COVID-19 is the disease supported by SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes a severe form of pneumonia. Due to the pathophysiological characteristics of the COVID-19 syndrome, the particular transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, and the high globalization of our era, the epidemic emergency from China has spread rapidly all over the world. Human-to-human transmission seems to occur mainly through close contact with symptomatic people affected by COVID-19, and the main way of contagion is via the inhalation of respiratory droplets, for example when patients talk, sneeze or cough. The ability of the virus to survive outside living organisms, in aerosol or on fomites has also been recognized. The dental practitioners are particularly exposed to a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection because they cannot always respect the interpersonal distance of more than a meter and are exposed to saliva, blood, and other body fluids during surgical procedures. Moreover, many dental surgeries can generate aerosol, and the risk of airborne infection is to be considered higher. The aim of this paper is to provide practical advice for dentists based on the recent literature, which may be useful in reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 during clinical practice.

Periodontitis and peri-implantitis are microbially associated diseases of the tissues supporting the teeth and dental implants that are mediated by host inflammation and eventually lead to tooth and dental implant loss. Given the probiotics’ role in biofilm control, dysbiosis reversal, and host modulation, their potential beneficial effects on the improvement of periodontitis and peri-implantitis have been recently investigated. Moreover, probiotics use has also been proposed in periodontal health management in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic therapy. Therefore, the present study aimed to review, considering the periodontal microbiome composition around teeth and dental implants in healthy and pathological conditions, the putative favorable effects of probiotics on gingivitis, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis. The secondary aim of the present narrative review was to synthesize the supporting evidence and proposed protocols for probiotics use as adjuncts in periodontitis and peri-implantitis treatment and the periodontal health management of orthodontic patients with fixed appliances. Contrasting findings from the literature may be due to the different methods, posology, and duration of probiotics prescriptions and due to the heterogeneous biological and clinical measurement methods employed. Thus, no definitive conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of probiotics in periodontal management, both in healthy and pathological conditions. Further studies are needed to validate probiotics for periodontal management and provide recommended protocols.

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, among infectious diseases. Local knowledge of the main bacteria involved in BSIs and their associated antibiotic susceptibility patterns is essential to rationalize the empiric antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study was to define the incidence of infection and evaluate the antimicrobial resistance profile of the main pathogens involved in BSIs. This study enrolled patients of all ages and both sexes admitted to the University Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona”, Salerno, Italy between January 2015 to December 2019. Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed with Vitek 2. A number of 3.949 positive blood cultures were included out of 24,694 total blood cultures from 2015 to 2019. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were identified as the main bacteria that caused BSI (17.4%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (12.3%), Escherichia coli (10.9%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.4%). Gram-positive bacteria were highly resistant to Penicillin G and Oxacillin, while Gram-negative strains to Ciprofloxacin, Cefotaxime, Ceftazidime, and Amoxicillin-clavulanate. High susceptibility to Vancomycin, Linezolid, and Daptomycin was observed among Gram-positive strains. Fosfomycin showed the best performance to treatment Gram-negative BSIs. Our study found an increase in resistance to the latest generation of antibiotics over the years. This suggests an urgent need to improve antimicrobial management programs to optimize empirical therapy in BSI.

Background and objectives: Ozone has been one of the most investigated and discussed sanitization methods. This paper reports a procedure to sanitize air hospital environments, in particular chirurgical surgery rooms that require high levels of disinfection. The purpose of this work was the development and implementation of a cleansing and sanitizing procedure for critical clinical settings with ozone, to prevent hospital infections by the elimination of all toxic and harmful microorganisms in the air, and ensure safe use for operators and patients. Materials and Methods: The protocol for the study involved a structured selection of a representative environment of healthcare structures such as high, medium, and low-risk settings in air and examples of hospital furniture. Results: The concentration of ozone was measured during sanitization treatment and the estimation of the total microbial count in the air and on different surfaces before and after the sanitization operations was performed. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the microbial count that always fell below the threshold value. Conclusions: Currently, there are no air treatment strategies available for inactivating airborne organisms during hospital outbreaks, which is most probably due to the lack of approved protocols.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the psychological factors of health perception, mistrust, anxiety, fear, and indecision of Italians vaccinated against COVID-19, and conduct an analysis of the relationships between these factors and other variables: sex, vaccine priority ministerial categories, and the type and dose of vaccine. The participants included 1564 subjects who joined the vaccination campaign at the COVID-19 Vaccination Center in Salerno, Italy. A survey was conducted in the reference period March–April 2021 using a brief anamnestic questionnaire. In addition, the following standardized scales were used: the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). The results showed that, in terms of the type of vaccine received, the interviewees felt more confident in having received the Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech, 23.5%) and Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca, 18.6%) vaccines—feeling less tense (2.1%; Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) = 3.2%), frightened (1%; Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) = 1.4%), not at all nervous (61.1%; Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), 43.6%), and not at all/undecided (67.9%; Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), 58.6%). Regarding the mood and psychological states considered at the different vaccine administration times, other important differences emerged as the interviewees reported higher levels of tension, nervousness, and fear during the first phase of vaccine administration. Specifically, 40.7% (second dose, 32.7%) felt somewhat tense at the first dose, 26.4% felt frightened (second dose, 21.8%), and 33.8% felt nervous (second dose, 26.8%). The perceived state of health also increased at the end of the vaccination cycle, as, at the second dose, 15.4% of the sample reported an evaluation of “excellent” (first dose, 12.4%).

The increasing emergence and spread of multiresistant microorganisms in hospital wards is a serious concern. Traditional protocols are often not sufficient to protect patients susceptible to serious and life-threatening infections, therefore new strategies for decontaminating hospital environments are crucial to reducing microbial transmission and the spread the nosocomial infections. The adoption of modern technologies is indicated to supplement traditional methods and to improve desired levels of surface disinfection. This work aims to report the development, implementation, and validation of cleansing and sanitizing procedure for critical clinical settings through the innovative use of disposable cloths pre-impregnated with solutions containing different active formulations and biocidal agents, relating to the areas to be treated (low, moderate, high-risk). The implementation and validation of the sanitizing system were conducted in different wards of two healthcare structures. The protocol for the study involved a structured selection of representative surfaces, such as the floor, bathroom, desk, and beds. Microbiological analyses were performed according to ISO 4833-1:2013. The efficiency of the proposed system was measured through the estimation of total microbial count values on the different surfaces before and after the sanitization operations by traditional methods and by the system described here. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the microbial count that always fell below the threshold value. For the analyzed surfaces such as shower tray, bathroom floor, toilet edge, the traditional system had an effectiveness of less than 10%, whereas pre-impregnated cloths succeed to eliminate about 90% of the bacteria present. As an example, on the floor we observed a microbial count reduction from >42 to 10 CFU/11 cm2 with the new method (76% of colonies were destroyed), while with the traditional one we have a reduction from >42 to 28 CFU/11 cm2 (33% of microbial colonies). Moreover, the advantages of using this sanitization system are not limited to disinfecting surfaces and limiting cross-contamination but involve all activities related to the cleaning and disinfection operations, including the training and education of the operators and traceability of the operations. The innovative disinfection and cleaning protocol used in the present study proved to be a highly valuable alternative to the traditional cleaning procedures in healthcare settings for the sanitizing process of all kinds of surfaces. All tools were specifically designed to improve disinfection efficiency and to reduce the problems associated with traditional methods, such as preventing cross-contamination events, limiting the physical efforts of operators, and avoiding incorrect practices. Our findings add support to the knowledge that an effective sanitization procedure is critical in minimizing microorganisms' transmission and cross-contamination.