102 research outputs found
The allantoin transport protein, PucI, from Bacillus subtilis: evolutionary relationships, amplified expression, activity and specificity
No full textThis work reports the evolutionary relationships, amplified expression, functional characterisation and purification of the putative allantoin transport protein, PucI, from Bacillus subtilis. Sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis confirmed close evolutionary relationships between PucI and membrane proteins of the nucleobase-cation-symport-1 family of secondary active transporters. These include the sodium-coupled hydantoin transport protein, Mhp1, from Microbacterium liquefaciens and related proteins from bacteria, fungi and plants. Membrane topology predictions for PucI were consistent with twelve putative transmembrane-spanning α-helices with both N- and C-terminal ends at the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. The pucI gene was cloned into the IPTG-inducible plasmid pTTQ18 upstream from an in-frame hexahistidine tag and conditions are described for optimal amplified expression of the PucI(His6) protein in Escherichia coli to a level of about 5% in inner membranes. Initial rates of inducible PucI-mediated uptake of 14C-allantoin into energised Escherichia coli whole cells conformed to Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent affinity (Kmapp) of 24 ± 3M, therefore confirming that PucI is a medium affinity transporter of allantoin. Dependence of allantoin transport on sodium was not apparent. Competitive uptake experiments showed that PucI recognises some additional hydantoin compounds, including hydantoin itself, and to a lesser extent a range of nucleobases and nucleosides. PucI(His6) was solubilised from inner membranes using n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside and purified. The isolated protein comprised a substantial proportion of α-helix secondary structure, consistent with the predictions, and a three-dimensional model was therefore constructed on a template of the Mhp1 structure, which aided localisation of the potential ligand binding site in PucI
Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment using the PREFIT test in Italian children : a preliminary dataset
No full textBACKGROUND: The cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is one of the most important indicators of the health-related physical fitness components because it reflects the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. To indirectly assess CRF, the original protocol of the 20mSRT was adapted in a new version suitable for children called 20mSRT-PREFIT, providing performances comparable to the standards of the European area. In fact, CRF normative values are missing in the Italian context and therefore they would be meaningful to be assessed. We aimed to de- termine CRF from 20mSRT-PREFIT in a small sample of Italian pre-school children and to compare the outcomes with the available European references.
METHODS: A convenience sample of 5-year-old pre-school children (N.=32, M/F ratio: 19/13) was freely recruited from a kindergarten of the northwest Italy. Children performed the 20mSRT-PREFIT and the number of full shuttles, exhaustion time, and maximum speed were collected to obtain crf.
reSulTS: predicted Vo2max was similar between Italian male and female groups. All other outcomes originating from the 20mSRT-PREFIT were consistent with those included in the available european databases.
CONCLUSIONS: According to these preliminary indications, Italian pre-school children may have a CRF level equivalent to that one as- certained in other European countries. Thus, current rakings should be cautiously scrutinized, as they might inappropriately underrate Italian children’s performances
Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment using the PREFIT test in Italian children: A preliminary dataset
No full textBACKGROUND: The cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is one of the most important indicators of the health-related physical fitness components because it reflects the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. To indirectly assess CRF, the original protocol of the 20mSRT was adapted in a new version suitable for children called 20mSRT-PREFIT, providing performances comparable to the standards of the European area. In fact, CRF normative values are missing in the Italian context and therefore they would be meaningful to be assessed. We aimed to determine CRF from 20mSRT-PREFIT in a small sample of Italian pre-school children and to compare the outcomes with the available European references. METHODS: A convenience sample of 5-year-old pre-school children (N.=32, M/F ratio: 19/13) was freely recruited from a kindergarten of the northwest Italy. Children performed the 20mSRT-PREFIT and the number of full shuttles, exhaustion time, and maximum speed were collected to obtain CRF. RESULTS: Predicted VO2max was similar between Italian male and female groups. All other outcomes originating from the 20mSRT-PREFIT were consistent with those included in the available European databases. CONCLUSIONS: According to these preliminary indications, Italian pre-school children may have a CRF level equivalent to that one ascertained in other European countries. Thus, current rakings should be cautiously scrutinized, as they might inappropriately underrate Italian children’s performances
Health-related field-based fitness tests: a test battery and normative values for Italian primary schools
No full textPurpose: Physical fitness is considered an important indicator of health. Health-related fitness qualities in children have been identified: cardiorespiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, motor fitness, and body composition or body mass index (BMI) [1]. Growth charts for BMI that apply to the whole Italian population has been already studied [2]. Therefore, this study was conducted to establish normative values of fitness components from Italian children using field-based and well-standardized tests [3, 4] that can be easily applied in a school setting, and to create a Physical Fitness Performance Index (PFPI).
Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the physical fitness among a random and large representative sample of schoolchildren aged 6–10 years. Fitness data were collected during the 2016–2017 school year from 25 schools in Lombardy. A sample of 5106 children(height 131.2 ± 10.1 cm, weight 30.5 ± 8.4 kg, BMI 17.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2) was assessed using a complete test battery (six-minute walking test_6MWT, standing broad jump_SBJ, and 4 9 10 m shuttle run test_SRT). Gender and age-specific percentiles for the physical fitness tests were expressed as curves values (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th centiles), and the PFPI was also calculated according to percentiles.
Results: Boys scored higher in all the physical fitness tests when compared to girls (M: 6MWT, 616.7 ± 87.4 m; SBJ, 121.6 ± 23.8 cm; SRT, 14.5 ± 2.2 s; F: 6MWT, 607.9 ± 82.6 m; SBJ, 113.7 ± 23.6 cm; SRT, 15.0 ± 2.2 s; p\0.001). There was also a trend towards increased physical fitness levels as the age increased in both boys and girls (p\0.0001). Correlations between scores on individual test items were moderate to high (r from .549 to .700), and all individual test item scores significantly correlated with PFPI (p\0.0001).
Conclusions: Primary schools are a favorable environment for implementing practices that support health and the PFPI can be used by teachers for easily rating children’s health-related fitness qualities
Nursing students' clinical competencies: a survey on clinical education objectives
No full textDeveloping clearly defined competencies and identifying strategies for their measurement remain unfortunately a critical aspect of nursing training. In the current international context, which continues to be characterised by deep economic crisis, universities have a fundamental role to play in redefining the educational goals to respond to the expectations of certain geographical areas of interest, as underscored in the Bologna Process (Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education Convened in Bologna 19 June 1999)
Nursing students' clinical competencies: a survey on clinical education objectives
No full textDeveloping clearly defined competencies and identifying strategies for their measurement remain unfortunately a critical aspect of nursing training. In the current international context, which continues to be characterised by deep economic crisis, universities have a fundamental role to play in redefining the educational goals to respond to the expectations of certain geographical areas of interest, as underscored in the Bologna Process (Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education Convened in Bologna 19 June 1999)
Nursing students' clinical competencies: a survey on clinical education objectives
No full textDeveloping clearly defined competencies and identifying strategies for their measurement remain unfortunately a critical aspect of nursing training. In the current international context, which continues to be characterised by deep economic crisis, universities have a fundamental role to play in redefining the educational goals to respond to the expectations of certain geographical areas of interest, as underscored in the Bologna Process (Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education Convened in Bologna 19 June 1999)
Beliefs and Perceptions in Attending the Cervical Screening: The COMUNISS Project Experience
No full textBackground: Several studies highlighted that tailored health communication interventions improve cervical screening participation, vaccination coverage, and awareness about self-sampling benefits. The “COMUNISS” project was aimed at increasing awareness about cervical cancer prevention, identifying barriers to screening, and promoting screening uptake in under-screened women. Methods: A dedicated website with a Q&A session regarding HPV-associated diseases has been set up. Participants were invited to complete a questionnaire to gather demographic information, knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer, and attitudes toward screening based on the Health Beliefs Model (HBM). Women can also require a vaginal self-sampling kit at your home to perform the HPV-DNA analysis. Results: The website registered over 1000 users over 6 months, and 256 women completed the survey. Nearly half were under-screened. The HBM revealed a high susceptibility and severity perception of diseases, regardless of screening participation, whereas older women declared a high perception of barriers. One-quarter of the women who had requested the self-collection kit returned it for the HPV-DNA testing. Conclusions: The project found significant gaps in knowledge regarding extra-cervical HPV-related cancers, interpretation of screening results, and effectiveness of self-collection. These findings highlight the need to plan targeted information campaigns to enhance awareness and adherence to screening programs
International fitness scale (IFIS): association with motor performance in children with obesity
No full textBackground: Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health; and compared with their normal-weight peers, these individuals tend to have a lower level of self-confidence, and consequently lower physical activity adherence. Due to these self-perceived barriers, the aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of an online training program on self-reported physical fitness (SRPF) in children with obesity (OB). Methods: A total of 32 children with OB carried out physical fitness (PF) tests and were asked to complete the International Fitness Enjoyment Scale (IFIS) questionnaire. The physical fitness tests were the Standing Broad Jump (SBJ), the 6-Min Walking Test (6MWT) and the 4 × 10 m sprint test. Children participated in a 3-weekly 60-min training session through Zoom platform. Before the beginning of the training protocol, OB children were compared with normal weight (NW) ones for PF batteries and the IFIS questionnaire. Changes in performances after the training were assessed by paired Student t and Wilcoxon tests. Results: After the online training program children increased their performance in 6MWT (mean difference (MD) 1⁄4 54.93; p < 0.0001) in SBJ (MD 1⁄4 10.00; p 1⁄4 0.0001) and in 4χ 10 m sprint test (MD 1⁄4 -0.78; p < 0.0001). No differences were found in children’s physical fitness perception. Discussion: Our study highlighted how a structured online training program can lead to improvements in PF of children with OB. Instead, the lack of differences in SRPF after the training suggests interesting questions to be explored on the aspects linked to self-perception. Therefore, even if our training protocol could not directly improve SRPF in children with obesity, the enhancement of their PF could be a starting point for achieving this result with a longer training period and consequently improve PA participation for children with OB
Prenatal ultrasonographic prediction of the umbilical coiling index at birth and adverse pregnancy outcome
No full textTo evaluate whether the antenatal umbilical coiling index (aUCI) as measured by ultrasonography predicts the postnatal umbilical coiling index (pUCI) and adverse pregnancy outcome. In a prospective study in 117 pregnancies, the aUCI was measured between 28 weeks and term by ultrasonography. The aUCI was calculated as the reciprocal value of the mean pitch of one complete coil. The pUCI was calculated as the number of coils divided by the cord length in cm. The correlation between aUCI and pUCI was assessed and likelihood ratios for adverse pregnancy outcome were calculated. We had complete data on 81 subjects. Mean aUCI +/- SD was 0.30 +/- 0.09 and mean pUCI +/- SD was 0.17 +/- 0.08. The correlation coefficient between aUCI and pUCI was 0.66, P <0.001. Limits of agreement were 0-0.28 coils/cm. The positive likelihood ratio for small-for-gestational-age infants was 2.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-11.6) for ultrasound hypocoiling, and 5.7 (95% CI 1.3-24.8) for ultrasound hypercoiling. The positive likelihood ratio for interventional delivery for non-reassuring fetal status was 1.2 (95% CI 0.2-9.0) for ultrasound hypocoiling, and 10.3 (95% CI 2.1-50.2) for ultrasound hypercoiling. Strong correlation coefficients comparing the aUCI and pUCI do not reflect agreement. Since the limits of agreement were almost as wide as the full range for the pUCI, the aUCI does not predict the pUCI with sufficient precision. Larger prospective studies are required to confirm the predictive potential of the aUCI for adverse pregnancy outcom
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