PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Puntoni

Publications and source records attributed to R Puntoni.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Epidemics of lung tumors in a Biella tannery].

A cluster of 7 lung cancer deaths among workers of a small tannery in Biella is reported. The major process in the plant, until the end of World War II, was chromium and vegetable tanning. A historical cohort study was carried out on a total of 353 male workers. The expected number of death was estimated on the basis of local mortality rates. An SMR for lung cancer of 449 (95% C.L. 180-925) was found for the entire cohort. Excluding workers non specifically employed in tanning operations, the SMR for lung cancer increased to 1087 (95% C.L. 352-2533). In order to control for potential confounders a nested case-control study was planned. The next-of-kin of 8 cases deceased for lung cancer and 32 controls matched by age were interviewed on smoking habits and previous jobs. Logistic regression analysis showed an O.R. of 6.94 (95% C.L. 1.18-40.73), adjusted for smoking habits and occupational history, for subjects involved in tanning operations. A registry of incident cases of cancer was established in order to avoid biased findings based on cluster cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Methodological issues in a multicentric study of gastric cancer and diet in Italy: study design, data sources and quality controls.

The authors examine the problems of planning and conducting a multicentric case-control study on diet and gastric cancer in Italy. The solutions chosen for the study design, cases and controls identification, dietary interview, production of a common protocol for the field work are discussed. Results on the evaluation of the quality and comparability of collected data are presented. Further, compliance of cases and controls to the interview and to the blood and urine sampling with reasons of non-response are shown. Finally, the phases of the study and the methods for improving and controlling homogeneity among Centers are summarized.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Bladder cancer and occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The association between occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and bladder cancer development was investigated in a population-based case-control study carried out in the Bormida valley, Italy. One hundred and twenty-one male cases and 342 male controls, matched age, were collected from local hospitals. Occupational exposure to PAH and aromatic amines (AA) was evaluated by means of a job exposure matrix, constructed specifically for this study. Subjects considered as sharing a "definite exposure to PAH" showed an increased risk even after adjustment for cigarette smoking and exposure to AA (OR = 2.14, 95% CL 0.82-5.60). No elevation in risk was found for the category "possible exposure to PAH" (OR = 1.05, 95% CL 0.45-2.44). The findings of this study are consistent with previous studies indicating PAH as a risk factor for bladder cancer. A possible residual confounding effect due to AA impurities is discussed.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1989

Coronary hemodynamics and myocardial metabolism during and after pacing stress in normal humans.

We investigated coronary hemodynamics, myocardial utilization of circulating substrates (by coronary sinus catheterization), and overall use of oxidative fuels (by regional indirect calorimetry) in healthy adults during incremental atrial pacing (up to 159 +/- 9 beats/min), and during 25 min of recovery. Great cardiac vein flow (thermodilution) increased from 52 +/- 9 to 115 +/- 15 ml/min (P less than 0.001) with pacing; myocardial O2 uptake (301 +/- 53 to 593 +/- 71 mumol/min, P less than 0.001) and CO2 production (225 +/- 37 to 518 +/- 66 mumol/min, P less than 0.005) paralleled the pacing-induced rise in rate-pressure product (9.4 +/- 0.9 to 21.1 +/- 1.1 mmHg.beat. min-1.10(-3), P less than 0.001). During recovery, all the above variables returned to base line within 5 min, but myocardial O2 extraction remained depressed (67 +/- 2 vs. 71 +/- 3%, P less than 0.05). Circulating glucose uptake rose linearly with pacing (P less than 0.05) and remained above base line throughout recovery. By contrast, free fatty acid (FFA) uptake (10 mumol/min) did not increase with pacing and fell during recovery (P less than 0.01). Calorimetry, however, showed that net lipid oxidation exceeded FFA uptake throughout the study, whereas net carbohydrate oxidation was small at base line, rose significantly at maximal pacing (62% of myocardial energy output), and remained above base line during recovery (32% of energy output). In the basal state as well as during recovery, myocardial uptake of glucose equivalents (lactate plus glucose plus pyruvate) was in excess of carbohydrate oxidation, indicating nonoxidative disposal of these substrates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A cohort study of workers employed in a refractory brick plant.

A mortality study was carried out on a cohort of workers who were exposed to silica dust in a refractory brick plant. The cohort was divided into two groups: workers with and without silicosis, and their mortality was contrasted with the death rate of Genova from 1960 to 1979. Results show an increased risk for laryngeal tumors (3 obs., 0.44 exp., SMR = 682), nonmalignant respiratory disease (16 obs., 3.2 exp., SMR = 500), and cardiovascular diseases (19 obs., 11 exp., SMR = 173) among silicotics. The mortality rate for lung cancer showed an increase for the cohort of workers as a whole (11 obs., 6 exp., SMR = 183). The almost double overall mortality observed in silicotic subjects raises some doubts about the validity of other proportional mortality studies that showed no excesses for workers in these industries.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Primary tumor site, size, patients age and axillary lymph nodes in breast cancers.

This study considers the correlations between some characteristics of the primary tumor and level of lymph node involvement in 185 primary breast cancers. The average number of lymph nodes was higher in N+ women than in N- women. Primary tumors with a diameter of more than 4 cm yielded the highest mean number of lymph nodes (17.5). The risk of developing lymph node metastases was fourfold in tumors with a diameter greater than 2 cm when compared to those with a diameter less than or equal to 2 cm. The most commonly metastasized lymph node level, in both large and small tumors, was the first; however, one-fifth of the patients had simultaneous lymph node metastasis in all three axillary levels. Although the left breast was the most affected (58.9%), there was no evidence of a different risk of metastasis between the two breasts; 34.1% of the tumors were multifocal. Lymph node involvement was higher in women under 50 years of age with a primary tumor larger than 2 cm.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Mortality studies of dockyard workers (longshoremen) in Italy.

A polycentric mortality study was performed in five Italian harbours: Savona, Marina di Carrara, Livorno, Civitavecchia, and Ravenna. The cohort included active and retired workers (longshoremen), who had been employed between 1960 and 1981. Causes of death were ascertained from death certificates; expected numbers of deaths were generated from age, sex, calendar year, and cause-specific national mortality rates. A low overall mortality was found, which is in agreement with procedures of health selection, typical of physically demanding jobs; an excess of lung cancer was, however, found in four out of five harbours.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Effects of dilazep on coronary and systemic hemodynamics in humans.

The cardiovascular effects of dilazep, a new antianginal drug, were investigated in 18 patients, who underwent cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography for the evaluation of chest pain. Dilazep, 0.2 mg/kg, was injected intravenously over 1 to 2 minutes. The changes induced by dilazep in coronary tone were assessed by quantitative angiography in four patients, changes in systemic and coronary hemodynamics and blood gases in eight patients, and changes in systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics and blood gases in six. In 6 of the 18 patients the effects on hemoglobin-O2 oxygen binding were also investigated. Following dilazep administration, we observed a marked reduction of coronary resistance (six patients) (0.5 vs 1.0 mm Hg X min X ml-1, p less than 0.01) and of aortic-coronary sinus oxygen difference (seven patients) (4.6 vs 12.3 vol%, p less than 0.01), and a 23% increase in coronary diameter (four patients) (p less than 0.001). Total systemic resistance was also reduced by dilazep (six patients). Conversely, only minimal or insignificant changes were observed in heart rate (14 patients), aortic pressure (14 patients), total pulmonary resistance (six patients), myocardial oxygen consumption (six patients), double product (14 patients), blood gases (seven patients), and hemoglobin-oxygen affinity (six patients). We conclude that dilazep exerts a powerful dilating action on coronary vasculature without appreciable increase of myocardial oxygen consumption and cardiac work simultaneously with a reduction of peripheral resistance.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Evaluation of the cancerogenic risk in oil tankers during refitting.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations were measured in particles collected in oil tankers during refitting operations in which oxyacetylene flames were used. High levels of benzopyrene (8.3 +/- 7.2 mg/1000 m3) and nitrogen oxides (from 2 to 20 ppm) were detected. The fraction of collected smoke, soluble in cycloesane, was injected into the peritoneum of Balb/C mice. The frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) induced in bone marrow cells was evaluated. A significant and dose-related increase of SCE was seen, which was comparable to that induced by pure PAH. Based on these results, the presence of other mutagenic substances in addition to benzopyrene was suspected. Chemical and biochemical results confirmed epidemiological evidence of an increased risk of lung and bladder cancer in workers operating inside oil tankers. The authors propose the use of this coordinated approach for an effective primary cancer prevention program in the work place.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1980

Atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia in asymptomatic Hungarian and Italian populations.

The histological patterns of the gastric mucosa obtained by endoscopic biopsy were evaluated in two different ethnic groups, each containing one hundred patients without gastro-intestinal diseases. The incidence of atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia increased with age in both groups, revealing a statistically significant difference above 60 years. The comparative study of gastric cancer death rates in the two population groups showed a significant prevalence in the Hungarians above 50 years. This fact seems to support the hypothesis that an ethnic group with high gastric cancer rate has a higher prevalence of atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia in the older age groups, and offers additional evidence for the association of chronic inflammatory changes of the gastric mucosa with malignant gastric cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Adsorption properties of U.I.C.C. Rhodesian chrysotile and crocidolite in aqueous solution -- effects of cation depletion.

Adsorption properties of U.I.C.C. Rhodesian chrysotile and crocidolite were tested in aqueous solution with acid and basic dyes (Eosine Y. Picric Acid, Acridine Orange and Methylene Blue). Rates of adsorption showed a diffusion of only basic dyes in micropores of fibers. The strong adsorption of basic dyes on the surface of the fibers led us to suppose that the active sites have a negative charge. Our hypothesis was supported by the verification of an increase in adsorption capacity whick depends on depletion of Mg++ from chrysotile and of Fe+++ from crocidolite.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1979

Mortality among shipyard workers in Genoa, Italy.

The dockyards of Genoa are exposed to many known or suspect carcinogenic agents, namely, asbestos, silica, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and halogenated hydrocarbons; other possibly harmful substances are trace amounts of aromatic amines, welding smokes, paints, and lipid-removing solvents. A cohort study of causes of death of 2190 dockyard workers in Genoa was conducted between January 1, 1960 and December 31, 1975. Mortality rates were calculated for 20 different occupational categories, for which there exist different levels of exposure to noxious substances. Two control groups were selected: the general male population of Genoa and all male employees (462) of San Martino Hospital, Genoa for the same period of time. Causes of death that demonstrated significant excesses for both control groups were: cancer of the colon, excluding the rectum; cancer of the larynx; cancer of the lung, bronchus, and trachea; cancer of the kidney, urinary bladder, and other urinary organs; respiratory diseases; and cirrhosis of the liver. The data obtained from these 20 job categories revealed different types and levels of risk for various carcinogenic agents.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Continuous monitoring of polycyclic hydrocarbons in an industrial urban zone: preliminary data].

Polynuclear hydrocarbon pollution is controlled sistematically in an industrial area in Genoa town. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation was carried out by gas chromatographic technique. First results show a remarkable intake of such pollutants in the air. The used sample collection allowed also the evaluation of polynuclear hydrocarbon levels according to the day hours.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Angiotensin II metabolism and blood pressure in chronic renal disease.

A direct positive correlation has been found between mean blood pressure (MBP) and angiotensin II metabolic clearance rate (AII MCR) (p is less than 0.001) in 12 hypertensive patients with chronic renal disease (CRD) while it is not discernible in nine normals. A strong positive correlation appears between angiotensin II arterio-venous extraction (AII E) and total peripheral resistance in the two groups when analysed both jointly or separately (p is less than 0.001 in all instances). As MBP equals cardiac output (CO) x TPR and AII MCR equals CO x AII E percent, the only parameter which makes the two groups different in the relation MBP/AII MCR is the impairment of CO autoregulation in CRD cases. AII peripheral extraction and degradation is closely linked to the control of peripheral vascular resistance in the two groups.

Angiotensin II↗