An estimation on the mechanical stabilities of SAMs by low energy Ar+ cluster ion collision.

The stability of the molecular self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is of vital importance to the performance of the molecular electronics and their integration to the future electronics devices. Here we study the effect of electron irradiation-induced cross-linking on the stability of self-assembled monolayer of aromatic 5,5'-bis(mercaptomethyl)-2,2'-bipyridine [BPD; HS-CH2-(C5H3N)2-CH2-SH] on Au (111) single crystal surface. As a refence, we also study the properties of SAMs of electron saturated 1-dodecanethiol [C12; CH3-(CH2)11-SH] molecules. The stability of the considered SAMs before and after electron-irradiation is studied using low energy Ar+ cluster depth profiling monitored by recording the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) core level spectra and the UV-photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) in the valance band range. The results indicate a stronger mechanical stability of BPD SAMs than the C12 SAMs. The stability of BPD SAMs enhances further after electron irradiation due to intermolecular cross-linking, whereas the electron irradiation results in deterioration of C12 molecules due to the saturated nature of the molecules. The depth profiling time of the cross-linked BPD SAM is more than 4 and 8 times longer than the profiling time obtained for pristine and BPD and C12 SAMs, respectively. The UPS results are supported by density functional theory calculations, which show qualitative agreement with the experiment and enable us to interpret the features in the XPS spectra during the etching process for structural characterization. The obtained results offer helpful options to estimate the structural stability of SAMs which is a key factor for the fabrication of molecular devices.

Results of the Italian project 'GiochiAMO' to improve nutrition and PA among children.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of overweight and obesity during childhood is still elevated in high-income countries. GiochiAMO is a health promotion program that uses knowledge-based education and games to teach healthy nutrition and physical activity among children (6-8 years old). METHODS: This study was a single arm field trial. Second and third grade classes of primary school attended an oral presentation about nutrition and physical activity and then were involved in three game sessions. Two multiple-choice questionnaires were administered at the beginning and at the end of the trail. The following scores were measured: nutrition behavior score (NTs), physical activity behavior score (PAs) and delta score (Ds). Wilcoxon, T-test and Mann Whitney were used to perform the univariate analysis. RESULTS: A total number of 74 and 76 children participated in the physical activity and nutrition interventions. NTs was 4.17 (SD: 2.23) before and 5.03 (SD: 2.79) after the intervention (P = 0.005). PAs was 27.4 (SD: 9.6) before and 30.5 (SD: 10.7) after the intervention (P = 0.003). No significant differences were obtained comparing males and females for all scores. Ds was 0.86 for nutrition and 3.1 for physical activity. Univariate analysis of Delta scores obtained no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The present results confirm the effectiveness of 'GiochiAMO' to change nutrition and physical activity behavior.

The PRECEDE-PROCEED model as a tool in Public Health screening: a systematic review.

OBJETCTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature concerning the use of the Precede-Proceed model (PPM) applied to educational programs and health screenings contextsV. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: The search process was based on a selection of publications listed in Medline and Scopus. The keywords used were "Precede-Proceed" AND ("screening" OR "educational programs"). Studies included in the systematic review were subdivided into those applying the model in a screening context, and those applying it within educational programs. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were retrieved, mostly performed in the USA and, generally, the promoting center was the University. In the context of cancer screening, the PPM model was most of all applied to Mammography Screening (5 of 13 studies in cancer screening), and Cervical Cancer Screening (5 of 13). Another three studies within the cancer field investigated Menopause-Inducing Cancer Treatments, Oral cancer prevention, and cancer screening in general. In the remaining studies, the model was applied in various screening areas, particularly chronic and degenerative diseases. There were many different study designs, most of which cross-sectional (8), though several RTCs (8) and focus groups (5) were also found. For the cross-sectional studies the methodological quality varied between 3/10 and 9/10, whilst for the RCTs it ranged from 2/5 to 3/5. CONCLUSIONS: The PPM provides an excellent framework for health intervention programs especially in screening contexts, and could improve the understanding of the relationship between variables such as knowledge and screening. Given the complexity of a behavioral change process, certain important predisposing factors could be measured in future studies, and during health intervention planning.

"GiochiAMO": a school-based smoking and alcohol prevention program for children - a pilot randomized field trial. Part 2.

BACKGROUND: Young people who begin to smoke at an early age are at a higher risk of becoming occasional or regular smokers and establishing a premature dependence. It is fundamental to act as soon as possible, from very early childhood, to prevent harmful behaviors for health such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Young people must be encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is two-fold. First, increasing the knowledge about the negative health effects of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among children aged 9-10 years; and second, to introduce and reinforce life skills in order to learn how to tackle social influences that encourage children to smoke and to drink alcohol. METHODS: A pilot randomized field trial was conducted in May-June 2017. Four primary school classes in Rome were randomized to either the intervention or the control group. Both groups participated in an oral presentation about the risks and consequences of smoking and alcohol consumption, and the concept of life skills. The intervention group participated in two gaming sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours. Children were involved in six games aiming to deliver and reinforce knowledge about the target themes of the study. A 21 multi-response questions questionnaire was handed out to both groups at the beginning and at the end of the study. Eleven questions were about smoking; five questions about alcohol; five questions about life skills. Each question item included one correct answer. For each domain, a score was computed (total; smoking; alcohol; life skills). RESULTS: 67 children participated in the study (34 in the intervention and 33 in the control group). Univariate analyses showed significant differences among the intervention group before and after the intervention for total score (p<0.001), smoke score (p<0.001), and life skills score (p=0.003). No significant differences among the intervention group before and after the intervention were reported for alcohol score (p=0.076). Regarding the control group univariate analysis showed significant differences in total score (p=0,001) and life skills score (p=0.005). Multivariate analysis revealed that enrollment in the intervention was the only variable that had a significant positive influence on smoking knowledge score (beta=1.070, p=0.05). CONCLUSION: This pilot study shows that the intervention was effective among the intervention group for all the scores: total score, smoke score and life skills score, but ineffective for alcohol. Overall, the combination of a presentation and games was effective in increasing life skills knowledge.

Improving knowledge and behaviors on diet and physical activity in children: results of a pilot randomized field trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to increase the knowledge of healthy eating, to encourage change in nutritional behavior in accordance with the Mediterranean diet and to promote physical activity in children aged 7 to 9 years and their parents in a school setting through the use of cards and board games of the project Giochiamo (Let us play). METHODS: This experimental randomized field trial enrolled children in a school setting. The trial consisted of two phases. The first phase, including both intervention and control groups, encompassed a informative session about the food pyramid and physical activity (PA) by experts of public health and preventive medicine. The second phase, including only the experimental groups, involved games focusing on the main concepts of the food pyramid and PA. A questionnaire was administered before the intervention and after one month in order to assess changing in knowledge and behavior scores. RESULTS: Eighty-nine children were randomly allocated in the intervention (22 children of the fourth year, 22 children of the second year) and the control group (23 children of the fourth year, 22 children of the second year). The univariate analyses showed significant differences (p = 0,004) between intervention and control groups for behavior score after the intervention. In particular, in a stratified analysis classes of the second year showed significant differences for knowledge score (p = 0,005) and for behavior score (p = 0,002), resulting higher among the intervention group. No significant differences resulted in classes of the fourth year for both scores. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the Giochiamo project clearly demonstrate that the lecture and the games were effective to improve knowledge and behavior habits on the Mediterranean diet and PA. Second year students showed significant differences for knowledge and behavior score in comparison to fourth year students suggesting that, the earlier the intervention occurs, the better are the results in terms of improvement of knowledge and eating habits and PA behaviors.

Protocol for the evaluation of a chronic care model experience in Rome.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in almost all over the world; in Europe causing over 9 million deaths per year according to WHO estimates. A promising health organization model for chronic disease management is represented by the Chronic Care Model (CCM). In the 12th district of the ASL Roma 2 since 4 years was implemented a CCM for the management of patients affected by diabetes and/or at high cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Chronic Care Model (CCM) for the management of chronic disease in terms of mortality reduction, avoidable hospitalizations reduction and improvement of clinical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study will involve patients of 12th district of the ASL Roma 2 affected by diabetes and at high cardiovascular risk assisted through the CCM. Their health outcomes will be compared with those of patients in the same clinical conditions, residents in the same district but not assisted with CCM. The sample will be composed by adults (> 18 years) with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) or metabolic syndrome and / or arterial hypertension (IT) and two or more risk factors. Outcomes will be mortality from all causes and from causes related to DM and IT, preventable hospitalizations as defined in the Prevention Quality Indicators (PQI) by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and 10 clinical parameters. The data sources will be the records of causes of death (RENCAM), the hospital discharge records (SDO) and information systems for primary healthcare. CONCLUSION: Data from the experience of CCM in Tuscany seem promising especially in the evaluation of patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes particularly on cardiovascular and neurological complications and long-term mortality.

[GiochiAMO! The protocol of a school based intervention for the promotion of physical activity and nutrition among children].

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to increase knowledge of healthy eating in children aged 5 to 9 years and their parents and to promote physical activity in order to tackle obesity and overweight in children. METHODS: This paper describes the research protocol of a field intervention that aims to: a) increase knowledge of food pyramid; b) change nutritional behavior according to the Mediterranean diet, particularly increasing fruit and vegetable consumption; c) promote physical activity. Children of primary schools will be included and will be randomly allocated to the intervention or the control groups. The intervention will include the use of games (cards and board games) and also physical activities. CONCLUSIONS: GiochiAMO represents an innovation in the Italian school panorama, in a context in which it is a priority to create environment and school policies aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet pattern and physical activity.

[Pharyngeal and laryngeal hamartoma: case report]. / Amartoma faringolaringeo.

In this report a case of laryngeal hamartoma is presented. Macroscopically this lesion is quite similar to a tumor but is actually a malformation derived from an error in the development of a healthy organ. Histologically, the hamartoma is composed of a proportionally abnormal mixture of tissues as compared to what is normally present in its anatomic site. The lesion is extremely rare and usually appears in the head and neck district, spleen, pancreas, lung and liver. The diagnosis is essentially based on histological examination. The treatment of choice consists of surgery and periodic follow-up. Differential diagnosis must consider other rare neoplasms such as rhabdomyoma and teratoma.

[Analysis of flexion energy variations of a human red blood cell, of ellipsoid form, in the process of deformation imposed by turbulent tangential flux]. / Analisi delle variazioni dell'energia di flessione di un globulo rosso umano, di forma ellissoidale, nel processo di deformazione imposto da flusso tangenziale turbolento.

The purpose of the present, morphological analysis is to recognize a functional connection between shear stress tau, which Human Red Cells, treated with glutaraldehyde, are subjected and their energy of bending (U), during the shape transition, turbulent shear-flow dependent, under the hypothesis of "isoareal" transformation. The experimental basis of this analysis is the work of Sutera and Mehrjardi.

[Preliminary note on a model of cup-shaped deformed human erythrocyte]. / Nota preliminare su un modello di globulo rosso umano deformato a tazza (stomatocita).

We have developed a very elementary model for the cup shaped erythrocyte, in order to obtain some geometrical informations about the cellular contour and mould of the membrane, with regard to the territories of the cell, less accessible to the microscopical observation.