Human kappa opioid receptor gene (OPRK1) polymorphism is associated with opiate addiction.

Variants of the opioid receptors are the obvious candidates underlying addiction. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system seems to play a role in stress responsivity, opiate withdrawal and responses to psycho-stimulants, inhibiting mesolimbic dopamine. KOR gene polymorphisms have been reported to contribute to predisposition to voluntary alcohol-drinking behavior in experimental animals. In humans, the 36G > T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on KOR gene, that was recently identified, has been found associate with substance dependence, with inconclusive findings. In the present study, 106 heroin addicts (West European, Caucasians) and 70 healthy control subjects matched for race and gender, with no history of substance use disorder, have been genotyped. The frequency of KOR 36G > T SNP was significantly higher among heroin-dependent individuals compared with control subjects (Fisher's exact = 0.044; Pearson chi(2) = 4.2734, P = 0.039; likelihood ratio chi(2) tests = 4.6156, P = 0.032). Although KOR silent polymorphisms may apparently have no consequences on mRNA transcription, post-transcriptional mechanisms, such as mRNA stability, translation efficiency, and regulability may impair the function of kappa receptors system, with increased risk for substance use disorders. In specific, the neurobiological changes induced by mu-kappa opioid imbalance could underlie vulnerable personality traits and risk behavior.

Aerobic fitness and somatic growth in adolescents: a cross sectional investigation in a high school context.

AIM: A cross-sectional investigation to study the relations between aerobic fitness and somatic growth of Italian adolescents within a school context. METHODS: The Léger and Lambert 20-m shuttle run test scores were used to estimate the oxygen uptake (VO2max) of 290 high school adolescent students aged 14-18 years. Descriptive statistics of body mass, standing height, body mass index (BMI) and of predicted VO2max were calculated within age and sex group. RESULTS: Body mass and standing height were significantly larger in males than in females, and significantly increased with age (P < 0.002, analysis of variance). For standing height, a significant sex age interaction was found (P = 0.0004), with a larger age-related increment in males than in females. No significant differences in BMI were found. VO2max was significantly influenced by sex and age. The age-related decrement in VO2max was larger in females than in males (P = 0.001). Predicted VO2max was significantly related to BMI (males: r = -0.41; females: r = -0.336) and to body mass (females: r = -0.34; males: r = -0.352). A negative relationship between BMI and VO2max was found also in the overweight adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: In both sexes, aerobic fitness declined with age. The decline was particularly evident in females. Low-cost methods to detect the nutritional level and aerobic performance of adolescents should be encouraged at school.

A methodology to evaluate differential costs of full field digital as compared to conventional screen film mammography in a clinical setting.

PURPOSE: The use of full field digital mammography (FFDM) in alternative to conventional screen film mammography (SFM) in the current practice is delayed by the high costs of FFDM. The present study, performed at the Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica of Florence, using both FFDM and SFM, was aimed at estimating the impact of introducing the new FFDM technique on overall mammography costs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We estimated the differential costs of both methods, based on real expenditures, as provided by the administrative department, and on radiologists, radiographers and other staff's working time. Two different workload scenarios (5000 and 10,000 tests/year per mammography equipment) were considered. Common costs of both techniques were censored for study purpose. RESULTS: Beside a higher cost due to purchase and hire/leasing costs of equipment, FFDM implies a greater workload for radiologists (reading time almost doubled). SFM implies a greater workload for the administrative staff to run the archive and for loading/unloading films of the roller viewer, whereas no different workload has been observed for radiographers. Overall FFDM costs 24.22-26.46 for examination more than SFM for the 5000 tests scenario and 9.91-12.15 more for the 10,000 tests scenario. DISCUSSION: Although present study estimates cannot easily be generalised to any local setting, the model for cost calculation is easy to be exported to another scenario by applying different local parameters. The advantages made available by FFDM (computerised data recording, tele-transmission, tele-reporting, tele-consulting, automatic display on monitor of previous exams and use of CAD) may justify the higher cost, but a limited reduction in purchase and assistance costs could easily allow a turnover, with FFDM being more convenient than SFM even on the cost side.

Body movements on the men's competition mushroom: a three dimensional analysis of circular swings.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a method for the three dimensional analysis of body movements and body positions during the performance of circular swings on the competition mushroom, an apparatus used by young gymnasts for pommel horse training. METHODS: Five experienced male gymnasts, all of national level, performed three series of 10 circular swings on the competition mushroom. An optoelectronic instrument was used for the detection of the three dimensional movement of 13 body landmarks. From landmark trajectories, several technical measurements were obtained: diameters of ideal circles of ankles, hips, shoulders; deviation of the ankle diameters from circularity and from the horizontal plane; angle between the shoulder, hip, and ankle. The values were used for a quantitative assessment of performance of the five gymnasts. RESULTS: During the exercise, each ankle should follow a nearly horizontal circular path (deviation from circularity ranged from 3.6% to 6%, deviation from horizontality was 9.4-19.7%), there should be an angle of about 180 degrees at the hips (actual values 146-153 degrees ), and the shoulders should move as little as possible, and only in the lateral plane, without major anteroposterior movements (shoulder movement was 27-31% of ankle movement, hip movement was 16-20%). CONCLUSIONS: The method could help coaches and gymnasts to determine which parts of the body are not repeating a selected movement with sufficient accuracy and to quantify improvements made after a specific training programme.

Spatiotemporal consistency of trajectories in gymnastics: a three-dimensional analysis of flic-flac.

Sport performance during the execution of closed skills combines specific body and limb movements into codified patterns where stability and consistency may be more important than variability. Repeated sport movements can be investigated to assess the consistency of body trajectories. More consistent trajectories will result in more repeatable movements. The present study quantified the short-term consistency of body trajectories during the performance of the backward flic-flac, a technique of floor gymnastics. Nine experienced gymnasts (six men, three women), all of national level, performed 10 repetitions of backward flic-flac. An optoelectronic instrument was used for the detection of the three-dimensional movement of 13 body landmarks. The spatiotemporal consistency of repeated landmark trajectories was measured by the standard deviation between standardized trajectories. The results showed smaller standard deviation (larger consistency between landmark trajectories) in female than in male gymnasts. The analysis of the consistency of landmark trajectories could help gymnasts indicating which parts of the body do not repeat a selected movement with sufficient accuracy.

Repeatability of choku-tsuki and oi-tsuki in shotokan karate: a 3-dimensional analysis with thirteen black-belt karateka.

13 black-belt karateka performed two different standardized counter-offensive techniques. The trajectories of selected body landmarks were studied by using a computerized image analyzer that allows a 3-dimensional reconstruction of standardized movements. The repeatability of both karate techniques was quantified for each participant. Analysis confirmed that more experienced karateka obtained the best repeatability, as already demonstrated in a preliminary study conducted with a smaller sample of less experienced participants.

Early events in the polymerization of fibrin.

The early events in the thrombin-induced formation of fibrin have been studied by the use of stopped-flow multiangle laser light scattering (SF-MALLS). This technological advancement has allowed the recovering, as a function of time with a resolution of about 0.5 sec, of the mean square radius of gyration (Rg2)z and of the molecular weight Mw, and to place an upper bound to the values of the mass/unit length ML. The ionic strength, pH and salt type conditions investigated were all close to physiological, starting with a 50 mM Tris, 104 mM NaCl, pH 7.4 buffer (TBS), to which either 1 mM EDTA-Na2 or 2.5 mM CaCl2 were also added. Fibrinogen was 0.2-0.3 mg/ml and rate-limiting concentrations of thrombin were used (0.05-0.25 NIH units/mg fibrinogen). By plotting (Rg2)z and ML versus Mw on log-log scales, runs proceeding at different velocities and under different solvent conditions could be compared and confronted with model curves. It was found that: (1) within this thrombin range, the mechanism of association does not depend on its concentration, nor on the buffers employed; (2) the (Rg2)z versus Mw curves could all be reasonably fitted with a bifunctional polycondensation scheme involving semiflexible worm-like, double-stranded, half-staggered polymers with persistence length between 200-600 nm, provided that a ratio Q = 16 between the rate of release of the two fibrinopeptides A was employed; (3) the ML versus Mw data seemed more compatible with lower Q values (4 < Q < 8), but their uncertainty prevented a better assessment of this issue; the formation of fibrinogen-fibrin monomer complexes may also play a role in the polymer distributions; (4) in the very early stages (e.g., when Mw < 7 x 10(5)), the (Rg2)z versus Mw data were fitted well only in TBS and at the lowest thrombin concentration, suggesting that a transient, either sequential or concurrent fast second mechanism, involving longer and thinner polymers, may be at work.

The repeatability of choku-tsuki and oi-tsuki in traditional Shotokan karate: a morphological three-dimensional analysis.

The aim of the study was to quantify the repeatability of the displacement of selected body landmarks while performing two different basic karate attacks. Seven karateka (three men, four women) with different levels of training and knowledge of karate were filmed with an optoelectronic computerized instrument (sampling rate 100 Hz) that allows the three-dimensional reconstruction of the movements of selected body landmarks. Thirteen landmarks (head, hips, upper and lower limbs) were analyzed while performing 10 repetitions each of choku-tsuki (straight punch) and oi-tsuki (lunge punch). For each karateka and punch, the average time of execution was calculated, and the standard deviations of each of the three spatial coordinates x, y, z were computed for each landmark. A total standard deviation of the single karateka and punch was also calculated. For all karateka, the execution of oi-tsuki took longer than the execution of choku-tsuki. For both punches and almost all landmarks, the largest repeatability (smallest standard deviation) was found in the vertical direction, while the smallest was found in the anteroposterior direction (direction of movement). In all karateka, oi-tsuki had a total standard deviation about 3 to 6 times larger than that measured during the performance of choku-tsuki. On average, women had a larger repeatability than men. The method employed in the current study allowed the quantitative analysis of the repeatability of two basic attacks in Shotokan karate by using a landmark based approach. The method could offer valuable help to karateka during training indicating which parts of the body do not repeat a selected movement with sufficient accuracy, thus assisting in the achievement of the most correct body form.