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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Italy: a medium- or high-risk area for multiple sclerosis? An epidemiologic study in Barbagia, Sardinia, southern Italy.

Italy is currently regarded as a medium-frequency area for MS. In recent years, however, this opinion has been questioned by many. Current public health organization in Italy is inadequate for epidemiologic search, ad accurate estimates of MS frequency are possible only as a result of intensive surveys of small population groups. To date, seven studies of this sort are available, which are comparable in suggesting that Italy also falls into the high-risk zone for MS. This paper reports the results of a similar survey in Barbagia, Sardinia, Southern Italy. Based on 21 probable MS cases, the prevalence per 100,000 on December 31, 1975, was 407, (48.5 of age-and sex-standardized to the Italian population). This result gives further support to the possibility that Italy is a high-risk area for MS.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Analysis of the use of disinfectants in Italy particularly in Southern Italy].

In an investigation of the use of disinfectants in hospitals, the replies received from 338 institutions were analysed and subsequently compared with those obtained from southern Italy. It was found that benzalkonium chloride was the substance most widely used in Italy for disinfection of the surgical field, wounds, excoriations, sores, the skin prior to injections, surgical instruments, medical apparatus, catheters, thermometers and sanitary appliances, whereas chlorhexidine was preferred for disinfection of the hands, and for ambient surfaces in combination with cetrimide. Formic aldehyde was preferred for ambient surfaces, the air of confined spaces, and, in conjunction with chlorine and its derivatives, for sanitary services and their vessels. Glutaraldehyde was the substance most commonly employed for the disinfection of medical apparatus fitted with optic fibre lenses. In southern Italy, by contrast with the position in Italy as a whole, there was a greater use of chlorine and its derivatives for the disinfection of ambient surfaces, benzalkonium chloride for the disinfection and cleaning of sanitary services, vessels, and equipment with optic fibres, and alcohols for the disinfection of surgical instruments and sanitary appliances.

Disinfectants↗
PubMed1992

[Extension of the area of Aedes albopictus in Italy. 1st report of the species in central Italy].

A new infestation by Aedes albopictus was discovered in Civitavecchia, Central Italy, in October 1992. This follows previous records of the species in North Italy, where the first infestation was observed in 1990 in the city of Genoa. The present finding clearly indicates the capacity of Aedes albopictus to spread all over Italy and to become a permanent pest in Southern Europe. In spite of the expected embryonic diapause in October, larval breeding was observed in a fifteen-liter glass jar with a narrow neck, left outdoor.

Aedes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Short-term all-cause mortality and its determinants in elderly male populations in Finland, The Netherlands, and Italy: the FINE Study. Finland, Italy, Netherlands Elderly Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims at identifying determinants of all-cause mortality in elderly populations of different countries. METHODS: Men ages 65-84 years from defined administrative areas were enrolled in Finland (rural areas of east and west Finland; N = 693), in the Netherlands (the town of Zutphen; N = 851), and in Italy (the rural areas of Crevalcore and Montegiorgio; N = 682). They were survivors of cohorts studies for 25 years within the Seven Countries Study with the addition of a subgroup of the same ages in the Netherlands. RESULTS: Five-year death rates from all causes were higher in Finland (297 per 1000), intermediate in the Netherlands (231 per 1000), and lower in Italy (191 per 1000). Five-year all-cause mortality was studied in relation to measurements taken at entry (age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and HDL cholesterol, body mass index, heart rate, smoking habits, and presence of coronary heart disease manifestations). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed (in the latter models, both linear and quadratic terms were used for most variables) with all-cause mortality as endpoint. Results suggested significant predictive power of age (direct relationship) and, in most cases, U-shaped relationships of risk factors to mortality. Non-HDL cholesterol showed significant relationships with mortality in Finland and the Netherlands, HDL cholesterol in all three countries, systolic blood pressure only in Finland, body mass index in Finland and the Netherlands, smoking habits only in Finland, and heart rate in none. Levels of risk factors associated with the lowest death rate in the pool of all countries were 183.3 mg/dl for non-HDL cholesterol, 59.8 for HDL cholesterol, 177.5 mm Hg for blood pressure, and 30.2 kg/m square for body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: In these elderly men the association of traditional risk factors with all-cause mortality is reduced, U-shaped, or even inverted. This is probably due to selection due to previous mortality, to comorbidity, and to changes in homeostatic mechanisms.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Is there a decrease in Guillain-Barré syndrome incidence after bovine ganglioside withdrawal in Italy? A population-based study in the Local Health District of Ferrara, Italy.

There have been many reports of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after therapeutic injection of bovine ganglioside preparations with the result that they were withdrawn in Italy in December 1993. As the relationship between bovine gangliosides and GBS has not yet been established, a further epidemiological investigation in the Local Health District (LHD) of Ferrara, Italy, was carried out in the years 1994-2001 to verify whether the incidence of GBS had changed after ganglioside withdrawal. The other aim of this investigation was to update the incidence of GBS in this area since the two previous investigations we carried out showed an increase in incidence from the years 1981-1987 to the years 1988-1993. The cases of GBS were identified prospectively. To guarantee completeness of case ascertainment, an intensive retrospective survey of all possible sources of cases for the entire study period was performed. The mean annual crude incidence rate in the years 1994-2001 (based on 26 new cases) was 1.97 per 100,000 population (95% CI 1.29-2.89), whereas it had been 1.87 per 100,000 population (95% CI 1.35-2.52) in the years 1981-1993 (based on 43 cases) when gangliosides were available. The age-adjusted rates were almost identical (1.66 and 1.65 per 100,000 population, respectively). Although ganglioside administration could have triggered, on the basis of an individual susceptibility, an immunologic reaction which produced GBS, the incidence of GBS in the study area did not change after ganglioside withdrawal. In the whole period 1981-2001, a temporal pattern of incidence was reported with an increase towards a peak in 1990-1992 and a progressive decline thereafter. This temporal pattern did not seem related to ganglioside withdrawal, and no definite explanation for it was found which could imply that the disease incidence is less stable than it was deemed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Attributable risk for symptomatic liver cirrhosis in Italy. Collaborative Groups for the Study of Liver Diseases in Italy.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Knowledge of the proportion of liver cirrhosis attributable to the main risk factors is largely based on methodologically questionable clinical reports. METHODS: The proportion of newly diagnosed cases of symptomatic liver cirrhosis attributable to known risk factors was estimated by a case-control study performed during 1989-1996 in 23 medical divisions of several hospitals distributed throughout Italy. Cases were 462 inpatients with cirrhosis admitted for the first time for liver decompensation. Controls were 651 patients admitted during the same period and to the same hospitals as the cases, for acute diseases unrelated to alcohol and virus infection. The proportion of symptomatic liver cirrhosis cases due to alcohol intake and hepatitis B and C viruses and the combination of these was expressed as the population attributable risk. RESULTS: Attributable risks were 67.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 53.8-79.4) for alcohol, 40.1% (95% CI: 35.3-45.2) for hepatitis C virus and 4.4% (95% CI: 2.5-7.6) for hepatitis B virus. The three factors together explained 98.1% (95% CI: 81.6-99.6) of cases in men and 67.0% (95% CI: 50.4-85.8) in women. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol is the risk factor with the highest impact on symptomatic liver cirrhosis risk in Italy. From a public health viewpoint, with the elimination of the well-known risk factors (particularly alcohol and hepatitis C virus), liver cirrhosis should become a rare disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

De novo cancers in paediatric renal transplant recipients: a multicentre analysis within the North Italy Transplant programme (NITp), Italy.

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and the outcome of de novo malignancies in a cohort of renal transplant paediatric patients. The records of 493 kidney transplants, carried out in 454 paediatric recipients at the three paediatric transplant centres of the North Italy Transplant programme (NITp, Italy) were reviewed. 10 cases of malignancies (2.2%) comprising both PTLD (post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders) (6 cases, 1.3%) and non-PTLD malignancies (4 cases, 0.88%) were reported. Non-PTLD included one urothelial carcinoma and one Wilms' tumour of the recipient's left native kidney, one abdominal dysgerminoma and one optic nerve glioma of the left eye. The PTLD consisted of localised or disseminated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)--associated B-lymphocyte monoclonal (5 cases) and polyclonal (1 case) proliferations. All patients suffering from PTLD had been EBV-negative at the time of transplantation, but developed EBV primary infection after transplantation. All PTLD patient donors were EBV-positive. In addition, all but 1 patient received, before and/or after transplantation, a range of immunosuppressive drugs in addition to the baseline prophylactic immunosuppressive regimen. Moreover, 3 patients suffered from syndromes associated with a genetic predisposition to cancer. Finally, the malignancies reported here were associated with 20% graft failure and 20% mortality rates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The provision of psychiatric care in southern Italy. Results from the 'Psychiatry in Southern Italy's Services' (De PISIS) survey.

OBJECTIVE: To describe structural features, attenders' characteristics and intervention habits in a large sample of Community Mental Health Departments (CMHDs) in Southern Italy. DESIGN AND SETTING: 1) Survey of resources and organization features of collaborating CMHDs; 2) Unreplicated registration of all attenders and of therapeutic interventions during an index week. RESULTS: A self-selected sample of 47 CMHDs in Southern Italy recruited 3845 patients during the last week of October 1992. Participating CMHDs were serving a socially deprived and severely ill population: 45.8% of attenders had 8 years or less of formal education; only 18.9% were employed, 30.9% of diagnoses were of the schizophrenia spectrum group and 23% of the affective disorders group. Sixty-eight per cent of patients were being treated with psychotropic drugs, while only 19% received rehabilitative interventions. The activity of CMHDs were oriented more towards the control of active symptomatology than towards rehabilitation. A significantly higher proportion of patients receiving a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder diagnosis were found in contact during the index week with those CMHDs providing both residential and semiresidential (day-hospital, community center) facilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Human nocardiosis in northern Italy from 1982 to 1992. Northern Italy Collaborative Group on Nocardiosis.

We conducted a retrospective survey of nocardiosis in 9 city hospitals in northern Italy from 1982 to 1992. The medical records of 30 patients with documented nocardiosis were reviewed. Microbiological data included morphology, biochemical characteristics, serology and in vitro susceptibility testing. The 29 isolates (1 case was diagnosed on the basis of serological results) were Nocardia asteroides (n = 25) and Nocardia farcinica (n = 4). Predisposing factors including immunosuppression for organ transplant rejection prophylaxis, lung disease (silicotuberculosis and pulmonary fibrosis), solid tumours and hematological malignancies, and AIDS. Three patients had no identified risk factors. 20 cases of pulmonary nocardiosis were observed. Sites of infection in patients without previous pulmonary involvement were: brain abscesses, soft tissues, pericardium, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid. Most strains tested were susceptible to amikacin and imipenem. Resistance to several antimicrobial agents was found, particularly erythromycin, fosfomycin, pefloxacin, sulphonamides and trimethoprim. Antimicrobial chemotherapy included sulphonamides, amikacin, ceftriaxone, imipenem and minocycline. 21 patients survived, although 2 relapsed transiently. Nocardiosis appears to be more common than generally realised by physicians in northern Italy. The local species distribution and disease spectrum are similar to those described elsewhere. Nocardiosis should be part of the differential diagnosis in patients with pulmonary infiltrates or brain abscess, particularly those with predisposing factors.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1987

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity in intravenous (i.v.) drug abusers in three cities of Italy: possible natural history of HIV infection in i.v. drug addicts in Italy.

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies and the symptoms induced [persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL), AIDS-related complex (ARC), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)] was evaluated in several groups of intravenous (IV) drug abusers in three large Italian cities (Milan, Bologna, and Rome). The earliest evidence of seropositivity in sera collected from patients with acute viral hepatitis dates back to 1979 in Milan and to 1981 in Bologna with peaks in 1983 in both cities. In two groups of IV drug addicts on methadone-maintenance treatment at assistance centers, the prevalence of seropositivity differed sharply between Rome (33.3%) and Milan (69.3%) in 1985. Rates of seroconversion were also found to be higher in Milan than in Bologna and Rome. When a population of IV drug abusers voluntarily attending centers for surveillance of AIDS and/or ARC were investigated, high levels (range 55.2-81.5%) of seropositivity were found in the three cities. ARC prevalence among seropositives was very high (range 48.1-64.2% in 1985) in the three cities. The evolution rate to AIDS in Milan was higher among those attending a center for AIDS surveillance (7.4%) than among those attending an assistance center for methadone treatment (0.9%). These data are compatible with the hypothesis that virus infection among IV drug abusers originated in and then spread widely in Northern Italy (Milan first and then Bologna). Both the first appearance and subsequent spread of virus infection are in keeping with the reported occurrence of AIDS cases in the corresponding three regions of Milan, Bologna, and Rome.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1995

Trends of smoking habits in northern Italy (1986-1990). The WHO MONICA Project in Area Brianza, Italy. MONICA Area Brianza Research Group.

The trends of age-gender specific prevalence of self-reported smoking habits are presented, observed in two population surveys, performed in 1986-87 and 1989-90 in Area Biranza, a northern Italian industrialized district where a WHO MONICA Centre is located. Methods were internationally standardized to obtain comparable data on two independent random samples, each composed of 1,600 subjects, age-sex stratified and extracted from the 25-64 year old residents. A closed question interview was administered to identify smoking condition (smoker, past-smoker, occasional smoker, never smoker), number of cigarettes consumed per day and attained educational level, categorized in compulsory school and post-compulsory school. Serum thiocyanate was measured as a validation index, using a cutpoint of > 100 mumol l-1 to detect false negatives. Trends in smoking prevalence are analyzed taking into account influences of education in the presence of an anti-smoking policy that was started in Italy toward the end of the eighties. Self-reported data, confirmed by serum thiocyanate, show a consistent decline of smokers among males (from 48 to 41%), more evident in younger age groups. In females, smoking prevalence is stable (23-24%), although thiocyanate levels in the whole samples indicate a slight but significant tendency to decrease. Education demonstrates positive influences against smoking, particularly in younger male classes. In females a crossover effect is observable: in the second survey youngest group, education results protective against smoking; the contrary is true in the older groups. Our data, detailing what was initially recognized in previous Italian surveys, may be useful to specify the directions of future preventive actions.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Interferon beta treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a post-marketing study in Lombardia, Italy. Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Lombardia, Italy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of interferon beta-1a (IFN-beta-1a) and beta-1b (IFN-beta-1b) in clinical practice for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR MS). Patients were selected and prospectively monitored according to a predefined protocol. An appropriate form was prepared to collect clinical data of multiple sclerosis patients attending the MS Centers of Lombardia, Italy. On 30 June 1998, 317 patients were treated with IFN-beta-1b and 156 with IFN-beta-1a. Basal expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and relapse frequency were similar in both groups of patients. The annual relapse rate consistently decreased from 1.76 to 0.63 at 1 year and to 0.51 at 2 years for the IFN-beta-1b group and from 1.6 to 1.0 at 1 year for the IFN-beta-1a group. Disability remained stable in most patients. Dropouts (20.5%) were affected by more active disease compared to patients who continued to be treated. This study confirms the efficacy of both treatments, showing a more marked effect than expected from the clinical trials' results, probably due to differences in selection criteria and exclusion of dropouts.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1998

Early childhood feeding practices in southern Italy: is the Mediterranean diet becoming obsolete? Study of 450 children aged 6-32 months in Campania, Italy. Cultural Paediatric Association.

With increasing affluence, the traditional food choices of Mediterranean populations are changing. The changes appear to begin in early infancy, with increased consumption of processed foods. To determine current consumption patterns of the diets of 450 toddlers, 6-32 months old, enrolled from 17 paediatric practices in the Campania region of Italy, quantitative data were collected for 7 d, using calibrated feeding bottles, cups and dishes. Automated food analysis was employed and quality control was performed on a sub-sample. The average daily intake was 373 kJ/kg. Forty-three percent of energy was provided by carbohydrates, while fats supplied 39%, 45% of fats were saturated and 46.7% were monosaturated (primarily olive oil). Proteins provided 18% of daily energy; most (81.4%) were of animal origin. Fibre was virtually absent from the study children's diet. Total daily cholesterol reached an average value of 191 mg/d, corresponding to 201 mg/4.2 mJ. The intake per kg of cholesterol increased with age in the first year, while proteins and fats decreased. Dairy products were the main source of energy, fats and cholesterol. Vegetables and legumes were a minor source of energy at all ages: the consumption of fruit decreased with age. Although the overall pattern of feeding of this cohort remains favourable compared with other children groups in developed countries, consumption of whole milk and full fat dairy products may be reduced to equilibrate the diet.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in a general population sample from northern Italy. European Community Respiratory Health Survey--Italy.

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey is an international survey of the general population which aims to establish whether there are significant variations in the prevalence of asthma among European countries. The present paper reports the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in a sample of subjects living in three areas of northern Italy: Turin, Pavia, and Verona. Samples of residents 20-44 years old (3000 subjects in Turin and Verona and 1000 in Pavia) stratified by sex (M:F = 1/1) were randomly selected from local health authority lists in the three participating areas. To correct the observed prevalence estimate for nonresponse bias, a method proposed by Drane was applied. Of the sampled subjects, 86% (6031) participated in the survey. Two different definitions of asthma were adopted: 1) prevalence of asthma attack in the last 12 months; 2) prevalence of asthma attack or treatment with antiasthmatic drugs, or both wheezing apart from the common cold and wheezing with shortness of breath. This combination of symptoms has been called current asthma. According to these definitions, the prevalence of asthma attack was 3.47% (3.74% in men and 3.14% in women), and the prevalence of current asthma was 5.01% (5.07% in men and 4.90% in women). The lowest prevalence was found in Pavia; the highest in Turin. Our findings support the hypothesis that the difference in prevalence reflects the difference in mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Flückiger and Italy: travels to Italy by the Swiss pharmacist and pharmacognostic Friedrich August Flückiger].

The Swiss pharmacist and professor of pharmacy, F.A. Flückiger, made eleven trips to Italy. His first journey took him to Naples but he also visited Rome, Venice, Florence, Sicily and the coast of the Liguria several times. His diary as well as his documented voyage reports allow us to reconstruct his routes, the places visited and the means of transportation used. They show the wide range of interests of Flückiger who observed nature, history and geography of the places visited.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1994

766 cases of oral cleft in Italy. Data from Emilia Romagna (IMER) and northeast Italy (NEI) registers.

Epidemiological and genetic variables for oral clefts were analysed for the years 1981-1989 in a case-control study of congenital malformations in the Emilia Romagna, Veneto, and Friuli regions, and in the Trento and Bolzano hospitals. Birth prevalence for all cases of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL(P)) was 8.2 per 10,000 births, and that for cleft palate only (CP) was 6.1 per 10,000. Coexisting abnormalities were found in 23% of CL(P) cases and in 43% of CP. No clusters in time or space were detected. For isolated clefts, a predominance of males among CL(P) and of females among CP was found; epilepsy was the only maternal risk factor correlated with clefts, and an association between clefting and consanguinity was found. Empirical recurrence risks were calculated in both isolated CL(P) and CP.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗