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Biomedical subjects

Liliane Chatenoud

Publications and source records attributed to Liliane Chatenoud.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Prevalence of actinic keratoses and associated factors in a representative sample of the Italian adult population: Results from the Prevalence of Actinic Keratoses Italian Study, 2003-2004.

OBJECTIVE: The Prevalence of Actinic Keratoses Italian Study (PraKtis) was designed to estimate the point prevalence of actinic keratoses (AKs) and associated factors in a representative sample of the Italian adult population. DESIGN: A representative sample of people 45 years or older was selected from the electoral rolls according to a stratified random sampling design. SETTING: A total of 180 specifically trained interviewers contacted the sampled subjects and conducted face-to-face, computer-assisted interviews and skin assessments. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12,483 subjects contacted and interviewed from March 1, 2003, through April 30, 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: History of AKs and evidence of AKs at the interview. RESULTS: Overall, an estimated 34% of the Italian population reported ever having undergone a dermatological examination. A history of AKs was reported by 0.3% of the total sample. Topical therapy was the most popular treatment according to 39% of subjects, whereas 25% reported that they did not receive therapy. Based on the interviewer's judgment, the point prevalence of AKs was 1.4% (95% confidence interval, 1.2%-1.8%). Forty-two percent of people with AKs were unaware of their condition. The prevalence was higher among men than women and increased steadily with age. The prevalence increased with lighter phenotype and with more severe facial wrinkling. It also increased with the reported number of hours spent in the sun during the week and on holidays. No clear variation was observed according to the reported use of sunscreens. Lesions were usually multiple (median number, 4). There was a strong association between a history of nonmelanoma skin cancers and the presence of AKs (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-11.0). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AKs in our study was remarkably lower than expected based on data from the United States and Australia; in Italy, AKs seem to be underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Psoriasis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2005

Periconceptional smoking and male:female ratio of newborns.

We have analysed data collected on 1962 women who gave birth at 37 or more weeks of gestation to health infants (excluding those with a low birth weight and twins). In comparison with non-smoking parents, the odds ratio (OR) of being male was lower than unity for offsprings of both smoking parents, but no clear relationship however emerged between the risk of giving birth to a male, and the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Impact of a major thermoelectric plant on self-perceived health status.

BACKGROUND: Measuring self-perceived health status and risk perception according to environmental factors remains a major open issue with important health policy implications. METHODS: To measure self-perceived health status in an area where a major thermoelectric plant has been active since 1994, in October 2001, we conducted a two sample survey using the SF-12 Health Survey. The study sample (2001 individuals) representative of the population living in the plant area (Montalto di Castro, Central Italy) was compared with a random sample of the general Italian population (1928 individuals). Mean values were adjusted for age, sex and education. RESULTS: SF-12 summary scales means are comparable in both samples: 50.2 (SE: 0.3) versus 49.9 (SE: 0.3) for the physical score, and 47.7 (SE: 0.4) versus 48.7 (SE: 0.4) for the mental score for Montalto di Castro area and Italian sample respectively. CONCLUSION: People living near a major thermoelectric plant have a subjective health status comparable to that reported by the general Italian population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Cigarette smoking, body mass index, and stressful life events as risk factors for psoriasis: results from an Italian case-control study.

We conducted a case-control study to analyse the association of psoriasis of recent onset with smoking habits, body mass index (BMI) and stressful life events. Cases (n=560; median age 38) were patients with a first diagnosis of psoriasis and a history of skin manifestations of no longer than two years after the reported disease onset. Patients with a new diagnosis of skin diseases other than psoriasis (n=690; median age 36) were selected as controls. The risk of psoriasis was higher in ex- and current smokers than in never-smokers, the relative risk estimates (OR) being 1.9 for ex-smokers and 1.7 for smokers. Smoking was strongly associated with pustular lesions (32 patients, OR=5.3 for smokers). The frequency of psoriasis varied significantly in relation to a family history of psoriasis in first degree relatives, BMI (OR=1.6 and 1.9 for over weighted, BMI 26-29, and obese, BMI >/= 30, respectively) and stressful life event score (compared to the lower index quartile, the OR being 2.2 for index values >/=115). Risk estimates, when taking into consideration the combined effect of these factors with smoking habits, were consistent with a multiplicative model of risk combination with no significant statistical interaction.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Clinical trials in urology: how many patients are required to achieve statistically significant results?

During the clinical validation of a new drug there are several clinical phases. Once phase II studies have defined the efficacy of a new drug, clinical research is used to evaluate its significance in clinical practice, comparing it with other drugs or treatments in use for similar clinical conditions. The group of patients undergoing standard treatment (either untreated or treated with placebo) is thus used as a control; these phase III studies are termed 'controlled clinical studies'. The general condition for comparing patients treated with the new drug is that they do not have characteristics (relevant to the study) that are systematically different from those in the control group. Randomization guarantees comparability between treated and untreated (or otherwise treated) patients. The comparability of the observations of the studied events are guaranteed by blinding and placebo. The fundamental question when designing a controlled clinical study to evaluate whether there are differences between two or more treatments is how many patients are needed. Generally, the smaller the clinically relevant differences in efficacy between treatments, the more patients are required, to provide sufficient statistical power and meaningful clinical results. A group of randomized patients represents the final point of sequential steps. Also of importance is to what kind of 'population' the results from the studied sample can be applied (qualitatively, not necessarily quantitatively), i.e. the general applicability of a study, or whether the findings can be used to treat future patients with the same or similar characteristics as those randomized, or to all patients with the same pathology. Answers to these questions depend on many aspects of the randomized selection mechanisms, the disease characteristics, and knowledge of the biological effects of the drug to be tested.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2004

Risk factors for oral and pharyngeal cancer in young adults.

Mortality from oral cancer has been rising in the young in several areas of the world until the early 1990s. We analysed data from two case-control studies from Italy and Switzerland including 137 cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer below age 46 and 298 hospital controls. The multivariate odds ratios (OR) were 20.7 for heavy smokers and 4.9 for heavy drinkers. The combination of high tobacco and alcohol consumption led to an OR of over 48. Body mass index (OR=0.28, for the highest tertile), high consumption of coffee (OR=0.25), fresh vegetables (OR=0.39), fruit (OR=0.73) and beta-carotene (OR=0.48) were inversely related to risk. Tobacco accounted for 77% of all cancer cases in this population, alcohol for 52%, low vegetable consumption for 52%, and the combination of the three factors for 85%.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Marital status and cancer risk in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Marital status has long been related to cancer incidence and mortality rates. However, only few analytical studies have been conducted on this issue considering known or potential confounding factors. METHODS: We systematically examined the relation between marital status and cancer risk using data from a network of case-control studies conducted between 1983 and 2001, including a total of 17,976 incident cases with the following cancer sites: oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, larynx, breast, endometrium, ovary, prostate, bladder, kidney, thyroid, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple myelomas, and sarcomas. Controls were 15,345 patients admitted to the hospital for non-neoplastic conditions. RESULTS: As compared to married subjects, never married ones were at significantly increased risk of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers and at reduced risk of cancer of the colon, liver, bladder, kidney, and thyroid. However, for other cancer sites considered, most odds ratios were close to unity. Likewise, there was no consistent excess risk for divorced or widowed subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some significant associations, our study suggests that marital status is not materially associated with cancer risk. Thus, the evidence that married subjects are at lower risk of several other major diseases may not be applicable to cancer.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2004

Study design and preliminary results from the pilot phase of the PraKtis study: self-reported diagnoses of selected skin diseases in a representative sample of the Italian population.

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on the prevalence of common skin disorders like actinic keratoses in the general population. Such data are mostly needed to better define health needs and to organize medical services. The Prevalence of Actinic Keratoses in the Italian Population Study (PraKtis) was designed to estimate the point prevalence of actinic keratoses and related disorders, e.g. photoaging, in a representative sample of the Italian population. Within the study, information on the history of relevant dermatological diagnoses was also collected. METHODS: The study was conducted in collaboration with DOXA, the Italian branch of the Gallup International Association. A representative sample of people aged 45 years or older was selected by picking them from the electoral rolls according to a stratified random sampling design involving a replacement procedure. A total of 180 interviewers specifically trained to collect data on skin diseases and to take photographs of representative lesions on the face and upper limbs, contacted and interviewed the sampled subjects and performed a face-to-face computer-assisted interview. A final sample of about 12000 subjects was foreseen. RESULTS: The pilot phase of the study was conducted between January 1 and June 30, 2003. A total of 3660 subjects were recruited and interviewed. Overall, an estimated 37% of Italian people reported having ever undergone a dermatological consultation in the past. An estimated 29% reported having ever received a specific dermatological diagnosis by a physician. The frequency of specifically enquired diagnoses, weighted according to the distribution of the Italian population, was as follows: atopic dermatitis 4.7%, other eczematous dermatitides 4.3%, urticaria 4.3%, psoriasis 3.1%, skin tumors 1.6%, vitiligo 0.7% and actinic keratoses 0.3%. CONCLUSION: Skin diseases are frequently reported. The prevalence of actinic keratoses according to self-reported diagnoses was lower than expected based on prevalence data obtained by directly examining people. These discrepancies may be due to underreporting and/or unawareness of lesions by affected people. More precise estimates will be obtained by direct examination of sampled people.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2003

Maternal and paternal smoking and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Smoking has been suggested to reduce the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). We have analyzed the association between smoking and risk of PIH using data from a case-control study conducted in Italy. STUDY DESIGN: Cases were 215 women who gave birth on randomly selected days at a network of obstetric departments and with a diagnosis of PIH, i.e. diastolic pressure above 90 mmHg on at least two occasions 24h apart. Controls were 1222 women (median age 30 years) who delivered at term healthy infants on randomly days at the same hospital where the cases had been identified. RESULTS: In comparison with never smokers, current smokers at conception were at decreased risk of PIH (odd ratio (OR) 0.7, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.5-1.0). The protection increased with number of cigarettes smoked per day, the OR of PIH being, respectively, 0.8 and 0.6 in women reporting <15 and > or =15 cigarettes per day at conception. The inverse relation was also observed when the analysis was conducted in strata of age, parity and nausea. Women who had quit smoking 1 year or more before conception were not at decreased risk (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.6-1.5). No association emerged considering cigarettes smoked during the first trimester of pregnancy only. No relationship emerged between partner's smoking and risk of PIH. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that current smokers are at decreased risk of PIH, but indicates that a reduction in risk is not present in ex-smokers.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Does participation in an epidemiological study improve appropriate prescription of screening mammography for asymptomatic women?

BACKGROUND: To analyze the effect of participating in an epidemiological study on quality of care (i.e., appropriate prescription of mammographic screening), we have analyzed data collected in the framework of a cross-sectional study conducted in Italy among women attending menopause clinics. METHODS: In 1997, a large cross-sectional study was organized on the characteristics of women who attended a network of first-level outpatient clinics for general counseling about menopause or treatment of menopausal symptoms. Women consecutively observed during the study were eligible, and the protocol did not set any exclusion criteria. All women who agreed to participate underwent a gynecological examination and were asked about their general characteristics and lifestyle habits, reproductive and menstrual history, and selected medical history. Laboratory and instrumental tests were required on clinical grounds; the protocol did not consider any test mandatory for all women, but all centers were asked to collect information on the examinations prescribed as routine clinical practice. The study began in 1997 in 25 centers. By March 1999, the number of centers had increased to 268 of which 63 were in the north, 81 in the center, and 124 in the south of Italy. Fewer than 3% of eligible women refused to participate. The study included 48,444 women. The present analysis looked at current attitudes toward screening mammography (SM) in asymptomatic women, as prescribed by gynecologists in menopausal centers in Italy. RESULTS: A SM was correctly requested in 55.6% of women who entered the study during the second semester of 1997. This rose to 72.8% by July-August 2000. The correct prescription of a SM was slightly higher in current users of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) and lower in women aged 45-50 years, the differences being significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that appropriate requests for SM increased in centers participating in a collaborative epidemiological study on menopause in Italy over a 3-year period.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2003

Session: whole cereal grains, fibre and human cancer wholegrain cereals and cancer in Italy.

The relationship between frequency of consumption of whole-grain foods and cancer risk has been analysed using data from an updated series of case-control studies conducted in Northern Italy between 1983 and 1997. The overall dataset included the following incident histologically-confirmed neoplasms: oral cavity and pharynx 524, oesophagus 410, stomach 745, colon 955, rectum 625, liver 435, gallbladder 65, pancreas 402, larynx 388, soft tissue sarcomas 217, breast 3412, endometrium 750, ovary 971, prostate 127, bladder 431, kidney 190, thyroid 428, Hodgkin's disease 201, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas 529, multiple myelomas 185. Controls were 10 058 patients admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic conditions unrelated to long-term modifications in diet, tobacco or alcohol use. The multivariate odds ratios for the highest category of wholegrain cereal consumption were 0.3-0.5 for upper digestive tract and respiratory neoplasms and colon, 0.6 for rectum and liver, 0.4 for gallbladder, 0.8 for pancreas, 0.2 for soft tissue sarcomas, 0.9 for breast and endometrium, 0.7 for ovary, 0.7 for prostate, 0.4 for bladder and kidney, 1.1 for thyroid and about 0.5 for lymphomas and 0.6 for myelomas. In this population whole-grain food consumption is an indicator of reduced risk of several neoplasms.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Post-menopausal hormonal therapy and gallbladder cancer risk.

The relation between post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and gallbladder cancer was analyzed in women above age 45 years, using data of a case-control study conducted in Italy between 1985 and 1997, on 31 incident, histologically confirmed cases and 3,702 controls in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic conditions. The multivariate odds ratio (OR) was 3.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.1-9.3) for those who had ever used HRT and the OR tended to rise with longer duration. Although based on small numbers, due to the rarity of the disease, these findings provide the first direct epidemiological evidence of an association between HRT and gallbladder cancer.

Aged↗