High Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in Southern Tuscany (Grosseto Province, Italy): Potential Role of Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution.

The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) in Italy is one of the highest in Europe, and the reason for this is unclear. The intra-country heterogeneity of TC incidence suggests the possibility of an overdiagnosis phenomenon, although environmental factors cannot be excluded. The aim of our study is to evaluate the TC incidence trend in southern Tuscany, Italy, an area with particular geological characteristics, where the pollution and subsequent deterioration of various environmental matrices with potentially toxic elements (heavy metals) introduced from either geological or anthropogenic (human activities) sources are documented.

A case of three rare uterine neoplasms in the same surgical specimen.

Background: Uterine sarcomas are mesenchymal tumors; they are rare, representing less than 2-3% of all uterine malignancies. Among them, we can define four types: leiomyosarcoma (LMS), endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), Adenosarcoma and Carcinosarcoma. This last type was recently reclassified by FIGO as a Mullerian type of the endometrial adenocarcinoma.

[Sexual impotence of vascular etiology in arterial obstructive disease of the legs].

In order to demonstrate the relationship between sexual impotence and penile-brachial index 142 patients with arteriosclerotic disease of the legs and 15 control patients have been studied. Penile-brachial index has been evaluated by Doppler ultrasound, while sexual impotence has been graded on the basis of clinical history. Patients with arteriosclerotic disease have been further divided into 2 groups: patients with normal sexual potence and patients with sexual impotence.