Report of final results regarding brain and heart tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed from prenatal life until natural death to mobile phone radiofrequency field representative of a 1.8 GHz GSM base station environmental emission.

BACKGROUND: In 2011, IARC classified radiofrequency radiation (RFR) as possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). According to IARC, animals studies, as well as epidemiological ones, showed limited evidence of carcinogenicity. In 2016, the NTP published the first results of its long-term bioassays on near field RFR, reporting increased incidence of malignant glial tumors of the brain and heart Schwannoma in rats exposed to GSM - and CDMA - modulated cell phone RFR. The tumors observed in the NTP study are of the type similar to the ones observed in some epidemiological studies of cell phone users. OBJECTIVES: The Ramazzini Institute (RI) performed a life-span carcinogenic study on Sprague-Dawley rats to evaluate the carcinogenic effects of RFR in the situation of far field, reproducing the environmental exposure to RFR generated by 1.8 GHz GSM antenna of the radio base stations of mobile phone. This is the largest long-term study ever performed in rats on the health effects of RFR, including 2448 animals. In this article, we reported the final results regarding brain and heart tumors. METHODS: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed from prenatal life until natural death to a 1.8 GHz GSM far field of 0, 5, 25, 50 V/m with a whole-body exposure for 19 h/day. RESULTS: A statistically significant increase in the incidence of heart Schwannomas was observed in treated male rats at the highest dose (50 V/m). Furthermore, an increase in the incidence of heart Schwann cells hyperplasia was observed in treated male and female rats at the highest dose (50 V/m), although this was not statistically significant. An increase in the incidence of malignant glial tumors was observed in treated female rats at the highest dose (50 V/m), although not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The RI findings on far field exposure to RFR are consistent with and reinforce the results of the NTP study on near field exposure, as both reported an increase in the incidence of tumors of the brain and heart in RFR-exposed Sprague-Dawley rats. These tumors are of the same histotype of those observed in some epidemiological studies on cell phone users. These experimental studies provide sufficient evidence to call for the re-evaluation of IARC conclusions regarding the carcinogenic potential of RFR in humans.

Results of lifespan exposure to continuous and intermittent extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEMF) administered alone to Sprague Dawley rats.

BACKGROUND: Up to now, experimental studies on rodents have failed to provide definitive confirmation of the carcinogenicity of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEMF). Two recent studies performed in our laboratory on Sprague-Dawley rats reported a statistically significant increase in malignant tumors of different sites (mammary gland, C-cells carcinoma, hemolymphoreticular neoplasia, and malignant heart Schwannoma) when ELFEMF exposure was associated with exposure to formaldehyde (50 mg/l) or acute low dose of γ-radiation (0.1 Gy) (Soffritti et al., 2016a) (Soffritti et al., 2016b). The same doses of known carcinogenic agents (50 mg/l formaldehyde, or acute 0.1 Gy γ-radiation), when administered alone, previously failed to induce any statistically significant increase in the incidence of total and specific malignant tumors in rats of the same colony. OBJECTIVES: A lifespan whole-body exposure study was conducted to evaluate the possible carcinogenic effects of ELFEMF exposure administered alone to Sprague-Dawley rats, as part of the integrated project of the Ramazzini Institute (RI) for studying the effects on health of ELFEMF alone or in combination with other known carcinogens. METHODS: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed 19 h/day to continuous sinusoidal-50 Hz magnetic fields (S-50 Hz MF) at flux densities of 0 (control group), 2, 20, 100 or 1000µT, and to intermittent (30 min on/30 min off) S-50 Hz MF at 1000 µT, from prenatal life until natural death. RESULTS: Survival and body weight trends in all groups of rats exposed to ELFEMF were comparable to those found in sex-matched controls. The incidence and number of malignant and benign tumors was similar in all groups. Magnetic field exposure did not significantly increase the incidence of neoplasias in any organ, including those sites that have been identified as possible targets in epidemiological studies (leukemia, breast cancer, and brain cancer). CONCLUSIONS: Life-span exposures to continuous and intermittent sinusoidal-50 Hz ELFEMFs, when administered alone, did not represent a significant risk factor for neoplastic development in our experimental rat model. In light of our previous results on the carcinogenic effects of ELFEMF in combination with formaldehyde and γ-radiation, further experiments are necessary to elucidate the possible role of ELFEMF as cancer enhancer in presence of other chemical and physical carcinogens.

[Alternative treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy]. / Il trattamento alternativo della ipertrofia prostatica benigna.

In our study we propose to find an alternative to surgery management of IPB usable in DH regime with current instrumentation or with new technology from physics. We retrospectively reviewed techniques commonly mentioned in the literature to value benefits about cost, comfort, outcomes, and, at the same time, we stress disadvantages regarding each of these. TUI is economical, can be done in a few minutes, involves minimum bleeding, but can't be utilized in III lobe prostate and it doesn't provide material for histological tests. TUBT, feasible with light patient sedation, provides not satisfying results. Hyperthermia is necessary in selected cases. TULIP must be effected in anesthesia, needs complicated and expensive instrumentation, and it isn't practicable in III lobe prostate. Urethral stent application is expensive and not satisfactory in large size and III lobe prostate. The outcomes we obtained with TUI are similar to TUR; TUBT obtains good symptomatological results only in 20% of cases at 12 months. Hyperthermia and TULIP obtain an improvement in urinary flow rate from 20 to 60% and 50% respectively. Stent application provides good results. We think that the most modern, effective and economical alternative to the surgery of prostate adenoma is endoscopic surgery in TUI model.

Paraganglioma of the urinary bladder.

A paraganglioma of the urinary bladder in a 60-year-old woman presented with irritative voiding symptoms, without hematuria or hypertension. Sonography revealed a well-limited ovoid mass of the posterior wall, and cystoscopy showed that it was covered by normally appearing mucosa. Treatment consisted of transurethral resection, and the patient has been followed for 2 years without recurrence. Histologically the lesion consisted of small nests of spindle cells with clear to acidophilic cytoplasm; mitotic activity was inconspicuous. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for neuron-specific enolase and chromogranin A, and negative for cytokeratin, vimentin, neurofilaments, glial fibrillary acid protein and HMB 45. Sustentacular cells at the periphery of neoplastic cell clusters were positive for S-100 protein.

[The post-adenomectomy dysuria-hematuria syndrome]. / La sindrome disurico-ematurica post-adenomectomia.

The dysuria syndrome consists of the persistence or accentuation following adenomectomy of the symptoms which caused the patient to seek the urologist's advice. It is frequent event whose causes are largely connected to physiopathological events which are also influenced by the developing role between the urologist and patients in view of prostate disease. The authors analyse the various causes of post-adenomectomy dysuria and emphasise the importance of a precise diagnosis and the correct indications for surgery for the prevention of this disease.

Simplified endoscopic suspension for stress incontinence through pervaginal route.

We present an original technique of bladder neck suspension through percutaneous vaginal suspension for stress urinary incontinence. We emphasize the advantages of this technique which permits a close control of the cervico-urethral angle and a symmetrical lifting of the bladder neck.