196,412 research outputs found
Cognitive behavioral therapy to aid weight loss in obese patients: current perspectives
No full textGianluca Castelnuovo,1,2 Giada Pietrabissa,1,2 Gian Mauro Manzoni,1,3 Roberto Cattivelli,1,2 Alessandro Rossi,1 Margherita Novelli,1 Giorgia Varallo,1 Enrico Molinari1,2 1Psychology Research Laboratory, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, San Giuseppe Hospital, Verbania, 2Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, 3Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy Abstract: Obesity is a chronic condition associated with risk factors for many medical ­complications and comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, osteoarthritis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, type-2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and different psychosocial issues and psychopathological disorders. Obesity is a highly complex, multifactorial disease: genetic, biological, psychological, behavioral, familial, social, cultural, and environmental factors can influence in different ways. Evidence-based strategies to improve weight loss, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce related comorbidities typically integrate different interventions: dietetic, nutritional, physical, behavioral, psychological, and if necessary, pharmacological and surgical ones. Such treatments are implemented in a multidisciplinary context with a clinical team composed of endocrinologists, nutritionists, dietitians, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and sometimes surgeons. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is traditionally recognized as the best established treatment for binge eating disorder and the most preferred intervention for obesity, and could be considered as the first-line treatment among psychological approaches, especially in a long-term perspective; however, it does not necessarily produce a successful weight loss. Traditional CBT for weight loss and other protocols, such as enhanced CBT, enhanced focused CBT, behavioral weight loss treatment, therapeutic education, acceptance and commitment therapy, and sequential binge, are discussed in this review. The issue of long-term weight management of obesity, the real challenge in outpatient settings and in lifestyle modification, is discussed taking into account the possible contribution of mHealth and the stepped-care approach in health care. Keywords: overweight, BED, ACT, BWL, BWLT, mHealth, virtual reality, chronic care management, stepped care 
Phenomenological Model of Rubber Bearings With Variable Axial Loading
No full textSeismic base isolation systems protect thousands of structures and infrastructures all over the world. Their effectiveness for seismic protection is widely recognized owing to acceleration reduction with a consequent minimization of the structural damage and of the “panic” effect for the occupants. This work deals with the development of a model for simulating the horizontal response of rubber bearings, extending an existent procedure to the case of variable axial loading. A consolidated procedure from literature, demonstrated able to correctly reproduce the complex mechanical behavior of rubber bearing isolation devices under constant axial loading, represents the starting point. Available laboratory cycling tests at variable axial load allow to illustrate the new numerical procedure. An optimization process, based on both automatic and user-driven procedures, is used to identify at different loading conditions the model parameters and the functions to model their variation. The proposed formulation overcomes the limits of the original model in this respect. The developed new procedure is shown to be capable of simulating with reasonable accuracy the experimentally observed cyclic behavior under coupled vertical-horizontal loading conditions, and the consequences in terms of the device response in the case of a seismic vertical-horizontal concurrent excitations are highlighted
Approcci comportamentali di Terza Generazione per il self-management di soggetti in età evolutiva
No full textSempre più rilevanza stanno acquisendo tematiche inerenti disagio psicologico ed emotivo, in particolare relative a manifestazioni d’ ansia in soggetti in età evolutiva. In relazione a queste specifiche difficoltà, allo sviluppo di specifici disagi, di ansia scolastica edell’ insorgere di emozioni spiacevoli diverse prospettive di ricerca hanno sviluppato una serie di percorsi educativi per soggetti in età evolutiva. Tali percorsi sono basati sulle migliori evidenze scientifiche afferenti all’ approccio cognitivo – comportamentale, con particolare rilevanza per gli approcci di terza generazione quali ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) e FAP (Functional Analytic Psychotherapy).
Gli studi proposti adottano una prospettiva integrante concettualizzazione e procedure mutuate da due approcci di terza generazione, specificatamente FAP e ACT, insieme agli strumenti più tradizionali dell’ analisi del comportamento per intervenire su manifestazioni d’ ansia scolastica, ansia di separazione e management scolastico, in accordo a procedure già ampiamente sperimentate in letteratura (Kohlenber & Tsai, 2009, Cooper & Heron, 2007)
Inhibition of starch hydrolysis during in vitro co-digestion of pasta with phenolic compound-rich vegetable foods
No full textThe ability of phenolic compounds to inhibit amylolytic enzymes activities has been investigated, suggesting their possible role in type-2 diabetes management. However, these studies have been carried out with purified enzymes and synthetic substrates and are distant from simulating a real physiological situation. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the ability of phenolic-rich vegetable foods to inhibit starch hydrolysis during in vitro co-digestion with pasta resulting in a potential anti-diabetic effect and mimicking as closely as possible a real scenario. Some tested vegetable foods, such as capers, red-skinned onion, red radish, and olives, determined a decrease in starch hydrolysis by 21.5%-31.7% during in vitro co-digestion with pasta. The qualiquantitative phenolic profiles of in vitro co-digested samples were elucidated and selected standard compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase and mammalian alpha-glucosidase. The inhibitory potential of these compounds, especially against alpha-glucosidase, explained the effect observed during co-digestion experiments. The most active phenolic compounds against alpha-glucosidase were quercetin-4'-Oglucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-glucoside-4'-O-glucoside with IC50 values of 20.67, 52.23, 68.84 and 87.58 mu mol/L, respectively. This is the first report suggesting that these compounds are potent inhibitors of mammalian alpha-glucosidase. This study indicates that consuming starchy foods (i.e., pasta) with phenolic-rich vegetable foods may result in an inhibition of starch digestion possibly reducing the post-prandial glucose levels
High expression level of a gene coding for a chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein is correlated to cold acclimation in cereals
No full textA cold-regulated gene (cor tmc-ap3) coding for a putative chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein wasisolated from cold-treated barley leaves combining the differential display and the 50-RACE techniques. Cor tmcap3is expressed at low level under normal growing temperature, and its expression is strongly enhanced aftercold treatment. A positive correlation between the expression of cor tmc-ap3 and frost tolerance was found bothamong barley cultivars and among cereal species. The COR TMC-AP3 protein was expressed in vitro, purifiedand used to raise a polyclonal antibody.Western analysis showed that the cor tmc-ap3 gene product is localized tothe chloroplastic outer envelope fraction, supporting its putative function. The frost-resistant winter cultivar Oniceaccumulated COR TMC-AP3 more rapidly and at a higher level than the frost-susceptible spring cultivar Gitane.After 28 days of cold acclimation the winter cultivar had about 2-fold more protein than the spring genotype.All these results suggest that an increased amount of a chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein couldbe required for cold acclimation in cereals. Hypotheses about the role of COR TMC-AP3 during the hardeningprocess are discussed
Beyond sustainability in food systems: Perspectives from agroecology and social innovation
No full textFood security faces many multifaceted challenges, with effects ranging far beyond the sectors of agriculture and food science and involving all the multiscale components of sustainability. This paper puts forward our point of view about more sustainable and responsible approaches to food production research underlying the importance of knowledge and social innovation in agroecological practices. Increased demand for food worldwide and the diversification of food choices would suggest the adoption of highly productive, but low-resilient and unsustainable food production models. However, new perspectives are possible. These include the revitalization and valorization of family-based traditional agriculture and the promotion of diversified farming systems as a social and economic basis to foster social-ecological conversion. Additionally, they encompass the forecasting of the Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and the drafting of a new agenda for food sovereignty. Thanks to a desk analysis, the study describes and discusses these perspectives, their trajectories and action research implications. The results suggest the need to adopt a more inclusive and systemic approach to the described problems, as the solutions require the promotion of responsibility within decision makers, professionals and consumers. This appears essential for reading, analyzing and understanding the complex ecological-functional, social and economic relations that characterize farming systems, as well as mobilizing local communities
Acclimatamento e resistenza al freddo nei cereali
No full textIl lavoro descrive in termini tecnici il fenomeno dell'accllimatamento nei cereali autunno-vernini e di come questo influenzi le rese di granella. Conclude poi descrivendo i nuovi approcci e le nuove ricerche che possono definire quali siano i motivi biologici del fenomeno, e che quindi possano aiutare a migliorare i risultati produttivi
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