V. Mastrandrea

Deoxycholic acid and SCFA-induced apoptosis in the human tumor cell-line HT-29 and possible mechanisms

Short chain fatty acids (propionate and butyrate) and deoxycholic acid (DCA) are able to induce apoptosis in HT-29 colonic tumor cell line, but DCA induces a much higher level of apoptosis than butyrate and propionate. Mixtures of DCA with butyrate or propionate enhance the effect of the single components. Apoptosis is not affected by the PKC, PTK or de novo mRNA and protein synthesis inhibitors, so that the involvement of these enzymes and processes is ruled out. In contrast, DCA-induced apoptosis is directly related to [Ca2+]i concentration as demonstrated by the apoptosis inhibition caused by [Ca2+]i chelator BAPTA/AM.

Numerical analysis and DNA base compositions of some thermophilic Bacillus species

Morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and the DNA base compositions of 133 thermophilic Bacillus strains were determined. A total of 54 of these strains were received as identified species (mainly Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus brevis, and Bacillus licheniformis) from international culture collections, and 79 newly isolated strains, which were isolated mainly from sugar diffusion juices of Italian plants, were also examined. Numerical taxonomy techniques (simple matching coefficient and unweight pair grouping using the mathematical average) and DNA G + C values showed that the strains aggregated into nine clusters. Both B. licheniformis and B. brevis were well separated from the other organisms. B. stearothermophilus and B. coagulans were confirmed as separate clusters and exhibited greater heterogeneity than previously shown. The B. stearothermophilus strains clustered into four groups, three of which have been recognized previously by other authors; the members of the fourth group had distinctive characteristics, including considerable biochemical inertness, an inability to grow at temperatures greater than 60 degrees C, and a high G + C content. Within the B. coagulans cluster the strains with characteristics very similar to those of the new species Bacillus smithii clustered together. However, the remaining strains were still clearly separated into two groups; one of these groups was considered B. coagulans sensu stricto, and the other was distinguished by morphological and biochemical criteria, such as spores which do not swell the sporangia, utilization of citrate, a higher proteolytic activity, and acidification of some carbohydrates. Our results were confirmed by comparing them with distinctive characteristics of recently described thermophilic Bacillus species.

Incidence, Mortality and Long–Term Survival from Prostate Cancer in Umbria, Italy, 1978–1994

Objectives and Methods: Incidence, mortality and long–term survival from prostate cancer were examined in the Umbria region of Italy, for the period 1978–1994. Incidence rates were derived from an ad hoc survey carried out over the period 1978–1982 and from 1994 cancer registry records. The mortality over the period derived from data of the official publications and the survival rates, at 15 years, were calculated starting from the ad hoc survey incident cases.Results: In the Umbria region, over the period 1978–1994, crude incidence rates from prostate cancer increased from 31.2 to 81.9 per 100,000 and mortality rates from 22.7 to 31.9 per 100,000. The rates were from 30.5 to 61.2 for age–adjusted incidence while standardized mortality remained constant (from 22.6 to 22.7 per 100,000). Survival in Umbria, compared with rates from other European Cancer Registries, is low both at 5– and 10–year follow–up.Conclusion: The great incidence increase observed over the study period could depend on a lesser completeness achieved by the 1978–1982 ad hoc survey with respect to the 1994 cancer registry data and/or from the screening campaign carried out in a large part of the region in 1994. Different elements support these hypotheses. However the above hypotheses can be verified over the next years when further incidence and survival data from the cancer registry will be available.

Long term survival of upper aerodigestive tract cancer in male patients in the Umbria region (Italy)

The aim of this work was to make a study of the whole population of a central Italian region, the Umbria region – cancer survival rates for the upper aerodigestive tract, which includes cancers of the head and neck (tongue, oral cavity, pharynx), oesophagus and larynx. In Italy cancer survival rates do not cover entire regions but single municipalities or provinces. Cases of incidence were derived from an ‘ad hoc’ survey carried out during the period 1978–1982. Starting from the nominative data, we studied up to 15 years 245 head and neck, 87 oesophagus and 321 larynx cases of cancer in males. Data for female cases were not considered because of the small number. Cancer cases were followed up mainly by verification at the Registry Office of several municipalities, the Regional Death Registry and the list of persons under the Regional Health Service. Observed survival rates for head and neck cancer were 0.63, 0.29, 0.17 and 0.12 at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years of follow-up respectively; rates for cancers of the oesophagus and larynx were 0.30, 0.08, 0.06, 0.03 and 0.79, 0.54, 0.41, 0.30 respectively. Relative survival rates were 0.65, 0.34, 0.24, 0.23 for cancer of the head and neck, 0.31, 0.10, 0.09, 0.08 for cancer of the oesophagus, and 0.81, 0.63, 0.59, 0.56 for cancer of the larynx, at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years of follow-up. The worst survival rates were observed for oesophagus and hypopharynx. Overall survival values for Umbrian patients were relatively good, being higher than survival data reported for a similar period by Italian Cancer Registries. They were also strikingly similar to survival rates for England and Scotland.

Cancer survival from incident cases of a population-based study in the Umbria Region, Italy

Survival of 12,051 cancer patients was investigated in incident cases registered in an ad hoc survey in the Umbria region for the period 1978-82. Death certificate only cases were excluded. The follow-up was carried out by an automatic link with the RENCAM (nominative register of causes of death) and verified at the Registrars Offices of the various towns of the region. Both observed and relative survival rates according to sex and selected time periods (1, 5 and 10 years) were calculated. Generally, the relative survival rate for all tumour sites at 5 years was 0.35 in males and 0.53 in females (P < 0.01), and 0.31 and 0.49, respectively, at 10 years. 5-year relative survival rates greater than 0.50 were found for only three tumour sites in men (bladder, larynx, colon), accounting for approximately 21% of all men included in the study, but for six sites in females (breast, uterus, kidney, bladder, rectum, colon), accounting for more than 50% of the female cases. The 5-year age-adjusted relative survival rates in Umbria were higher than in other Italian and European registries for selected sites (stomach, colon, rectum, lung). High survival in Umbria could probably be related to the availability of specialist care and to the easy access to a network of oncological services.

Esophageal cancer mortality: relationship with alcohol intake and cigarette smoking in Italy.

This paper examines changes with time in age-adjusted mortality from esophageal cancer for the years 1950–1981, in relation to changes in smoking habits and alcohol consumption. In both sexes the age-adjusted death rates have shown no marked time variation. Instead in the same period there have been marked temporal variations in consumption of alcohol and tobacco which are considered risk factors associated with esophageal cancer.The male cohort variation seems to indicate some fluctuations in mortality before 1921 and a progressive increase after this year. In females the death rates are very low and the cohort variation is pratically constant.The progressive increase of cohort variation in esophageal cancer mortality for men born after 1921 coincides with a progressive increase in hard alcohol consumption. In the same period there has also been a progressive increase in tobacco consumption but this begun at the turn of this century.

Ten-year survival of patients with cancer of the digestive tract in Umbria, Italy.

Survival statistics of 4135 incident cases of digestive system cancers in the Umbria region of Italy are reported. The original data are derived from an ad hoc survey carried out in the period 1978--1982. Observed and relative rates at 1, 5 and 10 years are presented separately by sex and age (< 60 and ≥ 60 years). In both sexes there are very short survival rates for liver, bile duct and pancreas cancers, whereas about 50% of colon and rectum cancer patients survived at five years. About 20% stomach cancer patients survived at the same time. In males the survival rate for oesophagus cancer is close to 10%. The rates at ten years confirm the trend. Comparisons between sexes show that there is no significant differences in age at first diagnosis. Survival values are higher in females only for rectum cancers. In both sexes, for stomach, colon and rectum sites younger patients had a significantly longer survival than older ones.

Urinary Organ Cancer Survival in the Umbria Region (Italy): Follow-Up at Ten Years

Objectives and Methods: Survival of 687 urinary bladder and 217 kidney cancer patients was investigated using incident cases registered in an ad hoc survey in the Umbria region for the period 1978–1982. Death certificate only cases were excluded. The follow-up was carried out through the General Nominative Register of Causes of Death and verified at the Registrar’s Offices of the various towns of the Region. Results: At 10 years about one third of all bladder cancer patients were still alive while for kidney cancer the rate was 0.41 for females and 0.26 for males. Observed survival rates, at 1 year time intervals, never differed significantly in the two sexes even if, for kidney cancer, both observed and relative survival rates were somewhat higher in females than in males and, for bladder cancer, higher in males than in females. From survival rates by age groups both observed and relative rates decreased with age in males. In females the trend was unsteady due to the low survival in the first age group (15–44 years) for the two sites and a lower rate for kidney cancers in the 55–64 years age group compared to the next age groups. This trend was also probably due to the small number of cases. Conclusions: Comparison of survivals in Umbria with those of European registries shows higher rates for bladder cancer in both sexes and for kidney cancer in females in Umbria, while the value for kidney cancer survival in males was intermediate.

Tobacco smoking, coffee, cocoa and tea consumption in relation to mortality from urinary bladder cancer in Italy

This paper examines changes in mortality from urinary bladder cancer in Italy during the years 1950-81 in relation to changes in smoking habits and in coffee, cocoa and tea consumption. The authors found that, in both sexes and for all ages, mortality has been increasing throughout this period, although the rates and relative increase have consistently been much lower and more gradual for women than for men.From the analysis of age-cohort-period variation it seems that bladder cancer mortality can also be influenced by changes in smoking habit patterns and by variation in the quality of diagnoses. The increase in death risk for both sexes in Italy up to cohorts born around 1905-10 can be related to occupational exposures and to high-tar-content tobacco smoking, whereas the tendency for mortality rates to stabilize and decline in cohorts born after 1910 were influenced by changes from high-tar-content and no-filter cigarettes to low-tar-content and filter cigarettes and by prevention measures taken in at-risk working environments.The consumption of coffee, cocoa and tea does not seem to be related to the increase in bladder cancer risk in Italy.

Susceptibility to lytic agents and DNA base composition of members of the genus Bacillus with ellipsoidal spores swelling the sporangia

We studied the cellular and colonial morphologies, the deoxyribonucleic acid base compositions, the degrees of lysis by lysozyme and by sodium lauryl sulfate, and some fundamental biochemical reactions of 70 strains received as members of Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus polymyxa, Bacillus macerans, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus alvei, Bacillus brevis, and Bacillus laterosporus. We found that the strains of B. polymyxa, B. macerans, B. circulans, B. alvei, B. brevis, and B. laterosporus had biochemical properties and morphological characteristics that were generally in agreement with those of the respective species, whereas B. coagulans did not. The guanine-plus-cytosine contents of the deoxyribonucleic acids and the susceptibilities to lysozyme and sodium lauryl sulfate were homogeneous for the strains of B. polymyxa, B. macerans, B. alvei, and B. laterosporus, whereas this was not true for the strains of B. circulans and B. brevis. The strains received as B. coagulans were homogeneous for some characteristics (susceptibility to lytic agents, some biochemical reactions, Gram staining, and colony morphology) and heterogeneous for others (deoxyribonucleic acid base composition, some biochemical reactions, and cell morphology). All strains of this species were highly susceptible to lysozyme and completely resistant to sodium lauryl sulfate.