Search results for "epidemiologic"
showing 10 items of 396 documents
Descriptive Epidemiology of Stomach Cancer in Ragusa, Sicily, 1981–1988
1992
An epidemiologic study was carried out on 475 incident cases of gastric cancer registered by the Ragusa Cancer Registry (Sicily) between 1981 and 1988. Distribution by sex, age, subsite, year of incidence, and survival was investigated. A reduction of incidence and mortality between 1981–84 and 1985–88 was observed in both sexes, and was more evident in males than in females. Survival was not significantly different for cancers of the various subsites.
Cancer causes and prevention: a condensed appraisal in Europe in 2008.
2008
The rising cancer burden in Europe, mainly due to a rapidly ageing population, demands a clear and coordinated response from researchers, oncologists and other physicians, public health professionals and policy-makers. Primary and secondary prevention is the front line in the complex battle against cancer in Europe. To formulate the best strategies in this fight, the major determinants of cancer are summarised in the order of their relative importance in Europe, including tobacco smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity, occupational factors, environmental factors, infectious agents and genetic and hormonal factors. Furthermore, this paper offers explicit recommendations on individual beha…
Modelling the non-linear multiple-lag effects of ambient temperature on mortality in Santiago and Palermo: a constrained segmented distributed lag ap…
2008
Objectives: Exposure to ambient temperature can affect mortality levels for days or weeks following exposure, making modelling such effects in regression analysis of daily time-series data complex. Methods: We propose a new approach involving a multi-lag segmented approximation to account for the non-linear effect of temperature and the use of two different penalised spline bases to model the distributed lag of both heat and cold exposure. Compared with standard splines, the novel penalised framework is more flexible at short lags where change in coefficients is greatest, and selection of the maximum lag appears substantially less important in determining the overall pattern of the effect. …
Analysis of seroprevalence against Coxiella burnetii in a sample of farm workers in Western Sicily
2016
Introduction and objective. Little is known about the development of chronic Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii in occupational risk groups and in the general population in Italy, as well as in many countries in the world. The aim of this study was to highlight the presence of the infection in a sample of workers operating outdoors (but not directly in contact with animals), in three provinces of western Sicily, in order to detect the human seroprevalence and compare the obtained data with those found in animals raised in the same territory. Materials and methods. The study included 126 generic seasonal agricultural workers (labourers), 84 male and 42 female; none of whom were aware of any…
Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers: a comparison of home care workers who are and who are not informal carers
2010
ABSTRACTBackground: Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers who serve simultaneously as informal carers for their own family members have seldom been explored. This study examined how this dual role influences job satisfaction and quality of life by comparing these dual carers with home care workers who do not provide informal care. The study also explored whether the factors related to job satisfaction and quality of life between these two groups were different.Method: Standardized self-administered questionnaires (Job Satisfaction Survey, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) scales and various social demographic questions) were administered to the tw…
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in dermatological patients in west Sicily: a seroepidemiological study
2002
Objectives To evaluate the relative frequencies and molecular epidemiological features of viral hepatitis types B and C in dermatological patients in our geographical area. Methods We determined the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in a cohort of 677 dermatological patients admitted to the Department of Dermatology of Palermo. An 8-mL blood sample was taken from all subjects. The following assays were used: HBsAg, anti-HB core (antigen) (anti-HBc), anti-HB surface (antigen) (anti-HBs), anti-HB early (antigen) (anti-Hbe) and anti-HCV antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results One hundred and eigh…
The epidemiology of Varicella Zoster Virus infection in Italy
2008
Abstract Background The epidemiological importance of varicella and zoster and the availability of an efficacious and safe vaccine have led to an important international debate regarding the suitability of mass vaccination. The objective of the study was to describe the epidemiology of varicella and zoster in Italy and to determine whether there have been changes with respect to observations provided by an analogous study conducted 8 years ago, in order to define the most appropriate vaccination strategy. Methods A number of data sources were evaluated, a cross-sectional population-based seroprevalence study was conducted on samples collected in 2004, and the results were compared with data…
Complete Epstein-Barr virus seropositivity in a large cohort of patients with early multiple sclerosis
2020
ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a large cohort of patients with early multiple sclerosis (MS).MethodsSerum samples were collected from 901 patients with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or early relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) participating in the German National MS cohort, a prospective cohort of patients with early MS with stringent inclusion criteria. Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA)-1 and viral capsid antigen (VCA) antibodies were measured in diluted sera by chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIAs). Sera of EBNA-1 and VCA antibody-negative patients were retested undiluted by an EBV IgG immunoblot. For comparison, we re…
Effects of Heat Waves on Mortality
2013
Heat waves and air pollution are both associated with increased mortality. Their joint effects are less well understood.We explored the role of air pollution in modifying the effects of heat waves on mortality, within the EuroHEAT project. Daily mortality, meteorologic, and air pollution data from nine European cities for the years 1990-2004 were assembled. We defined heat waves by taking both intensity and duration into account. The city-specific effects of heat wave episodes were estimated using generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for potential confounders with and without inclusion of air pollutants (particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide). To …
Seroprevalence of Aichi Virus in a Spanish Population from 2007 to 2008
2010
ABSTRACT Viruses are among the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis. In recent years, new viruses causing outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis have been described. Among these, Aichi virus was identified in Japan in 1989. Aichi virus belongs to the Kobuvirus genus in the family Picornaviridae . This virus has been detected in outbreaks of gastroenteritis associated with oyster consumption and in pediatric stool samples, but little is known about its epidemiology or pathogenesis. In the present study, the prevalence of antibodies to Aichi virus in a Spanish population was determined between 2007 and 2008 by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As in previous studies, a hi…