Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Ground-Level Ozone Associated Global DNA Hypomethylation and Bulky DNA Adduct Formation.

Studies have indicated that air pollution, including surface-level ozone (O), can significantly influence the risk of chronic diseases. To better understand the carcinogenic mechanisms of air pollutants and identify predictive disease biomarkers, we examined the association between traffic-related pollutants with DNA methylation alterations and bulky DNA adducts, two biomarkers of carcinogen exposure and cancer risk, in the peripheral blood of 140 volunteers-95 traffic police officers, and 45 unexposed subjects. The DNA methylation and adduct measurements were performed by bisulfite-PCR and pyrosequencing and P-postlabeling assay.

CINSARC in high-risk soft tissue sarcoma patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Results from the ISG-STS 1001 study.

Background: The Complexity INdex in SARComas (CINSARC) is a transcriptional signature derived from the expression of 67 genes involved in mitosis control and chromosome integrity. This study aims to assess CINSARC value of in an independent series of high-risk patients with localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS) treated with preoperative chemotherapy within a prospective, randomized, phase III study (ISG-STS 1001).

Patients And Methods: Patients with available pre-treatment samples, treated with 3 cycles of either standard (ST) preoperative or histotype-tailored (HT) chemotherapy, were scored according to CINSARC (low-risk, C1; high-risk, C2).

Early palliative care in haematological patients: a systematic literature review.

Background: Early palliative care together with standard haematological care for advanced patients is needed worldwide. Little is known about its effect. The aim of the review is to synthesise the evidence on the impact of early palliative care on haematologic cancer patients' quality of life and resource use.

Coffee consumption and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: evidence from the Italian multicentre case-control study.

Purpose: Several investigations have analysed the association between coffee intake and risk of cancer. Contradictory results were reported by the studies conducted in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) few of which report results according to main NHL subgroups. The present study is aimed at evaluating the association between coffee consumption and the risk of NHL by analysing data from a large Italian multicentre case-control study that included 1,418 interviewed cases (1,301 B cell and 117 T cell NHL), diagnosed between 1990 and 1993, and 1,774 population healthy controls.

Metabolic evaluation in patients with infected nephrolithiasis: Is it necessary?

Fifty-four patients with infected renal lithiasis underwent complete metabolic evaluation searching for underlying factors contributing to stone formation including urine analysis and culture. Metabolic abnormalities were significantly more present in patients with mixed infected stones (struvite+/-apatite and calcium oxalate) than in patients with pure infected stones (struvite+/-carbonate apatite): hypercalciuria in 40%, hyperoxaluria in 34% and hyperuricosuria in 28% (p < 0.05).

Urolithiasis in renal transplantation: diagnosis and management.

Objectives: To report our experience of diagnosis and multimodal management of urolithiasis in renal transplantation.

Patients And Methods: From January 1995 to December 2012, 953 patients underwent renal transplantation in the Kidney Transplant Unit of Treviso General Hospital. Ten (10%) of them developed urinary calculi and were referred at our institution.

The effect of dietary estimates calculated using food frequency questionnaires on micronuclei formation in European pregnant women: a NewGeneris study.

The use of biomarkers of early genetic effects, predictive for cancer, such as micronuclei (MN) in lymphocytes, may help to investigate the association between diet and cancer. We hypothesised that the presence of mutagens in the diet may increase MN formation. A 'pooled' standardised analysis was performed by applying the same experimental protocol for the cytokinesis block micronucleus assay in 625 young healthy women after delivery from five European study populations (Greece, Denmark, UK, Spain and Norway).

Management of Clinically Insignificant Residual Fragments following Shock Wave Lithotripsy.

Clinically insignificant residual fragments (CIRFs) are small fragments (less than 5 mm) that are present in upper urinary tract at the time of regular post-SWL followup. The term is controversial because they may remain silent and asymptomatic or become a risk factor for stone growth and recurrence, leading to symptomatic events, and need further urologic treatment. Although a stone-free state is the desired outcome of surgical treatment of urolithiasis, the authors believe that the presence of noninfected, nonobstructive, asymptomatic residual fragments can be managed metabolically in order to prevent stone growth and recurrence.

Maternal and gestational factors and micronucleus frequencies in umbilical blood: the NewGeneris Rhea cohort in Crete.

Background: The use of cancer-related biomarkers in newborns has been very limited.

Objective: We investigated the formation of micronuclei (MN) in full-term and preterm newborns and their mothers from the Rhea cohort (Crete), applying for the first time in cord blood a validated semiautomated analysis system, in both mono- and binucleated T lymphocytes.

Methods: We assessed MN frequencies in peripheral blood samples from the mothers and in umbilical cord blood samples.

Stenting after ureteroscopy for ureteral lithiasis: results of a retrospective study.

Objectives: Routine ureteral stenting after ureteroscopy for stone removal is common. However ureteral stent negatively impact quality of life and can cause significant morbidity. This study was carried out to report our experience.

Nephrolithiasis in medullary sponge kidney.

Seventy-one patients with documented Medullary Sponge Kidney (MSK) and nephrolithiasis underwent complete metabolic evaluation. These patients constituted 7.3% of our calcium stone-forming population Metabolic anomalies (hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, hypocitraturia and hyperuricosuria) were observed in 82% of patients.

Urinary alkalization for the treatment of uric acid nephrolithiasis.

Three major conditions control the potential for uric acid stones: the quantitative excretion of uric acid, the volume of urine as it affects the urinary concentration of uric acid and the urinary pH. However, the most important factor for uric acid stone formation is acid urinary pH that is a prerequisite for uric acidic stone formation. Indeed the goal standard of urinary alkalization is to achieve a pH of 6-6.

Simultaneous surgical management of chronic grade-2 valgus instability of the knee and anterior cruciate ligament deficiency in athletes.

We report on 22 patients with chronic grade-2 valgus laxity of the knee combined with chronic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insufficiency, in whom the two lesions were addressed at the same surgical setting. At a minimum follow-up of 24 months, clinical and functional variables had improved significantly (P < 0.001), and 20 of the 22 patients (91%) had returned to sport at pre-injury level.

Genetic susceptibility to benzene toxicity in humans.

Human metabolism of benzene involves pathways coded for by polymorphic genes. To determine whether the genotype at these loci might influence susceptibility to the adverse effects of benzene exposure, 208 Bulgarian petrochemical workers and controls, whose exposure to benzene was determined by active personal sampling, were studied. The frequency of DNA single-strand breaks (DNA-SSB) was determined by alkaline elution, and genotype analysis was performed for five metabolic loci.

Management of residual fragments after SWL.

Residual fragments after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) represent a common and still controversial problem. These fragments can be important risk factors for stone growth and recurrence, may lead to symptomatic events and need further urologic treatment. The term "Clinically Insignificant Residual Fragments" (CIRF) is therefore a misnomer and should be abandoned.

The last three months of life of Italian cancer patients. Methods, sample characteristics and response rate of the Italian Survey of the Dying of Cancer (ISDOC).

Study Objective: The Italian Survey of the Dying of Cancer (ISDOC) was undertaken to evaluate the experiences of Italian people dying from cancer during their last three months of life in all settings of care.

Study Design: A two-stage probability sample was used to estimate end-of-life outcomes of about 160 000 Italian cancer deaths. In the first stage, 30 of the 197 Italian Local Health Districts (LHD) were randomly selected after stratification.

The use of S-phenylmercapturic acid as a biomarker in molecular epidemiology studies of benzene.

S-Phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA), is a urinary metabolite of benzene, thought to be derived from the condensation product of benzene oxide with glutathione. S-PMA may be determined by GC, HPLC (UV or fluorescence detection), GC-MS, LC-MS/MS or immunoassays. The limit of sensitivities of most of these techniques is 1 microg/l urine or below.

Micronuclei frequency in children exposed to environmental mutagens: a review.

Cytogenetic monitoring has been traditionally used for the surveillance of populations exposed to genotoxic agents. In recent years sensitivity problems emerged in surveys of populations exposed to low levels of mutagens, and therefore alternative approaches have been explored. Biomonitoring studies in children are a promising field, since because of evident differences in the uptake, metabolism, distribution and excretion of mutagens this population seems to be more susceptible than adults.

[Prostatic tumor: how many biopsies?].

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided prostatic biopsy is usually performed by sextants according to Hodge, but the authors feel that 6 biopsies are insufficient. It has been suggested that the number of prostatic biopsies be increased and the mapped areas extended, but this causes discomfort to patients and increases effective costs. The authors suggest repetition of biopsies in "risk" cases, routinely selecting patients taking into account the best cost-benefit ratio.

Simian virus 40 and malignant mesothelioma (Review).

Simian virus 40 (SV40) was recognized as a contaminant of early poliovirus vaccines that were provided to millions of individuals in Europe and in the USA between 1955 and 1963. SV40, a DNA virus of the family of papovaviridae, was proven to be oncogenic in rodents and able to transform human and animal cells in vitro. In 1993 SV40 was accidentally discovered to produce mesotheliomas in hamsters when it was injected in visceral cavities.