Drug-induced liver injury: is it time for genetics to change our clinical practice?

Co-amoxiclav is a combination antibiotic containing amoxicillin trihydrate, a b-lactam antibiotic, with the potent b-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid. It is one of the most prescribed antibiotic worldwide both because of its large spectrum of action and for its general good safety. Amongst the possible side-effects of co-amoxiclav are diarrhea, vomiting, and thrush, which do not usually require medical attention. It can also induce allergic reactions and, as all antimicrobial agents, pseudomembranous colitis. Lastly, co-amoxiclav is known to have caused drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in some patients [1–3]. Although DILI is a very rare event, co-amoxiclav is one of the most common causes of DILI [2,3]. DILI is a rare idiosyncratic adverse drug reaction associated with commonly used drugs, mostly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol, and antimicrobial agents [4,5]. Mainly because of the lack of internationally accepted criteria for DILI, data on the incidence of DILI cases are extremely variable [6,7]. It should be noted that half of the cases of acute liver failure are due to drug hepatotoxicity [4,5]. Recent major methodological and technological advances in many fields of basic science (i.e. the use of animals with various gene knockouts [8]) have contributed to a breakthrough in the understanding of the mechanisms underling DILI. Based on the fact that a unique predisposition is required to develop a DILI, over the last few years several research groups have tried to understand the role of genetics in DILI [9]. However, the literature on DILI contains large numbers of publications that have attempted to identify the responsible genes by evaluating small numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms in one or few specific candidate genes by means of case–control study designs [9]. Unfortunately, as in many other complex conditions (i.e. autoimmune diseases [10,11]), such approaches have led to few insights into the genetic basis of DILI, mainly because of its rarity and the consequent difficulty to find large numbers of affected individuals. A possible exception is the quite consistent findings of an association between the co-amoxiclav-induced liver injury and some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles [12–15]. Indeed, an association has been reported betwee

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the training of athletes with disabilities in the 7-a-side football championship

This study had as its main objective to investigate the difference in training programs carried out in athletes with disabilities practicing 7-a-side football before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The two sporting seasons taken into consideration concerned the 2018/19 season and the 2020/2021 season. The study was conducted on ten disabled athletes belonging to a football school in Campania, Italy. The comparison between the two sports seasons is given in numerical terms by the statistical comparison of the results of the adapted motor tests concerning aerobic capacity and conditional capacities, which were administered to the athletes at the beginning and at the end of both sports seasons. From this comparison, in both seasons, minor improvements in the 2020/2021 season were found in athletes, between the entry and exit tests. It can be said that the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, concerning social distancing and the interruption of sports activities, have played a primary role in the decline in the improvement of athletes with disabilities for 7-a-side football in the 2020/2021 sports season

The educational value of the rules in handball

The game rules of team sports and the technical and tactical methods applicable to them are indispensable for practicing competitive sports. The correct competition arose from the automatic mechanism of the sanction following the infringement of a game rule which is also aided by the relational dynamics of the individual members of the group who demand the application of the rule to continue playing. The competition can also be self-regulated by the two groups who compete for the victory without even the decisive action of the referee as always happens in training activities. This phenomenon is found only in those contexts where the rule is necessary and alone sufficient to ensure the orderly development of activities. The objective of the study is to identify the significant elements of the handball game rules, and the related technical and tactical behaviours, to identify an inventory of significant behaviours. The method is documentary archival research for the analysis of the game rules of the team sport in question, and a subsequent comparative method between grids of indicators, descriptors and weights that classify rule, technique and tactics. The expected results will focus on the appropriate presence of the significant elements and the commonality or discrepancy between team sports. The data is useful for measuring the quantity of significant behaviours in order to qualitatively elaborate the value of each of them with respect to the other current behaviours of quantitative performance and establish the connections

Posture and skeletal muscle disorders of the neck due to the use of smartphones

The aim of the research is to verify some variables on the use of the smartphone, associated with musculoskeletal pain and any other data that amplify its dependence or use. Smartphones have become an integral part of many people's lives. Most of the kids spend their days sharing photos, stories, videos about their daily lives such as lunches, trainings, travels, shopping. In short, there is an endless list of reasons to be mentally and physically connected to smartphones. However, how much does the excessive use of smartphones affect your body? The widespread abuse of mobile technology can be translated into a physical condition harmful to the human body, known as "Text Neck". Incorrect posture due to incorrect use of the smartphone, flexing the head to send messages and excessive time spent in this position, over time can lead to the presence of musculoskeletal pain in the neck region. A questionnaire of 14 questions, prepared with Google Modules and disseminated through sharing on social networks and it, was submitted to 334 university students of different gender and age. Descriptive statistics was conducted to evaluate the responses obtained from the subjects. The percentage of responses for each question was calculated

Removing the division into categories between cycling and para-cycling (Handbike category H) by designing a single performance and training activity

Cycling and all categories of para-cycling including Handbike are cyclical sports, that is, sports characterized using a specific skill, continuous skill. To separate competitions between cyclists and paracyclists, there is a classification system. The study in aims to design one activity performance and training, to eliminate the division into categories between cycling and para-cycling (Handbike), since this does not favour the integration and sporting inclusion of the two groups of athletes. The differences in performance will be identified between: cyclists and paracyclists with spinal cord injury or amputation of the lower limbs (H). Then will proceed to design and verify an activity capable of making the two categories compete and train together, eliminating the differences in performance through the use of a "counterweight" and using a mixed training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and Endurance. The sample taken into consideration is composed of 5 cyclists and 5 paracyclists (H) aged between 19 and 38 years. To achieve the goal, the study was based on the method of analysing the scientific literature, detecting the various parameters in the race and using mathematical statistical methods, such as Multiple Regression and the T-Test for independent samples. The analysis of the results of this study shows that; between cyclists and para-cyclists who participated, there are substantial differences in performance, thanks to the data obtained from multiple regression, in which we find an R-squared value that is .999975008, also the only positive coefficient among the independent variables is that of power (6.760634791). This means that of all the reported values, it is the only one that directly affects performance

The Search for a Practical Approach to Emerging Diseases: The Case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

The plague, which the Board of Health had feared might enter with the German troops into the Milanese, had entered it indeed, as is well known; and it is likewise well known, that it paused not here, but invaded and ravaged a great part of Italy. (A. Manzoni, The Bethrothed, 1826

Proactive school and motricity: Key elements for children’s health and psychophysical well-being

The new legal framework of the primary school provides two hours of compulsory physical education teaching from master’s degree specialists in physical education in addition to the PE hours taught by a master’s degree generalist in primary education sciences. The present research aims to analyze critical issues concerning the legislative transition from the current law system to the next. The research investigates how the school community can incorporate educational-didactic and managerial-administrative measures in dedicated platforms for rules application. The results will determine the good practice models to be offered to the primary school education system as an inventory of good teaching practices helpful for teachers, managers, and family members. The overall scientific evidence will also flow into a final document to enhance the construction of teaching plans for the disciplines regarding the methods and didactics of motor and sports activities in light of legislative innovations (Legislative Decree no. 36/2021)

Physical education in secondary higher school

Teaching of motor activities in secondary higher school imposes a prescriptive teaching through unidirectional methodological-didactic decisions: teacher directs and the student performs. Improving performance through skills improvement and the structuring of new skills through exercise requires the adoption of a less prescriptive methodology and allowing the student to express himself with greater freedom and awareness to facilitate heuristic learning according to the motor principle by Bernstein of executive variability. Physical education doesn’t have the scientific basis in knowledge as for other theoretical knowledge because the scientific paradigm of corporeality and movement is based on doing and acting. In agreement with the scientific pedagogical community, we ask ourselves about the most appropriate methodology to educate the body with the movement in a habilitative sense, the person through the body for a training of the person (life skills) and strive for the person's well-being through movement (soft skills). This vision seems to be tempered in the documents of physical education up to the first-grade secondary school and seems to change in secondary higher school, when a higher level of education is required. Alongside this prescription, reasonably useful for raising the levels of motor ability of individual services the problem of individual performance in groups arises to achieve the common goal (sports game), where along with significant skill levels, the best and fastest possible decision is also needed. For this necessity, the methodology of the "Teaching games for understanding" comes to the rescue, which contemplates the tactical part together with the enabling one

Vivere l’esperienza della “leggerezza”: uno studio qualitativo sulla percezione dell’acquagym in un gruppo di donne anziane

Literature has pointed out physical and psychological benefits of water based exercises (WBEs) for the elderly; however, few studies have investigated how old adults perceive those activities. This study was aimed at exploring the elder’s perception of WBEs, which brings the old adult to apply for an aqua-gymcourse and to successfully continue it. According to the aim, we opted for a Grounded Theory study, conducted in three swimming pools placed in the urban area of Milan (Italy) and in its suburbs. Forty women (age 72.4La letteratura ha segnalato i benefici fisici e psicologici dell’esercizio in acqua per gli anziani; tuttavia, pochissimi studi hanno analizzato come essi percepiscano questa attività. Questo studio si è proposto di esplorare le percezioni dell’anziano, cosa lo porta a iscriversi a un corso di acquagym e a continuare a frequentarlo. Coerentemente con la finalità della ricerca, abbiamo optato per il metodo della Grounded Theory. Lo studio si è svolto in tre piscine dell’area urbana di Milano e comuni limitrofi. Sono state intervistate 40 donne (età 72.