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The board game Kaledo was proven to be effective in improving nutrition knowledge and in modifying dietary behavior in students attending middle and high school. The present pilot study aims to reproduce these results in younger students (7-11 years old) attending primary school. A total of 1313 children from ten schools were recruited to participate in the present study. Participants were randomized into two groups: (1) the treatment group which consisted of playing Kaledo over 20 sessions and (2) the no intervention group. Anthropometric measures were carried out for both groups at baseline (prior to any treatment) and at two follow-up post-assessments (8 and 18 months). All the participants completed a questionnaire concerning physical activity and a 1-week food diary at each assessment. The primary outcomes were (i) BMI z-score, (ii) scores on physical activity, and (iii) scores on a dietary questionnaire. BMI z-score was significantly lower in the treated group compared to the control group at 8 months. Frequency and duration of self-reported physical activity were also significantly augmented in the treated group compared to the control group at both post-assessments. Moreover, a significant increase in the consumption of healthy food and a significant decrease in junk food intake were observed in the treated group.The present results confirm the efficacy of Kaledo in younger students in primary schools, and it can be used as a useful nutritional tool for obesity prevention programs in children. What is Known: • Kaledo is a new educational board game to improve nutrition knowledge and to promote a healthy lifestyle. • In two cluster randomized trials conducted in Campania region (Italy), we showed that Kaledo could improve nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior and have a positive effect on the BMI z-score in children with age ranging from 9 to 14 years old attending school. • Kaledo may be used as an effective tool for obesity prevention programs in middle and high school students. What is New: • Investigating the effects of Kaledo on younger primary school children (7-11 year olds), Kaledo could be an effective tool in obesity prevention programs for children as young as 7 years old.

Background. We evaluated whether cardiac autonomic changes could be associated with different extent of sympathetic nerve resection in the management of essential palmar hyperhidrosis.Methods. Sixty patients with essential palmar hyperhidrosis were randomly allocated to undergo excision of T3 ganglia (sympathicectomygroup; n = 30) or to interruption of sympathetic chain at the T2 to T3 level with ganglion sparing (sympathicotomy group; n = 30). Time and frequency domains were measured with a 24-Holter monitor during daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour periods at different interval points (7 days before operation; 24 hours; and 1, 3, and 6 months later), and the differences were statistically compared. Clinical outcomes were also evaluated.Results. Twenty-eight of 30 patients of the sympathectomy and 29 of 30 patients of the sympathicotomy group completed the study. In both groups, we observed a significant increase (p < 0.05) of vagal activity measurements as root mean square of the successive differences of heart period; proportion of adjacent normal R-R intervals > 50 ms; high frequency; and a significant decrease (p < 0.05) of adrenergic activity variables as heart rate, low frequency, and the ratio between low frequency and high frequency during daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour periods. These changes were significantly more evident (p < 0.05) in the sympathectomy group than in the sympathicotomy group. Clinical outcomes were similar between the two groups.Conclusions. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy caused a shift of sympathovagal balance toward parasympathetic tone that seems to be associated with the extent of denervation. (C) 2017 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

The mechanism responsible for the anti-seizure effect of ketogenic diets is poorly understood. Because the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) is a "gate" center for seizures, the aim of the present experiment was to evaluate if a ketogenic diet modifies the neuronal response of this nucleus when a seizure-inducing drug is administered in rats. Two groups of rats were given a standard diet (group 1) or a ketogenic diet (group 2) for four weeks, then the threshold for seizure induction and the firing rate of putative GABAergic neurons within the SNr were evaluated with progressive infusion of pentylenetetrazole under general anesthesia. The results demonstrated that the ketogenic diet abolished the correlation between the firing rate response of SNr-neurons and the seizure-threshold. This result suggests that the anti-seizure effect of ketogenic diets can be due to a decrease in reactivity of GABAergic SNr-neurons.

The term &ldquo, pain threshold&rdquo, refers to the measurement of the intensity of a physical stimulus that evokes pain. To estimate the pain threshold, a mechanical or electrical stimulus with increasing intensity is usually applied until the subject under evaluation refers to a pain sensation. This study aims to evaluate the autoalgometric pain threshold as a perfect technique to determine the effects of stimulation rate in relation to both gender and the site of stimulation. In this experimental model, pressure algometry was applied: the subject under evaluation pushed a finger against a small round metal tip, producing and at the same time controlling the intensity of the noxious stimulus. Through autoalgometry, the stimulus intensity was recorded over time, measuring the force change rate applied and studying the subject&rsquo, s behavior on approaching pain. This test was performed with 50 healthy volunteers on two days, applying a fast or slow rate of stimulation. The results described demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between the pressure increase rate and the pressure threshold evaluation. In light of these findings, autoalgometry can be proposed as an objective measure of pressure pain threshold for clinical and research use.

Obesity and lifestyle-related diseases are major problems faced by people in developed nations. Although exercise training prevents the progression of diabetes and obesity, the motivation for exercise is generally low in obese animals and humans. The autonomic nervous system (SNA) plays a crucial role in the regulation of eating behavior. Moreover, the SNA is involved in the body temperature regulation that is strictly related to body weight control, in accordance with the “thermoregulatory hypothesis” of food intake. Some neuronal peptides and hormones, like orexins and adiponectin, are also involved in the regulation of locomotion activity as well as food intake and metabolic rate. Furthermore, adiponectin as well as orexin A are involved in the control of body temperature, food intake and therefore in obesity-related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in body temperature (Tc), and heart rate (HR) after an intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of orexin A and adiponectin in animal model. The results of this study show that the orexin A levels are likely involved in the increase of Tc and HR. It is also clear that there is not a correlation between these parameters and adiponectin levels. Further studies are needed to assess adiponectin actions and outcome in the central nervous system in terms of energy expenditure, body temperature, heart rate and physical activity performance regulation.

BACKGROUND: The word "stress" describes the status of the body affected by external or internal forces, or "stressors", threatening to alter its dynamic balance or homeostasis. The adaptive changes which occur in reply to stressors are either behavioral or physical. Once a given threshold is surpassed, a systemic reaction takes place involving the "stress system" in the brain together with its peripheral components, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic sympathetic. OBJECTIVES: Stress induces an activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the SNS and the HPA axis would show parallel or divergent stress response patterns in a session of first parachute jump. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Activation of the SNS was evaluated by dosage of salivary alpha-amylase, galvanic skin responses, and heart rate in seven male novice parachutists. Activation of HPA axis was tested by dosage of cortisol. These variables were measured before and 1 minute and 90 minute after the jump. RESULTS: All variables reached a peak at 1 minute post-jump. Salivary alpha-amylase, galvanic skin responses and heart rate did not return to basal value at 90 minutes post-jump, while cortisol returned to basal value at 90 minutes post-jump. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence indicates that parachute jumping is accompanied by a dissociation of SNS and HPA response patterns in novice parachutists, showing a slower recovery in sympathetic activity than in cortisol secretion. Language: en

Previous studies have demonstrated that there is an increase in oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex of rats after repeated painful stimulation and that long-lasting pain increases the production of superoxide ion (O(2) (-)), nitric oxide and peroxynitrite due to the activation of AMPA and NMDA receptors. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the possible role of O(2) (-) in the transmission of oro-facial pain. Formaldehyde 1% was injected subcutaneously into one vibrissal pad of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats as a model of persistent pain, then O(2) (-) production and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were evaluated in the left and right spinal trigeminal nuclei. O(2) (-) production was revealed using dihidroetidium (DHE) injected at 10 or 45 min after the formalin injection in conscious or anaesthetized rats. A histochemical assay for SOD was performed to evaluate the activity of SOD at 10 min after the formalin injection. The results showed a significant increase in O(2) (-) production in the homolateral nucleus at 45 min. However, there was no significant difference between the two sides at 10 min after the formalin injection. No significant difference was observed in SOD activity between the two sides of the spinal trigeminal nucleus. This study demonstrated that there is an increased production of O(2) (-) in the second phase but not in the first phase of the formalin test; thus O(2) (-) is involved in pain induced by inflammation, but not in acute pain.

Three experiments were conducted in order to investigate the possible involvement of the reactive oxygen species in the nociception within the subnucleus caudalis of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vc). In the first experiment the extracellular level of hydrogen peroxide was evaluated by microdialysis in the Vc of two groups of six rats before and after a formalin (group 1) or saline solution (group 2) injection into the upper lip. In the second experiment the formalin test was conducted in three groups of 6 rats after a microinjection of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME; a superoxide-dismutase inhibitor; group 1) or N-acetylcysteine (NAC, an oxygen intermediate scavenger; group 2) or saline solution (group 3) into the Vc. In the third experiment an histochemical assay for superoxide dismutase activity was performed on two groups of 4 rats each 2 h after a formalin (group 1) or saline solution (group 2) injection into the upper lip. The results showed that (1) the level of hydrogen peroxide increases into the Vc during facial pain (134% of baseline); (2) the inhibition of superoxide dismutase or the removal of oxygen intermediate within the Vc decreases the sensibility to facial pain stimuli; and (3) persistent facial pain stimuli decrease the superoxide activity into the Vc (90% of counter-lateral). These data indicate that reactive oxygen species are produced in the Vc during persistent facial pain and are necessary for the transmission of pain. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) parameters over the hand region of the motor cortex, such as resting motor threshold (rMT) and motor evoked potential (MEP) latency, predict the behavioural performance of karate athletes in the response time (RT) test. Twenty-five male karate athletes (24.9 ± 4.9 years) and 25 matched non-athletes (26.2 ± 4.5 years) were recruited. Using TMS, we investigated cortico-spinal system excitability. Compared with controls, the athletes showed faster RT (p

Aim: Exposure to the ubiquitous endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated, in pregnancy, with low birth weight. The aim of our study is the identification of the damage caused by Bisphenol A on placental tissue through the evaluation of its effects on micro-vessel density and apoptosis. Methods: After fertilization, we exposed 3 female rats to oral BPA, by means of a free access to a beverage solution containing 100 μg/L of BPA. Three female rats were used as controls. Placentas underwent histological examination and immunohistochemistry for von Willebr and factor (F-VIII) and caspase-9. Results: Sixty-seven fetuses have been produced, 30 from control rats and 37 from exposed rats. Exposed fetuses showed a lower longitudinal/transverse diameter ratio than controls (2.57 ± 0.29 vs. 2.78 ± 0.38, p < 0.05). Also, exposed fetuses showed a significant reduction in the number of placental vessels per field (124.86 ± 19.15 vs. 143.54 ± 22.09, p < 0.05). On the other hand, apoptosis is not increased by exposure, as shown by caspase-9 levels. Conclusion: Exposure to BPA during pregnancy may affect placental vascularization, and this phenomenon may explain the lower birth weight reported. However, our results do not show the increase in apoptosis observed in vitro.