Publications by authors named "Carreras G"

BackgroundTobacco use is linked to increased cancer risk, and people who smoke represent a large proportion of newly diagnosed patients with cancer. The fact that smoking cessation at the time of diagnosis can improve the patient's life expectancy is still not broadly understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the survival benefits obtainable by quitting smoking on diagnosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Psychoactive substance use is largely found to involve multiple substances. In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed psychoactive substance use patterns. Aim of this study is to investigate profiles of polysubstance and their pattern during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The COVID-19 lockdowns significantly altered alcohol consumption habits in Italy, showing a shift from 26.4% at-risk drinkers before the pandemic to around 30% in the years following the initial lockdown.
  • A study involving over 6,000 adults utilized an online questionnaire and focused on demographic factors, revealing higher at-risk drinking rates among younger individuals, those experiencing anxiety or depression, and users of nicotine products.
  • Ultimately, the findings suggest concern as long-term alcohol consumption trends worsened, highlighting a greater risk among specific populations, including younger adults and married individuals, with mental health issues playing a significant role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, and this study investigates how second-hand smoke (SHS) affects lung cancer risk in people who never smoked.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of 126 studies revealed that SHS exposure increases lung cancer risk by 24%, with higher risks found in specific settings like workplaces and homes.
  • The findings confirm that longer and more intense exposure to SHS significantly raises the chance of developing lung cancer in never-smokers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Comprehensive legislation covering the use of all types of tobacco and nicotine products to provide a smoke- and aerosol-free environment (SAFE) should be part of strategies aimed at phasing out tobacco use. There is a need to identify challenges and opportunities for advancing SAFE policies and their implementation. This study aims to identify barriers and opportunities to extend, enforce, and comply with SAFE policies in Europe.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Smoke-free legislation has been shown to positively impact reducing secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, especially in countries that have implemented comprehensive legislation rather than partial bans. Also, secondhand aerosols (SHA) that come from the heating of tobacco or liquids, with or without nicotine, in electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been proven to increase levels of harmful substances in the air. Therefore, protection against SHS and SHA exposure and expansion of smoke- and aerosol-free environments (SAFE) should be taken into account when creating or trying to expand or enforce clean air policies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A significant portion of the disease burden in Italy is linked to lifestyle choices, specifically smoking and physical inactivity, prompting the need for a model to assess preventive interventions.
  • The researchers developed a Markovian model to simulate health status and risk factors in the Italian population, providing insights on disease incidence and the effects of interventions over time.
  • The model was validated with historical data and used to explore a hypothetical scenario of eradicating smoking and sedentary behavior, revealing potential long-term health benefits while highlighting the need for future model enhancements to integrate more data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is among the most common neoplasms, mostly caused by smoking. This study, carried out within the ACAB project, aims to provide local, updated and systematic estimates of years lived with disability (YLD) from LC due to smoking in the Tuscany region, Italy.

Methods: We estimated YLD for the year 2022 for the whole region and at subregional level by local health unit (LHU) using data from the Tuscany Cancer Registry and local surveys.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: To assess nicotine-containing products (NCPs; heated tobacco products and/or electronic cigarettes) use in relation to conventional smoking.

Methods: "LOST IN ITALY" ("LOckdown and Lifestyles IN ITALY") and "LOST IN TOSCANA" cross-sectional surveys estimated lifestyles changes before, during, and after the lockdown in a representative sample of the Italian population. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate prevalence ratios of NCP use according to socio-demographic, mental distress, and smoking variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We propose a compartmental model for investigating smoking dynamics in an Italian region (Tuscany). Calibrating the model on local data from 1993 to 2019, we estimate the probabilities of starting and quitting smoking and the probability of smoking relapse. Then, we forecast the evolution of smoking prevalence until 2043 and assess the impact on mortality in terms of attributable deaths.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Through the use of an innovative method to identify original publications, we conducted a meta-analysis of all epidemiological studies evaluating the association between second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure and breast cancer risk among female non-smokers published in English up to October 2022. Pooled relative risks (RR) were obtained through the use of random-effects models. Dose-response relationships were derived using log-linear functions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the effectiveness of total plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in distinguishing between malignant and benign lung nodules seen in low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening.
  • Researchers measured cfDNA levels in 137 subjects, including those with confirmed lung cancer (LC) and benign nodules, and compared its predictive value to existing assessment tools like Lung-RADS and Brock score.
  • Findings revealed that high cfDNA levels were significantly more common in patients with lung cancer, suggesting that increased cfDNA could serve as a valuable marker for differentiating between malignant and benign nodules in LDCT screenings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: It is crucial to monitor changes in body weight and physical activity (PA) to understand if short-term effects of COVID-19 pandemic have had implications over time.

Methods: This longitudinal study is based on data from 4,831 Italians aged 18-74 years interviewed during the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020) and two years later (February-March 2022). Changes in body weight and PA were assessed through multivariable analyses in association with socio-demographic and psychological characteristics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The economic crisis that began in 2008 has severely affected Southern (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain) Western European (SWE) countries of Western Europe (WE) and may have affected ongoing efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of the economic crisis on the burden of HBV and HCV disease.

Methods: Global Burden of Diseases 2019 data were used to analyse the rates of epidemiological metrics of HBV and HCV acute and chronic infections in SWE and WE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arrhythmic storm is a clinical emergency associated with high mortality, which requires multi-disciplinary management. Reprogramming of the implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) aimed at reducing shocks, adrenergic blockade using beta-blockers, sedation/anxiolysis, and blockade of the stellate ganglion represent the first simple and effective manoeuvres, but further suppression of arrhythmias with antiarrhythmics is often required. A low-risk patient (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common cause of endocrinopathy in the newborn Its incidence lies between 1 in 3,000 and 1 in 2,000, However, congenital goiter is a rare form of presentation. Hypothyroidism secondary to autoimmune etiology is extremely rare, with an incidence of 1:84.700-1:31.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Due to the continued detrimental effects of tobacco use, a growing number of countries are embracing the idea of tobacco endgame, meaning ending the tobacco epidemic instead of controlling it. This narrative review aims to synthesize and update the evidence from earlier scientific reviews on effective tobacco endgame measures, as well as to assess their integration to current national strategies among European countries with official tobacco endgame goals. The synthesis of the prior scientific literature found most evidence on product-focused and some evidence for supply-focused policies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Proconvertase subtilisin-kexin 9 (PCSK9) is involved in the atherosclerosis process. This study aimed to determine the relationship between PCSK9 levels and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume and cardiometabolic variables in patients with T1D.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To assess the confidence in the results of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions in the past 10 years and to analyze trends and factors associated.

Methods: This is a metaepidemiological study on systematic reviews (SRs) with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, and PEDro were searched for SRs of RCT on physiotherapy interventions for musculoskeletal disorders from December 2012 to December 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Previous studies linked cancer diagnoses with increased COVID-19 death risk, but many didn’t differentiate between long-term survivors and those recently diagnosed or treated, nor did they consider age factors.
  • The research aimed to provide clearer evidence regarding the risk of COVID-19-related death in individuals with active or recent cancers during the pre-vaccination period, analyzing 39 studies that adjusted for age and gender.
  • Results indicated that people with recent cancer diagnoses have a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19, especially for those with lung or hematological cancers, with the risk decreasing over time since treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: To assess the feasibility of developing World Health Organization (WHO) European Region countries' goals and measures in line with tobacco endgame objectives, information on the current tobacco control context and capacity is needed. The aim of this study was to assess the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and MPOWER measures in the region.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study we used data from the WHO FCTC implementation reports and MPOWER from 2020 in 53 WHO European Region countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AFIB), the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, is a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and death. Because of the recent advances in AFIB management and the availability of new oral anticoagulants (OACs), there is a need for a systematic and predefined collection of contemporary data regarding its management and treatment.

Methods: The objective of the ongoing ITALY-AFIB registry is to evaluate the long-term morbidity and mortality in patients with AFIB and to verify the implementation of the current guidelines for stroke prevention in these patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Older persons accessing the Emergency Department (ED) spend more time and are at increased risk of poor outcomes. The Dynamic Silver Code (DSC), based on administrative data, predicts mortality of 75+ subjects visiting the ED.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the implementation of the DSC in the ED.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF