28 research outputs found
Methods to assess selenium exposure: evaluation of dietary intake and biomarkers in melanoma patients and population controls.
No full textDo dietary intake and blood level of total selenium predict circulating levels of selenium species? A cross-sectional study.
No full textFattori predittivi per la cessazione dal fumo nel centro per il trattamento del tabagismo della provincia di Reggio Emilia: analisi di due anni di attivita’.
No full textExposure to selenium and risk of cutaneous melanoma.
No full textSelenium (Se) is a metalloid of strong toxicological and nutritional interest in human health, and both beneficial and adverse effects on the risk of human cancer have been suggested on the basis of epidemiologic and laboratory studies. A recent trial has shown no beneficial effects of Se on cancer risk, and two prospective studies indicated an excess incidence of melanoma among subjects with the highest Se exposure. We investigated this possible association through a population-based case-control study in an Italian community.Fifty-nine patients with newly-diagnosed cutaneous melanoma and fifty-nine population controls residing in the city of Modena, northern Italy, reported details about their life-style and dietary habits and yielded a blood sample. We assessed serum Se concentrations through atomic absorption spectrometry, and we calculated the relative risk (RR) of melanoma with its 95% confidence interval (CI) associated with serum Se concentrations through conditional and unconditional logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders.RR of melanoma was increased in the middle tertile (2.2, 95% CI 0.7-6.9) and in the upper tertile (4.4, 95% CI 1.5-12.6) of serum Se levels, as compared to subjects in the bottom tertile, with P for linear trend of 0.001. These results were substantially confirmed after adjustment for potential confounders such as family history of melanoma, number of atypical nevi, sun exposure, history of sunburns, and education. Serum Se levels were associated to dietary intake of Se, as evaluated through a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, in patients but not in controls.In this population, disease risk was strongly associated with a biological indicator of Se exposure, serum Se concentration, though risk estimates were statistically unstable due to the small sample size. Study findings appear to confirm that exposure to environmental Se increases the risk of cutaneous melanoma
Correlation between cadmium and selenium blood levels in an Italian population.
No full textCorrelation between cadmium and selenium blood levels in an Italian population
Valutazione dell’assunzione di selenio: aspetti metodologici
No full textIl selenio è un oligoelemento di notevole interesse tossicologico e nutrizionale e la sua carenza o il suo eccesso possono avere gravi effetti sulla salute umana. Tuttavia esistono incertezze in merito all’assunzione attuale di selenio nella popolazione italiana e alle metodologie ottimali da utilizzare per valutare l'assunzione di questo metalloide nell’ambito degli studi epidemiologici. In un campione di 56 residenti di una provincia dell’Italia settentrionale, abbiamo analizzato le concentrazioni di selenio nel siero e nelle unghie dei piedi e l'assunzione mediante la dieta, analizzando la correlazione tra questi indicatori di esposizione. I livelli di selenio nel siero e nelle unghie sono stati determinati mediante spettrometria ad assorbimento atomico e attivazione neutronica, rispettivamente, mentre l’assunzione dietetica è stata stimata con il questionario EPIC. La concentrazione sierica media di selenio è risultata 85,9μg/l, con deviazione standard (DS) 21,7, e livelli più elevati nelle femmine. Le concentrazioni nelle unghie sono risultate pari a 0,65μg/g, con valori più elevati nelle donne. L’apporto dietetico di selenio è stato pari a 59,4 μg/die (DS 19,7), con valori leggermente superiori nei maschi. Le concentrazioni di selenio nel siero sono risultate associate ai livelli nelle unghie (P=0,045) ma non all'assunzione alimentare (P=0,285). Nonostante i limiti dello studio soprattutto a causa delle ridotte dimensioni del campione, queste osservazioni indicano chiaramente la complessità della valutazione dello stato del selenio nell’uomo, suggerendo una stretta relazione tra indicatori biologici di esposizione ed un limitato rapporto tra essi e la stima dell’assunzione del metalloide attraverso la dieta
Selenium speciation in human serum and its implications for epidemiologic research: a cross-sectional study
No full textObservational studies addressing the relation between selenium and human health, particularly cancer risk, yielded inconsistent results, while most recent randomized trials showed a fairly consistent pattern suggesting null or adverse effects of the metalloid. One of the most plausible explanations for such inconsistencies is inadequate exposure assessment in observational studies, commonly carried out by measuring total Se content without taking into account the specific exposure to the individual chemical forms of the metalloid, whose toxic and nutritional properties may vary greatly. Data on the distribution of these species in human blood and their correlation with overall selenium levels are very limited. The concentrations of organic and inorganic selenium species were analyzed in serum of fifty subjects sampled from the general population of the municipality of Modena, northern Italy, aged from 35 to 70 years. Samples were collected during a 30-month period, and determinations of selenium species were carried out using high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma dynamic reaction cell mass spectrometry. The majority of selenium was found to be present as organic species, but the inorganic forms showed higher levels than expected. These species showed limited correlations with age, sex and body mass index, while the organic forms increased in subjects consuming selenium-containing dietary supplements and decreased in smokers. The length of the sample storage period strongly influenced the distribution of selenium compounds, with a clear tendency towards higher inorganic and lower organic selenium levels over time. In multivariate analysis adjusting for potential confounders, total serum selenium correlated with human serum albumin-bound selenium and, in males, with two organic species of the metalloid (selenocysteine and glutathione peroxidase-bound selenium), while little association existed with the other organic forms and the inorganic ones. These findings highlight the potential for exposure misclassification of observational epidemiologic investigations based on overall selenium content in blood and possibly other tissues, and the critical role of the storage conditions for speciation analysis
Impact of referral sources and waiting times on the failure to quit smoking: One-year follow-up of an italian cohort admitted to a smoking cessation service
No full textIn Italy, the National Health Service offers specialized evidence-based support to smokers who would like to quit through smoking cessation (SC) services. We conducted a two-year prospective study, involving all 288 subjects treated for smoking cessation at the SC service of Reggio Emilia, to assess the association of referral sources and waiting times with the risk of treatment failure, by following participants up to one year after the quit date. We performed Cox-regression analysis, including demographic and smoking-related characteristics as confounding variables. The treatment failure rate at 12 months was 59.4% (171/288), including only 12 subjects lost to follow-up. The main mode of entry was self-referral (42.4%), followed by 32.6% from general practice, 17.4% from hospital and 7.6% from other sources. Only 27.8% participants were involved in the SC-program within 60 days of the first contact, as the guidelines suggest. The risk of treatment failure at 12 months showed little association with the type of referral source, while it correlated with waiting times ≥ 60 days (hazard ratio = 1.59; 95% confidence interval 1.10-2.29). This study provides evidence of long-term high quit rates from a SC service, with few subjects lost to follow-up and biochemical verification of almost all abstinent subjects. Timeliness in care provision could further improve the outcome
Livelli di Cadmio e Manganese e correlazione con caratteristiche individuali e abitudini alimentari - Uno studio di popolazione nel Nord Italia.
No full textThe GIS methodology and its application in exposure assessment – Experience of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
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