Causes of death in women with breast cancer: a risks and rates study on a population-based cohort.

Introduction: The increasing survival of patients with breast cancer has prompted the assessment of mortality due to all causes of death in these patients. We estimated the absolute risks of death from different causes, useful for health-care planning and clinical prediction, as well as cause-specific hazards, useful for hypothesis generation on etiology and risk factors.

Materials And Methods: Using data from population-based cancer registries we performed a retrospective study on a cohort of women diagnosed with primary breast cancer.

Physical activity and play in kindergarten age children.

PERISCOPE project assesses factors promoting or preventing obesity development in early age. A specific aim is to assess preschool children's physical activity habits in three different European countries. PERISCOPE has been implemented in 1094 children attending kindergartens in Denmark, Italy and Poland.

[Survey of the nutritional status and related risk factors in primary school children in two Italian health units].

During the months of May and June 2007 two prevalence studies were conducted in two local health units in Italy (Terni and Bari). The objectives of the studies were to test methods and procedures to be used in the nutritional surveillance in primary schools; to measure the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children from those schools; and to determine the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour A total of 1026 children were measured and interviewed. The refusal rate was 17% in Terni and 16% in Bari.

[Monitoring of postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen for breast carcinoma].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of different diagnostic tools in the screening for endometrial neoplasms in women receiving tamoxifen as adjuvant treatment after surgery for breast cancer. The Authors' experience, while confirming the importance of a very strict and careful follow-up, stresses the higher sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic hysteroscopy.

Bone metabolism changes after transdermal estradiol dose reduction during estrogen replacement therapy: a 1-year prospective study.

Twenty-four surgically menopausal women were randomly allocated to one of two transdermally-administered estrogen replacement therapies (ERT): Group A was administered Estradiol (E2) TTS 0.05 mg/day for 6 months and 0.025 mg/day for the following six months and group B, E2 TTS 0.

Sonohysterography versus hysteroscopy for diagnosing endouterine abnormalities in fertile women.

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of abdominal and vaginal sonohysterography (SHG) (considered both singly and in combination) for the diagnosis of intrauterine abnormalities.

Methods: At the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bari, Italy, the results of the abdominal and vaginal SHG were retrospectively compared with those of conventional transvaginal sonography and hysteroscopy in 35 fertile women in whom a hysteroscopy was indicated. The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of intrauterine abnormalities of both kinds of SHG (considered both singly and in combination), transvaginal sonography and hysteroscopy were compared; the predictive values of abnormal and normal SHG were determined by a 2 x 2 table relating the test results to the patients' abnormalities shown at hysteroscopy.

Hysteroscopy for diagnosis and treatment of endometrial adenocarcinoma precursors. A review of literature.

The guidelines for early detection of adenocarcinoma and its precursors are controversial. Ultrasound, due to its non invasive nature, could represent a useful technique for screening patients at risk but its specificity is low. Endometrial cytology, especially by using new device, is an effective, easy, and inexpensive method for screening asymptomatic women; however, cytologic investigation shows some limits due to the scarce desquamation of endometrial cells and to the difficulty in diagnosing hyperplasia.