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Nicola Alessio,1,* Elisa Santoro,2,* Tiziana Squillaro,3 Domenico Aprile,1 Massimo Briccola,4 Paolo Giubbini,4 Raffaella Marchesani,4 Maria Rosaria Muoio,2 Monica Lamberti2 1Department of Experimental Medicine, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Section, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy; 2Department of Experimental Medicine, Occupational Medicine Section, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy; 3Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic Sciences, and Aging, 2nd Division of Neurology, Center for Rare Diseases and InterUniversity Center for Research in Neurosciences, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy; 4e-distribuzione SpA, Rome, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Nicola AlessioDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Section, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Napoli I-80138, ItalyTel +39 081 5667585Fax +39 081 5667547Email nicola.alessio@yahoo.it Monica LambertiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Occupational Medicine Section, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Napoli I-80138, ItalyTel +39 081 5667731Email monica.lamberti@unicampania.itBackground: The ubiquitous diffusion of radiofrequency (RF) radiation across human living environments has attracted the attention of scientists. Though the adverse health effects of RF exposure remain debatable, it has been reported that the interaction of such radiation with biological macromolecular structures can be deleterious for stem cells, inducing impairment of their main functions involving self-renewal and differentiation.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to RF of 169 megahertz (MHz) that is part of very high radiofrequency (VHF) range 30–300 MHz, could cause damage to stem cells by inducing senescence and loss of regenerative and DNA repair capacity.Methods: The study was conducted on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) containing a subpopulation of stem cells. The MSCs were exposed to RFs of 169 MHz administered via an open meter 2G “Smart Meter” for different durations of time.Result: We did not observe modifications in MSC biology as a result of the RF exposure conducted in our experiments.Conclusion: We concluded that MSCs are insensitive to RF radiation exposure at 169 MHz for various time intervals, including longer durations.Keywords: 169 MHz, stem cell, senescence, CFU

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s12995-015-0083-4.].

INTRODUCTION: From many years now, thanks to the development of modern diving techniques, there has been a rapid spread of diving activities everywhere. In fact, divers are ever more numerous both among the Armed Forces and civilians who dive for work, like fishing, biological research and archeology. AIM: The aim of the study was to propose a health protocol for work fitness of professional divers keeping in mind the peculiar work activity, existing Italian legislation that is almost out of date and the technical and scientific evolution in this occupational field. METHOD: We performed an analysis of the most frequently occurring diseases among professional divers and of the clinical investigation and imaging techniques used for work fitness assessment of professional divers. RESULTS: From analysis of the health protocol recommended by D.M. 13 January 1979 (Ministerial Decree), that is most used by occupational health physician, several critical issues emerged. Very often the clinical investigation and imaging techniques still used are almost obsolete, ignoring the execution of simple and inexpensive investigations that are more useful for work fitness assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the out-dated legislation concerning diving disciplines, it is necessary to draw up a common health protocol that takes into account clinical and scientific knowledge and skills acquired in this area. This protocol's aim is to propose a useful tool for occupational health physicians who work in this sector.

Nella letteratura scientifica recente ha acquisito sempre più importanza lo studio dell’esposizione occupazionale ed ambientale in relazione allo sviluppo della Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica (SLA), una patologia neurodegenerativa a prognosi infausta caratterizzata dalla degenerazione dei motoneuroni. Lo scopo del lavoro di revisione è stato quello di valutare lo stato delle conoscenze sul tema, focalizzando l’attenzione su alcune esposizioni occupazionali o ambientali ed in particolar modo sull’esposizione a metalli pesanti. Sono stati selezionati articoli di ricerca in base a parole-chiave ed anno di pubblicazione, includendo studi che lasciano ipotizzare un’associazione tra esposizione e meccanismi di danno neuronale connessi all’insorgenza di SLA. La revisione effettuata mostra che anche se la produzione scientifica ha incrementato sempre più l’interesse per la valutazione delle cause extragenetiche di insorgenza SLA, ancora pochi sono i lavori riguardanti lo studio accurato delle attività lavorative dei singoli pazienti, inoltre, ancora carenti sono le deduzioni che si possono ad oggi trarre circa l’eventuale connessione tra esposizione occupazionale a fattori di rischio ed insorgenza di degenerazione motoneuronale.

Background: Benzene is a common industrial chemical and a component of tobacco smoke and of gasoline. It is widely used as chemical intermediate and is a constituent of crude oil and fuels with a large distribution in the environment owing to vehicles engine emissions. Besides, smoking tobacco is regarded as another major source of environmental benzene exposure. As a consequence, benzene is an ubiquitous pollutant of the outdoor and indoor human environment, and the occupational/environmental exposure concerns a large population. Data from epidemiological studies evidence benzene toxicity to humans. In fact, it is classified as a carcinogen (group A1) by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), suggesting a threshold limit value-time weighted average (TLV-TWA) of 0.5ppm. Hence health risks prevention strategies allowing to discriminate between occupational and non-occupational exposure are essential. Objective: Evaluation of occupational exposure to benzene by comparison between urinary biomarkers levels in preand post-shift samples in biological monitoring (BM) investigations. Methods: The biological monitoring of 14 (smoker and non-smoker) workers of a refueling station was performed. Urinary benzene (UB) and trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) were used as biological markers. The determinations of UB and t,t-MA were performed by head space-solid phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry operating in Selected Ion Monitoring mode and High Performance Liquid Chromatography/UltraViolet detection, respectively. Urinary creatinine levels were also determined. Urine collection was initially performed after work-shift (first BM campaign) as suggested by ACGIH. Given difficulties in interpreting data without statistical basis, the urine collection was repeated before and after the work-shift (second BM campaign). Results and Discussion: During the first BM campaign, contrasting results were found. Some workers showed low UB concentrations with respect to t,t-MA ones and vice versa, and although most investigated subjects presented UB and t,t-MA levels below Biological Equivalents (BEs) values and ACGIH’s BEI, various exceptions were found, either with exceeding UB or with exceeding t,t-MA levels. According to the ACGIH, the high biomarkers levels found in post-shift urine would have suggested an occupational exposure to benzene. Nevertheless, ACGIH’s BEI are defined on statistical basis and should not be used when individual data are interpreted, in fact results obtained by monitoring post-shift urine only without knowing individual background levels did not facilitate the interpretation of data. As a consequence, the biological monitoring investigation was repeated by collecting urine samples before and after work-shift, and a biomarkers concentration decrement was observed, allowing the discrimination between occupational and non-occupational exposure. Conclusions: The obtained findings suggest that biological monitoring strategies aimed to evaluate the exposure of individuals (single workers) to ubiquitous hazardous chemicals, need the measurement of biomarkers concentration both before and after each potential exposure cause, so that confounding factors could be taken into account during data interpretation.