Papers by Lorenzo Capasso
PubMed, Sep 26, 2019
Introduction: Awareness of the benefits of the physical activity on health by the general public ... more Introduction: Awareness of the benefits of the physical activity on health by the general public has increased the number of people who is practicing it in the recent years. The gyms are the primary place - as the main indoor environment - for practicing physical activity. Methods: A multidisciplinary tool was used primarily to investigate and analyse the general aspects of fitness centres then an assessment tool was created to evaluate a specific aspect such as the location, dimension, maintenance, etc. from the design, hygiene and safety points of view. Each section of the tool consisted of a series of questionnaires where the facility managers and the researches must have answered. Discussion: The tool was tested on various cases by analysing the critical issues which affects the quality of spaces and end users' health. Conclusions: The critical points observed from the tool that has an impact on the design of the gyms will help to shape future of these facilities. Several design and management strategies were also highlighted to improve the hygiene and health issues of fitness centres.
PubMed, 2016
Until the so-called sanitary reform (1978), which introduced a Beveridge' system, in Italy existe... more Until the so-called sanitary reform (1978), which introduced a Beveridge' system, in Italy existed a peculiar kind of general practitioner, paid by municipalities, who ensured healthcare to those not covered by social insurance. In small towns those physicians also carried out the finction of Health Officers, performing Public Health duties. We had the possibility to study the very large archive of one of them, doctor Sgandurrafrom Farindola, a village in the Abruzzi Region (central Italy): in the paper we briefly analyse six public health acts that he issued in the first half of the 1950s.
PubMed, Oct 16, 2012
The authors describe the characteristics of the large outbreak of typhoid fever in Civitella del ... more The authors describe the characteristics of the large outbreak of typhoid fever in Civitella del Tronto (Italy) in the year 1817. As reported in the "Rapporti Periodici sulla Salute Pubblica" ("Public Health Reports") periodically written by general practitioners, from March to June 1817 the morbidity rate was over 1% and both genders were equally affected. The most affected age group was the 30 to 40 year-old. Only 13% of the cases involved children aged 0 to 10 years. Epidemiological data suggest that the disease was not very infectious: it affected a slight number of individuals and only marginally infected the inhabitants of the areas around the main town of Civitella del Tronto. Public Health authorities of the Kingdom of Naples were likely able to efficiently control the sanitary conditions of the territories bordering the state.
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità, Sep 1, 2020
In recent years, the Scientific Community and the Public Health world, in general, have devoted i... more In recent years, the Scientific Community and the Public Health world, in general, have devoted increasing interest to housing conditions, which are considered, to date, one of the main environmental and social determinants of the population's health. In particular, the Scientific Community has identified and studied various indoor well-being factors (e.g. lighting, temperature, ventilation, air quality, etc.). Some of these factors have been regulated by laws and regulations at various levels: the availability of clear and updated health requirements dictated by the regulations is fundamental to effectively protect public health, especially in confined environments. In the present work, we propose a revision of the Italian Ministerial Decree of July 5th, 1975 titled Modificazioni alle istruzioni ministeriali 20 giugno 1896 relativamente all'altezza minima ed ai requisiti igienico sanitari principali dei locali d'abitazione (Modifications to the ministerial instructions of June 20th, 1896 regarding the minimum height and the main hygienic-sanitary requirements of living spaces) in order to update the definition of the essential elements that qualify a space as habitable from the hygienic-sanitary point of view, taking into account the evidence gathered from the technical and scientific literature on the requirements and contents of the Building Codes of the major European countries.
Epidemiology and Infection, May 7, 2010
Brucellosis is a worldwide disease. Although it has been eradicated in some countries, it continu... more Brucellosis is a worldwide disease. Although it has been eradicated in some countries, it continues to be an important disease in many farming areas. Previous works have described the evolution and diffusion of brucellosis in antiquity through direct analysis of ancient human remains collected by the University Museum of Chieti, Italy, and by using paleopathological and historical data. The earliest published case was reported in a skeletal individual dated to the Middle Bronze Age. However, our research group has diagnosed vertebral brucellosis in the partial skeleton of the late Pliocene Australopithecus africanus, demonstrating that this infectious disease occasionally affected our direct ancestors 2. 3-2. 5 million years ago. The frequency of brucellosis increased during the Roman period, when the disease would almost certainly have been endemic in Roman society, and during the Middle Ages. Most paleopathological cases involve adult male skeletal individuals, and lumbar vertebrae and sacroiliac joints are most commonly involved.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Nov 17, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
American Journal of Public Health, 2016
The article discusses a conflict between the right to education and the right to refuse vaccines ... more The article discusses a conflict between the right to education and the right to refuse vaccines in Italy as of 2016, and it mentions an Italian constitutional law reform in 2001 dealing with vaccinations, as well as a six-year-old girl with a severe immunodeficiency who had to switch schools.
Medicina nei secoli, Jun 16, 2017
ISEE Conference Abstracts
Medicina nei secoli, 2016
The Special Issue of the Annals of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita “Social health: the challenge... more The Special Issue of the Annals of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita “Social health: the challenges for healthcare facilities’ design” was edited by Professor Stefano Capolongo, hygienist of the Polytechnic University of Milan. It a wide up to date and a presentation of interesting key points and cases. In the volume Hospital is studied as a social community and, in the socio-cultural context, the [...]
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunita, 2020
BACKGROUND World Health Organization has highlighted the need to strengthen the relationship betw... more BACKGROUND World Health Organization has highlighted the need to strengthen the relationship between health and built environment factors, such as inappropriate housing conditions. Building Regulations and Local Health Rules provide safety and building hygiene in construction practices. Currently the Italian Government is giving rise to a Building Regulation Type and the paper aims to verify the present contents of recent innovative Local Health Rules and Building Regulations of several Italian municipalities for supporting the performance approach of the future Building Regulations including hygienic issues. METHODS The analysis examines both Building Regulations and Local Health Rules of a sample of about 550 cities, analysing some specific fields of interest: urban field, outdoor issues, housing features, housing restrictions, and qualitative aspects. RESULTS The analysis focuses on some specific aspects defining the general data reported in Building Regulations and Local Health ...
Hygiene and sanitation, 2020
This review manuscript presents actual information on sports facilities, their design and the imp... more This review manuscript presents actual information on sports facilities, their design and the impact they may have on human health. Based on the current sanitary and hygienic norms and regulations the authors describe types of sports facilities, give their classification depending on the designated use, point out the peculiarities of sports facilities arrangement in Italy and Russia. Special attention is paid to the necessity to meet the hygienic requirements when constructing and maintaining sports facilities. The paper highlights the hygienic requirements for all sports facilities, regardless of their type, to be standardized by the following components: location of sports facilities within the boundaries of a settlement; orientation of sports facilities; transport accessibility; layout; state of the environment (air, water, soil); nature of landscaping and the area of green spaces; noise intensity level; microclimate of sports facilities (relative temperature and humidity, air ve...
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunita
The circulatory diseases, in particular ischemic heart diseases and stroke, represent the main ca... more The circulatory diseases, in particular ischemic heart diseases and stroke, represent the main causes of death worldwide both in high income and in middle and low income countries. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive report to depict the circulatory disease mortality in Europe over the last 30 years and to address the sources of heterogeneity among different countries. Our study was performed using the WHO statistical information system - mortality database - and was restricted to the 28 countries belonging to the European Union (EU-28). We evaluated gender and age time series of all circulatory disease mortality, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pulmonary and other circulatory diseases and than we performed forecast for 2016. Mortality heterogeneity was evaluated by countries using the Cochrane Q statistic and the I-squared index. Between 1985 and 2011 SDR for deaths attributable to all circulatory system diseases decreased from 440.9 to 212.0 x 100,000 in EU-28...
Radiography, Feb 1, 2017
Introduction: Historical sources and anthropological investigations, with the indispensable suppo... more Introduction: Historical sources and anthropological investigations, with the indispensable support of radiology, bring to light pathological evidence of the past. Case presentation: The purpose of this article is to present the radiological investigation conducted on the mummy of the Maronite Joseph Tyan (1760e1820), a famous patriarch who guided the Lebanese Maronite community during a critical period of its history. The natural mummy of the Patriarch was temporarily removed from its burial site to certify the degree of preservation. Conventional radiography was necessary to determine the state of the internal organs and any physical abnormalities, and to clarify the degree of conservation of the mummy. Discussion: Radiological analysis uncovered an exceptional case of a large urinary bladder stone. This pathological evidence confirms historical documentary sources that in the last years of his life the Patriarch suffered from abdominal pain and urinary problems. We can suppose that the environment and diet of the Maronite community, limited by restricted agricultural resources, was the possible cause of the urinary bladder stone, as today the epidemiology of these diseases demonstrates links with mainly cereal diets in rural areas.
Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunita, 2016
Good lighting is a key factor for indoor health and wellness. Hygienic regulations regarding illu... more Good lighting is a key factor for indoor health and wellness. Hygienic regulations regarding illumination requirements have been elaborated much time ago and in different countries. The authors describe these requirements in Italy and in the Russian Federation, analysing their contents and issues and comparing them. The results show that the Russian ones are updated, more precise and complete. In conclusion, the authors stress the strong need for a revision and update of the specific Italian hygienic and sanitary regulations.
Il volume intende fornire un quadro aggiornato sul ruolo della qualità degli ambienti di vita nel... more Il volume intende fornire un quadro aggiornato sul ruolo della qualità degli ambienti di vita nel garantire e mantenere la salute. Vengono descritte le interazioni edilizia-ambiente, con particolare riguardo agli impatti del settore abitativo e alle possibili strategie di risparmio energetico, e sono riportate alcune schede esplicative di supporto alla progettazione degli edifici residenziali, per indirizzare le scelte verso soluzioni orientate al benessere, alla tutela della salute e alla sostenibilità
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Papers by Lorenzo Capasso