residents. The results appear to confirm the role of urban factors in increasing cancer risk.

Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (Me-Hg) concentrations were determined in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from 10 stations located in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Taranto Gulf) an important semi-enclosed basin in Italy, devoted to mussel culture activities. The obtained results show that THg and Me-Hg concentrations ranged from 0.236 to 0.559 μg g(-1) d.w. and from 0.066 to 0.155 μg g(-1) d.w., respectively. Consequently, the Me-Hg/THg ratios ranged from 17% to 49%. The dietary intake of THg and Me-Hg were studied among children and adults from Taranto (Southern Italy). The estimated weekly intake for THg and Me-Hg was below the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) established by European Food Safety Autority (EFSA) for all sampled mussels, though their consumption provides a THg intake in children near the PTWI., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Heavy metals concentrations (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sn and Zn) have been determined monthly in surface sediments from the Mar Piccolo in Taranto (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy. a semi-enclosed marine basin very important from a mussel-culture point of view. In sediments, sulphides, percentage of organic carbon and redox potential were also determined to show possible correlations between metals levels and redox characteristics of marine sediments. Analytical results, elaborated by multivariate statistical techniques, confirm that sediments collected in the first inlet of Mar Piccolo, where shipbuilding activities are present, have a contamination level greater than those collected in the second inlet. For each metal, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) has been calculated as criterion to evaluate both pollution levels and metals enrichment in examined sediments: Igeo values confirm that the first inlet is an moderately polluted area from Hg and Pb. In any case, high sulphide concentrations and negative values of redox potentials bring to a conclusion that metals are present in sediments, mainly as insoluble sulphides and then as not bioavailable compounds for filter feeders organisms such as mussels.