Organochlorine pesticides in Argentinian butter.

Organochlorine pesticide residues were analysed in 150 samples of butter collected from several places in the cities of Santa Fe and Rosario (Argentine Republic) over a period of 18 months. Pesticides analysed in butter were: HCH (alpha and gamma isomers), heptachlor and its epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, and DDT (p,p' DDE, o,p' DDT and p,p' DDT). Most samples contained residues of gamma-HCH (Lindane) and heptachlor (92% and 78%, respectively); alpha-HCH and aldrin were detected in 58% and 55% of samples; dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, DDT isomers were found in few cases (30%). Mean values of pesticides residues in butter fat were: sigma HCH 0.029 ppm; sigma heptachlor 0.064 ppm; sigma aldrin 0.11 ppm and sigma DDT 0.024 ppm. Residue levels exceeded the limits prescribed by the Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization in only very few cases.

Pesticide residue levels in Argentinian pasteurised milk.

Pasteurised milk--120 samples--was analysed (in Santa Fe City, Argentina) to determine organochlorinated pesticides. Almost all samples showed the presence of such residues; the compounds more frequently detected being: heptachlor and its epoxide (98%) and hexachlorocyclohexane .HCH. alpha and gamma isomers. Residues of aldrin and dieldrin; chlordane (alpha and gamma); endosulfan (I and II); DDT (o,p-DDT, p,p'-DDE, o,p-DDD, p,p'-DDD) as well as hexachlorocyclobenzene (HCB) were also found. Despite their presence high concentrations are sporadic, the mean values being less than FAO/OMS tolerance limits. Relations between maxima concentrations and seasons were not found.

Risk of Kaposi sarcoma after solid-organ transplantation: multicenter study in 4,767 recipients in Italy, 1970-2006.

Given the high prevalence of infection with human herpesvirus type 8, Italy is an area of utmost interest for studying Kaposi sarcoma (KS). We investigated the risk of KS in transplant recipients compared with the general population. A longitudinal study was performed from 1970 to 2006 in 4767 kidney, heart, liver, and lung transplant recipients from 7 Italian transplantation centers. The sample included 72.3% male patients with an overall patient median age of 48 years. Patient-years (PYs) at risk for KS were computed from 30 days posttransplantation to the date of KS, death, last follow-up, or study closure (December 31, 2007). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals were computed to quantify the risk of KS in transplant recipients compared with the general Italian population. Incidence rate ratios were computed to identify risk factors using adjusted Poisson regression. Based on 33,621 PYs, KS was diagnosed in 73 patients (62 men): 31 in kidney recipients, 27 in heart recipients, 8 in liver recipients, and 7 in lung recipients. The overall incidence was 217 cases per 10(5) PYs, with a significantly increased SIR of 125. SIR was particularly high in women (n = 34) and lung recipients (n = 428) but decreased significantly with time posttransplantation. The primary predictors of increased risk of KS were male sex, older age, and lung transplantation. A 5-fold reduction was observed after 18 months posttransplantation. After adjustment, patients born in southern Italy compared with northern Italy demonstrated a significant 2.2-fold increased risk. Our findings confirm that in the early posttransplantation period, Italian patients who have undergone solid-organ transplantation, particularly those from southern Italy and those who are lung recipients, are at greater risk of KS compared with the general population. These findings underscore the need for appropriate models for monitoring transplant recipients for KS, especially those at greater risk and, in particular, in the early postoperative period.