[Survey of physical activity and doping in a sample of 6,915 students aged 14-18 years]. / Rilevazione dell'attività motoria e dell'uso di integratori e sostanze dopanti in un campione di 6915 studenti di età compresa fra i 14 e i 18 anni.

AIM: Promoting physical activity is one of the main goals of health-promotion policies. The period of adolescence is characterised by a high rate of abandonment of any physical activity. In this age range, moreover, the risk of assuming substances in order to improve muscular-mass or athletic results is concrete. This study quantifies the involvement in physical activities and substance assumption in a sample of 6915 students aged 14 to 18 years and living in 7 different areas, mostly in northern Italy. METHODS: The survey's tool is an adapted and modified vision of the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance questionnaire, created by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RESULTS: The study showed a high percentage of the sample not involved in any form of physical activity out of school (33.8%), more among girls (44.1%) than boys (21.2%). Between 14 and 18 years, a continuous reduction of involvement in physical activity is evident, while the percentage of totally physically inactive subjects rises from 30.1% to 43%. Finally, 5.6% in our sample admitted to have been using substances to improve muscular-mass or athletic results at least once in the past. CONCLUSION: According to this study, only a minority of the interviewed adolescents is involved in a regular physical activity. In males, using substances to improve physical strength showed to be rather diffused. Specific health promotion projects are suggested.

[Child sexual abuse primary prevention: outcome evaluation of a health education project implemented in Milan's elementary schools]. / Prevenzione primaria dell'abuso sessuale all'infanzia. Valutazione di efficacia di un progetto di educazione alla salute realizzato nelle scuole elementari di Milano.

The study we present is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a child sexual abuse prevention program that involved children attending 4th and 5th grade in Milan's (Italy) elementary schools. The project involved 53 classes (10 of 4th, 43 of 5th grade) during school year 2000-2001. Children filled a questionnaire before the beginning of the project and two months after the end; the questionnaire evaluates children's perception of risk and their self-efficacy skills in adopting protective strategies when involved in at risk situations. Final analysis has involved 674 children, 51.8% girls, 48.2% boys; 19.6% of children attended 4th grade, 80.4% 5th grade. Percentage of children that recognize the potential danger in the suggested at-risk situation is higher in post-test then in pre-test (87.9% vs 73.2%) and the number of them that does not adopt any self-defence strategy decreases (from 35.3% to 21.0%). The project increased the number of children that know body puberal changes (from 16.0% to 32.8%). According to these results it is evident that the program increased children's capacity to recognize and use self defence strategies in at risk situations. These results call for a potential extention and replication of this health education program.

Acetohydroxamate in struvite stones: in vivo study.

This report describes the results obtained with a combination of acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) and antibacterial agents in 13 patients with recurrent struvite stones complicated by refractory infections with urease-producing bacteria. Intravenous antibiotic pulses plus oral AHA achieved urine sterilisation in all. Then oral chemotherapy plus AHA was given for a mean period of 10.8 +/- 5.4 months. In four patients, the urine remained sterile, but in all the patients urinary pH remained below 6.4 and urinary NH4+ below 40 mg/dl. Despite the persistence of urea-splitting bacteria, the radiographic data showed an arrest of stone growth during the first year of treatment.