Serum selenium concentrations in patients with newly diagnosed lymphoid malignancies

Background. Increased mortality from lymphoid malignancies following exposure to environmental selenium has recently been reported, Moreover, conflicting results have been found in investigations examining the relationship between serum concentrations of selenium and some clinical features of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases. Methods, Serum concentrations of selenium were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry in fifty-nine patients with newly diagnosed chronic lymphoid malignancies and in forty control subjects. Results. Selenium concentrations were significantly lower in patients than in control subjects, However, when only patients with localized disease were compared to controls, no significant difference in serum selenium concentrations was observed. Clinical stage was inversely associated with selenium levels. High-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was characterized by lower selenium levels than low-grade and intermediate-grade disease. Selenium levels were positively associated with albumin and hemoglobin, and inversely correlated with serum concentrations of beta 2-microglobulin and with erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusions. The findings of this study do not suggest that a high selenium intake represents a risk factor for malignant lymphoproliferative diseases, but limitations of the investigation hamper evaluation of the results. The possible utility of determining serum concentrations of selenium in the clinical evaluation ofpatients with lymphoid malignancies merits examination in larger studies

Relationship between lead exposure and endocrine system

In this paper are briefly reviewed the current knowledge on the relationship between lead exposure and the endocrine system. In particular are pointed out the interference of lead on reproductive function both in males and females and the hormonal mechanism involved. Another effect only recently recognized as public health problem regards the supposed interference of lead on somatic growth, even if the results obtained in the field are very conflicting. Our personal studies carried out on children and adolescents have shown a negative relationship between lead and stature as well as with hormones involved in somatic growth, such as LH and FSH. Several other endocrine mechanism to explain the effect of lead on growth are also described. For what concern the thyroid function, from the majority of studies seems that this hormonal activity is affected by lead only for long-term and heavy exposure. Finally the relationship between low lead exposure and blood pressure has been examined as well as the hormonal mechanism involved. The controversial results from literature may be partly accountable to the difficulty to control the several confounding factors affecting the blood pressure

Relation of circadian profile on driving performance

Aim: The major determinants of fatigue of the truck drivers have been identified in the duration of wakefulness, inadequate sleep and sleep disorders, extended working shifts and time of the day. It has been also suggested that interindividual differences in the spontaneous sleep-awake cycle may influence, at least at certain times of the day, the levels of performance; thus the chronotype of the drivers (morning or evening type) might be related to individual differences of alertness during the time of the day.The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of psychophysiological factors such as age, personality traits, behavioural factors and urinary melatonin, taken as marker of circadian rhythm, on vigilance levels of professional drivers.Methods: The study was carried out on male truck drivers aged 34-53 years .On working days, before and at the end of driving shifts the drivers were submitted to the following performance measures: Vienna Reaction Test (RT) and Vienna Deterrnination Test (DT), provided by Schuhfried (Austria).6-sulfatoxymelatonin urinary levels were measured in two urine specimens: a first morning urine specimen and a specimen of the urine excreted, over a period of about 4 hours, before the end of the driving shift. Personality traits were evaluated by the Italian version of the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ). Records of road and traffic conditions (motorways, suburban and urban roads, traffic jams, visibility), distance travelled and length of each driving shift were also collected.Results: A significant improvement of reactive stress tolerance (reaction times and number of correct reactions by Vienna DT) has been observed at the end of the driving shift compared to measures made before starting, while no significant variation was observed in Vienna RT results.The age of drivers resulted significantly related with motor times measured by Vienna RT both before (r = 0.358; P = 0.025) and at the end (r= 0.416; p= 0.008) of the driving period.It was observed a significant relationship between reaction time measured by Vienna RT and urinary melatonin levels in urine collected before the driving shift.Discussion: The negative relationship between the measures of drivers performance and the melatonin levels in the ear1y morning observed in our study and the wide interindividual variability of this marker of circadian rhythm suggest the opportunity of scheduling the driving shift taking into account the personal differences of endogenous circadian profile. For what concern the role of personality factors it was also observed that emotional stability significantly impair the driving performance

Biological indicators of stress in racing car drivers

To evaluate neuroendocrine and cardiovascular parameters of stress related to car racing, 24 healthy amateur drivers were studied both before and during a car race. For this purpose, we measured catecholamines and cortisol in urine and monitored the dynamic electrocardiogram (ECG). Urinary epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) increased significantly during the race, whereas dopamine (DA) remained unchanged and cortisol rose, but not significantly. Urinary excretion of E during the race increased in all drivers, and the increase was, on average, about fourfold that observed for NE and cortisol. A significantly lower NE/E ratio and significantly higher 10 E/DA and 10 NE/DA ratios were observed during racing. The percentage change in E excretion levels (from before to during the race) was positively related to anxiety scores. Continuous ECG Holter recordings in 6 out of the 24 volunteers showed heart rates of 76 to 152 beats/min over the 15 min before the start of the car race. During the race, heart rate reached a mean of 163.5±7.4 beats/min with a range of 146 to 180 beats/min. Except for sporadic ectopic beats, no significant arrhythmias, and S-T segment changes were observed in the electrocardiograms

Fattori di rischio occupazionali di sclerosi laterale amiotrofica in una comunità italiana

Alcuni studi epidemiologici hanno suggerito come il rischio di contrarre la sclerosi laterale amiotrofica (SLA) sia più elevato nei lavoratori nel settore agricolo, nell'industria ed a seguito di esposizioni prolungate a campi elettromagnetici, anche se non mancano risultati contrastanti. Nell'ambito di uno studio caso-controllo che ha preso in esame 16 pazienti affetti da SLA sporadica e 39 controlli di popolazione residenti nella provincia di Reggio Emilia, abbiamo osservato un maggiore rischio di SLA associato all'occupazione a lungo termine in agricoltura (odds ratio 4,2, intervallo di confidenza al 95% 1,3-16,3), mentre meno convincente è il rischio collegabile all'esposizione pregressa a tossici industriali ed a campi elettromagnetici. Pur tenendo conto della ridotta precisione dei rischi relativi, dovuta alle dimensioni limitate del campione esaminato, questi risultati sembrano confermare una associazione tra esposizioni occupazionali e SLA

I fattori umani negli incidenti stradali

Nonostante sia opinione largamente condivisa che i fattori umani legati alla condizione psicofisica del conducente contribuiscano in misura rilevante nel determinismo degli incidenti stradali, che rappresentano la prima causa di morte nella fascia di età compresa tra i 15 e i 30 anni, non è stato ancora ben definito il ruolo svolto dai suddetti fattori, né quantificato con precisione il loro contributo. Diverse variabili di natura psicofisiologica, socio-comportamentale e sanitaria legate all’età, alla dieta, al debito di sonno, al ritmo sonno/veglia, al cronotipo, all’assunzione di farmaci e/o ad alcune patologie, possono tradursi in una ridotta vigilanza nella conduzione dell’autoveicolo e/o addirittura al colpo di sonno, con pericolose conseguenze sulla capacità di guida. Il Centro di Ricerca per lo Studio dei Determinanti Umani degli Incidenti Stradali, istituito presso l’Ateneo di Modena e Reggio Emilia, è impegnato nello studio dei fattori psicofisiologici e comportamentali che incrementano il rischio di incorrere in incidenti stradali.In particolare stiamo esplorando le relazioni tra alcuni tratti della personalità quali impulsività, aggressività e “sensation seeking” (ricerca di sensazioni forti) e i comportamenti alla guida, valutandone altresì le basi biologiche (dopamina, adrenalina, noradrenalina, serotonina).Dal momento che molti degli incidenti stradali più gravi sono attribuiti allo stato di sonnolenza del guidatore, stiamo inoltre indagando se e in che misura il cronotipo del guidatore ed i livelli di melatonina, assunta come marcatore del ritmo circadiano, possano condizionarne, almeno in certi orari della giornata, i livelli di performance, stimati tramite la misura dei tempi di reazione a stimoli semplici e complessi.I risultati finora conseguiti hanno evidenziato interessanti relazioni tra i fattori psicologici ed i comportamenti di guida rischiosi, e se confermati da più estese indagini, forniranno le basi conoscitive per l’adozione di specifiche misure di prevenzione degli incidenti stradali, in accordo con gli obiettivi previsti dal Piano Nazionale della Sicurezza Stradale

Ruolo dei fattori psicofisiologici nella sicurezza alla guida

Si stima che i fattori umani legati alla condizione psicofisica dei conducenti ed ai comportamenti scorretti alla guida contribuiscano in misura superiore all’80% nel determinismo degli incidenti stradali.Abbiamo esaminato un gruppo di autotrasportatori (all’inizio ed alla fine del turno di lavoro) ed alcuni giovani studenti volontari con l’intento di approfondire la relazione tra alcune misure comportamentali, psicomotorie e biochimiche e la performance di guida.I nostri risultati, in accordo con quanto osservato da altri autori, suggeriscono che la guida di un veicolo induce, anche nei conducenti più esperti, uno stress soprattutto di tipo mentale (rivelato dalla significativa attivazione neuroendocrina, con prevalente rilascio di adrenalina). Lo stesso studio ha altresì evidenziato che l'età può influenzare negativamente la performance, specialmente quella motoria anche in età non particolarmente avanzata. Abbiamo inoltre evidenziato una associazione positiva tra la frequenza di violazioni del codice stradale e punteggio della scala che misura la “Sensation Seeking” (propensione alla ricerca di forti sensazioni), soprattutto nella sua sottoscala che misura il grado di disibinizione. Concludendo riteniamo che le linee di ricerca da noi sviluppate portino un significativo contributo alla conoscenza del ruolo svolto da alcuni variabili psicofisiologiche nel determinismo degli incidenti stradali, quale utile strumento per la predisposizione di idonei interventi preventivi

Zinc and copper in hypertension

In order to evaluate the relationship between zinc and copper and blood pressure levels a case-control study was planned. In hypertensives selected from hospitalized patients and normotensive controls matched for sex, age, smoking habits zinc and copper levels in serum and urine were measured; in the same subjects we also assayed the activity of some zinc and copper dependent enzymes (AP, LDH, MAO) that our previous studies showed significantly related to blood pressure values. The mean levels of zinc found in serum of hypertensives were higher than controls. The preliminary results seem not confirm the higher urinary excretion of copper found in our previous investigation carried out on early untreated hypertensives. Blood pressure levels (both systolic and diastolic) were significantly and positively correlated to copper serum values and to AP activity in hypertensives only. Another interesting findings are the negative and positive correlations found, respectively between zinc/copper ratio in serum and urine and blood pressure only in hypertensives

Zinc and copper in cardiovascular diseases.

Animal and human studies suggest that trace elements such as Zn and Cu may be implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, but the physiopathological role of these elements is still controversial. Aim of the review is to provide an update on this topic

Biological response to noise and other physical stressor in places of entertainment

The present study was designed in order to evaluate if the stressors produced in discotheques, and in particular high levels of noise, may lead to the impairment of some psychophysiological functions. The survey was carried out on 34 students who were exposed to noise in a discotheque (with levels ranging from 90 to 103 dBA) and to other environmental stressors (vibrations, psychedelic lights) for a period of five hours. The same subjects were examined on another day in the absence of relevant acoustical and visual stimulations. Biochemical (urinary catecholamines and cortisol) and cardiovascular (bio od pressure and heart rate) indicators of stress were measured. Selected psychophysiological functions (reaction-time task and visual acuity) and some personality traits were also estimated.An increase in urinary excretion of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and cortisol was observed in most of the subjects during their presence in the discotheque in comparison to the control condition. A moderate variation was found with reference to cardiovascular parameters. No significant variation of reaction time was observed in performance tasks, while a significant impairment of visual stereoscopic perception was detected after exposure to stressors in the discotheque. The preliminary findings suggest that physical stressors, and, in particular, noise, may be related to a marked activation of the neuroendocrine system and impairment of some sensory functions