Cancers attributable to diet in Italy.

Cancer burden can be reduced by controlling modifiable risk factors, including diet. We provided an evidence-based assessment of cancer cases and deaths attributable to diet in Italy in 2020. We considered dietary factor-cancer type pairs for which the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research - Continuous Update Project reported either 'convincing' or 'probable' evidence of causal association.

Predictors of preterm birth following emergency and ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage: A retrospective study on 136 singleton pregnancies.

Objective: We aimed to retrospectively evaluate obstetric and neonatal outcomes in patients who underwent ultrasound-indicated and rescue cervical cerclage and to identify predictors for cerclage failure and consequent preterm birth (PTB).

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis on singleton pregnancies between 16 and 27 weeks of gestation who presented with a transvaginal sonographic cervical length (TVS-CL) <25 mm and a previous PTB/second-trimester miscarriage or prolapsed amniotic membranes and/or a TVS-CL <15 mm and underwent cervical cerclage at Mangiagalli Center, Milan, between September 2011 and December 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify possible predictive factors of cerclage failure.

Adherence to a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Pancreatic cancer risk has been associated with increased serum cholesterol level, which is in turn partially influenced by diet. This study aimed at evaluating the association between pancreatic cancer risk and the adherence to a plant-based cholesterol-lowering diet.

Methods: Data were derived from an Italian case-control study including 258 pancreatic cancer patients and 551 controls.

Fraction of cancers attributable to and prevented by reproductive factors and exogenous hormones use in Italy.

Objective: Endogenous and exogenous hormonal factors have been associated with female breast, genital, and colorectal cancer risk. The aim of the present study is to conduct an evidence-based evaluation of the fraction of cancers attributable to and prevented by exogenous hormonal (i.e.

Cancers attributable to tobacco smoking in Italy in 2020.

Background: Tobacco smoking is still frequent in Italy and a major cause of cancer globally. We estimated the burden of smoking-related cancer in Italy.

Methods: To calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF), we adopted a counterfactual scenario for which all individuals never smoked.

Assessing the Association between Biomarkers and COVID-19 Mortality Using the Joint Modelling Approach.

We evaluated the association between biomarkers and COVID-19 mortality. Baseline characteristics of 403 COVID-19 patients included sex and age; biomarkers, measured throughout the follow-up, included lymphocytes, neutrophils, ferritin, C-reactive protein, glucose, and LDH. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% credible intervals (CIs) were estimated through joint models (JMs) using a Bayesian approach.

A Plant-Based Cholesterol-Lowering Diet Score Correlates with Serum LDL-Cholesterol Levels.

Background: A cholesterol-lowering diet score was previously developed for epidemiological studies; its association with serum lipid profile was not confirmed yet.

Methods: The score was developed as an adaptation of the dietary portfolio for cholesterol reduction, assigning one point for adherence to seven dietary indicators and ranging from 0 (null adherence) to 7 (highest adherence). The score was calculated for breast cancer patients enrolled in the DEDiCa study using a 7-day food record; serum lipid profile, including total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), was evaluated in serum at baseline.

Cancers attributable to overweight and obesity in Italy.

Background & Aims: Overweight and obesity are associated with multiple cancers. We quantified the burden of cancer attributable to overweight and obesity in Italy.

Methods: We estimated sex- and cancer site-specific population attributable fractions (PAFs) combining relative risks (from recent meta-analyses) with national obesity prevalence data (from a large sample survey conducted in 2005, to account for a 15-year lag period).

Risk of stillbirth in singleton fetuses with advancing gestational age at term: A 10-year experience of late third trimester prenatal screenings of 50,000 deliveries in a referral center in northern Italy.

Background: The risk of intrauterine death (IUD) at term varies from less than one to up to three cases per 1,000 ongoing pregnancies. The cause of death is often largely undefined. Protocols and criteria to prevent and define the rates and causes of stillbirth are the subjects of important scientific and clinical debates.

Cancers attributable to infectious agents in Italy.

Objectives: To provide an evidence-based, comprehensive assessment of the current burden of infection-related cancers in Italy.

Methods: We calculated the proportion of cancers attributable to infectious agents (Helicobacter pylori [Hp]; hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV]; human papillomavirus [HPV]; human herpesvirus-8 [HHV8]; Epstein-Barr virus [EBV]; and human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) to estimate the burden of infection-related cancer incidence (2020) and mortality (2017). Data on the prevalence of infections were derived from cross-sectional surveys of the Italian population, and relative risks from meta-analyses and large-scale studies.

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Fetal Growth Restriction: Clinical Characteristics and Placental Lesions and Possible Preventive Nutritional Targets.

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the placental lesions in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders (HDP) and/or fetal growth restriction (FGR) and in uneventful control pregnancies.

Methods: This is a case control study that included singleton pregnancies with HDP and normally grown fetus (HDP-AGA fetus), with HDP and FGR, early FGR, late FGR, and uneventful pregnancies. Feto-placental Doppler velocimetry and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio were performed.

Sexual Dimorphism of Cranial Morphological Traits in an Italian Sample: A Population-Specific Logistic Regression Model for Predicting Sex.

Although not without subjectivity, the cranial trait scoring method is an easy visual method routinely used by forensic anthropologists in sex estimation. The revision presented by Walker in 2008 has introduced predictive models with good accuracies in the original populations. However, such models may lead to unsatisfactory performances when applied to populations that are different from the original.

Serum hepatic biomarkers in women with obstetric cholestasis and a concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and serum hepatic biomarker levels among women with obstetric cholestasis.

Methods: In this prospective study, we recruited all pregnant women admitted in our hospital with obstetric cholestasis. Among those with a concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection, we evaluated the following serum hepatic biomarkers: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and biliar acids (BA).

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study.

Background And Aims: The content of fatty acids (FA) in human milk may be influenced by maternal nutrition. We evaluated the role of a Mediterranean diet in influencing the content of FA in human milk among 282 breastfeeding mothers participating in the MEDIDIET study.

Materials And Methods: Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), a composite index, was used to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

Adherence to a cholesterol-lowering diet and the risk of prostate cancer.

Evidence suggests a role of serum cholesterol in prostate cancer (PCa) development and of lipid lowering medications in PCa risk reduction. We developed a score for adherence to an established cholesterol-lowering diet and evaluated its association with PCa risk in a multicentric hospital-based case-control study (1294 cases; 1451 matched controls) in Italy (1992-2001). The score was derived from seven dietary indicators which have been reported to lower cholesterol levels: high intake of non-cellulosic polysaccharides (viscous fibres), monounsaturated fatty acids, legumes, seeds/corn oil; low intake of saturated fatty acids, dietary cholesterol, and glycaemic index.

Altered Doppler Velocimetry of Fetal Middle Cerebral Artery in Singleton Pregnancies Complicated by Mild Well-Controlled Gestational Diabetes.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate fetal umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow in patients with gestational diabetes (GD), in order to determine whether minimal anomalies of glucose metabolism may influence fetal placental function.

Methods: UA and MCA flows were prospectively measured by transabdominal ultrasound in singleton pregnancies between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation.

Results: The study included 35 women with GD and 217 nondiabetic patients.

Prelabor rupture of membranes at term: A possible hematological triage in addition to vagino-rectal beta-hemolytic streptococcus screening for early labor induction.

Introduction: A potential complication of term prelabor rupture of membranes (term PROM) is chorioamnionitis with an increased burden on neonatal outcomes of chronic lung disease and cerebral palsy. The purpose of the study was to analyze the efficacy of a standing clinical protocol designed to identify women with term PROM at low risk for chorioamnionitis, who may benefit from expectant management, and those at a higher risk for chorioamnionitis, who may benefit from early induction.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study enrolled all consecutive singleton pregnant women with term PROM.

Dietary Intake of Breastfeeding Mothers in Developed Countries: A Systematic Review and Results of the MEDIDIET Study.

Background: Lactation is a demanding period for women, and a good nutrition is crucial for optimal health of mothers and infants.

Objectives: To provide new data and summarize the overall evidence on maternal nutrient intakes during lactation in developed countries, we present a systematic review (SR) of the literature and concurrently original results of the Italian MEDIDIET study. We compared nutrient intakes with dietary reference values (DRVs) proposed by the European Food Safety Authority.

Maternity ward management and COVID-19 pandemic: Experience of a single center in Northern Italy during lockdown.

Introduction: The aim of our study is to describe the management of a maternity ward in a referral center during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 lockdown.

Methods: This is a retrospective single-center study. We analyzed the records of all women consecutively admitted to our delivery ward during lockdown and compared them with those of women admitted in the same period in 2019.

Diet Quality as Measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 and Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Risk.

Background: Alcohol and tobacco are the major risk factors for oral and pharyngeal cancer, but diet is likely to have a role, too.

Objective: The objective was to analyze the relationship between adherence to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), as measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015), and oral and pharyngeal cancer risk. Moreover, this work aimed to quantify the number of avoidable cases under different scenarios of increased adherence to the DGA, with the use of the potential impact fraction.

Dietary Patterns of Breastfeeding Mothers and Human Milk Composition: Data from the Italian MEDIDIET Study.

(1) Background: Several studies have reported associations between maternal diet in terms of single foods or nutrients and human milk compounds, while the overall role of maternal diet and related dietary patterns has rarely been investigated. (2) Methods: Between 2012 and 2014, we enrolled 300 healthy Italian mothers, who exclusively breastfed their infant. During a hospital visit at 6 weeks postpartum, a sample of freshly expressed foremilk was collected and information on maternal dietary habits in the postpartum period was obtained through an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire.

Sociodemographic characteristics of pregnant women tested positive for COVID-19 admitted to a referral center in Northern Italy during lockdown period.

Introduction: We investigated association between sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 disease among pregnant women admitted to our unit, the largest high-risk maternity unit in the Milan metropolitan area.

Methods: Between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, 896 pregnant women were admitted to our Institution and tested for COVID-19. We collected information regarding their sociodemographic characteristics.

Caffeinated Coffee Consumption and Health Outcomes in the US Population: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis and Estimation of Disease Cases and Deaths Avoided.

To explore the role of coffee on health outcomes in the United States, where coffee consumption is common, we conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies investigating the magnitude (any compared with no consumption) and the dose-response shape (cups per day) of the associations between caffeinated coffee consumption and incidence/mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), endometrial cancer, melanoma, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. We selected the desirable health outcomes that have been shown to be positively associated with coffee consumption. Studies were identified by searching PubMed/Embase databases up to September 2019.