Impact of the environment on the health: From theory to practice

The Erice 56 Charter titled "Impact of the environment on the health: from theory to practice" was unanimously approved at the end of the 56th course of the "International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine G. D'Alessandro" held from 3rd to November 7, 2019 in Erice - Sicily (Italy) and promoted by the Study Group of "Environment and Health" of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. The course, that included lectures, open discussions and guided working groups, was aimed to provide a general training on epidemiological and toxicological aspects of the environmental health impact, to be used by public health professionals for risk assessment, without forgetting the risk communications. At the end of the course 12 key points were agreed among teachers and students: they underlined the need of specific training and research, in the perspective of "One Health" and "Global Health", also facing emerging scientific and methodological issues and focusing on communication towards stakeholders. This Discussion highlight the need to improve knowledge of Health and Environment topic in all sectors of health and environmental prevention and management.

Lifestyle risk Factors for early versus late onset dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Dementia is a widely prevalent and growing condition, affecting nearly 10% of people aged 60 years and older. It is a leading cause of disability entailing important economic and social costs for the population, so much so that it has been defined as a “global public health priority' from WHO in 2016. Dementia can be divided into two forms according to age of onset of the first symptoms: Early Onset Dementia (EOD - < 65 years) and Late Onset Dementia (LOD, ≥ 65 years). The differences between the two forms, and if they could be considered as separate diseases, are still not well understood. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine if environmental-lifestyle risk factors of dementia may differ between EOD and LOD.

Methods

Literature databases were searched to June 2020, to retrieve studies assessing the impact of modifiable factors in patients who had developed the first symptoms of dementia before (for EOD) or after (for LOD) 65 years. Data were then meta-analysed in order to understand the overall impact of the single factors on EOD and LOD separately.

Results

The results show different effects for some risk factors as alcohol consumption (OR 2.8, 95%CI: 2.2-3.4 for EOD and OR 1.2, 95%CI: 0.9-1.5 for LOD) and brain injuries (OR 1.4, 95%CI: 1.2-1.6 for EOD, and OR 1, 95%CI: 0.6-1.4 for LOD), which appear to have more impact on EOD compared with LOD. No association with smoking for both forms of dementia emerged. The other factors considered, such as low educational attainment, socio-economic status, closeness of magnetic field, appear to have similar impact on the two forms of dementia.

Conclusions

These results suggest that there may be a difference, in terms of modifiable risk factors, between the two forms of dementia, even if more research is needed on this issue.

Key messages

There may be different risk factors determining EOD versus LOD onset. By modifying some environmental and lifestyle factors we could delay or prevent the onset of dementia.

Life-style and occupational risk factors for early onset dementia in an Italian community

Background

Early onset dementia (EOD) is defined as dementia with symptoms onset before 65 years, deeply impacting on patients' employment and income, as well as on their families. Little is known about role of occupational and life-style risk factors, we aimed at assessing their role in disease etiology.

Methods

Using a case-control study design, we recruited all EOD cases resident in Modena province from October, 2016 to October, 2019, and a referent population drawn from patients' care-givers. We investigated residential, life-style history, and occupational and environmental exposures to toxics through a self-administered questionnaire. We used a multivariate unconditional logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, and education to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of EOD risk for exposed vs. non-exposed subjects.

Results

Overall, fifty-eight EOD cases and fifty-four controls agreed to participate. Possible life-style risk factors are to be widowed (10.3% of cases vs. 2% of controls), and to have a lower educational attainment. Also smoking (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.6-2.9), playing football (OR 2.2, 95% CI 0.5-9.3) or cycling (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.4-13.4) were associated with higher EOD risk, although overall sport practice appeared to be a powerful protective factor (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9), particularly swimming (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.0-0.8). Among occupational factors, disease risk was associated with exposure to aluminum (OR 2.6, 95% CI 0.4-15.7), pesticides (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.7-7.8), and dyes, paints or thinners (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.6-5.0). Finally, disease risk was not associate to overall history of any trauma, while head trauma and especially upper arm trauma showed positive association.

Conclusions

Despite the study limitations, our results appear to support a role of modifiable risk factors in EOD etiology, particularly of some chemical exposures and professional sports, while overall sports practice may have a beneficial effect.

Key messages

Some modifiable environmental, occupational and life-style risk factors seem associated with EOD onset. Awareness of EOD environmental and occupational risk factors, as well as life-style ones, is advisable on a public health perspective.

Splenic Artery Syndrome as a Possible Cause of Late Onset Refractory Ascites After Liver Transplantation: Management With Proximal Splenic Artery Embolization

BACKGROUND

Portal hyperperfusion (PHP) is a hemodynamic condition which may develop after liver transplantation and cause refractory ascites (RA). The diagnosis is established by exclusion of other causes of increased sinusoidal pressure/resistance such as cellular rejection or toxicity and outflow obstruction. PHP as part of the pathogenesis of the splenic artery syndrome (SAS) can be treated with splenic artery embolization (SAE).

METHODS

This is a retrospective study on a cohort of first-time whole-size liver transplant recipients diagnosed with RA due to PHP and treated by proximal SAE (pSAE) at the Liver Transplant Unit of the University Hospital of Udine between 2004 and 2014.

RESULTS

For this study, 23 patients were identified (prevalence 8%) and treated. Preliminary clinical workup to diagnose SAS was based on exclusion of other possible causes of RA with graft biopsy, cavogram with hepatic venous pressure measurement, computed tomography scan, and angiography. The pSAE was performed 110 ± 61 days after transplantation, and no procedure-related complications occurred. pSAE resulted in a significant decrease of portal vein velocity (P = .01) and wedge hepatic venous pressure (P = .03). The diameter of the spleen showed a slightly significant reduction (P = .047); no modification of hepatic artery resistive index were encountered (P = .34). Moreover, pSAE determined the resolution of RA in all cases.

CONCLUSIONS

pSAE is a safe and effective procedure to modulate the hepatic inflow and thus to treat RA secondary to SAS, with a low incidence of complications and a high rate of clinical response.

Peritoneal leiomyosarcoma in a kidney transplant patient: a case report

Sarcomas are rare neoplasms, accounting for a 1.7% incidence among all transplanted patients presenting with de novo malignancies. Our present report focused on a 46-year-old woman who received immunosuppressive therapy based on cyclosporine and steroids for renal transplantation. Eight years after transplantations, she suffered lower abdominal pain and a mass involving peritoneal soft tissues was located near the right iliac vessels. Upon radical tumor excision, the histological examination revealed a high-grade leiomyosarcoma. Immunosuppression was reduced and cyclosporine switched to rapamycin. After 30 days, a computed tomography scan revealed two small pulmonary metastases, so the patient received adriamycin. Six months after the diagnosis, there was no intra-abdominal relapse and the pulmonary metastasis remain stable. The function of the transplanted kidney was normal and the patient was listed for laparoscopic pulmonary resection. Sarcomas in solid organ transplant patients appear to have aggressive features with 62% being high grade and 40% metastatic at the time of primary diagnosis with a recurrence rate of 30% and a 5-year survival rate of 25%. Patients diagnosed with sarcoma should be treated with multimodality therapy. After aggressive surgery whenever possible, a combination of a traditional cytotoxic drug and a "signal" blocking agent like rapamycin may increase selectivity toward tumor cells.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with mild cirrhosis and symptomatic cholelithiasis

BACKGROUND

Our goal was to support the emerging opinion that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and well tolerated in selected cirrhotic patients with indications for surgery. We present our experience with 50 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed on patients with mild cirrhosis.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the outcomes of 50 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed between January 1995 and May 2006 in patients with Child-Pugh A and B cirrhosis.

RESULTS

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was uneventful for 35 cirrhotic patients. Conversion to an open procedure was necessary in two Child-Pugh B patients with chronic cholelcystitis. One Child-Pugh B cirrhotic patient required blood transfusion. Postoperative complications occurred in 12 patients, including hemorrhage, wound infection, intra-abdominal collection, and cardiopulmonary complications. The mean postoperative stay was 5 days (range, 3 to 13). No deaths occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe procedure in well-selected Child-Pugh A and B cirrhotic patients and should be the gold standard for patients with mild cirrhosis and symptomatic cholelithiasis.

[Cancer of the right colon: biological features and extent of the surgical resection]

Right-sided colon cancer therapy is based upon right hemicolectomy, which is a well established surgical technique. Considering the possibility of biological diversity in cancer arising from the caecum, ascending colon and transverse colon, this retrospective study analysed age, sex, grading, T, N, M and mortality to evaluate the biological characteristics of the cancers and their level of local and general diffusion with a view to establishing any correlation between these characteristics and the advisability of employing different surgical procedures for the different sites. Cancer arising from the sites considered does not seem to present different biological aspects and therefore a different surgical procedure is not authorized. Our data show that a significant majority of cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage as compared to earlier stages (P < 0.05) and that early detection of these cancers is the best way of improving the prognosis.