The effects of adapted physical education sessions on the empathy of female students with overweight

The global prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity increases rapidly. Physical activity plays a major role in the prevention of obesity. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of adapted basketball sessions according to the empathic capacity of adolescent girls with overweight. Forty-two girls with overweight (age: 16.09 ± 0.85; years; height: 1.64 ± 0.67 m: weight: 73.02 ± 0.61 kg; BMI: 27.15 ± 1.37) volunteered to participate in the study and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG, n = 21) and control group (CG, n = 21). EG was submitted to a basketball intervention adapted to students with obesity while the CG performed classic basketball exercises for 7 weeks. Each week girls had 2 basketball teaching-learning sessions, lasting 50 min. The participants’ empathy was assessed before and after the intervention using the Favre CEC. The results showed that adaptation intervention was associated with a significant emotional contagion decrease (Δ% = 0.466) and splitting with emotions (Δ% = 0.375), and with an empathy increase (Δ% = 1.387), in EG compared to CG. No significant difference was assessed in the empathy CG, before and after the intervention. This study demonstrated that adapted physical education classes could be an effective strategy to improve empathetic skills and inclusion of overweight girls as well as a means to prevent obesity

Harmonization of ANA testing challenge: quantification strategy to accurately predict end-point titers avoiding serial dilution

Despite the advantages of automated systems for antinuclear antibody (ANA) analysis, the prediction of end-point titers avoiding serial dilutions is still in progress. The aims of this study were to set a conversion table providing discriminant ranges of fluorescence signal intensity values (FI) corresponding to the end-point titers and validate this tool in a real-life laboratory setting. Eight hundred ninety-four serum samples were analyzed for ANA using Image Navigator System. In order to classify FI into non-overlapping groups corresponding to conventional end-point titers, statistical discriminant analysis was used. Validation study was performed calculating agreement and error rates between visual readings and conversion table of 1119 routine ANA positive samples. Setting of FI ranges corresponding to the end-point titers for different staining patterns was computed. For samples showing single pattern, the overall agreement between visual readings and conversion table was 98.4% for all titers ranging from 1:160 to 1:2560, of which 68.0% had the same titer and 30.4% were within ± one titer difference. Concordance rates according to ANA patterns were as follows: (1) nuclear 98.4%, of which 67.0% had the same titer and 31.4% ± one titer; (2) cytoplasmic 100%, of which 72.7% had the same titer and 27.3% than ± one titer; (3) mitotic 66.6%, of which 33.3% had more ± one titer. Our study developed a quantification method for autoantibodies titers assessment based on just one single sample dilution instead of traditional serial dilution approach, providing significant advantages in routine laboratory in terms of reduction in hand-on time and harmonization of results

Efficacy of school-based intervention programs in reducing overweight: A randomized trial

Childhood obesity represents a serious public health problem and this study evaluates the effectiveness of a 6-month educational intervention on lifestyle, nutrient adequacy, and diet quality in the school setting in improving the knowledge and behavior of primary school children regarding correct eating habits. The strategy was implemented over a 6-month period and participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 200) or the non-intervention group (control group, n = 197). Participants had a mean body mass index of 18.3 ± 2.7 kg/m2 and its variation in the intervention group (−2.7 ± 0.5 kg/m2) was significantly different from that in the control group (3.41 ± 0.8 kg/m2). In the experimental group, there were significant differences between the proportion of children who were overweight, underweight, normal weight, or obese before and after intervention (p < 0.05). The best results were seen in the female sex, and after the intervention, there were no more girls with obesity. Furthermore, there were significant waist circumference decrement effects in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Finally, many of the participating children acquired healthy eating habits. Therefore, the quantitative results obtained suggest that a school intervention program represents an effective strategy to prevent and improve the problem of childhood overweight and obesity

Risk of Guillain-Barr\ue9 syndrome after 2010-2011 influenza vaccination

Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barr\ue9 Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case-control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged 6518 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case-control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case-control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations

A Multicentric Prospective Incidence Study of Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Italy. the ITANG Study

To assess Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) incidence we relied on the Italian Network for the study of GBS (ITANG) established in 2010 in 7 Italian regions to analyse the association between influenza vaccination and GBS. Methods: All individuals aged 6518 years, presenting with clinical manifestations that suggested GBS according to the universally accepted Asbury's diagnostic criteria (1990) were prospectively notified to a centralised database by ITANG neurologists over the period October 1, 2010-September 30, 2011. Through a telephone survey, 9 trained interviewers followed up the cases to diagnosis and then for 1 year since hospital discharge. Validation of case reporting was performed with the support of administrative data in 5 regions. Results: We found 365 cases fulfilling the definition for GBS or one of its variants over 19,846,068 population 6518 years of age, yielding an annual incidence rate of 1.84 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.65-2.03), 2.30 (95% CI 1.99-2.60) in men and 1.41 (95% CI 1.18-1.64) in women. A highly significant peak of incidence was observed in February 2011 as compared to reference month (September 2011, rate ratio 3.3:1, p < 0.01). Conclusions: In Italy, GBS incidence was among the highest reported in Europe and higher than previously observed in Italian studies

Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after 2010-2011 influenza vaccination.

Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case-control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged ≥18 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case-control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case-control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations

CoCoNet: Towards coast to coast networks of marine protected areas (From the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 "The Ocean of Tomorrow" Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concept of Cells of Ecosystem Functioning, based on connectivity, is introduced to define natural units of management and conservation. The definition of Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is fully embraced to set the objectives of the project, by adopting a holistic approach that integrates a full set of disciplines, ranging from physics to bio-ecology, economics, engineering and many sub-disciplines. The CoCoNet Consortium involved scientist sfrom 22 states, based in Africa, Asia, and Europe, contributing to build a coherent scientific community

CoCoNet: towards coast to coast networks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 “The Ocean of Tomorrow” Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concept of Cells of Ecosystem Functioning, based on connectivity, is introduced to define natural units of management and conservation. The definition of Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is fully embraced to set the objectives of the project, by adopting a holistic approach that integrates a full set of disciplines, ranging from physics to bio-ecology, economics, engineering and many sub-disciplines. The CoCoNet Consortium involved scientist sfrom 22 states, based in Africa, Asia, and Europe, contributing to build a coherent scientific community

Editorial. A supplement of Scires-it on the COCONET european project

The Supplement to vol. 6, 2016 of SCIRES-IT contains the result of CoCoNet (Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas, coupled with sea-based wind energy potential), a project of the EU Oceans of Tomorrow programme (http://www.coconet-fp7.eu). The European Union requires Open Access to the results of the projects resulting from its support to scientific advancement. This is in full accordance with the policy of SCIRES-IT, an eco-sustainable open–access journal, which joins the main principles of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access with the aims of the International Convention on Biological Diversity. CoCoNet tackled two problems that are closely linked with each other: the protection of the marine environment and clean energy production. Hence, the Supplement is divided into two parts that, together, form a unicum

CoCoNet: Towards coast to coast networks of marine protected areas (From the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 "The Ocean of Tomorrow" Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concept of Cells of Ecosystem Functioning, based on connectivity, is introduced to define natural units of management and conservation. The definition of Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is fully embraced to set the objectives of the project, by adopting a holistic approach that integrates a full set of disciplines, ranging from physics to bio-ecology, economics, engineering and many sub-disciplines. The CoCoNet Consortium involved scientist sfrom 22 states, based in Africa, Asia, and Europe, contributing to build a coherent scientific community