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Biomedical subjects

A Gentile

Publications and source records attributed to A Gentile.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Determinants of oral contraceptive use in northern Italy.

Socio-demographic characteristics, general lifestyle habits, reproductive and medical histories were compared of 328 women who had ever used oral contraceptives and 2306 never users from a case-control surveillance conducted in Northern Italy. Oral contraceptive use was positively and strongly related with the level of education and indicators of social class. The rate ratio of ever use (adjusted for age and diagnostic category) was 3.3 for women with 12 years of education or more compared with less than 7 years, and 3.0 for women of highest compared with lowest social class. The frequency of pill use was lower among never married women, and significantly elevated among smokers (rate ratio = 2.4 for heavy smokers). In contrast, no relation was evident between alcohol or coffee consumption and pill use. Likewise, ever users of oral contraceptives were not significantly different from women who had never used the pill with regard to major reproductive factors (parity and age at first pregnancy) or several medical variables of potential interest (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia), with the only possible exclusion of obesity which was less frequent among pill users. Thus, this study indicates that the major determinants of the persistently low frequency of oral contraceptive use in this Northern Italian population are social rather than reproductive or medical factors. These findings have important implications for epidemiological research on oral contraceptive and disease in this population, and underline the importance of selection and screening of oral contraceptive users on the basis of knowledge of medical factors and lifestyle habits.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Decreased hepatic glutathione in chronic alcoholic patients.

The metabolism of ethanol can result in depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) via adduct formation and oxidation to GSSG. In this study, the glutathione concentration in liver tissue of chronic alcoholic patients (n = 20) was measured using a specific chromatographic method. The results are compared to values obtained from a group of selected controls (n = 10), and correlated to liver histology and blood biochemistry. All of the alcoholics had markedly lower hepatic GSH concentrations than the control group (medians = 2.17 vs 3.88 mumol/g liver, respectively). No significant differences in liver GSH were found among alcoholic subgroups who had slightly altered or normal histology and/or blood tests vs those with advanced pathology. A decrease in hepatic GSH concentration seems to be a consistent characteristic of chronic alcohol abuse which occurs even in the absence of evident liver damage.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Oral contraceptives and cancers of the breast and of the female genital tract. Interim results from a case-control study.

We analysed data from a case-control investigation conducted in Milan, Northern Italy, to evaluate the relation between the use of combination oral contraceptives and the risk of cancers of the breast, ovary, endometrium and cervix uteri. For the present analysis, 776 cases of histologically confirmed breast cancer, 406 of epithelial ovarian cancer and 170 of endometrial cancer aged under 60 were compared with a group of 1,282 subjects below age 60 admitted for a spectrum of acute conditions apparently unrelated to oral contraceptive use or to any of the known or potential risk factors for the diseases under study. Likewise, 225 cases of invasive cervical cancer were compared with 225 age-matched inpatient controls, and 202 cases of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia with 202 outpatient controls identified in the same screening clinics. The age-adjusted relative risk estimates for ever vs. never use of combination oral contraceptives were 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-1.37) for breast cancer, 0.68 (95% CI = 0.48-0.97) for epithelial ovarian cancer, 0.50 (95% CI = 0.23-1.12) for endometrial cancer, 1.49 (95% CI = 0.88-2.55) for cervical cancer and 0.77 (95% CI = 0.50-1.18) for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia. The risk of ovarian cancer decreased and that of invasive cervical cancer increased with longer duration of use. Neither duration of oral contraceptive use nor time since first or last use significantly altered a user's risk of other neoplasms considered. Likewise, analysis of sub-groups of age, parity or other potentially important covariates did not show any important interaction, and allowance for them by means of logistic regression did not materially modify any of the results. These data confirm that combination oral contraceptives confer some protection against ovarian and endometrial cancers but may increase the risk of invasive cervical cancer if used for several years, and indicate that the past or current pattern of oral contraceptive use in Italy is unlikely materially to affect the risk of breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Cigarette smoking and the risk of cervical neoplasia.

The relationship between cigarette smoking and risk of cervical neoplasia was evaluated in a case-control study of 183 women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia compared with 183 age-matched outpatient controls, and of 230 cases of invasive cervical cancer compared with 230 controls in hospital for acute conditions unrelated to any of the identified or suspected risk factors for cervical cancer. Current cigarette smoking was associated with an elevated risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (relative risk = 1.76, 95 per cent confidence interval = 1.14-2.27) and of invasive cancer (relative risk = 1.69, 95 per cent confidence interval = 1.08-2.65). This association was only partially accounted for by a large number of identified potential confounding factors, including indicators of socioeconomic status and sexual habits. The risk increased with the number of cigarettes smoked and was apparently greater for women who started smoking at younger ages. The relative risk of intraepithelial neoplasia was elevated within 20 years after the start of smoking and showed little tendency to increase with increasing duration. On the other hand, the risk of invasive cervical cancer was apparently unaffected by smoking less than 20 years and increased steadily thereafter, reaching a point estimate of 3.63 after 40 years or more. If one assumes that intraepithelial neoplasia is an early stage of cervical cancer, this pattern of risk is consistent with the predictions from the multistage theory of carcinogenesis, if the effect of smoking is on one of the earlier stages. No obvious distorting factors, apart from the play of chance, is likely to produce such a risk pattern.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Effects of two doses of the fixed-combination chlorthalidone and slow-release metoprolol on blood pressure at rest and during exercise: a multicenter study.

To assess the efficacy and tolerability of two doses of chlorthalidone (CHL) and slow-release (SR) metoprolol (MET) given in fixed combination (standard dose: CHL 25 mg and MET 200 mg; lower dose: CHL 12.5 mg and MET 100 mg), a multicenter (5 Centers), double-blind, between-patients study was planned. Seventy-three mild to moderate hypertensive patients, 45 males and 28 females, aged 25-68 years (mean 51.4), at WHO stage I or II, were enrolled into the study. After a 2-week placebo wash-out period, eligible patients were randomly given either of the two drugs for six weeks: 33 were given the standard dose and 40 the lower one. Every 2 weeks, in the morning and 24 h after-dosing lying and standing systolic (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at rest. At the end of the placebo period and at the end of the study 24 h after-dosing a sub-maximal bicycle ergometer exercise test was performed. In comparison with placebo, both doses induced a significance decrease (p less than 0.01) in lying and standing SBP, DBP and HR, as well as in peak-exercise SBP, HR and pressure-rate product. Furthermore, a significant difference (p less than 0.05) of the higher dose versus the lower one was also observed at the end of the study in the above-mentioned parameters except for SBP at rest and at peak exercise and standing HR at rest.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Radiological aspects of cerebral and spinal cysticercosis. Apropos of 2 cases].

Two cases of neurocysticercosis are reported, one cerebral and the other spinal. Results of radiologic imaging of this affection, a rare parasitosis in occidental Europe, are discussed with emphasis on computed tomography findings. In fact, when perfect conditions can be established the CT scan provides data confirming the diagnosis of cerebral cysticercosis in most cases. However, this scan is insufficient for investigation of ventricular or cisternal forms when gas or positive contrast is sometimes necessary for visualization of parasitic cysts. Radiologic diagnosis of extra- and intra-medullary forms is based an myelography with water-soluble contrast completed by a scan.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Electrocoagulation and the risk of cervical neoplasia.

The relationship between electrocoagulation diathermy and the risk of cervical neoplasia was evaluated in a case-control study of 145 women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia compared with 145 age-matched outpatient control subjects, and 191 cases of invasive cervical cancer compared with 191 control subjects in the hospital for acute conditions unrelated to any of the identified or suspected risk factors for cervical cancer. History of electrocoagulation was associated with an apparently reduced risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (relative risk = 0.50, with 95% confidence interval = 0.29-0.87), and of invasive cancer (relative risk = 0.42, 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.82). However, this apparent protection could be largely explained in terms of a different frequency of previous Papanicolaou smears in patients and control subjects. When adjustment was made for that variable, the risk estimates of CIN and invasive cancer among women who had undergone electrocoagulation increased to 0.62 and 0.83 and became statistically nonsignificant. Further allowance for other identified potential confounding factors by means of multiple logistic regression raised these estimates to 0.73 and 0.94, respectively. Thus, these data provide evidence against the hypothesis that electrocoagulation may have an important and independent role in the prevention of cervical neoplasia.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

"Pap" smear and the risk of cervical neoplasia: quantitative estimates from a case-control study.

The relation between Papanicolau ("Pap") smear and the risk of cervical neoplasia was evaluated in a case-control study in which 145 women with cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) were compared with 145 age-matched outpatient controls, and 191 cases of invasive cervical cancer were compared with 191 control subjects in hospital for acute conditions unrelated to any of the established or suspected risk factors for cervical cancer. Compared with women with no previous screening smear, the relative risk (RR) estimate for invasive cancer was 0.44 (with 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.24-0.80) for those who had had one smear and 0.20 (95% CI = 0.13-0.32) for those who had had two or more smears. The corresponding estimates for CIN were 0.27 (95% CI = 0.10-0.71) and 0.12 (95% CI = 0.06-0.25), respectively. The risk estimates for intervals of more than 5, 3-5, and less than 3 years were 0.36, 0.18, and 0.10 for invasive cancer, and 0.45, 0.31, and 0.07 for CIN. These results were not materially modified by adjustment for the major risk factors for cervical cancer, such as indicators of socioeconomic status and sexual habits. According to the estimates of this study, 64% of invasive cervical cancers could be prevented by screening at intervals of more than 5 years, an additional 18% by reducing the interval to 3-5 years, and a further 8% to less than 3 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Dietary vitamin A and the risk of invasive cervical cancer.

The relation between dietary vitamin A and the risk of invasive cervical cancer was evaluated using data from a hospital-based case-control study of 191 women with cervical cancer and 191 age-matched controls. There was no association between dietary retinoids and cervical cancer risk. Intake of dietary beta-carotene, on the other hand, was inversely and strongly related to the risk of cervical cancer. Compared to risks for women reporting a monthly intake of 150,000 or more international units (IU) of beta-carotene, the estimated relative risks for those with 100,000 to 149,000 and those with less than 100,000 IU per month were 2.8 and 6.1 respectively. The inverse association was not explained by any of the major identified risk factors for cervical cancer (including indicators of socio-economic status or sexual habits), or by differences in general characteristics and other lifestyle habits between cases and controls. Thus, although the uncertainties of the vitamin A measurements used are substantial, these findings support the hypothesis that dietary beta-carotene-or some related aspect of a vegetable-rich diet-is protective against invasive cervical cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Coffee drinking and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

The relation between ovarian cancer and coffee drinking habits was evaluated in a case-control study of 247 histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancers and 494 age-matched controls, admitted to hospital for acute conditions apparently unrelated to coffee consumption. Compared to rates for women who had never drunk coffee, the crude relative risk estimates for those who drank less than two, two or three, and four or more cups per day were 1.3, 1.5 and 1.4 respectively; however, when allowance was made for smoking habits, these risk estimates became 1.3, 1.7 and 1.8 respectively, and a significant linear trend of increasing risk with more elevated coffee consumption was evident. These results were not explained by various other potential confounding factors, including the major risk factors for ovarian cancer, but we had no information on dietary variables. The relative risk, however, did not increase with increasing duration of use. The findings of this study give apparent support in favour of the hypothesis that coffee consumption, or related dietary variables, may be associated with the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. Further studies in different settings, however, are required in order to establish whether this association is real, and if so, whether it is causal.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Technical problems in pancreatoduodenectomy.

This paper reports on technical problems involved in pancreatoduodenectomy. Twenty cases of periampullary carcinoma underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. Pancreatic fistula developed in five cases: three of these patients recovered using simple drainage and TPN; one underwent a second operation in which a new pancreatico-jejunostomy was performed and another patient died (5% of the series) from sepsis and liver failure. After reviewing various techniques used in performing pancreatico-jejunostomy, it is concluded that the most suitable management of the pancreatic stump seems to be the duct-to mucosa anastomosis. But in cases in which this type of reconstruction is impossible, invagination yields satisfactory results.

Adult↗