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The relation between age of parents and the risk of complete and partial hydatidiform mole was examined using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy of 149 histologically confirmed complete moles, 45 partial moles and 306 controls subjects who delivered normal babies. Compared to women aged 21 to 35, the relative risk (RR) of complete mole was elevated for teenage women (RR = 1.9) and for those aged 36-40 (RR = 1.9) or over 40 (RR = 7.5). There was no association between women's age and partial mole. Likewise, older paternal age (greater than 45) was related with the risk of complete mole (RR = 4.9, though allowance for women's age reduced this point estimate to 2.9), but not of partial mole. The present findings indicate that there are important differences in the epidemiology of complete and partial hydatidiform mole.
Smoking trends and patterns in Italy were evaluated using data from the 1986-87 Italian National Health Survey, based on a sample of 30,096 males and 32,176 females aged 15 or over, randomly selected within strata of geographical areas and sizes of the place of residence and of the household in order to be representative of the whole Italian population: 40.8 % of Italian males and 17.3 % of females described themselves as current smokers (overall estimated prevalence, 28.6 %). In comparison with previous survey-based data, self-reported smoking prevalence in males has been steadily decreasing over the last three decades, whereas rates in females have been increasing up to the early 1980s, and have shown a levelling off only in more recent years. The apparent declines in self-reported smoking, however, were not reflected in official sales figures. In fact, in the mid 1980s, there were simultaneously the lowest overall prevalence of the last three decades and the highest sales figures ever reported. The inter-sex differences in smoking prevalence were smaller at younger ages. Education, but not occupation as a measure of social class, was inversely related to smoking prevalence in males. Furthermore, rates for males were lower in the northern (and richer) part of the country. The pattern was totally different in females, since smoking prevalence was higher in more educated women, of higher social class, living in North Italy. This suggests that, in the absence of adequate measures, smoking prevalence is likely to rise among Italian women in the near future. Continued monitoring of smoking patterns gives important information with which to identify the most likely future patterns in smoking and smoking-related diseases, besides providing data for targeting intervention programs.
We estimated the excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023) in selected countries worldwide. In Europe, half a million excess deaths occurred annually in the first three years of the pandemic, while a 2.1% excess was observed in 2023 (108,629 deaths). Significant excess mortality was recorded worldwide for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, with peaks in COVID-19 cases closely aligning with these excess deaths. No increase in cancer-related mortality was observed. Gross domestic product per capita, national health expenditure, and vaccination rates were inversely associated with excess mortality. These findings provide insights into the public health impact of COVID-19 and inform future policy decisions.
Tavani, Alessandra; Mezzetti, Maura; Vecchia, Carlo La; Ferraroni, Monica; Franceschi, Silvia Author Information
The spectrum of HIV-related lymphoid malignancies certainly includes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL; i.e., chiefly large-cell lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma), primary lymphoma of the brain (PBL) and, possibly, Hodgkin's disease (HD). Since the mid-1990s, several epidemiological studies have led to better quantification of the burden of lymphomas in HIV-infected populations. AIDS surveillance data from 17 western European countries show that between 1988 and 1997 a total of 7,148 AIDS cases had NHL as the AIDS-defining illness. The yearly number of cases rose steadily from 1988 to 1995 but declined thereafter. As a percentage of AIDS-defining illnesses, NHL increased from 3.6% in 1994 to 4.9% in 1997. Percent increases were observed in different strata by area, age group, sex and HIV-transmission group. To estimate relative risk (RR) of NHL and other lymphoid neoplasms in unselected HIV-seropositive populations, records of population-based cancer registries and AIDS registries were linked in the United States, Italy and Australia. RRs for NHL in adults with HIV/AIDS ranged between 14 (for low-grade NHL) to over 300 (for high-grade NHL). For HD, the RR was approximately 10. Limited findings from studies based on death certificates and cohorts of HIV-seropositive persons were consistent with those from registry linkage studies. In developing countries, the risk of HIV-associated NHL appears to be much lower than in developed countries, but under-ascertainment and earlier death from other AIDS manifestations may explain the lack of HIV-associated lymphomas in Africa. Int. J. Cancer 83:481–485, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
