Occupational Eye Injuries in the agricultural settings: a retrospective study from North-Eastern Italy

Infectious keratitis in Vietnam: etiology, organisms, and management at Vietnam National Eye Hospital

AIM

To report the etiologies, risk factors, treatments, and outcomes of infectious keratitis (IK) at a major Vietnamese eye hospital.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of all cases of IK at Vietnam National Eye Hospital (VNEH) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Medical histories, demographics, clinical features, microbiological results, and treatment outcomes were reviewed.

RESULTS

IK was diagnosed in 1974 eyes of 1952 patients, with ocular trauma being the greatest risk factor for IK (34.2%), frequently resulting from an agriculture-related injury (53.3%). The mean duration between symptom onset and presentation to VNEH was 19.3±14.4d, and 98.7% of patients had been treated with topical antibiotic and/or antifungal agents prior to evaluation at VNEH. Based on smear results of 1706 samples, the most common organisms identified were bacteria (n=1107, 64.9%) and fungi (n=1092, 64.0%), with identification of both bacteria and fungi in 614 (36.0%) eyes. Fifty-five of 374 bacterial cultures (14.7%) and 426 of 838 fungal cultures (50.8%) were positive, with the most commonly cultured pathogens being Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumonia, Fusarium spp., and Aspergillus spp. Corneal perforation and descemetocele developed in 391 (19.8%) and 93 (4.7%) eyes, respectively. Medical treatment was successful in resolving IK in 50.4% eyes, while 337 (17.1%) eyes underwent penetrating or anterior lamellar keratoplasty. Evisceration was performed in 7.1% of eyes, most commonly in the setting of fungal keratitis.

CONCLUSION

Ocular trauma is a major risk factor for IK in Vietnam, which is diagnosed in almost 400 patients each year at VNEH. Given this, and as approximately one quarter of the eyes that develop IK require corneal transplantation or evisceration, greater emphasis should be placed on the development of prevention and treatment programs for IK in Vietnam.

Hantavirus infections in Italy: not reported doesn't mean inexistent

BACKGROUND

Hantaviruses can cause serious human diseases including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS). European Hantavirus are usually associated with HFRS, and their geographical distribution mirrors the ecology of reservoir host species. Epidemiology of HFRS is well-studied in Western Europe, but data from Italy are fragmentary.

METHODS

We searched into two different databases (PubMed and EMBASE), focusing on studies reporting the prevalence of Hantaviruses in Italy. Data were extracted using a standardized assessment form, and results of the analyses were systematically reported, summarized and compared.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 18 articles, including 12 reports (total population: 5,336 subjects, 1981-2019) and 6 case reports (1984-2019). In total, 200 subjects exhibited some degree of seropositivity, with a pooled seroprevalence of 1.7% (95% confidence interval 0.7%-4.0%) in the general population. Higher occurrence was reported in selected subgroups, i.e. acute (28.7%, 95%CI 22.1-36.2) and chronic (6.6%, 95%CI 4.7-9.1) renal failure, forestry workers (3.0%, 95%CI 1.4-6.5, actual range 0.0 to 10.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

In the last decade, no human cases of hantavirus infection have been officially reported in Italy. However, our analysis stresses the actual occurrence of Hantavirus among general population and in selected population groups. Further studies on hantavirus infection rates in reservoir host species (rodents, shrews, and bats) and virus transmission to humans are needed to prevent outbreaks in the future.

Description of Main Predictors for Taking Sick Leave Associated with Work-Related Eye Injuries in Spain

Recent studies in Spain have shown that males, younger workers, and people involved in manual jobs had the highest risk of suffering a work-related eye injury (WREI). This study aims to assess the predictors of sick leave associated with WREI and to compare them with risk factors of initial injury. A retrospective and descriptive study of WREI that causes sick leave of one or more days among workers from an insurance labor mutual company in Spain was conducted over a period from 2008 to 2018. The variables of the study were sex, age, occupation, and type of injury. A total of 9352 (18.6% of 50,265 WREI) cases and 113,395 total days of sick leave were observed, with an estimated EUR 4,994,009.59 of associated labor cost. The main predictors of sick leave related to WREI were found to be female (highest incidence; 25.9 (95% CI (24.8–27.1))), >55 years of age (highest incidence; 20.5 (95% CI (19.3–21.7))), not working in the industry (lowest incidence; 13.8 (95% CI (13.3–14.2))), and not suffering “other disorders of conjunctiva” (lowest incidence; 5.7 (95% CI (4.7–6.8))). The consequences associated with WREI are worse for female and older workers, despite the main risk of suffering WREI being observed in males and younger workers.

Prevalence of Parkinson Disease in Italy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction:

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common disease of unknown etiology. Even though accurate information on the epidemiology of PD is critical for defining appropriate health policies, epidemiological data on Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Italy are often defined as scant or conflicting. Our study attempted to provide an overview on the prevalence of (PD) by means of a systematic review and metanalysis of existing data.

Material and methods:

We searched into two different databases (PubMed and EMBASE), focusing on studies reporting the prevalence of PD in Italy. Data were extracted using a standardized assessment form, and results of such analyses were systematically reported, summarized and compared.

Results:

A total of 16 studies were eventually included in the analyses, with a prevalence rate of 193.7/100,000. Available reports were heterogeneous both in design and in eventual figures, and also prevalence estimates were affected by substantial heterogeneity. Interestingly, prevalence rates ranged from 37.8/100,000 inhabitants in subjects aged 0 to 64 years, to 578.7 in age group 65 to 75 years, and 1235.7 in age group 75 years or older. PD was significantly associated with male sex, but only in older age groups (i.e. Odds Ratio, OR 1.37 95%CI 1.22-1.53, and OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.21-1.42 for age groups 65-74 years and 75 years or more, respectively).

Discussion and conclusion:

While the observed variations in prevalence rates may result from environmental or genetic factors, differences in methodologies for case ascertainment and diagnostic criteria may have significantly affected our estimates. As a consequence, the comparability of existing studies is limited.