Effects of synchronous music among elite endurance athletes

Effects of synchronous music were investigated in two field studies. In Study 1, music effects were assessed among two elite triathletes and six elite runners during three training runs. A custom-designed iPhone application was developed to record in-task RPE, feeling states, mood responses, distance run, cadence and heart rate data. Compared to the no-music condition, participants ran, on average, 7.5% and 7.2% further but reported lower RPE and more positive feelings and mood responses when running to synchronous music (d = .35) and a music-led condition (d = .29), respectively. In Study 2, nine elite ultra-distance athletes participating in 24-hr and 48-hr races listened to rotating playlists of synchronous motivational music, neutral music, audiobook and silence delivered by iPhone. During the 18-24 hr period, motivational music was associated with a 14 sec, 18 sec and 27 sec per 400-m lap improvement compared to silence (d = .39, p < .01), neutral music (d = .54, p < .001) and audio book (d = .54, p < .001) conditions, respectively. Collectively, findings supported the judicious use of music interventions among endurance athletes

Evaluation of patients treated for diabetic retinopathy: an analysis of the administrative databases of the Lazio Region

BACKGROUND: In Italy there are an estimated 4 million patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM). The most important ocular complication of DM is diabetic retinopathy (DR), which affects about one third of diabetic patients.AIMS: To identify, within the Lazio Region, the cohort of patients starting treatment for DME in the years 2010-2016 and calculating the annual cost of therapy; and to assess the appropriateness of the drugs prescribed.METHODS: From the Health Information System of the Lazio Region were identified all subjects who, in the 2010-2016 period, had received at least one prescription for dexamethasone intravitreal implant (i.i.) or intravitreal triamcinolone or ranibizumab or aflibercept or bevacizumab. For the cohort of users selected, the appropriateness of the treatment were evaluated calculating the number of administrations performed in the first four months of the index prescription and the number of administrations performed during the 12 months of treatment.RESULTS: In 2016, 7,265 patients in the Lazio Region received at least one prescription of ranibizumab (43.0%), aflibercept (37.5%) and dexamethasone i.i. (19.5%). Among the 3,416 patients naïve at 6 months, who started treatment in the 2013-2015 period and who did not switch to different drugs, 78.7% started treatment with ranibizumab, 16.0% with dexamethasone i.i. and 5.3% with aflibercept. The mean annual cost for the treatment of a patient with DME and naïve at 6 months was equal to € 2,388; a total cost for only the naïve patients selected in the 2013-2015 period is therefore estimated at approximately € 8.2 million. The average annual cost of dexamethasone i.i. treatment was € 1,497, lower than that of ranibizumab (€ 2,562) and aflibercept (€ 2,485). The expenditure for patients receiving less than 3 administrations of ranibizumab or aflibercept in the first 10 months of treatment was estimate equal to € 1.3 million.CONCLUSIONS: The administrations of dexamethasone i.i. are in line with what is indicated in the prescribing information, while for ranibizumab and aflibercept a potential under-use has been identified. A greater appropriateness of the drugs prescribed, accompanied by an optimal adherence to therapy, would strongly reduce the current waste of resources

Effects of synchronous music on treadmill running among elite triathletes

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2011 Elsevier B.V.Objectives: Music can provide ergogenic, psychological, and psychophysical benefits during physical activity, especially when movements are performed synchronously with music. The present study developed the train of research on synchronous music and extended it to elite athletes. Design: Repeated-measures laboratory experiment. Method: Elite triathletes (n = 11) ran in time to self-selected motivational music, a neutral equivalent and a no-music control during submaximal and exhaustive treadmill running. Measured variables were time-to-exhaustion, mood responses, feeling states, RPE, blood lactate concentration, oxygen consumption and running economy. Results: Time-to-exhaustion was 18.1% and 19.7% longer, respectively, when running in time to motivational and neutral music, compared to no music. Mood responses and feeling states were more positive with motivational music compared to either neutral music or no music. RPE was lowest for neutral music and highest for the no-music control. Blood lactate concentrations were lowest for motivational music. Oxygen consumption was lower with music by 1.0%–2.7%. Both music conditions were associated with better running economy than the no-music control. Conclusions: Although neutral music did not produce the same level of psychological benefits as motivational music, it proved equally beneficial in terms of time-to-exhaustion and oxygen consumption. In functional terms, the motivational qualities of music may be less important than the prominence of its beat and the degree to which participants are able to synchronise their movements to its tempo. Music provided ergogenic, psychological and physiological benefits in a laboratory study and its judicious use during triathlon training should be considered.QAS Centre of Excellence for Applied Sport Science Researc

The economic impact of biosimilars in Italy : a scenario analysis

Background: the first generation of biotechnology drugs is reaching, or has already reached, the patent expiry and a large number of biosimilars is entering the Italian pharmaceutical market. The objective of the analysis was to evaluate the economic impacts of biosimilars on the national health expenditure in Italy between 2014 and 2020. Methods: Based on the information deriving from consumption per standard unit and equivalent patients, it was estimated monthly expenditure for some of the biological drugs currently available in Italy that have had or will have a patent expiry within the analysis period (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, insulin glargine, trastuzumab, rituximab, bevacizumab and insulin aspart). Pharmaceutical expenditure was calculated on hospital sales prices net of transparent discounts required by law and visible from the AIFA database. Three alternative scenarios have been developed based on the perceptions of a board of clinical experts, pharmacologists and pharmacoeconomists involved in the study. The experts involved analyzed the estimates of treated patients between 2014 and 2017 and reports their hypothetical biosimilar penetration during the period 2018-2020. The results were represented as the difference between the estimated expenditure in the absence of biosimilars and the estimated expenditure in the presence of biosimilars with the real or hypothetical biosimilar penetration. Results: considering the standard units dispensed for each year, the economic model estimate an annual expenditure in 2014 equal to € 1.47 billion for the molecules considered in the analysis. These estimates rise to € 1.54, € 1.50 billion and € 1.51 billion during 2015, 2016 and 2017 in the scenario without biosimilar introduction. Biosimilar introduction generates cost savings between € 3.8 million in 2015 and € 32.9 million in 2017 if compared with the scenario without. Assuming an increasing biosimilar penetration between 2018 and 2020, scenario analysis estimates a cumulative cost reduction equal to € 597 million. Conclusions: Overall, biosimilar penetration generates important cost reduction that could be re-invested in the National Health Sistem

Effects of synchronous music on psychological responses, performance indices and physiological functioning among elite triathletes and runners

To date, most studies looking at the effects of music in sport have focused on non-elite populations. The use of synchronous music has demonstrated ergogenic, psychological, and physiological benefits when used as an accompaniment to physical activity. The aim of the present research programme was to extend previous investigations of synchronous music to elite athletes. Study 1 assessed the benefits of synchronous music during submaximal and exhaustive treadmill running among elite triathletes. Time-to-exhaustion, mood responses, feeling states, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate concentration, oxygen consumption, and running economy were measured during three treadmill runs. Participants (n = 11) ran to motivational music using self-selected tracks, a neutral music condition, and a no-music condition. Time-to-exhaustion in the motivational and neutral music conditions increased by 18.1% and 19.7%, respectively, compared to the no-music condition. Other measures that indicated a benefit of music over no music included RPE (lowest in neutral music condition), blood lactate (lowest in motivational music) and oxygen consumption (lower by 1.0%-2.7%). In Study 2, the software necessary to conduct similar testing outdoors using Apple iPhones was developed. Six iPhones were programmed to gather GPS, cadence, RPE, Feeling Scale and BRUMS data, and were evaluated by two experienced runners. Study 3 investigated the benefits of music on training effectiveness. Participants were elite triathletes (n = 2) and elite runners (n = 6) who used iPhones while running to a synchronous music condition, a music-led condition, and a no-music condition. Both music conditions were associated with greater distances covered, lower RPE, and more positive feelings and mood responses. Results suggest that the judicious use of music can potentially provide significant benefits to elite athletes during training activities

Effects of synchronous music on treadmill running among elite triathletes

Research has shown that running in time to music that is synchronized to stride rate can provide significant benefits for sub-elite athletes, although it is uncertain whether such benefits also accrue for elite performers. The present study evaluated the effects of running in time to music on a treadmill using a range of psychological, physiological and performance indices among a sample of elite triathletes. An initial test was conducted to establish aerobic capacity and individual stride rates at various running speeds. Triathletes were presented with music selections of appropriate tempi for each running speed (i.e., synchronous music), and chose tracks they considered to be (a) motivational, and (b) neutral. They then completed a standardised running test on three occasions in counterbalanced order under three conditions (no-music, motivational music, neutral music). The test protocol involved a warm-up, three 4-minute periods of steady state running at progressively faster velocities, followed by a run-to-exhaustion at approximately 110% of blood lactate threshold. Dietary intake was controlled over the day preceding each test. Measures were taken after each 4-minute period of steady state running and after the run-to-exhaustion for (a) perceived exertion using the Borg Scale; (b) psychological state using the Feeling Scale; (c) oxygen utilization; and (d) blood lactate. Time to exhaustion was recorded and mood responses were assessed prior to and following each test, using the Brunel Mood Scale. Perceived exertion was lower with music than without music even though the same amount of work was completed. Feelings remained more positive throughout the test with motivational music compared to neutral music and no-music. Oxygen consumption was about 3% lower when running in time to music compared to running without music, although blood lactate levels remained almost identical. Compared to the no-music condition, time-toexhaustion improved by more than 12% when running in time to music. Mood responses were more positive with music. Results confirmed the hypothesized benefits of music but suggested that synchronicity of the music to the activity may be more important in functional terms than the motivational qualities of the music

Ergogenic, psychological, and psychophyiological effects of synchronous music on treadmill running

Music has been shown to exert various ergogenic (i.e., work-enhancing), psychological (e.g., improved mood), and psychophysical (i.e., lowered perceptions of exertion) benefits during physical activity.When movements are performed in synchrony with music, some of the benefits (e.g., work-enhancement) appear to be amplified (see e.g., Karageorghis, Mouzourides, Priest, Sasso, Morrish, & Whalley, 2009).To further develop the train of research on synchronous music and to extend it to elite athletes, the present study utilised a sample of Australian triathletes (N = 11) who were exposed to either self-selected motivational music, a neutral equivalent (in terms of its motivational qualities), or a no-music control during steady-state and exhaustive treadmill running.The measured variables were work output (aerobic endurance), psychological (mood states, feeling states), psychophysical (RPE scale), and physiological (blood lactate, oxygen consumption, metabolic efficiency). Both music conditions, in particular the motivational selection, were found to exert consistent benefits across each dependent measure when compared to the no-music control. Notably, feeling states remained more positive throughout the test in the motivational music condition when compared to the other conditions. However, the differences in endurance between motivational and neutral music conditions were negligible, indicating that that music's affective/aesthetic qualities are of lesser importance when used synchronously. The present findings also indicate that both music conditions enhanced metabolic efficiency to a degree that implies a practical value at the highest levels of competition. Guidelines will be offered to facilitate the application of synchronous music among elite endurance athletes

Chase that feeling: recent developments in music and sport research

This presentation summarises a series of three studies in the area of music and sport