Professional exposure to benzene has been extensively investigated by occupational medicine, leading to strict regulation of exposure threshold values. However, the petrochemical industry utilizes many chemical substances, whose exposure, without effective control and mitigation actions, could influence the health status over time. The aim of this narrative review is to describe health status of petrochemical workers related to occupational exposures, inquiring literature from 1980 to present. We used the PubMed and Web of Science search engines. As regards non-neoplastic diseases, despite heterogeneous prevalence estimates, we could say that standardized mortality rate (SMR) for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes does not increase overall, compared to reference populations; a possible explanation may be the \"healthy worker effect\". Attention should be paid to color disperception and respiratory symptoms, due to toxic or irritating substances exposure. Studies concerning neoplastic pathology have mainly investigated mortality outcomes, finding no increase in cancer, except for melanoma or other skin cancers and leukemia. As regards the former, however, it is not excluded that other risk factors may contribute (e.g. UV rays in offshore workers), while for leukemia, only the most recent studies have analyzed various subtypes of hematopoietic tumors, highlighting a possible risk for the development of myelodysplastic syndrome. The risk of pleural mesothelioma was also increased, likely due to asbestos exposures, while the risk of death from prostate cancer remains controversial.
L’esposizione professionale al benzene è stata ampiamente studiata nell’ambito della medicina occupazionale, portando a una rigida regolamentazione dei valori soglia di esposizione. Tuttavia, l’industria petrolchimica impiega molte sostanze chimiche, la cui esposizione, in assenza di misure di controllo efficaci, pu  influenzare lo stato di salute. Lo scopo di questa revisione narrativa   descrivere lo stato di salute dei lavoratori del settore petrolchimico relativamente alla loro esposizione professionale, revisionando la letteratura dal 1980 ad oggi. Abbiamo utilizzato i motori di ricerca PubMed e Web of Science. Per quanto riguarda le malattie non neoplastiche, nonostante eterogenee stime di prevalenza, si pu  affermare che il tasso di mortalit  standardizzato per ipertensione, ipercolesterolemia e diabete non appare complessivamente aumentato rispetto alle popolazioni di riferimento; una possibile spiegazione potrebbe essere legata all’effetto “lavoratore sano”. Occorre prestare particolare attenzione all’alterata percezione dei colori e ai sintomi respiratori dovuti gluall’esposizione a sostanze tossiche o irritanti. Gli studi relativi alla patologia neoplastica hanno principalmente indagato gli esiti di mortalit , non trovando alcun aumento del rischio, ad eccezione del melanoma o di altri tumori della pelle e della leucemia. Per i primi, tuttavia, non è escluso che possano contribuire altri fattori di rischio (es. raggi UV nei lavoratori delle piattaforme petrolifere), mentre per le leucemie solo gli studi pi  recenti hanno approfondito le analisi relativamente ai diversi sottotipi di tumori ematopoietici, evidenziando un possibile rischio per lo sviluppo di mielodisplasia. Risulta aumentato anche il rischio di mesotelioma pleurico, verosimilmente legato all’esposizione all’amianto, mentre resta controverso il rischio di morte per cancro alla prostata.

Fluorescence-guided surgery with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is used to assist brain tumor resection, especially for high-grade gliomas but also for low-grade gliomas, metastasis, and meningiomas. With the increasing use of this technique, even to assist biopsies, high-grade glioma-mimicking lesions had misled diagnosis by showing 5-ALA fluorescence in non-neoplastic lesions such as radiation necrosis and inflammatory or infectious disease. Since only isolated reports have been published, we systematically review papers reporting non-neoplastic lesion cases with 5-ALA according with the PRISMA guidelines, present our series, and discuss its pathophysiology. In total, 245 articles were identified and 12 were extracted according to our inclusion criteria. Analyzing 27 patients, high-grade glioma was postulated as preoperative diagnosis in 48% of the cases. Microsurgical resection was performed in 19 cases (70%), while 8 patients were submitted to biopsy (30%). We found 4 positive cases in demyelinating disease (50%), 4 in brain abscess (80%), 1 in neurocysticercosis (33%), 1 in neurotoxoplasmosis, infarction, and hematoma (100%), 4 in inflammatory disease (80%), and 3 in cortical dysplasia (100%). New indications are being considered especially in benign lesion biopsies with assistance of 5-ALA. Using fluorescence as an aid in biopsies may improve procedure time, number of samples, and necessity of intraoperative pathology. Further studies should include this technology to encourage more beneficial uses.

Although more commonly seen in adult population, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) can also be observed in pediatric patients. The etiopathogenesis of pediatric PRES is poorly understood, and the available evidence comes mostly from childhood cancer. Analysis of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the different noncancer-related types can improve the understanding of pediatric PRES.
UNASSIGNED: Systematic review of characteristics and outcome of noncancer pediatric PRES. Primary sources of investigation were identified and selected through Pubmed and Scopus databases. The research was complemented by reference search in relevant publications. Study protocol was registered (Prospero CRD42020165798).
UNASSIGNED: We identified 449 cases of noncancer pediatric PRES from 272 studies, median age 10 (newborn to 17 years), 49.9% girls. The 4 most common groups of conditions were renal 165 (36.7%), hematologic 84 (18.7%), autoimmune 64 (14.3%), and cardiovascular 28 (6.2%) disorders. The 4 most prevalent precipitants identified were hypertensive crisis 119 (26.5%), corticosteroids 56 (12.5%), immunosuppression drugs 44 (9.8%), and biologic drugs 14 (3.1%). Clinical presentations included seizures 100 (22.3%), headaches 22 (4.9%), encephalopathy 17 (3.8%), visual disturbances 6 (1.3%), and focal deficit 3 (0.7%). The distribution of lesions was (n = 380): combined anterior/posterior circulation (40.8%), isolated posterior circulation (24.1%), anterior circulation (6.2%), and deep structures (1.6%). Residual neurological deficits occurred in about 1 out 10 cases.
UNASSIGNED: Pediatric PRES differs from the adult in etiology, precipitants, and clinical manifestations. Renal diseases predominate, acute raised blood pressure is less frequent, and cortical deficits are rarer. In addition, the proportion of patients with combined anterior/posterior circulation was higher. Permanent neurological sequels can occur.

UNASSIGNED: To evaluate the proportions of canine mammary gland lesions submitted to a New Zealand diagnostic laboratory, that were neoplastic vs. non-neoplastic and, among neoplasms, malignant vs. benign, and to determine whether age, reproductive status or breed of dog, or size of the mammary mass were associated with the histological diagnosis.
UNASSIGNED: Canine mammary gland biopsies submitted between the start of 2012 and the end of 2016 were selected from the surgical biopsy database of IDEXX Laboratories, NZ. For each case, details on age, breed, and reproductive status of the patient were registered as reported by the submitting veterinarians, along with the size (classified as small, medium or large) of the lesion and the histological diagnosis reported by the pathologists. χ2 tests and independent sample t-tests were performed to evaluate associations.
UNASSIGNED: Samples (n = 895) were submitted from 797 dogs, of which 673 had mammary neoplasms while 124 had non-neoplastic lesions. Neoplasms composed of a single nodule were found in 591/673 (87.8%) dogs, while 82/673 (12.2%) dogs had multiple nodules. Of the total 771 neoplasms, 432 (56.0%) were histologically malignant, while 339 (44.0%) were benign. Among malignancies, the most common histological sub-types were simple carcinoma (160/771; 20.8%), complex carcinoma (54/771; 7%), and ductal carcinoma (32/771; 4.2%), while benign mixed mammary tumour (128/771, 16.6%) and complex adenoma (105/771; 13.6%) were the most frequently reported benign mammary neoplasms. There was no evidence of a difference in age (p = 0.09) or reproductive status (p = 0.79) of the dog or the size of the mass (p = 0.21) between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. However, neoplastic mammary gland lesions were more frequent in purebred dogs (612/671; 91.2%) than crossbred dogs (61/126; 48.4%; p < 0.001). There was no evidence of a difference in age (p = 0.15) reproductive status (p = 0.36) or breed (p = 0.45) of dog between malignant and benign neoplasms. There was an association between size and histological benign or malignant status of a neoplasm (φ = 0.65, p < 0.001).
UNASSIGNED: Most canine mammary gland samples submitted for examination were neoplastic with slightly more malignant than benign lesions. Masses submitted from purebred dogs were more likely to be neoplastic, while large neoplasms were more likely to be malignant.
UNASSIGNED: The present findings provide the first description of the distribution of mammary gland lesions in a relatively large number of dogs in New Zealand, representing a preliminary investigation of canine mammary gland diseases in this country.

Calcified amorphous tumor of the heart (cardiac CAT) is a rare non-neoplastic cardiac mass that mimics malignancy on imaging and can cause symptoms due to flow obstruction or embolization of calcific fragments. We report a 57-year-old female with multiple medical problems affected by cardiac CAT. The echocardiogram showed a 2 x 1.7 cm right atrial mass. Under the clinical diagnosis of cardiac myxoma, a mass resection was performed. Microscopic examination of the resected mass showed nodular calcified amorphous debris with admixed degenerated fibrin and focal chronic inflammation. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient was free of disease. We performed a literature review of 16 previously reported cases. Histologically, a cardiac CAT consists of calcification and eosinophilic amorphous material in the background of dense collagenous fibrous tissue. A review of these cases shows a wide range of age at diagnosis and slight female predominance. The patients are either asymptomatic at presentation or complain of shortness of breath. The tumors have been found in all chambers of the heart, most commonly in the left ventricle. The sizes of the tumors range from 0.17 to 4 cm, with 62.5% of the tumors being mobile. Among the nine cases with documented follow-up study, all but one was free of disease and only one case of relapse was recorded. In conclusion, cardiac CATs are frequently asymptomatic at presentation, size is equal to or less than 4 cm, they can be located in all four chambers and are usually mobile, and they may relapse when not completely excised.