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Resumen: Las infecciones de sitio quirúrgico constituyen un problema en la salud pública a nivel mundial. Las características de esta entidad son poco conocidas en niños a nivel nacional, por lo que caracterizar este problema es importante para elaborar estrategias adecuadas para disminuir el impacto de este problema en la salud. Objetivo: describir las características clínicas y procedimientos quirúrgicos en una serie de casos de niños con infecciones intrahospitalarias de sitio quirúrgico realizadas de urgencia en usuarios de un hospital pediátrico de referencia entre el 1/1/2016 y el 31/7/2016. Metodología: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo, en el hospital de niños del hospital pediátrico de referencia, con el objetivo de estudiar la prevalencia de las infecciones intrahospitalarias de sitio quirúrgico de cirugías realizadas de urgencia en pacientes cuyas edades estaban comprendidas entre 1 mes y 14 años, desde el 1 de enero y el 31 de julio de 2016. Los datos fueron obtenidos mediante la realización de una encuesta telefónica, con previa solicitud de consentimiento informado. Fueron analizadas variables intrínsecas del paciente como edad, sexo, y variables extrínsecas: tipo de intervención, clasificación de la cirugía, duración de la cirugía, horario en que se realizó, tratamiento antibiótico luego del procedimiento quirúrgico y reingreso hospitalario. Resultados: de las 414 cirugías de urgencia, se logró contactar a través de encuesta telefónica a 94 pacientes y 19 presentaron infección de sitio quirúrgico. La presentación clínica más frecuente fue edema, calor y rubor (16, 13 y 13 pacientes respectivamente) y 9 presentaron fiebre. La cirugía que se asoció a infección con más frecuencia fue la apendicectomía (43 casos). La infección fue más frecuente en los pacientes operados durante el turno nocturno (9). Todos los pacientes con infección de sitio quirúrgico recibieron antibioticoterapia posterior a la cirugía. Conclusión: si bien este trabajo tiene limitaciones metodológicas, en este centro durante enero y julio de 2016, la tasa de infecciones de sitio quirúrgico fue elevada. Factores tales como el horario de la intervención quirúrgica, la duración, el tipo de cirugía, son determinantes. Es imprescindible reforzar la vigilancia epidemiológica nacional de estas infecciones, tanto en las cirugías de urgencia como en las de coordinación para elaborar estrategias acordes que controlen el problema. Summary: Surgical site infections are a global health problem. Little is known regarding these infections in children at local level; therefore, identifying this problem is essential in order to be able to devise the appropriate strategies to decrease its incidence in health. Objective: describe clinical characteristics and surgical procedures carried out in children having emergency intrahospital surgical site infections at the Reference Children Hospital between January 1, 2016 and July 31, 2016. Metodology: observational, descriptive, retrospective study carried out at the Reference Children Hospital with the purpose of studying the prevalence of intrahospital surgical site infections in patients aged 1 month to 14 years old between January 1 and July 31 2016. The data were obtained through a telephone survey and with informed consent. Intrinsic patient variables, such as, age and sex and extrinsic variables, such as type of surgery, surgery time and post-surgical antibiotic treatment and hospital re-admittance were analyzed. Results: 94 patients were contacted out of 414 who had received emergency surgeries and of 19 who had presented surgical infections. The most common clinical presentation was swelling, heat, and blushing (16, 13 and 13) and 9 patients had fever. The most common infection was appendectomy (43 cases). All patients with surgical infections received antibiotic therapy after surgery. Conclusion: eventhough this paper has some methodological constraints, the infection rate was high in this Hospital during the period January-July 2016. Factors such as the surgery time, duration and type were key to this result. It is essential to reinforce the national epidemiological surveillance of these infections for emergency surgeries as well as for sch-eduled ones, in order to devise better strategies to be able to control this problem. Resumo: As infecções de sitio cirúrgico são um problema de saúde global. Pouco se sabe sobre essas infecções em crianças ao nível nacional; portanto, identificar esse problema é essencial para a elaboração de estratégias adequadas para diminuir sua incidência na saúde. Objetivo: descrever características clínicas e procedimentos cirúrgicos realizados em crianças com infecções de sitio cirúrgico intra-hospitalares no Hospital Infantil de Referência entre 1 de janeiro e 31 de julho de 2016. Metodologia: estudo observacional, descritivo, retrospectivo, realizado no Hospital Infantil de Referência, com o objetivo de estudar a prevalência de infecções cirúrgicas intra-hospitalares em pacientes de 1 mês a 14 anos entre 1 de janeiro e 31 de julho de 2016. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de uma pesquisa telefônica e com consentimento informado. Foram analisadas as variáveis intrínsecas dos pacientes, como idade e sexo, e as variáveis extrínsecas, como tipo de cirurgia, tempo de cirurgia e tratamento antibiótico pós-cirúrgico e reinternação hospitalar. Resultados: 94 de 414 pacientes que receberam cirurgias de emergência foram contatados e 19 tinham apresentado infecções cirúrgicas. A apresentação clínica mais comum foi inchaço, calor e rubor (16, 13 e 13) e 9 pacientes apresentaram febre. A infecção mais comum foi apendicectomia (43 casos). Todos os pacientes com infecções cirúrgicas receberam antibiótico-terapia após a cirurgia. Conclusão: embora este trabalho tenha algumas restrições metodológicas, a taxa de infecção foi alta neste hospital no período de janeiro a julho de 2016. Fatores como a hora, a duração e tipo da cirurgia foram fundamentais para esse resultado. É essencial reforçar a vigilância epidemiológica nacional dessas infecções, tanto para cirurgias de emergência quanto para agendadas, a fim de conceber melhores estratégias para controlar esse problema.

BACKGROUND: There is theoretical evidence that specific airway conductance (SGaw) could be more reliable than forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) for assessing changes in airway calibre. We investigated the changes in FEV1 and SGaw when assessing bronchial responses to occupational agents. METHODS: SGaw and FEV1 were measured during inhalation challenges with various occupational agents in 174 consecutive subjects investigated for possible occupational asthma. RESULTS: A decline in SGaw of 50% or greater was documented in 77 of 90 subjects (86%) who showed a >/=20% fall in FEV1 and in 11 of 84 subjects (13%) who failed to demonstrate such a fall in FEV1. Among subjects who developed a >/=20% fall in FEV1, those who failed to develop a >/=50% decline in SGaw had a lower baseline SGaw than those who did. Among the group without a >/=20% fall in FEV1, a >/=50% decrease in SGaw was associated with either an 'intermediate' fall in FEV1 (between 15 and 17% from baseline value) (n = 4), a significant postchallenge increase in nonspecific bronchial hyper-responsiveness to histamine (n = 2), or both features (n = 3). CONCLUSIONS: A decline in SGaw of 50% or greater may provide useful complementary evidence of a bronchial response during challenges that produce equivocal results in FEV1.

The aim of this study was to investigate the socioeconomic outcomes of subjects who experienced work-related asthma symptoms in the absence of demonstrable occupational asthma (OA) and to compare these outcomes with those found in subjects with documented OA. Subjects (n=157) who were being investigated for work-related asthma, were surveyed. Of these 86 had OA, ascertained by a positive specific inhalation challenge (SIC), and 71 subjects had a negative SIC response. After a median interval of 43 months (range 12-85 months), the subjects were interviewed to collect information on employment status, income changes, and asthma-related work disability. Rates of work disruption and income loss at follow-up were similar in subjects with negative SIC (46% and 59%, respectively) and in those with OA (38% and 62%). The median loss as a percentage of initial income was 23% in subjects with negative SIC and 22% in subjects with OA. Asthma-related work disability, defined as any job change or work loss due to asthma, was slightly more common in subjects with OA (72%) than in those with negative SIC (54%). This study shows that, even in the absence of demonstrable occupational asthma, work-related asthma symptoms are associated with considerable socioeconomic consequences.

Summary Objectives There is little information on the changes in the pattern of occupational asthma (OA) over time. The objective of this study was to evaluate the time trends in the incidence and causes of immunological OA in Belgium using workers’ compensation data. Methods Cases of OA were identified through a retrospective review of all claims submitted by salaried workers to the Belgian Workers’ Compensation Board from 1993 to 2002. The likelihood of OA was categorized as definite, probable, or possible based upon the results of from diagnostic procedures. Time trends were evaluated using Spearman’s rank correlation for crude numbers of cases and through the negative binomial regression for incidence rates of OA per industry. Results From a total of 1852 claims, 971 were categorized as having definite, probable, or possible OA. There was a downward trend in the annual number of cases due to the main causes of OA (i.e. flour, isocyanates, woods, and enzymes) and an apparent increase in cases of latex-induced OA. The estimated average annual incidence of OA was 29.4 (95% CI: 27.6–31.3) new cases per million salaried workers during the 1993–2002 period. There was a significant decline in the overall incidence rate of OA throughout the study period from 35.5 new cases per million salaried workers in 1993 to 25.8 in 2002. Conclusions These compensation-based data indicate that there has been a global downward trend in the incidence of OA during the nineties, although the factors that determined this reduced incidence should be further investigated.

Natural rubber latex (NRL) has become as a major cause of occupational asthma (OA) in workers using NRL gloves. Few population-based studies have assessed the impact of changes in the patterns of glove usage on the incidence of NRL-induced OA.To characterize the time trends in incident cases of NRL-induced OA in Belgium and examine whether incidence rates were related to the types of gloves used in hospitals.Incident cases of NRL-induced OA were identified through a retrospective review of all claims submitted to the Workers' Compensation Board up to December 2004. Based on the results of diagnostic procedures, the diagnosis of NRL-induced OA was categorized as definite, probable, unlikely, or indeterminate. The patterns of glove usage were characterized through a questionnaire survey of Belgian hospitals.A total of 298 claims for NRL-induced OA were identified, including 127 subjects with definite OA and 68 with probable OA. Categorized by the year of asthma onset, the incident cases of definite and probable NRL-induced OA markedly decreased from 1999 onwards. The use of powdered NRL gloves fell from 80.9% in 1989 to 17.9% in 2004. Powdered NRL gloves were predominantly substituted with NRL-free gloves, especially in the case of non-sterile procedures.These national compensation-based data confirm that a persistent decline in the incidence of NRL-induced OA has occurred since late 1990s. This downward trend has temporally been associated with a decreasing usage of powdered NRL, further supporting a beneficial role of changes in glove policies.

Occupational asthma is, by definition, a disease that can be prevented through appropriate protective strategies. Epidemiological information is required to guide these interventions, and we here examine epidemiological data on the burden, causes, and risk factors for this condition.Population-based surveys indicate that approximately 15% of adult asthma is attributable to the workplace environment. The most common occupational agents implicated include flour, isocyanates, latex, and persulphate salts. The occupations in which occupational asthma has been most commonly reported are bakers, spray painters, health-care workers, hairdressers, and cleaners. The level of exposure to sensitizing agents seems to be the most relevant risk factor. Atopy is a significant risk factor only for the development of sensitization to high molecular weight agents. The role of other individual determinants, such as genetic factors, has been less consistently established. Occupational asthma is associated with a substantial adverse impact on the employment and financial status of affected workers.Methodological improvements are required in order to distinguish more accurately between occupational and work-exacerbated asthma. Further investigations of the effectiveness of primary and secondary preventive interventions are also needed.

A national surveillance programme of occupational asthma was set up to estimate the incidence and identify the causes of this disorder in Belgium.The programme was based on the voluntary notification of new cases of occupational asthma by chest specialists and occupational physicians during the period 2000-2002.92% of the reported cases included occupational asthma of an immunological type and 8% bronchial irritability. According to the opinion of the reporting physicians the diagnosis was considered certain in 39%, probable in 29% and possible in 32% of cases. On the basis of these notifications the mean annual incidence of occupational asthma is estimated as 23.5 cases per million workers (95% confidence interval 19.2-28.8). The most frequently incriminated substances were isocyanates (16%), cereals (12%) and latex (10%). At the time of diagnosis 38% of patients had not applied for compensation.The results of this programme of notification of occupational asthma agree with the data available from other countries and provide information complementary to the medico-legal statistics.

The main problem of a methacrylated dental resin's photopolymerization is the shrinkage phenomenon. This occurs, as expected, during light irradiation but also, unexpectedly, during about 24h after photopolymerization (i.e. during the so-called 'post-polymerization' stage). During this period, the conversion degree does not change significantly (no more initiation, very limited, if any, propagation reaction) but free radicals concentration decreases. OBJECTIVES: To better understand what happens during the 24h after the photopolymerization, a thermal study of these resins is investigated at first and an explanation is then discussed. METHODS: In this paper, the glass transition temperatures (T(g)) are measured at 0 and 24h by DMA. The post-shrinkage phenomenon is observed by TMA. Conversion degree (DC) is followed by Raman and free radical decay by ESR spectroscopy. RESULTS: T(g) increases significantly during post-polymerization (55-80 degrees C). The same samples were studied by TMA at room temperature and shrinkage is observed. The fact that the degree of conversion (DC) does not increase significantly and that the 'post-shrinkage' occurs at T

Occupational asthma is associated with significant medical and socioeconomic consequences. Therefore, the diagnosis should be based on objective and accurate evidence. Available diagnostic procedures include the clinical history, measurement of non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness, monitoring of expiratory peak flows at work, and specific inhalation challenges in the laboratory. Advantages and limitations of these tests are discussed in order to propose a pragmatic diagnostic approach where specific inhalation challenges play a central role.