Showing papers by "Rodolfo Saracci published in 2008"

Principles of exposure measurement in epidemiology : collecting, evaluating, and improving measures of disease risk factors

Abstract: 1. Exposure measurement 2. Methods of exposure measurement 3. Exposure measurement error and its effects 4. Validity and reliability studies 5. Reducing measurement error and its effects 6. The design of questionnaires 7. The personal interview 8. Use of records, diaries, and proxy respondents 9. Measurements in the human body or its products 10. Measurements in the environment 11. Response rates and their maximisation 12. Ethical issues

Cesarean delivery on maternal request: Can the ethical problem be solved by the principlist approach?

Abstract: In this article, we use the principlist approach to identify, analyse and attempt to solve the ethical problem raised by a pregnant woman's request for cesarean delivery in absence of medical indications.

Bulky DNA adducts, 4-aminobiphenyl-haemoglobin adducts and diet in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) prospective study

Abstract: In contrast to some extensively examined food mutagens, for example, aflatoxins, N-nitrosamines and heterocyclic amines, some other food contaminants, in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other aromatic compounds, have received less attention. Therefore, exploring the relationships between dietary habits and the levels of biomarkers related to exposure to aromatic compounds is highly relevant. We have investigated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort the association between dietary items (food groups and nutrients) and aromatic DNA adducts and 4-aminobiphenyl-Hb adducts. Both types of adducts are biomarkers of carcinogen exposure and possibly of cancer risk, and were measured, respectively, in leucocytes and erythrocytes of 1086 (DNA adducts) and 190 (Hb adducts) non-smokers. An inverse, statistically significant, association has been found between DNA adduct levels and dietary fibre intake (P = 0.02), vitamin E (P = 0.04) and alcohol (P = 0.03) but not with other nutrients or food groups. Also, an inverse association between fibre and fruit intake, and BMI and 4-aminobiphenyl-Hb adducts (P = 0.03, 0.04, and 0.03 respectively) was observed. After multivariate regression analysis these inverse correlations remained statistically significant, except for the correlation adducts v. fruit intake. The present study suggests that fibre intake in the usual range can modify the level of DNA or Hb aromatic adducts, but such role seems to be quantitatively modest. Fibres could reduce the formation of DNA adducts in different manners, by diluting potential food mutagens and carcinogens in the gastrointestinal tract, by speeding their transit through the colon and by binding carcinogenic substances.

Commentary: Observational studies may conceal a weakly elevated risk under the appearance of consistently reduced risks

Abstract: and risk of glioma in five North European countries. Int J Cancer 2007;120:1769–75. 17 StataCorp. Stata Statistical Software: Release 9.0. Texas, Stata Corporation: College Station, 2005. 18 Ahlbom A, Green A, Kheifets L, Savitz D, Swerdlow A; ICNIRP (International Committee for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) Standing Committee on Epidemiology. Epidemiology of health effects of radiofrequency exposure. Environ Health Perspect 2004;112:1741–54. 19 Lahkola A, Tokola K, Auvinen A. Meta-analysis of mobile phone use and intracranial tumors. Scand J Work Environ Health 2006;32:171–77. 20 Lahkola A, Salminen T, Auvinen A. Selection bias due to differential participation in a case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumors. Ann Epidemiol 2005;15: 321–25. 21 Inskip PD, Tarone RE, Hatch EE et al. Sociodemographic indicators and risk of brain tumors. Int J Epidemiol 2003;32:225–33. 22 Rohringer M, Sutherland GR, Louw DF, Sima AA. Incidence and clinicopathological features of meningioma. J Neurosurg 1989;71:665–72. 23 DeMonte F, Marmor E, Al-Mefty O. Meningiomas. In: Kaye A, Laws ER, Jr (eds). Brain Tumors: An Encyclopedic Approach. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2001. 24 Parslow RC, Hepworth SJ, McKinney PA. Recall of past use of mobile phone handsets. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2003;106:233–40. 25 Samkange-Zeeb F, Berg G, Blettner M. Validation of selfreported cellular phone use. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2004;14:245–48. 26 Berg G, Schutz J, Zamkange-Zeeb F, Blettner M. Assessment of radiofrequency exposure from cellular telephone daily use in an epidemiological study: German validation study of the international case-control study of cancers of the brain – INTERPHONE study. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2005;15:217–24. 27 Vrijheid M, Cardis E, Armstrong BK et al. Validation of short term recall of mobile phone use for the Interphone study. Occup Environ Med 2006;63:237–43. 28 Armstrong BG. Effect of measurement error on epidemiological studies of environmental and occupational exposures. Occup Environ Med 1998;55:651–56. 29 Dreyer NA, Loughlin JE, Rothman KJ. Cause-specific mortality in cellular telephone users. JAMA 1999;282:1814–16.