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A Decarli

Publications and source records attributed to A Decarli.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Attributable risks for stomach cancer in northern Italy.

The proportions of gastric cancer cases attributable (or attributable risks, AR) to consumption of traditional foods (i.e., pasta, rice and maize), low intake of beta-carotene and vitamin C, short duration of use of an electric refrigerator, low educational level, and family history of gastric cancer were computed using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy. Between 1985 and June 1993 a total of 746 incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer cases and 2,053 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, nonneoplastic, non-digestive-tract diseases, unrelated to long-term modifications of diet, were interviewed. The ARs were 48% for low intake of beta-carotene, 40% for high consumption of traditional foods, and 16% for low intake of vitamin C. Overall, these 3 dietary factors explained 73% of the gastric cancer cases in the population. Five percent of all cases were attributable to less than 30 years' use of an electric refrigerator, 15% to low educational level, and 5% to family history of gastric cancer. In individuals over age 60, a greater proportion of cases was attributable to traditional foods, low education and late adoption of electric refrigeration (58% vs. 32% aged under 60), suggesting that correlates of lower social class, influenced lifestyle, and dietary habits more markedly in earlier than in more recent generations. According to our estimates, over 3 quarters of the gastric cancer cases in this area are explainable in terms of the risk factors considered. Increased consumption of vitamin C and beta-carotene, and reduced consumption of traditional foods, would help to avoid over 10,000 out of 14,000 stomach-cancer deaths in Italy every year. Consequently, stomach cancer, which is still the third leading cause of cancer death in Italy, would represent only about 2% of all cancer deaths.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Patterns of smoking initiation in Italian males and females from 1955 to 1985.

METHODS: The changes in patterns of smoking initiation in Italian males and females in 1955, 1965, 1975, and 1985 were analyzed using data from the 1990-1991 Italian National Health Survey, based on a sample of 18,483 males and 19,320 females ages 19 to 59. The sample was randomly selected within strata of geographic area and size of place of residence and of household in order to be representative of the general Italian population. The age of each subject was reconstructed for each calendar year of interest (1954 to 1956, centered on 1955, 1964 to 1966, 1974 to 1976, and 1984 to 1986). For each calendar period and year of age of interest (14 to 24), the numerator of the smoking initiation rate was the number of subjects who started smoking and the denominator was the number of subjects at risk, i.e., nonsmokers of the same age. The same procedure was repeated for three separate age groups (14 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 to 24). RESULTS: Among males, there was a trend toward earlier age at start of smoking and higher initiation rates between 1955 and 1965, and a subsequent decline in initiation rate, particularly at age 18 or over and during the last calendar decade studied. In females, between 1955 and 1975 there was an increase of over fourfold in initiation rates and systematic tendencies toward earlier age at starting; only over the past decade have the starting rates begun to decline. The peak rate was reached at age 18-20 for males in 1965 (53.3%) and for females in 1975 (23.9%). CONCLUSION: The recent declines in smoking initiation have been relatively limited among the younger age groups, and this reflects an earlier average age at smoking initiation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Olive oil, other dietary fats, and the risk of breast cancer (Italy).

Data from a multicenter case-control study on breast cancer conducted in Italy have been used to analyze the relationship of olive oil and other dietary fats to breast cancer risk. Cases were 2,564 women hospitalized with histologically confirmed, incident breast cancer. Controls were 2,588 women admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, non-neoplastic, non-hormone related, non-digestive tract disorders. Cases and controls were interviewed between 1991 and 1994 using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. The data were modelled through multiple logistic regression controlling for demographic and reproductive breast-cancer risk factors, energy intake and, mutually, for types of dietary fat. For olive oil, compared with the lowest quintile, the odds ratios (OR) were 1.05, 0.99, 0.93, and 0.87 for increasing quintiles of intake; in a model postulating linear logit increase, the OR per unit (30 g) was 0.89 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.81-0.99, P = 0.03). Among other oils or fats considered, the OR for the highest level of intake was 0.72 (CI = 0.6-0.9) for a group of specific seed oils (including safflower, maize, peanut, and soya) compared with nonusers. The ORs for the highest cf lowest level of intake were 0.80 for mixed or unspecified seed oils, 0.95 for butter, and 0.96 for margarine. The study, based on a large dataset from various Italian regions, shows an inverse relationship of breast cancer risk with intake of olive oil and other vegetable oils, but not with butter or margarine.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The mortality rate of the province of birth as a risk indicator for lung and stomach cancer mortality among Genoa residents born in other Italian provinces.

This study analyses the relationship between migration and mortality for lung and stomach cancer, these diseases being those considered susceptible to changes in environmental conditions and individual habits that usually follow migration. Mortality rate of the province of birth was used as the index of risk related to migration. Data were analysed using the Poisson regression model for grouped data. Results indicate that migration determines modifications in the mortality rates of the migrant populations for the diseases under study. For lung cancer, the analysis showed a greater risk for migrants originating from areas with high rates and that migrants had a reduced risk in comparison with natives of Genoa. With regard to stomach cancer, the study revealed that migrants originating from high risk areas had higher relative risks than the Genoa natives, even if these were lower than expected when compared to the risks of the populations in the regions from which the migrants originated.

Emigration and Immigration↗
PubMed1995

Attributable risks for bladder cancer in northern Italy.

Attributable risks (ARs) for bladder cancer were computed in relationship to cigarette smoking, coffee consumption, low intake of vegetables, history of cystitis, and occupation using data from a case-control study conducted in northern Italy between 1985 and 1993. Cases were 431 patients with histologically confirmed bladder cancer, and controls were 491 patients admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, nonneoplastic, and non-urinary-tract diseases. Overall, the AR estimates were 49% for cigarette smoking, 23% for coffee consumption, 16% for low intake of vegetables, 12% for history of cystitis, and 4% for occupation. These five factors together explained more than 70% of bladder cancer cases in this population. The AR for cigarette smoking was significantly higher among men (56%) than women (17%), whereas coffee consumption, low vegetable intake, and cystitis were more important (but not significantly so) among women. These results suggest that more than 2500 of the 5400 deaths due to bladder cancer in Italy in 1990 could have been prevented by the elimination of cigarette smoking. With some appropriate dietary modification and intervention to prevent urinary tract infections and occupational exposures, this figure could approach 4000 avoidable deaths. Thus, bladder cancer could become a rare cause of death in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Reproducibility of an Italian food frequency questionnaire for cancer studies. Results for specific nutrients.

The reproducibility of measures of the intake of total energy and 27 selected nutrients from a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in a case-control study on cancer of the breast, ovary, and digestive tract was evaluated. The results of two FFQ administrations at an interval of 3 to 10 months (median = 5.4 months) to 452 volunteers (144 males and 308 females; median age = 50 years) from three Italian provinces (Pordenone, Genoa, and Forì) were compared. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) between crude nutrient intake (unadjusted for energy) ranged from 0.50 for vegetable fat to 0.80 for alcohol, with most values falling between 0.60 and 0.70 (median r = 0.67). Adjustment of nutrient intakes for total energy slightly decreased most coefficients (median r = 0.60). The agreement between the two measurements did not differ substantially by sex, age, education, and interval between interviews. The contribution of specific FFQ components (i.e., frequency-only questions, open questions, portion size, and fat intake pattern) was also assessed separately with respect to the performance and reproducibility of nutrient measures, yielding, in general, very similar results. The seven questions concerning individual fat intake pattern, which were used to modulate the composition of various recipes, led, however, to a significant increase in mean daily intake of vegetable fat, oleic acid, and vitamin E, but a reduction of estimated daily intake of linoleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of chronic diseases in alcohol abstainers.

We used data from the 1983 Italian National Health Survey, based on 58,462 adults ages 25 years and over who are representative of the general Italian population, to compare the prevalence of 16 major chronic diseases or groups of diseases in alcohol abstainers (ex- and never-drinkers combined) and current drinkers. We found elevated odds ratios among alcohol abstainers for diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, other heart diseases, anemias, gastroduodenal ulcer, cholelithiasis, liver cirrhosis, urolithiasis, and renal insufficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Number of siblings and subsequent gastric cancer risk.

The number of siblings is an indirect indicator of living and, possibly, dietary conditions in childhood and adolescence. The relationship between the number of siblings and subsequent gastric cancer risk was analysed using data from a case--control study conducted in Italy between 1985 and 1992 on 723 cases of incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer and 2,024 controls in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive tract disorders. After allowance for age and sex, there was a significant trend of increasing gastric cancer risk with increasing number of siblings (P < 0.01). Compared with subjects with no siblings, the relative risk (RR) was 1.1 for those with one, 1.3 for 2, 1.4 for 3-6 and 1.7 for 7 or more siblings. The association was stronger in subjects above the age of 60: the RR for > or = 5 siblings was 1.8, as compared with 1.2 for younger subjects. These patterns of trends are consistent with the hypothesis that domestic crowding and deprivation in childhood and adolescence is a correlate of subsequent gastric cancer risk, and offer therefore interesting clues to our understanding of the process of gastric carcinogenesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Influence of some covariates on the reproducibility of an Italian semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

We studied the influence of age, sex, education and time between interviews on the reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed in Italy for a case-control study on cancers of the breast and digestive tract. The questionnaire had been administered twice to 452 Italian men and women and included the weekly consumption of 77 food items or groups of foods, seven summary questions and three questions on some general dietary habits. Spearman correlation coefficients for the 77 dietary items plus the seven summary questions did not differ between males (median 0.61) and females (median 0.58), volunteers younger than 50 years (median 0.58) and aged 50 or more (median 0.59), volunteers with fewer than 10 years of education (median 0.58) and with 10 or more (median 0.59). A slightly higher Spearman correlation coefficient was found when the two interviews were conducted 5-6 months apart (median 0.60) or more than 6 (median 0.59) than when less than 5 (median 0.55). Similarly, Pearson correlation coefficients for the intake of 27 nutrients or micronutrients, plus caloric intake, computed from the FFQ showed no differences between males (median 0.65) and females (median 0.64), two age groups (median 0.67 for subjects aged < 50 years and 0.65 for those aged > or = 50), and two educational levels (median 0.68 for < 10 years and 0.65 for > or = 10 years). The median Pearson correlation coefficient for nutrients was slightly higher for those subjects who were interviewed with the planned interval (5-6 months, median 0.71) than when the interval was shorter (median 0.57) or longer (median 0.64).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Nitrosamine intake and gastric cancer risk.

The association between intake of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), the most commonly occurring of the volatile nitrosamines derived from foods, and gastric cancer risk has been investigated using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy between 1985 and 1993, including 746 incident cases of gastric cancer and 2,053 controls admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic and non-digestive tract diseases, not related to long-term modifications of diet. Information was collected on frequency of consumption of 29 food items, including selected sources of NDMA. Compared with subjects in the lowest tertile of NDMA intake, the odds ratios (ORs) were 1.1 in the intermediate and 1.6 in the highest tertile of intake. These estimates were not appreciably modified after allowance for total energy intake, other major dietary and non-dietary correlates of gastric cancer, and estimated intake of nitrite and nitrate: the multivariate OR for the highest NDMA intake tertile was 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.7). The association was consistent across strata of sex and age, but somewhat stronger in males and in subjects below age 60 (OR in the highest tertile, 1.8). Limitations of exposure assessment and absence of information on other N-nitrosamines preclude, however, any definite assessment of the possible role of exogenous N-nitrosamines in gastric carcinogenesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Menstrual and reproductive factors and gastric-cancer risk in women.

To understand possible correlates of the systematically higher gastric-cancer rates in males than in females, we investigated the role of menstrual, reproductive and hormonal factors in females, using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy. Cases were 229 post-menopausal women with incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer, and controls were 614 post-menopausal women in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive-tract conditions. After allowance for age, education, family history, and selected dietary correlates of stomach cancer, a reduced gastric-cancer risk was observed in women with later menopause (odds ratio, OR = 0.6, p value for trend < 0.05), and longer duration of fertile life (OR = 0.7, but the trend in risk was not significant). The risk of gastric cancer was elevated in multiparous women (OR = 1.7 for 3 and 1.9 for > or = 4 births as compared to nulliparae). No association was observed with age at menarche, age at first birth, and with number of spontaneous or induced abortions. Ever-users of oral contraceptives had a non-significant increased risk (OR = 1.3), and users of oestrogen-replacement treatment a non-significant reduced risk (OR = 0.5). Although the association with each factor was moderate, and the interpretation of these findings is not straightforward, these results are compatible with the hypothesis that some role is played by (endogenous and exogenous) female hormones in the process of gastric carcinogenesis.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1994

Smoking in Italy, 1990-1991.

Smoking prevalence and patterns in Italy were analyzed using data from the 1990-1991 Italian National Health Survey, based on a sample of 27, 135 males and 28,854 females aged 15 years or over, randomly selected within strata of geographic area and size of the place of residence and of the household, in order to be representative of the general Italian population. Overall, 26.9% of the Italians aged 15 years or over described themselves as current smokers (37.2% males, 17.4% females), and 14.0% as ex-smokers (22.2% males, 6.4% females). The difference in smoking prevalence between males and females was 65% below age 45, but increased substantially with increasing age up to 5-fold above age 65. Moderate smokers (< 15 cigarettes per day) were 12.6% of males and 10.4% of females, intermediate smokers (15 to 24 cigarettes per day) 17.7% of males and 5.5% of females, and heavy smokers (> or = 25 cigarettes per day) 6.3% of males and 1.5% of females. Pipe or cigar smokers were 0.6% of males. The average number of cigarettes per smoker per day was 16.6 (17.9 for males, 14.0 for females). The overall smoking prevalence of 26.9% was the lowest registered since 1949, thus confirming the long-term steady decline of smoking, particularly among males. Smoking prevalence, however, has remained constant over the last 15 years among females, after substantial rises in previous calendar years. These falls in overall self-reported smoking prevalence were reflected in declines of legal sale figures (-15% between 1986 and 1991), although it is difficult to quantify the impact of smuggling on total tobacco consumption. Thus, at least part of the falls in self-reported tobacco consumption is attributable to increased underreporting. In males, but not in females, smoking was less frequent in northern (and wealthier) areas of the country, and in more educated individuals. The opposite pattern was observed in females, indicating that even more educated Italian women have not yet recognized the accumulated evidence on the health consequences of smoking. These patterns in smoking are reflected by recent trends in lung cancer, which show some decline in males but persistent upward trends in females, although still on much lower absolute values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Reproductive history and gastric cancer among post-menopausal women.

A total of 339 post-menopausal women with gastric cancer (GC) and 515 population controls were interviewed in a multicenter study in Italy for information on reproductive history, dietary habits and other socio-demographic variables. After adjusting for these factors, GC risk was significantly higher among women reporting menopause below age 45, while no effect was shown for age at menarche, parity, age at first livebirth, and number of abortions. When age at menopause was considered together with age at menarche for an index of fertility years, GC risk showed a significant inverse relation to duration of fertility. These results suggest a protective role for endocrine or other factors related to late age at menopause or to length of fertility. These findings may be relevant to explain the fact that rates of GC reported among females are lower than among males around the world, and suggest the need for further research into hormonal and other related risk factors.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1994

Selected micronutrient intake and the risk of colorectal cancer.

The relationship between estimated intake of selected micronutrients and the risk of colorectal cancer was analysed using data from a case-control study conducted in northern Italy. The study was based on 828 patients with colon cancer, 498 with rectal cancer and 2,024 controls in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive tract diseases. Relative risks (RRs) of intake quintiles were computed after allowance for age, sex and other major potential confounding factors, including an estimate of total energy intake. No apparent trend in risk across intake quintiles was evident for retinol, vitamin D, methionine and calcium. For beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and folate there was a trend of a protective effect with increasing consumption: the RR for the highest versus the lowest quintile was 0.32 for beta-carotene, 0.40 for ascorbic acid, 0.60 for vitamin E and 0.52 for folate. These inverse associations were similar for colon and rectal cancer, and consistent across strata of sex and age. When simultaneous allowance was made for all these micronutrients, besides other covariates, the only persistent protective effects were for beta-carotene (RR = 0.38 for the highest quintile) and ascorbic acid (RR = 0.52). Whether this reflects a specific, or stronger, effect of these micronutrients, rather than problems of collinearity between micronutrients or other limitations of the data, remains open to discussion. Still, this study suggests that specific micronutrients may exert an independent protective effect against colorectal carcinogenesis.

Adult↗