EVOLUTION OF ANTHROPOMETRICAL AND KINEMATIC PARAMETERS IN YOUNG SWIMMERS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Swimming kinematics parameters have been widely applied to measure the swimming skill in training and competitive situations. The descriptive study aim was to analyse the evolution of the swimming kinematics parameters related to anthropometrical data in the age-group. The data was obtained during the Winter National Age-Group (1994) and Junior (1996) Championships organized by the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation. Only those participanting in both championships were analysed in this study. The obtained results allow to conclude that the evolution observed in the kinematics variables and antropometrical variables in young swimmers shows the improvement in the speed depends SL resulting in part from the increase in anthropometrical variables

ANALYSIS OF TETHERED SWIMMING FORCE, TETHERED SWIMMING POWER, SWIMMING SPEED AND ANTROPOMETRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG SWIMMERS IN CRAWL STROKE

Propulsive forces, instantaneous power and swimming velocity in semi-tethered swimming were measured in a group of 69 competitive swimmers. Also, isometric force in laboratory, best 15 m swimming velocity and 100 m freestyle personal mark and anthropometric characteristics were recorded. The results show the high relationship between swimming speed and the propulsive forces, and the instantaneous power. Consequently, the above mentioned variables can be useful for the evaluation of the swimmers along a season

Utility of the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research in assessing psychological disorders in fibromyalgia patients

The data confirmed the clinical utility of the DCPR in detecting psychological disorders in FM patients. The results highlighted a very high prevalence of psychosomatic syndromes in FM patients, who displayed an average of more than 4 psychosomatic syndromes each, with every patient displaying at least one. Furthermore, psychosomatic syndromes indicated predictive validity with respect to a poor health-related quality of life in FM patients

From the First to the Second Wave of COVID-19: Anxiety, DePressive, and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in the Italian Population

In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, high rates of clinically relevant anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been reported in the Italian population. The persistence of the pandemic and related restrictive measures highlight the need for a reassessment of psychopathological symptoms. The present longitudinal study consisted of two evaluations conducted during the two waves of infection. Participants were asked to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1 (STAI Y1), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). There were no significant differences in depressive symptoms and PTSS scores reported by participants between T0 and T1, with single-case analysis revealing that in 71% and 69% of the participants, depressive symptoms and PTSS symptoms, respectively, remained stable during this period. On the contrary, mean scores comparison showed a significant decrease in anxiety levels, with 19% of participants in whom anxiety symptoms improved at single-case analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that depressive symptoms and PTSS not only occurred in a high percentage of participants but also tended to remain stable over time, thus warranting the importance of large-scale psychological screening and interventions to prevent the chronicization of these symptoms and their evolution to psychopathological disorders

Post-operative results of tricuspid annuloplasty with teflon felt

Background: Surgical treatment of functional tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) with left-sided valvular disease still remains a challenge for the cardiac surgeon. We present our observations and results on the usage of Teflon felt as an economic and easily available option for the management for tricuspid disease with an emphasis on the ease of procedure.Methods: In this study 50 (27 male and 23 female) adult skulls were investigated to determine the type of asterion, its distance from important bony landmarks and also the nearby venous sinuses were measured.Results: Epidemiological data like age, gender, symptomatic status using NYHA class, intraoperative details including the procedure performed, cardiopulmonary bypass and cross clamp time were noted. Patients’ preoperative echocardiograms, postoperative echocardiograms done at 1 month, 3 month and 6 month and yearly follow ups were made note of. Most of the patients in our study group are in 4th decade of life with slight female preponderance. Tricuspid regurgitation secondary to rheumatic valvular disease involving left sided valves is the most common etiology. The average size of the teflon felt was sized to the standard SJM sizer and sized to 28.56±3.7 mm. The average CPB time is 138 min 19 sec and average cross clamp time 89 min 14 sec. Five patients had postoperative RV dysfunction out of which three patients recovered with medical management. Overall in-hospital mortality in our study group is 6 (8%). 3 of them died due to low cardiac output, two patients due to sepsis and MODS and one due to bleeding.Conclusions: Annuloplasty with customised hard teflon felt is a safe, easily reproducible, economic alternative with good results and less mortality and morbidity

APPLICATION OF ANN LOGIC CONTROLLER FOR IMPROVEMENT OF POWER QUALITY USING UPQC

ABSTRAC

Posttraumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Survivors: Are Depressive Symptoms Really Negative Predictors?

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis is a potentially traumatic event, the related challenges of which can trigger positive or negative reactions. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is defined as a positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle. The present study aimed to shed light on the relationship between the evolution of depressive symptoms over time and PTG in a group of BC survivors. Method: Depressive symptoms at the time of diagnosis (T0) and 2 years later (T1) were evaluated to investigate their potential impact on the level of PTG at T1. A total of 147 BC patients were recruited and divided into 4 groups according to the changes in depressive symptoms they experienced over time (patients who were never depressed, no longer depressed, still depressed, and depressed now). A One-way analysis of variance was run to compare the levels of PTG for the four groups. Results: The One-way analysis of variance showed that PTG score was significantly different among groups with different levels of depressive symptoms (p .008). Post hoc comparisons indicated that the PTG score was statistically significantly higher in the no longer depressed group compared with the still depressed and depressed now groups. Conclusions: The current results suggest that high levels of depressive symptoms, displayed at the time of cancer diagnosis, can be considered catalysts for PTG at follow-up, on condition that women experience elevated depressive symptoms only in the first period of the disease

Attachment style and parental bonding: Relationships with fibromyalgia and alexithymia

OBJECTIVES:Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome, and alexithymia, which is a condition that is characterised by deficits in emotional self-awareness, is highly prevalent among individuals with FM. Insecure attachment styles and inadequate parental care appear to play an important role in the onset and maintenance of both alexithymia and chronic pain. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the associations between attachment styles, parental bonding, and alexithymia among patients with FM and healthy controls (HC). METHODS:All participants completed a battery of tests that assessed alexithymia, attachment styles, and parental bonding. Two logistic regression models were tested to examine whether these variables predict (a) group membership (i.e. patients with FM vs. HC) and (b) the likelihood of having alexithymia (i.e. among patients with FM and HC). RESULTS:Alexithymia (i.e. difficulty identifying and describing feelings subscales of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale) significantly predicted group membership (i.e. the likelihood of having FM). On the other hand, educational level and dismissive attachment (i.e. the discomfort with closeness and relationships as secondary subscales of the Attachment Style Questionnaire) were the only significant predictors of the likelihood of having alexithymia. CONCLUSIONS:These findings highlight both the relevance of alexithymic traits to the definition of FM and centrality of an insecure attachment style to the manifestation of alexithymia