RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a atividade antibacteriana contra Staphylococcus aureus e Pseudomonas aeruginosa de dois revestimentos endotraqueais com nanopartículas e fotocatálise sob luz visível. Métodos: Testaram-se dois tipos de nanopartículas de titânio: anatase padrão (TiO2) e TiO2 nano-dopada (N-TiO2). As nanopartículas foram colocadas em superfície interna de segmentos de tubos endotraqueais comerciais, aplicadas sobre um filtro de acetato de celulose; os tubos endotraqueais controle foram deixados sem revestimento de nanopartículas. Em cada tubo endotraqueal foi inoculado um total de 150 unidades formadoras de colônia e, a seguir, estes foram expostos a uma fonte de luz fluorescente (3700 lux, comprimento de onda de 300 - 700nm) por 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 e 80 minutos. Contaram-se as Unidades Formadoras de Colônia após 24 horas de incubação a 37ºC. A inativação bacteriana foi calculada como a redução porcentual do crescimento bacteriano em comparação a tubos não expostos à luz. Resultados: Na ausência de luz, não se observou qualquer atividade antibacteriana relevante contra qualquer das cepas estudadas. Para P. aeruginosa, ambos os revestimentos tiveram inativação bacteriana mais elevada do que o controle em qualquer dos momentos de avaliação (p < 0,001), sendo que não se observaram diferenças entre o revestimento padrão e nano-dopado. Para S. aureus, a inativação foi maior que os controles, começando a partir de 5 minutos para nano-dopado (p = 0,018) e 10 minutos para o revestimento padrão (p = 0,014); a inativação com a forma nano-dopada foi maior do que com a forma padrão aos 20 minutos (p < 0,001), 40 minutos (p < 0,001) e 60 minutos (p < 0,001). Conclusões: O revestimento com nanopartículas de titânio comercial padrão e nano-dopado inibiu o crescimento bacteriano sob a luz fluorescente visível. o revestimento nano-dopado teve maior atividade antibacteriana contra S. aureus em comparação à atividade observada com o revestimento com anatase padrão.

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa of two nanoparticle endotracheal tube coatings with visible light-induced photocatalysis. Methods: Two types of titanium dioxide nanoparticles were tested: standard anatase (TiO2) and N-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2). Nanoparticles were placed on the internal surface of a segment of commercial endotracheal tubes, which were loaded on a cellulose acetate filter; control endotracheal tubes were left without a nanoparticle coating. A bacterial inoculum of 150 colony forming units was placed in the endotracheal tubes and then exposed to a fluorescent light source (3700 lux, 300-700 nm wavelength) for 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 minutes. Colony forming units were counted after 24 hours of incubation at 37°C. Bacterial inactivation was calculated as the percentage reduction of bacterial growth compared to endotracheal tubes not exposed to light. Results: In the absence of light, no relevant antibacterial activity was shown against neither strain. For P. aeruginosa, both coatings had a higher bacterial inactivation than controls at any time point (p < 0.001), and no difference was observed between TiO2 and N-TiO2. For S. aureus, inactivation was higher than for controls starting at 5 minutes for N-TiO2 (p = 0.018) and 10 minutes for TiO2 (p = 0.014); inactivation with N-TiO2 was higher than that with TiO2 at 20 minutes (p < 0.001), 40 minutes (p < 0.001) and 60 minutes (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Nanosized commercial and N-doped TiO2 inhibit bacterial growth under visible fluorescent light. N-TiO2 has higher antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to TiO2.

INTRODUCTION. The incidence of cancer among residents in sites contaminated by pollutants with a possible health impact is not adequately studied. In Italy, SENTIERI Project (Epidemiological study of residents in National Priority Contaminated Sites, NPCSs) was implemented to study major health outcomes for residents in 44 NPCSs. METHODS. The Italian Association of Cancer Registries (AIRTUM) records cancer incidence in 23 NPCSs. For each NPCSs, the incidence of all malignant cancers combined and 35 cancer sites (coded according to ICD-10), was analysed (1996-2005). The observed cases were compared to the expected based on age (5-year period,18 classes), gender, calendar period (1996-2000; 2001-2005), geographical area (North-Centre and Centre-South) and cancer sites specific rates. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) with 90% Confidence Intervals were computed. RESULTS. In both genders an excess was observed for overall cancer incidence (9% in men and 7% in women) as well as for specific cancer sites (colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, lung, skin melanoma, bladder and Non Hodgkin lymphoma). Deficits were observed for gastric cancer in both genders, chronic lymphoid leukemia (men), malignant thyroid neoplasms, corpus uteri and connective and soft-tissue tumours and sarcomas (women). DISCUSSION. This report is, to our knowledge, the first one on cancer risk of residents in NPCSs. The study, although not aiming to estimate the cancer burden attributable to the environment as compared to occupation or life-style, supports the credibility of an etiologic role of environmental exposures in contaminated sites. Ongoing analyses focus on the interpretation of risk factors for excesses of specific cancer types overall and in specific NPCSs in relation to the presence of carcinogenic pollutants.

INTRODUCTION: A neighbourhood of the city of Ferrara (Italy) was built over an area polluted with chlorinated organic compounds. A residential cohort study was performed to assess the health profile of the population living in the polluted area. METHODS: The residential history of 3475 subjects who had lived in the East quadrant neighbourhood in the period 1994-2010 was constructed. Mortality for the period 19942010 and cancer incidence for the years 1994-2007 were studied. Standardised mortality ratios (SMR) for 2632 subjects and standardised incidence ratios (SIR) for 2578 subjects who had lived for at least 5 years in the area under study were calculated. Indicators were calculated for males and females combined, using the population of Ferrara as reference population. RESULTS: The health profile of the population of the East quadrant neighbourhood, defined using mortality indicators for major groups of causes, is essentially similar to that of the city of Ferrara. Increased mortality rates for lung cancer (SMR 131, 90% CI 94-178) and incidence rates for some cancer sites, including liver (SIR 135, 90% CI 67-243) were observed, albeit on the basis of few cases and with wide confidence intervals. DISCUSSION: The likelihood of observing significant increases in risk is reduced by the sizes of the cohorts and the short follow-up period, but some findings nonetheless suggest that, as a precautionary measure, the cohort study should be continued in parallel with measures for the reclamation of the site and that this study should take the form of epidemiological surveillance.