The "safe falls, safe schools" multicentre international project: Evaluation and analysis of backwards falling ability in Italian secondary schools

Problem statement: Different studies have reported on the epidemiology related to injuries resulting from falls, which are the most common causes of injury in Italy. The World Health Organization considers falls as the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional deaths worldwide. However, it has been demonstrated that the Safe Fall, Safe Schools Programme (SFSSP) based on 10-min warm-up sessions is able to teach techniques for falling backwards in safe way during physical education (PE) classes. Unfortunately, there are no studies that have analysed extensive warm-up and detraining effects related to the age. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess extensive specific warm-up (20 min) and detraining effects after five weeks on the SFSSP on Italian secondary school students according to age. Methods: Eighty-seven secondary school students took part in this investigation. Students were divided into two groups, equally distributed by age. The trial-control group (TC=39) and the control-trial group (CT=48) performed the same PE lesson for 10 weeks. In the first five weeks, two different 20-min warm-up exercises were performed (TC=SFSSP; CT=conventional warm-up); after five weeks, the warm-ups were inverted (TC=conventional warm-up; CT=SFSSP). The backwards falling ability test carried out among both groups was evaluated in relation to the position of the neck, trunk, knees, hips and hands, before and after five and 10 weeks. Results: McNemar\u2019s test showed significant differences (between pre-and mid-time points, P<0.05) for the neck, trunk, hip and hands, while no significant differences were found in the knee value (P=0.581 in TC). No differences were found between the mid-and post-time points for TC. In CT, no differences were found in-between (pre-and mid-time points, P>0.05) for all variables studied. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in-between the mid-and post- time points for CT in all variables studied. Analysis of the total scores for SFSSP showed significantly differences in TC and CT (P<0.0001). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant differences (total scores: first year=1.68\ub11.05 AU; fifth year=1.47\ub10.86 AU; P=0.34) before the SFSSP intervention, while the SFSSP was able to improve the ability after intervention (total scores: first year=4.47\ub10.84 AU; fifth year=3.91\ub11.40 AU; P<0.01). Conclusions: The SFSSP was able to improve motor ability for both groups and the detraining effect was found to maintain the same ability level compared to that after the SFSSP intervention. Participants started with the same level of backwards falling ability and each group, after the intervention, significantly raised its score, confirming the efficacy of the intervention. Therefore, the SFSSP could be included in the standard national programme without changing the standard training lesson

Il progetto “Multi-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection” per l’attività motoria nella scuola primaria = The “Multi-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection” Project for physical activity in the primary school

L\u2019educazione fisica curricolare, per essere veramente sostenibile nel con-testo educativo scolastico e motorio pi\uf9 in generale, deve rispondere ad al-cune prerogative di adattamento ai bisogni specifici della realt\ue0 a cui essa siriferisce. In questo articolo sono sviluppate le premesse necessarie e un pos-sibile approccio da proporre per la formazione del corpo docente deputatoalla conduzione dell\u2019attivit\ue0 motoria nella scuola primaria, sia esso general-ista o specialista. Sono approfonditi il concetto di sostenibilit\ue0 dell\u2019edu-cazione fisica, l\u2019insegnamento, l\u2019organizzazione e la conduzione dell\u2019attivit\ue0motoria da parte di insegnanti per definizione preparati e padroni della ma-teria. Per questo sono considerate le strategie didattico-metodologiche dautilizzare per coinvolgere in modo adeguato gli alunni, suscitandone il nec-essario interesse per apprendere ed acquisire le competenze motorie utiliper la vita. In particolare, sono descritti il background, la metodologia ed iprincipali risultati di un primo studio condotto nell\u2019ambito del progetto diricerca \u201cMulti-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection\u201d. Ne consegueil delinearsi di un possibile efficace indirizzo per la formazione di insegnanticapaci di adattare adeguatamente la propria progettualit\ue0 operativa in fun-Pietro Luigi InvernizziUniversit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano - [email protected] ScuratiUniversit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano - [email protected] & Insegnamento XVII \u2013 3s \u2013 2019Codice ISSN 2279-7505 (on line)\ua9 Pensa MultiMedia EditoreCodice doi: 10.7346/-feis-XVII-03-19_10 IntroduzioneUna Educazione Fisica moderna per essere al passo con i tempi e poter assumereun ruolo culturale significativo e sostenibileall\u2019interno della realt\ue0 scolastica deveessere capace di adattarsi per rispondere alle differenti esigenze e necessit\ue0 socio-culturali di realt\ue0 scolastiche che spesso esprimono bisogni molto differenti (In-vernizzi, Dugnani, & Mauro, 2018). In alcune scuole, per esempio, diventapreminente attuare l\u2019integrazione progressiva di pi\uf9 culture, favorita da globaliz-zazione e fenomeni migratori. In altre, le sfide richieste all\u2019Educazione Fisica po-trebbero essere maggiormente rivolte ad una trasversalit\ue0 disciplinare, checonsenta di esprimere un pensiero critico e riflessivo anche attraverso l\u2019uso ditecnologie che rendono disponibili una grande quantit\ue0 di informazioni, comun-que da vagliare e verificare.L\u2019educazione della motricit\ue0 non pu\uf2 disgiungersi quindi da una visione pi\uf9ampia, che si ricolleghi alla necessit\ue0 di affrontare le sfide di ogni peculiare realt\ue0in modo flessibile e appropriato, per assumere un significato di physical literacy(Whitehead, 2010), quindi di utilit\ue0 sociale, e che favorisca l\u2019instaurarsi di \u201cbuonepratiche\u201d come risposta di adattamento plastico alle richieste di una societ\ue0 sem-pre pi\uf9 complessa e variabile. La \u201cnormalit\ue0 motoria\u201d (proficiency barrier) costituisce comunque, in ambitoscolastico, la premessa indispensabile e la base di una autonomia funzionale perun\u2019adeguata tutela della salute, la \u201cqualit\ue0 degli anni di vita\u201d, un dinamismo e vi-talit\ue0 psico-fisica per la gestione di s\ue9 non solo nel breve periodo, ma anche nellefasi successive della vita (Stodden, Langendorfer, & Roberton, 2009). A questo pro-posito, in questo articolo abbiamo ritenuto utile incentrare l\u2019attenzione, pi\uf9 chesul quantoe sul cosafare, ampiamente studiati in letteratura, sul comefare e sullestrategie didattiche utili ad un pi\uf9 rapido ed efficace adattamento ai differentipossibili contesti. Il tutto trova applicazione nel progetto di ricerca \u201cMulti-Teaching, Pietro Luigi Invernizzi, Raffaele Scurati110zione delle occorrenze di trasversalit\ue0 culturale e delle caratteristiche socio-ambientali della scuola in cui si trovano ad operare.Physical education (PE) curricula, to be sustainable in the educational processand, more widely, during physical activity (PA) at school, must adapt to thespecific needs of the actual related context. This paper addresses the as-sumptions and the possible approaches for a successful teachers\u2019 trainingfor leading physical activity in the primary school. They might be proposedto both generalists and specialists. PE sustainability, teaching processes, PAorganization and conduction from teachers expected to be competent andproficient because of their background, are also deepened. Therefore,proper teaching methods to involve the students and to promote the interestin learning and acquiring the motor competence for daily life are considered.In particular, we described the background, the procedure and the resultsof a pilot study within the \u201cMulti-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Re-flection\u201d research program. A promising effective direction of teachers\u2019 ed-ucational programs outcomes. It is likely suitable to train teachers skilled inadapting the operational planning to the specific demands deriving from cul-tural, social and environmental features of the school in which they operate

Passive drag in young swimmers: Effects of body composition, morphology and gliding position

The passive drag (Dp) during swimming is affected by the swimmer’s morphology, body density and body position. We evaluated the relative contribution of morphology, body composition, and body position adjustments in the prediction of a swimmer’s Dp. This observational study examined a sample of 60 competitive swimmers (31 male and 29 female) with a mean (±SD) age of 15.4 ± 3.1 years. The swimmer’s Dp was measured using an electro-mechanical towing device and the body composition was assessed using a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Body lengths and circumferences were measured in both the standing position and the simulated streamlined position. Partial correlation analysis with age as a control variable showed that Dp was largely correlated (p < 0.05) with body mass, biacromial-and bi-iliac-breadth, streamline chest circumference and breadth. Body mass, Body Mass Index, chest circumference and streamline chest circumference showed a significant and moderate to strong effect (η2 > 0.55) on Dp. Body mass was the best predictor of Dp explaining 69% of the variability. These results indicate that swimmers with lower Dp values were: (i) slimmer, with lower fat and fat-free mass; (ii) thinner, with lower shoulder breadth, chest circumference, and streamline trunk diameters (iii), shorter, with lower streamline height. These findings can be used for talent identification in swimming, with particular reference to the gliding performance

Effects of in-season enhanced negative work-based vs traditional weight training on change of direction and hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratio in soccer players

The present study investigated the effects of in-season enhanced negative work-based training (ENT) vs weight training in the change of direction (COD), sprinting and jumping ability, muscle mass and strength in semi-professional soccer players. Forty male soccer players participated in the eight-week, 1 d/w intervention consisting of 48 squat repetitions for ENT using a flywheel device (inertia=0.11 kg\ub7m-2) or weight training (80%1 RM) as a control group (CON). Agility T-test, 20+20 m shuttle, 10 m and 30 m sprint, squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ), lean mass, quadriceps and hamstrings strength and the hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratio were measured. Time on agility T-test and 20+20 m shuttle decreased in ENT (effect-size =-1.44, 95% CI -2.24/-0.68 and -0.75, -1.09/-0.42 respectively) but not in CON (-0.33, -0.87/0.19 and -0.13, -0.58/0.32). SJ and CMJ height increased in both ENT (0.71, 0.45/0.97 and 0.65, 0.38/0.93) and CON (0.41, 0.23/0.60 and 0.36, 0.12/0.70). Overall, quadriceps and hamstrings strength increased in both ENT and CON (0.38/0.79), but the hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratio increased in ENT (0.31, 0.22/0.40) but not in CON (0.03, -0.18/0.24). Lean mass increased in both ENT (0.41, 0.26/0.57) and CON (0.29, 0.14/0.44). The repeated negative actions performed in ENT may have led to improvements in braking ability, a key point in COD performance. Semiprofessional soccer players may benefit from in-season ENT to enhance COD and the negative-specific adaptations in muscle strength and hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratio

Correlation between cognitive functions and motor coordination in children with different cognitive levels

Cognitive development is related with central nervous system maturation and plays a crucial role for the definition of executive functions such as movement imagination, movement planning and problem-solving. In particular, executive functions are required during complex interactions between players/environment and are also fundamental for motor skills coordination. Although the complex interaction between cognitive and physical outcomes was recognized by several authors, few studies examined the magnitude of the relation between executive functions and motor development according to dif- ferent stages of cognitive maturation. Thus the aim was the assessment of the relationships between motor skills coordination and executive functions in children with different cognitive level. Ninety healthy male participants were involved in the study where children affected by Down syndrome were, also, recruited. The participants were divided into three groups according to classi- fication of Piaget: concrete, formal operational groups and Down syndrome individuals. Executive functions were assessed using a validated computerized battery tests while motor skills was evaluated using the K\uf6rperkoordinations Test f\ufcr Kinder. Analysis of variance by ranks (Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test) and Mann-Whitney U pairwise comparisons with Dunn\u2019s correction for multiple contrasts were applied to assess the differences concerning the two kinds of outcome. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to calculate the correlation between physical performance and the outcomes of the cognitive tests. A Spearman correlation was used to analyze the data when the assumption of normality was violated. The three groups showed differences in both executive functions and motor coordination outcomes. The highest number of significant correlations was found in the formal operational group (correlation coefficients ranging between 120.999 and 120.520, and between 0.970 and 0.759, all p values < 0.05) while a small number of correlations were found in the concrete operational group (correlation coefficients equal to 120.527, 120.461, 120.436 and 0.468, all p values < 0.05). No correlations between executive function and motor coordination were found in Down syndrome group. High executive function seems to affect the coordination skills

Sublingual immunotherapy: administration, dosages, use

Allergen extracts for sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are currently marketed by several manufacturers, with administration schedules and amount of allergen(s) quite variable in the different products, although almost all are standardized biologically or immunologically. The allergen extracts for SLIT are available in two main pharmaceutical forms: solution to be delivered by drop-counters, pre-dosed actuators (mini-pumps) or disposable single-dose vials; tablets with appropriate composition that allows a slow (1-2 minutes) dissolution in the mouth in contact with saliva. In Europe, SLIT is prescribed in general for one or a few allergens, and mixtures are less used, though there is no immunological contraindication to give multiple allergens. SLIT traditionally involves a build-up phase and a maintenance phase with the top dose. The build-up phase has usually the duration of 4 - 6 weeks. The patient must start with the lowest concentration and gradually increase, using the different dosage preparations, until the maintenance dose is reached. Rush and ultra-rush inductions have been introduced, based on the safety profile of SLIT that is very favorable. For these reasons it has been suggested that an updosing phase maybe even not necessary. The no-updosing approach would result in a treatment that is more patient-friendly and convenient to manage. Indeed, the most recent randomized trials were performed with the no-updosing regimen and their results in term of safety were as favorable as the studies performed with the traditional updosing approach. The currently recommended duration of SLIT is comprised between 3 and 4 years depending on the clinical response in single patients

Allogeneic Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Potential Source for Cartilage and Bone Regeneration: An in Vitro Study

Umbilical cord (UC) may represent an attractive cell source for allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. The aim of this in vitro study is to investigate the chondrogenic and osteogenic potential of UC-MSCs grown onto tridimensional scaffolds, to identify a possible clinical relevance for an allogeneic use in cartilage and bone reconstructive surgery. Chondrogenic differentiation on scaffolds was confirmed at 4 weeks by the expression of sox-9 and type II collagen; low oxygen tension improved the expression of these chondrogenic markers. A similar trend was observed in pellet culture in terms of matrix (proteoglycan) production. Osteogenic differentiation on bone-graft-substitute was also confirmed after 30 days of culture by the expression of osteocalcin and RunX-2. Cells grown in the hypertrophic medium showed at 5 weeks safranin o-positive stain and an increased CbFa1 expression, confirming the ability of these cells to undergo hypertrophy. These results suggest that the UC-MSCs isolated from minced umbilical cords may represent a valuable allogeneic cell population, which might have a potential for orthopaedic tissue engineering such as the on-demand cell delivery using chondrogenic, osteogenic, and endochondral scaffold. This study may have a clinical relevance as a future hypothetical option for allogeneic single-stage cartilage repair and bone regeneration

Multi-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection: Effectiveness in Improving Fitness Level, Motor Competence, Enjoyment, Amount of Physical Activity, and Effects on the Perception of Physical Education Lessons in Primary School Children

Physical education (PE) researchers sustain that the teaching styles adopted by PE teachers play a key role in defining children's positive experiences during lessons and have a relevant impact on their psychophysical health. However, a limited number of studies has examined the effect of teaching styles on these aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an integrated approach mainly based on integration of multi-teaching styles and active reflection (MTA) on the fitness level, motor competence, enjoyment, self-perception, amount of physical activity (PA), and children's perception of PE, in Italian primary school children. Participants were 121 children from three elementary schools. Children were randomly assigned into two groups: (a) an intervention group (IG) that received PE lessons based on MTA provided by specifically trained PE students, and (b) a control group (CG) that received standard PE lessons (S-PE) from primary school classroom teachers. Both groups engaged in two PE lessons per week lasting 1 h each for 12 weeks. The findings revealed an increase in the children's fitness level, motor competence, enjoyment and amount of PA in the IG compared to those in the CG. Furthermore, the children of the IG spent more time being engaged on a task, reflecting on it, and wasted less time during PE compared to the children of the CG. Finally, the children of the IG reported higher levels of satisfaction with PE lessons and teaching styles compared to children of the CG. Integration of different teaching styles lead by specifically trained educators can be suggested as a valuable strategy to provide learning experiences of children of primary school to have positive effects on their physical literacy development promoting healthy lifestyle

A robust and powerful green light photoemission source: The ferroelectric ceramics

The photoemission characteristics of ceramic disks of lead zirconate titanate lanthanum doped (PLZT), have been investigated. We observe 1 nC of extracted charge under an accelerating field of 20 kV/cm in poor vacuum conditions. The emission is clearly limited by space charge effects. The extrapolated quantum efficiency results in ≈10−6. The yield of a PLZT ceramic in the ferroelectric state and its slope versus light intensity have turned out higher than those of antiferroelectric ceramic. Samples in different experimental configurations have shown different nonlinear yields

Performance characteristics and clinical utility of an enzymatic method for the measurement of glycated albumin in plasma

Objective: The measurement of plasma glycated albumin is particularly useful in the short-middle term monitoring of glycometabolic control in diabetics. The aim of this work is to evaluate a new enzymatic method for the measurement of glycated albumin in plasma, with particular attention to some selected cases and comparison with other relevant tests (fasting plasma glucose, after glucose load, fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin). Design and methods: We have performed a multicenter study by which sample collection was performed in three different centers (Milano, Padova and Cagliari) and serum samples, frozen at 1280 \ub0C, were then delivered under dry ice to the centralized laboratory in Milano. Glycated plasma albumin was measured with reagents from Asahi Kasei Pharma (Lucica GA-L enzymatic assay; AKP, Tokyo, Japan) on a Modular P Roche system. Fructosamine was assessed by a Roche method and HbA1c (measured separately in the three centers on fresh EDTA blood) by DCCT-aligned HPLC systems. We have investigated 50 type 2 diabetics, 26 subjects with gestational diabetes, 35 subjects with thalassemia major, 10 subjects with cirrhosis, 23 patients with end-stage renal disease subjected to dialysis treatment and 32 healthy adult control subjects. Results: The main analytical performance characteristics of the new GA test were the following: (a) the within-assay reproducibility was between 3.0 and 3.9% (in terms of GA% CV, measured on 2 serum pools and 2 control materials at normal and pathological glycated albumin levels); (b) the between-assays reproducibility was from 2.8 to 4.1%; (c) the linearity was tested in the interval between 13 and 36% and found acceptable (r2=0.9932). Concerning the clinical utility of the new test, we have evaluated the relationships between GA, HbA1c, fructosamine and fasting and post-prandial glucose in several patients, as well as the changes in the abovementioned parameters in a sub-group of type 2 diabetic patients for 18 weeks as they progressed from severe hyperglycemia (HbA1c 6510.0%) toward a better glycemic control. The correlations between glycated albumin and HbA1c were as follows: (a) type 2 diabetics: r2=0.483 (good glycemic control), r2=0.577 (poor control); (b) diabetic patients under dialysis: r2=0.480; (c) liver disease: r2=0.186; (d) transfused non-diabetics with thalassemia: r2=0.004. Glycated albumin, as well as HbA1c and fructosamine, was of little value in the study of women with gestational diabetes, mainly because of the very limited glucose fluctuations in this particular category of subjects. In 11 type 2 diabetic patients under poor metabolic control, GA was better correlated with fasting plasma glucose then HbA1c (r2=0.555 vs. 0.291, respectively), and decreased more rapidly than HbA1c during intensive insulin therapy. Conclusions: The experience we have acquired with the new enzymatic test demonstrates its reproducibility and robustness. We confirm that plasma glycated albumin is better related to fasting plasma glucose with respect to HbA1c. Moreover, glycated albumin is more sensitive than HbA1c with regard to short-term variations of glycemic control during treatment of diabetic patients. This test is also very appropriate when the interpretation of HbA1c is critical