Polycystic ovary-related miscarriage: should metformin be proposed to such frustrated women?
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Abortion, Habitual↗
Biomedical subjects
F Tomei
Publications and source records attributed to F Tomei.
Non-invasive electroretinography.
Electroretinographic (ERG) investigations are conventionally performed by using corneal or conjunctival recording electrodes. Both types have to be placed in contact with the eye, resulting invasive and providing discomfort for the patient. This paper presents a simple technique to detect ERG potentials non-invasively. It relies on the use of a conducting liquid between the eye and an external conductor, which actually derives the ocular potential without any ocular contact. These elements are the basic components of a new type of ERG electrode, referred to as Carpi-Tomei (CT) electrode. The paper describes the assembly of prototype samples of the new electrode. Preliminary testing assessed the feasibility of the proposed non-invasive technique.
Adult↗
Anxiety, musculoskeletal and visual disorders in video display terminal workers.
AIM: The increase in the working population assigned to video display terminals (VDT) has led to ever growing attention to reports on health effects. We studied musculoskeletal and visual disorders and levels of anxiety in 2 groups of VDT operators with different tasks, in order to evaluate if they could be influenced by organizational and intrinsically working factors. METHODS: The study included 190 VDT operators, subdivided into 2 groups (A and B) on the basis of tasks performed and average hours/ week spent at VDT (25 vs 36), and 190 controls not assigned to VDT. Ocular and musculoskeletal subjective symptoms and objective findings were assessed for all subjects, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test was administered. RESULTS: For VDT operators of the 2 groups, the relationship between ocular and musculoskeletal symptoms and findings, working life (P=0.0001) and number of hours spent at the VDT (symptoms P=0.001 and P=0.0001; findings P=0.002 and P=0.007), was significant. Group B VDT operators showed significantly higher state anxiety (S-anxiety) levels vs those in Group A and controls (P=0.001); trait anxiety (T-anxiety) was significantly higher in Group B and controls vs Group A (P=0.001 and P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the literature data about musculoskeletal and visual disorders and, as for anxiety, seem to denote a higher relevance of factors related to labor organization vs VDT use per se.
Adult↗
Cabergoline: a safe, easy, cheap, and effective drug for prevention/treatment of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome?
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Cabergoline↗
Respiratory and cardiovascular function at rest and during exercise testing in a healthy working population: effects of outdoor traffic air pollution.
BACKGROUND: There is controversy regarding long-term adverse effects of urban pollutants in urban workers. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of urban pollutants on respiratory and cardiovascular function in exposed traffic policemen compared to a control group. METHODS: Sixty-eight traffic policemen and 62 controls (all male) were investigated at rest and during symptom-limited incremental exercise test (performed with a cycle ergometer). The data were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the mean values of resting ventilatory capacity, the forced spirometric test, or in blood gas parameters between the groups. The traffic exposed group demonstrated a number of significant changes in cardiorespiratory measures on exercise testing. Twenty-six traffic policemen and none of the controls experienced exercise-induced ECG abnormalities, hypertension or oxyhaemoglobin desaturation; 80% of the 26 had resting PaO(2) values <80 mmHg. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that chronic occupational exposure to urban pollutants reduces resistance to physical effort and increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory changes including slight hypoxemia.
Adult↗
Analysis of micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes of traffic wardens: effects of exposure, metabolic genotypes, and inhibition of excision repair in vitro by ARA-C.
The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (MN) assay in peripheral lymphocytes was used to assess the genetic effects of the occupational exposure to traffic fumes in policemen from the Municipality of Rome. The study population consisted of 192 subjects engaged in traffic control (exposed, 134 subjects), or in office work (controls, 58 subjects). Groups were balanced for age, gender, and smoking habits. The average benzene exposure during the workshift was 9.5 and 3.8 microg/m(3) in exposed individuals and controls, respectively. All subjects were genotyped for CYP1A1, CYP2E1, GSTM1, GSTT1, and DT-diaphorase polymorphisms. The incidence of micronuclei and micronucleated cells was recorded in 1,000 binucleated cells harvested 66 hr after mitogen stimulation. Regression analysis of data showed that MN frequency was mainly modulated by the age (P = 0.001) and gender (P = 0.001) of the study subjects (relatively higher in the elderly and females), whereas it was unaffected by the occupational exposure to traffic fumes and smoking habits. A weak (P = 0.02) association between lower MN frequency and the GSTM1 null genotype was also observed. In order to improve the sensitivity of the method to excision-repairable lesions, a modified protocol, with exposure of cells to the repair inhibitor cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) during the first 16 hr of growth, was applied to 78 subjects (46 exposed and 32 controls). The results confirmed the higher MN frequency in females (P < 0.05), but failed to demonstrate any significant effect of chemical exposure (occupational or related to smoking habits). When the frequency of MN induced by Ara-C (i.e., spontaneous values subtracted) was considered, a significant inverse correlation with age was observed (P = 0.005), possibly related to the age-dependent decrease in repair proficiency.
Adult↗
Preliminary evidence on the safety of ICSI with testicular spermatozoa in HCV-infected male: a case report.
An infertile couple with a hepatitis C (HCV) RNA-positive male came to our attention. We were not able to perform an assisted reproduction technology (ART) procedure with ejaculated spermatozoa free of HCV RNA using gradient centrifugation and swim up, due to retrograde ejaculation and severe male factor. ICSI with testicular spermatozoa was the most rational therapeutic approach. The couple was informed about the lack of adequate data on the safety of this therapeutic approach. The risks of this procedure were accepted by the couple. Testicular sperm aspiration combined with ICSI (TESA-ICSI) was performed. After a negative result for an HCV RNA PCR on the embryos' culture medium, four embryos were transferred to the uterine cavity on the third day. The procedure resulted in an ongoing clinical pregnancy, and HCV antibody determinations performed in the mother at the 12th and 24th week of pregnancy were negative. The pregnancy ended at the 39th week due to endo-uterine death. No malformation or hepatic pathologies were found in the conceptus. A second TESA-ICSI cycle is ongoing. This preliminary evidence suggests that, in HCV sero-positive males, ICSI with testicular spermatozoa may be a safe procedure. However, we need more observations to clarify if ART is really able to reduce horizontal and vertical transmission of HCV in sero-discordant couples (only the male infected) in comparison with natural conception.
Female↗
Biomonitoring of exposure to urban air pollutants: analysis of sister chromatid exchanges and DNA lesions in peripheral lymphocytes of traffic policemen.
In order to elucidate the health effects of occupational exposure to traffic fumes, a few biomarkers of early genetic effect were investigated in Rome traffic policemen. One hundred and ninety healthy subjects engaged in traffic control (133 subjects) or in office work (57 subjects) participated the study. For all subjects, detailed information on smoking habits and other potential confounders were recorded by questionnaires. Average exposure of the study groups to benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons was evaluated in a parallel exposure survey. All workers were genotyped for the following metabolic polymorphisms: CYP1A1 (m1, m2, and m4 variants), CYP2E1 (PstI and RsaI), NQO1 (Hinf1), GSTM1 and GSTT1 (null variants). In this paper, the results of the analysis of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in peripheral lymphocytes, and DNA damage by alkaline (pH 13) comet assay in mononuclear blood cells are reported. No statistically significant difference in the frequency of SCE or high frequency cells (HFC) was observed between traffic wardens and office workers (controls), despite the significantly higher exposure to benzene of the former (average group exposure 9.5 versus 3.8microg/m(3), 7h TWA). Conversely, both SCE per cell and HFC were highly significantly (P<0.001) increased in smokers compared to nonsmokers, showing a significant correlation (P<0.001) with the number of cigarettes per day. Multiple regression analyses of data, with metabolic polymorphisms, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, age, gender, and family history of cancer as independent variables, showed that smoking habits, and possibly the CYP2E1 variant genotypes, were the main factors explaining the variance of both SCE and HFC. Within smokers, an association of borderline significance between the CYP1A1 variant genotypes and increased SCE (P=0.050) and HFC (P=0.090) was found. This effect was mainly observed in light smokers (<15 cigarettes per day). The analysis of DNA damage by comet assay did not highlight any statistically significant difference between the exposed and control workers. Moreover, no significant model explaining tail moment variance was obtained by multiple regression analysis using the independent variables shown above. On the whole, these results indicate that exposure to moderate air pollution levels does not result in a detectable increase of genetic damage in blood cells. This evidence does not rule out any possibility of adverse effects, but strongly suggests that in urban residents life-style related factors, such as tobacco smoking, give the prevailing contribution to individual genotoxic burden.
Adult↗
Harm to the liver among employees of the Municipal Police Force.
The purpose of the study is to assess whether employees of the Municipal Police Force of a big city exposed to urban pollution are at risk of hepatotoxicity. The usual clinical practice tests like AST, ALT, gamma-GT, AP, conjugated and total bilirubin were carried out, accompanied by a questionnaire designed to identify the possible risk factors and the principal non-professional confounding factors for hepatotoxicity. The study covered 118 male Municipal Police employees performing traffic duties and 118 male blood donors engaged in office work. There were significant differences between exposed and controls with regard to the average AST and ALT values and values above the normal laboratory range; this was also the case for the distribution. The results suggest that there may be the possibility of liver damage among asymptomatic members of the Municipal Police Force and that periodic hepatic screening, with the above-mentioned tests, could be useful. It is presumed that chemical agents present in urban air in big cities may cause damage to the liver, even at exposure levels that fluctuate around the admissible environmental concentrations.
Adult↗
Metabolic polymorphisms and urinary biomarkers in subjects with low benzene exposure.
The effect of some common metabolic polymorphisms on the rate of trans,trans-muconic acid (TMA) and S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA) excretion was investigated in 169 policemen exposed to low benzene levels (<10 microg/m3) during the work shift. End-shift urinary concentrations of TMA and SPMA, normalized to unmetabolized blood benzene concentration, were used as indicators of individual metabolic capacity. CYP2E1, NQO1, GSTM1, and CSTT1 polymorphisms were analyzed in all subjects by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length (RFL). The results obtained show significantly elevated levels of TMA and SPMA in urine of smokers compared to nonsmokers, whereas no correlation with environmental benzene was observed. TMA/blood benzene ratio was partially modulated by glutathione S-transferase (GST) genotypes, with significantly higher values in null individuals (GSTM1 and GSTT1 combined). However, a greater fraction of total variance of TMA/blood benzene in the study population was explained by other independent variables, that is, season of sampling, smoking habits, and gender. Variance in SPMA/blood benzene ratio was only associated with smoking and occupation, whereas no significant role was observed for the metabolic polymorphisms considered. These results suggest that in a population exposed to very low benzene concentrations, urinary TMA and SPMA levels are affected to a limited extent by metabolic polymorphisms, whereas other factors, such as gender, lifestyle, or other confounders, may account for a larger fraction of the interindividual variability of these biomarkers.
Acetylcysteine↗
Polychlorobiphenyls inhibit skeletal muscle differentiation in culture.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous and persistent pollutants whose role in developmental toxicity is of great concern. The observation that the offspring of PCB-exposed mothers (both in humans and rodents) display reduced body mass prompted us to investigate the effects of commercial mixtures of PCB congeners (Aroclor 1232, 1254, and 1262) on differentiation of both a myogenic cell line and primary myogenic cell cultures. The fusion of L6 myoblasts into multinucleated myotubes and the increase of creatine kinase (CK) activity were dose-dependently inhibited by Aroclor 1254 at concentrations (0.1-4 microg/ml) that caused no effect on cell density. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that Aroclor 1254 also prevented the accumulation of contractile filaments while inducing hypertrophy of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and appearance of membrane-filled autophagosomes. Half-maximal inhibition (IC50) of CK activity accumulation occurred at 0.01 microg/ml for Aroclor 1262, 2 microg/ml for Aroclor 1254, and 8 microg/ml for Aroclor 1232. Aroclor-dependent inhibition of myogenic differentiation was also shown by the reduced expression and nuclear accumulation of beta-galactosidase in primary cultures of fetal myoblasts from transgenic mice expressing this reporter gene under the control of the myosin light chain promoter. These data show that skeletal muscle differentiation is specifically impaired by PCBs and may explain the reported depression of body mass growth in PCB-exposed offspring at birth. Furthermore, myogenic cell cultures are highly sensitive to PCBs and allow the detection of biological effects of environmental levels of these pollutants.
Actin Cytoskeleton↗
Respiratory allergies on the staff of the police force.
The aim of the study was to evaluate respiratory allergies of an occupational nature in the staff of the police force. Five hundred and eighty-five subjects were submitted for lung function tests by dynamic spirometry. Subjects with a history of respiratory symptoms and border line respiratory function underwent bronchial provocation tests with methacholine. If FEV1 was < 80%, a bronchial reversibility test was performed. Allergic tests (skin and RAST) for inhalating allergens (perennial, seasonal and occupational) were performed. The results suggested asthmatic symptoms in 57 subjects, eight of whom were positive to skin and RAST tests for occupational inhalating allergens. Among these eight subjects, three had FEV1 < 80% of the theoretical value without therapy, and five showed obstruction of small caliber airways (MEF 25, MEF 50, FEF 25-75 < 65% of the theoretical value). The analysis showed a low percentage of respiratory occupational allergies. Among 21 subjects positive to Dermatophagoides, seven worked as archivists. In these workers, a concomitant occupational cause for the symptomatological and functional pattern was established.
Adult↗
Changing socioeconomic correlates for cancers of the upper digestive tract.
BACKGROUND: Cancers of the upper digestive tract have long been associated with low socio-economic levels. It has however been suggested that in recent times the social gradient for these cancers is leveling off. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from three case-control studies on oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancer conducted in Northern Italy during the periods 1984-1992 and 1992-1997 were combined and re-analyzed. Cases were subjects admitted to the major teaching and general hospitals in the areas under study with incident, histologically confirmed cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (n = 1126) and oesophagus (n = 714). Controls were subjects admitted to the same hospitals for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, not related to smoking or alcohol consumption (n = 4642). RESULTS: In the 1980s a significant association was observed with low education and social class level. The multivariate odds ratios for oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers combined was 1.78 for the lowest versus the highest educational level, and 1.75 for the lowest versus the highest social class. No consistent pattern of risk was observed with any of the socio-economic indicators considered in the studies conducted in the 1990s. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that the socio-economic correlates of cancers of the upper digestive tract have changed over the last few years in Italy, with a disappearance of the social gradient.
Aged↗
Environmental and biological monitoring of traffic wardens from the city of Rome.
A molecular epidemiological study on Roman policemen is ongoing. The results of a first assessment of the occupational exposure to aromatic compounds of 66 subjects engaged in traffic control and of 33 office workers are presented in this paper. Passive personal samplers and urinary biomarkers were used to assess exposure to benzene and polycyclic hydrocarbons during work shifts. The results obtained indicate that benzene exposure in outdoor workers is about twice as high as in office workers (geometric mean 7.5 and 3.4 micrograms/m3, respectively). The distribution of individual exposure values was asymmetrical and skewed toward higher values, especially among traffic wardens. Environmental benzene levels recorded by municipal monitoring stations during work shifts (geometric mean 11.2 micrograms/m3) were in the first instance comparable to or greater than individual exposure values. However, several outlier values were observed among personal data that greatly exceeded average environmental benzene concentrations. Among the exposure biomarkers investigated, only blood benzene correlated to some extent with previous exposure to benzene, while a seasonal variation in the excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene and trans-muconic acid was observed in both study groups. In conclusion, these results suggest that outdoor work gives a greater contribution than indoor activities to benzene exposure of Roman citizens. Moreover, relatively high-level exposures can be experienced by outdoor workers, even in the absence of large-scale pollution episodes.
Adult↗
Exposure to benzene in urban workers: environmental and biological monitoring of traffic police in Rome.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the contribution of traffic fumes to exposure to benzene in urban workers, an investigation on personal exposure to benzene in traffic police from the city of Rome was carried out. METHODS: The study was performed from December 1998 to June 1999. Diffusive Radiello personal samplers were used to measure external exposures to benzene and alkyl benzenes during the workshift in 139 policemen who controlled medium to high traffic areas and in 63 office police. Moreover, as biomarkers of internal exposure to benzene, blood benzene, and urinary trans, trans-muconic and S-phenyl mercapturic acids were measured at the beginning and at the end of the workshift in 124 traffic police and 58 office police. RESULTS: Time weighted average (TWA) exposure to benzene was consistently higher among traffic police than among indoor workers (geometric mean 6.8 and 3.5 microg/m(3), respectively). Among the traffic police, the distribution of individual exposures was highly asymmetric, skewed toward higher values. Mean ambient benzene concentrations measured by municipal air monitoring stations during workshifts of traffic police were generally higher (geometric mean 12.6 microg/m(3)) and did not correlat with personal exposure values. In particular, no association was found between highest personal exposure scores and environmental benzene concentrations. Among the exposure biomarkers investigated, only blood benzene correlated slightly with on-shift exposure to benzene, but significant increases in both urinary trans, trans-muconic and S-phenylmercapturic acids were found in active smokers compared with non-smokers, irrespective of their job. CONCLUSION: The exposure to traffic fumes during working activities in medium to high traffic areas in Rome may give a relatively greater contribution to personal exposure to benzene than indoor sources present in confined environments. Smoking significantly contributed to internal exposure to benzene in both indoor and outdoor workers.
Adult↗
Detection of antibodies to the benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts in sera from individuals exposed to low doses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The exposure to DNA reactive carcinogens is known to elicit a specific humoral immunological response, with the production of antibodies toward the carcinogen adducts. Consequently, the presence of circulating anti-carcinogen antibodies has been proposed as a marker of carcinogen exposure, and as a potential modulating factor in chemical carcinogenesis. In this work, the presence of serum antibodies to 7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene-DNA (BPDE-DNA) adducts was determined in two groups of workers occupationally exposed to low doses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e. policemen (194 subjects) and workers in the aluminum industry (105 subjects). Specific anti BPDE-DNA antibodies were detected in 5.7% (11/194) of policemen and 13.3% (14/105) of aluminium industry workers. Among policemen, a small, not significant (p=0.09), prevalence of positives was observed in traffic wardens compared to office workers. A borderline significant (p=0.052) prevalence of positives was also observed in heavy smokers compared to light smokers among aluminium industry workers. These results basically support previous findings on the association between chronic exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and formation of anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies, even though such association appears to be weak, possibly biased by individual factors which are still largely unidentified.
7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
[Results of nerve sutures in the wrist in children].
INTRODUCTION: Wounds involving the peripheral nerves cause serious damage in the upper limb. The prognosis for recovery remains uncertain despite microsurgery. It is commonly accepted that the results are far better in children than in adults. We sought to confirm this idea on the basis of objective recovery criteria, discriminating between peripheral axonal regeneration and the child's own capacity to adapt. In other words, do nerves regenerate better in children? MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical results of 25 nerve sutures of the wrist, in children under 15, were analysed with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. The subjects were reviewed clinically and had an electromyogram. The resulting data was compared to that for adults found in the literature. RESULTS: Clinically, the overall function of the hand was always satisfactory. The sensory results were often excellent (S4 or S3+ in 23 cases/25). The mean value muscular testing was between M2 and M3. With respect to the EMG results, the values we recorded were rarely representative of the functional results. The motor recordings were mostly poor, demonstrating that the nerve supply was compensated by a phenomenon involving collateral innervation. DISCUSSION: The poor results of peripheral nerve surgery are only due to the quality of the restored innervation. Dellon and Mackinnon demonstrated that they were also due to the incapacity of the nerve centres to integrate a change in the profile of sensory information. It would therefore seem that not only the quantity of nerve tissue repair is insufficient, but also the quality. Children have a superior cerebral capacity to adapt than adults and probably benefit from better cortical acquisition processes and are thus capable of putting the changes in the nerve messages to better use. The analysis of the clinical and EMG results also reveals a trend demonstrated partial nerve repair in children. We think that the functional results suggest that children have a better central capacity to adapt.
Adolescent↗
Risk factors for oral and pharyngeal cancer in women: a study from Italy and Switzerland.
We analysed two case-control studies of women from Italy and Switzerland, including 195 cases of oral and pharyngeal cancers and 1113 controls. The multivariate odds ratio was 4.6 for heavy smokers and 2.7 for high alcohol intake. Vegetables, fruit, beta-carotene and wholegrain foods were inversely, butter and retinol directly, related to risk.
Adult↗