Search results for "source"
showing 10 items of 6139 documents
Can Information about Pandemics Increase Negative Attitudes toward Foreign Groups? A Case of COVID-19 Outbreak
2020
Pathogen threat can translate into a willingness to distance oneself from others on a psychological level. Building on this notion, we predicted that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic can affect attitudes toward foreign nationalities. We explored the intergroup consequences of the current epidemiological situation in two studies involving a total of 652 participants. In correlational Study 1, we showed a positive relationship between media exposure in the United Kingdom (UK) and in Poland, and prejudice to four foreign nationalities. Study 2 showed that negative affect toward Italians (i.e., a nation struggling with the most severe COVID-19 outbreak at the time of the study) was indirectly p…
Motor and cognitive growth following a Football Training Program
2015
Football may be a physical and sport activities able to improve motor and cognitive growth in children. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess whether a Football Training Program taken over 6 months would improve motor and cognitive performances in children. Motor skills concerned coordinative skills, running and explosive legs strength. Cognitive abilities involved visual discrimination times and visual selective attention times.Forty-six children with chronological age of ~9.10 years, were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=24) attended a Football Exercise Program and Group 2 (n=22) was composed of sedentary children.Their abilities were measured by a battery of tests including mo…
Study on the Influence of Beginner Gymnasts’ Neuromuscular Control Using Computer-assisted Move 1 Du Portable Appliance
2014
Abstract The study aims at evaluating, training and improving upper limb neuromuscular control in preschool gymnasts as well as at highlighting the benefits of using computerized resources (MOVE 1 DU portable appliance) in training this control type. The research method chosen for this project consists in conducting an experiment on a group of 10 subjects aged 6-7 years. The key purpose of this study is to offer a more accurate and realistic view on the potential use of computer resources in training the neuromuscular control of the upper limb.
The impact of chocolate on cardiovascular health
2011
Cardiovascular disease is the leading determinant of mortality and morbidity in women. Functional foods are attracting interest as potential regulators of the susceptibility to disease. Supported by epidemiological evidence, chocolate has emerged as a possible modulator of cardiovascular risk. Chocolate, or cocoa as the natural source, contains flavanols, a subclass of flavonoids. The latter years have witnessed an increasing number of experimental and clinical studies that suggest a protective effect of chocolate against atherogenesis. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial function define three biological mechanisms that have shown sensitivity to chocolate. Moreover, the consumpt…
Walking in Natural Environments as Geriatrician’s Recommendation for Fall Prevention: Preliminary Outcomes from the “Passiata Day” Model
2020
Background: The Geriatric Unit of the University of Palermo developed the “Passiata Day” model, a green exercise intervention consisting of a one-hour walk, once/week, in a city park. The purpose of this study was to assess body balance in older people who walked regularly compared to sedentary people. Methods: 106 older people (75 women and 31 men; mean age: 72.3 ± 8.2 years) without fall history were invited to participate voluntarily in this natural environment walking program. After six months, both the participants who had taken part regularly in the walk (i.e., the physical activity group (PAG; n = 72; 54 women and 18 men; mean age: 70.7 ± 7.2 years)), and wh…
Evaluation of Podalic Support and Monitoring of Balance Control in Children with and without Dyslexia: A Pilot Study
2020
Background: The American Psychiatric Association has identified dyslexia as a neurobiological disorder. The aim of the study was to evaluate podalic support, balance control, and dyslexia’s effects on interpersonal relationships. Methods: Fifty-seven subjects were enrolled for this study. The subjects were divided into two groups. The experimental group was composed of children with diagnosis of dyslexia. The control group was composed of healthy subjects. Each subject underwent baropodometry and posturographic analysis. In addition, the Multidimensional Self-esteem Assessment test by Bracken was used for a precise measurement of self-esteem in both groups (TMA). Results: The static b…
A Classification System for Decision-Making in the Management of Patients with Chronic Conditions
2021
Patients with chronic diseases are frequent users of healthcare services. The systematic use of stratification tools and predictive models for this group of patients can be useful for health professionals in decision-making processes. The aim of this study was to design two new classifier systems for detecting the risk of hospital admission for elderly patients with chronic conditions. In this retrospective cohort study, a set of variables related to hospital admission for patients with chronic conditions was obtained through focus groups, a health database analysis and statistical processing. To predict the probability of admission from the set of predictor variables, a logistic regression…
Comparison of Postural Features and Muscle Strength between Children with Idiopathic Short Stature and Healthy Peers in Relation to Physical Exercise
2020
Previous research has reported that children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) showed functional and cognitive impairments. The purpose of this study was to compare muscle strength and body posture between children with ISS treated with growth hormone (GH) and healthy peers (healthy children, HC), and to analyze whether these parameters were affected by physical exercise. Eighteen children for the ISS group (mean age: 10.96 ± 1.68 years) and 26 children for the HC group (mean age: 10.19 ± 1.06 years) were recruited for the study. All participants performed the following assessments: handgrip and Sargent test for the muscle strength evaluation; baropodometric and stabilometric test for the…
Effectiveness of an exercise training program on youth with Asperger syndrome
2009
Although exercise training programs are effective in improving physical fitness and motor competence in typically developing youth, insufficient data of the impact of interventions are available in youth with Asperger syndrome (AS). The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an exercise program as part of an ongoing vocational training program for adolescents with AS on motor competence and physical fitness. Twenty adolescents with AS (mean age = 16.8yrs) were enrolled in this study. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent-control-group design with a follow-up measurement over a period of six months was followed. The intervention group received a 12-week physical exercise program f…
Rationing in a Pandemic: Lessons from Italy.
2020
In late February and early March 2020, Italy became the European epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite increasingly stringent containment measures enforced by the government, the health system faced an enormous pressure, and extraordinary efforts were made in order to increase overall hospital beds’ availability and especially ICU capacity. Nevertheless, the hardest-hit hospitals in Northern Italy experienced a shortage of ICU beds and resources that led to hard allocating choices. At the beginning of March 2020, the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) issued recommendations aimed at supporting physicians in prioritizing patients when …