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G Masala

Publications and source records attributed to G Masala.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Incidence rates of leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas in Italy: geographic distribution and NHL histotypes.

The annual incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas is increasing by 3 to 4% in different parts of the developed world, while rates for Hodgkin's disease, myelomas and leukemias are more stable. In the case of this group of malignancies, hypothesis generation on risk factors has been limited by the use of the ICD classification in mortality and incidence statistics. We have computed incidence rates in different Italian areas after careful re-classification of diagnoses, and considering specific histotypes (Working Formulation for NHL, Rye's classification for HD). While no particularly interesting pattern is suggested for Hodgkin's disease (even after considering specific Rye subgroups), multiple myeloma and leukemias, for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas the high rate in one agricultural area (Forli) was mainly due to the A sub-group in the Working Formulation (low-grade). In a heavily industrialized area (Varese), the high incidence rate was at least partly explained by a higher proportion of cases classified in the G sub-group (intermediate grade). Excesses of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas have been observed in populations exposed to phenoxy-acetic-acid herbicides, to insecticides and to organic solvents. One can hypothesize that different risk factors act on different stem cells and induce lymphoid malignancies belonging to different histologic sub-types.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A cohort study of workers compensated for mercury intoxication following employment in the fur hat industry.

This article presents the preliminary results of a follow-up study (1950-1992) of 1,146 subjects (person-years = 30,954; 23,055 for women) receiving compensation for mercury poisoning. In a province of Tuscany in central Italy, severe exposure to mercury occurred during fur hat production. A deficit in all causes of mortality was observed in both sexes, whereas mortality due to cancer was slightly higher than expected. Mortality from stomach cancer was significantly elevated for men and women. A significant excess of lung cancer was observed in women only. Whereas the excess of stomach cancer probably reflects elevated rates in the study area rather than exposure to mercury, the excess of lung cancer mortality does appear to be related to mercury exposure. Smoking habits or other exposures at work do not seem to explain the excess of lung cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Pesticide exposure assessment: a crop exposure matrix. The Working Group on Pesticide Exposure Assessment.

A crop exposure matrix (CEM) was developed in the context of two Italian case-control studies. The CEM relates agricultural practices to pesticide exposures taking into account change over time and the use of chemicals by geographical area for farming. The matrix is specific to 14 areas and to 10 major crops. The exposure axis is made up of 440 chemicals used in the last 40 years in the areas of interest. In the matrix the association between crop growing and pesticides is expressed in terms of presence or absence of exposure. Accuracy of the matrix was initially evaluated using 26 occupational histories collected within the two case-control studies. Sensitivity and specificity of CEM for some compounds were estimated versus assessment of exposure by experts. Sensitivity ranges from 83.3% to 100%, specificity from 66.2% to 95.8% depending on the chemicals.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1993

TnphoA Salmonella abortusovis mutants unable to adhere to epithelial cells and with reduced virulence in mice.

Salmonella abortusovis is a pathogenic bacterium highly specific to sheep, causing spontaneous abortion. In order to understand the role of genes involved in pathogenicity, we investigated S. abortusovis with the random mutagenic TnphoA transposon. A total of 95 S. abortusovis TnphoA mutants yielding alkaline phosphatase active fusion protein were obtained. In this way we created a bank of strains in order to identify any phenotypic modification which could affect the periplasmic and/or exported proteins involved in virulence. The TnphoA mutants were screened for the ability to adhere to epithelial cells: a total of 23 mutant strains lost this phenotypic feature. To detect the chromosomal TnphoA insertions, DNA was restricted by the enzyme EcoRV, which does not cleave the TnphoA sequence. Southern blotting analysis revealed the existence of four classes of integration. Colonies of adhesiveless mutants appear to be as smooth as the S. abortusovis wild type, and electrophoretic analysis indicates a normal lipopolysaccharide profile. To identify mutations affecting genes encoding for outer membrane proteins (OMPs), the alkaline phosphatase portion of the fusion proteins was revealed in TnphoA mutants by immunoblotting with specific antibodies. A mutation in OMPs was detected in seven mutants. Restriction analysis identified in four mutants a common region of 2 kb where alterations in genes coding for OMPs occur. We suggested that this region is involved in pathogenicity in mice, since a group of mutant strains has shown reduced virulence in mice and one mutant is completely avirulent. Furthermore, after mice were exposed orally to these mutants, significant protection against oral challenge with the parental virulent strain resulted.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1992

[The epidemiology and risk factors, in particular environmental, of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The Working Group on the Epidemiology of Tumors of the Hemo- and Lymphopoietic Systems in Italy].

Malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) represent a category of neoplasms that includes several types of tumours with different hystological and clinical characteristics. No large differences exist in incidence and mortality for the whole category of lymphomas among different countries. On the other hand data concerning different subclassifications of lymphomas in different countries are not available. The incidence of NHL increased in recent years in USA and in the European countries. Data from the Cancer Registry in the province of Varese, the registry with the longest high-quality registration period in Italy, indicate the same tendency. Also mortality rates show an increasing trend in Europe and in the USA. The cause of changing in incidence and in mortality rates for NHL are unknown. Anyhow many factors, viral, chemical and immunological are known to be associated to the occurrence of lymphomas. Risk factors and in particular environmental factors are reviewed. Problematic aspects, in relation to methodologies adopted in these studies, are focused.

Cause of Death↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Incidence rates of lymphomas and environmental measurements of phenoxy herbicides: ecological analysis and case-control study.

The authors conducted an ecological study of the distribution of malignant lymphomas in a rice-growing area in northern Italy. They considered data on concentrations of phenoxy herbicides in soil and water and found the highest incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in subjects who lived in an area where 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid existed in very high concentrations. During 1985-1988, the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in males in the most-polluted municipalities was twice as high as was noted for the remaining less-polluted territories. During 1991-1993, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was higher by 60%. The authors also conducted a population-based case-control study. They found an association between employment of women in rice-growing jobs (particularly as rice weeders) and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (odds ratio=1.9; 95% confidence interval=0.6, 6.0). Work in rice fields was correlated strongly with residence in polluted areas. The authors did not detect an association between area of residence or occupation and incidence of Hodgkin's disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Tumors of the excretory urinary tract in workers of the textile industry in the Prato area].

A hospital-based case-control study on bladder and lower urinary tract cancers was conducted in the Prato area, where the textile industry is the main manufacturing sector (about 50,000 employees). "Cases" were male subjects, aged over 15 years in whom urothelial cancer had been diagnosed in the period 1980-1985; controls (two for each case) were subjects of the same sex and age with other urological diseases or cancer of the prostate or testis. Cases and controls were interviewed via a questionnaire on occupational history and personal habits. A positive association was found for subjects who had worked in the textile industry (O.R. = 1.42; C.I. = 1.0-2.0). Analysis by job titles showed positive association for "rag selectors" (O.R. = 4.09; C.I. = 1.39-11.96), whereas no association was found for dyers (O.R. = 0.74; C.I. = 0.29-1.87).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Alcohol and health: attitudes, habits and knowledge of a group of young physicians].

By means of a set of questions the Authors analyze the habits, the attitudes and the knowledge of a group of young medical doctors, concerning the problem of alcohol and health. People interviewed are 873 Medical Reserve Officer Cadets who attended the propedeutic course at the Military Medical School of Florence from September 1987 to May 1988. These people formed a considerable part of the young male medical doctors who had graduated in Italy the previous year. This set of questions is based on the multiple choice system, with 37 questions divided in 4 sections: 1. access to the set of questions with personal information and previous studies; 2. habits and attitudes of the person concerning the consumption of alcoholic drinks; 3. general knowledge of some legal and epidemiological aspects; 4. specific knowledge of the alcohol as a risk factor and of the diagnosis and the prevention of the alcohol related pathologies. The central role of the university in acquiring the knowledge of people interviewed, clearly results from the analysis of the answers. Only few young people assert they got their knowledge from scientific publications. The belief that drinking alcohol with the meals is healthy, is more evident in the South than in the North of Italy; at the same time the prevalence of alcohol related diseases seems to increase moving from Southern to Northern Italy. The more moderate attitude of parents in Northern Italy, seems to be somehow affected by the prevalence of alcohol related diseases in this area. Most young doctors do not drink either light alcoholic drinks or spirits to excess, however 9 people claim to drink wine both with the meals and between, and some 20 claim to drink spirits once a day or even more. A remarkable part of people interviewed seems not to have a full understanding of self-definitions as "abstemious", "moderate drinker", "normal drinker", "heavy drinker". These definitions often do not fit with the quantities declared. The knowledge about metabolism and immediate effects of alcohol is not always proper: it is particularly surprising that more than a third of doctors think that alcohol warms the body and helps to bear low temperature. The poor knowledge of the epidemiological aspects of alcohol consumption is not acceptable, testifying the remarkable difficulty in having a global vision and a right dimension of the problem. In particular an inadequate evaluation of the seriousness of the alcohol related pathologies, considered insufficiently represented among the death causes by one fifth, emerges from the answers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Age Factors↗