[Occupational and environmental cancer in southern Sardinia: a survey on ten years of hospitalizations]. / Tumori ad elevata frazione eziologica occupazionale o ambientale nella ASL di Cagliari: un' analisi di 10 anni di ricoveri.

Based on hospital discharges in 1001-2010, we calculated risk of tumours with an elevated occupational and environmental etiological fraction by health district of residence within the Local Health Unit (LHU) N. 8 of Sardinia. With reference to the age and gender-specific hospitalization rates of the whole LHU, residents in the urban Cagliari health district showed an excess risk of haemolymphopoietic cancer (RR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.12) and bladder cancer (RR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.05-1.16); in both instances, risks were higher among female residents. The highest excess risk for lung cancer was observed among residents in the Quartu-Parteolla health district (RR = 1.13; 95% CI 1.05-1.21), and it was slightly higher among male residents. The results appear to confirm the role of urban factors in increasing cancer risk.

An outbreak of severe invasive meningococcal disease due to a capsular switched Neisseria meningitidis hypervirulent strain B:cc11.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Southern Sardinia. METHODS: Epidemiological and microbiological investigations were performed. The latter included antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). RESULTS: Seven individuals with severe IMD were found to be infected with serogroup B (MenB) Neisseria meningitidis in the first quarter of 2018. Five of the seven cases (five males; mean age 19 years; range 18-21 years; CFR 40%) were due to a unique strain B:P1.5-1,10-8:F3-6:ST-11(cc11), probably switched from the hypervirulent C-cc11, as confirmed by WGS. All five patients had attended the same nightclub in the 2 weeks prior to symptom onset. Public health measures, including chemoprophylaxis of contacts and active immunization against MenB, were implemented. CONCLUSIONS: We observed five IMD cases due to the same switched MenB strain. The hypervirulent B:P1.5-1,10-8:F3-6:ST-11(cc11) strain, probably switched from C-cc11, is of concern due to the observed high virulence and case fatality rates. All the patients shared the same place of probable exposure. The molecular characterization of the invasive strain allowed the outbreak to be confirmed, which was then controlled through timely public health action.

Functional and surface phenotype study of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood and lymph nodes of breast cancer patients.

In an attempt to identify lymphocyte subsets possibly involved in the response to malignant cells, we have studied the lymphocyte surface phenotype by using a panel of monoclonal antibodies on both peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and histologically proven metastatic and nonmetastatic (i.e., "hyperplastic") axillary lymph node lymphocytes (LNL) from eight breast cancer patients. Furthermore, we carried out a functional study by evaluating the response to polyclonal mitogens of the PBL and of the LNL of the same patients. A group of 30 healthy subjects, age and sex matched, were selected as controls for PBL. Six of them, who underwent surgery for nonneoplastic conditions, were selected as controls for LNL. The responsiveness of breast cancer patients' PBL to polyclonal mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) was significantly lower as compared with the control response. The responsiveness of breast cancer patients' metastatic LNL was not different from control LNL for PHA, and it was lower than control LNL for Con A, while the responsiveness of the same metastatic LNL was higher than that of nonmetastatic (i.e., hyperplastic) LNL of patients. Furthermore, the response of hyperplastic LNL was always lower than that of control LNL. The responsiveness of patients' PBL was always lower than that of metastatic LNL, while the responsiveness of patients' PBL vs. hyperplastic LNL was at variance. Regarding the surface phenotype of PBL, there was no difference between those of breast cancer patients and controls concerning the T-cells subsets, while the Leu 7, CD 21 and DR antigens were significantly higher among the breast cancer patients. No significant differences were found between patient metastatic and hyperplastic LNL or between control LNL and patient metastatic or hyperplastic LNL, respectively; only the CD 4 antigen was higher in metastatic than in hyperplastic LNL. A comparison of this surface phenotype between PBL and either metastatic or hyperplastic LNL of breast cancer patients showed values almost constantly significantly higher for PBL vs. either metastatic or hyperplastic LNL, respectively. The results of our study suggest that there is no change in the local-regional immunocompetent cell subsets that may be related to metastasis of breast cancer to regional nodes and to the progression of disease and that circulating T cells in breast cancer include cells expressing activation markers but not showing significant changes in the proportion of entire subpopulations.