267 Occupation and Multiple Sclerosis: an Italian case-control study

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Prevalence of distressing symptoms in hospitalised patients on medical wards: A cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many patients with advanced, serious, non-malignant disease belong to the population generally seen on medical wards. However, little research has been carried out on palliative care needs in this group. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of distressing symptoms in patients hospitalised in a Department of Internal Medicine, estimate how many of these patients might be regarded as palliative, and describe their main symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional (point prevalence) study. All patients hospitalised in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, and Cardiology were asked to do a symptom assessment by use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Patients were defined as "palliative" if they had an advanced, serious, chronic disease with limited life expectancy and symptom relief as the main goal of treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>222 patients were registered in all. ESAS was completed for 160 patients. 79 (35.6%) were defined as palliative and 43 of them completed ESAS. The patients in the palliative group were older than the rest, and reported more dyspnea (70%) and a greater lack of wellbeing (70%). Other symptoms reported by this group were dry mouth (58%), fatigue (56%), depression (41%), anxiety (37%), pain at rest (30%), and pain on movement (42%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>More than one third of the patients in a Department of Internal Medicine were defined as palliative, and the majority of the patients in this palliative group reported severe symptoms. There is a need for skills in symptom control on medical wards.</p

The Survival of Non-capitalism

This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy. The issue of how to categorise and understand space in so-called peripheral regions such as Latin America has been a contentious one. Whilst many radical analyses have focused on the dynamics of capitalism in relation to the geography of development, explaining how it has been able to survive and grow, this article makes the case for a more multi-linear theoretical framework with which to view the socio-economic landscape. This is inspired not only by the later writings of Marx but also the specific Marxian class analysis of those involved in Rethinking Marxism. Via a focus on Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this article highlights both the survival and the recreation of spaces of non-capitalism, and provides an argument for why we should consider these to be important for transformative action more broadly, whilst also discussing their potential limitations

Cancer as a continuum: a literature review and a biological interpretation

Basic research shows that the genetic control of development cannot fully explain the phenotypic plasticity of humans and other metazoans. This challenges some tenets of the conventional paradigm of life sciences based on DNA, restoring a role of the environment in biological processes like the regulation of development, cell differentiation and disease. The environment — in a broad sense — affects biological phenotypes throughout the entire lifespan and can induce cancer, its progression and recurrence as well as its reversal. This is very important in cancer epidemiology as it implies that environmental exposures can be considered both as risk (or protective) and prognostic factors. This review integrates information from epidemiologic and biological research. We studied the impact of hazardous and protective exposures, lifestyles, and diet on the survival of patients who had been diagnosed with cancer.We selected studies from two digital databases, using a few combinations of key terms, namely overall survival, cancer-specific survival, recurrence and quality of life (QoL). Survival and/or recurrence were expressed as hazard or risk ratios, as second cancer diagnosis and as indicators of QoL such as performance status. We found 53 articles indicating that risk and protective factors can also influence prognosis after cancer diagnosis. Cigarette smoking and, among protective factors, diet and physical activity are the exposures most frequently investigated after a diagnosis of cancer

Occupational exposures and colorectal cancers: A quantitative overview of epidemiological evidence.

A traditional belief widespread across the biomedical community was that dietary habits and genetic predisposition were the basic factors causing colorectal cancer. In more recent times, however, a growing evidence has shown that other determinants can be very important in increasing (or reducing) incidence of this malignancy. The hypothesis that environmental and occupational risk factors are associated with colorectal cancer is gaining ground, and high risks of colorectal cancer have been reported among workers in some industrial branches. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic relationship between colorectal cancer and occupational exposures to several industrial activities, by means of a scientific literature review and meta-analysis. This work pointed out increased risks of colorectal cancer for labourers occupied in industries with a wide use of chemical compounds, such as leather (RR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.24-2.34), basic metals (RR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.07-1.65), plastic and rubber manufacturing (RR = 1.30, 95%CI: 0.98-1.71 and RR = 1.27, 95%CI: 0.92-1.76, respectively), besides workers in the sector of repair and installation of machinery exposed to asbestos (RR = 1.40, 95%CI: 1.07-1.84). Based on our results, the estimated crude excess risk fraction attributable to occupational exposure ranged from about 11% to about 15%. However, homogeneous pattern of association between colorectal cancer and industrial branches did not emerge from this review

157 Occupation and cancer: an alternative tool for evaluating the evidences

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Authors: M. Collados (Philips Research)

focussed on a pre-competitive study of the physical layer of future wireless local-area-networks (LAN) to fulfil bandwidth and quality needs in the office and at home. This should facilitate the design of new generation multimedia services in the Netherlands

[Study of lung cancer risk in the electroplating industry in Lombardy based on the OCCAM method].

La metodologia OCCAM consiste nello studio dei rischi professionali di tumore per area e comparto produttivo con un disegno di tipo caso-controllo, utilizzando le informazioni degli archivi correnti per l’identificazione dei casi e dei controlli e per l’attribuzione delle esposizioni. OCCAM assegna come esposizione a ciascun soggetto il codice di comparto produttivo dove abbia lavorato per la maggiore quantità di tempo. La categoria dei “non esposti” è costituita dai lavoratori del terziario. Il comparto produttivo, a sua volta, è determinato dal codice di attività economica ATECO attribuito da INPS a ciascuna azienda ove abbia lavorato il soggetto. In questo lavoro le aziende di lavorazione galvanica della Lombardia sono state ricercate mediante la descrizione in chiaro della attività produttiva, anch’essa presente negli archivi INPS, nell’intento di ottenere una maggiore sensibilità e specificità rispetto al settore “trattamento metalli” previsto dal codice ATECO pure fornito da INPS. Sono stati considerati i casi incidenti di tumore del polmone nel periodo 2001-2008 residenti in Lombardia identificati mediante le schede di dimissione ospedaliera. Con questa riclassificazione il rischio di tumore del polmone negli addetti alla lavorazione galvanica è passato nei maschi da 1.32 (90% CI 1,06-1,64, 67 casi), relativo a “trattamento metalli” a 2.03 (90% CI 1,33- 3,10, 18 casi) nelle industrie galvaniche e nelle femmine da 1.33 (90% CI 0.51-3.59, 10 casi) a 3.00 (90% CI 1,38-9,03, 4 casi). Il miglioramento della classificazione ha prodotto una stima superiore del rischio, anche se basata su di un numero inferiore di casi. Pur trattandosi di rischi dovuti ad esposizioni del passato, la storia di alcuni casi e l’avere osservato casi recenti di perforazione del setto nasale in lavoratori delle galvaniche indicano che, almeno in alcune aziende, ancora oggi vi possano essere situazioni di rischio