María Josefina Lantieri

Alcohol, methylxanthine-containing beverages, and colorectal cancer in Córdoba, Argentina.

The relationship between social class indicators, body mass index (BMI), selected life-style habits (alcohol, coffee, maté and tea drinking) and colorectal cancer was investigated in a case-control study conducted between 1993 and 1997 in Córdoba, Argentina, a relatively high mortality area for colorectal cancer. Cases were 190 patients below age 80 years with incident, histologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinomas, and controls were 393 patients admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic disorders. Higher social class, based on occupation of the head of the household, was significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk: the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were 1.9 (1.2-2.9) for intermediate and 2.0 (1.2-3.4) for the highest as compared to the lowest social class individuals. When compared with subjects whose BMI was<25 kg/m2, the OR was 1.1 (0.7-1.6) for those with BMI 25 to 29 kg/m2, and 1.3 (0.7-2.3) for those ≥ 30. In comparison with alcohol abstainers, the OR was 2.8 (1.6-5.1) for drinkers, and there was a significant trend in risk with dose. The association was observed with wine (the most common alcoholic beverage in Argentina), as well as for beer and spirits. The consumption of coffee, mate and tea was not significantly related to colorectal cancer, but the ORs were below unity (0.9 (0.7-1.3) for coffee, 0.9 (0.6-1.5) for mate and 0.8 (0.6-1.2) for tea drinkers). The relationship between social class, alcohol drinking and colorectal cancer were consistent across strata of sex and age. This study confirms that colorectal cancer has positive social class correlates. The association with alcohol drinking is apparently stronger than previously reported, and may be due to the role of chance and/or peculiar correlates of alcohol drinking in this Argentinean population

Artificial sweetener consumption and urinary tract tumors in Cordoba, Argentina

OBJECTIVE To determine the role of the habitual use of the most common artificial sweeteners (AS) in the development of urinary tract tumors (UTT) in Argentina. METHODS Case-control study of 197 patients with histologically confirmed UTT of transitional varieties, and 397 controls with acute, non-neoplastic, and non-urinary tract diseases, admitted to the same hospitals in Córdoba (Argentina) between 1999 and 2006. All subjects were interviewed about their use of AS and their exposure to other known or suspected risk factors for UTT. RESULTS Fifty-one UTT patients (26%) and 87 controls (22%) used AS. The risk of UTT was significantly increased in long-term (> or =10 years) AS users compared with none-AS users. The OR (95% CI) for long-term consumers was 2.18 (1.22-3.89) and for short-term users was 1.10 (0.61-2.00) after adjustment for age, gender, BMI, social status. and years of tobacco use. CONCLUSION Regular use of AS for 10 years or more was positively associated with UTT.

Cancer incidence pattern in Cordoba, Argentina.

Cancer is the second cause of death in Argentina; nevertheless the distribution of the cancer incidence rates throughout the country is unknown. This study was conducted to describe cancer incidence patterns in Córdoba Province. Incidence data were supplied by the Government Córdoba Cancer Registry. Demographic information (age, sex, and place of residence) and diagnosis, certified by a pathologist, about all incident cases from June 2003 to May 2005 by type and 5-year age groups were obtained. Comparison of the incidence rate of cancer in various counties was performed by using standardized incidence rates (SIR) per 100 000 inhabitants using the world standard population. Estimated SIRs were used to build up incidence maps. Two indicators were created: sex ratio and site-specific ratio. Mixed Poisson models were fitted. Taken as a whole for all counties, SIR was 121.42 and 141.57 for men and women, respectively. The most common sites in men were prostate (13.62), lung (10.12), colon (7.53), and bladder (7.03); in women were breast (22.51) and colon (3.31). The highest and lowest rates were in urban and rural areas, respectively. Cancer registry has a pivotal role in cancer control. Such information is the primary resource of information not only for epidemiological research on cancer determinants but also for planning and evaluating health services for the policies of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Work Practices, Exposure Assessment and Geographical Analysis of Pesticide Applicators in Argentina

1.1 Argentina Argentina is the second largest country of South America. In its central-eastern region, there is a plain extending over more than 50 million hectares, whose high fertility and productivity provide significant comparative advantages for agriculture production (Hall et al., 1992, as cited in Manuel-Navarrete et al., 2009). This activity is one of the main axes of Argentinas economy, particularly the production of cereals and oilseeds, the primary export of Argentina, placing it among the main grain-producing countries of the world (United States Department of Agriculture, 2010). In the history of Argentina, agriculture has been a prime contributor to economic and social development. Among the factors that explain this process are the external economic environment, the political framework, domestic economic conditions and the behaviour of production and innovation. At the same time, it is important to analyse its impact both socially and environmentally. Several evolutionary periods can be noticed in Argentinean agriculture: a birth and expansion period (from 1862 to 1929); an agricultural recession period (from 1929 to 1950); a mechanization and modernization period (from 1950 to 1989) and the productive specialization and agriculturalization period (from 1990) (Stratta Fernandez & Rios Carmenado, 2010). In the latter two periods, from the mid-20th century, there was an important expansion of agricultural production, marked by technological transformations. Some highlights of this period are: a) the creation of INTA (National Institute for Agricultural Technology) in 1957;

Do Exposure to Arsenic, Occupation and Diet have Synergistic Effects on Prostate Cancer Risk?

Background: Diverse environmental exposures, as well as dietary and lifestyle factors, are associated with prostate cancer (PC) etiology; however little is known about joint interactive influences. The aim of this study was to analyse effects of diet combined with arsenic in drinking water and agricultural occupation on PC risk. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Córdoba, Argentina (period 2008-2015) including 147 cases of PC and 300 controls. All subjects were interviewed about food consumption, socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics. A sample of drinking water was taken to determine arsenic concentrations. Adherence scores to the Traditional Dietary Pattern were estimated, based on a principal component factor analysis. A two-level logistic regression model was fitted in order to assess effects of the Traditional Pattern, occupation and arsenic exposure on the occurrence of PC (outcome). Family history of PC was considered as a clustering variable. Results: PC risk was greatest in subjects with high adherence to the Traditional Pattern (OR 2.18; 95%IC 1.097–4.344). Subjects exposed to arsenic in drinking water above 0.01mg/l who simultaneously performed agricultural activities showed a markedly elevated PC risk (OR 5.07; 95%IC 2.074-12.404). Variance of the random effect of family history of PC was significant. conclusion: Diet, arsenic and occupation in agriculture exert significant effects on PC risk. Further efforts are necessary to analyse risk factors integrally, in order to achieve a better understanding of the complex causal network for PC in this multiple-exposure population.