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Biomedical subjects

P Carta

Publications and source records attributed to P Carta.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Mortality from lung cancer among Sardinian patients with silicosis.

The mortality of 724 subjects with silicosis, first diagnosed in 1964-70 in the Sardinia region of Italy, was followed up through to 31 December 1987. Smoking, occupational history, chest x ray films, and data on lung function were available from clinical records for each member of the cohort. The overall cohort accounted for 10,956.5 person-years. The standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for selected causes of death (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) eighth revision) were based on the age specific regional death rates for each calendar year. An excess of deaths for all causes (SMR = 1.40) was found, mainly due to chronic obstructive lung disease, silicosis, and tuberculosis with an upward trend of the SMR with increasing severity of the International Labour Office (ILO) radiological categories. Twenty two subjects died from lung cancer (SMR = 1.29, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.8-2.0). The risk increased after a 10 and 15 year latency but the SMR never reached statistical significance. No correlation was found between lung cancer and severity of the radiological category, the type of silica (coal or metalliferous mines, quarries etc), or the degree of exposure to silica dust. A significant excess of deaths from lung cancer was found among heavy smokers (SMR = 4.11) and subjects with airflow obstruction (SMR = 2.83). A nested case-control study was planned to investigate whether the association between lung cancer and airway obstruction was due to confounding by smoking. No association was found with the ILO categories of silicosis or the estimated cumulative exposure to silica. The risk estimate for lung cancer by airflow obstruction after adjusting by cigarette consumption was 2.86 for a mild impairment and 7.23 for a severe obstruction. The results do not show any clear association between exposure to silica, severity of silicosis, and mortality from lung cancer. Other environmental or individual factors may act as confounders in the association between silicosis and lung cancer. Among them, attention should be given to chronic airways obstruction as an independent risk factor for lung cancer in patients with silicosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

[Methods of evaluating results of physical rehabilitation].

Besides simple techniques of control of a readaptation program, the authors stress the importance of quantifying the intensity of the efforts imposed. They propose the comparative study of different parameters measured precisely at the level of well tolerated submaximal work: VE/VO2, SaO2/VO2 which they analize together with the effort test standardized by the EEC.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in the Italian primary aluminum industry].

The paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of 1478 workers in the primary aluminium industry in Italy (aluminium reduction with the pre-baked anode process) covering the prevalence and incidence of chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma, and analysis of lung function deterioration over time (annual decline in FEV1) in relation to occupational exposure and individual non-occupational features. The incidence of respiratory symptoms of chronic cough and expectoration was significantly higher among electrolytic shop workers, in whom the annual decline in FEV1 was also significantly greater. In this group the incidence and prevalence of asthmatic manifestations was particularly high compared to casting and workshop workers. Asthmatic symptoms showed a short latency period related to exposure in potrooms and seems to be characterized by a marked deterioration in lung function over time even after withdrawal from exposure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mortality in workers of a primary aluminum foundry in Portovesme in Sardinia].

The standard mortality rates (SMRs) were calculated for 1148 workers of a primary aluminium plant in Portovesme, Sardinia, hired between 1971, when production started, and 1980. Status (living or decreased) was ascertained as at 31 December 1990 and the relationship between observed and expected deaths with respective 95% confidence limits were calculated on the basis of age-specific regional rates for each calendar year of the follow-up. The SMR for all causes was 81 with confidence limits between 61 and 108 based on a total of 48 deaths. Mortality due to malignant neoplasms did not differ from the expected rate. The observed deaths due to lung cancer were decidedly less than the expected number (3 observed versus 4.7 expected). A significant excess of cancer of the pancreas was observed with special reference to anode production, based, however, on only 3 observed cases against 0.8 expected. In the absence of a more precise definition of the causes of death, of the environmental exposure levels and of the non-occupational confounding factors, and considering the young age of the cohort under study, it is at present doubtful whether the excess of cancer of the pancreas can be associated with work in the primary aluminium industry. The results should therefore be taken as preliminary, indicating that further studies are required.

Aluminum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bicycle ergometry exercise tests: a comparison between 3 protocols with an increasing load].

A group of 26 male long-distance runners performed 3 cycle ergometer tests of progressively increasing intensity up to exhaustion. The tests were performed on 3 different days. The workload increased as follows: 30 Watts every 3 min (test I), 10 Watts every min (test II), and 30 Watts every min (test III). Ventilatory and gas exchange measurements were averaged every 30 sec during each test. The heart rate (HR) was monitored continuously by ECG. In each test the anaerobic threshold (AT) was determined using ventilatory and gas exchange indices (VE, VCO2, VE/VO2). The work load on exhaustion and power at AT were the same comparing test I with test II, but these values were significantly higher in the 30 Watts/1 minute test. Conversely, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and the VO2 observed at anaerobic threshold were comparable in the 3 protocols. The slopes of VO2, VCO2, VE and HR against the work load (Watts) were identical in test I and II, but were slower in test III. However, no differences in the ventilatory and heart rate patterns versus oxygen uptake were observed comparing the three exercise tests. These results suggest a good comparability between the 30 Watts/3 min test and the 10 Watt/1 min protocol. Furthermore, for workloads below AT, a steady state was attained at the 3rd minute of each phase during test I, while oxygen uptake and other cardio-respiratory variables were underestimated during the protocol in which phases of 30 Watts were maintained only for 1 minute.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗