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Biomedical subjects

E Pira

Publications and source records attributed to E Pira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Study of ethmoidal mucosa in a population at occupational high risk of sinonasal adenocarcinoma.

The occurrence of nasal adenocarcinomas was first described in 1965. Since 1988 these tumors have been accepted as an occupational disease for woodworkers in Italy. There are several underlying reasons why there is interest in studying the ways in which sinonasal adenocarcinomas occur. Often diagnosed at advanced stages of development because their symptoms are non-specific, these tumors are associated with a high mortality rate. A multidisciplinary study protocol was developed in this investigation. The aim was to identify the factors and conditions that promote sinonasal tumor growth in a population at risk due to occupational exposure to wood dust. Sixty-eight carpenters with a minimum of 10 years exposure to wood dust were studied. The control group comprised 81 volunteers. The patients underwent the following protocol: completion of a case report form, physical examination, evaluation of nasal cavity patency, clinical laboratory tests and histological study of the nasal mucosa. Our study provides significant evidence of the elevated incidence of pavimentous metaplasia in workers occupationally exposed to wood dust. In addition, it underscores a significant deficit of immunoglobulin A in such workers compared to the controls. However, we did not find, as reported elsewhere in the literature, a statistically significant difference between cases and controls as regards nasal symptoms and hyperemia of the nasal mucosa. Our study showed that, even in the absence of evident sinonasal lesions, it is still possible to determine an increased incidence of morphofunctional changes in subjects occupationally exposed to wood dust. Our findings may lead to the identification of occupational groups prone to elevated risk of the disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Occupational Mn parkinsonism: magnetic resonance imaging and clinical patterns following CaNa2-EDTA chelation.

We report a case of occupational parkinsonism due to manganese exposure in which professional exposure has been documented both by the high blood and urinary levels of the metal and by its presence in the materials used. A strong relation was evident among chelating treatment, cessation of exposure and clinical improvement. MRI confirmed the evolution of clinical pattern by means of reduction of heavy metal deposition in basal ganglia. These findings also agree with the few experimental and human studies published. This case study points to the need for an accurate occupational history collection and suggests the possibility of useful chelating therapy with CaNa2EDTA.

Antiparkinson Agents↗
PubMed1999

Mortality among workers in the geothermal power plants at Larderello, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Since the early 1990s various European electricity companies have set up a research program, named EURELEX, devoted to the development of a comprehensive and validated title-occupation--job-exposure matrix (i.e., an instrument to assess exposures from occupations and jobs), in order to estimate and quantify past exposure to a number of potentially carcinogenic agents plus a few selected other toxic substances. The EURELEX program was first applied in Italy to a cohort of geothermal workers in Larderello, Tuscany. METHODS: The cohort mortality study comprised 4,237 men who had worked at the geothermal power plant between 1950 and 1990. Vital status and death certificates were obtained from registration offices in the municipality of birth or death. Particular attention was paid to neoplastic effects of exposure to asbestos, largely used in the past for pipeline insulating purposes. The matrix allowed the workers to be subdivided into several categories according to estimated absestos exposure. Smoking information was not available. RESULTS: No excess mortality was found for all causes and total cancer mortality. A small excess of pleural cancer (2 obs. vs. 1.4 exp.) was not statistically significant. The effect of other agents included in the matrix was also examined: the small excess of leukemia among those exposed to solvents prior to 1963 (year of benzene ban in Italy) did not reach the level of statistical significance. No cases of leukemia were found among the workers presumed to have been exposed to important ELF electromagnetic fields. CONCLUSION: The study provides reassuring information on a large cohort of a unique geothermal power plant since no significant excess mortality for asbestos related cancers was observed. Furthermore, it represents a useful application and validation of a comprehensive job-exposure matrix for the electric industry in Europe.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1997

Cancer mortality among rice growers in Novara Province, northern Italy.

Some excess of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and soft tissue sarcomas (STS) was reported in the literature among agricultural workers, mainly in relation to exposure to phenoxyacids and chlorophenols. In this study, information was analyzed for a cohort of rice growers that comprised 1,493 subjects, and for a follow-up that was more than 99% complete with regard to both traced subjects and known causes of deaths. A total of 960 subjects (65%) died during the observation period (1957-1992). Lower than expected standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were found for all causes, for cardiovascular diseases (especially ischemic heart disease) and for all cancers. Slightly increased SMRs were found for some cancer sites (oral cavity, esophagus, liver, intestines, pancreas, bladder, STS, and NHL), although none of these was statistically significant in the overall analysis. An excess risk of close to statistical significance was found for NHL among workers with longer exposure during the period when phenoxyacid herbicide was in use (1950-1992). Thus, a prolonged follow-up is advisable. At present the study should be evaluated in the context of the data set suggesting a tendency toward an increased risk of NHL among farmers.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Lung adenocarcinoma and indicators of asbestos exposure.

A case-control study was carried out on 145 male lung-cancer patients diagnosed at autopsy and 178 controls, in order to investigate the relationship between asbestos exposure and the cell type of pulmonary carcinoma. Adenocarcinomas (AD) were individually matched with other cell types and with controls. The relative risk (RR) of developing AD in relation with lung asbestos body (AB) content as the exposure indicator was calculated by using logistic-regression analysis for matched sets. Two cutoff levels, 1,000 and 10,000 asbestos bodies per gram dry weight (AB/gdw), were used in the analysis. In addition, AB counts were treated as a continuous variable (log AB+I). A significant association was found between AD and asbestos exposure, using levels and logarithmic transformation. However, an association of asbestos exposure with cell types other than AD could not be ruled out.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

What's new in managing health hazards in pathology departments.

Health hazards related to activities performed in pathology departments have represented, in recent years, an increasing concern among pathologists and pathology technicians. The major occupational health problems encountered in pathology departments are reviewed. They include biological hazards (tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV, other infectious diseases), chemical hazards (formaldehyde, xylene(s), aromatic amines, methacrylates, glutaraldehyde, latex) and physical hazards (cut injuries, accidental fires, radiation). Current data suggest that infections (particularly, tuberculosis and hepatitis) still represent the more relevant risk. Exposure to HIV and Creutzfeldt-Jakob agent may be highly harmful but containment measures have been proven to be effective. The actual adverse effects due to chemicals seem to be less alarming than was previously believed. Attaining a safe work environment is an inherent element of good quality assurance management. This task is largely a matter of information, education, organization and common sense. Well-designed premises, efficient equipment and well-trained personnel are the keys to preventing and minimizing hazardous exposures. In order to provide current information that may be used by pathology staff to implement the functional quality of the workplace, organizational and preventive measures are described.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1990

Asbestos exposure and histologic cell types of lung cancer in surgical and autopsy series.

A case-control study was carried out on 41 surgical and 106 autopsy histological tissue samples of lung cancer in men, in order to investigate the relationships between asbestos exposure and cell type of pulmonary carcinoma. Both occupational history (obtained by interviews of surgical patients or of the next-of-kin for deceased subjects) and lung asbestos body content (determined by optical count after hypochlorite digestion and membrane filtration of lung tissues) were considered as asbestos exposure indicators. No significant relationships were found in the surgical series after adjustment for smoking. The autopsy series showed a trend towards an association between lung adenocarcinoma and asbestos exposure indicators and a markedly higher agreement between the 2 kinds of indicators than that observed in the surgical series.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

An update of cancer mortality among chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero, northern Italy.

The mortality experience of a cohort of chrysotile miners employed since 1946 in Balangero, northern Italy was updated to the end of 1987 giving a total of 427 deaths out of 27,010 man-years at risk. A substantial excess mortality for all causes (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) = 149) was found, mainly because of high rates for some alcohol related deaths (hepatic cirrhosis, accidents). For mortality from cancer, however, the number of observed deaths (82) was close to that expected (76.2). The SMR was raised for oral cancer (SMR 231 based on six deaths), cancer of the larynx (SMR 267 based on eight deaths), and pleura (SMR 667 based on two deaths), although the excess only reached statistical significance for cancer of the larynx. Rates were not increased for lung, stomach, or any other type of cancer. No consistent association was seen with duration or cumulative dust exposure (fibre-years) for oral cancer, but the greatest risks for laryngeal and pleural cancer were in the highest category of duration and degree of exposure to fibres. Although part of the excess mortality from laryngeal cancer is probably attributable to high alcohol consumption in this group of workers, the data suggest that exposure to chrysotile asbestos (or to the fibre balangeroite that accounts for 0.2-0.5% of total mass in the mine) is associated with some, however moderate, excess risk of laryngeal cancer and pleural mesothelioma. The absence of excess mortality from lung cancer in this cohort is difficult to interpret.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1989

Heracleum mantegazzianum growth phases and furocoumarin content.

The observation of photocontact dermatitis from Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier et Levier in 2 gardeners at work prompted the analysis of furocoumarin content of stem, leaves and fruits of the plant during a period of 1 year. Their concentration was found to be maximal in fruit, intermediate in leaf, and minimal in stem. Psoralen was the most prevalent substance in the leaf and bergapten in the fruit. In the stem, in contrast, individual furocoumarins were found in lower but variable concentrations. 3 furocoumarin seasonal peaks were observed in the leaf: the maximal peak occurred in June, the intermediate in August, the minimal in November. This trend corresponds to 3 biological phases of the weed.

5-Methoxypsoralen↗
PubMed1989

Cancer mortality in a northern Italian cohort of rubber workers.

An analysis of the mortality of a cohort of 6629 workers employed from 1906 to 1981 in a rubber tyre factory in northern Italy (978 deaths and over 133,000 man-years at risk) showed that the all cause mortality ratio was slightly lower than expected (0.91). Overall cancer mortality was close to expected (275 v 259.4) but there were significant excess rates for two cancer sites: pleura (9 observed v 0.8 expected, which may be due to the use of fibre containing talc) and bladder (16 observed v 8.8 expected). Death rates were not raised for other sites previously associated with employment in the rubber industry, such as cancers of the lung and brain, leukaemias, or lymphomas. The substantially reduced relative risk of pleural cancer among workers first employed after 1940 (RR = 0.05 compared with before 1940) probably reflected improvements in working conditions over more recent periods. For cancer of the bladder, the relative risk was also lower for workers first engaged after 1940. Thus no appreciable risk for any disease was apparent for workers employed over the past four decades. Analysis for each of the 27 job categories showed a substantial excess for cancer of the pleura in the mechanical maintenance workers (4 observed v 0.17 expected); an excess of cancer of the lung (21 v 13.48) was also present in this job category.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Pleural plaques and risk of cancer in Turin, northwestern Italy. An autopsy study.

The relationship between the occurrence of neoplastic diseases and the presence of pleural plaques was studied in a series of 1097 autopsies performed in Turin from the adult general population. In men, pleural plaques showed an association with the presence of laryngeal, pulmonary, esophageal, and colorectal cancer. Only cancer of the larynx was strongly related to the occurrence of such pleural changes. This autopsy investigation confirms previous observations by others based on x-ray findings, and suggests that pleural plaques may be regarded as risk indicators of possibly asbestos-related tumors in the general population.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Further cases of lead poisoning from wine.

Lead intoxication has been reported to occur as a consequence of nonoccupational exposure, the source being mostly the leaching of lead from fluid containers in domestic use. Three such cases are described, for which the cause has been identified to be in the lining of the vat used to contain home-made wine. All cases are members of the same family.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Pleural plaques at autopsy, smoking habits, and asbestos exposure.

An investigation was made to correlate post-mortem findings of pleural plaques (PP) with the smoking habits and occupational history of asbestos exposure of 898 adults from the general population. A significant association between PP and smoking was found in middle-aged and elderly men (p less than 0.001). When occupational history was considered, such an association was present in both exposed (p less than 0.01) and non-exposed (p less than 0.05) men aged over 50 years. No association was observed in non-exposed women, while in those exposed, the absolute number of cases was too small to evaluate any relationship. The number of cigarettes smoked did not correlate significantly with the frequency of PP. This autopsy study confirms the association between occurrence of PP and the smoking habits.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

[Use of the glycosylated hemoglobin test in outpatient practice].

Haemoglobin glycosilate was evaluated using the bio-rad method in 129 diabetics during their periodic visits to outpatient departments. A significant correlation between this test and metabolic compensation was revealed in confirmation of results reported in most research so far carried out. The advantages of using this test in outpatients departments is also emphasised.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Optical determination of coated and uncoated mineral fibers in lungs of subjects without professional exposure.

Coated and uncoated mineral fibers, more than 10 micron long, were counted by light microscopy in digested lung samples from 82 adult subjects without professional exposure. Up to about 150 coated and 12,500 uncoated fibers/g dry weight were found, without any correlation to sex, occupation and smoking habit. An association between counts of more than 1,000 fibers and ages over 50 was observed. The ratio of uncoated to coated fibers was very inconstant. Only the counts of both coated and uncoated fibers seem advisable for an optical evaluation of the possibly pathological mineral fiber burden in the lungs of unexposed persons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Lung asbestos bodies and pulmonary cancer in subjects without occupational exposure.

Lung asbestos bodies were searched for in 65 subjects with pulmonary cancer and without occupational exposure and in 65 matched controls. No significant association between the presence of asbestos bodies and occurrence of lung cancer was found. Nevertheless, adenocarcinoma was significantly associated with the presence of lung asbestos bodies in men. The latter result suggest that, even in non-professionally exposed subjects, the possibility of relationships between asbestos exposure and lung cancer cannot be excluded.

Adenocarcinoma↗