Advancing task involvement, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive regulation in physical education classes: the self-check style of teaching makes a difference

It was hypothesized that “self-check” style of teaching would be more preferable in terms of creating a mastery-oriented climate, and promoting adaptive achievement goals, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive activity in physical education classes. Two hundred seventy-nine (N = 269) 6-grade students were randomly divided into two groups that were taught four consecutive physical education lessons of the same content following either “practice” or “self-check” styles of teaching respectively. Students responded on questionnaires prior and after the intervention. Results revealed significant interactions between groups and measurements. Students in the “self-check” style group scored higher in scales measuring mastery-oriented climate, mastery goal, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive processes and lower in scales measuring performance-goals and performance-oriented motivational climate. These results underscore the importance of using styles of teaching that enhance opportunities for deep cognitive processing and promote mastery-goals and mastery-oriented climates

On the Estimation of Total Arterial Compliance from Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity

Total arterial compliance (C T) is a main determinant of cardiac afterload, left ventricular function and arterio-ventricular coupling. C T is physiologically more relevant than regional aortic stiffness. However, direct, in vivo, non-invasive, measurement of C T is not feasible. Several methods for indirect C T estimation require simultaneous recording of aortic flow and pressure waves, limiting C T assessment in clinical practice. In contrast, aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) measurement, which is considered as the "gold standard” method to assess arterial stiffness, is noninvasive and relatively easy. Our aim was to establish the relation between aPWV and C T. In total, 1000 different hemodynamic cases were simulated, by altering heart rate, compliance, resistance and geometry using an accurate, distributed, nonlinear, one-dimensional model of the arterial tree. Based on Bramwell-Hill theory, the formula $$C_{\text{T}} = k \cdot {\text{aPWV}}^{ - 2}$$ was found to accurately estimate C T from aPWV. Coefficient k was determined both analytically and by fitting C T vs. aPWV data. C T estimation may provide an additional tool for cardiovascular risk (CV) assessment and better management of CV diseases. C T could have greater impact in assessing elderly population or subjects with elevated arterial stiffness, where aPWV seem to have limited prognostic value. Further clinical studies should be performed to validate the formula in viv

Promene na mozgu pasa i mačaka tokom starenja

In the aged dog and cat, especially dog, a cognitive decline develops naturally in many different domains, but at the same time it also exhibits human-like individual variability in the aging process. In the aging dog and cat brain lesions develop spontaneously. Dogs share some morphological characteristics with those of Alzheimer’s disease in man. The canine brain with its plaques and tangles which show oxidative changes, forms a spontaneous model for understanding the early changes and their interrela-tionships in Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, the aged dog represents a useful model for the development of preventive or therapeutic interventions to improve aged brain function. These interventions can then be translated into human clinical trials.Kod ostarelih pasa i mačaka, posebno pasa, gubitak kognitivnih sposobnosti se prirodno razvija na različitim poljima, ali istovremeno ispoljava slično kao i kod ljudi sa individualnim razlikama u procesu starenja. U toku starenja kod pasa i mačaka promene u mozgu se razvijaju spontano. Kod pasa se javljaju neke morfološke promene, slične promenama kod ljudi koji su oboleli od Alchajmerove bolesti. Pored toga, ostareli pas predstavlja koristan model za razvoj preventivnih ili terapeutskih intervencija radi poboljšanja funkcije ostarelog mozga. Ovakve intervencije se mogu preneti na klinička ispitivanja na ljudima

Τροπονιναιμία σε ασθενείς με covid-19 - Προδιαθεσικοί παράγοντες

Εισαγωγή: Η αύξηση των επιπέδων της τροπονίνης σχετίζονται με την νόσο του Covid-19 και πιθανώς επηρεάζονται από προδιαθεσικούς παράγοντες όπως ο δείκτης μάζας σώματος, η ηλικία, το φύλο, η παρουσία αρτηριακής υπέρτασης, σακχαρώδους διαβήτη και καρδιακών παθήσεων όπως η στεφανιαία νόσος και οι αρρυθμίες. Σκοπός: Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι να μελετήσει τα επίπεδα της τροπονίνης σε ασθενείς που πάσχουν από COVID-19 και να διερευνήσει τους πιθανούς προδιαθεσικούς παράγοντες που μπορούν να τα επηρεάσουν Υλικό και Μέθοδος: Το δείγμα της μελέτης αποτέλεσαν 115 άτομα που νόσησαν και νοσηλεύτηκαν με Covid-19 στο Γ.Ν.ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΕΙΟ ΒΟΥΛΑΣ. Τα επίπεδα της τροπονίνης μετρήθηκαν με την μέθοδο ELISA και οι ασθενείς κατηγοριοποιήθηκαν σε ομάδες και αναλύθηκαν πιθανοί προδιαθεσικοί παράγοντες που μπορούν επηρεάσουν τα επίπεδα της τροπονίνης. Αποτελέσματα: Τα αποτελέσματα που προέκυψαν από τη σύγκριση ασθενών που έπασχαν από στεφανιαία νόσο και σε αυτούς με ελεύθερο ατομικό ιστορικό έδειξαν ότι οι διαφορές μεταξύ των μέσων όρων τροπονίνης ανάμεσα στις δύο κατηγορίες ήταν στατιστικώς σημαντικές (p=0,001), ενώ αντίστοιχα ευρήματα προέκυψαν από τα αποτελέσματα σύγκρισης ασθενών με υπόβαθρο σακχαρώδους διαβήτη, οι οποίοι εμφάνιζαν αυξημένη συχνότητα να εκδηλώσουν τροπονιναιμία στην πορεία της νοσηλείας τους(p=0,035). Παρόμοια ήταν τα αποτελέσματα από την παρουσία ή όχι αρρυθμιών, καθώς προέκυψε πως υπάρχει στατιστικά σημαντική διαφορά στους ασθενείς με ιστορικό αρρυθμιών συγκριτικά με εκείνους που είχαν ελεύθερο ατομικό αναμνηστικό(p=0,001). Παρατηρήθηκε επίσης, πως υπάρχει θετική συσχέτιση μεταξύ της τροπονίνης και της φερριτίνης, όπως αντίστοιχα και της φερριτίνης με την C-αντιδρώσα πρωτεΐνη (p<0,001),αντίστοιχα. Συμπεράσματα: Βρέθηκε ότι ασθενείς που πάσχουν από τη νόσο του Covid-19 και έχουν υπόβαθρο στεφανιαίας νόσου και αρρυθμιών, εμφανίζουν μεγαλύτερη πιθανότητα να εκδηλώσουν τροπονιναιμία στη διάρκεια της νοσηλείας τους ενώ παράγοντες όπως το φύλο και ο σακχαρώδης διαβήτης μπορούν να αποτελέσουν προδιαθεσικούς παράγοντες για την αύξηση των επιπέδων της τροπονίνης.Introduction: Increased levels of cardiac troponin are associated with Covid-19 infection and are probably affected by predisposing factors such as body mass index, age, gender, presence of arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and heart diseases such as coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. Aim: The aim of this study is to study cardiac troponin levels in patients with COVID-19 and to investigate the possible predisposing factors that may affect them Material and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 115 subjects hospitalized with Covid-19 at the GENERAL HOSPITAL “ASKLEPIEIO VOULAS”. Troponin levels were measured with the method of ELISA and patients were categorized into groups, while possible predisposing factors that may affect troponin levels were also analyzed. Results: The results obtained by comparing patients with history of coronary artery disease and those free of CAD showed that the differences between the mean troponin levels between the two groups were statistically significant (p=0.001), while similar findings were obtained by comparing patients with a background of diabetes mellitus, who had an increased incidence to appear elevated troponin levels during their hospitalization, compared to those withοut DM history (p=0.035). Similar results were obtained by the presence or absence of arrhythmias, as there was a statistically significant difference in patients with a medical history of arrhythmias compared to those without any reported arrythmias in their medical history (p=0.001). It was also observed that there is a positive correlation between troponin and ferritin, as well as ferritin and C-reactive protein (p<0.001), respectively. Conclusions: It was found that patients hospitalized due to Covid-19 disease with a medical history of coronary artery disease and arrhythmias are more prone to develop elevated troponin levels in their blood sample, while same fact applies for patients with a history of diabetes mellitus. Gender also seems to play a predisposing role in increased troponin levels in patients with SARS-COV-2

Spontaneously Healed Pathologic Fracture over a Critical-Size Calcaneal Cyst

Simple bone cysts are nonsymptomatic lesions. They typically involve the medullary cavity, but they can also be found in nonlong bones such as the calcaneum. Their treatment remains controversial varying from observation and conservative healing to irritating injections or bone grafting. In the case of a pathologic fracture, surgical treatment seems most appropriate especially when the cyst is situated on a weight-bearing bone. We present herein the rare case of a spontaneously healed pathological fracture over a critical-size calcaneal cyst of a patient reluctant to undergo surgical treatment. An interpretation of the healing procedure as well as a review of the literature is presented

Genome sequences of two pseudorabies virus strains isolated in Greece

Pseudorabies virus (species Suid herpesvirus 1) belongs to the genus Varicellovirus, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, family Herpesviridae, and is the causative agent of an acute and frequently fatal disease that affects mainly pigs. Here, we report the genome sequences of two strains of this virus isolated in Greece in 2010

Behçet’s Disease, Associated Large Vessel Thrombosis, and Coexistent Thrombophilia: A Distinct Nosological Entity?

Behçet’s disease (BD) represents a multisystemic disorder that combines features of immune-mediated diseases and autoinflammatory disorders. Even though it is recognized that every type or size of vessel can be affected in this disease, there is an inability to describe a coherent model that sufficiently explains the predilection of certain patients with BD for manifesting severe large vessel thrombosis. The inconsistent epidemiologic data and the complex genetic background of BD, along with the controversy of multiple international studies regarding the coexistence of thrombophilia in patients with BD and large vessel thrombosis, make us think that a percentage of these patients may actually suffer from a distinct clinical entity. The stimulus for this concept arose from the clinical observation of three male patients who were admitted to our clinic due to extended vena cava thrombosis. On the occasion of those clinically and laboratory resembling cases, we performed a literature review concerning the epidemiology of BD, associated thrombosis, and coexistent thrombophilic factors, in order to present some evidence, which sustains our hypothesis that certain patients with large vessel thrombosis, who share features of BD and coexistent thrombophilia, should actually be further investigated for the possibility of suffering from a distinct nosological entity