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Biomedical subjects

A Tavani

Publications and source records attributed to A Tavani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

History of treated hypertension and diabetes mellitus and risk of renal cell cancer.

BACKGROUND: An increased risk of renal cell cancer (RCC) has been reported in subjects with hypertension. Whether this association may vary according to sex, smoking, obesity, or RCC clinical presentation is unclear. Results on the link between diabetes mellitus and RCC are inconclusive. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an Italian multicenter case-control study, including 767 (494 men, 273 women) incident cases of RCC, under 80 years of age, and 1534 hospital controls, frequency-matched to cases. Multiple logistic regression models, conditioned to center, sex, and age, and adjusted for period of interview, education, smoking, and body mass were used to estimate odds ratios (OR). RESULTS: Compared with subjects never treated, patients with a history of treated hypertension [OR = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-2.1] reported an excess risk of RCC. This pattern was confirmed in different strata of sex, education, smoking habits, body mass, tumor histological type, stage, or grade. The attributable risk of RCC for treated hypertension in this population was 16%. A slight, nonsignificant increased risk was found for history of diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1.7). CONCLUSION: A possible causal role of hypertension in renal cell carcinogenesis is supported by the consistency of the direct association.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Consumption of sweet foods and breast cancer risk in Italy.

BACKGROUND: The relation between the intake of sugar and sweets and the risk of breast cancer has been considered in ecological, prospective and case-control studies, but the results are unclear. We analyzed such a relation in a case-control study conducted between 1991 and 1994 in Italy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cases were 2569 women with histologically confirmed incident breast cancer and controls were 2588 women admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic, non-hormone-related conditions. Information on diet was based on an interviewer-administered questionnaire tested for reproducibility and validity. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed by multiple logistic regression equations. RESULTS: Compared with women with the lowest tertile of intake, women in the highest tertile of intake of desserts (including biscuits, brioches, cakes, puffs and ice-cream) and sugars (including sugar, honey, jam, marmalade and chocolate) had multivariate ORs of 1.19 (95% CI 1.02-1.39) and 1.19 (95% CI 1.02-1.38), respectively. The results were similar in strata of age, body mass index, total energy intake and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS: We found a direct association between breast cancer risk and consumption of sweet foods with high glycemic index and load, which increase insulin and insulin growth factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Diabetes mellitus and the risk of prostate cancer in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relation between diabetes and the risk of prostate cancer, as epidemiological results are controversial. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Italy between 1991 and 2002. Cases were 1294 men, aged <75 years, with incident histologically confirmed prostate cancer, and controls were 1451 men, aged <75 years, admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic diseases. Odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: No material association between diabetes and prostate cancer was observed, with a multivariate OR of 1.02 (95%CI 0.75-1.40). Prostate cancer was not related to time since diagnosis of diabetes (OR 0.82 and 0.97 for <5 and >/=15 years since diagnosis respectively). The OR were respectively 1.63 (95%CI 0.70-3.81) and 0.96 (95%CI 0.68-1.34) in men diagnosed with diabetes at age <45 or >/=45 years. The risk estimates were similar across strata of age at interview, body mass index and, among cases, of Gleason score. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows no material association between diabetes and prostate cancer risk.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2005

History of weight and obesity through life and risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: The relation of anthropometric measures, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) risk was investigated. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control study. SUBJECTS: Cases were 1369 men with histologically confirmed BPH, and controls were 1451 men below 75 y, admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic diseases. MEASUREMENTS: Using a structured questionnaire, trained interviewers collected information on self-reported height and weight, and measured waist and hip circumference of patients. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Compared to the corresponding lowest quartile, the OR for the highest one were 0.76 (95% CI 0.59-0.98) for body weight, 0.71 (95% CI 0.54-0.94) for waist-to-hip ratio and 0.87 (95% CI 0.70-1.09) for body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)). Compared to a lowest lifelong BMI <20.7 kg/m(2), the OR was 1.56 (95% CI 1.25-1.95) for a lowest lifelong BMI > or =23.7 kg/m(2). The OR was 0.74 (95% CI 0.60-0.93) for a lifelong increase of BMI > or =6.1 kg/m(2), compared to <1.6 kg/m(2). No association emerged for history of diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight was modestly, inversely related to BPH. The hypothesis of reduced testosterone levels in obese individuals may explain the different BPH risk and need to be tested.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Prostate cancer and body size at different ages: an Italian multicentre case-control study.

We investigated the influence of anthropometric measures at diagnosis and at different ages on prostate cancer risk using an Italian multicentre case-control study conducted between 1991 and 2002 of 1294 histologically confirmed cases and 1451 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute non-neoplastic conditions. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, lean body mass 1 year before diagnosis/interview were not significantly associated with risk. However, a positive association with high BMI at age 30 years was found (odds ratio=1.2 for BMI> or =24.7 vs <22.7) and: for less differentiated prostate cancer, with BMI 1 year before diagnosis/interview. This study supports possible relationships between high body mass in young adulthood, and a tendency to high weight throughout adult life, and the risk of prostate cancer.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

Reproducibility and validity of coffee and tea consumption in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: The reproducibility and validity of coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea intake has not been adequately studied, particularly in Italy, where coffee drinking is peculiar in terms of type and amount of coffee consumed. DESIGN: We compared coffee and tea consumption, measured by two interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), with average intake derived from two 7-day dietary (DD) records (the reference method) on 395 volunteers. The Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were used to assess both reproducibility and validity of information on coffee intake. RESULTS: A satisfactory level of reproducibility and validity of the pattern consumption was observed for coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea. The reproducibility for both sex combined showed r of 0.74-0.78 for coffee, 0.57-0.65 for decaffeinated coffee and 0.61-0.67 for tea. The validity was about 0.70 for coffee, around 0.58 for decaffeinated coffee and 0.56-0.60 for tea intake. CONCLUSIONS: The FFQ is a satisfactorily reliable and valid instrument for collecting information on coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea intake.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Folate and vitamin B(6) intake and risk of acute myocardial infarction in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Folate and vitamin B6 intake has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, but studies are not consistent. OBJECTIVE: The relation between folate and vitamin B6 intake and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was assessed in a Mediterranean population. DESIGN: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 1999. Information was collected by interviewer-administered questionnaires. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by multiple logistic regression models. SUBJECTS: Cases were 507 patients with a first episode of nonfatal AMI, and controls were 478 patients admitted to hospital for acute conditions. RESULTS: Compared to patients in the lowest tertile of intake, the ORs for those in the highest tertile were 0.56 (95% CI 0.35-0.88) for folate and 0.34 (95% CI 0.19-0.60) for vitamin B6. The OR was consistently below unity in strata of sex, age, alcohol, methionine, tobacco smoking, coffee, hypertension and family history of AMI; the inverse association was apparently stronger for vitamin B6 in regular alcohol drinkers than in no or occasional drinkers. Compared to subjects with a low intake of both micronutrients, the OR was 0.29 for those with a high intake of both. Compared to subjects reporting no or occasional alcohol drinking and low methionine and folate intake, the OR was 0.28 in regular drinkers with high methionine and high folate intake. The corresponding value for vitamin B6 was 0.25. CONCLUSIONS: A high intake of folates, vitamin B6 and their combination is inversely associated with AMI risk. SPONSORSHIP: Partly supported by "Ministero della Salute" (Contract No. 177, RF 2001).

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Pizza and risk of acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: Pizza eating has been favourably related to the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the data are limited. To evaluate the potential role of pizza consumption on the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), we considered data from an Italian study. DESIGN: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study on 507 cases of nonfatal AMI and 478 controls in Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 1999. RESULTS: The multivariate odds ratios were 0.78 for occasional, 0.62 for regular and 0.44 for frequent eaters. The estimates were similar across strata of age, sex, smoking and other major covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the ingredients of pizza have been shown to have a favourable influence on the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there is no single explanation for the present findings. Pizza may in fact represent a general indicator of Italian diet, that has been shown to have potential cardiovascular benefits.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Risk of melanoma and vitamin A, coffee and alcohol: a case-control study from Italy.

Limited information is available on the association between the risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and dietary factors. The issue was investigated using data from a case-control study conducted in Italy between 1992 and 1994, including 542 patients with incident, histologically confirmed CMM and 538 controls, admitted to the same hospitals as cases for non-dermatologic and non-neoplastic diseases. We found a significant inverse association between vitamin A intake and CMM risk. The multivariate odds ratio, after allowance for phenotypic characteristics and history of sunburns, for the highest, compared with the lowest, quartile of intake was 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50-1.02) for beta-carotene, 0.57 (95% CI 0.39-0.83) for retinol, and 0.51 (95% CI 0.35-0.74) for total vitamin A. We found no appreciable association of CMM risk with selected food items, including fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, wholemeal bread, alcohol, coffee and tea drinking. Consumption of tea appeared to have a protective effect on CMM risk. The relations with measures of dietary vitamin A are, however, moderate compared with the associations between phenotypic characteristics, sun exposure and number of naevi and CMM risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Family history of cancer and risk of ovarian cancer.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between history of cancer in first-degree relatives and ovarian cancer risk. Between 1992 and 1999, we conducted a case-control study in Italy on 1031 women with epithelial ovarian cancer and 2411 women admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic conditions. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression, adjusted for age and several potential confounders. Overall, 27 cases and nine controls reported a family history of ovarian cancer (OR = 7.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1-16). The OR was 23 (95% CI 2.6-212) below age 50 years, based on 10 cases and one control only. The risk of ovarian cancer was also increased in women with a family history of cancer of the stomach (OR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.1), intestine (OR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.2-2.4), lung (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.0-1.8), breast (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.7-3.1), lymphomas (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.0-5.1) and all sites (OR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.4-1.9). Our results confirm the higher ovarian cancer risk in women with a family history of ovarian and breast cancer, and suggest a few associations with other sites.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Fiber intake and risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between fiber intake and risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also according to type and source of fiber, in a Mediterranean country. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control study. SETTING: Northern Italy. SUBJECTS: A total of 507 cases of first nonfatal AMI and 478 controls in hospital for acute conditions. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were interviewed with a questionnaire that included a validated food frequency section. Odds ratios (OR) were obtained using multiple logistic regression, and adjusted for several recognized risk factors for AMI. Fiber was measured as non-starch polysaccharides. RESULTS: Compared with the lowest one, the OR in the highest tertile was 0.72 for total fiber, 0.64 for soluble fiber, 0.77 for total insoluble fiber, 0.71 for cellulose, 0.81 for insoluble non-cellulosic polysaccharides, 0.82 for vegetable fiber, 0.64 for fruit fiber and 1.11 for cereal fiber, and the estimates were statistically significant for soluble and fruit fiber. When further adjusted for beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E intake, the fruit fiber still showed the strongest inverse relation, although the association was no longer significant. The protective effect of fiber was more marked in, or restricted to, subjects with other AMI risk factors, such as smokers, diabetics and hypertensives. CONCLUSIONS: Though an inverse association between fiber intake and AMI risk appears established, the causality of this association is still open to debate. In this population, cereal fiber derives chiefly from refined grains, and this may explain the lack of protection by this type of fiber.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Carbohydrates, dietary glycaemic load and glycaemic index, and risk of acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relation between selected carbohydrate foods, dietary glycaemic load and glycaemic index, and the risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction in a population with a high intake of refined carbohydrates. DESIGN AND SETTING: Hospital based case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 1999. PATIENTS: 433 non-diabetic subjects with a first episode of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, and 448 controls admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute conditions unrelated to known or potential risk factors for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Information was collected by interviewer administered questionnaires. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Compared with patients in the lowest tertile of intake, the multivariate OR for those in the highest tertile was 1.00 for bread, 1.27 for pasta and rice, 1.38 for soups, 0.78 for potatoes, 0.97 for desserts, and 1.00 for sugar. The OR for the highest tertile of score was 1.08 for glycaemic load and 1.38 for glycaemic index. None of the estimates was significant. A significant association with acute myocardial infarction risk was found for glycaemic index in patients aged > or = 60 years (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.07 for the highest tertile of score compared with the lowest) and in those with a body mass index > or = 25 kg/m2 (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.34). CONCLUSIONS: In this Italian population high glycaemic load and glycaemic index were not strongly associated with acute myocardial infarction risk, but slightly increased odds ratios were observed for glycaemic index in elderly people and in association with overweight.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Short-term effects of two integrated, non-pharmacological body weight reduction programs on coronary heart disease risk factors in young obese patients.

In order to evaluate the short-term effects (3 weeks) on selected coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors, 90 obese in-patients (body mass index, BMI, > or = 35 kg/m2 received a same low-calorie diet (1200-1800 kcal/day), nutritional education and psychological counselling, and were randomly assigned to either a non-specific, high-volume, low-intensity exercise training program (NET), or to an individualised, low-volume and high-intensity exercise training program (IET), for 5 days/week for 3 weeks. NET and IET programs lead to a significant reduction in blood glucose (6.2 and 7.7% respectively), total cholesterol (17.3%, 12.3%), HDL-cholesterol (13.7%, 15.2%), systolic (8.9%, 5.3%) and diastolic resting blood pressure (10.6%, 3.3%). Total CHD scores were also significantly improved (38.1%, 33.1%). The changes occurred with a relatively moderate decrease in body weight (4.2%, 4.4%) and with still elevated BMI values (41.6 kg/m2). Although IET, compared to NET program, induced smaller reductions of blood pressure, it requires 30% daily training period and may possibly enhance long-term patient compliance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Does coffee protect against hepatocellular carcinoma?

We analysed the relation between coffee consumption and hepatocellular carcinoma in two case-control studies conducted between 1984 and 1998 in Italy and Greece, including 834 cases and 1912 controls. Compared to non coffee drinkers, the multivariate odds ratio was 0.7 for drinkers of three or more cups per day.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A review of epidemiological studies on cancer in relation to the use of anti-ulcer drugs.

H2-receptor antagonists have been widely used since the late 1970s for the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers and other benign conditions of the stomach, oesophagus and duodenum. Several case reports suggested that long-term therapy with H2-receptor antagonists, mainly cimetidine and ranitidine, might increase the risk of gastric cancer. After early case reports, at least six analytical epidemiological studies (two cohort and four case-control) were published, including a total of about 1000 cases of gastric cancer. The relative risks (RR) were systematically and substantially elevated in the first year since starting H2-receptor antagonist use, and levelled off in the following years. Some excess risk was still apparent during the first 5 years of drug use, probably due to incorrect diagnosis and treatment of pre-existing neoplastic gastric lesions, but the estimated RR was not above unity for > or = 10 years since starting drug treatment in the two studies including information on long-term use. The findings of analytical epidemiological studies are thus consistent with the absence of a causal association between H2-receptor antagonist use and gastric cancer risk. Data on oesophageal and colorectal cancer do not support a relevant relation between cimetidine use and the risk of these neoplasms. With reference to total cancer mortality, in a Danish cohort study, for males the RR was 1.9 in the first year, and 1.4 in the first 5 years; corresponding values for females were 1.7 and 1.5. In a British cohort study, the RR was 3.4 in the first year, and 1.3 in the years 2-10. The excess risk in the first year was essentially due to gastric cancer. Post-marketing surveillance data for omeprazole and other proton pump inhibitors are much scantier than for H2-receptor antagonists, particularly on long-term use.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2002

Diabetes and the risk of prostate cancer.

The relation between diabetes and prostate cancer risk was investigated in a combined analysis of two hospital-based case-control studies conducted in Italy and Greece, between 1985 and 1997. Cases were 608 men with incident prostate cancer, and controls were 1008 men admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic diseases. No material association between diabetes and prostate cancer was observed, with a multivariate odds ratio (OR) of 1.07 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-1.66). Compared with men without diabetes, there was a non-significant increased risk of prostate cancer in those diagnosed with diabetes within the last 5 years (OR 2.04), while the ORs were 0.96 and 0.78 respectively for a diagnosis of diabetes 5-9 years and > or = 10 years ago.

Aged↗