A Self-determination theory based intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity in school-aged children / Una intervención basada en la teoría de la autodeterminación para promover la alimentación saludable y la actividad física en los niños en edad escolar / Uma intervenção baseada na teoria de auto-determinação para promover a alimentação saudável e atividade física em crianças em idade escolar

Childhood overweight and obesity in both girls and boys is reaching epidemic proportions over the world, Italy included. Childhood obesity has been linked to deleterious health consequences. There is a need to develop theory based and cost-effective interventions to promote healthy eating and physical activity with the aim to reduce obesity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a long-term theory-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles in underserved school-aged children. A quasi experimental design was adopted, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, considering information from their parents. Parents were asked to rate their children attitude, motivation and behaviour regarding two energy balance-related behaviours. Results indicate that pupils involved in the intervention were more likely to do physical activity in leisure time and have more positive attitudes toward exercise compared to the control group. About eating habits, children involved in the intervention were more likely to choose healthy foods and less likely to choose fat foods compare to the control group. Changes in attitude and motivation between the baseline and the follow up and the two groups are also shown, even if not significant. Despite several limitations in the design, this study provided further support to the argument that Self-determination theory-based interventions could result in meaningful health-behavior changes (AU)

Niñez sobrepeso y obesidad en niños y niñas está alcanzando proporciones epidémicas en el mundo entero, Italia incluida. La obesidad infantil se ha relacionado con consecuencias perjudiciales para la salud. Hay una necesidad de desarrollar intervenciones teoría basada y rentables para promover la alimentación saludable y la actividad física con el objetivo de reducir la obesidad. El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar una intervención basada en la teoría de largo plazo para promover estilos de vida saludables en niños en edad escolar de escasos recursos. Se adoptó un diseño cuasi experimental, con el fin de evaluar la eficacia de la intervención, teniendo en cuenta la información de sus padres. Se pide a los padres para evaluar a sus hijos la actitud, la motivación y el comportamiento con respecto a los comportamientos relacionados con saldo de dos energías. Los resultados indican que los alumnos que participan en la intervención tenían más probabilidades de hacer actividad física en el tiempo libre y tienen actitudes más positivas hacia el ejercicio en comparación con el grupo control. Acerca de los hábitos alimenticios, los niños que participaron en la intervención eran más propensos a elegir alimentos saludables y menos propensos a elegir alimentos ricos en grasas en comparación con el grupo control. Los cambios en la actitud y la motivación entre el inicio y el seguimiento y los dos grupos se muestran también, aunque no significativamente. A pesar de varias limitaciones en el diseño, este estudio proporcionan más apoyo al argumento de que las intervenciones basadas en teoría de la autodeterminación podrían resultar en cambios significativos que afectan a su salud significativamente (AU)

Infância sobrepeso e obesidade em meninas e meninos Ambas está atingindo proporções epidêmicas no mundo inteiro, Itália incluído. Infância a obesidade tem-se ligado a consequências para a saúde deletérios. ere a necessidade de desenvolver a teoria com base e de custou-se intervenções estive para promover saudável comer e atividade física Com o objetivo de reduzir a obesidade. e efeitos de estudo ESTA foi avaliar uma intervenção baseada na teoria de longo prazo para promover estilos de vida saudáveis em crianças em idade escolar carentes. Um projeto quase-experimental foi adotado, a fim de avaliar o estiveres da intervenção, considerando as informações de seus pais. Os pais foram convidados a avaliar sua atitude infantil, motivação e comportamento em relação dois comportamentos relacionados com o balanço de dois energia. Os resultados indicam que alunos envolvidos na intervenção eram mais propensos a fazer atividade física no tempo livre e têm atitudes mais positivas em relação ao exercício comparado ao grupo controle. Sobre os hábitos alimentares, as crianças na intervenção envolvidos eram mais propensos a escolher alimentos saudáveis e menos propensos a escolher alimentos ricos em gordura comparar com o grupo de controle. Mudanças de atitude e motivação Entre a linha de base e o acompanhamento e os dois grupos são mostrados Além disso, mesmo que não seja significante. Apesar das limitações na concepção Vários, Este estudo forneceu ainda apoio ao argumento de que intervenções baseadas em teoria da autodeterminação poderia resultar em mudanças de comportamento de saúde significativos (AU)

Treatment efficacy of language and calculation disorders and speech apraxia: a review of the literature.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment for language and calculation disorders and for speech apraxia in vascular subjects. Only therapeutic methods that could be qualified as neuropsychological were taken into account. For language disorders, we searched the pertinent literature published from 1950 to August 31, 2007 by means of electronic data banks and we took into consideration the Cochrane review, and papers in Cicerone et al. and Cappa et al. systematic reviews. For acalculia we examined the literature from 1980 by carrying out research on electronic data banks; for speech apraxia, studies emerged from a search of PUBMED. Aphasia therapy has been clearly demonstrated efficacious in groups of subjects if sufficiently prolonged/intensive. Treatment for specific disorders (words and sentences processing, reading, writing) studied in series of single patients, though always efficacious, reaches a lower level of recommendation due to the lack of RCT. Only a few studies tackled the problem of efficacy in case of speech apraxia and calculation disorders. Results are positive but data are scanty. Efficacy of aphasia therapy seems well established in group of subjects and well-promising for speech apraxia and calculation disorders. It is suggested, however, that the term "aphasia" covers widely different impairments and that RCT are not the best instrument to evaluate efficacy; the importance of chronicity is underlined.

Mathematical skills in Prader-Willi Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: This paper investigates mathematical skills in Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a pathological condition because of congenital alterations of chromosome pair 15. The following questions were addressed: (1) Are mathematical skills in PWS relatively more impaired with respect to other cognitive functions (as has been repeatedly but anecdotally reported)?; and (2) What is the nature of the mathematical impairment? METHODS: The first study employed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and an extensive battery of cognitive tasks for which norms are known. Both batteries include a mathematical section. The second study used a theoretically motivated series of mathematical tasks specifically designed to individually assess the different cognitive components underlying mathematical skills. RESULTS: Mathematical skills were found to be the most impaired cognitive abilities together with short-term memory capacity. No specific mathematical domain was seen to be unaffected in PWS participants. The clearest deficits observed concern 'syntactic' processes in number transcoding, multiplication, number facts retrieval and calculation procedures. CONCLUSION: Failure of mathematical skills is the most distinctive feature in the cognitive profile of PWS. However, to determine whether this is indeed a specific pattern of performance related to PWS, results must be compared with those obtained with patients manifesting other genetic disorders.

Number processing and calculation--normative data from healthy adults.

Despite the high incidence of numerical deficits in neurological patients, little attention has been paid to the development of diagnostic tools. In fact, most of the published reports on acquired numerical disorders, whether single case or group studies, do not refer to standardised measures of performance providing little, if any, control data specifically collected for the examination. In this study we present data of 282 healthy controls of different age groups and educational levels in a new battery of Number Processing and Calculation (NPC). The NPC battery includes a total of 35 tasks, assessing different counting abilities, various aspects of number comprehension (such as parity and magnitude judgements), numerical transcoding, calculation, arithmetic reasoning and conceptual knowledge. Special attention is paid to the assessment of different calculation abilities, including simple fact retrieval, rule based processing, mental calculation and written calculation in all four operations. Moreover, text problem solving is assessed as well as the understanding of arithmetic principles. Thus, the NPC battery differs from the EC 301 battery proposed by Deloche et al., 1994 (Dellatolas, Deloche, Basso, & Claros-Salinas, 2001) and allows a more fine grained diagnosis which is relevant for planning targeted interventions. The battery is easy to administer and does not require special materials or equipment.

Functional evaluations in the monitoring of the river ecosystem processes: the Adige River as a case stu.

A model of analysis and environmental evaluation was applied to 11 stretches of the Adige River, where an innovative procedure was carried out to interpret ecological results. Within each stretch, the most suitable methods were used to assess the quality and processes of flood plains, banks, water column, bed, and interstitial environment. Indices were applied to evaluate the wild state and ecological quality of the banks (wild state index, buffer strip index) and the landscape quality of wide areas of the fluvial corridor (environmental landscape index). The biotic components (i.e., macrozoobenthos, phytoplankton and zooplankton, interstitial hyporheic fauna, vegetation in the riparian areas) were analysed by both quantitative and functional methods (as productivity, litter--processing and colonisation). The results achieved were then translated into five classes of functional evaluation. These qualitative assessments have thus preserved a high level of precision and sensitivity in quantifying both the quality of the environmental conditions and the integrity of the ecosystem processes. Read together with urban planning data, they indicate what actions are needed to restore and rehabilitate the Adige River corridor.

Number-Stroop performance in normal aging and Alzheimer's-type dementia.

The number-Stroop paradigm was used to investigate changes in the inhibitory system and in numerical processing in healthy elderly and individuals with dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT). The size-congruity effect (i.e., relative to neutral trials, incongruent pairs interfere and/or congruent pairs facilitate either numerical or physical comparison) was found in all groups, though the pattern of interference and facilitation varied across them. Overall, the selective attention breakdown was reflected by the increase in interference shown by the older group and the DAT group. On the other hand, the observation of a standard laterality effect andof automatic numerical processing in all groups suggests that access and retrieval of numerical information is relatively resistant to cognitive deterioration.

Letter and number writing in agraphia: a single-case study.

The gradual recovery of writing abilities of a patient whose processing of Arabic numerals and alphabetic script evolved differently over time is reported. Writing of multidigit numerals was achieved when writing of letters was nil. However, despite an initial advantage for numbers, the final examination disclosed fluent and correct writing of letters and words together with specific syntactic difficulties in complex Arabic numerals. The differential improvement for Arabic and alphabetic stimuli is partly explained in terms of different processing requirements rather than in terms of script-specific mechanisms only.

Storage and retrieval of addition facts: the role of number comparison.

It is proposed that arithmetical facts are organized in memory in terms of a principle that is unique to numbers--the cardinal magnitudes of the addends. This implies that sums such as 4 + 2 and 2 + 4 are represented, and searched for, in terms of the maximum and minimum addends. This in turn implies that a critical stage in solving an addition problem is deciding which addend is the larger. The COMP model of addition fact retrieval incorporates a comparison stage, as well as a retrieval stage and a pronunciation stage. Three tasks, using the same subjects, were designed to assess the contribution of these three stages to retrieving the answers to single-digit addition problems. Task 3 was the addition task, which examined whether reaction times (RTs) were explained by the model; Task 1 was a number naming task to assess the contribution of the pronunciation stage; Task 2 was a magnitude comparison task to assess the contribution, if any, of the comparison stage. A regression equation that included just expressions of these three stages was found to account for 71% of the variance. It is argued that the COMP model fits not only the adult RT data better than do alternatives, but also the evidence from development of additional skills.

Priming arithmetic reasoning in an amnesic patient.

The present study elucidates the role of implicit memory in problem solving by evaluating priming effects in a severely amnesic patient. An arithmetic series completion task was adopted to investigate the effects of lags, of items difficulty, as well as the influence of different distractor tasks on priming numerical reasoning. The results indicated that the priming effect was maximized in difficult trials and disappeared after long lags. On the other hand, the facilitation effect was not modulated by the nature of the distractor tasks. Critically, the experimental design controlled for peripheral facilitation of visual input and verbal output processes and a recognition task indicated that the effect may not be attributed to explicit memory. Thus, the facilitation must be located to a more central stage, possibly at the stage in which the abstract formula of the underlying algorithm are generated (Langdon & Warrington, 1997).

Writing and rewriting numerals: a dissociation within the transcoding processes.

In the present study we report the case of A.B., a patient with a specific, though not isolated, deficit in transcoding verbal to Arabic numerals. Despite perfect production of Arabic numerals in a writing to dictation task, she frequently produced syntactic errors when the input was in written verbal form (e.g., duecentotrenta [two hundred and thirty] --> 20030). In absence of problems in the verbal comprehension system, A.B.'s performance is difficult to accommodate within current models of number processing. In the attempt to interpret the present findings, we suggest that different numerical codes, i.e, spoken and written verbal numerals, activate with different efficiency the transcoding algorithm.

The development of automaticity in accessing number magnitude.

This study traces developmental changes in automatic and intentional processing of Arabic numerals using a numerical-Stroop paradigm. In Study 1, university students compared the numerical or physical size of Arabic numerals varying along both dimensions. In Study 2, first graders (mean age = 6 years 6 months), third graders (mean age = 8 years 4 months), and fifth graders (mean age = 10 years 3 months) were tested to examine developmental changes in numerical and physical comparisons. In the numerical comparison task, a size congruity effect was found at all ages (i.e., relative to a neutral control, congruent physical sizes facilitated, and incongruent sizes interfered with, the numerical comparison). The pattern of facilitation and interference, however, was modulated by age. In the physical comparison task, the incongruity between physical and numerical size affected only older children and adults. These findings strongly suggest that the automatization in number processing is achieved gradually as numerical skills progress.

Numerical skills and aphasia.

The aim of this study was to investigate numerical difficulties in 50 patients with left hemispheric lesions. Aphasic patients were grouped according to their type of aphasia diagnosed by the Aachener Aphasia Test. The overall error rate in various transcoding and calculation tasks was clearly correlated with the severity of the language deficit, global aphasics being the most impaired patients. Broca's and Wernicke's aphasics scored similarly at the quantitative level, and amnesic aphasics were less impaired. Interestingly, qualitative analysis of the errors indicated that each group presented with specific difficulties, partially reflecting the nature of the language problems. In simple calculation, multiplication was found to be the most impaired operation, in particular in Broca's aphasics. This result supports the hypothesis that the retrieval of multiplication facts is preferentially mediated by verbal processing. Calculation procedures were mainly impaired in Wernicke's and global aphasics.

Arithmetic reasoning and implicit memory: a neuropsychological study on amnesia.

The present study investigates implicit memory and arithmetic reasoning in a group of severely amnesic patients. Priming effects have been observed in the retrieval of arithmetic facts in amnesic patients (Delazer, Ewen and Benke, 1997), but no studies have so far investigated the effect of previous experience in a pure reasoning task. Findings indicate that answering to a first numerical series (e.g, 1 3 5 7, answer "9") facilitates answering to a second numerical series (2 4 6 8, answer "10") including different numbers but sharing the same underlying algorithm (+ 2). Within the model of Langdon and Warrington (1997) priming effects are attributed to the stage of abstract formula generation.

Gender differences in visuo-spatial processing: the importance of distinguishing between passive storage and active manipulation.

The study here reported investigates the hypothesis that gender differences in visuo-spatial abilities are mainly confined to active processing tasks. Male and female participants were required to perform passive tasks involving the recall of previously memorized positions within matrices of different sizes, as well as active tasks in which they had to mentally follow a pathway in the same matrices. The results confirmed that male superiority became evident as the active processing requirements increased while only marginal gender difference was reported in passive tasks. To strengthen the specific role of the active-passive distinction in identifying gender differences, confounding factors such as type of material and use of verbal strategies were ruled out. These findings, in line with a number of studies on individual differences, high-light the importance of addressing visuo-spatial ability as a multicomponential cognitive function which entails different type of visuo-spatial processing or mechanisms (i.e., active processing and passive storage of information) rather than as a unitary concept.

A deficit for arithmetical procedures: lack of knowledge or lack of monitoring?

A patient is described with a specific deficit for arithmetical procedures. Unlike in previously described cases, where the observed problems could be attributed to the systematic application of disturbed algorithms, this patient's difficulty seems to stem from an inability to monitor the sequence of operations that calculation procedures specify. Criteria are provided for distinguishing impairments in written calculation due to the application of defective knowledge of the procedures from those determined by lack of monitoring. The role of monitoring and control processes in different calculation components is also discussed.

Subtraction bugs in an acalculic patient.

We report a patient, MT, who presented a specific, though not isolated, deficit in written calculation. Despite a preserved knowledge of simple arithmetic - single-digit addition and subtraction - he failed systematically in multi-digit subtraction. The nature of errors was consistent across problems and reflected the application of a disturbed underlying algorithm. Moreover, the pattern of error observed mimies a very common finding in developmental studies on arithmetical procedure acquisition (Fuson, 1990, 1992, Young and O'Shea, 1981; VanLehn, 1986, 1990). The data suggest that, within calculation skills, syntax may exist as a system of stable, but inappropriate, rules which are independent of any underlying conceptual knowledge.

The representation of arithmetical facts: evidence from two rehabilitation studies.

We report the improvement following rehabilitation of two patients with a selective deficit on multiplication facts. The remediation experiments were conducted in specific designs to test a series of hypotheses about both the process of reacquisition and organisation of arithmetical facts in memory. The results show a significant and stable recovery and the pattern of reacquisition reflects the different strategy used by the patients to relearn the multiplication facts. Quantitative and qualitative changes in error patterns in the course of remediation reveal the underlying (re)organization of the memory network representing multiplication facts.

[Application of cytologic vaginal test at the end of pregnancy (author's transl)]. / Applicazione dell'indagine citologica vaginale a termine di gravidanza.

The AA. reviewed the clinical course and the vaginal smear of 146 pregnant women (supposed at term or near term) handled during 1974 and 1975 in the Town Hospital of Cremona. They looked for correlation between the first one and what was inferred form the second one: in order to assess if the vaginal smear during late pregnancy is practically useful in predicting the time of delivery or--at least--the maturation level of the foetus. After reviewing their own results and after considering the results of some other writer, they conclude that the vaginal smear in late pregnancy is scarcely useful because it yields only generical signs liable to broad interpretation.