Modified Mediterranean diet and survival after myocardial infarction: the EPIC-Elderly study.

Mediterranean diet is associated with lower incidence of coronary heart disease, and two randomised trials indicated that it improves prognosis of coronary patients. These trials, however, relied on a total of 100 deaths and evaluated designer diets in the clinical context. We have evaluated the association of adherence to the modified Mediterranean diet, in which unsaturates were substituted for monounsaturates, with survival among elderly with previous myocardial infarction within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) study.

Association between the BRCA2 N372H variant and male breast cancer risk: a population-based case-control study in Tuscany, Central Italy.

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease and little is known about its aetiology. Germ-line mutations of BRCA2 and, at lower frequency, of BRCA1 are implicated in a relatively small proportion of MBC cases. Common polymorphic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may represent breast cancer (BC) susceptibility alleles and could be associated with a modestly increased risk of MBC at population level.

BRCA1/BRCA2 rearrangements and CHEK2 common mutations are infrequent in Italian male breast cancer cases.

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and poorly known disease. Germ-line mutations of BRCA2 and, to lesser extent, BRCA1 genes are the highest risk factors associated with MBC. Interestingly, BRCA2 germ-line rearrangements have been described in high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families which included at least one MBC case.

Lifetime and baseline alcohol intake and risk of colon and rectal cancers in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC).

Alcohol consumption may be associated with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the epidemiological evidence for an association with specific anatomical subsites, types of alcoholic beverages and current vs. lifetime alcohol intake is inconsistent. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), 478,732 study subjects free of cancer at enrolment between 1992 and 2000 were followed up for an average of 6.

Lactase persistence and bitter taste response: instrumental variables and mendelian randomization in epidemiologic studies of dietary factors and cancer risk.

Consumption of dairy products seems to increase the risk of cancer at several sites, while intake of cruciferous vegetables could have protective effects. However, these dietary intakes are subject to measurement error, and associations with cancer could be due to confounders. Mendelian randomization has been suggested as a way to overcome confounding by exploiting the random allocation of alleles from parents to offspring.

Eating out of home and its correlates in 10 European countries. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Objective: To compare the average out-of-home (OH) consumption of foods and beverages, as well as energy intake, among populations from 10 European countries and to describe the characteristics of substantial OH eaters, as defined for the purpose of the present study, in comparison to other individuals.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Dietary data were collected through single 24-hour dietary recalls, in which the place of consumption was recorded.

Detection of pathogens in ovine and caprine abortion samples from Sardinia, Italy, by PCR.

During 2003-2005, 399 abortion samples (315 fetuses and 84 placentae) were collected from 107 ovine and caprine farms in northern Sardinia. Tissues from aborted fetuses and placentae were examined by PCR assay to detect DNA from Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydophila abortus, Salmonella enterica Serovar abortusovis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. The DNA from at least 1 of these 5 infectious agents was amplified in 41% of ovine fetuses, while only 17% of the caprine fetuses yielded a positive amplification result for at least 1 of the 5 agents.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and lymphoma risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Introduction: Lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of malignant diseases of cells of the immune system. The best-established risk factors are related to dys-regulation of immune function, and evidence suggests that factors such as dietary or lifestyle habits may be involved in the etiology.

Material And Methods: In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), 849 lymphoma cases were identified in a median follow-up period of 6.

A dietary pattern rich in olive oil and raw vegetables is associated with lower mortality in Italian elderly subjects.

Dietary habits play an important role in healthy ageing. We have investigated the role of dietary patterns on overall mortality in a large series of Italian elderly, recruited in five EPIC cohorts in Northern (Varese and Turin), Central (Florence) and Southern Italy (Naples and Ragusa).A total of 5611 subjects (72.

Reflux symptoms in professional opera choristers.

Background And Aims: A specific, occupation-related susceptibility of professional singers to experience gastroesophageal reflux was hypothesized. We investigated the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in a series of professional opera choristers in comparison with a general population sample.

Methods: A total of 351 professional opera choristers from well-known chorus in different Italian regions were identified and a sample of 578 subjects residing in the same areas with a similar distribution in age and sex was selected.

Serum C-peptide, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 and risk of colon and rectal cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Western style diets and lifestyles are associated with increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance. Higher circulating insulin levels may modulate cell proliferation and apoptosis either directly or indirectly by increasing the bioactivity of IGF-I and decreasing the bioactivity of some of its binding proteins. The objective of this study was to determine the association of increasing levels of serum C-peptide, a biomarker of pancreatic insulin secretion, and IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) -1 and -2 with colorectal cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a large cohort involving 10 Western European countries.

EPIC-Heart: the cardiovascular component of a prospective study of nutritional, lifestyle and biological factors in 520,000 middle-aged participants from 10 European countries.

EPIC-Heart is the cardiovascular component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a multi-centre prospective cohort study investigating the relationship between nutrition and major chronic disease outcomes. Its objective is to advance understanding about the separate and combined influences of lifestyle (especially dietary), environmental, metabolic and genetic factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases by making best possible use of the unusually informative database and biological samples in EPIC. Between 1992 and 2000, 519,978 participants (366,521 women and 153,457 men, mostly aged 35-70 years) in 23 centres in 10 European countries commenced follow-up for cause- specific mortality, cancer incidence and major cardiovascular morbidity.

Socioeconomic position and the risk of gastric and oesophageal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-EURGAST).

Objectives: To evaluate the association of socioeconomic position with adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and stomach.

Methods: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort comprises about 520 000 participants mostly aged 35-70 years. Information on diet and lifestyle was collected at recruitment.

Gail model for prediction of absolute risk of invasive breast cancer: independent evaluation in the Florence-European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

Background: The Gail model 2 (GM) for predicting the absolute risk of invasive breast cancer has been used for counseling and to design intervention studies. Although the GM has been validated in US populations, its performance in other populations is unclear because of the wide variation in international breast cancer rates.

Methods: We used data from a multicenter case-control study in Italy and from Italian cancer registries to develop a model (IT-GM) that uses the same risk factors as the GM.

CagA+ Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer risk in the EPIC-EURGAST study.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), atrophic gastritis, dietary and life-style factors have been associated with gastric cancer (GC). These factors have been evaluated in a large case-control study nested in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition carried out in 9 countries, including the Mediterranean area.

Two cases of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Sardinia, Italy confirmed by PCR.

In this work we report the first two cases of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in Sardinia. In early September 2004, a 69-year-old woman (patient 1) was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Institute of Sassari for rickettsiosis like-syndrome: high fever (39.5-40 degrees C), dyspnea, reduced consciousness, vomiting, and cutaneous rash.

Comparison of two portable solid state detectors with an improved collimation and alignment device for mammographic x-ray spectroscopy.

We describe a portable system for mammographic x-ray spectroscopy, based on a 2 X 2 X 1 mm3 cadmium telluride (CdTe) solid state detector, that is greatly improved over a similar system based on a 3 X 3 X 2 mm3 cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) solid state detector evaluated in an earlier work. The CdTe system utilized new pinhole collimators and an alignment device that facilitated measurement of mammographic x-ray spectra. Mammographic x-ray spectra acquired by each system were comparable.

A completely automated CAD system for mass detection in a large mammographic database.

Mass localization plays a crucial role in computer-aided detection (CAD) systems for the classification of suspicious regions in mammograms. In this article we present a completely automated classification system for the detection of masses in digitized mammographic images. The tool system we discuss consists in three processing levels: (a) Image segmentation for the localization of regions of interest (ROIs).

Dietary intake of different types and characteristics of processed meat which might be associated with cancer risk--results from the 24-hour diet recalls in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Objective: There is increasing evidence for a significant effect of processed meat (PM) intake on cancer risk. However, refined knowledge on how components of this heterogeneous food group are associated with cancer risk is still missing. Here, actual data on the intake of PM subcategories is given; within a food-based approach we considered preservation methods, cooking methods and nutrient content for stratification, in order to address most of the aetiologically relevant hypotheses.

Plasma and dietary vitamin C levels and risk of gastric cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-EURGAST).

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and inhibitor of carcinogenic N-nitroso compound production in the stomach. Higher dietary vitamin C consumption is associated with decreased risk of gastric cancer (GC) in numerous case-control studies, but data from prospective studies are limited, particularly so for blood measures of vitamin C. The objective of this study was to determine the association of plasma and dietary vitamin C levels with the risk of GC in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a large cohort involving 10 European countries.

Occupational sun exposure and mycosis fungoides: a European multicenter case-control study.

Objective: We sought to study the association between occupational sun exposure and mycosis fungoides (MF), a peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Subjects And Methods: A European multicenter case-control study including seven rare cases (one being MF) was conducted between 1995 and 1997. From the 118 accepted cases, 104 were interviewed, of which 76 were definite cases.

Associations between dietary pattern and lifestyle, anthropometry and other health indicators in the elderly participants of the EPIC-Italy cohort.

Introduction: Epidemiological studies have shown that dietary behaviour is an important aetiological factor in various chronic diseases. We used principal component factor analysis to identify dietary patterns and to examine the associations of these patterns with health-related variables in a sample of elderly (> or =60 years) Italians participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Methods And Results: Exploratory factor analysis was applied to the intake of food groups as estimated by semi-quantitative food questionnaires.