Body weight and risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction among women: a case-control study from northern Italy

BACKGROUND: The relationship between nonfatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and self-reported body weight and body mass index (BMI; Quetelet index, kg/m2) has been investigated. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted between 1983 and 1992 in northern Italy on 432 women with nonfatal AMI and 867 controls in hospital for acute, noncardiovascular, nonneoplastic, nondigestive, non-hormone-related conditions. Odds ratios (OR), with their 95% confidence intervals (CI), were computed by unconditional multiple logistic regression analysis, including terms for age, education, and smoking, plus history of selected diseases. RESULTS: Women with body weight and BMI in the highest quartile had an increased risk of AMI after allowance for age, education, and smoking status (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.2, and OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4, respectively). Compared with leaner women, the risk was higher among women with BMI above the median, in association with a history of diabetes (OR 5.2) or hyperlipidemia (OR 6.0). Hypertensive women had similar OR in the two strata of BMI (OR 5.1 and 4.8). The association of BMI with risk of AMI was apparently stronger among women younger than 50 years and among less educated women, but was similar among smokers and never smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm that AMI among women is related to excess BMI, with a population attributable risk of 17%. The excess risk was substantial among overweight women with history of diabetes or hyperlipidemia, stressing the importance of controlling body weight among these women.     

Applying an interdisciplinary approach to teaching computer ethics

The question of who should teach courses on ethical aspects of technology continues to be debated in the computer ethics literature. A central question is whether such courses should be taught by philosophy faculty or by computer science/engineering faculty. This analysis focuses on computer ethics instruction within the undergraduate computer science curriculum.     

Information technology, social values, and ethical responsibility: a select bibliography

The bibliography, which includes more than 600 entries, is a collection of contemporary and classic sources on information technology, ethics, and society. Addressing both social and ethical issues related to information technology, the bibliographic work is organized into two main parts: information technology and social values; information technology and ethical responsibility.     

Kinetic aspects of the chlorination of wolframite and of scheelite with chlorine and sulphur dioxide

The chlorination of wolframite and of scheelite with chlorine (chlorination agent) and sulphur dioxide (reducing agent) was studied within the temperature range 673–1173 K. The tests were carried out in a vertical reactor with a static bed. The greatest tungsten extractions (1173 K) were 86% from wolframite and 33% from scheelite. The behaviour of the chlorination reactions was analyzed through characterization of the reaction products obtained in each case. The principal reaction products identified were WO₂Cl₂, FeCl₃, CaSO₄ and CaCl₂. Likewise, size changes, specific surface areas and surface contents of calcium, tungsten, iron and manganese of both ores were studied during chlorination. By means of kinetic models it was determined that the wolframite chlorination is controlled by the movement of an interface and that the presence of reaction products affects the scheelite chlorination. Finally, a possible stoichiometry was proposed to explain the reaction of oxygen contained in the wolframite and in the scheelite.     

A case-control study of reproductive factors and risk of lymphomas and myelomas

The relationship between reproductive factors and risk of lymphoid neoplasms was investigated in a hospital-based case-control study conducted in northern Italy on women with histologically confirmed incident Hodgkin's disease (HD) (n = 68), non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) (n = 180) and multiple myelomas (MM) (n = 71), and 448 controls admitted to hospitals, for acute, non-neoplastic, non-immunological and non-gynecological conditions. The odds ratios (OR) of HD were 0.6 for > or = 3 pregnancies compared to nulligravidae, and 0.5 for > or = 1 total (spontaneous and induced) abortions compared to women reporting no abortions. Compared to nulliparae, the OR of HD was 0.9 in parae and 0.3 in those with first birth when aged < 20 years. The OR of NHL and MM in relation to number of pregnancies, abortions and births, age at first birth and time since last birth were close to unity. Results were similar for the relation between reproductive factors and HD in women younger than 50 years. The OR of NHL was above unity (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.9) for women aged < 50 years reporting one or more pregnancies as compared to nulliparae, and for women reporting the last birth since less than 10 years (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 7.4). Early events in pregnancy, including changes in immunological status, rather than exposure to female sex hormones are likely mechanisms for the protection of pregnancies and abortions on the risk of HD.     

Ureteral occlusion prosthesis

The improving survival rate of patients with childhood cancer has led to a growing awareness of the long-term effects of malignant disease and its treatment. Various endocrine abnormalities have been reported as frequent long-term adverse effects of cancer treatment in childhood, and among these growth hormone (GH) deficiency is the most common one, especially after cranial irradiation. Besides promoting growth, GH has well-established metabolic effects. Patients with GH deficiency tend to be obese, and obesity per se is also associated with insulin resistance which plays a key role in a cluster of metabolic derangements including glucose intolerance, hypertension, lipid abnormalities and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This condition is known as the metabolic syndrome. Our recent observations indicate that a combination of obesity, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinaemia and an abnormal lipid profile can be observed in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Every sixth patient had the triad of obesity, hyperinsulinaemia and low HDL cholesterol, whereas this combination was not seen in any of the controls. The survivors with such a high-risk profile for cardiovascular disease had markedly reduced spontaneous GH secretion, and also additional features of the metabolic syndrome, such as higher systolic blood pressure and higher plasma glucose and serum triglyceride levels. Accordingly, decreased GH secretion, or alternatively some other disturbance in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, emerging as a consequence of cranial radiation, may expose long-term survivors of childhood cancer to premature evolution of the metabolic syndrome. This can have an important impact on the long-term prognosis in these patients, because the syndrome as such results in an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.     

The AGILE mission: The first 2 years

We summarize here the main highlights of the AGILE astrophysics mission. The satellite, launched in April 2007, is devoted to gamma-ray observations in the 30 MeV–30 GeV energy range, with simultaneous hard X-ray imaging in the 18–60 keV band, and optimal timing capabilities for the study of transient phenomena. The very large field of view (2.5 sr) of the gamma-ray imager coupled with the hard X-ray monitoring capability makes AGILE well suited to study Galactic and extragalactic sources, as well as GRBs and other fast transients. AGILE reaches its optimal performance near 100 MeV with good imaging and sensitivity. Gamma-ray and hard X-ray sources can be monitored 14 times a day, and an extensive database has been obtained for a variety of sources. We summarize here the breakthroughs and most important results obtained for several sources including microquasars and other Galactic compact objects (most notably, the discovery of gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV from Cygnus X-3), Supernova Remnants and pulsar wind nebulae, gamma-ray pulsars, a bright class of blazars (3C 454.3, TXS 0716+714, HB 1510-089, Mrk 421), short and long GRBs (including the remarkable short burst GRB 090510), and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs).