Health-related quality of life and its associated factors: results of a multi-center cross-sectional study among university students.

BACKGROUND: The decline of health among university students represents an important and growing public health concern. Health problems and unhealthy lifestyle habits are common among many students, but factors influencing students' health are not fully understood. METHODS: Italian university students from different study programs and curriculum years were asked to fill out a self-administered questionnaire, collecting data about age, gender, curriculum year, study program and health-related quality of life (QOL). Two latent factors were extracted: physical component summary score and mental component summary score. T-test, one-way ANOVA, multivariate and age and sex-stratified analyses were performed. RESULTS: Students scored relatively poor on health-related QOL, with an overall mental component summary score of 41,3% (± 10,0) and physical component summary score of 52,9% (±6,0), with significantly higher mental component summary score for male students (P = < 0,005). Studying economics, law (b = -2,513, P = 0,007) or engineering (b = -2,762; P = 0,001) was associated to negatively influence students' health. CONCLUSIONS: Factors such as study program are associated with health-related QOL. Further longitudinal studies assessing additional socio-demographic factors are needed to fully assess what influences students' health. Students' health should be at the top of the agenda of public health researchers, academic supervisors and policy-makers.

["Enjoy the Sport - Schools against doping and drug dependence": a health education intervention in secondary schools]. / "Enjoy the Sport - la scuola contro il doping e le dipendenza 2.0". Intervento di educazione alla salute sul doping e droga: uno studio di campo nella scuola secondaria.

INTRODUCTION: The use of doping substances is growing not only in young athletes performing competitive and non-competitive sports, but also in amateur sports, thereby representing a social and public health problem. The aim of this study was to measure knowledge, attitudes and opinions on doping and drugs and their effects, among students of secondary schools, and to assess the effectiveness of a health education intervention. "Enjoy the Sport- the school against doping and addiction 2.0" is a program developed to discourage the use of drugs, in particular doping drugs, by introducing information on the origins, on the effects of drugs and examples of appropriate lifestyles. This project was conceived by C.I.S.C.O.D. (Comitato Italiano Sport Contro Droga), an association of the C.O.N.I. and carried out with its support. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The "Enjoy" project was a study with a one-arm experimental design and with a pre-post evaluation. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used to measure adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and opinions on doping and its effects. A descriptive analysis and post-pre intervention comparison was performed with the McNemar test. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in participants' knowledge of doping substances indicated by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) (p<0.001) and a better understanding of the meaning of the term "doping". A decrease in the number of adolescents who would use doping substances (pre = 0.06%; post = 0.0%) was observed, as well as an increase in the number of adolescents who do not consider fair that athletes of any level should use substances that alter their performance (pre = 83.7%; post = 85%). A significant increase was observed in the proportion of participants who believe that athletes should not use doping substances because they are harmful to the human organism (pre = 38.6%; post = 51.7%) (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The project "Enjoy the Sport" contributed to increasing the health literacy of secondary school students about doping (and consequent awareness of the negative aspects of drug use). Schools, therefore, are an appropriate setting for implementing educational interventions for the prevention of doping. However, it is fundamental to integrate knowledge and action, especially in the context of family, sport and sports associations.

Health related quality of life and physical activity in prison: a multicenter observational study in Italy.

Background: Inmates have a poorer health status than the general population. The physical activity is well know that improve the wellness of the people. This multicentric cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between Quality of Life (QoL) and physical activity levels among Italian prisoners. Methods: Inmates from eight prisons compiled a questionnaire. The Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) was used to measure inmates' weekly physical activity levels (MATwk). Their QoL was measured using two components of Short Form with 12 items (SF12): MCS (mental score) and PCS (physical score). Results: A total of 636 questionnaires were compiled. High level of MET was significantly (P <0.05) associated with both PCS (OR = 1.02) and MCS (OR = 1.03). The correlations between PCS, MCS vs. METwk scores were respectively significant: r = 0.17 and r = 0.10, P < 0.05. The number of years of detention was associated to higher MET (OR = 1.04 P < 0.05). The presence of Physical Exercise Areas (PEAs) within Jails did not improve the QoL level. Conclusions: Jails may not seem like the ideal place to fight sedentary behavior, but, in any case, health promotion can occur within its walls. The heterogeneity of Italian jails, and particularly relative PEAs therein (areas had different characteristics between jails), suggests that such spaces should be regulated or well defined. Furthermore, the implement of training schedules could be done in a standardized way. Despite this heterogeneity both the physical and mental components of inmates' quality of life were associated to a high level of physical activity.

[Physical activity and its importance in the workplace]. / Attività lavorativa ed attività fisica: un binomio inscindibile.

The present study aims to highlight the importance of physical activity in the workplace and its fundamental role for the wellness of an individual. The relationship between sedentary lifestyle and health is supported by several epidemiological studies and inactivity is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, chronic conditions and cancer. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity represents: "any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure". The promotion of regular physical activity, including its promotion in the workplace is of fundamental importance since a close correlation exists between good health and physical activity. Moreover, regular physical activity improves psycho-physical performance, social relationships, work performance and reduces sickness, absenteeism from work and work injuries.

Specialization and Injury Risk in Different Youth Sports: A Bio-Emotional Social Approach.

Aims: Sport specialization is an actual trend in youth athletes, but it can increase injury risk. The aim was to determine the eventual correlation between sports specialization and injury risk in various sports, using a biopsychosocial approach. Methods: 169 sport-specialized athletes completed [(38 female, 131 male); overall (11.2 ± 2.7 years), (56.28 ± 15.72 kg), (161.3 ± 15.52 cm)] a self-reported questionnaire regarding sociodemographic (age, gender, educational level), physical-attitudinal, injuries and psychological-attitudinal To analyze data univariate and correlate analyses were used. Results: Of 169 athletes enrolled, 53% were single-sport specialized (reported participation in one sport and trained > 8 months/year). In team sports (100%, OR = 0.75; p = 0.022) a high risk of having to remain at rest for up to 1 month because of overuse was observed. Males who suffered direct trauma (70%; OR = 1.03; p = 0.006) in the team group (95%, OR = 0.09; p = 0.008) were more exposed to that type of injury, and also the type of specialization figured significantly (p = 0.047). In addition, interoceptive awareness correlates with injury (95%, 1.04, p = 0.01). This study shows that, even though young athletes seem to be at a high risk of becoming injured, early team sport specialization and a high performance level cannot be considered to be the only risk factors.

Phase II study of docetaxel re-treatment in docetaxel-pretreated castration-resistant prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the activity and tolerability of docetaxel re-treatment after first-line therapy with docetaxel in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 2005 and January 2009, 45 patients initially responding to docetaxel and then experiencing disease progression after a period of biochemical remission of at least 5 months were enrolled in a prospective multicenter study and re-treated with docetaxel. The primary endpoint was the biochemical response (biochemical partial response defined as > 50% prostate-specific antigen [PSA] decline); secondary endpoints were objective response, toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Partial PSA responses were observed in 11 patients (24.5%), 4 (25%) of whom also had an objective response. The treatment was well tolerated, with grade 1-2 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, vomiting and peripheral neuropathy noted in 18 (40%), 11 (24.5%), 8 (17.8%), and 6 (13.3%) patients, respectively. The most common grade 3 toxicity was neutropenia, which was observed in 8 patients (17.8%). Median PFS was 5 months and median OS was 13 months. CONCLUSIONS: Docetaxel re-treatment preserves anti-tumour activity and is well tolerated in a selected population of pretreated patients with CRPC. Further randomized trials are needed to confirm our preliminary results.

International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (IPAQ A): reliability of an Italian version.

BACKGROUND: Recently a new version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire was performed for adolescent (IPAQ-A), but there is no Italian version yet. The aim of the study is to examine the test-retest reliability of an Italian version of short IPAQ-A. METHODS: A sample of 10- to 18-year-old children and adolescents was considered. The IPAQ questionnaires were administered twice, the second time two days after the first administration. Test-retest reliability and internal reliability of the questionnaire were determined using ICC and Cronbach's α, respectively. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy-seven questionnaires were collected. The response rate was 97% but 57% of the sample completed all the items in the questionnaire. Forty-three percent of the students have not completed all the items and its age distribution shown that 93.5% was in 10-13 years old. Overall internal reliability (Cronbach's α=0.84) and test-retest reliability for 16 out of 23 items (ICC>0.70) were high. CONCLUSIONS: The study presents missing and unreasonably values. However, the study underlines pros and cons of the IPAQ-A: high reliability and feasibility to measure the physical activity especially in adolescent aged 14-18 years; the IPAQ-A needs of attention and it hasn't to leave it to the self-compilation but give support especially in the youngers.

Is gemcitabine an option in BCG-refractory nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer? A single-arm prospective trial.

The objective of this study was to evaluate intravesical gemcitabine in high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) refractory to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). This was a prospective multicentre single-arm trial. Eligible patients were those with high-risk NMIBC refractory to BCG therapy, for which radical cystectomy was indicated but not conducted because of patient refusal or ineligibility. Patients received intravesical gemcitabine twice weekly at a dose of 2000 mg/50 ml for 6 weeks, and then weekly for 3 weeks at 3, 6, and 12 months. Outcome measures were recurrence rate, time to first recurrence, progression rate and complications. Twenty patients were enrolled and included in the analysis. Median follow-up was 15.2 months. Fifty-five percent (11 patients) developed disease recurrence. Mean time to the first recurrence was 3.5 months and 45% (five patients) of recurring patients had disease progression. Overall, treatment was well tolerated. Urinary symptoms represented the primary adverse events. The role of gemcitabine used as second-line treatment in high-risk BCG-refractory NMIBC patients who refused or were unsuitable for radical cystectomy remains to be defined. Further clinical research in this area is needed.

Does Regular Physical Exercise Preserve Artery Dilation by Lowering Nox2-Related Oxidative Stress?

Habitual physical activity has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk reduction by improving vascular function but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. To address this issue, we performed a cross-sectional study comparing 50 physically active (PA) adults with 50 sedentary controls matched for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. PA subjects had significantly higher flow-mediated dilation (FMD) than controls and higher serum levels of nitrite/nitrate, a marker of nitric oxide generation. In addition, PA subjects showed lower levels of urinary isoprostanes, a marker of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and lower serum levels of sNox2-dp, a validated assay to measure Nox2 activity, one of the most important enzymes producing ROS in the blood cells. FMD was independently correlated with sNox2-dp, after adjusting for possible confounding factors. Our observation leads to the hypothesis that, in adults, regular exercise preserves artery dilation through Nox2 decreased activity. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 1576-1581.

Extra-curricular physical activity and socioeconomic status in Italian adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between physical activity and health status has been thoroughly investigated in several studies, while the relation between physical activity and socio-economic status (SES) is less investigated. The aim of this study was to measure the extra-curricular physical activity of adolescents related to the socio-economic status (SES) of their families. METHODS: The survey was carried out by submitting an anonymous questionnaire to junior high school students in the following Regions: Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, during the school year 2002-2003. Extra-curriculum physical activity was evaluated considering whether or not present and hours of activity weekly conducted. 2411 students agreed to participate in the study. RESULTS: Participants were 1121 males (46.5%) and 1290 females (53.5%), aged between 11 and 17 years (median age: 12 years). 71.1% of the students reported to practice extra-curricular physical activity. Parents' educational levels and work activities play an important role in predicting students' physical activity, with the more remunerative activities and higher educational levels being more predictive. CONCLUSION: The results confirm the relationship between adolescents' physical activity and their families' SES. In particular, a positive relationship between participation in extra-curricular physical activity and their families high SES was found. These data will be useful for school administrators and for politicians in order to reduce the gap between adolescents from the least and most disadvantaged families.

Reliability of the Wii Balance Board in kayak.

BACKGROUND: the seat of the kayaker represent the principal contact point to express mechanical Energy. METHODS: therefore we investigated the reliability of the Wii Balance Board measures in the kayak vs. on the ground. RESULTS: Bland-Altman test showed a low systematic bias on the ground (2.85%) and in kayak (-2.13%) respectively; while 0.996 for Intra-class correlation coefficient. CONCLUSION: the Wii Balance Board is useful to assess postural sway in kayak.

ACTN3 R577X polymorphism is not associated with team sport athletic status in Italians.

BACKGROUND: The ACTN3 gene may influence performance in team sports, in which sprint action and high-speed movements, regulated by the anaerobic energy system, are crucial to the ultimate success of a match. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the ACTN3 R577X (rs1815739) polymorphism and elite team sport athletic status in Italian male athletes. METHODS: We compared the genotype and allele frequency of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism between team sport athletes (n = 75), endurance athletes (n = 40), sprint/power athletes (n = 64), and non-athletic healthy controls (n = 192) from Italy. Genomic DNA was collected using a buccal swab. Extraction was performed according to the manufacturer's directions provided with a commercially available kit (Qiagen S.r.l., Milan, Italy). RESULTS: Team sport athletes showed a lower frequency of the 577RR genotype compared to the 577XX genotype than sprint/power athletes (p = 0.044). However, the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism was not associated with team sport athletic status compared to endurance athletes and non-athletic controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results agree with a recent large-scale study involving athletes from Spain, Poland, and Russia. The ACTN3 R577X polymorphism was not associated with team sport athletic status compared to endurance athletes and non-athletic controls.

Visual feedback training in young karate athletes.

BACKGROUND: the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a Visual Feedback Training (VFT) of the centre of pressure (COP) on postural sway in young karate athletes. METHODS: 38 young male karate athletes were recruited and randomly in 2 groups: experimental group (SG; n=19, age =16.54 ± 2.00 yrs) and the control group (CG; n= 19, age 16.45 ± 1.53 yrs). The SG performed a battery test of VFT on stabilometric platform screening in a monitor of COP in a real time. During 10-min of the test, athlete tries to bring his own body to the centre of COP. CG followed the same procedure of SG without receiving any feedback of their COP. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed an interaction training for type × F(1,360)=78.892 at p<0.001 (η(2)=33.178) and for training × time F(1,36)=7.479 with p<0.010 (η(2)=13.432). The results showed that VFT improved COP in SG of the 83% (p<0.0001) and decreased of the 26% in the CG (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: performing VFT improve stability and balance control and therefore greater ability to acquire motor control of the body in young karate athletes.

Amyloid peptide inhibits ATP release from human erythrocytes.

The oxygen required to meet metabolic needs of all tissues is delivered by the erythrocyte, a small, flexible cell, which, in mammals, is devoid of a nucleus and mitochondria. Despite its simple appearance, this cell has an important role in its own distribution, enabling the delivery of oxygen to precisely meet localized metabolic need. When an erythrocyte enters in a hypoxic area, a signalling pathway is activated within the cell resulting in the release of ATP in amounts adequate to activate purinergic receptors on vascular endothelium, which trigger secretion of nitric oxide and other factors resulting in vasodilatation. Among other mechanisms, binding of deoxyhemoglobin to the cytoplasmic domain of the anion-exchange protein band 3 is probably involved in this pathway. The present study investigates the effect of amyloid beta peptide exposure on this molecular mechanism. We report that deoxygenated human erythrocytes fail to release ATP following 24 h exposure to amyloid beta peptide. Concurrently, amyloid beta peptide induces caspase 3 activation. Preincubation of amyloid beta peptide treated erythrocytes with a specific inhibitor of caspase 3 prevents amyloid-induced caspase 3 activation and restores the erythrocyte's ability to release ATP under deoxygenated conditions. Since the activity of red cell phosphofructokinase, a key step in glycolytic flux, is not modified within the red cell following amyloid peptide exposure, it is likely that ATP release reduction is not dependent on glycolytic flux alterations. It has also been suggested that the heterotrimeric G protein, Gi, and adenylyl cyclase are downstream critical components of the pathway responsible for ATP release. We show that cAMP synthesis and ATP release are not failed in amyloid-peptide-treated erythrocytes in response to incubation with mastoparan 7 or forskolin plus 3-isobutyl-1-methyl xanthine, agents that stimulate cAMP synthesis. In conclusion, these results indicate that amyloid beta peptide inhibits ATP release from deoxygenated erythrocytes by activating red cell caspase 3, suggesting a pathophysiologic role for vascular amyloid peptide in Alzheimer's disease.