Students in medicine and other health professions are exposed to numerous occupational hazards, primarily biological hazards, during their academic careers at university. The aim of the present study was to investigate the seroprevalence characteristics of anti-HBsAg, anti-Measles, anti-Mumps, anti-Rubella and anti-Varicella IgG antibodies in healthcare students of a large teaching hospital in Rome. To accomplish the study's aims, antibody serology data were gathered from students of Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and Health Professions at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome Campus) during their first Health Surveillance visit, that took place from 2013 to 2023. Our study sample included 2523 students, 44.4 % were protected against Hepatitis B, 87.3 % against measles, 85.5 % against mumps, 94.6 % rubella and 95.2 % against varicella. Differences in antibody coverage between age groups were statistically significant (p < 0.001), except for mumps. It found a lower probability of having seronegative anti-HBVs with an older date since the presumed primary vaccination. In our sample, seropositivity rate against vaccine-preventable diseases, especially for Hepatitis B, was often inadequate to prevent possible biological risks connected with the activities carried out on the ward.

Background: Sigma associated with HIV/AIDS can be a considerable barrier to HIV prevention. The aim of the study was to assess factors associated with stigmatizing attitudes among university students. Methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study among 1305 university students in Ancona (Italy) and Novi Sad (Serbia) from October to December 2020 (67.7% females). The mean age of participants was 21.94 ± 2.45. The instrument of the study was an online questionnaire that included socio-demographic data and questions about attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. Stigma was analyzed using five questions and the stigma score was calculated (a lower score indicated a higher stigma attitude). Results: Among University students 89.7% would share a classroom with a student with HIV/AIDS, 2.5% of students think that students with HIV/AIDS should have separate classes and 5.8% are not sure if they should be in separate classes. Only half of the students (50.1%) said that they would share a bathroom with HIV/AIDS positive students and 80.4% said that they would buy fruits from a HIV/AIDS positive person. Every second student (55.1%) thinks that HIV-positive women should have children. The mean stigma score of the respondents in this study was 3.66 ± 1.26. Stigma score was lowest among youngest participants and among students at lower study year. The stigmatizing attitude was less present among students of medicine (4.09), comparing to other faculties (3.33) (p < 0.001). There were no statistical differences according to gender, data about who they live with, material status of the family and between Universities. Conclusions: Results of this study showed that there are some negative attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS among university students. The stigmatizing attitude was more common among younger students. Key messages: Stigmatizing attitude toward HIV/AIDS is still present among younger generations. Need for more health promotion activities among students from both countries.

The World Health Organization has highlighted the substantial impact of viral hepatitis on individuals, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. This study’s objective is to monitor disease notifications to assess their trends. Data from infectious disease notifications detected in the Marche Region (Italy) were analyzed and entered into the Nuovo Sistema Informativo Sanitario portal between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. In this period, there were 399 confirmed reports, of which 47.9% were for hepatitis A, 26.8% were for hepatitis B, 7% were for hepatitis C, and 18.3% were for hepatitis E; 67.4% of the afflicted individuals were male, and the average age was 43.5 years old. The year with the highest peak was 2017, accounting for 18% of the reports, while the year with the lowest number was 2020, followed by 2021, accounting for 3.8% and 4.5%, respectively. Effective surveillance systems are key to combating the spread of hepatitis and reducing its impact, although they have been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with many cases remaining undetected.

The World Health Organization has highlighted the substantial impact of viral hepatitis on individuals, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. This study's objective is to monitor disease notifications to assess their trend. Data were analyzed from infectious disease notifications detected in the Marche Region (Italy) and entered on the Nuovo Sistema Informativo Sanitario portal between 01/01/2012 and 31/12/2021. In this period there were 399 confirmed reports, of which 47,9% were for hepatitis A, 26,8% for B, 7% for C, 18,3% for E; 67.4% were male and the average age was 43.5 years old. The year with the highest peak was 2017, with 18% of reports, while the year with the lowest number was 2020 followed by 2021, with 3.8% and 4.5% respectively. Effective surveillance systems are key to combating the spread of hepatitis and reducing its impact, although they have been affected by the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, with many cases remaining undetected.

Background Scientific conferences may substantially contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, yet they remain essential for professional development. Understanding how health professionals perceive environmentally sustainable conference practices is key to designing low-impact scientific events. This study explored knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and preferences regarding sustainable conference participation among attendees of an Italian planetary health meeting. Methods We administered an online survey to participants of the 2024 Public Health Residents’ Meeting “From Planet Earth to Planet Health” held in Ancona, Italy. The questionnaire assessed self-perceived environmental awareness, lifestyle behaviors, travel patterns, and preferences toward virtual, hybrid, and in-person conference formats. We evaluated associations between awareness and demographic or behavioral variables. Results Of 80 invited participants, 47 completed the survey. Most respondents were public health residents (70.2%) with balanced gender distribution. Environmental awareness was generally high but showed little association with demographic characteristics or lifestyle behaviors. A majority preferred in-person conferences (61.7%), perceiving them as superior for learning (68.1%) and especially for networking (87.2%). Virtual conferences were acknowledged for advantages such as lower cost, greater accessibility, and reduced environmental impact. However, environmental considerations minimally influenced conference participation decisions: only 25.5% reported considering them moderately or strongly, and just 12.8% had ever chosen a virtual format primarily for environmental reasons. Discussion In this exploratory study, despite high environmental awareness, limited associations were found between awareness with pro-environmental behaviors among conference participants, suggesting the complexity of sustainable decision-making in academic contexts. While participants recognized the ecological benefits of virtual formats, social and educational opportunities strongly anchored preferences toward in-person events. These insights suggest the potential value of institutional strategies, such as high-quality hybrid models and structured sustainability frameworks, to align scientific conferencing with environmental goals. Larger, multi-institutional studies are needed to validate these relationships and assess the feasibility of proposed strategies.

Background: Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs, but inappropriate prescription rates (molecule, duration or dosage) remain high, leading to the selection of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. This study aims to describe the most commonly used antibiotics in our hospital and compare them to 2016 data. Methods: Conducted in November 2022 at the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria delle Marche of Ancona (Italy), the study followed the protocol proposed by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Patients admitted to wards before 8 a.m. and not discharged at the time of the survey were included. Data from 2022 were compared to the 2016 study. Results: In 2022, 41.7% (N = 284) of the 681 patients were taking at least one antibiotic, with 400 antibiotic therapies administered, of which 90.5% were given parenterally. Among the patients on antimicrobial therapy, 40% were being treated for a community infection, 27% for a hospital acquired infection and 19% for surgical prophylaxis. Among all the antimicrobial prescriptions used, the most used class of antibiotics in 2022 was penicillin / beta lactamase inhibitor (21.6%, N = 86), followed by third-generation cephalosporins (11.8%, N = 47), carbapenems (11.6%, N = 46), glycopeptides (8.8%, N = 35), first-generation cephalosporins (8.8%, N = 35) and fluoroquinolones (7.0%, N = 28). Data from 2016 registered a 21.2% prevalence of penicillin / beta lactamase inhibitor, 15.7% of fluoroquinolones, 14.7% of third-generation cephalosporins, 10.5% first-generation cephalosporins, 7.6% of carbapenems and 4.1% of glycopeptides. Conclusions: The prevalence of antibiotics used in our hospital has changed after six years. This shift may be due to new patterns of bacterial resistance and new antimicrobial drugs (e.g. cefiderocol). Key messages: • Our study found a shift in prevalence of antibiotic use in our hospital after six years. • Penicillin/beta lactamase inhibitors are still the most commonly used antibiotics in our hospital.