[Nasal patency patterns observed during working hours in a group of technicians habitually exposed to formaldehyde]. / Comportamento della pervietà nasale nell'arco di un turno lavorativo in un gruppo di soggetti professionalmente esposti a formaldeide.

Formaldehyde is a substance which is widely used in several work fields, including many medical and biological sectors. It appears that formaldehyde exposure may cause bronchial asthma. Little information is available, however, with regard to upper aereal tracts. The nose is a target organ of major importance for a large range of professional and extra-professional environmental pollutants. In particular, cases of professional rhinitis brought about by exposure to disinfectants have been reported in Literature. In the light of general knowledge related to the close correlation between upper and lower airways, and to the lack of information concerning the effects of short-term formaldehyde exposure on the upper aereal tract, the Authors decided that investigation of such exposure might prove interesting as well as worthwhile. A group of fifteen technicians who work in three different pathology departments and who had been exposed to formaldehyde for at least one year were studied. The purpose of the study was to assess possible alteration in nasal resistances at the end of a normal work shift. The subjects under study were observed according to a procedure which included several clinical, allergological, serological and functional evaluations carried out on specific days of the week. A control group, consisting of eight asymptomatic, non-atopic subjects who had never been exposed to inhalation of irritants was also monitored in the same way. Conclusions were drawn after considering some important variables such as exposure time, possible anatomical alterations of the nose, the presence of respiratory allergies and smoking habits. It was apparent that professional formaldehyde exposure typical of that experienced by technicians working in pathology departments induced a short-term irritant effect on the upper aereal tract, which, even though subclinical, is revealed by a statistically significant increase in nasal resistance. This effect seems to be favoured (at statistically not significant levels) by atopy, cigarette smoking and anatomical alterations of the nose. Our data seem to exclude a chronic cumulative effect of formaldehyde exposure.

[Nasal hyperreactivity and work environment]. / L'iperreattività nasale e l'ambiente di lavoro.

The Authors report bibliographic data concerning the effects of some substances present in the work environment of the nose and the possibility of nasal hypersensitivity to these substances. Preliminary data referring to a current study in the First ENT Clinic of the University of Turin on workers exposed to formaldehyde vapors are reported.

[A cancer marker study in patients with neoplastic pathology of the neck and head area]. / Studio di markers oncologici in pazienti con patologia neoplastica del distretto cervico-cefalico.

Specific markers able to detect either the presence of tumours or to identify the histological type of tumour are not currently available. Previous work yields an inconsistent picture of actual effectiveness of oncological markers, we therefore carried out a study on the cancer patients in our clinic. The present paper considered five markers (CEA, SCC, ca 19-9, TPA and Ferritin) and tested their effectiveness in diagnosing and following patients with head and neck neoplasias. The study was carried out on 102 patients, divided into three groups: 59 had been histologically diagnosed cancer but had not received any treatment (first group), the remaining 43 who had been treated (second group). We have also monitored the first group of no treated patients six months after therapy (third group). Our results suggest that while no significant conclusions may be drawn from SCC and CA 19-9, we found interesting results concerning Ferritin. Indeed Ferritin values increased by 22% in the first group, by 26% in the second one and by 19% in the third one. CEA and TPA values increased in non treated patients only by 22% and 12% respectively while they did not alter in the treated ones and they altered by 10.5% and by 10% respectively six months after therapy. Although our data are still preliminary and speculative and further evidence is needed, we can infer that the stage of the cancer and the positive markers appear to be concluded. The correlation is even stronger when all the cases are considered, without introducing the statistical and epidemiological variables.