Cognitive Training in Soccer: Where Is the Key Point?

Cognitive skills and executive function, in the last years become a golden reference to increase attention social skills and sport success. In particular, soccer is an open skills sport that requires a constant demand of cognitive skills and executive function because the unstable environment defines the decision making. Thus, modern soccer trainer changes the approach avoiding massive conditional exercises and introducing small side games. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what the cognitive training is and what could be an adequate stimulation to improve the executive function in soccer player

Does autonomic neuropathy play a role in erythropoietin regulation in non-proteinuric Type 2 diabetic patients?

Aims Erythropoietin (EPO)-deficient anaemia has been described in Type 1 diabetic patients with both severe autonomic neuropathy (AN) and proteinuria. This study was aimed at distinguishing between the effects of AN and nephropathy on haemoglobin and EPO levels in Type 2 diabetic patients at an early stage of diabetic nephropathy. Methods In 64 Type 2 diabetic patients (age 52 +/- 10 years, duration 10 +/- 9 years) without overt nephropathy and other causes of anaemia or EPO deficit, we assessed cardiovascular tests of AN, 24-h blood pressure (BP) monitoring, urinary albumin excretion rate (UAE), a full blood count, and serum EPO. Results Although the Type 2 diabetic patients with AN did not show differences in haemoglobin and EPO when compared with patients without AN, the presence of haemoglobin < 13 g/dl was associated with the presence of AN (chi(2)= 3.9, P < 0.05) and of postural hypotension (chi(2)= 7.8, P < 0.05). In a multiple regression analysis including as independent variables gender, body mass index, duration of diabetes, smoking, creatinine, 24-h UAE, 24-h diastolic BP, ferritin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and autonomic score, we found that the only variables independently related to haematocrit were autonomic score, ferritin and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Finally, the physiological inverse relationship between EPO and haemoglobin present in a control group of 42 non-diabetic non-anaemic subjects was completely lost in Type 2 diabetic patients. The slopes of the regression lines between EPO and haemoglobin of the control subjects and the Type 2 diabetic patients were significantly different (t = 14.4, P < 0.0001). Conclusion This study documents an early abnormality of EPO regulation in Type 2 diabetes before clinical nephropathy and points to a contributory role of AN in EPO dysregulation

Human Bone-Marrow-Derived Stem-Cell-Seeded 3D Chitosan–Gelatin–Genipin Scaffolds Show Enhanced Extracellular Matrix Mineralization When Cultured under a Perfusion Flow in Osteogenic Medium

Tissue-engineered bone tissue grafts are a promising alternative to the more conventional use of natural donor bone grafts. However, choosing an appropriate biomaterial/scaffold to sustain cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation in a 3D environment remains one of the most critical issues in this domain. Recently, chitosan/gelatin/genipin (CGG) hybrid scaffolds have been proven as a more suitable environment to induce osteogenic commitment in undifferentiated cells when doped with graphene oxide (GO). Some concern is, however, raised towards the use of graphene and graphene-related material in medical applications. The purpose of this work was thus to check if the osteogenic potential of CGG scaffolds without added GO could be increased by improving the medium diffusion in a 3D culture of differentiating cells. To this aim, the level of extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization was evaluated in human bone-marrow-derived stem cell (hBMSC)-seeded 3D CGG scaffolds upon culture under a perfusion flow in a dedicated custom-made bioreactor system. One week after initiating dynamic culture, histological/histochemical evaluations of CGG scaffolds were carried out to analyze the early osteogenic commitment of the culture. The analyses show the enhanced ECM mineralization of the 3D perfused culture compared to the static counterpart. The results of this investigation reveal a new perspective on more efficient clinical applications of CGG scaffolds without added GO

Photocatalytic degradation of methyl-red by immobilised nanoparticles of TiO2 and ZnO

none6noIn this work, we report on the degradation of methyl-red (2-(4-Dimethylamino-phenylazo)-benzoic acid - C.I. 13020) under UV irradiation in the presence of nanosized ZnO and TiO2. Oxide nanocrystals with controlled size were synthesised by using non-hydrolytic approaches and tested for the photocatalysed degradation. The performances of the immobilised nanoparticles were compared with their commercial counterparts after immobilization onto a solid support. The influence of some experimental conditions, namely pH and dye concentration, were investigated by monitoring the dye decoloration spectrophotometrically. Several intermediate by-products were identified by HPLC-MS, showing that two different mechanisms were operative during the photocatalytic oxidationsee at: http://www.iwaponline.com/wst/04904/wst049040183.htmopenR. COMPARELLI; P. D. COZZOLI; M. L. CURRI; A. AGOSTIANO; G. MASCOLO; G. LOVECCHIOR., Comparelli; Cozzoli, Pantaleo Davide; M. L., Curri; A., Agostiano; G., Mascolo; G., Lovecchi

Difficolt&#224; di apprendimento: il ruolo dell&#8217;attivit&#224; motoria finalizzata

La forma di numeri e lettere, la loro successione da sinistra a destra che struttura parole e frasi, la memorizzazione del tracciato dei diversi caratteri, la coordinazione della muscolatu- ra oculare utilizzata negli atti dello scrivere e del leggere sono tutti elementi di qualit\ue0 mo- toria e sequenziale che l\u2019individuo deve automatizzare per affrontare il compito di appren- dere. La scarsa efficienza di alcune delle funzioni chiave della motricit\ue0, come la lateraliz- zazione e la coordinazione oculo manuale, incide pesantemente nell\u2019organizzazione delle procedure della letto-scrittura e del calcolo. Il nostro studio si pone lo scopo di esemplifi- care come l\u2019abilitazione coordinativa possa attenuare significativamente i DSA attraverso in- terventi di motricit\ue0 finalizzata. Il movimento umano inteso come \u201catto in funzione di uno scopo\u201d e proposto con una didattica protetta e di gruppo si \ue8 dimostrata essere in grado di ripristinare una viabilit\ue0 neuro motoria pi\uf9 funzionale a raggiungere il successo nelle pratiche scolastiche.A set of motor and sequential skills must be automatized in order to carry out the task of learning. Indeed, the learning process requires the visual search of number/letter shapes, the analysis of left-to-right sequences, memorization of letters shape tracing and eye muscle coordination in reading and writing. The low efficiency of some of the key functions within motor scheme, such as lateralization and eye-hand coordination, negatively affects the organization of reading-writing and calculation processes. The aim of our study was the assessment of improvements within reading/writing/ calculation outcomes, in LSD children after a specific motor sequence training. In particular, skill coordination performance leaded all children to an important improvements during specific trials about the scholastic practice. Specific and ad-personam sequence of exercise could be an elective teaching methodology to over-stimolate the neuro-motor viabilit

Anthropometric characteristic and running parameters: speed performance of children

This contribution deals with speed abilities of the pupils in short-distance runs in athletics. In scientific literature there are lots of studies that analyze speed performance in adults. These studies showed the correlation between speed and anthropometric measurements and between performance and indicators of speed (acceleration, frequency and length of steps). The aim of our study was the description of speed performance about children to verify similar relation as found in adults. We investigated speed abilities using the 50 m sprint test with standing start. The sample of subject consisted of 90 male and female pupils (45 male and 45 female) aged between 6 and 8 years old: beginner in athletic practice. We analyze performance with chronometers and photocells and we collected for each subject the anthropometric measurements (weight, height, torso and lower limb length), total time, intercepts every 10 meters and frequency of the step every 10 meters. The Anova 1 Way and Tukey-Kramer post hoc test was used to verify if the results were statistically significant among intercepts. In general, boys run faster than girl, total time decrease as the age increase and the interpretation and management of the effort in sprint change in the different age. Furthermore, the correlation between speed and anthropometric measurements were not always verified and the 20 meter cut-off was the general point where the run decreased. In conclusion, the performance in children could be improved using technical exercises about the support phases and educational approach to extend the effort

Myogenic commitment of human stem cells by myoblasts Co-culture: a static vs. a dynamic approach

An in-vitro model of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) myogenic commitment by synergic effect of a differentiation media coupled with human primary skeletal myoblasts (hSkMs) co-culture was developed adopting both conventional static co-seeding and perfused culture systems. Static co-seeding provided a notable outcome in terms of gene expression with a significant increase of Desmin (141-fold) and Myosin heavy chain II (MYH2, 32-fold) at day 21, clearly detected also by semi-quantitative immunofluorescence. Under perfusion conditions, myogenic induction ability of hSkMs on hBM-MSCs was exerted by paracrine effect with an excellent gene overexpression and immunofluorescence detection of MYH2 protein; furthermore, due to the dynamic cell culture in separate wells, western blot data were acquired confirming a successful cell commitment at day 14. A significant increase of anti-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, including IL-10 and IL-4 (15-fold and 11-fold, respectively) at day 14, with respect to the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12A (7-fold at day 21) and IL-1 beta (1.4-fold at day 7) was also detected during dynamic culture, confirming the immunomodulatory activity of hBM-MSCs along with commitment events. The present study opens interesting perspectives on the use of dynamic culture based on perfusion as a versatile tool to study myogenic events and paracrine cross-talk compared to the simple co-seeding static culture

Analysis of intracellular magnesium and mineral depositions during osteogenic commitment of 3d cultured saos2 cells

In this study, we explore the behaviour of intracellular magnesium during bone phenotype modulation in a 3D cell model built to mimic osteogenesis. In addition, we measured the amount of magnesium in the mineral depositions generated during osteogenic induction. A two-fold increase of intracellular magnesium content was found, both at three and seven days from the induction of differentiation. By X-ray microscopy, we characterized the morphology and chemical composition of the mineral depositions secreted by 3D cultured differentiated cells finding a marked co-localization of Mg with P at seven days of differentiation. This is the first experimental evidence on the presence of Mg in the mineral depositions generated during biomineralization, suggesting that Mg incorporation occurs during the bone forming process. In conclusion, this study on the one hand attests to an evident involvement of Mg in the process of cell differentiation, and, on the other hand, indicates that its multifaceted role needs further investigation

Dribbling skill determinants in youth soccer players

Dribbling and pass-kick are the most frequently performed techniques during match play. While an extensive knowledge is available about kicking biomechanics, little is known about dribbling kinematics. Given that dribbling performance can assist in the talent identification process [1], we aim at finding the biomechanics determinants of this technique. A motion analysis system recorded the 3-D coordinates of 21 reflective markers placed upon the body of 10 youth sub-elite soccer players (12.6±0.37 years, 42.9±6.15 kg, 1.54 ± 0.07 m). Each participant performed 5 slalom-dribbling tests consisting of a 180° turning and four changes of direction. Since dribbling speed is a separating performance factor, players were split into two groups of 5 according to the execution time (“fast” and “slow”). Center of Mass (CoM) trajectory, Range of Motion (RoM), velocity and acceleration were computed along the three directions [2]. Mann-Whitney’s non-parametric tests were used for comparisons. Fast and slow players did not differ in terms of age, weight, body height, BMI, playing position and number of foot-ball contacts (p&gt;0.05). While CoM average velocity and root mean square acceleration were similar in the two groups, CoM mediolateral and craniocaudal RoM were significantly lower (p&lt;0.05) in faster players. Skilled players took less time in completing the test because they were able to drive the ball while running through a shorter path. Their CoM vertical and lateral displacements were significantly lower, meaning that, at a higher skill level, dribbling technique is delivered in a more effective and economical way

Kinematics of key technique variables in the backward handsprings of elite gymnasts

Introdu\ue7\ue3o: A gin\ue1stica \ue9 o esporte de habilidades fechadas mais antigo e espetacular. Contudo, par\ue2metros t\ue9cnicos de execu\ue7\ue3o geralmente s\ue3o somente ensinados por treinadores experientes. Desta maneira,existe uma lacuna de informa\ue7\uf5es objetivas sobre o desempenho de ginastas (refer\ueancias cinem\ue1ticas). Objetivo: No presente estudo, tentamos quantificar movimentos de invers\ue3o linear e de hiperextens\ue3o durante a execu\ue7\ue3o de flic flacs. M\ue9todos: Foi efetuada uma detec\ue7\ue3o n\ue3o invasiva de flic flacs com o aux\uedlio de um instrumento \uf3ptico eletr\uf4nico 3D. Treze marcadores esf\ue9ricos retrorreflexivos (1 cm de di\ue2metro) foram posicionados no corpo de 9 ginastas experientes: mal\ue9olos laterais direito e esquerdo, cabe\ue7a da f\uedbula, trocanter maior, acr\uf4mio, olecrano, processo estiloide da ulna e v\ue9rtex. Na mesma sess\ue3o e ap\uf3s um per\uedodo de aquecimento, cada participante executou 15 repeti\ue7\uf5es de flic flacs. Dez repeti\ue7\uf5es forma analisadas, e os trajetos 3D das 13 manobras medidos. Resultados: Em m\ue9dia, os homens obtiveram altura vertical maior (mulheres, 62% da altura; homens, 58%). O alinhamento dos membros inferiores foi homog\ueaneo entre os ginastas: \ue2ngulos posteriores de joelho variaram entre 80\ub0 e 118\ub0. Nenhuma abdu\ue7\ue3o de membro inferior foi observada: a largura de joelho foi 7 cm menor do que a largura intertrocanter; a largura de tornozelo foi 8 cm menor do que a largura de joelho. Na sa\uedda do movimento, o \ue2ngulo tronco-coxa apresentou excelente alinhamento corporal, com valores bem pr\uf3ximos de 180\ub0. As mulheres executaram a fase de apoio das m\ue3os com pulsos mais pr\uf3ximos do que os homens (homens, 134% de largura de ombro; mulheres, 121%). Conclus\ue3o: Os resultados podem fornecer informa\ue7\uf5es para melhor conhecimento, definindo assim, a execu\ue7\ue3o de padr\ue3o-ouro obtida de ginastas de elite com poucas les\uf5es