Background: For many years, occupational physicians have debated whether there is a link between working the night shift and depression and other co-occurring mental health issues, with an emphasis on work-related, biological, individual, and environmental factors. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall association between sleep deprivation and depression among nurses working night shifts. Methods: A systematic search was carried out across the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to 30 September 2022, for studies that reported a relationship between estimated night shift work and depression in nurses. The outcomes were measured using the odds ratio (OR) and matching 95% confidence interval (CI). The I² statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation technique was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence, and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was utilized to assess the methodological quality of each of the included studies. We determined the overall relationship between working nights and the onset of depression. Results: A total of 20 studies were included in the systematic review. Furthermore, 8 studies were included in the meta-analysis due to their common use of the OR as an effect measure. The 8 studies gave an overall estimate indicating a statistically significant association between night shift work and depression among nurses (OR = 1.49 95% CI: 1.26, 1.76). The prediction interval for the overall estimate was (0.995, 2.231). This implies that the true OR in a future study would most likely fall within this range, with a 95% certainty. Conclusions: The outcome of this systematic review and meta-analysis showed a significant association between night shift work, the circadian and sleep disruption it causes, and the risk of depression in nurses. This demonstrates that nurses who work night shifts are at risk of developing depression.

The seasonal flu vaccine is the most important way to prevent influenza epidemics, so it is useful to increase the awareness of health professionals. The aim of our study is to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about flu vaccination among healthcare professionals in times of COVID-19. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out between November 2020 and April 2021. Participants were recruited in teaching hospital ‘Policlinico Umberto I’ of Rome. A survey of 24 questions about flu vaccination was administered, evaluating their knowledge, attitude, and practice about this topic. Results: 872 healthcare professionals were involved in the study (36.9% men, 63.1% women). More than 90% of the HCWs, especially physicians, recognize the importance of getting influenza vaccination: The main reasons for not getting vaccinated were fear of vaccine side effects (20.3%) and fear of the needle (6.4%). Nevertheless, 40.7% of the healthcare providers consider mandatory vaccination as unethical, especially if they work in low-intensity wards. Conclusion: a high percentage of healthcare workers agree with the importance of influenza vaccination and only a small percentage is still opposed. It is therefore important to continue to promote the influenza vaccination through communication and health education programs.

Background: In the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown and social distancing policies, a new form of work, already existing in the past, has been further enlarged. Teleworking is “full- or part-time electronic work, on-line or off-line, performed at home by self-employed or office workers” and today represents an important lever for companies, including for sustainability, allowing employees to work flexibly, efficiently and remotely. The relationship between telework and sustainability in economic, social, and environmental aspects is also being questioned. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects this has had on workers’ mental health. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed. The research was performed on Pubmed and Scopus without restrictions on study type and time limits. The methodological quality of the studies included was assessed using AMSTAR-2, INSA and NOS scales. A meta-analysis of the main adverse effects found in observational studies was also carried out. Results: A total of 38 articles were included in the systematic review. A large proportion of the studies examined showed a correlation between teleworking and worsening mental health. The meta-analysis showed increased levels of mental ill-health (38.8%), stress (28.4%), isolation (6.3%), anxiety (23%), depression (22.6%), work–family conflicts (19.5%), poor sleep quality (56.4%), fatigue (16.1%) and irritability (39.6%). Conclusions: Although most of the works analyzed show a deterioration in the mental health of workers, positive effects were noted in some. There is the need for more studies to optimally investigate the cause–effect relationship between teleworking and mental health deterioration.

Objective: The risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 has been rapidly increased with the circulation of concerns about variants. So, the aim of our study was to evaluate the factors that increase the risk of this reinfection in healthcare workers compared to those who have never been positive and those who have had only one positivity. Methods: A case-control study was carried out at the Teaching Hospital Policlinico Umberto I in Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, in the period between 6 March 2020 and 3 June 2022. Cases are healthcare workers who have developed a reinfection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, while controls were either healthcare workers who tested positive once or those who have never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Results: 134 cases and 267 controls were recruited. Female gender is associated with a higher odds of developing reinfection (OR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.38–4.25). Moreover, moderate or high alcohol consumption is associated with higher odds of reinfection (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.19–1.87). Diabetes is also associated with higher odds of reinfection (OR: 3.45; 95% CI: 1.41–8.46). Finally, subjects with increased red blood cell counts have higher odds of reinfection (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.21–2.25). Conclusion: From the prevention point of view, these findings indicate that particular attention should be paid to subjects with diabetes mellitus, women and alcoholic drinkers. These results could also suggest that contact tracing represents a fundamental approach model against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, together with the health information of participants.

Background/Objectives: Chemical and carcinogenic risk in workplace are linked to an increase of the incidence of cancer in exposed workers. The aim of this observational study was to identify an association between exposure to chemical risk and changes in hematochemical parameters of workers exposed. Methods: The study examined blood count parameters performed on 4523 employees of Sapienza University of Rome from September 2019 to February 2020. A total of 1402 workers in research laboratories, exposed to chemical risk and carcinogens, was compared with a cohort of 3121 blood donors, in apparently good health, matched for age, sex, and period of blood collection. Results: Multivariate analysis demonstrated acrylamide is the most frequently associated chemical with significant changes between the groups. It is related to an increase in monocytes and MPV, a reduction of lymphocytes, platelets, and red series values, while MCH remained unchanged. Formaldehyde reveals the same changes as acrylamide, with the exception of the percentage of lymphocytes, red blood cells, and HB, which remain unchanged. Other chemicals and carcinogens show variations for few blood count parameters. Conclusions: The present study found out a significant change in blood count values in workers exposed to acrylamide and formaldehyde. It also showed an increase in the mean monocyte value in employees exposed to carcinogenic risk, compared to non-exposed, with the exception of Trypan Blue. The implementation of efficient health surveillance remains of critical importance. These data should be compared with those from follow-up studies.

Aim: The job of a driver, particularly that of a public transportation driver, is a complex activity, requiring the mental and physical integrity of the operator. The presence of altered health status, fatigue related to prolonged driving, and all those conditions that interfere with the worker’s performance contribute to an increased risk of traffic accidents and occupational injuries. The aim of the study is to evaluate in an Italian transportation company how work-related stress and positivity affect the health-related quality of life of employees. Subject and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from July 2019 to January 2020. Participants filled out a questionnaire divided into four sections (registry and socio-demographic, Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire, Short Form 12 Survey, Positivity Scale) that aimed to gather information on work stress factors and health-related quality of life and positivity. Results: Two hundred eight individuals responded to the questionnaire, including drivers and company staff. Significant differences were observed for the PCS dependent variable: in married participants ( p = 0.026), in participants with children ( p = 0.002) in the univariate analysis, and bivariate with the MCS variable ( p = 0.001). Significant differences were observed for the MCS dependent variable only in the bivariate analysis: PCS ( p = 0.001). Conclusion: In this transport company, there was a high level of health-related work well-being in each of the activities carried out within it, since positivity was strongly associated with both physical and mental factors and given the homogeneity of the job demand and decision latitude.