The survey was carried out between January 1988 and June 1990. It consisted in a clinical and allergological study of 1489 housewives, 880 of which had contact dermatitis at their hands. (group of "cases"). The other 609 represented the control group. The anamnesis was gathered with a guided questionnaire: the questions concerned familiar and personnel pathology, use of detergents and cosmetics, use of means of prevention and therapies. Patch tests with haptens of GIRDCA series and with the most common detergent components were performed. In 98% of cases hands were the lace of beginning of symptoms; in the group of "cases" 46% were positive to at least one patch test. Nickel sulphate gave positivities in the 28% of cases. Results of the search of this metal (and of chrome and cobalt) in detergents are described. Other possible occasions of contact are described. Other causes of sensitization are represented by rubber additives, by perfumes and by preservatives. Cutipositivities for detergents are very really limited. Means of protection, in particular barrier creams, are described as scarcely used.

Dermatitis, Contact↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Rapid diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by combination of ultrasonography and serum tumour markers CA 19-9 and CA 50.

Non-invasive tests such as ultrasonography (US) and serum CA 19-9 or CA 50 present substantial sensitivity, but are not devoid of false-negative results in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The patient sample in this study comprised 58 patients, 51 with adenocarcinoma, 4 with cystadenocarcinoma, 2 with islet-cell carcinoma and 1 with anaplastic carcinoma. All the patients underwent US examination with evaluation of visible tumour volume by means of the sphere or ellipsoid rotation formula. Serum CA 19-9 was measured in all cases, and CA 50 in 50. Pancreatic tumours were diagnosed by US in 47/58 patients [sensitivity (S) = 81.03%] and ductal carcinomas in 46/55 (S = 83.6%). Abnormal CA 19-9 values were found in 48/58 subjects (S = 82.7%) and in 47/55 ductal carcinomas (S = 85.4%). CA 50 showed abnormal values in 39 of the 50 tumours assessed (S = 78%) and in 38/47 ductal carcinomas (S = 80.8%). Combined use of the tests considerably improves these sensitivities. It is concluded that US results can be improved when combined with the two antigen assays. The poor correlation between tumour mass and serum antigen levels is compensated for by the US performance. The combination of US plus CA 19-9 and CA 50 provides a very good tool for the rapid non-invasive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enoxaparin in the prevention of deep venous thrombosis after major surgery: multicentric study. The Italian Study Group.

DVT is a very frequent complication of general surgery. Heparin and, more recently, LMWHs can successfully prevent post surgical thromboembolism. One thousand one hundred and twenty-two patients (533 males and 589 females; mean age 62.2 +/- 11.4 yrs) were enrolled in a multicentre controlled study, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enoxaparin in comparison to calcium heparin in the prevention of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) following general surgery. Patients assigned to the enoxaparin and the calcium heparin groups received 1 daily dose of 20 mg (2000 I.U.) and 2 daily doses of 0.2 ml (5000 I.U.), respectively starting 2 hours before the operation. Both drugs were given by subcutaneous route. A Doppler or Duplex Scan diagnosis of DVT was made in 3 (0.5%) patients in the enoxaparin group (2 cases during treatment and 1 patient at the end of treatment) and in 6 (1.1%) patients in the calcium heparin group (5 cases during treatment and 1, bilateral, after the end of treatment). Pulmonary embolism (PE) was ascertained by angiography in 1 patient (0.18%) in the enoxaparin group and in 2 patients (0.36%) in the calcium heparin one. Hemorrhagic complications occurred in 29 patients (5.2%) in the enoxaparin group and in 34 (6.1%) in the calcium heparin group. Haematomas located in the injection site were reported in 16.1% and 25.3% in the enoxaparin and calcium heparin groups respectively (p = 0.0001). Local pain in the injection site at the 5th day of treatment was reported in 8.4% and 16.6% in the enoxaparin and calcium heparin groups respectively (p = 0.0001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinico-statistical investigation about cement dermatitis in Italy].

To define the prevalence of cement dermatitis (allergic contact dermatitis-ACD-and irritant contact dermatitis-ICD), two retrospective studies have been carried out in Italy: the first one based on the analysis of dermatitis cases ascribable to cement as defined by INAIL (Italian Institute for Industrial Accidents Insurance) from 1984 to 1992; the second one by surveying cement dermatitis cases in workers in the building industry aged between 16 and 70 carried out by Istituto di Clinica Dermatologica dell'Università di Bari from 1988 to 1994. The survey on INAIL data showed that in the years take into account 5,290 dermatitis cases included in item 41 of the occupational diseases table have been defined. About 80% of these cases have been observed in workers working as bricklayers and floor-layers. Therefore, given the remarkable exposure to cement in these professions, the prevalence of cement dermatitis in Italy has been estimated to 6 cases/province/year, even though it has not been possible recognize the clinical form of cement dermatitis. Moreover, the study showed that disabling cutaneous after-effects eligible for compensation have been observed in 30% of the cases defined by INAIL. The allergologic study carried out by Clinica Dermatologica has not only defined the incidence of contact dermatitis (ACD and ICD), in building workers, but it has also extrapoled dermatitis cases due to cement. As a whole, in the years taken into account, 166 occupational or mixed ACD cases and 77 occupational or mixed ICD have been diagnosed. The incidence of contact dermatitis ascribable to cement has equalled 79% among ACD and 88% among ICD, with a ratio of about 2 to 1 in favour of allergic forms. Among the chemicals tested, potassium bichromate showed the highest frequency of cases positive to patch tests. The skin site the most affected by cement dermatitis is hand, followed by upper limbs, lower limbs and feet. In the province of Bari, in the years taken into account, an average incidence of 28.4 cases per year of the two forms of cement dermatitis has been observed.

Adolescent↗