51 research outputs found
Intermittent training and improvement of anthropometric parameters and aerobic capacity in youth football
No full textOptimal football training, among many targets, should allow both the improvement of the maximum oxygen intake (VO2max), as well as the body mass index or BMI. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology of intermittent training, in terms of a significant improvement in the performance of the players involved in the study. The study is useful for trainers to reorganize training planning and adapt it to individual players. The method is experimental and involves the usual parameters for performance monitoring. There were 17 young amateur footballers, aged between 16 and 17, who participated in the regional under-17 championship this year. Data were collected over the course of twelve weeks. They were expressed as average ± SD for: height (176.1 ± 8.45), weight (63.3 ± 12.7) and body mass index (20.2 ± 2.5). Gacon intermittent field test was used to determine the VO2max. Statistical data analysis was performed with the t-test to check the differences between pre-test and post-test (at the beginning and end of three months of specific training). Significant differences were fixed at p < .05. Results show that there is a significant difference in performance between pre and post-workout for tests conducted
Carpal tunnel sindrome surgery: identification of a neurophysiological high-risk category
No full textQuality of life and disability assessment in neuropathy: a multicenter study
No full textBACKGROUND: pain is a common symptom of peripheral neuropathies that may severely affect patients' Quality of Life. Pain questionnaires, based on verbal descriptors, are a useful way to investigate it.
METHODS: we performed a multicentre study through validated measures to characterize pain in a sample of consecutive patients affected by immune-mediated neuropathies.
RESULTS: ninety-three patients were enrolled in 16 Italian centres. Based on the numeric rating scale, almost half of the patients complained of moderate pain and one-third of the patients severe pain. Overall, up to 50% of our patients with immune-mediated neuropathies complained of neuropathic pain. The most common neuropathic symptoms were paraesthesia/dysesthesia and superficial spontaneous pain. Surprisingly, also patients with neuropathies commonly thought to be painless (such as multifocal motor neuropathy) reported discomfort and painful symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: pain questionnaires should be considered in the clinical evaluation of immune-mediated neuropathies, also when evaluating therapy efficacy, because they may provide clinicians with useful information on painful symptoms and patients' quality of life
Suicide and Attempted Suicide in Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Obesity and Weight-Image Concern
No full textCompleted suicide is a major cause of death in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Meta-analyses have shown that individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa commit suicide more often than their counterparts in the general population. In addition, several studies have suggested that suicide is the major cause of death among patients with anorexia nervosa, refuting the assumption that malnutrition threatens the life of these patients. Data concerning completed suicide in bulimia nervosa, on the other hand, are still scarce but suicide attempts (a major risk factor for completed suicide) are common among cohorts of patients with bulimia nervosa. Suicidality in obese persons and individuals with disturbed weight status has been reported. In both bulimia nervosa and obesity, more long-term follow-up studies are before the risk of suicide may be compared with that for anorexia nervosa
Straightforward synthesis of a novel ring-fused pyrazole-lactam and in vitro cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines
No full textIn this paper a straightforward synthesis of a novel pyrazole derivative is reported. Prominent feature of this synthetic process is a 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of a suitable nitrile imine with an activated α,β-unsaturated lactam to afford directly and regioselectively the corresponding ring-fused pyrazole. Having obtained the central core of the synthetic target, a double stepwise functionalization with a "side chain" characterized by a terminal cyclic aliphatic amine was carried out. This molecular structure was designed to interact strongly with typical biological residues, and indeed it showed potent anticancer capability: in vitro cytotoxicity test on five different cancer cell lines showed interesting IC50 values in the range of 15-60 μM for exposure time of 24-72 h, thus resulting comparable with commercially available and nowadays therapeutically exploited anticancer compounds, such as 5-FU and NVP-BEZ235
The margin of safety principle and corporate strategy
No full textPurposeThis paper seeks to analyze the applicability of the time‐tested margin of safety principle from value investing to corporate strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe main source of this paper is the book Margin of Safety, supplementation materials, including a discussion with the book's author, Seth Klarman, were also referenced.FindingsThe paper finds that the margin of safety principle is broadly applicable to corporate strategy in areas such as M&A, hedging, balance sheet management, share buybacks, special dividends, divestments, and cash management. Each of these areas is discussed in the paper and illustrated by way of timely examples as part of the analysis.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research could be conducted into valuation methods in general, including the method practiced by noted value investors. Research could also be conducted into the margin of safety principle and its applications in corporate strategy, corporate finance, strategic risk management, shareholder communications, and operations management.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that the author is aware of that analyzes the applicability of the investment‐based margin of safety principle to corporate strategy and strategy‐related initiatives.</jats:sec
Ultrasound visualization of nerve morphological alteration at the site of conduction block.
No full textNo abstrac
Multicenter study of peroneal mononeuropathy: clinical, neurophysiologic, and quality of life assessment
No full textThis is a multicenter study on peroneal mononeuropathy (PM), in which a multidimensional protocol was performed to evaluate (1) the predisposing factors and their occurrence; (2) the relationships between the etiological, clinical, and neurophysiologic findings; and (3) disability and quality of life (QoL) in a wide sample with PM. Clinical and neurophysiologic evaluation was performed in all patients; moreover, the group adopted validated disability and QoL measurements to obtain more comprehensive and reliable data on PM. From November 2002 to January 2004, 69 patients were enrolled consecutively in 11 Italian centers. Our data showed that PM involves men more frequently than women (male : female = 4.11). PM was idiopathic (16%) or due to prolonged posture (23.1%), surgery (20.3%), weight loss (14.5%), trauma (11.6%), bedridden condition (7.3%), external compression from cast (5.8%), and arthrogenic cyst at the fibula (1.4%). Unexpectedly, peroneal nerve lesions were not only due to surgical operation close to the peroneal region but were also associated with thoracic-abdominal surgery. We observed conduction block in about 50-70% of postural and weight loss PM; in perioperative and idiopathic PM, conduction block or mixed damage was equally present; in PM due to trauma, we observed an exclusive axonal damage in about 60% of cases. Only in three cases (one postural PM, one idiopathic PM, and one weight loss PM), we observed a slowing of conduction velocity in the popliteal fossa-fibular head segment without conduction block. The comparison between QoL in patients with PM and in healthy subjects showed a significant involvement of physical and mental aspects. With regard to disability, 68% of patients walked with difficulty. Our data show that (1) most of the cases of PM are due to an identifiable predisposing factor; (2) there is a good correlation between predisposing factors and clinical-neurophysiologic findings; and (3) PM causes disability and deterioration of the physical and emotional aspects of QoL
One drug for two targets: Biological evaluation of antiretroviral agents endowed with antiproliferative activity
No full textAIDS-related cancer diseases are malignancies with low incidence on healthy people that affect mostly subjects already immunocompromised. The connection between HIV/AIDS and these cancers has not been established yet, but a weakened immune system is certainly the main cause. We envisaged the possibility to screen a small library of compounds synthesized in our laboratory against opportunistic tumors mainly due to HIV infection like Burkitt's Lymphoma. From cellular assays and gene expression analysis we identified two promising compounds. These derivatives have the dual action required inhibiting HIV replication in human TZM-bl cells infected with HIV-1 NL4.3 and showing cytotoxic activity on human colon HT-29 and breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. In addition, preclinical in vitro adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion studies highlighted a satisfactory pharmacokinetic profile. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
The FHP01 DDX3X helicase inhibitor exerts potent anti-tumor activity in vivo in breast cancer pre-clinical models
No full textInhibition of DDX3X expression or activity reduces proliferation in cells from various tumor tissues, in particular in breast cancer, and its expression often correlates to tumor aggressiveness. This makes DDX3X a prominent candidate for the design of drugs for novel personalized therapeutic strategies. Starting from an in silico drug discovery approach, a group of molecules has been selected by molecular docking at the RNA binding site of DDX3X. Here, the most promising among them, FHP01, was evaluated in breast cancer preclinical models. Specifically, FHP01 exhibited very effective antiproliferative and killing activity against different breast cancer cell types, among which those from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Interestingly, FHP01 also inhibited WNT signaling, a key tumorigenic pathway already correlated to DDX3X functions in breast cancer model cell lines. Ultimately, FHP01 also caused a significant reduction, in vivo, in the growth of MDA MB 231- derived TNBC xenograft models. Importantly, FHP01 showed good bioavailability and no toxicity on normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro and on several mouse tissues in vivo. Overall, our data suggest that the use of FHP01 and its related compounds may represent a novel therapeutic approach with high potential against breast cancer, including the triple-negative subtype usually correlated to the most unfavorable outcomes because of the lack of available targeted therapies
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