Influence of Sport Practice and Body Weight on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren Living in the Campania Region

Background: Physical fitness (PF) levels correlate with health hallmarks at all ages. In this study, w aimed to determine the PF level of schoolchildren from the Campania Region (Italy) through health-related PF (HRPF) components, taking into account body weight and sport practice (SP). Methods: PF level was determined in 565 schoolchildren aged 10-13 (11.7 +/- 1.0 yrs; m: 353, f: 212) using some of the Eurofit battery tests. Results: 77% children practiced sport, boys more than girls (86% vs. 63%, respectively; p < 0.05). Boys performed better than girls (p < 0.05) in the Plate Tapping, Standing Broad Jump, Bent-Arm Hang, and 10 x 5 m Shuttle Run tests; girls performed better in the Sit-and-Reach Test (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Overweight/obese status negatively affects the muscular strength of lower limbs, even if it progressively improves during growth. SP was revealed to be a determinant in performance only in some PF tests, likely due to the heterogeneous training level among boys and girls who practice sport

Diagnosi molecolare di sindrome di Brugada in un giovane atleta mediante il sequenziamento di un pannello multigenico con tecniche di nuova generazione

Mutations in genes driving the molecular pathways that regulate myocardial functions can predispose to many independent cardiopathies and also to sudden cardiac death (SCD) even in asymptomatic subjects. The overlapping clinical signs or symptoms or even silent phenotypes make it difficult to diagnose these diseases, therefore the risk of undiagnosed disease could be high especially in young adults and athletes, which may then incur in SCD. We describe the case of a clinical asymptomatic eight-year-old child, practicing soccer game, who underwent a screening medical examination to undertake the path of an increasing physical activity to become a competitive athlete, where abnormal signs at ECG indicated a suspicion of an arrhythmogenic heart disease. Molecular screening analysis, to discriminate among the various predisposing gene alterations, was performed using a 75 gene-panel for arrhythmias customized in our laboratory. The child resulted carrier of a loss-of-function mutation in the SCN5A gene (c.1126C>T). About 25% of Brugada patients carry mutations in this gene coding for the cardiac sodium channel. The loss-of-function mutations in SCN5A gene induce alterations of sodium ion conduction in cardiomyocytes, compatible with the Brugada Syndrome. This case report highlights the importance of the implementation of a rapid, sensitive and wide molecular screening to shed light on possible genetic alterations present also in asymptomatic athletes with negative family history, which may often remain undiagnosed, thus exposed to high risk of sudden death

Case Report: Concurrent Resistance and Aerobic Training Regulate Adiponectin Expression and Disease Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Study

Adapted exercise is an effective non-pharmacological tool to improve functional, cognitive, and psychological parameters in multiple sclerosis (MS), in association with increased quality of life (QoL) and decreased disease severity. Adipose tissue, through the production of different adipokines, is involved in regulating energy metabolism and inflammation. Adiponectin, increased in MS, circulates as oligomers of low (LMW), medium (MMW), and high molecular weight (HMW), the latter mediating the main biological effects. The aim of study was to evaluate the effects of 4 months training at moderate intensity [65% heart rate reserve (HRR)] on BMI, adiponectin, and QoL in a volunteer with secondary progressive MS. The parameters were evaluated before (T0), after 4 months training (T1), and 6 months after the end of training (T2); total serum adiponectin and its oligomeric profile were evaluated. We found a reduction in BMI (-0.9%) and FAT (-2.6%), an improvement in perceived QoL and a reduced expression of total adiponectin and HMW oligomers together with decreased MS disability level at T1 measured by EDSS. Despite the limitations of a case study, this represent a starting point to understand the influence of exercise in MS and the relationship with adiponectin expression

The cut-off value for classifying active Italian children using the corresponding national version of the physical activity questionnaire

The present study aimed to determine a cut-off value following the filling in of a questionnaire (PAQ-C-It) to identify active Italian children. One-hundred-twenty-nine primary school children (5 Piedmont schools; 47.3% female; mean age = 10 ± 1 years) wore an accelerometer (Actigraph wGT3X-BT) to objectively quantify individual moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during one week. Afterwards, the PAQ-C-It was filled in by participants. A ROC curve procedure was applied to obtain an active/non-active cut-off point. Spearman's correlation coefficient was also applied to establish the relationship between the two parameters. According to the ROC analysis, the PAQ-C-It cut-off point value is identifiable at >2.75 to indicate active children (area under the curve = 0.62; standard error = 0.05; p = 0.025; coefficient intervals = 0.518-0.716; sensitivity = 0.592, specificity = 0.382), determining that 65 participants (55%) were non-active (mean PAQ-C-It value = 2.3 ± 0.4; active mean PAQ-C-It value = 3.3 ± 0.4). Spearman's correlation coefficient results were significant but with a small effect size (rho = 0.214; p = 0.008). In conclusion, the present results suggest that the PAQ-C-It can be cautiously used as tool to practically classify active Italian children because of a non-solid relationship between respective accelerometer data and MVPA daily data

Impact of active lifestyle on the primary school children saliva microbiota composition

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of Active or Sedentary lifestyle on saliva microbiota composition in Italian schoolchildren. Methods: Male (114) and female children (8-10 years) belonging to five primary schools in the neighborhoods of Turin were classified as active (A) or sedentary (S) based on PAQ-C-It questionnaire. PCR amplification of salivary DNA targeted the hypervariable V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA bacterial genes. DADA2 workflow was used to infer the Amplicon Sequence Variants and the taxonomic assignments; the beta-diversity was obtained by PCoA with the UniFrac method; LEfSe algorithm, threshold at 5%, and Log LDA cutoff at ±0.5 were used to identify differently abundant species in A compared to S saliva sample. Daily food intake was assessed by 3-Days food record. The metabolic potential of microbial communities was assessed by PICRUSt. Results: No significant differences were found in individual's gender distribution (p = 0.411), anthropometry, BMI (p > 0.05), and all diet composition between A and S groups (p > 0.05). Eight species were differently abundant: Prevotella nigrescens (LDA score = -3.76; FDR = 1.5×10-03), Collinsella aerofaciens (LDA score = -3.17; FDR = 7.45×10-03), Simonsiella muelleri (LDA score = -2.96; FDR = 2.76×10-05), Parabacteroides merdae (LDA score = -2.43; FDR = 1.3×10-02) are enriched in the A group; Gemella parahaemolysans, Prevotella aurantiaca (LDA score = -3.9; FDR = 5.27×10-04), Prevotella pallens (LDA score = 4.23; FDR = 1.93×10-02), Neisseria mucosa (LDA score = 4.43; FDR = 1.31×10-02; LDA score = 2.94; FDR = 7.45×10-03) are enriched in the S group. A prevalence of superpathway of fatty acid biosynthesis initiation (E. coli) and catechol degradation II (meta-cleavage pathway) was found in saliva from A compared to S children. Conclusion: Our results showed that active children had an enrichment of species and genera mainly associated with a healthier profile. By contrast, the genera and the species enriched in the sedentary group could be linked to human diseases

Impact of active lifestyle on the primary school children saliva microbiota composition

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of Active or Sedentary lifestyle on saliva microbiota composition in Italian schoolchildren.MethodsMale (114) and female children (8–10 years) belonging to five primary schools in the neighborhoods of Turin were classified as active (A) or sedentary (S) based on PAQ-C-It questionnaire. PCR amplification of salivary DNA targeted the hypervariable V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA bacterial genes. DADA2 workflow was used to infer the Amplicon Sequence Variants and the taxonomic assignments; the beta-diversity was obtained by PCoA with the UniFrac method; LEfSe algorithm, threshold at 5%, and Log LDA cutoff at ±0.5 were used to identify differently abundant species in A compared to S saliva sample. Daily food intake was assessed by 3-Days food record. The metabolic potential of microbial communities was assessed by PICRUSt.ResultsNo significant differences were found in individual’s gender distribution (p = 0.411), anthropometry, BMI (p > 0.05), and all diet composition between A and S groups (p > 0.05). Eight species were differently abundant: Prevotella nigrescens (LDA score = −3.76; FDR = 1.5×10–03), Collinsella aerofaciens (LDA score = −3.17; FDR = 7.45×10–03), Simonsiella muelleri (LDA score = −2.96; FDR = 2.76×10–05), Parabacteroides merdae (LDA score = −2.43; FDR = 1.3×10–02) are enriched in the A group; Gemella parahaemolysans, Prevotella aurantiaca (LDA score = −3.9; FDR = 5.27×10–04), Prevotella pallens (LDA score = 4.23; FDR = 1.93×10–02), Neisseria mucosa (LDA score = 4.43; FDR = 1.31×10–02; LDA score = 2.94; FDR = 7.45×10–03) are enriched in the S group. A prevalence of superpathway of fatty acid biosynthesis initiation (E. coli) and catechol degradation II (meta-cleavage pathway) was found in saliva from A compared to S children.ConclusionOur results showed that active children had an enrichment of species and genera mainly associated with a healthier profile. By contrast, the genera and the species enriched in the sedentary group could be linked to human diseases

Adapted physical activity in subjects and athletes recovering from covid-19: a position statement of the Società Italiana Scienze Motorie e Sportive

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic illness that is impacting the cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and cognitive function of a large spectrum of the worldwide population. The available pharmacological countermeasures of these long-term effects of COVID-19 are minimal, while myriads of non-specific non-pharmacological treatments are emerging in the literature. In this complicated scenario, particular emphasis should be dedicated to specific exercise interventions tailored for subjects and athletes recovering from COVID-19. Specific guidelines on adapted physical activity in this critical population are unavailable so far, therefore, in this position statement of the Società Italiana di Scienze Motorie e Sportive (SISMeS) the members of the steering committee of the research group Attività Motoria Adattata, Alimentazione, Salute e Fitness have indicated the adapted physical activity approaches to counteract the long-term effects of the COVID-19, both in good health people and athletes

An approach to prevent frailty in community dwelling older adults: a pilot study performed in Campania region in the framework of the PERSSILAA project

We developed and tested an innovative physical training method in older adults that embeds the gym program into everyday life in the most conservative way possible. Physical training was included in the activities of local parishes where older women from Southern Italy spend most of their free time and was delivered by trained physical therapists with the support of an ICT tool known as CoCo. 113 older women (aged 72.0 [69.0-75.0] years) noncompliant to conventional exercise programs participated to the study. 57 of them underwent the final anthropometric assessment and 50 the final physical tests. In study completers handgrip strength and physical performance evaluated with the chair-stand, the two minutes step and the chair-sit and -reach tests significantly improved. Quality of life as evaluated with the EuroQol-5dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire improved as well. In conclusion, a training program designed to minimally impact on life habits of older people is effective in improving fitness in patients noncompliant to other to physical exercise programs