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Topic Review
Aerosolization of Moulds Particles from Contaminated Materials
Fungi are well known as common contaminants of the indoor environment with the ability to grow on many types of building materials and to subsequently release biological particles into the indoor air. The aerosolization of allergenic compounds or mycotoxins borne by fungal particles or vehiculated by dust may have a direct impact on the occupant’s health. 
  • 885
  • 07 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Reducing Postpartum Weight Retention
Postpartum weight retention (PPWR) is a strong predictor of obesity in later life with long term health consequences in women. Suboptimal lifestyle behaviours (e.g. diet and physical activity) contribute to PPWR. Postpartum lifestyle interventions are known to be efficacious in reducing PPWR, however there are challenges to their successful implementation. 
  • 882
  • 22 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Sensors for Airborne Pollutants
In the last years, the issue of exposure assessment of airborne pollutants has been on the rise, both in the environmental and occupational fields. Increasingly severe national and international air quality standards, indoor air guidance values, and exposure limit values have been developed to protect the health of the general population and workers; this issue required a significant and continuous improvement in monitoring technologies to allow the execution of proper exposure assessment studies. One of the most interesting aspects in this field is the development of the “next-generation” of airborne pollutants monitors and sensors (NGMS). The principal aim of this review is to analyze and characterize the state of the art and of NGMS and their practical applications in exposure assessment studies. A systematic review of the literature was performed analyzing outcomes from three different databases (Scopus, PubMed, Isi Web of Knowledge); a total of 67 scientific papers were analyzed. 
  • 880
  • 08 Jul 2021
Topic Review
COVID-19 Effect on Fertility
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread over the world, having a huge impact on people’s lives and health. The respiratory system is often targeted in people with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus can also infect many organs and tissues in the body, including the reproductive system.
  • 875
  • 03 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Particulate Matter and Associated Metals
Particulate air pollution (PM) is a mixture of heterogenous components from natural and anthropogenic sources and contributes to a variety of serious illnesses, including neurological and behavioral effects, as well as millions of premature deaths. Ultrafine (PM0.1) and fine-size ambient particles (PM2.5) can enter the circulatory system and cross the blood–brain barrier or enter through the optic nerve, and then upregulate inflammatory markers and increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain. Toxic and neurotoxic metals such as manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and barium (Ba) can adsorb to the PM surface and potentially contribute to the neurotoxic effects associated with PM exposure. Epidemiological studies have shown a negative relationship between exposure to PM-associated Mn and neurodevelopment amongst children, as well as impaired dexterity in the elderly. Inhaled PM-associated Cu has also been shown to impair motor performance and alter basal ganglia in schoolchildren.
  • 874
  • 09 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Microfluidic Separation and Detection Technologies
Separation and detection are ubiquitous in our daily life and they are two of the most important steps toward practical biomedical diagnostics and industrial applications. A deep understanding of working principles and examples of separation and detection enables a plethora of applications from blood test and air/water quality monitoring to food safety and biosecurity; none of which are irrelevant to public health. Microfluidics can separate and detect various particles/aerosols as well as cells/viruses in a cost-effective and easy-to-operate manner. There are a number of papers reviewing microfluidic separation and detection, but to the best of our knowledge, the two topics are normally reviewed separately. In fact, these two themes are closely related with each other from the perspectives of public health: understanding separation or sorting technique will lead to the development of new detection methods, thereby providing new paths to guide the separation routes.
  • 873
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Protective Textiles against Biological Threats
The development of protective clothing is crucial nowadays, as there are increased levels of harmful biological threats, both for military forces and civilians.
  • 873
  • 29 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Dyslexia
Developmental dyslexia is a common complex neurodevelopmental disorder that persists well into adulthood and, thus, could have lifelong detrimental effects. Dyslexia has been defined as “deficient literacy acquisition despite adequate intellectual ability and sufficient educational exposure”.  It can be looked  from latest neuroscientific models.
  • 871
  • 02 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major killer and cause of human suffering worldwide and imposes a substantial reduction in patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). HRQoL indicates the consciousness of patients regarding their physical and mental health. HRQoL is markedly impaired in patients with TB. The factors affecting HRQoL differ with active and latent TB, socio-demographics, socio-economic status, presence of co-infections, etc.
  • 860
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Aspergillus Section Fumigati in Firefighter Headquarters
Aspergillus species are filamentous fungi commonly observed in different environmental compartments such as soil, water and air, with an emphasis on decaying vegetation, seeds and grains, where they prosper as saprophytes. Aspergillus species are also found in different indoor environments, and some species are considered opportunistic pathogens for humans. Aspergillus conidia can be abundant in outdoor and indoor environments and are easily dispersed in the air depending on the developed activities. Since the conidia are very small, they are easily inhaled and may colonize the upper and lower respiratory tract of exposed individuals. Aspergillus section Fumigati is one of the Aspergillus sections more frequently related to respiratory symptoms due to the small size of the conidia, thermotolerance, its nutritional versatility, and several other virulence factors . Additionally, the development of resistance to antifungal drugs, mainly in this Aspergillus section, is a phenomenon with growing prevalence in Europe, being associated with therapeutic failure and high mortality rates.
  • 857
  • 14 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Toxic Effects of Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances in Organisms
More than 7000 synthetic compounds known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are applied to food packaging and other materials to provide fat, fire, and/or water resistance properties. These compounds have exceptional environmental stability and persistence due to the strong C-F chemical bond, earning them the moniker “forever chemicals”. Emission of PFAS from industrial waste leads to water, air, and soil contamination. Due to this ubiquitous nature, combined with the fact that PFAS in humans are known to have carcinogenic and reprotoxic effects and to cause vaccine resistance and depression of the immunity system, PFAS may constitute a major threat to human health. For this reason, the attention of the scientific community and of control bodies is increasing and as a consequence legislation and the scientific literature on PFAS are constantly evolving.
  • 855
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Evacuation Solutions for Individuals with Functional Limitations
The built environment continues to become increasingly accessible to people with disabilities, yet there remains a lack of focus on how these individuals are evacuated in emergencies. Studies highlight the importance of tailoring solutions to the needs of individuals with different functional limitations. There are six main evacuation solution types: notification, wayfinding, egress, building design, strategy, and training programs. 
  • 854
  • 31 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Composition of Dental Waste
Dental waste can be broadly divided into three categories: infectious waste, non-infectious waste, and domestic-type waste. Infectious waste contains materials contaminated with blood or other infectious mouth fluids, amalgam, and sharps, whereas non-infectious dental waste is devoid of human fluid contamination but can be potentially toxic due to the presence of amalgams, acids, metal dust, resins, etc. Suspended particulates in dental wastewater are another likely source of contamination. Appropriate segregation of this waste is essential for containing infections during waste processing. New-generation dental materials, such as nanomaterials, resin-based composites, and ceramics, are finding increasing applications in a variety of dental procedures as antimicrobial, restorative, and therapeutic agents. While incineration and landfilling have been used for processing traditional dental waste, the presence of novel materials in dental waste raises several additional concerns. Novel single/multistage recycling approaches need to be developed for dental waste towards resource recovery, thus minimizing incineration and landfilling to the extent possible.
  • 854
  • 21 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Pets as Sentinels for Environmental Pollution
Sentinels are organisms whose characteristics (including health status) change due to acute or chronic effects in a given environment that can be evaluated (monitored) through serial surveillance. 
  • 849
  • 26 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Influence of Work on Andropause and Menopause
Work-related factors, such as stress and pollutant exposure, affect gonadal function and can interfere with reproduction in both genders. Work-related factors, such as psychological stress, physical effort, and sleep disorders, showed a significant correlation with andropause manifestations, whereas age at menopause and severity of menopausal symptoms were both influenced by factors such as pesticide exposure, high job strain, and repetitive work. 
  • 847
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Farm Biosecurity and Antimicrobial Usage in Food Animals
With the limited alternatives for antimicrobials, farm biosecurity (and herd management) is considered a promising tool to mitigate the non-judicious AMU and to maintain animal health, production, and welfare.
  • 846
  • 25 May 2023
Topic Review
Effectiveness of Physical-Activity-Based Interventions Targeting Overweight and Obesity
Overweight and obesity, including their prevalence and consequences, reflect a leading public health problem. Studies have already shown that physical activity leads to a reduction in body weight in children and adults. It is already known that physical activity is an essential component of combating overweight and obesity. Being overweight causes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and different types of cancer. According to the WHO, the prevalence of obesity has almost tripled since 1975. In 2016, 1.9 billion people aged 18 years and older were overweight, of which 650 million individuals were considered obese.
  • 845
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Creating Interprofessional Readiness for Complex and Aging Adults
A successful interprofessional faculty development program was transformed into a more clinically focused professional development opportunity for both faculty and clinicians. Discipline-specific geriatric competencies and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies were aligned to the 4Ms framework. The goal of the resulting program, Creating Interprofessional Readiness for Complex and Aging Adults (CIRCAA), was to advance an age-friendly practice using evidence-based strategies to support wellness and improve health outcomes while also addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH). 
  • 844
  • 07 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Cholangiocarcinoma According to Different Etiologies
This scenario is even more complex in the context of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which encompasses an extremely heterogeneous group of malignancies arising from the intrahepatic (iCCA) and extrahepatic (eCCA) biliary tree. The molecular heterogeneity of CCA has been observed not only when comparing iCCA and eCCA subtypes, but also among patients with the same cancer type (inter-patient heterogeneity), and even across the different topographic regions of the tumor from the same patient (intra-patient heterogeneity).
  • 843
  • 12 May 2023
Topic Review
High-Intensity Interval Training in Youth
Development of innovative and time-efficient strategies to involve youth in physical activity is pivotal in the actual inactivity pandemic. Moreover, physical activity may improve academic performance, of great interest for educators. This entry aimed to analyze the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cognitive performance and psychological outcomes in youth. 
  • 842
  • 08 Jun 2021
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