127 research outputs found
Forum di storia orale a partire da un numero di "Italia contemporanea"
No full textinterventi di: Bruno Bonomo,Andrea Brazzoduro,Alessandro Casellato,Beppe De Sario,Stefania Ficacci,Olivia Fiorilli,Damiano Garofalo,Jessica Matteo,Lidia Piccioni, Giovanni Pietrangeli,Francesca Socrate,Paola Stelliferi.International audienc
Omega-3 Index as a Sport Biomarker: Implications for Cardiovascular Health, Injury Prevention, and Athletic Performance
No full textThe composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the cell membrane plays a crucial role in cell signaling and function. Physical activity can induce shifts in PUFA metabolism, potentially altering their membrane composition. Given the multifaceted regulatory and structural roles of PUFA, training-related fluctuations in PUFA concentrations may impact health and athletic performance in both elite and non-elite athletes, highlighting the critical role of these fatty acids’ nutritional intake. The ω-3 index (O3I), a biomarker reflecting the proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in red blood cell membranes, is considered a marker of cardiovascular risk, gaining increasing interest in sports medicine. Dietary interventions aimed at maintaining an optimal O3I may offer several benefits for elite and non-elite athletes, including cardiovascular health performance optimization, recovery, and injury prevention. Here, we discuss emerging evidence on the application of O3I in sports and physical exercise, highlighting its promising role as a biomarker in a wide range of sports practices
Effects of different types of physical activity on the cognitive functions and attention in older people: A randomized controlled study
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of different types of exercise on cognition. Eighty participants, 32 males and 48 females, aged 66.96 ± 11.73, volunteered for this study. The participants were randomly divided into the four following groups: Resistance Group (RG; n=20), involved in high intensity strength training; Cardiovascular Group (CVG; n=20), involved in high intensity cardiovascular training; Postural Group (PG; n=20) involved in low intensity training, based on postural and balance exercises; and Control Group (CG; n=20). Exercises were performed over the course of 12 weeks. All participants were tested for their cognitive functions pre- and post-intervention using the following neurocognitive tests: the Attentive Matrices Test, Raven's Progressive Matrices, Stroop Color and Word Interference Test, Trail Making Test and Drawing Copy Test. Statistical analysis showed that the CVG group improved significantly in the Attentive Matrices Test and Raven's Progressive Matrices (both p=<0.05), whereas the RG group improved in Drawing Copy Test time (p=<0.05). These results confirm that different types of exercise interventions have unique effects on cognition. Cardiovascular training is effective in improving performance attentive and analytic tasks, whereas resistance training is effective in improving praxis. Further investigation is necessary to evaluate the combination of the two exercise types in order to ascertain if their respective effects can be summated when performed together
Forum di storia orale a partire da un numero di "Italia contemporanea"
No full textinterventi di: Bruno Bonomo,Andrea Brazzoduro,Alessandro Casellato,Beppe De Sario,Stefania Ficacci,Olivia Fiorilli,Damiano Garofalo,Jessica Matteo,Lidia Piccioni, Giovanni Pietrangeli,Francesca Socrate,Paola Stelliferi.International audienc
Active Theater as a Complementary Therapy for Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study
No full textMost medical treatments of Parkinson's disease (PD) are aimed at the reduction of motor symptoms. However, even when motor improvements are evident, patients often report a deterioration of their daily lives. Thus, to achieve a global improvement in personal well-being, not only drugs, but also complementary therapies, such as physical exercise, occupational and speech therapy, and active music therapy, have been used. We hypothesized that theater could reduce clinical disability and improve the quality of life of PD patients (primary end points) more efficiently than other complementary therapies because (1) in order to impersonate a character, patients are forced to regain the control of their bodies; and (2) while being part of a group, patients have a high degree of social interaction. The need to regain the control of their bodies and their social functioning is very likely to deeply motivate patients. To assess this hypothesis, we ran a randomized, controlled, and single-blinded study that lasted 3 years, on 20 subjects affected by a moderate form of idiopathic PD, in stable treatment with L-dopa and L-dopa agonists, and without severe sensory deficits. Ten patients were randomly assigned to an active theater program (in which patients were required to participate), while the others underwent physiotherapy (control group), the most common nonpharmacological treatment for PD rehabilitation. Patients of both groups were evaluated at the beginning of each year, using five clinical rating scales (Unified ParkinsonParkinson'ss Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS], Schwab and England Scale, ParkinsonParkinson'ss Disease Quality of Life [PDQ39] Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale). The theater patients showed progressive improvements and, at the end of the third year, they showed significant improvements in all clinical scales. Conversely, the control patients did not exhibit significant ameliorations with time. Thus, the present study provides the first scientific evidence that active theater, coupled with conventional medical treatments, represents a valid complementary therapeutic intervention for PD treatment
Mental health and social participation skills of wheelchair basketball players: a controlled study
No full textThe aim of this study was to assess differences in psychological well-being, symptomatic psychological disorders and social participation, between competitive wheelchair basketball participants and those non-participants. Forty-six wheelchair participants, 24 Basketball players (aged 35.60 ± 7.56) and 22 non-players (aged 36.20 ± 6.23), completed three validated self-report questionnaires: Participation Scale (PS), Psychological Well-Being Scale [PWBS] and Symptom Checklist 90 R [SCL-90-R]. ANOVA showed significant overall differences between the two groups. The social restriction score, evaluated by PS, was significantly higher in the non-basketball participants (p=0.00001) than the basketball participants. The PWB Scale showed significant differences in all 6 dimensions: positive relations with others, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance (p<0.01), and autonomy (p<0.05), with better scores in the basketball participants. The SCL-90-R scores were significantly lower for the basketball group in the following 6 symptomatic dimensions: depression, phobic anxiety, and sleep disorder (p<0.01), somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and psychoticism (with p<0.05). It was concluded that competitive wheelchair basketball participants showed better psychological well-being and social skills than those non-participants
Twelve-Week Exercise Influences Memory Complaint but not Memory Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of different types of exercise on memory performance and memory complaint after a 12-week intervention. Eighty community-dwelling volunteers, aged 66.96 ± 11.73 years, were randomly divided into four groups: resistance, cardiovascular, postural, and control groups (20 participants for each group). All participants were tested for their cognitive functions before and after their respective 12-week intervention using Rey memory words test, Prose memory test, and Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Statistical analysis showed that the three experimental groups significantly improved MAC-Q scores in comparison with the control group (p < .05). The variation of MAC-Q scores and the variations of Rey and Prose memory tests scores were not correlated. These results indicate that the 12-week interventions exclusively influenced memory complaint but not memory performance. Further investigations are needed to understand the relation between memory complaint and memory performance, and the factors that can influence this relationship
Acute effect of whole body vibration on balance in blind vs. no-blind athletes: a preliminary study
No full textPurpose: Aim of this preliminary study was to explore the acute effects of whole body vibration (WBV) on balance and stabilometric parameters, in blind and sighted athletes, during the 20-min post-intervention. Methods: Eleven congenitally adult blind athletes (Experimental Group; EG), and ten coetaneous normally sighted soccer athletes (Control Groups; CG) volunteered for this study. Postural sways of all the participants were assessed with a stabilometric platform before and after WBV exposure. The CG was assessed both with closed and open eyes (CGc and CGo, respectively). Four stabilometric parameters relative to the center of pressure displacement were considered for the analysis: AREA, LENGTH, AV-DIST, SPEED-VAR. Results: The multivariate analysis showed that all the four stabilometric parameters significantly differed between EG, and CG (p = 0.0005), but not significant differences were found between the pre- vs. post-WBV exposure assessments (p = 0.377). Conclusions: The results suggested that WBV does not produce significant acute perturbation or alteration of posture, both in sighted and blind athlete. Consequently, WBV can be safely used by blind athletes as well as in sighted due the absence of acute side effects
PROGETTAZIONE FEM DI GRIGLIE AFONIZZATE
No full textNel presente articolo viene descritta l'attività di ottimizzazione di una griglia di areazione
afonizzata che insonorizza il radiatore ed il vano motore di una gru idraulica; la
griglia deve consentire il passaggio d'aria per lo smaltimento del calore del radiatore ma
attenuare contemporaneamente il rumore proveniente dal vano motore; attraverso un
software agli elementi finiti sono state simulate diverse geometrie delle alette del grigliato
(spessore, passo, inclinazione) e diverse tipologie di materiali fonoassorbenti posti
sul lato interno della griglia, al fine di dissipare energia sonora incidente sulla griglia
e sulle superfici dei canali costituiti dalle alette;
E' stato infine studiato l'effetto di un rivestimento superficiale del materiale fonoassorbente,
necessario per proteggere da pioggia, fango e polvere il materiale senza pregiudicarne
il comportamento acustico. I risultati delle simulazioni sono confrontati con
quelli sperimentali ottenuti su un prototipo realizzato e montato su un veicolo, testato
nelle condizioni operative
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