Coffee intake during pregnancy and neonatal low birth weight: data from a multicenter Italian cross sectional study.

Aim: Coffee intake is common during pregnancy. However, the influence of coffee and caffeine on pregnancy has not yet been fully determined. Some studies show that high coffee intake could cause miscarriage, preterm birth or reduction of fetal growth, but other studies do not support these findings. The aim of the present study was to analyze data collected from a database focusing on coffee intake during pregnancy, which was specifically created for multicenter studies carried out in the maternity units of Italian general hospitals. Principal outcomes of pregnancy during pregnancy were considered. Methods: Data of 5405 pregnancies were collected by a direct questionnaire supplemented with data from patients'clinical records during the survey named PHYTO.VIG.GEST. Results: We observed that 42.3% of the total sample had consumed at least one coffee a day during pregnancy. Analysis of a dose-response relationship showed that, in pregnant women starting from the consumption of three coffees a day (6% of pregnant women consuming coffee), there is a statistically significant association between number of coffees and reduction of babies birth weight (< 2500 g). Coclusion: Even though high coffee intake is known to influence negatively birth weight, our results indicate that a significant percentage of pregnant women maintain this habit.

Pain Biomarkers in Cancer: An Overview.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a common symptom in oncologic patients and its management is generally guided with reference to pain individually perceived by patients and expressed through self-reported scales. However, the utility of these tools is limited as it strongly depends on patients' opinions. For this reason, more objective instruments are desirable. OBJECTIVE: In this overview, scientific articles indicating potential markers to be used for pain management in cancer were collected and discussed. METHODS: Research was performed on principal electronic scientific databases by using the words "pain", "cancer", "markers" and "biomarkers" as the main keywords, and findings describing potential biomarkers for the management of cancer pain were reported. RESULTS: Studies on pain markers not specific for cancer typology (inflammatory, genetic markers predicting response to analgesic drugs, neuroimaging markers) and pain markers for specific types of cancer (bone cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, prostate cancer, cancer in pediatrics) have been presented and commented on. CONCLUSION: This overview supports the view of the involvement of inflammatory mediators in the mechanisms underlying cancer pain. Only a small amount of data from research up till today is available on markers that can help in the management of pain, except for pro-inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory indexes such as C-reactive protein (CRP). However, biomarkers are a promising strategy useful to predict pain intensity and to objectively quantify analgesic response in guiding decisions regarding individual-tailored treatments for cancer patients.