Cancer risk in a cohort of licensed pesticide users.

First admissions to the hospital among 25,945 men living in southern Piedmont and holding a license authorizing them to use pesticides were analyzed in a study of the cancer risk related to exposure to pesticides. Standardized incidence ratios significantly higher than one were encountered for malignant skin cancers and lymphomas. The risk of lymphoma was particularly high in predominantly arable areas. The standardized incidence ratios for tumors of the nervous system and hematopoietic tissue showed an interesting age-related pattern and a higher risk in areas primarily devoted to forest tree plantation, but did not reach significance. Certain hypotheses are advanced to explain these findings.

[A method for evaluating the hepatitis B vaccination program]. / Un modello di valutazione del piano di vaccinazione anti-epatite B.

Two mathematical models have been created in order to estimate the effectiveness (number and proportion of infections saved) and the cost/effectiveness ratio (cost per infection saved) of a hepatitis B vaccination strategy among hospital personnel. The aim of the models is to analyse the mathematical relationship between the measurement of strategy impact and some variables: theoretical effectiveness of vaccine, proportion of assent to the programme, epidemiological characteristics. Applying models to Piedmont situation it has been possible to identify factors which have negatively influenced the effectiveness and efficiency of strategy.

Immune response to anti-HBV vaccination: study of conditioning factors.

The Authors studied the immune responses of 691 health care workers who were given HEVAC B vaccine (455 subjects) and HB Vax vaccine (216 subjects). The immune responses were correlated with data obtained by questionnaires: age, sex, B.M.I., drinking habits, smoking. The results showed correlation between these variables and immune response to vaccine.

Althesin in high risk patients with heart disease in orthopedic surgery.

Althesin was used in 65 patients with heart diseases undergoing orthopedic surgery, alone or in association with neuroleptanalgesic drugs. Patients were classified according to four types of heart diseases: atrial fibrillation in older patients (41.53%), disorders of cardiac rhythm (23.07%), valvular diseases (9.23%), ischemic heart disease (26.15%) and according to the degree of risk (ASA 3 and 4). All patients were carefully studied before the operation, and adequately treated with cardiac drugs in order to reduce heart rate, to reduce blood pressure and to reduce heart failure, whenever necessary. Anesthesia was induced with Althesin in all patients, and maintained with Althesin/N2O/O2 in 24.61% of the cases, and Althesin/N2O/O2/NLA in 75.39% of the cases. No significant changes in heart rate or in blood pressure were observed either during surgery or in the first 24 hours after the operation. There were five deaths in the days after the operation, one of which was due to surgery. One patient was discharged while still in a coma. All the other patients were discharged from the hospital within approximately four weeks from the day of the operation in good general condition. It was concluded that Althesin is a very reliable anesthetic agent for patients with heart diseases.