Alcohol consumption was traditionally high in Mediterranean countries, particularly in France and Italy, but substantial declines have been observed over the last four decades. Material and methods: We obtained official resident population and death certification data from the World Health Organization (WHO) database for 5 major alcohol-related cancer sites in Italy for the 1970-2017 period. We computed age-standardised (world population) mortality rates and applied a joinpoint model to identify changes in trends. Yearly pure alcohol per capita consumption data (total, beer, spirits and wine) for Italy over the 1961-2018 period were obtained from the WHO European Health for All database. Results: Since the late 1970's, alcohol consumption has been declining substantially in Italy, from about 20 to 7 litres of ethanol per adult per day. In men upper-respiratory tract cancer mortality fell consistently over the last decade, oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer by 14% to 3.1/100,000 men and 2,103 deaths; oesophageal cancer by 13% to 2.0/100,000 and 1,409 deaths, and laryngeal cancer by 27% to 1.8/100,000 men and 1,428 deaths in 2017. Liver cancer had a rate of 4.9/100,000 men (3,667 deaths) in 2017. Conclusions: This decline in alcohol consumption led to substantial declines in cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases including liver cancer, and in all major alcohol related cancers (oral cavity and pharynx, oesophagus, larynx, liver, and also breast) in the last few decades in Italy. However, the favourable trends in alcohol-related mortality in Italy and other Mediterranean countries are not reflected in Central-Northern Europe and the USA. Thus, alcohol remains a major cause of cancer and other diseases in Europe.

Miscarriages account for about one in six/one in seven pregnancies, and probably over one in five excluding induced abortions, i.e. over 20 million events per year. However, any precise and valid estimate is made difficult by uncertainties in diagnosis, ascertainment, distinction in registration between induced and spontaneous abortions, and certification. These uncertainties vary across geographic region, country and socio-economic status...

Abstract Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was developed as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in many medical conditions, and its use is spreading as a predictor of postoperative outcome in orthopaedic surgery. The aim of this study is to investigate the improvement of NLR 24 hours after surgical intervention in a cohort of 91 patients (F/M = 68/23) with hip fracture who underwent femur intramedullary fixation. Patients were 84.7 ± 7.9 years old, and the mean hospital stay was 13.4 ± 4.7 days, with a mean delay to surgery of 1.9 ± 1.4 days. A significant increase in NLR between baseline (T0) and 24 hours after surgical intervention (T1) was observed in the study sample overall and on subgroup analysis by gender. Nevertheless, no significant effect of NLR on the length of hospital stay was observed.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe. Activity status is used as a social class marker of CVDs. Objectives: The present study aimed to analyze the associations between occupational status and CVDs in Iranian population. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 9,990 subjects aged 35-70 years enrolled in the Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS), as one of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN). Occupational status, socio-demographic characteristics, physical activity, cigarette and hookah smoking, opium use, and alcohol consumption were assessed through six pre-designed questionnaires. Anthropometric, body mass index (BMI), medical history, and laboratory tests were also performed. CVDs were defined as the presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) or myocardial infarction (MI). Prevalence ratios were calculated for each activity status and CVD using Poisson regression models. Results: The occupational activities were assigned to two classes: homemaker (40.17%) was the largest group of class I, followed by self-employed (34.44%), employed (13.03%), retired (10.38%), and unemployed (1.62%). In class II, the largest group included pistachio farmers (12.61%), copper miners (3.62%), and others (83.76%). A percentage of people were illiterate (9.50%), especially in the homemaker group (61.39%). In general, 8.71% and 2.98% of participants suffered from IHD and MI, respectively. After adjusting the socio-demographic and other characteristics, there was no significant association between occupational status and CVDs. Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, activity status was not associated with the risk of IHD and MI.

Tobacco, alcohol and pancreatic disease: key findings from global consortia

We analysed data on 2842 subjects aged ≥40 years enrolled in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008-2019). Based on serum 25(OH)D concentrations, study subjects were grouped in three categories: vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L), vitamin D insufficiency (25-49 nmol/L) and vitamin D sufficiency status (≥50 nmol/L). Differences in CVD risk factors between vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and vitamin D sufficiency status were expressed in standard deviation scores (SDS) and estimated through weighted multiple linear regression models.

Mortality trends of cervical cancer among young women have large variability in LAC countries. Cervical cancer screening programs have a high priority for the region. Primary and secondary prevention in the community are necessary to accelerate a reduction of cervical cancer mortality by 2030.

Elevated levels of ALT, AST, GGT and ALP are related to a higher odds of diabetes. Also, increased levels of ALT, GGT and ALP even within normal range were independently related with the increased odds of diabetes. These results indicated the potential of elevated liver enzymes as biomarkers for the possible presence of diabetes.

<i>Background</i>: Inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the relationship between dietary iron intake and the risk of gastric cancer (GC). <i>Methods</i>: We pooled data from 11 case-control studies from the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project. Total dietary iron intake was derived from food frequency questionnaires combined with national nutritional tables. We derived the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for quartiles of dietary iron through multivariable unconditional logistic regression models. Secondary analyses stratified by sex, smoking status, caloric intake, anatomical subsite and histological type were performed. <i>Results</i>: Among 4658 cases and 12247 controls, dietary iron intake was inversely associated with GC (per quartile OR 0.88; 95% CI: 0.83-0.93). Results were similar between cardia (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77-0.94) and non-cardia GC (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.81-0.94), and for diffuse (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.69-0.89) and intestinal type (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.98). Iron intake exerted an independent effect from that of smoking and salt intake. Additional adjustment by meat and fruit/vegetable intake did not alter the results. <i>Conclusions</i>: Dietary iron is inversely related to GC, with no difference by subsite or histological type. While the results should be interpreted with caution, they provide evidence against a direct effect of iron in gastric carcinogenesis.

In the context of cancer, whether or not to choose pregnancy termination represents a difficult and multifaceted decision. In this editorial, members of The Oncologist editorial team attempt to contextualize the potential implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationfor patients with cancer.

Our study provides innovative information on the mechanism of stomach mucosal damage leading to PUD and GC, with respect to the effect of tobacco smoking in particular.