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Biomedical subjects

G Gallus

Publications and source records attributed to G Gallus.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus in Italy from routine data: a methodological assessment.

This study was undertaken to identify and validate possible existing sources of information to estimate the prevalence of known diabetes and the incidence of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in Italy. The prevalence of known diabetes was estimated on the basis of data on drug sale, using specific defined daily doses as index of drug consumption. The estimation of the average daily dose used for calculations was carried out on a consecutive series of 911 diabetic subjects from two outpatient clinics. The incidence of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes was obtained by processing data routinely collected by the Regional Health Services, related to hospital discharge diagnosis records mentioning diabetes mellitus. The validation was carried out in 12 hospitals of the same Region. The estimated prevalence rate of known diabetes was 1.7%, including patients on dietary treatment. In the Lombardia Region in 1982-83 the estimated annual average incidence of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, under the age of 35 was 4.6/100,000. This rate appears much lower then that observed in Northern Europe and the United States while it is similar to the French rate. This is in agreement with the findings of studies showing changes with latitude of the incidence rates of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Poisson approximation to a negative binomial process in the surveillance of rare health events.

The Poisson approximation to a negative binomial process is evaluated regarding the surveillance of rare health events in the framework of the "Sets" scheme. This scheme defines an alarm in terms of "distance" between consecutive events of interest. The system's parameters are determined by minimizing the expected delay for an alarm when a given increase in the event rate has occurred, subject to a restriction on the rate of false alarms. It is shown that the main consequence of the Poisson approximation lies in an increase of the false alarm probability with respect to the assigned one, whilst influence on the expected delay for a true alarm is lower. It is, however, found that over a large range of practical instances, the Poisson assumption provides a reasonable description of the negative binomial process.

Binomial Distribution↗
PubMed1990

Identification of the cohort of type 1 diabetes presenting in Lombardy in 1983-84: a validated assessment.

An incidence register for Type 1 diabetes was started in Lombardy in 1983-84 for people under 35 years of age. The main information source was the Regional Health Service record system, which provides anonymous reports on all patients discharged from public and private hospitals. Great care was taken to assure the quality of the data in the register. The clinical diagnosis was validated by examining the case notes. Completeness of the register was assessed using multiple independent sources of case ascertainment such as the list of the Youth Diabetics Association, the files of three hospital endocrinology centres, and the registry of conscripts rejected because of diabetes. The estimated age-adjusted (world standard) annual incidence rate was 6.04 per 100,000 in the group 0-18 years and 5.96 per 100,000 in the age group 0-14 years. Females had peak incidence at 11 years of age, males had peak incidence 2 years later. These results confirm the low occurrence of Type 1 diabetes in northern Italy. A seasonal variation in onset of Type 1 diabetes was seen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence of retinopathy in diabetic subjects from out-patient clinics in Lombardy (Italy), and associated risk factors. A multicentre epidemiologic study.

There is little information on the prevalence of diabetic complications in Italy. For this reason, a multicentre population-based study was carried out in 1983-1985 in 12 representative out-patient clinics for the treatment of diabetes in the Lombardy region. Out of a total population of 17,704 patients 1160 diabetic subjects were randomly selected within strata based on their duration of disease (less than or equal to 5; 6-10; 11-20; greater than 20 years). Eight hundred and thirty-eight responders were examined using standardised protocols. The estimated prevalences (adjusted for duration of disease) for the total population involved in the study were 29.7% and 7.6% for background and proliferative retinopathy respectively. The overall standardised rates were higher in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (53.6%) than in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (34.7%) for both background (41.1%, 28.4% respectively) and proliferative (12.5%, 6.2% respectively) retinopathy, and increased with the duration of disease. The analysis of the relationship between diabetic retinopathy and the calculated risk factors did not show any association with hypertension or metabolic control, except for post-prandial blood glucose in subjects with durations 6-10 and greater than 20 years; an association with azotaemia was found in subjects with durations less than or equal to 5 and 11-20 years. Diabetic retinopathy appeared to be independently associated with the type of treatment and not with the type of diabetes, metabolic control, or hypertension.

Diabetic Retinopathy↗
PubMed1987

First degree family history of diabetes and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in non-diabetic subjects in the National Telephone Company: a metabolic survey.

The effect of first degree family history of diabetes on known risk factors for cardiovascular disease was evaluated in 4989 non-diabetic employees of the Italian Telephone Company. Family history of diabetes was present in 759 subjects (476 males and 283 females); in these subjects body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose levels (fasting and one and two-hour post-load), triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly higher than in age and sex-matched controls. In different age groups (less than 30, 31-40, 41-50, greater than 50 years) the effect of first degree family history of diabetes was evaluated after stratification by sex. In males with first degree family history of diabetes, this effect was strongest in the under 30 age group: body mass indices, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting and two-hour post-load blood glucose levels, triglyceride and cholesterol levels were all significantly higher than in subjects with negative family history of diabetes. These differences between subjects with negative and positive family histories declined with age and disappeared in subjects over 50. In females the effect of familial diabetes was weaker and delayed for body mass index and one hour blood glucose, appearing only in subjects over 30. Multiple logistic analysis indicated that only body mass index and one-hour blood glucose levels were independently associated with positive family history of diabetes. The differences observed between males and females in the youngest age group were also confirmed by this analysis. These data may indicate a multifactorial genetic link leading to increased cardiovascular morbidity in subjects with diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Epidemiological data on cervical carcinoma relevant to cytopathology.

Epidemiological studies based on cervical cytopathology have aroused widespread interest since it was realized that they could be a useful tool for measuring the effectiveness of screening programs and defining practical measures for the prevention of invasive neoplasms and deaths. In the present article, published evidence from screening programs, cohort investigations and case-control studies is reviewed, and possibilities for further analyses and applications are discussed. In particular, when estimates of the relative protections conveyed by Pap smear from various case-control studies conducted on different populations and using different criteria of selection were pooled, a surprisingly close concordance emerged, with overall risk estimates of invasive cervical cancer of 0.42 for women reporting one smear, and of 0.20 for two or more smears in the past. This protection appeared to be long-lasting in a considerable proportion of cases, since the major determinant of invasive cancer risk was the number of previous smears rather than the interval since last smear, and a noticeable residual effect was evident even more than 10 years after the last smear. Besides providing a measure of the effectiveness of cytological screening and helping define the optimal frequency of screening using the limited resources available, case-control studies should permit accurate estimates of the sensitivity of the test and quantify the probability of transition and the duration of various stages of the neoplastic process, i.e., permit a better understanding of the natural history of the disease.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1986

Growth rate of primary breast cancer and prognosis: observations on a 3- to 7-year follow-up in 180 breast cancers.

The disease-free probabilities after 3 to 7 years of follow-up of 180 breast cancers of known doubling times were studied to assess the prognostic significance and clinical implications of the growth characteristics of primary breast cancer. Fast-growing tumours, N+ greater than 3, showed a prognosis significantly worse (P less than 0.01) than that of slow-growing tumours of the same class; no significant differences were found among N- or N+ (1-3) fast-, intermediate- and slow-growing tumours. Highly significant differences were found among fast- and intermediate-growing tumours with different degrees of lymph node involvement (respectively P less than 0.0001 and P less than 0.001), with the worst prognosis for N+ greater than 3 tumours. In contrast, no significant differences were found among slow-growing tumours of the different N classes. When the Cox model was applied, the relationship between lymph node involvement and doubling time was significant, as was the interaction term. It is suggested that growth rate and metastatic potential are not the same in primary breast cancers, and their relation should be investigated.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1986

Follow-up results of a prevention program for cervical cancer.

Of 4,782 women attending a colposcopy clinic from 1964 to 1971, 4,358 were included in a prevention program for cervical cancer and were followed for at least ten years. Of them, 1,105 were untreated and 3,253 treated. One hundred two underwent surgery and 3,151, electrocautery (ECT). On the basis of the post-ECT colposcopic examination, cervices were divided into iodine dark and iodine light. One cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN III) and three invasive cancers were found among the untreated women. Three neoplasias (one adenocarcinoma, one in situ carcinoma and one invasive carcinoma) were found among the treated non-CIN women, only one carcinoma among the treated CIN women and no neoplasias among the surgically treated women. The comparison showed a difference in favor of the treated group, though it was not statistically significant. A comparison between the observed and expected data on the basis of the literature was highly significant: the expected appeared high. While these data do not prove the basic hypothesis that ECT has a protective effect in cancer prevention, they do provide some evidence in favor of it.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1985

Risk factors for gestational trophoblastic disease in Italy.

Between June 1981 and March 1983, data were collected to assess risk factors for gestational trophoblastic disease in a case-control study of 100 women with trophoblastic tumors (17 partial hydatidiform moles, 63 complete moles, and 20 choriocarcinomas) and 200 age-matched controls admitted for normal deliveries to university or general hospitals in Lombardy, Northern Italy. Questions were asked about each patient's general life-style, and medical, obstetric, menstrual, contraceptive, and social history. The risk of trophoblastic disease increased with increasing paternal age: women whose husbands were aged 40-44 years and 45 years or more had a relative risk of 2.4 and 4.2, respectively, compared to women married to men aged under 40 years. This association was independent of maternal age. Cigarette smoking was associated with trophoblastic tumors (relative risk estimate for smokers vs. never smokers = 2.0, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-3.2), the risk being greater for women who smoked more cigarettes and for longer. The effect of cigarette smoking was not explained by any other identified potential distorting factor. A positive history of fertility problems or difficulties in conception and a personal or family history of gestational trophoblastic disease were more common among the cases. Past use of oral contraceptives was not related to the risk of trophoblastic tumors, but use of an intrauterine device was significantly more common among the cases. The findings give epidemiologic support to the evidence of an androgenetic role in the origin of hydatidiform mole; moreover, they provide new hypotheses on the risk factors for gestational trophoblastic disease in developed countries. Further exploration of these factors may lead to a more coherent body of evidence on the etiology of these diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Benign breast disease and consumption of beverages containing methylxanthines.

The relationship between methylxanthine (Mx) consumption and benign breast disease was evaluated in a case-control study of 288 women with histologically confirmed benign breast lumps (203 dysplastic lesions and 85 benign tumors) and 2 groups of control women--285 patients in the hospital for acute conditions apparently unrelated to the consumption of Mx-containing beverages and 291 outpatients. The relative risk estimates of dysplastic breast lesions (fibrocystic disease), with allowance for all identified potential distorting factors, for women who drank 1-2 or 3 or more cups of coffee per day were 4.1 and 6.4, respectively, when the hospital controls were the comparison group and 2.0 and 3.7, respectively, when the outpatient controls were the comparison group. The relationship was even stronger when the total consumption of Mx-containing beverages (coffee plus tea) was considered and increased with increasing duration of use. The association was not explained by any of the major risk factors for fibrocystic breast diseases or by differences in general characteristics or other lifestyle habits between cases and controls. Mx consumption was not related to the risk of benign breast tumors (fibroadenomas). These findings support the hypothesis that Mx consumption is related to the risk of dysplastic lesions of the breast.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The growth rate in the interpretation of the natural history of lung cancer.

The relationship between growth rate, expressed as doubling time (DT), of 110 lung cancers from randomly collected patients and patient age, sex, histological type, symptoms, smoking habits, size and lymph node involvement was studied. Median DT values of epidermoid carcinomas and adenocarcinomas were superimposable (98 and 99 days, respectively), but 15% of adenocarcinomas had a DT of more than one year. Significant correlations were found with sex (slower growth rate in females) and symptoms (faster growth in symptomatic patients), but only for adenocarcinomas. The number of cigarettes smoked did not seem to affect the growth rate of lung cancers. There was no correlation between growth rate and tumor size or lymph node involvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Oral contraceptives and benign breast disease: a case-control study.

The relationship between benign breast disease and use of oral contraceptives was analyzed in a case-control study conducted in Milan with 288 cases of clinically relevant and histologically confirmed benign breast disease and 285 age-matched controls with a spectrum of acute conditions apparently unrelated to use of oral contraceptives. Compared to the risk for women who had never used oral contraceptives, the relative risk for users was 1.0 (95% confidence interval: 0.6 to 1.5). There was no significant association with duration of use; however, a significantly lower relative risk was found in women using oral contraceptives during the year before breast biopsy (relative risk: 0.4; 95% confidence interval: 0.2 to 0.8). The protection in current users increased with increasing duration of use. In spite of this finding, the overall results of the present study do not support the hypothesis that oral contraceptive use protects against development of histologically confirmed and clinically relevant benign breast disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The clinical relevance of the epidemiology of ovarian cancer.

This paper reviews some clinically relevant aspects of the epidemiology of ovarian cancer. The items presented and discussed are: (1) incidence and mortality data: they show substantial stability in all Western countries over the last few decades; (2) risk factors: the relationships with child-bearing patterns and other reproductive variables (age at menarche and at menopause; oral contraceptives) appear well established but no risk factor is sufficiently strong to be of practical value in prevention or early diagnosis: (3) long-term survival: in spite of the large number of clinical studies that have claimed 'more effective' treatments, no improvement of long-term survival in the population as a whole has been established. Some discrepancies and drawbacks in published trials are discussed, and a different approach towards clinical studies is suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Risk factors for pathologically confirmed benign breast disease.

Between November 1981 and March 1983, data were collected to evaluate risk factors for benign breast lesions in a case-control study based on 288 women with histologically proven benign breast disease, admitted for biopsy to the Tumor Institute of Milan, and 285 age-matched controls. Questions were asked about menstrual and reproductive characteristics, marital status, education, history of various diseases, and lifetime use of oral contraceptives and other hormonal treatments. Nulliparity or low parity, late age at first birth, and late menopause were associated with an increased risk of benign breast disease. The elevated risk associated with late age at first birth was not accounted for by parity. Early age at menarche was associated with an increased risk, but the estimate was not statistically significant. The data do not suggest that the use of oral contraceptives or other female hormones (such as estrogen replacement therapy) is related to the risk of benign breast disease. Risk was apparently lower, however, among current and long-term oral contraceptive users. There was no evidence of a trend with reference to body mass index. The present data indicate a substantial agreement between the risk factors for (pathologically confirmed) benign and malignant breast disease, not only directly, by showing a relationship with parity, age at first birth, and age at menopause, but also indirectly, by failing to produce evidence that greater weight or the use of oral contraceptives has a protective effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Invasive cervical cancer in young women.

Between 1970 and 1979, 103 women below 35 years of age with invasive cervical cancer were treated at the First Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic of the University of Milan. Nine patients were pregnant or less than 3 months postpartum. Estimated 10-year disease-free survival, determined by the life-table method, was 100% in stage IA (37 patients), 79% in stage IB (45 patients), 67% in stage II (15 patients), 0% in stages III (5 patients) and IV (1 patient). Prognosis was also strongly associated with lymph-node involvement, 10-year actuarial survival decreasing from 93% in lymph-node-negative to 44% in lymph-node-positive patients (P less than 0.001). The prognostic relevance of the clinical stage decreased after adjustment for lymph-node involvement, but the statistical significance of lymph-node involvement was unaffected when stage was allowed for. In the present series, the estimated 10-year disease-free survival was 80% in patients treated by radical hysterectomy compared with 62% in the group treated by total hysterectomy (stage IB to IV patients only); this difference, however, was not statistically significant when the data were adjusted for clinical stage (P = 0.10). None of the 20 patients with recurrent disease could be managed successfully.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Risk factors for endometrial cancer at different ages.

The importance of the major risk factors for endometrial cancer in women of different ages was evaluated with the use of data from a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy, on 283 women with endometrial cancer and 566 age-matched controls. Current weight was related strongly to the risk of endometrial cancer both in younger (premenopausal) and in older women (with risk estimates for the heaviest categories of 20.3 and 7.7, respectively), thus confirming that obesity is the major cause of endometrial cancer in Northern Italy. Endometrial cancer risk appeared to be approximately proportional to the second power of body mass index. Early menarche and nulliparity were associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer in premenopausal women, the point estimate for nulliparity rising to 35.1 (with lower confidence limit of 10.2) after adjustment for marital status. However, no association with these factors was evident in postmenopausal women. Combination oral contraceptives were used by 2 cases and 19 controls only [relative risk (RR) = 0.2, with 95% confidence interval = 0.1-0.8]. The use of noncontraceptive estrogens was associated with an elevated risk, which was greater in perimenopausal women (RR = 5.1 for greater than 2 yr of use), and decreased progressively with increasing time after menopause. Late menopause was also related to endometrial cancer. However, the risk estimates for late menopause apparently were more elevated in older women (greater than or equal to 65 yr) than in perimenopausal women. Most of the risk factors identified (excluding late menopause) apparently act on one of the later stages of the process of carcinogenesis, because the excess risk drops after cessation of exposure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Delayed diagnosis of endometrial cancer in Italy.

This study considers the prevalence of early bleeding in a series of 173 cases of endometrial cancer, with particular reference to the lag time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis. The length of this interval is examined in the light of patients' and tumor characteristics. Findings show a general delay in endometrial cancer diagnosis in the population studied. In addition there was a significant trend towards worsening of the tumor stage, depth of myometrial invasion and histological differentiation with increasing delay, thus underlining the need for more care in detection of endometrial cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗