511 research outputs found
Physical exercise and suppression of autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes. C-Peptide and the pathophysiology of diabetes – an update
No full textFor decades it has been known that regular aerobic exercise improves insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients, reducing insulin requirements. Traditionally, physical exercise has been promoted in Type 2 Diabetes, where insulin action is deficient in the context of insulin resistance and/or inappropriate insulin secretion. However, even in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), in the dysregulation of immune system function, beta-cell toxicity is mediated by a complex interplay between oxidative stress and inflammation, for which exercise could be protective. Here, we collected immunological and metabolic data in T1DM patients (n=12, male, ± yrs) to understand whether exercise can favourably affect autoimmunity. A regression results analysis showed an inverse relationship between autoimmunity markers (GAD, IA) and weekly energy expenditure derived from physical exercise [Fig.1]. In another extensive analysis we found that regularly exercising T1DM-subjects have prolonged “honeymoon”, the early stage of the disease in which insulin requirements are latently lower than in advanced T1DM. These preliminary observations suggest that physical exercise may interfere with immune system function, even at low intensity and duration. Given its powerful ability to modulate oxidative stress and mitigate chronic inflammatory conditions, like those leading to autoimmunity diseases, we are going to design an exercise training program counteracting the autoimmune response which, in T1DM, attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells. Exercise emerges as a safe therapy against T1DM
Correction: Six minute walk distance and reference values in healthy Italian children: A cross-sectional study (PLoS ONE (2018) 13, 10 (e0205792) DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0205792)
No full textThe affiliation for the fifth author is incorrect. Roberto Codella is not affiliated with #4–8 but with #4 and #8: School of Exercise Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy and Metabolism Research Center, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy
Economic evaluation of screening programs for hepatitis C virus infection: evidence from literature
No full textSilvia Coretti,1 Federica Romano,1 Valentina Orlando,2 Paola Codella,1 Sabrina Prete,1 Eugenio Di Brino,1 Matteo Ruggeri1 1Post-Graduate School of Economics and Management (ALTEMS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy; 2Center of Pharmacoeconomics (CIRFF), Department of Pharmacy, Federico II University, Naples, Italy Background: Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by hepatitis C virus. Its main complications are cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 185 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus and, of these, 350,000 die every year. Due to the high disease prevalence and the existence of effective (and expensive) medical treatments able to dramatically change the prognosis, early detection programs can potentially prevent the development of serious chronic conditions, improve health, and save resources. Objective: To summarize the available evidence on the cost-effectiveness of screening programs for hepatitis C. Methods: A literature search was performed on PubMed and Scopus search engines. Trip database was queried to identify reports produced by the major Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies. Three reviewers dealt with study selection and data extraction blindly. Results: Ten papers eventually met the inclusion criteria. In studies focusing on asymptomatic cohorts of individuals at general risk the cost/quality adjusted life year of screening programs ranged between US 50,000/quality adjusted life year gained, while in those focusing on specific risk factors the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ranged between 128,424/quality adjusted life year gained. Age of the target population and disease prevalence were the main cost-effectiveness drivers. Conclusion: Our results suggest that, especially in the long run, screening programs represent a cost-effective strategy for the management of hepatitis C. Keywords: hepatitis C, screening, early detection, cost-effectivenes
Another pitch to be taken into account when debating on COVID-19 and physical exercise: psychoneuroimmunity
No full textThe molecular environment of H_2_O masers: VLA ammonia observations
No full textWe present the results of single dish and interferometric observations of ammonia towards 5 sources selected from a sample of H_2_O and OH masers associated with star forming regions. The Medicina telescope was used to observe the NH_3_(1,1), (2,2), and (3,3) inversion transitions. High resolution maps in the NH_3_(2,2) and (3,3) lines and in the 1.3 cm continuum were then obtained with the Very Large Array. The main result of this research is to confirm the belief that H_2_O masers form in hot dense molecular cores which are sites of massive star formation. We also find evidence for the H_2_O maser phase to be prior to the appearance of an ultracompact HII region around the embedded high mass star(s)
A detailed study of the rotating toroids in G31.41+0.31 and G24.78+0.08
No full textWe present the results of high angular resolution millimeter observations of gas and dust toward G31.41+0.31 and G24.78+0.08, two high-mass star forming regions where four rotating massive toroids have been previously detected. The CH3CN (12-11) emission of the toroids in G31.41+0.31 and core A1 in G24.78+0.08 has been modeled assuming that it arises from a disk-like structure seen edge-on, with a radial velocity field. For G31.41+0.31 the model properly fits the data for a velocity v_rot≃ 1.7 km s-1 at the outer radius R_out≃ 13400 AU and an inner radius R_inn≃ 1340 AU, while for core A1 in G24.78+0.08 the best fit is obtained for v_rot≃ 2.0 km s-1 at R_out≃ 7700 AU and R_inn≃ 2300 AU. Unlike the rotating disks detected around less luminous stars, these toroids are not undergoing Keplerian rotation. From the modeling itself, however, it is not possible to distinguish between constant rotation or constant angular velocity, since both velocity fields suitably fit the data. The best fit models have been computed adopting a temperature gradient of the type T ∝ R-3/4, with a temperature at the outer radius T_out≃ 100 K for both cores. The M_dyn needed for equilibrium derived from the models is much smaller than the mass of the cores, suggesting that such toroids are unstable and undergoing gravitational collapse. The collapse is also supported by the CH{_3}13CN or CH3CN line width measured in the cores, which increases toward the center of the toroids. The estimates of v_inf and dot M_acc are 2 km s-1 and ∼ 3×10-2 M_⊙ yr-1 for G31.41+0.31, and 1.2 km s-1 and ∼ 9×10-3 M_⊙ yr-1 for G24.78+0.08 A1. Such large accretion rates could weaken the effect of stellar winds and radiation pressure and allow further accretion on the star. The values of T_rot and N_CH_3CN, derived by means of the RD method, for both G31.41+0.31 and the sum of cores A1 and A2 (core A of Codella et al. 1997, A&A, 325, 282) in G24.78+0.08 are in the range 132-164 K and 2-8×1016 cm-2. For G31.41+0.31, the most plausible explanation for the apparent toroidal morphology seen in the lower K transitions of CH3CN (12-11) is self-absorption, which is caused by the high optical depth and temperature gradient in the core
Quantitative and Qualitative tools for a physical education program that increases inclusion of children with disabilities
No full textAim: New technologies in PE provide children with the opportunity
(a) to improve motor learning and self-efficacy, (b) model and stucture
new prospective of the educational process (Clapham
et al.,2015). The purpose of this study is to evalute and compare
(a) the development of motor coordination of primary school’s children
in relation to BMI, (b) effects of strategies that utilize interactive
video game technology (T0 vs T1), (c) enjoyment and physical selfefficacy
between EG and CG.
Methods: The study has been conducted in a primary school of
Puglia, Italy. The sample includes 65 children, separated into two
groups in relation to sex and BMI: EG (M: 22, age,10.09 ± 0.30; F:19, age 10.10 ± 0.31) and CG (M: 12, age, 10 ± 0.42; F: 12, age 10 ± 0.0). The experimental program consists of 10 lessons, using specialised interactive video game technology to point out unusual motor responses. For the CG has been used teaching styles of production.
The following tests have been proposed before and after the intervention: MOBAK 5 (Hermann and Seelig 2016), PSP_C (physical self-efficacy) and PACES (enjoyment). Results: Besides the descriptive statistics (M ± DS), T-test was used in order to highlights significative differences between T0-T1, indipendently from sex differences. The significance value was set at p\0.05. Data analysis revealed significative differences between EG for boys and girls about (a) Control Object and Self-Movement (p\0.05); (b) and physical self efficacy scale (p\0.05).
Conclusions: The use of modern technologies and different teaching styles in PE promote motor learning and self-efficacy in children. The trail of new and different instruments are needed to enhance educational
environments and develop intrinsic motivation to motor activities.
References
1. Clapham, E.D. et al. (2015). The Physical Educator. 72,1,
102–116.
2. Hermann, C. & Seelig, H. (2016). Sportwissenschaft
Anatomy of a high-mass star forming cloud: The G24.78+0.08 (proto)stellar cluster
No full textWe present the results of an interferometric and single-dish study of G24.78+0.08, a region associated with high-mass star formation. Observations have been carried out in several molecular species, which are suitable to trace environments with different densities and temperatures. Evidence for this region to contain a cluster of very young massive stellar objects has been presented in a previous paper (Furuya et al. \cite{furu}). We suggest that the embedded stars might be too young to have affected the surrounding molecular cloud significantly on a large scale. This gives us the opportunity to investigate the configuration of the cloud as it was prior to the star formation episode. We assess that the (proto)stellar cluster lies at the center of a molecular clump with diameter of ~ 2 pc: to a good approximation this may be described as a spherically symmetric clump with density profile of the type nH_2~ R-1.8. Inside 0.5 pc from the center, instead, the gas is much more inhomogeneous and concentrated in a few high-density cores surrounding the (proto)stars. Our findings indicate that a self-regulating formation mechanism for the high-mass stars in G24.78 is plausible: in the proposed scenario star formation would occur from inside-out collapse of the parsec-scale clump, followed by infall reversal due to outflows powered by the newly formed massive stars. We also find that one of the two bipolar outflows powered by the embedded YSOs is more extended and hence older than the other, thus confirming the evolutionary sequence proposed in our previous article
NEUROLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN 169 PATIENTS WITH PAPS: WHICH SIGNIFICANCE FOR SMALL HYPERINTENSE WHITE MATTER LESIONS AT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING?
No full textStar formation in the bright rimmed globule IC 1396N
No full textWe report mm-wave multiline and continuum observations of IC 1396N, a conspicuous bright, rimmed globule excited by the O6.5 star HD 206267 in the Cep OB2 association. Single-dish high resolution observations in CO and CS lines reveal the cometary structure of the globule with unprecedented detail. The globule head contains a dense core of 0.2 pc, whereas the tail, pointing away from the exciting star, has a total length of 0.8 pc. Two high velocity bipolar outflows have been identified in the CO maps: the first one is located around the position of a strong IRAS source in the head of the globule, and the second one, which was previously unknown, is located in the northern region. The outflows emerge from high density clumps which exhibit strong line emission of CS, HCO+, and DCO+. Within these clumps, the sources driving the outflows have been identified thanks to mm-wave continuum observations. The globule head harbors two YSOs separated by about 104 AU. SiO line observations of the central outflow unveals a highly collimated structure with four clumps of sizes <=0.1 pc, which are located along the outflow axis and suggest episodic events in the mass loss process from the central star. Kinetic temperatures of ~ 50-100 K and hydrogen densities of fews 106 cm-3 have been estimated in the shocked regions traced by the strong SiO emission. The jet is also exposed to view by the means of interferometric HCO+ observations that confirms that it is very narrow (<=0.02 pc wide). The detection of blue- and redshifted CO emission along the globule rim suggests that IC 1396N is in a transient phase, undergoing one of the expansions or compressions predicted by theoretical models describing the evolution of cometary globules. Moreover, the CO data, together with near IR observations reported elsewhere, indicate that the star forming process is occurring also in the northern part of IC 1396N, at 0.5 pc from the central CS peak. The present observations provide evidence that several star-forming sites can develop even in a moderately massive globule like IC 1396N
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