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Objective: To estimate the mortality rates from drug-related deaths and other causes among problem drug users and population attributable risk of death due to opiate use in eight study sites in Europe., Methods: Opiate users were recruited from drug treatment centres during the period 1990-1998 and deaths followed up through national or local mortality registries. Gender-specific overall mortality rate, proportion of deaths by cause (drug-related, HIV, other), standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and the attributable risk fraction (ARF) were estimated., Results: Crude mortality rates varied from 1 per 100 person-years in the Dublin and London cohorts to 3.8 per 100 person-years in Barcelona. The highest drug-related mortality rate was 10 per 1,000 person-years in Barcelona; the rates were approximately 7 per 1,000 person-years in Denmark, London, Rome, and Vienna, and <3.5 per 1,000 person-years for the others cohorts. The mortality rate for AIDS was <2 per 1,000 person-years in all the cohorts except Lisbon, Rome, and Barcelona, for which it was approximately 6 per 1,000 person-years. The highest SMR among males was 21.1 in Barcelona, and among females the highest SMRs were 53.7 and 37.7 in Barcelona and Rome, respectively. In Denmark the ARF was 5%, whereas it was >10% in all other study sites and 24% in Barcelona., Conclusion: Cohort mortality studies, especially in combination with estimates of prevalence, provide useful insights into the impact of opiate use on mortality across European countries and emphasize how preventing overall and drug-related deaths among opiate users can significantly improve the health of the population.

Background: Administrative data can serve as an easily available source for epidemiological and evaluation studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of hospital administrative data to determine breast cancer severity and the appropriateness of surgical treatment., Methods: the study population consisted of 398 patients randomly selected from a cohort of women hospitalized for first-time breast cancer surgery in the Lazio Region, Italy. Tumor severity was defined in three different ways: 1) tumor size; 2) clinical stage (TNM); 3) severity indicator based on HIS data (SI). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value (PPV) of the severity indicator in evaluating appropriateness of surgery were calculated. The accuracy of HIS data was measured using Kappa statistic., Results: Most of 387 cases were classified as T1 and T2 (tumor size), more than 70% were in stage I or II and the SI classified 60% of cases in medium-low category. Variation from guidelines indications identified under and over treatments. The accuracy of the SI to predict under-treatment was relatively good (58% of all procedures classified as under-treatment using pT where also classified as such using SI), and even greater predicting over-treatment (88.2% of all procedures classified as over treatment using pT where also classified as such using SI). Agreement between clinical chart and hospital discharge reports was K = 0.35., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that administrative data need to be used with caution when evaluating surgical appropriateness, mainly because of the limited ability of SI to predict tumor size and the questionable quality of HIS data as observed in other studies.

Objective: Our goal was to assess how different hospital wards react to influenza epidemics, and whether related specialties cooperate in coping with winter bed crises., Study Design: The Lazio Hospital Information System (HIS) dataset from July 1998 to June 2001 was used for the study. The HIS collects data on all hospital discharges. We considered diagnosis-related groups (DRG) as the reason for hospital stay and used DRG to classify admissions as influenza related or influenza unrelated. Time series analysis of daily bed occupancy in different specialty areas by influenza-related and influenza-unrelated cases was performed. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to take the effect of short-term and seasonal bed occupancy into account on influenza-related occupancy., Results: Influenza-related bed occupancy ranges from 770 patients/day during the influenza season to 525 patients/day during the rest of the year. Daily occupancy by influenza-related cases represents 2.8% of total hospital occupancy and 7% of general medicine occupancy during the influenza season. When comparing the influenza season with the rest of the year, general medicine occupancy by influenza-related cases increases by 51% versus the 25-32% increase in other specialty wards. Little change in daily occupancy by influenza-unrelated cases was observed in all specialties when comparing the influenza season with the rest of the year., Conclusions: Hospital specialty wards react poorly and single handedly to a minor and predictable burden. Any winter bed crisis in the Lazio region is probably the result of defective management of available beds more than excess in demand.

Background: The resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) in western countries has been attributed to the HIV epidemic, immigration, and drug resistance. Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is caused by the transmission of multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in new cases, or by the selection of single drug resistant strains induced by previous treatment. The aim of this report is to determine risk factors for MDR-TB in Europe., Methods: A systematic review was conducted of published reports of risk factors associated with MDR-TB in Europe. Meta-analysis, meta-regression, and sub-grouping were used to pool risk estimates of MDR-TB and to analyse associations with age, sex, immigrant status, HIV status, occurrence year, study design, and area of Europe., Results: Twenty nine papers were eligible for the review from 123 identified in the search. The pooled risk of MDR-TB was 10.23 times higher in previously treated than in never treated cases, with wide heterogeneity between studies. Study design and geographical area were associated with MDR-TB risk estimates in previously treated patients; the risk estimates were higher in cohort studies carried out in western Europe (RR 12.63; 95% CI 8.20 to 19.45) than in eastern Europe (RR 8.53; 95% CI 6.57 to 11.06). National estimates were possible for six countries. MDR-TB cases were more likely to be foreign born (odds ratio (OR) 2.46; 95% CI 1.86 to 3.24), younger than 65 years (OR 2.53; 95% CI 1.74 to 4.83), male (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.65), and HIV positive (OR 3.52; 95% CI 2.48 to 5.01)., Conclusions: Previous treatment was the strongest determinant of MDR-TB in Europe. Detailed study of the reasons for inadequate treatment could improve control strategies. The risk of MDR-TB in foreign born people needs to be re-evaluated, taking into account any previous treatment.

Background: Socioeconomic gradients in the occurrence of myocardial infarction are well known, but few studies have examined socioeconomic disparities in post-infarction outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore relations of socioeconomic status with the incidence, treatment, and outcome of first coronary event in Rome, Italy, during the period 1998-2000, examining effect modification by gender., Methods: Subjects were Rome residents aged 35-84 years who died from first acute coronary event before reaching the hospital (n=3470) or were hospitalised for first acute myocardial infarction (n=8467). Area based deprivation status and patients' educational attainment were the exposure variables. The outcomes were: incidence of coronary event; recanalisation at the index hospitalisation and fatality within 28 days of hospitalisation; cardiac readmissions and fatality between 28 days and one year of index hospitalisation., Results: Incidence rates increased as area based deprivation status increased; the effect was stronger among women than among men (men RR=1.40, 95%CI:1.30, 1.50, women RR=1.78, 95%CI:1.60, 1.98, most compared with least deprived). Rates of recanalisation were significantly lower in the most deprived patients than in the least deprived (OR=0.77, 95%CI:0.59, 0.99) and in the less educated than in the highly educated (OR=0.73, 95%CI:0.58, 0.90). Associations of short term fatality with area based deprivation status and educational attainment were weak and inconsistent. However, neither deprivation status nor education was associated with one year outcomes., Conclusions: Area based deprivation status is strongly related to incidence of coronary events, and more so among women than among men. Deprivation status and educational attainment are weakly and inconsistently associated with short term fatality but seem not to influence one year prognosis of acute myocardial infarction. Deprived and less educated patients experience limited access to recanalisation procedures.

Background: Methadone at appropriate doses has been demonstrated to be the most effective means for retaining patients in treatment and suppressing heroin use., Aim: To describe the modalities of day-to-day provision of methadone maintenance treatments (MMT) in Italian public health centres and to analyze the duration of MMTs by dose and by association with psychosocial treatments., Patients and Methods: We analyzed 8,378 subjects, 18 years of age or over, enrolled between September 1998 and March 2001 in one of 115 public treatment centres for heroin dependence in Italy. Treatment data were collected for each subject from enrolment to the end of the study period (maximum of 18 months)., Results: Of the total of 29,495 treatments delivered, 21.0% were methadone maintenance, and 34.4% were methadone detoxification. Fifty percent of MMTs offered had a mean dose less than or equal to 40 mg/day, and only 19% had doses higher than or equal to 60 mg/day; treatments with doses higher than 60 mg/day lasted longer than treatments with lower doses. Differences in treatment length were observed between MMTs associated with a psychosocial treatment and those offered alone, only for doses <60 mg/day., Conclusions: In Italy, MMTs are delivered at inappropriate doses in more than 80% of the cases. The increase of methadone doses to adequate levels as indicated by the literature is necessary to ensure proper and effective use of MMTs in public treatment centres for heroin users.

The provision of prescribed heroin to chronic heroin-dependent individuals failing other treatments has been supported during the last 70 years on the ground that the first goal of interventions on drug users is to keep them in treatment to protect them from criminal activities and to promote social integration. To assess heroin prescription effectiveness, we conducted a Cochrane systematic review of all relevant randomized controlled trials. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library and contacted leading researchers for ongoing studies. We found 19 eligible studies, of which 4 met our inclusion criteria (577 patients). In 1 study, patients in the heroin arm remained in treatment longer than those in the methadone arm (n = 96, RR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.70-4.68); in 2 studies, there was no difference; and in 1 study, patients given heroin left the study earlier than those given methadone (n = 235, RR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.68-0.90). Heroin was more effective than methadone in refraining people from using street heroin in 2 studies (n = 96, RR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.79-1.53; n = 51, RR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.15-0.72). In 1 study, heroin reduced the risk of being charged (RR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.14-0.78); 2 studies showed no difference, and another 2 studies adopted a multidomain outcome enclosing criminal offense and social functioning and found improvements with heroin + methadone over methadone only. It is unclear if heroin attracts people in treatment; those in treatment use less street heroin and are likely to have less criminal activities. This review systematizes and compares studies showing some inconsistencies between their aims, their adopted outcomes, and their conclusions drawn from results.

The study objective is to describe cause specific mortality of employees in a plant engaged in production, recovery and refining of catalytic converters located in Rome. Previous epidemiological studies conducted in similar plants are not available. A total of 828 workers (642 males and 186 females) were followed up between 1956 and 31-12-2003. Cause specific standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and 90% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using regional rates for comparison. Among males hired between 1956 and 1993, followed up until 31/12/2003, mortality for all causes (SMR 0,8; 90% CI 0,7-1,0; 85 observed) and all neoplasms (SMR 0,6; 90% CI 0,42-0,87; 20 observed) is below expected; an increase is present for liver cirrhosis (SMR 2,74; 90% CI 1,47-5,1; 7 observed) and brain cancer (SMR 5,24; 90% CI 2,3-11,90; 4 observed). The present investigation complies with the proposed scientific standards for occupational cohort studies. The study was not prompted by well defined a priori hypotheses but it is included in a process intended to typify a potentially polluted site; the absence of a priori hypotheses and of previous epidemiological evidence, prevent from a causal interpretation of the increased mortality from liver cirrhosis and brain cancer. The implementation of cohort studies in industrial sites where industrial activities similar to the one here examined are present, are highly recommended.

The aim of this study was to provide a methodological overview of the study design of the national evaluation large-scale study VEdeTTE and a description of the VEdeTTE study population and to compare enrollments with refusals and the study population with the overall clients at the National Health System (NHS) treatment centers. VEdeTTE is a longitudinal study of heroin addicts recruited in 115 NHS treatment centers in Italy, 1998-2001; 11,903 people were enrolled, 3876 refused to participate; data were analysed on 10,454. Information from refusals was compared to enrollments. The characteristics of the cohort were compared to those of all patients treated in 1999 in Italy. Refusals had a lower educational level and less regular occupational status than those enrolled. Fourteen percent of enrolled patients were women; heroin users in the VEdeTTE study were older than patients attending all NHS treatment centers in Italy; incident cases were less represented. The majority of participants had more than 8 years of education, 33.5% were regularly employed, and only 2% did not have a fixed address. Injectors were 72.3%; 40.6% had a previous overdose, and 14.3% had been imprisoned for life; 15.7% shared injection equipment during the previous 6 months. The proportion of participants reporting heroin use approximately halved from the beginning of the current treatment to the time of the interview. The VEdeTTE study is the biggest cohort of heroin addicts attending treatment centers in Europe. The Italian heroin-addicted population under treatment seems to have low level of education but good social integration. Compared with men, women show a higher severity. Participants show a beneficial effect of treatment.

Objective: During the last decade, a worldwide growing interest in evaluating performance of health services through 'outcome studies' took place. This study started in early 2002 and represents the first National Health System (NHS) experience to evaluate adjusted performance indicators at national level. The aim of this study was to compare 30 days mortality after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) between cardiac surgery centres, adjusting by confounding risk factors., Methods: All patients, aged 15-99 years, undergoing a CABG intervention after 1st January 2002 in 82 participating centres were eligible for this observational longitudinal study. For each patient, data on severity and risk factors were collected (type of procedure, haemodynamic condition, co-morbidities, recent myocardial infarction and unstable angina, ventricular function, emergency condition, vital status at 30 days). Using a multiple logistic regression analysis the best predictive model was developed for risk-adjustment; a cross-validation procedure was applied; specific risk adjusted mortality rates (RAMR) were estimated. The overall study population was used as reference standard., Results: 34,310 isolated CABG were performed in 64 of the 82 participating centres. Thirty days mortality resulted 2.61%, ranging from 0.33 to 7.63%; eight centres presented a RAMR significantly lower and seven significantly higher than the reference., Conclusions: The study provides valid measures of the heterogeneity between outcomes of the Italian cardiac surgery centres, to support decision-making by NHS management and individual patients. Although not statistically significant, RAMR dropped from year 2002 to 2004 (2.8-2.4%) suggesting that this comparative outcome assessment can contribute to the improvement of performances in cardiac surgery.

Aims: the area of Gela (Sicily Italy) has been included by the Italian national law among the "areas of environmental concern", due to several industrial plants located in the area: a refinery, a petrolchemical plant and an industrial waste disposal. The aim of the study was to evaluate the health of residents in the area, through the analysis of the mortality registry and the hospital discharge records., Design: cause and gender specific indirect Standardized Mortality (1995-2000) and Morbidity (2001-2003) Ratios were computed, with 95% confidence intervals, using the population of surrounding municipalities as reference., Results: increases of malignant neoplasm of stomach, colon rectum, larynx, lung, bladder and non Hodgkin lymphoma were observed in the area, both in men and women. Moreover, an increased frequency of hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases and for respiratory diseases (acute and chronic diseases, asthma both among adults and among children) were observed. Excesses of pneumoconiosis among men and of renal diseases among women were also present., Conclusion: the excesses in mortality and morbidity observed in this study are consistent with previous findings and might partly be explained by occupational exposures. However, the excesses found among women suggest a possible role of environmental pollutants.

Background: The major fault with existing reimbursement systems lies in their failure to discriminate for the effectiveness of stay, both when paying per day and when paying per episode of treatment., Objectives: We sought to define an average length of effective stay and recovery trends by impairment category, to design a prospective payment system that takes into account costs and expected recovery trends, and to compare the calculated reimbursement with the predicted costs estimated in a previous study (Saitto C, Marino C, Fusco D, et al. A new prospective payment system for inpatient rehabilitation. Part I: predicting resource consumption. Med Care. 2005;43:844-855)., Research Design: We considered all rehabilitation admissions from 5 Italian inpatient facilities during a 12-month period for which total cost of care had already been estimated and daily cost predicted through regression model. We ascertained recovery trends by impairment category through repeated MDS-PAC schedules and factorial analysis of functional status. We defined effective stay and daily resource consumption by impairment category and used these parameters to calculate reimbursement for the admission. We compared our reimbursement with predicted cost through regression analysis and evaluated the goodness of fit through residual analysis., Results: We calculated reimbursement for 2079 admissions. The r(2) values for the reimbursement to cost correlation ranged from 0.54 in the whole population to 0.56 for "multiple trauma" to 0.85 for "other medical disorders." The best fit was found in the central quintiles of the cost and severity distributions., Conclusion: For each impairment category, we determined the number of days of effective hospital stay and the trends of functional gain. We demonstrated, at least within the Italian health care system, the feasibility of a reimbursement system that matches costs with functional recovery. By linking reimbursement to effective stay adjusted for trends of functional gain, we suggest it is possible to avoid both needless cuts and extensions of hospital admissions.

Background: The measures of clinical status used to predict costs must pay the most attention possible to medical conditions and clinical complexity. Length of stay (LOS), which has been used as a proxy for resource consumption, is not a direct measure of costs. Classification and regression trees, which are used in defining iso-resource groups, can be affected by overfitting and are based on a priori choices of the splitting attributes. Finally, current approaches are mainly concerned in estimating average group costs and do not attempt to estimate individual case costs., Objectives: We sought to define comprehensive measures of clinical status and detailed measures of resource consumption. We also sought to predict individual inpatient rehabilitation costs through multiple regression models., Research Design: A prospective analysis was conducted of all rehabilitation cases admitted to 5 Italian inpatient facilities during a period of 12 months. All admissions underwent repeated Minimum Data Set-Post Acute Care (MDS-PAC) schedules to collect information on clinical status and treatment provided. We used factorial analysis to yield continuous variables representing clinical characteristics, and we priced treatments to obtain cost of stay. We used linear regression models to predict cost of stay and validated the model-based cost predictions by data-splitting., Results: We collected 9720 MDS-PAC schedules from 2702 hospital admissions. The multivariate regression models fitted costs reasonably well with r(2) values of at least 0.34. On cross-validation, the ability of the regression models to predict cost was confirmed., Conclusion: We were able to estimate actual rehabilitation costs and define reliable regression models to predict costs from individual patient characteristics. Our approach identifies the contribution of any single patient characteristic to rehabilitation cost and tests the assumptions of the analysis.

Objective: To describe an outbreak of hepatitis C virus (HCV)., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting: Outpatient department of a hospital in Rome, Italy., Patients: All 42 patients exposed to ozone therapy by autohemotherapy or intramuscular injection from January to June 2001., Methods: Epidemiologic investigation, serologic analysis, and virus genotyping., Results: Thirty-one (74%) of the patients agreed to participate in the study. Three (9.7%) had symptoms of HCV infection. This incidence rate was higher than the rate of 1.4 per 100,000 per year in the regional population. Six patients were positive for HCV antibodies and HCV RNA for a prevalence rate of 19.4%, which was much higher than the estimate of 0.9% in the population. Virus genotype 1b was found in two case-patients (one symptomatic) and 2c in four case-patients (two symptomatic), one of whom was known to have an HCV infection since 1986 and could have been the source of infection. The infected patients were all being exposed to ozone-enriched transfusions of autologous blood. Although the specific mode of transmission between patients was not detected, transmission probably occurred during one of the three busiest therapeutic sessions in the 6-month period., Conclusions: Transmission of HCV infection may occur during medical procedures with limited bleeding. Standard precautions must be applied in any healthcare setting; restricting the number of individuals treated during each therapeutic session could be an effective way of avoiding accidental transmission of infection.

In order to facilitate the control of tuberculosis (TB), the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined a standardised short-course chemotherapy and a strategy, directly observed therapy. In 2000, WHO surveillance of TB treatments in Europe recorded a successful outcome rate of 77%. The aim of this report is to estimate treatment outcomes in European countries based on published studies and to identify their determinants. A systematic review was conducted of published reports of TB treatment outcomes in Europe. Meta-analysis, meta-regression and subgrouping were used to pool treatment outcomes and analyse associations with mean age, sex, immigration status and multidrug resistance. Of the 197 articles identified in the search, 26 were eligible for the review; 74.4% of outcomes were successful, 12.3% were unsuccessful and 6.8% of patients died. Heterogeneity was high for all outcomes. National estimates were possible for six countries. Multidrug resistance was inversely associated with successful outcome, which were fewer in populations with >9% multidrug-resistant TB, and in patients aged <44 yrs. Successful tuberculosis treatment outcomes were below the 85% threshold suggested by the World Health Organization. There was an inverse association with levels of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The unexplained heterogeneity between the studies for unsuccessful outcomes seems to be due to differing interpretations given to World Health Organization definitions.

Objective: To determine the frequency of sampling in small water distribution systems (<5,000 inhabitants) and compare the results according to different hypotheses in bacteria distribution., Design and Setting: We carried out two sampling programs to monitor the water distribution system in a town in Central Italy between July and September 1992; the Poisson distribution assumption implied 4 water samples, the assumption of negative binomial distribution implied 21 samples. Coliform organisms were used as indicators of water safety. The network consisted of two pipe rings and two wells fed by the same water source. The number of summer customers varied considerably from 3,000 to 20,000., Results: The mean density was 2.33 coliforms/100 ml (sd= 5.29) for 21 samples and 3 coliforms/100 ml (sd= 6) for four samples. However the hypothesis of homogeneity was rejected (p-value <0.001) and the probability of II type error with the assumption of heterogeneity was higher with 4 samples (beta= 0.24) than with 21 (beta= 0.05)., Conclusion: For this small network, determining the samples' size according to heterogeneity hypothesis strengthens the statement that water is drinkable compared with homogeneity assumption.

Background: The relationship between income inequality and health remains controversial in terms of whether or not it exists and, if so, its extent and the mechanisms involved. This study examines the relationship between income inequality, as indicated by the Gini coefficient, and mortality in Italy., Methods: Cross-sectional ecological study on the 57,138,489 inhabitants living in the 95 provinces existing in Italy in 1994. Multivariate weighted regression analysis of total and age-specific mortality, income inequality, gender, and interaction between income inequality and median income or geographical area., Results: A positive association between income inequality and total mortality was observed for both genders in provinces with a low per capita income and in Southern and Central Italy. The effect was present for infants and for persons over 24 years of age; it was marked for the elderly, particularly women. A negative association with mortality was observed for males living in the North-west. Interactions between income inequality and median income, and between income inequality and geographical area were found., Conclusion: In Italy, the relationship between income inequality and health is mixed and not universal, in so far as a positive association was observed only in provinces with lower absolute income. Elderly persons living in Southern Italy represent the population subgroup most vulnerable to unequal income distribution. Income inequality can, in part, explain the historically higher mortality among women in Southern Italy compared to women in the North. These results indicate that income inequality affects the health of population subgroups differentially.

Aims: To identify factors associated with entering any methadone treatment at first admission at an NHS treatment centre in Italy and to investigate determinants of receiving detoxification or maintenance methadone treatments., Methods: Data were analysed from 565 heroin addicts who entered for the first time one of 90 NHS treatment centres in 12 Italian regions between September 1998 and March 2001. Subjects were interviewed at admission by the centre's staff and followed-up for 18 months. Details on treatments provided were recorded using a standardised form. Random effects logistic regression analysis was applied., Results: Factors positively associated with any methadone treatment assignment were: being younger than 25 years and using heroin more than twice a day, having been recently incarcerated, and living with a partner. Independent predictors of admission to methadone maintenance were injecting heroin, having sex without a condom in the previous six months, being HIV positive and having been enrolled at a NHS TC where a psychiatrist was present. Using heroin once a day or more and using cocaine were factors associated with enrollment into detoxification treatment. A significant heterogeneity between centres was observed., Conclusions: Results from this study give an insight into different patient profiles who are enrolled in methadone treatments. The observed heterogeneity between centres indicates the need to develop and implement common guidelines for the access of heroin addicts to substitution treatment.

This study evaluates the impact of the 2003 heat wave on cause-specific mortality and the role of demographic characteristics and socioeconomic conditions that may have increased the risk of mortality in four Italian cities: Bologna, Milan, Rome and Turin. Daily mortality counts, for the resident population by age, sex and cause of death were considered. Daily excess mortality was calculated as the difference between the number of deaths observed and the smoothed average. The impact of heat on health is measured in terms of maximum apparent temperature. The greatest excess in mortality was observed in the north west of Italy (Turin, +23% and Milan, +23%). The old (75-84 years) and the very old (85+ years) were the age groups most affected, and when stratifying by sex, the increase in mortality seemed to be greater among females. The greatest excess in mortality was registered in those with low socioeconomic status in Rome (+17.8%) and in those with lower education levels in Turin (+43%). The analysis of cause-specific mortality not only confirms results from previous studies of an increase in heat-related mortality by respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, but also shows a significant excess in mortality for diseases of the central nervous system and for metabolic/endocrine disorders. Results from 2003 highlight the necessity of targeting future prevention programmes at the susceptible sub-groups identified. The introduction of warning systems alongside efficient preventive plans and the monitoring of mortality during heat waves may represent a valid tool for the reduction of heat-related deaths.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of peer education when compared to teacher-led curricula in AIDS prevention programs conducted in schools in Rome, Italy., Methods: Eighteen high schools were randomly assigned to one of two prevention programs: one led by teachers and the other by peer leaders. A sample of students attending the last 2 years (n = 1295) completed pre and post-intervention questionnaires. Changes in sexual behaviors, knowledge, prevention skills, risk perception and attitudes were first evaluated within each intervention group. Afterwards, changes in knowledge, prevention skills, risk perception, and attitudes total scale scores (post-test scores minus pre-test scores) were compared between the two groups, through linear regression models, in order to control for confounders, taking into account the within-school correlation in score changes. As for sexual behaviors, number of sexual partners and frequency of condom use in the 3 months before post-test were compared by intervention group through ordinal regression models, also taking into account behaviors reported before pre-test., Results: For both groups, we observed significant improvements in skills, knowledge, attitudes and risk perception. The peer-led group showed a 6.7% (95% C.I. 1.9-11.5) scores greater improvement in knowledge, compared to the teacher-led group. In neither group were improvements observed in condom use or number of sexual partners., Conclusions: The only apparent benefit of the peer-led intervention, compared to that led by teachers, was a greater improvement in knowledge of HIV. Neither of the interventions induced changes in sexual behavior. However, the role of possible biases and methodological problems must be considered when interpreting these results.

Aim: To summarize the major findings of the five Cochrane reviews on substitution maintenance treatments for opioid dependence., Methods: We conducted a narrative and quantitative summary of systematic review findings. There were 52 studies included in the original reviews (12,075 participants, range 577-5894): methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) was compared with methadone detoxification treatment (MDT), no treatment, different dosages of MMT, buprenorphine maintenance treatment (BMT), heroin maintenance treatment (HMT), and l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) maintenance treatment (LMT)., Measurements: Outcomes considered were retention in treatment, use of heroin and other drugs during treatment, mortality, criminal activity, and quality of life., Findings: Retention in treatment: MMT is more effective than MDT, no treatment, BMT, LMT, and heroin plus methadone. MMT proved to be less effective than injected heroin alone. High doses of methadone are more effective than medium and low doses. Use of heroin: MMT is more effective than waiting list, less effective than LAAM, and not different from injected heroin. No significant results were available for mortality and criminal activity., Conclusions: These findings confirm that MMT at appropriate doses is the most effective in retaining patients in treatment and suppressing heroin use but show weak evidence of effectiveness toward other relevant outcomes. Future clinical trials should collect data on a broad range of health outcomes and recruit participants from heterogeneous practice settings and social contexts to increase generalizability of results.

Background: Improving quality and effectiveness of health care is one of the priorities of health policies. Hospital or physician volume of activity may be a measurable variable with a relevant impact on effectiveness of health care. There are several studies and systematic reviews evaluating the association between volume and outcome of health care. The aim of this review is to identify: areas, clinical conditions or interventions (prevention, diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical or clinical) for which an association between volume and outcome has been investigated; those for which an association between volume and outcome has been proved, Methods: Overview of systematic reviews and Health Technology Assessment reports; search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Web sites of Health Technology Assessment, other HTA Agencies, National guideline Clearinghouse, National Health Care quality tools (1995-february 2005). For each studied area results are described separately for each review due to the heterogeneity of outcomes, volume thresholds and results reported. No metanalysis has been conducted. Completeness of reporting of the systematic reviews has been evaluated using the QUOROM statement. For each review we evaluated the number of studies included and the proportion of studies with statistically significant results (p < 0,05). As far as in-hospital mortality is concerned, the different areas have been classified in the following groups: Strong evidence ofpositive association: areas with > or =10 studies included in the reviews, and high prevalence (> or =50%) of positive studies (p <0. 05) in the majority of reviews. Weak evidence of association: areas with 5 to 9 studies included in the reviews and high prevalence (> or =50%) of positive studies (p <0.05) in the majority of reviews. Weak evidence of lack of association: areas with 5 to 9 studies included in the reviews and high prevalence (>50%) of not statistically significant studies (p >0.05) in the majority of reviews. No suficient evidence of association: areas with less than 5 studies included in the reviews. No evidence of association: areas with > or =10 studies included in the reviews, and high prevalence (>50%) of not statistically significant studies (p >0.05) in the majority of reviews. The same literature search was then applied to identify primary studies published in each considered area following the most recent systematic review published., Results and Discussion: We identified 21 systematic reviews and included 11 of them analysing 46 different areas. The majority of studies evaluate the effect of specific surgical procedures; the main outcomes considered are hospital mortality and 5 year survival for cancers. Considering in-hospital mortalilty as outcome, in 11 areas there is strong evidence ofassociation between volume of activity and outcome: abdominalaortic aneurysm (unruptured), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty knee arthroplasty coronary artery bypass, surgery for oesophageal and pancreatic cancer, surgery for prostate cancer, colecistectomy, carotid endarterectomy, myocardial infarction, neonatal intensive care. It is never possible however to identify a unique volume threshold. For some of these areas, particularly coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass, there are many new studies published following the last systematic review; some specific aspects are being investigated such as the role of temporal changes in the association, the effect of different risk adjustment procedures and the separate role of physician or hospital volume. In some cases, for example knee arthroplasty in-hospital mortality could be an inadequate outcome on which judging the strength of association, in fact, the few studies evaluating other outcomes such as complications provide inconsistent results. For a range of areas the evidence of association is weak: AIDS, appendicectomy, cardiac catheterization, surgery for breast, lung, stomach cancer, hernia repair, hip fracture, hysterectomy and injuries. As far as AIDS is concerned, the few number of studies found is probably due to the lack of studies published after the introduction of effective therapies. All the included studies show an evidence of association between volume and in-hospital mortality. In no case we found weak evidence of lack of association while we identified three conditions for which the number of studies included in the reviews together with the prevalence of non significant studies do suggest lack of association; these are abdominal aortic aneurysm (ruptured), hip arthroplasty and surgery for colorectal cancer. In the case of hip arthroplasty as well, inhospital mortality could be an inadequate outcome, but only one old study found a positive association with risk of complications. Eventually there is a group of areas (n=22) for which there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about the association between volume and outcome due to a small number of studies. In some cases, such as transplants, this could be due to the low rate of events; in this case all the few published studies show positive results. There are some limitations which should be taken into account in the interpretation of these results: despite the overall good completeness of reporting of the included reviews, the majority of studies included in the reviews themselves are cross-sectional studies representing a very weak study design to evaluate causality of the investigated association. Moreover the methodology of risk adjustment applied is heterogenous among studies and it is difficult to know the extent to which this can affect the observed results. It is eventually necessary to consider the possible occurrence of publication bias which could lead to an overestimation of the positive effect of volume on health care outcomes attributable to the lack of publication of negative studies., Conclusions: In some areas the evidence seems strong enough to guide health care organizational choices, although it is not possible to identify well defined volume thresholds. In other areas, particularly for non surgical conditions, where there is not enough evidence, it seems necessary to conduct proper epidemiological studies. Also the evaluation of effectiveness of using volume as an instrument of health policy requires further research. Taking into account the rapid and continuing process of technology development, the definition of standard and prerequisite volumes of care should be specific of each temporal period and health care system. It is therefore a dynamic process requiring a continuous review of the available evidence. In the area of evidence based public health, the limited available evidence should not impair the choice of actions based on limited evidence, but rather it should lead to the application of thefew available evidence on one side and to the planning of proper research in the areas of lack of evidence.

Objective: During autumn 2002 a large eruption of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) occurred. High levels (over 200 microg/m3) of total suspended particles (PM10) were recorded. The aim of the study was to evaluate the acute health effects on mortality and hospital admissions in the area around the volcano., Design: Deaths and hospital admissions occurring during the eruption period were compared with the corresponding figures during the same periods of the previous year (same day of the week). Relative risks, RR, and their 95% confidence intervals, CI, were computed. Variations in daily hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases associated with daily level of PM10 were estimated., Results: No effects on overall and cause-specific mortality were observed during the eruption period. Increases were observed in hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases (ischemic diseases: RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.56; myocardial infarction: RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.02-1.76) and for cerebrovascular diseases (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.47). The excesses were stronger among the elderly. Daily admissions for cardiovascular diseases were not associated to PM10 levels., Conclusion: The effects of the eruption of Mount Etna were limited to a temporary increase of cardiovascular morbidity, especially among the elderly, possibly as a consequence of stress.

Objectives: To describe mortality and case fatality rate due to bacterial meningitis in the Lazio Region from 1996 to 2000, and to compare these estimates with those from Cause-of-death Registry (CDR) and Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR)., Methods: A follow-up study of mortality was conducted through Registry Offices for bacterial meningitis cases reported to surveillance in 1996-2000 among residents in the Lazio Region. Death due to bacterial meningitis was defined as a patient who died during a hospitalization for meningitis or who died within 30 days after hospitalization and whose underlying cause of death was bacterial meningitis (ICD-9: 036.0, 036.1, 036.2,320.0, 320.1, 320.2, 320.3, 320.7, 320.8, 320.9, 027.0). Case fatality rates estimated from follow-up study were compared with estimates from CDR and HDR of the same period., Results: 525 bacterial meningitis cases were reported among residents in the whole period; 98 deaths were detected with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.7% (CI 95% 15.4-22.5); estimates were higher in patients 64+ year old (44.6%; CI 95% 33.7-55.9) and in meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (27.5%; CI 95% 20.3-35.6) or Listeria (32.0%; CI 95% 14.9-53.5). The CFR was 10.1% according to the CDR and 10.9% according to the HDR., Conclusions: CFRs differ according to the database used. Differences may be partially due to a selective lower sensitivity in reporting deceased cases, but the most important factor seems to be the case definition used in follow-up study and other sources of data.

Background: Many medications have been used for stabilizing heroin users: Methadone, Buprenorphine and LAAM. The present review focus on the prescription of heroin to heroin dependents., Objectives: To assess the efficacy and acceptability of heroin maintenance versus methadone or other substitution treatments for opioid dependence, in retaining patients in treatment; reducing the use of illicit substances and improving health and social functioning., Search Strategy: The Cochrane Central Register of Trials (CENTRAL) issue 1, 2005; MEDLINE 1966-2005, EMBASE 1980-2005 and CINAHL till 2005 (on OVID) were searched. There was no language or publication year restrictions. Many researchers were contacted for information., Selection Criteria: Randomised controlled trials of heroin (alone or combined with methadone) maintenance treatment compared with any other pharmacological treatments for heroin dependents., Data Collection and Analysis: The trials were independently assessed for inclusion and methodological quality by the reviewers. Data were extracted independently and double checked. Studies were not pooled together because of heterogeneity., Main Results: 2400 references were obtained and 20 studies were eligible, 4 met the inclusion criteria for a total of 577 patients. The studies could not be analysed cumulatively because of heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes. Retention in treatment: no groups difference was found in two studies; one study (N=96) found RR=2.82 (95% CI 1.70-4.68) favouring heroin; one study (N=235) found RR 0.79 (95%CI 0.68-0.90) favouring methadone. Relapse to illegal heroin use (self- reported): in one study people using heroin in treatment was 64% (heroin group)and 59% (methadone group); in the other study the RR of heroin use was 0.33 (95%CI 0.15-0.72) favouring heroin. Criminal offence: one study showed the potential of heroin prescription in reducing the risk of being charged RR 0.32 (95% CI 0.14-0.78). Social functioning: two studies did not show statistical difference between intervention groups, and two studies considered criminal offence and social functioning as part of a multidomain outcome measure showing improvements among those treated with heroin plus methadone over those on methadone only., Authors' Conclusions: No definitive conclusions about the overall effectiveness of heroin prescription is possible. Results favouring heroin treatment come from studies conducted in countries where easily accessible Methadone Maintenance Treatment at effective dosages is available. In those studies heroin prescription was addressed to patients who had failed previous methadone treatments. The present review contains information about ongoing trials which results will be integrated as soon as available.

The consistent association seen between family size and childhood allergy has led to the 'hygiene hypothesis', namely that a lower frequency of infections in early childhood is associated with an increased risk of asthma and hay fever. Maternal atopy, however, is a strong predictor of childhood asthma and hay fever. If maternal atopy is inversely related to the number of siblings then the role of siblings in the development of childhood atopy, the basic tenet of the 'hygiene hypothesis', is challenged. We evaluated the association between number of pregnancies and number of live births with lifetime occurrence of maternal wheeze, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and allergic conjunctivitis in a cross-sectional study in four areas in Italy. A total of 1755 (35-74 year old) nonsmoking women filled a questionnaire on reproductive history as well as on lifetime occurrence of symptoms/diseases. The number of live births was inversely related to lifetime allergic rhinitis (P-value for trend=0.031) and allergic conjunctivitis (P-value for trend=0.011). The odds ratios for those with 4+ children (in comparison with those having 0-1) were: 0.53 (95% CI: 0.27-1.04) and 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22-0.81), respectively. A similar trend was seen for number of pregnancies, although not statistically significant. No association was found between number of pregnancies and number of live births with wheeze or asthma. The results may be interpreted as an indication that maternal atopy influences pregnancy outcomes or that pregnancy itself has an effect on maternal atopy.

Objective: Most studies on the effectiveness of rehabilitation consider only particular rehabilitation treatments for particular conditions, and do not give a global vision of the issue. This study evaluated the effectiveness of various types of post acute rehabilitative care in patients with different diagnoses by investigating the association between treatments and functional gain by type of impairment and severity on admission., Design, Setting and Participants: Information on the characteristics of patients and the rehabilitative treatments was collected using an Italian version of the Minimum Data Set-Post Acute Care. The questionnaire was created and validated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, it is divided in various section and was filled in at regular intervals throughout the hospital stay. Patients included in the study were 1918., Main Outcome Measures: We used factor analysis to summarize each section in a single continuous variable. The observed functional gain was calculated as the difference between functional status at the beginning and at the end of the admission. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between rehabilitation treatments and functional gain, adjusting for patient characteristics and severity at admission. The effectiveness of the treatments were obtained by calculating the difference between the overall functional gain of the hospital stay and the predicted functional gain of the stay in the absence of rehabilitation treatments., Results and Conclusion: The effectiveness of treatments differs across diagnostic class and it is associated directly with severity of functional status at admission. In most cases, the positive effect of treatments combines with the spontaneous functional gain; in other cases the positive effect of treatments opposes the spontaneous deterioration of patient functional status.

Objective: As a result of the introduction of new highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in industrialized countries, social inequalities in survival of people with AIDS were observed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of these inequalities in a cohort of persons with diagnosis of AIDS in a period of wider diffusion of the therapy., Design and Setting: Longitudinal study of 1,368 resident of Rome, age between 18 and 59 years, diagnosed with AIDS between 1996 and 2000., Main Outcome Measures: Survival at 31.12.2002 after diagnosis of AIDS was analysed with respect to variables indicating socioeconomic status (SES) and income (IR) calculated for census tract of residence. We calculated hazard ratios (HR) of death using the Cox regression model and adjusting for gender, age, risk factor, period of diagnosis, CD4 cell count at diagnosis, AIDS defining disease and hospital of diagnosis., Results: The analysis of survival has not evidenced difference of survival for different levels of SES and IR. For males only, there was an increase in mortality for persons of second level (HR=1.68; 95%CI 1.04-2.71) and fourth level (HR=1.85; 95% CI 1.15-2.96) of IR when compared with the first level, Conclusion: In this study, conducted in the context of wider diffusion of HAART, the social differentials in survival with AIDS found in previous studies were not confirmed.

The purpose of this study was to compare two different methods to describe C-section variability among hospital units: case-mix adjusted ORs and case-mix adjusted rates. About 41,755 deliveries without previous C-section occurred in 60 hospitals in 2001 were analysed. Logistic regression was used to produce both adjusted rates and ORs by maternity unit. The two methods showed similar rankings, however ORs estimates were more precise and proved to be a useful tool to describe C-section variability across hospitals.

Objective: To examine the relationship between air pollution and coronary events in Rome in the period 1998-2000, considering both out-of-hospital deaths and hospitalisations., Design: Time-series of daily counts of out-of-hospital deaths and hospitalised events, implementation of Generalised Additive Models., Setting: The air pollutants taken into account were PNC (Particle Number Concentration--a measure of ultrafine particles), PM10, CO, NO2, SO2 and O3. The association was studied with respect to either single days or the cumulative effect on more consecutive days; furthermore, effect modification by age was tested (for the age groups 0-64, 65-74 and 75+)., Participants: People resident of Rome and died/hospitalised for coronary causes into the city in the period 1998-2000., Main Outcome Measure: Association between pollutants and out-of-hospital deaths/hospitalised events. Distinction between fatal events (out-of-hospital deaths + hospitalisations with death within 28 days of admission) and non fatal events (hospitalisations with survival longer than 28 days)., Results: Significant association between PNC, PM10, and CO with out-of-hospital deaths, smaller effect on hospitalised events. For a variation of PNC of 28000 particles per cm3 (interquartile range of the distribution) the increase in the risk of out-of-hospital coronary death at lag 0 was 8.1%; for hospital admissions, the risk increased by 4%. The association was stronger in subjects older than 65, and was more evident for total fatal events than for non-fatal hospitalisations., Conclusion: The study showed increased risks of coronary events associated with air pollution in Rome: ultrafine particles, directly generated by vehicular traffic, are the environmental indicator which best characterizes the health risk.

Background: Direct admission to Coronary Care Unit (CCU) on hospital arrival can be considered as a good proxy for adequate management in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), as it has been associated with better prognosis. We analyzed a cohort of patients with AMI hospitalized in Rome (Italy) in 1997-2000 to assess the proportion directly admitted to CCU and to investigate the effect of patient characteristics such as gender, age, illness severity on admission, and socio-economic status (SES) on CCU admission practices., Methods: Using discharge data, we analyzed a cohort of 9127 AMI patients. Illness severity on admission was determined using the Deyo's adaptation of the Charlson's comorbidity index, and each patient was assigned to one to four SES groups (level I referring to the highest SES) defined by a socioeconomic index, derived by the characteristics of the census tract of residence. The effect of gender, age, illness severity and SES, on risk of non-admission to CCU was investigated using a logistic regression model (OR, CI 95%)., Results: Only 53.9% of patients were directly admitted to CCU, and access to optimal care was more frequently offered to younger patients (OR = 0.35; 95%CI = 0.25-0.48 when comparing 85+ to >=50 years), those with less severe illness (OR = 0.48; 95%CI = 0.37-0.61 when comparing Charlson index 3+ to 0) and the socially advantaged (OR = 0.81; 95%CI = 0.66-0.99 when comparing low to high SES)., Conclusion: In Rome, Italy, standard optimal coronary care is underprovided. It seems to be granted preferentially to the better off, even after controversial clinical criteria, such as age and severity of illness, are taken into account.

Background: After the introduction of the highly active antiretroviral therapies, data from AIDS surveillance systems are less useful to describe the HIV epidemic, while HIV surveillance could give more detailed information to provide data for HIV prevention and care programmes. We report the results of the HIV surveillance system update in Lazio, Italy, from 1985 through 2000., Methods: New diagnoses of HIV infection were identified through a linkage procedure on the total reports, and underreporting was estimated through a link between the HIV surveillance system and the Hospital Information System of Lazio., Results: As of December 2000, 20,912 new diagnoses of HIV occurred in Lazio. New diagnoses have decreased steadily since 1992. The male/female ratio decreased during the study period, while the number of foreign-born cases increased. Sexual transmission became the main modality of exposure for men in 1996 and for women in 1992. In 2000 the proportion of men infected by sexual transmission reached 54.0% versus 15.2% of those infected by intravenous drug use, whereas the proportion of women was 58.9% and 8.6% respectively. The sensitivity of the system has slightly decreased., Conclusion: HIV infection is increasing in women and immigrants; people are being infected more frequently by sexual transmission than intravenous drug use.

Background: In Italy, diabetes centres are considered to provide adequate care but little is known about their performance., Methods: Inpatient and outpatient administrative databases were used to select and study a cohort of 2,568 diabetic patients. Adherence to guidelines and effect of patient characteristics and diabetes centre on treatment was assessed. Mortality rate was calculated., Results: Patients averaged 9.3 outpatient visits per year. Each patient received a mean of 21.8 ambulatory services per year but only 2.21 Haemoglobin A1C tests, and only 0.56 procedures suggested by the guidelines. Diabetes management depended mainly on the care centre. A mortality rate of 6.9 per hundred person-years was observed., Conclusions: Hospital-affiliated centres do not ensure adequate diabetes management.

Objective: To evaluate the burden of hospitalised pneumonia in adults in the Lazio region (1997-1999); to describe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), suspected nosocomial infection (NI) and AIDS-related pneumonia., Methods: Using data from the Hospital Information System, we traced the hospitalisation history of patients and classified CAP, NI and AIDS-related pneumonia., Results: During the study period, 30517 incident events of pneumonia occurred: 20497 CAP, 9760 NI, and 964 AIDS-related pneumonia; 704 of these were also NI (annual incidence rate 158, 75 and 7.4 per 100 000 population, respectively). The mean ages were 65, 69 and 38 years for CAP, NI, and AIDS-related pneumonia, respectively. Higher hospitalisation rates were observed in Rome than in the rest of the region for NI and AIDS-related cases, but not for CAP. Lower socioeconomic groups showed a higher incidence of CAP and AIDS-related pneumonia. Peaks of incidence were observed in winter for CAP and NI. Only 20% of pneumonias have an aetiological diagnosis. In-hospital fatality rates were 9.4%, 29.3% and 11.2% for CAP, NI and AIDS-related pneumonia, respectively., Conclusion: The high incidence and fatality of CAP and NI, especially among the elderly, makes these diseases a problem that is re-emerging in industrialised countries with an ageing population.

Aim: To provide an overview of 5 Cochrane reviews of different approaches for treating opioid withdrawal., Design: Narrative and quantitative summary of review findings., Participants: There were 46 studies included in the original reviews with a total of 3350 participants (range 18-300)., Intervention: The 5 reviews considered 46 studies covering seven different comparisons, the major ones being methadone compared with alpha2-adrenergic agonists and other opioid agonists, different alpha2-adrenergic agonists compared with each other and to antagonist-induced withdrawal and buprenorphine., Measurements: The outcomes considered were signs and symptoms of withdrawal, retention in treatment, completion rate, relapse rate and side effects., Findings: Methadone detoxification results in higher retention in treatment, lower relapse rate and fewer side effects when compared with adrenergic agonists. No difference was observed when comparing different adrenergic agonists; buprenorphine appears to have an advantage over adrenergic agonists on withdrawal symptoms and side effects., Conclusions: Despite the considerable number of trials that have been carried out on this topic, they are very heterogeneous as far as the comparisons and outcomes considered. This prevented many of them from being incorporated into a quantitative meta-analysis. Consensus in measurements and results should be reached among researchers involved in the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatments for opiate addiction in order to produce consistent outcomes in the measuring and reporting of results from clinical trials.

Background: Coronary care units (CCUs) currently treat a variety of diseases, but little is known about the effectiveness of CCUs on heart conditions other than acute myocardial infarction., Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the association between direct admission to CCUs and the risk of inhospital death in patients with heart disease, to investigate factors affecting direct admission to a CCU, and to assess the effect of CCU admission on the use of invasive procedures in patients with arrhythmias., Research Design: We conducted a retrospective analysis of discharge-abstract data from Lazio, Italy, hospitals. We used logistic regression, propensity score, and instrumental variable analysis to compare inhospital risk of death between patients admitted to CCUs and to ordinary wards in 13 different groups of heart disease. We used linear regression to study the association between the rate of CCU admission and the relative risk of death., Results: The study included 181,049 heart disease admissions, of which 8620 were admitted to CCUs (4.8%). Risk of death was significantly lower in patients admitted directly to CCUs for "acute myocardial infarction" (odds ratio [OR], 0.57), "acute ischemic heart disease" (OR, 0.55), and "other arrhythmias" (OR, 0.56). Mortality ORs were inversely related to the rate of CCU admission. CCU patients with arrhythmias received more invasive procedures (OR, 2.70) than non-CCU patients., Conclusion: Direct admission to a CCU is associated with a decrease in mortality for patients with "acute myocardial infarction," "acute heart ischemia," and "other arrhythmias." Patients most likely to benefit from CCU care are preferentially admitted to CCUs. CCUs make larger use of invasive procedures than ordinary wards.

Background: Malignant mesothelioma is indicative of past exposure to asbestos. In recent years an increase of incidence and mortality from malignant mesothelioma has been observed. Recent legislation in Italy requires nation-wide registration of asbestos-related pathologies. We conducted a preparatory study for systematic recording of cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma in the Lazio region., Objectives: To register new diagnoses of malignant mesothelioma, to estimate the incidence in the Lazio region, and to evaluate possible survey instruments., Methods: We conducted a systematic study of hospital admissions in the region with diagnosis of cancer of the pleura (ICD-IX 163) in the period 1997-2000. Clinical information and results of diagnostic tests were requested for 530 patients from the hospitals involved. Using the capture-recapture method, it was possible to estimate the accuracy of the data we compiled using hospital admissions as the data source (76.8%, 95% C.I.=76.4-77.3)., Results: After careful review of clinical documentation, the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of the pleura was confirmed in 31.6% of cases (156 cases diagnosed). The percentage of confirmed cases has risen over the years (from 21% in 1997 to 45.1% in 2000) and it was higher in large public hospitals than in other types of health care facilities. On the basis of 156 confirmed cases of mesothelioma (116 males and 40 females), we estimated the annual incidence of the disease in the Lazio region as 1.73 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants among men and 0.47 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants among women., Conclusions: The results show that the incidence of mesothelioma in the region is consistent with national data, falling in the middle of the range for all Italian regions. However, some areas emerge (for example, Colleferro, Civitavecchia, Tarquinia, Ferentino, Gaeta, Aprilia, Pomezia) that have particularly high rates, probably in relation to past occupational asbestos exposure. The role of diffuse environmental exposure in Rome may warrant further investigation.

We evaluated the disease management of transient ischemic attack in patients admitted to Lazio hospitals from July 1997 to June 1998. We assessed the effects of patient characteristics including chronic comorbidities on the use of diagnostic procedures, endarterectomy, and on the risk of adverse cerebrovascular outcome or death. There were 2,608 patients in the study who were followed up over a 18- to 30-month period. Carotid surgery was performed on 1.15% of the subjects, total mortality was 34.7 per 1,000 person-years and adverse cerebrovascular outcome was observed in 38.1 per 1,000 person-years. Chronic comorbidities did affect the mortality rate and the rate of adverse outcome, but not the rate of endarterectomies. Carotid surgery was infrequently performed in study subjects. It seems that this potentially stroke-preventive treatment was not offered to suitable candidates in many instances., (Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Radiological examination of the abdomen is critical to the diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Previous studies on the reproducibility of radiological findings have been limited in size and based only on infants with the disease. We conducted a study among a sample of high-risk infants with and without the diagnosis of NEC: (1) to measure the degree of inter-observer agreement of NEC radiological diagnosis and signs and (2) identify a profile of radiological signs which led the observers to make a diagnosis of NEC. We collected 297 X-rays from a sample of 57 newborns admitted in 1999 to neonatal intensive care and neonatal surgery units in Rome, Italy. Three specialists in paediatric radiology examined the films independently and without any clinical information about patients. The analyses were conducted on a total of 891 forms filled in by the observers. Kappa values were calculated to measure the inter-observer reliability. To identify the profiles of radiological signs, a multidimensional analysis, binary segmentation, was carried out. The reproducibility of radiographic signs was 0.55 (P < 0.01) for diffuse gaseous intestinal distention, 0.22 (P < 0.01) for bowel wall thickening, 0.10 (P < 0.01) for presence of portal venous gas and 0.29 (P < 0.01) for pneumatosis intestinalis. The agreement for radiographic diagnosis suspected/confirmed of NEC was 0.31 (P < 0.01). Among the 23 possible combinations of radiographic signs, the three radiologists indicated four profiles that produced a diagnosis of NEC containing, respectively, two, three, four and five signs. Our study found, in a large sample of radiographs selected from a population of infants with and without NEC, a poor reliability for NEC diagnosis and individual radiological signs among three expert radiologists. Clinical information and the presence of more than one radiological sign can reduce the margin of observer's error that inevitably exists when dealing with a diagnosis as difficult as NEC.

Background: The reliability of information sources, as well as the precision of coverage indicators are open questions for immunisation coverage surveys., Methods: A sample survey of 323 children from two birth cohorts (1991-1992 and 1979-1981) was done. The sample was selected from seven health districts out of 51 in the Lazio region. The information was collected from vaccination cards or from parents, using a mail-in questionnaire. We computed three indicators of coverage at 24 months of age for polio, diphtheria-tetanus, pertussis (P), hepatitis B, and measles (M), depending on the value given to parental recall. We also compared up-to-date (UTD) (immunised children at 24 months) and age-appropriate (months at risk per child) indicators at the local level., Results: Response rate was 68.2%. The two birth cohorts were similarly immunised for polio (coverage 95%); the younger cohort had higher coverage levels for diphtheria-tetanus (93% vs. 75%), for P (30% vs. 22%), for M (43% vs. 16%) than the older one, even on the basis of parental recall. In the older cohort, diphtheria-tetanus, P and M coverage levels were 75, 22 and 15%, respectively, on the basis of parental recall and 66, 17 and 4% on certification. The age-appropriate indicator revealed four districts that completed vaccinations significantly too late, while the UTD indicator showed only one district significantly below the threshold of 95% of immunized children at 24 months., Conclusions: Parental recall and data from cards are comparable sources, but the former is more sensitive than the latter in retrospective studies. Verbal recall should be accepted as reasonably reliable in the absence of cards. Age-appropriate indicators give a more complete evaluation of the susceptibility in the population, and are more precise at the local level.

Information about risk ratios, exposures, and vehicles for foodborne diseases tends to be more reliable when it is obtained from outbreak surveillance than when it is obtained from disease notifications. In 1997, guidelines for methods of investigating foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) were implemented in the Lazio region. To evaluate the impact of these guidelines, we analyzed information about 410 FBDOs from 1996 to 2000. Under these guidelines, the delay in the reporting of outbreaks decreased from 10 to 2 days. An analysis of 82 large FBDOs (in which > 30 people were exposed) showed increases in the calculation of attack rates with a cohort approach (up to 83%), correctly drawn epidemic curves (up to 79%), and the calculation of food-specific relative risk (up to 60%). On the other hand, the level of the determination of etiology remained low: tests were performed on patients in 57% of the cases considered, resulting in an agent identification rate of 38%; for 22 outbreaks, tests were performed on food, resulting in three positive identifications. Analysis of the contamination route with the use of hazard analysis critical control point criteria a posteriori was carried out for 15 outbreaks, and nine of these analyses were successful. The implementation of the 1997 guidelines was successful with regard to epidemiological and statistical methods but did not improve etiological diagnosis for FBDOs. These guidelines improved surveillance for outbreaks in which > 30 people were exposed in well-defined exposure situations; however, the guidelines did not significantly improve epidemiological investigations of small household outbreaks.

Objectives: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the 35-item Medical Outcome Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) when applied to persons with AIDS., Methods: The study population consisted of 185 adults with AIDS residing in Rome and participating in a randomised controlled trial on home-care. Diagnosis was made between 1 October 1994 and 1 April 1996, and enrollment took place within 2 months of diagnosis. The MOS-HIV, which measures 10 dimensions of health-related quality of life (QoL), was administered at baseline and every 3 months thereafter during the 1-year follow-up. Tests of convergent and concurrent construct validity were conducted for all scales., Results: Of the 185 trial participants, 146 responded to the questionnaire; 82 responded at least twice (including baseline collection) during follow-up. For the role functioning, general health, and vitality scales, the distribution of scale scores was concentrated at the lower half of the range. Internal consistency reliability was adequate (>0.80) for all scales. Baseline scores tended to increase with decreasing AIDS severity and with increasing age. There were improvements over time in the role functioning, vitality, and health distress scales., Conclusions: The MOS-HIV had good reliability among persons with AIDS. There was a moderate floor effect for some of the subscales. Tests of convergent and construct validity were generally confirmed. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the responsiveness to changes over time.

The objective of this study was to assess hospital bed occupancy both by planned and unplanned cases, and to assess how supply and demand affect bed occupancy. Data was obtained from the Lazio Hospital Information System (HIS) dataset on all hospital discharges from July 1998 to June 2001. Using Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) as the reason for hospital stay, admissions were classified into four categories: 'planned stay', 'presumed planned stay', 'presumed unplanned stay', and 'unplanned stay'. Time series analysis of daily bed occupancy by category of stay was performed. Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to asses the effect of weekdays and holidays on bed occupancy. Fluctuations in daily occupancy were observed in all categories of stay-in general, bed occupancy decreased over weekends, on national holidays, and during the major holiday season of August. In comparison with unplanned stays, the largest fluctuations were observed for planned stays while presumed planned and unplanned stays showed lesser fluctuations. It is possible to distinguish planned and unplanned hospital stays by using DRG grouping. Cyclic rigidities in the supply of services rather than the availability of beds or demand for beds seem to dictate hospital use in Roma so that restrictions in services hamper any reallocation of beds for 'planned stay' when demand for 'unplanned stay' beds declines.

Epidemiological investigation of foodborne disease outbreaks helps us to better define the risks, hazards and vehicles involved. In 1997 guidelines on epidemiological methods for investigating these outbreaks were implemented in the Lazio Region. Methods used in investigating the 410 foodborne disease outbreaks reported in the 1996-2000 period were analysed to evaluate the impact of the guide lines on health services. Specific food attack-rates (epidemiological methods) were calculated more frequently in outbreaks with setting of mass catering with many exposed people (46% of these outbreaks) than in outbreaks in home setting with few exposed people (13% of these cases). Inversely, in smaller outbreaks the proportion of cases with detected aetiology (microbiological method) was higher (66%) than in larger ones (43%). For foodborne disease outbreaks with at least 30 people exposed epidemiological methods of investigating showed temporal trend in the period 1996-2000: the epidemics in which attack rates were calculated increased from 50% to 83%, those in which epidemic curve was drawn increased from 17% to 79%, and those in which food specific attack rates were calculated increased from 33% to 58%. The hazard analysis of critical control points (HACCP) was performed only in 18.3% of the cases. In conclusion, the guide lines resulted in a wider application of epidemiological methods in large outbreaks with a well defined exposure resulting in an improved detection of vehicles of foodborne diseases. Epidemiological methods possibly are not adequate to investigate smaller foodborne outbreaks.

The effect of dietary factors on asthma is controversial. This study examined food consumption and the use of fats in relation to wheezing and allergic rhinitis in children. Baseline questionnaire data on individual and family characteristics were recorded by parents of 5,257 children aged 6-7 yrs living in central Italy participating in the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study. A total of 4,104 children (78.1%) were reinvestigated after 1 yr using a second parental questionnaire to record occurrence of respiratory symptoms over the intervening 12 months. Consumption of foods rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, animal fats, and food containing omega-3 fatty acids were investigated using a food-frequency questionnaire. Frequency of use of fats was also evaluated. Wheezing, shortness of breath with wheeze, and symptoms of allergic rhinitis in the past 12 months were considered. Intake of cooked vegetables, tomatoes, and fruit were protective factors for any wheeze in the last 12 months and shortness of breath with wheeze. Consumption of citrus fruit had a protective role for shortness of breath with wheeze. Consumption of bread and margarine was associated with an increased risk of wheeze, while bread and butter was associated with shortness of breath with wheeze. Dietary antioxidants in vegetables may reduce wheezing symptoms in childhood, whereas both butter and margarine may increase the occurrence of such symptoms.

The current study evaluated the association between individual and area-based indicators of socioeconomic status and the prevalence, severity, and lifetime hospitalisation for asthma in children. The representative sample of 4,027 children from Rome, aged 6-7 yrs, used for the 1994 ISAAC (International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) initiative, was selected. Individual and small area indicators of socioeconomic status were used. Individual data on parents' education and on childhood asthma were gathered from self-administered parental questionnaires. Two small-area indicators (socioeconomic status index (SES) and average income in 1994) were derived using information available at the census tract of residence. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of parental education and small area indicators with asthma prevalence, severity, and hospitalisation. Parental smoking was considered in the analysis as a potential confounder. Prevalence of physician diagnosis of asthma (11.3%) increased as father's education decreased. Prevalence of severe asthma (1.6%) increased as maternal and paternal educational levels decreased. Lifetime hospitalisation for asthma (2.8%) was strongly associated with both parental education and small-area indicators of social disadvantage, even when considered simultaneously in the same logistic model. Socioeconomic conditions are associated with asthma occurrence, its severity, and hospitalisation. The association was stronger for asthma severity and hospitalisation. Individual indicators correlated better with the outcomes than area-based indicators. However, living in an underprivileged area is a strong independent predictor of hospital admission for asthma.

During 2000, the millennium year, 26 million people visited Rome. An improved surveillance system for infectious diseases, especially for foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDO), meningitis, and legionnaires' disease was introduced in 1997. This rapid alert network links public health services with the principal sources of diagnosis and laboratory based surveillance. For travel related legionnaires' disease, international surveillance was implemented. Specific control measures for FBDOs were adopted. No increase in the overall incidence of these diseases was observed, and no atypical pathogens in FBDOs or meningitis were isolated in 2000 relating to 1998-99. Cases of legionnaires' disease and FBDOs involving foreign tourists increased (10/4 and 7/2 observed/expected respectively). Three out of six FBDOs involving pilgrims occurred in religious guesthouses. While an increase in cases of legionnaires' disease and FBDOs among foreign tourists was observed by the surveillance system, the millennium year did not influence the epidemiology of infectious diseases in the residential population of Lazio.

Introduction: Medical records have an important role in the communication among different care providers and in forensic medicine. In Italy, information on completeness and correctness of medical records is scanty, whereas future hospital accreditation could take into account their quality as a proxy of good medical practice., Purpose: We performed a retrospective study in order to assess the quality of medical records in the Lazio region., Methods: From all 37009 hospital discharges for five different diseases in 123 hospitals (acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass surgery, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disorders, breast surgery), registered in the Regional Hospital Information System, we selected a random sample of 2022 (5.5% of the total). Ten physicians, previously trained, reviewed the relative medical charts and filled in "ad hoc" questionnaires., Results: A total of 1960 (97% of the target) charts were reviewed. Organization and structure of data recording strongly varied. Important differences were found across the diseases for various items: presence of anamnesis 98.1% (range: from 95.6% for breast surgery to 100% for AMI); presence of physical examination 92.7% (range: from 88.1% for breast surgery to 98.5% for AMI), completeness of the daily medical records was good in 70.8% (range: from 34.2% for pneumonia to 93.9% for cerebrovascular disorders). Variability among different type of hospitals was also observed, being teaching hospitals and some private hospitals more accurate., Conclusions: Quality of medical records tended to vary across different type of hospitals and different diseases. Actions for improving the quality should be undertaken as a priority. Efforts have to be done in restructuring charts, creating guidelines and training caregivers. The development and application of computer based health information systems should help solving these problems.