The Role of Facebook® in Promoting a Physically Active Lifestyle: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: it is well known in literature that sedentary lifestyle contributes to worsening people’s health. This issue highlights the need for effective interventions to promote an active lifestyle. Research suggested multilevel intervention strategies to promote adherence to recommended physical activity levels, including the use of social networks that may simplify access to health notions. Being Facebook® the most extensive worldwide social network, this document aimed to analyze the current body of evidence on the role of Facebook® in the promotion of physical activity. Methods: eighteen manuscripts were considered eligible for this systematic review, and it was performed a meta-analysis (PRISMA guidelines) for overall physical activity parameters in eleven out of eighteen studies. Results: significant improvements were detected in the total amount of physical activity. In parallel, an increase in other parameters, such as cardiovascular, body composition, and social support, were found. The aerobic training, with supervised and tailored modalities, showed more considerable improvements. Conclusions: this study showed that Facebook® might be considered a feasible and accessible approach to promoting regular exercise practice and achieving health benefits indicators. Future research on the cross-link between physical activity and social network management could also focus on strength training to verify if a more structured intervention would show an effect

The Carmen Lamanna Gallery at the Owens Art gallery

Lamanna reflects on the identity of the Carmen Lamanna Gallery and on contemporary Canadian art. Statements by some of the 17 exhibiting artists. Biographical notes

10 Canadian Artists in the 1970s : An Exhibition for European Tour

Nasgaard notes some of the problematics of identifying a specifically Canadian art in his discussion of works by ten Canadian artists. Includes individual texts by the artists and an interview with Baxter. Biographical notes. 64 bibl. ref

Le coeur de London = The Heart of London

Texts by 11 artists presented in a comic book format. Biographical notes

The Role of Physical Exercise in the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Manual Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Work -related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are the most common occupational health problem in the European Union. Physical exercise interventions have been investigated to prevent WMSDs in many sectors. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effect of physical exercise on manual workers for the primary and secondary prevention of WMSDs. We conducted a systematic search of the literature, and papers were included if the participants were adult employees exclusively engaged in manual labor tasks, non -acute physical exercise intervention, pain, disability, physical functioning, or health -related quality of life outcome, with pre -post intervention measurements. We retrieved 10,419 unique records and included 23 studies. A random effect meta -analysis was conducted on the studies with a control group design, using a three -level model to estimate the pooled effect for pain outcomes (g=0.4339, 95% CI: 0.1267-0.7412, p<0.01), and a two -level model for disability outcomes (g=0.6279, 95% CI: 0.3983-0.8575, p<0.0001). Subset analysis revealed a moderate -to -large effect on the VAS outcome (g=0.5866, 95% CI: 0.3102-0.8630, p<0.0001). Meta -regression on pain outcomes revealed a significant effect for sex, age, study quality, and body segments tested. The analyses on all outcomes except VAS showed substantial heterogeneity (I2 pain=93%, of which 72% at the study level, I2disability=78%, and I2 vas=56%, of which 44% at the study level). Physical exercise programs seem to have a positive effect on pain and disability stemming from WRMSDs in manual workers

Genetic variation in B cell-activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and asthma exacerbations among African American subjects.

A BAFF polymorphism is associated with asthma exacerbations and serum BAFF levels. BAFF expression in vivo increases in natural rhinovirus infection. BAFF may play a role in airway antiviral immunity and impact asthma exacerbation rates