I-21 Current therapeutic guidelines in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to prolong life

Duchenne's myopathy is an X-linked disease with well defined evolutionary phases, characterized by degradation of the walking function, development of evolutive scoliosis and progressive decline of the respiratory function leading patients to premature death. In 1985 Y. Rideau in France carried out a new global therapeutic strategy for treatment of lower limb deformities, scoliosis deformity and progressive restrictive syndrome. The indication for surgery at the lower limbs is made very early, at the onset of the first signs of disease. The procedures are carried out at the same time and always bilaterally; they include: (i) hip section of superficial flexors; (ii) iliotibial band resection; (iii) subcutaneous tenotomy of semitendineous and gracilis; (iv) subcutaneous lengthening of Achilles tendons. In the post-operative period, the patient begins exercises of active and passive mobility in few days and after three weeks recovers his performances; ambulation will remain almost normal for several years. A comparison of two groups of patients, the first precociously operated on the lower limbs, the other one not operated, shows better performances in the operated group. The indications for surgical treatment of Duchenne scoliosis must be made after the loss of ambulation and not too late, to avoid the concurrent respiratory restrictive syndrome makes the patient inoperable. Over ten years ago, in Poitiers, a specific instrumentation for Duchenne scoliosis was created, providing for cylindrical rods fixed by peduncular screws at the sacro-lumbar level. On the dorso-lumbar level, the rod becomes flat to allow more flexibility of the trunk. The complications observed in a group of 55 patients operated for scoliosis, consisted in 2 cases of breaking of rods and 1 superficial infection. The surgery approach in DMD has the double aim to prolong the time of the autonomous ambulation and to avoid the evolution of scoliosis, limiting the harmful effects of the scoliosis on the respiratory function. However, the surgery alone is unable to prolong the life expectancy in these patients, without treating the restrictive respiratory syndrome, first by nasal ventilation and then by elective tracheotomy, essential for the survival of the patient

Karim Hammou, Une histoire du rap en France

Dans la nuit du 29 au 30 décembre 2012, France 2 diffuse Urban music show, une émission célébrant les 30 ans du rap et des musiques dites urbaines en France. C’est à un voyage dans ces trente années (1981-2010) que nous convie le sociologue Karim Hammou. L’ouvrage repose sur un travail de thèse réécrit auquel l’auteur a adjoint de nouvelles parties, composant un ensemble riche. Il est solidement ancré dans un travail empirique et mobilise le cadre théorique développé par Howard Becker (qui s..

Effectiveness and safety of Nintendo Wii Fit PlusTM training in children with migraine without aura: a preliminary study

Background: Migraine without aura (MoA) is a painful syndrome, particularly in childhood; it is often accompanied by severe impairments, including emotional dysfunction, absenteeism from school, and poor academic performance, as well as issues relating to poor cognitive function, sleep habits, and motor coordination. Materials and methods: The study population consisted of 71 patients affected by MoA (32 females, 39 males) (mean age: 9.13±1.94 years); the control group consisted of 93 normally developing children (44 females, 49 males) (mean age: 8.97±2.03 years) recruited in the Campania school region. The entire population underwent a clinical evaluation to assess total intelligence quotient level, visual-motor integration (VMI) skills, and motor coordination performance, the later using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC). Children underwent training using the Wii-balance board and Nintendo Wii Fit Plus™ software (Nintendo Co, Ltd, Kyoto, Japan); training lasted for 12 weeks and consisted of three 30-minute sessions per week at their home. Results: The two starting populations (MoA and controls) were not significantly different for age (P=0.899) and sex (P=0.611). M-ABC and VMI performances at baseline (T0) were significantly different in dexterity, balance, and total score for M-ABC (P,0.001) and visual (P=0.003) and motor (P,0.001) tasks for VMI. After 3 months of Wii training (T1), MoA children showed a significant improvement in M-ABC global performance (P,0.001), M-ABC dexterity (P,0.001), M-ABC balance (P,0.001), and VMI motor task (P,0.001). Conclusion: Our study reported the positive effects of the Nintendo Wii Fit PlusTM system as a rehabilitative device for the visuomotor and balance skills impairments among children affected by MoA, even if further research and longer follow-up are needed

Il lavoro della talpa. Scritti su Marx

Giuseppe Antonio Di Marco ha insegnato Filosofia della storia all’Università di Napoli Federico II, dove ha formato generazioni di studiosi dedicando la propria attività a un continuo e generoso impegno didattico. Partendo dalla teologia dialettica di Barth e Bultmann, il suo lavoro scientifico si è soffermato sul pensiero di Max Weber e in seguito su quello di Carl Schmitt. All’opera di Marx ed Engels Di Marco ha dedicato gli ultimi vent’anni di insegnamento e ricerca, trovando in questi autori la possibilità di dare risposte alla crisi dell’epoca contemporanea

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding influenza vaccination among Hygiene and Preventive Medicine residents in Calabria and Sicily.

Vaccinating health care workers is considered to be one of the most important steps in preventing the transmission of the influenza virus to vulnerable patients. Public Health physicians are the main promoters and executors of influenza vaccination campaigns for both healthcare workers and the general population. The objective of the present survey was to analyze the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding influenza vaccination among Hygiene and Preventive Medicine Residents. 64% of the participants had not been vaccinated against the influenza virus in the past 5 years, and 29% had been vaccinated only occasionally , with only 7.2% of the study popu-lation having been vaccinated every year. 20.3% of those surveyed were vaccinated in the 2010/2011 season. The best strategy to increase vaccination rates among health care workers according to the study participants was the participation of future public health operators to multidisciplinary training (34.8%). the main factors associated with influenza vaccination compliance were having been vaccinated in the previous season for 2011/2012 (OR [95%]: 41.14 [7.56 - 223.87]) and having received the vaccination always or occasionally during the previous 5 years for both 2010/2011 (p-value <0.0001) and 2011/2012 (p-value <0.0001). The findings of this study suggest that future public health physicians with a history of refusing influenza vaccination in previous years usually tend to maintain their beliefs over time. Changing this trend among Hygiene and Preventive Medicine residents is the real challenge for the future, and it can be achieved through organization of multidisciplinary training, improvement of university education and increasing the involvement of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine residents in influenza vaccination campaigns both for the gen-eral population and health care workers

Diabetes and obesity as independent risk factors for osteoporosis: Updated results from the ROIS/EMEROS registry in a population of five thousand post-menopausalwomen living in a region characterized by heavy environmental pressure

Objectives: We aimed to analyze bone mineralization and the effect of different risk factors for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Methods: We found 4909 postmenopausal subjects within ≥10,000 records from the ROIS/EMEROS (Ionian and Salento Osteoporosis Registry/Euro Mediterranean Registry of Osteoporosis) registry, a population study carried out in an area characterized by heavy environmental pressure between Brindisi and Taranto from 2009 to 2016. All subjects were assessed via phalangeal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) to evaluate their bone mineralization (assessed via amplitude dependent speed of sound (AD-SoS)) and the association between demineralization and the presence of other conditions or risk factors. Results: Mean age was 64 ± 9.5 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2. Pearson correlation analyses revealed a negative association between bone mineralization (AD-SoS) and BMI (p &lt; 0.001). By using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we observed significant values of odds ratios (ORs) of osteoporosis (adjusted for age, physical activity, and the use of drugs known to increase the risk of fractures) in subjects with diabetes and obesity: 1.39 (confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.83) and 1.46 (CI: 1.20-1.78), respectively. A statistically significant linear trend of higher ORs of osteoporosis was found for increasing values of BMI. Conclusions: Our study confirmed the high impact of obesity and type 1 and type 2 diabetes on osteoporosis

Cochrane rehabilitation: 2020 Annual report

during its fourth year of existence, cochrane rehabilitation went on to promote evidence-informed health decision-making in rehabilitation. in 2020, the outbreak of the coVid-19 pandemic has made it necessary to alter priorities. in these challenging times, cochrane rehabilitation has firstly changed its internal organisation and established a new relevant project in line with pandemic needs: the REH-COVER (Rehabilitation – coVid-19 evidence-based response) action. the aim was to focus on the timely collection, review and dissemination of summarised and synthesised evidence relating to COVID-19 and rehabilitation. Cochrane Rehabilitation REH-COVER action has included in 2020 five main initiatives: 1) rapid living systematic reviews on rehabilitation and coVid-19; 2) interactive living evidence map on rehabilitation and coVid-19; 3) definition of the research topics on “rehabilitation and COVID-19” in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) rehabilitation programme; 4) Cochrane Library special collection on Coronavirus (COVID-19) rehabilitation; and 5) collaboration with COVID-END for the topics “rehabilitation” and “disability.” Furthermore, we are still carrying on five different special projects: Be4rehab; RCTRACK; definition of rehabilitation for research purposes; ebook project; and a prioritization exercise for Cochrane Reviews production. The Review Working Area continued to identify and “tag” the rehabilitation-relevant reviews published in the cochrane library; the publication Working area went on to publish Cochrane Corners, working more closely with the Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) and Cochrane Networks, particularly with Cochrane Musculoskeletal, oral, skin and sensory Network; the Education Working area, the most damaged in 2020, tried to continue performing educational activities such as workshops in different online meetings; the Methodology Working area organized the third and fourth cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological (CRM) meetings respectively in Milan and Orlando; the Communication Working Area spread rehabilitation evidences through different channels and translated the contents in different languages

Incidence of breast cancer in Italy: mastectomies and quadrantectomies performed between 2000 and 2005.

Objectives. We aimed to determine the incidence of women's breast cancer in Italy without using statistical approximations. Methods. We analyzed the national hospitalizations database at the Ministry of Health to calculate the number of major surgeries in Italian women (mastectomies and quadrantectomies) due to breast cancer between 2000 and 2005, overall and by age groups (<44, 4564, 6574 and 75 years old). Results. Over the six years examined, an overall number of 100,745 mastectomies and 168,147 quadrantectomies were performed. A total of 41,608 major surgeries due to breast cancer were performed in the year 2000 and this number rose to 47,200 in 2005, with a 13.4% increase over six years. Conclusion. by analyzing the hospitalizations database concerning major breast surgery, incidence of breast cancer in Italy was found to be 26.5% higher than the official estimations which have been computed using statistical models (namely 47,200 vs. 37,300 cases in year 2005)