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Background: Transmission of viral diseases (e.g., influenza A H1N1) via respiratory droplets takes place mainly in confined spaces, including in aircraft during commercial air travel. The adoption of hygiene measures may help to prevent disease spread aboard aircraft. This review summarizes the evidence on hand hygiene and the use of facemasks as viral disease prevention measures in aircraft.Methods: A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases up to 10 June 2020, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria. A population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study design (PICOS) approach was used to define the review question.Results: We included four studies published between 2007 and 2020, all targeting influenza virus disease, in the qualitative synthesis. Three studies used mathematical models to simulate single- or multiple-direction flights, and two of them showed that facemask (e.g., N95 respirator) use considerably reduced infection probability. In the third study, hand cleaning by 20 to 60% of people at any time in all airports (including on aircraft) reduced the measure of airports' power to spread the disease across the globe by ~ 24 to 69%. The fourth study was a case-control study designed to trace an influenza outbreak in two flights during the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic. The study showed that none (0%) of nine infected passengers compared to 15 (47%) of 32 healthy control passengers in the aircraft cabin during one of these flights wore a facemask (odds ratio, 0.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.0-0.7). In contrast, both case and control passengers appeared to be equally compliant in self-assessed hand hygiene.Conclusions: Facemask use combined with hand hygiene may minimize the chance of droplet-transmitted virus spread by air travelers. Thus, it is necessary that hygiene measures become an integral part of standard procedures in commercial air travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is the most bothersome phenotype of chronic rhinosinusitis, which is typically characterized by a Type 2 inflammatory reaction, comorbidities and high rates of nasal polyp recurrence, causing severe impact on quality of life. Nasal polyp recurrence rates, defined as the number of patients undergoing revision endoscopic sinus surgery, are 20% within a 5 year period after surgery. The cornerstone of CRSwNP management consists of anti-inflammatory treatment with local corticosteroids. We performed a literature review regarding the therapeutic strategies used to prevent nasal polyp recurrence after surgical treatment. Finally, we report an in vitro study evaluating the efficacy of lysine–acetylsalicylic acid and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ketoprofen and diclofenac) on the proliferation of fibroblasts, obtained from nasal polyp tissue samples. Our study demonstrates that diclofenac, even more so than lysine–acetylsalicylic acid, significantly inhibits fibroblast proliferation and could be considered a valid therapeutic strategy in preventing CRSwNP recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food allergies are immuno-mediated adverse reactions to ingestion or contact with foods, representing a widespread health problem. The immune response can be IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated, or with a mixed mechanism. The role of innate immunity and alarmins in the pathogenesis of diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis is well known. Some authors have investigated the correlation between alarmins and food allergies, often obtaining interesting results. We analyzed articles published in English from the last 22 years present on PubMed concerning the role of alarmins in the pathogenesis of food allergies and their potential use as disease biomarkers, response biomarkers to therapy, or potential therapeutic targets. Nuclear alarmins (TSLP, IL-33, IL-25) appear to have a critical role in IgE-mediated allergies but are also implicated in entities such as eosinophilic esophagitis. Calprotectin and defensins may play a role as disease biomarkers and could help predict response to therapy, although results in the literature are often conflicting. Despite the promising results, more studies on humans still need to be conducted. Deepening our knowledge regarding alarmins and their involvement in food allergies could lead to the development of new biological therapies, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-nickel (Ni) diet, a key treatment for Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome (SNAS), is difficult in the long term and strongly impacts quality of life (QoL). Hydroponic agriculture could be an alternative to allow the reintroduction of tomato, an essential food in the global diet. In a first interventional, randomized, double-blind, single-center crossover study, we compared the possible effects of eating tomato puree deriving from hydroponic agriculture versus tomato puree from conventional cultivation, collecting data on subjective control of SNAS symptoms, adherence to treatment, and impact on QoL. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following treatment groups: (1) a 12-week low-Ni diet plus 100% Italian Datterino tomato puree deriving from hydroponic technology; (2) a 12-week low-Ni diet plus 100% Italian Datterino tomato puree deriving from conventional cultivation. Then, after a 2-week washout period on the low-Ni diet, each patient crossed over to the other treatment. Patients reported lower symptom scores after eating Datterino tomato puree deriving from hydroponic technology; specifically, bloating (p = 0.0111, p = 0.0060), flatulence (p = 0.0090), abdominal cramps (p = 0.0207), constipation (p = 0.0395), and diarrhea (p = 0.0105). Overall, the adherence rate was high for both treatment arms. At baseline, QoL was poor, but significant improvement was observed after two treatments. In our study, precision medicine and precision agriculture merge in a holistic approach to the challenges of food allergies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare workers are usually the first responders during outbreaks and are instrumental in educating the populace about the prevention of different diseases and illnesses. The aim of this study was to assess the association between healthcare workers' characteristics and knowledge, attitudes and practices toward Zika virus.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that collected data from healthcare workers at 3 medical facilities using a validated self-administered questionnaire between July 2017 - September 2017. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between sociodemographic and knowledge, attitudes, and practices.Results: A total of 190 healthcare workers were analyzed. Of these, 60, 72.6 and 64.7% had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward Zika virus, respectively. Healthcare workers without a formal degree were less likely to have good knowledge of Zika virus (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0:49; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.24-0.99) compared to those with a formal degree. Reduced odds for positive attitude towards Zika virus were observed in healthcare workers with low income as compared to those with high income (AOR = 0.31; 95% CI =0.13-0.75). Being younger than 40 years old was associated with poor Zika virus practices (AOR = 0:34; 95% CI = 0.15-0.79).Conclusions: Significant association between healthcare workers' sociodemographic characteristics and Zika virus knowledge, attitudes and practices were observed. Public health interventions that seek to increase Zika virus awareness should aim to train healthcare workers who are younger, without formal degree and those earning low income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic surgery in pediatrics is still uncommon and few studies assessed in clinical practice advantages and disadvantages. Applicability and effectiveness of 3D versus two-dimensional (2D) laparoscopic procedures in congenital and acquired conditions in children are still unknown. We assessed applicability and effectiveness of 3D compared with 2D laparoscopic procedures in a pediatric setting. Methods: Two groups of patients who underwent 3D or 2D laparoscopic surgical procedures between May 2016 and April 2018 were compared. Each 3D/2D laparoscopic procedure was assessed with a surgeon/assistant questionnaire. Results: The 3D group included 30 patients and the 2D group 32 patients. The analysis of the 3D/2D questionnaire showed statistically significant superiority of 3D technical aspects (P = .0000), allowing a better spatial orientation and depth perception, reducing manipulation and trauma to tissues. Moreover, no difference was reported in physical complaints (P = .7084), but decreased visual fatigue was highlighted by surgeon (P = .000). Conclusions: In pediatric patients, 3D laparoscopic procedures prove to be more effective facilitating the surgeon's performance, while maintaining the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional healthcare paradigms rely on the disease-centered approach aiming at reducing human nature by discovering specific drivers and biomarkers that cause the advent and progression of diseases. This reductive approach is not always suitable to understand and manage complex conditions, such as multimorbidity and cancer. Multimorbidity requires considering heterogeneous data to tailor preventing and targeting interventions. Personalized Medicine represents an innovative approach to address the care needs of multimorbid patients considering relevant patient characteristics, such as lifestyle and individual preferences, in opposition to the more traditional "one-size-fits-all" strategy focused on interventions designed at the population level. Integration of omic (e.g., genomics) and non-strictly medical (e.g., lifestyle, the exposome) data is necessary to understand patients' complexity. Artificial Intelligence can help integrate and manage heterogeneous data through advanced machine learning and bioinformatics algorithms to define the best treatment for each patient with multimorbidity and cancer. The experience of an Italian research hospital, leader in the field of oncology, may help to understand the multifaceted issue of managing multimorbidity and cancer in the framework of Personalized Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of Müllerian anomalies (MAs) in a cohort of infertile Mexican women candidates for infertility treatments (intrauterine insemination or IVF (In vitro fertilization) cycles). Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study on a cohort of consecutive women, who underwent hysteroscopy and laparoscopy as part of the basic infertility workup from 2002 to 2014, at our center. Our aim was to calculate the prevalence of MAs and each subtype. Results: A total of 4005 women were included in the study. The MA prevalence was 4.4% (95% CI; 3.8–5.1; n = 177). Among women with MAs, the prevalence of different MA types was: septate uterus 54.2% (n = 96), arcuate uterus 15.8% (n = 28), bicornuate uterus 10.7% (n = 19), unicornuate uterus 8.5% (n = 15), didelphys uterus 6.2% (n = 11) and hypoplasia/agenesis 3.4% (n = 6), unclassifiable 1.1% (n = 2). Women with MAs who achieved pregnancy were: 33.3% (n = 59). The MA associated with the highest pregnancy rate was septate uterus after hysteroscopic correction, at 38.5% (37/96). Conclusions: The prevalence of MAs among infertile Mexican women can be considered as low, but not negligible. The septate uterus is the most common MA in women with infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]