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Despite the well-established benefits of regular physical activity (PA) on health, a large proportion of the population does not achieve the recommended level of regular PA. Although affective experiences toward PA may play a key role to foster a sustained engagement in PA, they have been largely overlooked and crudely measured in the existing literature. To address this shortcoming, the Affective Exercise Experiences (AFFEXX) questionnaire has been developed to measure such experiences. Specifically, this questionnaire is intended to capture three domains: antecedent appraisals (e.g., liking vs. disliking exercise in groups), core affective exercise experiences (i.e., pleasure vs. displeasure, energy vs. tiredness, and calmness vs. tension), and exercise motivation (i.e., attraction vs. antipathy toward exercise). The current study aimed to validate a Chinese version of the AFFEXX questionnaire (AFFEXX-C). In study 1, 722 Chinese college students provided data for analyses of factorial, convergent, discriminant, criterion validity, and test-retest reliability of the AFFEXX-C. In addition, 1,300 college students were recruited in study 2 to further validate its structural model. Results showed that the AFFEXX-C demonstrates a good fit and reliability. Additionally, results further supported the hypothesized model based on previous research: antecedent appraisals predicted core affective exercise experiences, which in turn predicted attraction-antipathy toward exercise. The AFFEXX-C was found to be a reliable and valid measure of affective exercise experiences in a population of Chinese college students.

Background: Physical activity has been associated with better cognitive function and better sleep quality. Yet, whether the beneficial effect of physical activity on cognitive function can be explained by an indirect pathway involving better sleep quality is unclear. Objective: To investigate whether sleep quality mediates the association between physical activity and cognitive function in adults 50 years of age or older. Methods: 86,541 community-dwelling European adults were included in the study. Physical activity and sleep quality were self-reported. Indicators of cognitive function (immediate recall, delayed recall, verbal fluency) were assessed using objective tests. All measures were collected six times between 2004 and 2017. The mediation was tested using multilevel mediation analyses. Results: Results showed that self-reported physical activity was associated with better self-reported sleep quality, which was associated with better performance in all three indicators of cognitive function, demonstrating an indirect effect of physical activity on cognitive function through sleep quality. The mediating effect of sleep quality accounted for 0.41%, 1.46%, and 8.88% of the total association of physical activity with verbal fluency, immediate recall, and delayed recall, respectively. Conclusion: These findings suggest that self-reported sleep quality partly mediates the association between self-reported physical activity and cognitive function. These results need to be confirmed by device-based data of physical activity and sleep quality.

Health in older age is shaped by early-life socioeconomic circumstances (SECs) and sex. However, whether and why these factors interact is unclear. We examined a cultural explanation of this interaction by distinguishing cultural and material aspects of SECs in the context of physical activity—a major determinant of health. We used data from 56,331 adults between 50 and 96 years old from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a 13-year, large-scale, population-based cohort. Confounder-adjusted logistic linear mixed-effects models showed an association between the cultural aspects of early-life SEC disadvantage and physical activity among women, but it was not consistently observed in men. Furthermore, these associations were compensated for only partially by adult-life socioeconomic trajectories. The material aspects of early-life SECs were not associated with adult-life physical activity. These findings highlight the need to distinguish different aspects of SECs because they may relate to health behaviors in diverse ways.

In the present article, we examined the effects a single online and personalized ABC training session on physicalactivity behaviors in ecological settings, as well as on choices and attitudes (both at the explicit and implicit level)toward physical activity. Moreover, to provide further insight into the mechanisms at works, we compared itseffects not only to a sham training condition, but also to a typical approach-avoidance training.

Using computerized reaction-time tasks assessing automatic attitudes, studies have shown that healthy young adults have faster reaction times when approaching physical activity stimuli than when avoiding them. The opposite has been observed for sedentary stimuli. However, it is unclear whether these results hold across the lifespan and when error rates and a possible generic approach-avoidance tendency are accounted for. Here, reaction times and errors in online approach-avoidance tasks of 130 participants aged 21 to 77 years were analyzed using mixed-effects models. Automatic approach-avoidance tendencies were tested using physical activity, sedentary, and neutral stimuli. Explicit attitudes toward physical activity and intention to be physically active were self-reported. Results accounting for age, sex, gender, level of physical activity, body mass index, and chronic health condition confirmed a main tendency to approach physical activity stimuli (i.e., faster reaction to approach vs. avoid; p = .001) and to avoid sedentary stimuli (i.e., faster reaction to avoid vs. approach; p < .001). Results based on neutral stimuli revealed a generic approach tendency in early adulthood (i.e., faster approach before age 53 and fewer errors before age 36) and a generic avoidance tendency in older adults (i.e., more errors after age 60). When accounting for these generic tendencies, results showed a greater tendency (i.e., fewer errors) to avoid than approach sedentary stimuli after aged 50, but not before (p = .026). Exploratory analyses showed that, irrespective of age, participants were faster at approaching physical activity (p = .028) and avoiding sedentary stimuli (p = .041) when they considered physical activity as pleasant and enjoyable (explicit attitude). However, results showed no evidence of an association between approach-avoidance tendencies and the intention to be physically active. Taken together, these results suggest that both age and explicit attitudes can affect the general tendency to approach physical activity stimuli and to avoid sedentary stimuli.

People with autonomous motives (e.g., personal importance) may use automated strategies to effortlessly sustain goal-directed behavior and overcome obstacles. We investigated whether conscious effort, ease of goal striving, physiological effort, and the number of obstacles encountered mediate relations between motives and goal attainment for a competitive cycling goal. Additionally, half the participants (n = 57) were trained in Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) – a technique that facilitates development of goal-directed behavior – with remaining participants (n = 54) treated as controls. Conscious investment of effort mediated relations between autonomous motives and goal attainment. Subjective ease of goal striving and physiological effort did not. This result indicates that successful goal striving is not perceived as effortless for autonomously motivated individuals working on competitive goals. Conversely, MCII predicted a reduction in obstacles, which in turn was associated with easier goal striving but not goal attainment. Although MCII did not support goal attainment in the current study, its ability to minimize the influence of obstacles may still be useful for other types of goals or for sustaining long-term goal pursuit.

When the dimensions of inequality reinforce each other, it is difficult to measure the influence of each. We explore a method for measuring the distance between predetermined groups of individuals (defined a priori by gender and geographical residence). The first step consists in classifying individuals by cluster analysis (without considering the a priori groups). The second step calculates the relative frequency distribution among the clusters for each of the a priori groups. Finally, the distance between two groups is defined as the Euclidean distance of the corresponding percentage frequency distributions. We assume that the more dissimilar this distribution is, the more unequal the a priori groups are. We apply this method to 23 European countries using data of the European Social Survey 2008 and 2018. We find that the average distance between men and women has decreased. Keywords: gender, compound intersectional inequality, distance between strata, gender self-perception, cross-comparisons in space and time., AG About Gender - Rivista internazionale di studi di genere, V. 11 N. 22 (2022): Fare intersezionalità in luoghi esplorati e inesplorati

Intervention science faces a hazardous paradox: on the one hand, vulnerable populations (eg, patients, people from low socioeconomic background, older adults) are those for whom adoption of healthy behaviors is most urgent; on the other hand, behavior change models are less predictive, and interventions less successful, in these populations. This commentary presents 4 reasons that may explain this issue: (1) research mostly focuses on what causes behavior and how to change it, at the expense of investigating among whom and under what conditions models are valid; (2) models put an undue emphasis on individual cognitions; (3) most studies are not conducted on vulnerable populations; and (4) most researchers are from high-income countries. Several avenues are proposed to address this issue: (1) providing a central place to the context and audience in health behavior change modelization, through collaborations with researchers from other disciplines and countries, and with members of the targeted audience; (2) better reporting samples’ sociodemographic characteristics and increasing samples’ diversity; and (3) using more rigorous and innovative designs (eg, powered randomized controlled trials, N-of-1 trials, intensive longitudinal studies). In conclusion, it becomes urgent to change the way we do research: the social utility and credibility of intervention science depend on it.

INTRODUÇÃO: A má oclusão caracterizada por diastemas generalizados consiste em grande desafio para os ortodontistas, uma vez que é frequentemente combinada com sobremordidas normais ou profundas e arcadas largas, e a mecânica necessária para fechar os espaços leva, normalmente, ao agravamento do trespasse vertical, pela movimentação lingual dos incisivos, com abaixamento da borda incisal e redução do perímetro da arcada, resultando em grande instabilidade pós-tratamento. OBJETIVOS: O principal objetivo desse artigo é propor e descrever, passo a passo, um método simples e prático para fechar os espaços de diastema, com alterações mínimas na inclinação dos incisivos, sobremordida e largura da arcada, utilizando braquetes autoligados ou convencionais, reduzindo os espaços anteriores no início do tratamento, com rápida melhora estética. CONCLUSÃO: Por meio da apresentação de um caso clínico, mostrou-se que os espaços podem ser fechados com alterações mínimas na inclinação dos dentes anteriores e sobremordida, ao mesmo tempo que a principal deficiência estética que mais incomoda os pacientes pode ser resolvida precocemente no tratamento.

Introduction Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere, dominated by nitrogen and organic compounds and methane- and ethane-based climatic cycles similar to the hydrological cycle on Earth. Hence, Titan is a prime target for planetary and astrobiological researches. Heaviest organic materials resulting from atmospheric chemistry (including high atomic number aerosols) precipitate onto the surface and are subject to geological processes (e.g., eolian and fluvial erosion) that lead to the formation of a variety of landscapes, including dune fields, river networks, mountains, labyrinth terrains, canyons, lakes and seas analogous to their terrestrial counterparts but in an exotic context. Its optically thick atmosphere, however, prevents the surface from being probed in the entirety of the near-infrared (NIR) range, and its composition is still largely unknown, or largely debated at the least, preventing to fully understand and quantify the geological processes at play. Incident and reflected solar radiations are indeed strongly affected by gaseous absorption and aerosol scattering in the NIR. Only where the methane absorption is the weakest, a few transmission windows allow the detection of radiation coming from the low atmosphere and the surface, making possible to retrieve the surface albedo. In the 0.88-5.11 μm range (VIMS-IR channel), the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on board the Cassini spacecraft has shown that the surface can be observed in eight narrow transmission windows centered at 0.93, 1.08, 1.27, 1.59, 2.03, 2.69, and 2.78 μm, and in the 5.0-5.11 μm interval. Even in these transmission windows, residual gaseous absorption and increasing scattering from aerosols with decreasing wavelength make the analysis of the surface signal and the retrieving of surface albedo complex and delicate. In order to retrieve the surface albedo in the atmospheric windows in the most possible rigorous way, we have developed a radiative transfer (RT) model with up-to-date gaseous abundances profiles and absorption coefficients and improved photochemical aerosol optical properties. We validated our model using in situ observations of Huygens-DISR (Descent Imager / Spectral Radiometer) acquired during descent and once landed. We then applied our RT model to the Selk crater area (the Dragonfly mission landing area) in order to map the surface albedo and discuss the surface properties of the different geomorphological units of the region. Radiative transfer Our RT model is based on the SHDOM solver to solve the RT equations using the plan-parallel approximation. Vertical abundance profiles and absorption lines of CH4 and isotopes, CO, C2H2 and HCN are implemented using the most recent studies. Correlated-k coefficients are used to calculate gases absorption coefficients at VIMS-IR spectral sampling and resolution. Aerosols extinction profile and single scattering albedo are described using a fractal code developed by [1], allowing the aerosol fractal dimension to be varied. Aerosols phase function is modified using a multi-angular VIMS sequence (Sébastien Rodriguez, personal communication). Our model is validated using the in situ observations of Huygens-DISR acquired during the complete descent sequence and once landed. Application We applied our RT model to the Selk crater region by inverting aerosol opacity and surface albedo over 4 VIMS cubes (1578266417_1, 1575509158_1, 1578263500_1, 1578263152_1) acquired over the area. We built local maps of aerosol opacities and surface albedos of the Selk region by combining the 4 VIMS cubes on a geographically projected mosaic (see the mosaic of the 4 raw VIMS observations in Fig. 1). A few longitudinal profiles of the retrieved atmospheric properties are shown in Fig. 2. Slopes and seams between cubes of the aerosol opacities, originally due to varying observation geometries between flybys, have been entirely corrected, confirming the robustness of our RT model and making the retrieved surface albedo more reliable. Retrieved surface albedo have been then corrected for the photometry using in-situ observations ([3]). The resulting albedo maps of the regions are highly contrasted and homogeneous, most of the seams between cubes (due to residual surface photometry) being corrected (Fig. 3). Conclusion We developed and validated a new RT model for Cassini-VIMS observations of Titan with up-to-date atmospheric optical description. Coupled with an efficient inversion scheme, our model can be apply to the complete VIMS dataset for the retrieval of Titan’s atmospheric opacities and surface albedos at regional and global scales. References [1] Rannou, P., McKay, C., & Lorenz, R. 2003, Planetary and Space Science, 51, 963 [2] Karkoschka, E., Schröder, S. E., Tomasko, M. G., & Keller, H. U. 2012, Planetary and Space Science, 60, 342

The aim of this study was to reconstruct the geography of social capital in Italy more than 25 years after Putnam's map of 1992. We used a statistical method (DBS, Distance Between Strata), which had not previously been applied to the study of social capital, and data from the 2019 ISTAT Multiscope Household Surveys “Aspects of daily life”. We analysed the distribution of social capital in the regions of Italy in multidimensional terms. With DBS it was indeed possible to consider various dimensions of social capital instead of using an overall index. It enabled us to isolate three types of Italians, which we called civic, non-civic and "grumbling" Italians. Grumbling Italians are citizens who take part in political and social life but have little trust in others and in public institutions. Their geographic identification is the main contribution of this article to Italian studies on social capital for at least two reasons: 1) it questions the “obvious” correlation between political participation and trust in institutions; 2) it provides an important basis for reflection on Italian civic culture.

Aphanius fasciatus is a small fish occurring in Mediterranean brackish environments. In Cyprus it is known from three localities separated by long stretches of coast. The genetic diversity of these populations was evaluated using fragments of two mitochondrial genes. A comparison with the other available data showed that Cyprus populations represent a distinct lineage. The other lineages are concentrated in a relatively small area between the Strait of Sicily and the Western Ionian Sea, while all other areas include a subset of these lineages, suggesting that the aforementioned area might have acted as a glacial refugium. Landlocked North-African populations diverge from all other populations, suggesting that they might have originated in the Late Pleistocene, during transgression events of the Mediterranean Sea in North-African inland water bodies. The genetic diversity of A. fasciatus varied across different Cyprus populations, with a pattern mirroring the degree of environmental degradation, which likely affected population genetic variability through demographic reductions. The three Cyprus populations showed genetic uniqueness, suggesting the need of population-based management practices; the low genetic diversity of two populations, and the number of threats affecting them, suggest that the species should be considered endangered at national level and deserves protection measures.

The phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes remain poorly understood and some authors indicated that the diversity of this group has been underestimated and additional analyses are required to clarify the biogeographic patterns throughout its distribution in Mexico. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes across their range, identifying relative divergence times among the main clades and reconstructing the biogeographical history of the group. Three partial mitochondrial genes (ND4, cytb and ATPase6) and one nuclear gene (RAG1) were sequenced to infer the phylogenetic relationships, through the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference-based methods; demographic history reconstruction was investigated through Bayesian Skyline plot analysis and the ancestral area reconstruction was carried out considering a Bayesian framework. We found strong evidence that the black-tailed rattlesnakes’ group is composed of six clades, which is in agreement with subspecies previously reported. Divergence time estimation indicated that the origin of the C. molossus group could be traced to the middle of the Miocene (~7.71 Mya). Ancestral area reconstruction indicated that early divergence events occurred in Central Mexico, probably related to the geological dynamics of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The lineage C. m. oaxacus is the basal member of the C. molossus group. Furthermore, the combination of geological events and changes in Quaternary vegetation may have contributed to the divergence of C. molossus clades. Our results suggest several clades within C. molossus complex could be potentially recognized as separate species.

Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, has a dense atmosphere mainly composed of nitrogen and methane at a percent level. These two molecules generate a complex prebiotic chemistry, a global haze, most of the cloud cover and the rainfalls which model the landscape. Methane sources are located in liquid reservoirs at and below the surface and it sink is the photodissociation at high altitude. Titan’s present and past climates strongly depend on the connection between the surface sources and the atmosphere upper layers. Despite its importance, very little information is available on this topic. In the last two decades, the observations made by the Cassini orbiter and the Huygens probe have greatly improved our knowledge of Titan’s system. The surface, haze, clouds, and chemical species can be studied and characterised with several instruments simultaneously. On the other hand, some compounds of its climatic cycle remain poorly known. This is clearly the case of the methane cycle, which is, however, a critical component of Titan’s climate and of its evolution. We reanalysed four solar occultations by Titan’s atmosphere observed with the infrared part of the Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument. These observations were already analysed (Bellucci et al., 2009, Maltagliati et al., 2015), but here we used significantly improved methane spectroscopic data. We retrieved the haze properties (not treated previously) (Figure 1) and the mixing ratios of methane (Figure 2), deuterated methane, and CO in the stratosphere and in the low mesosphere. Figure 1 : Haze extinction as a function of altitude, retrieved for the four observations, at wavelengths 0.884 μm (channel #97), 1.540 μm (channel #137) and 2.199 μm (channel #177). The extinction profiles retrieved by Seignovert et al. (2021) with Cassini/ISS, at wavelength 338 nm (CL-UV3 filters), are shown with green lines (labelled "S2020"). Those from Vinatier et al. (2010) or Vinatier et al. (2015), scaled at the wavelength 1μm, are shown with black lines ("V2010" or "V2015"). The profiles in cyan ("RP83"), are the extinctions retrieved by Rages & Pollack (1983) at 30◦N in August 1981 (wavelength 0.5 μm). The differences in the detached haze altitudes between VIMS-IR (Ls = 26°), Cassini/ISS (Ls = 14.8°) and Voyager 2/ISS (Ls = 18°) are their dates while the detached is falling down (West et al. (2018); Seignovert et al. (2021)). The grey line shows the haze profile by Doose et al. (2016) with DISR in 2005 at 10°S (labelled "D2016"). We find that the methane mixing ratio in the stratosphere is much lower (about 1.1%) than expected from Huygens measurements (about 1.4 to 1.5%). However, this is consistent with previous results obtained with CIRS. Features in the methane vertical profiles clearly demonstrate that there are interactions between the methane distribution and the atmosphere circulation. We find a layer rich in methane at 165 km and at 70°S (mixing ratio 1.45 ± 0.1%) and a dryer background stratosphere (1.1 − 1.2%). In absence of local production, this reveals an intrusion of methane transported into the stratosphere, probably by convective circulation. On the other hand, methane transport through the tropopause at global scale appears quite inhibited. Leaking through the tropopause is an important bottleneck of Titan’s methane cycle at all timescales. As such, it affects the long term evolution of Titan atmosphere and the exchange fluxes with the surface and subsurface reservoirs in a complex way. Figure 2 : Methane mixing ratio retrieved with the four observation sets, with data between 0.88 and 2 μm (top) and between 2 and 2.8 μm (bottom). We also plot the methane mole fraction retrieved with the GCMS onboard Huygens (Niemann et al. (2010)) and with DIRS (Bézard (2014)) and CISR (Lellouch et al. (2014)). The green dashed profile, in the upper left graph, shows the evaluation made by Rannou et al. (2021). We also retrieved the haze extinction profiles and the haze spectral behaviour. We find that aerosols are aggregates with a fractal dimension of Df ≃2.3±0.1, rather than Df ≃2 as previously thought. Our analysis also reveals noticeable changes in their size distribution and their morphology with altitude and time. These changes are also clearly connected to the atmosphere circulation and concerns the whole stratosphere and the transition between the main and the detached haze layers. We conclude that, to fully understand these results, Global Climate Models accounting for haze and cloud physics, thermodynamical feedbacks and convection are needed. Especially, the humidificaton of the stratosphere, at the present time and its evolution under changing conditions at geological timescale appears as a key process, and our work provide strong constraints to guide studies. References Bellucci, A., Sicardy, B., Drossart, P., et al. 2009, Icarus, 201, 198 Bézard, B. 2014, Icarus, 242, 64 Doose, L. R., Karkoschka, E., Tomasko, M. G., & Anderson, C. M. 2016, Icarus, 270, 355 Lellouch, E., Bézard, B., Flasar, F. M., et al. 2014, Icarus, 231, 323 Maltagliati, L., Bézard, B., Vinatier, S., et al. 2015, Icarus, 248, 1 Niemann, H. B., Atreya, S. K., Demick, J. E., et al. 2010, Journal of Geophysical Research (Planets), 115, E12006 Rages, K. & Pollack, J. B. 1983, Icarus, 55, 50 Rannou, P., Coutelier, M., Riviere, E., et al. 2021, Astrophysical Journal, 922Rey, M., Nikitin, A., Bézard, B., et al. 2018, Icarus, 303, 114 Seignovert, B., Rannou, P., West, R. A., & Vinatier, S. 2021, The Astrophysical Journal, 907, 36 Vinatier, S., Bézard, B., de Kok, R., et al. 2010, Icarus, 210, 852 Vinatier, S., Bézard, B., Lebonnois, S., et al. 2015, Icarus, 250, 95 West, R. A., Balloch, J., Dumont, P., et al. 2018, Geophysical Research Letters, 38

Background: Diabetes is a chronic condition associated to higher levels of systemic oxidative stress. This might pose a risk of failure for implant therapies. However, there is insufficient data regarding the long-term implant survival in patients with diabetes assessing different implant designs and complementary information related to patients’ general oral health status. The aim of this cohort study was to investigate the survival and success rates of titanium-zirconia tissue-level dental implants in patients with a history of T2DM and to assess the outcome according to glycemic control and oxidative stress levels.Methods: The present cross-sectional study evaluated the implant success among a cohort of patients diagnosed with diabetes type II and rehabilitated with titanium-zirconia tissue-level implants. Blood and salivary oxidative stress has been scored at different time points with U CARR units. Results: Thirty-seven implants in twenty-eight patients have been included in the analysis. All implants were healthy, not showing pathological bone loss neither signs or symptoms of mucositis/peri-implantitis at the last follow-up visit. Local and systemic stress appeared unrelated. The blood test scored an average value of 367±71.8 U CARR which is to be expected in a diabetic cohort, with no difference on the basis of glycemic control. The average salivary test score was 2203±364 U CARR, which is within the limits of a healthy range. This test was found to be higher in diabetic patients showing poor glycemic control. Conclusion: Tissue level implants are a reliable solution in diabetic patients with varying levels of glycemic control and systemic oxidative stress, as long as the general oral health is preserved. Assessment of salivary antioxidants could be a non-invasive beneficial procedure to routing patients to the appropriate treatment plan, discouraging elective surgical procedure unless strict hygiene measures are followed.

We performed a prospective randomized comparison among Retrograde IntraRenal Surgery (RIRS) and MiniPerc (MP) for stones between 10 and 20 mm to evaluate outcomes with the same laser device: Fiber Dust.Patients with a single renal stone between 10 and 20 mm were randomized to RIRS (Group A) versus MP (Group B). Exclusion criteria were age 18 or 75, presence of acute infection, coagulation impairments, cardiovascular or pulmonary comorbidities. In both groups, the Fiber Dust laser was used. A CT scan after 3 months was performed. A negative CT scan or asymptomatic patients with stone fragments 3 mm and a negative urinary culture were the criteria to assess the stone-free status. A statistical analysis was carried out to assess success, complication and retreatment rates and need for auxiliary treatments.Between January 2021 and January 2022, 186 patients were enrolled (90 in Group A and 96 in Group B). Mean stone size was 15.8 mm and 14.9 mm in Group A and B, respectively (p = 0.23). The overall stone-free rate (SFR) was 73.3% for Group A and 84.4% for Group B. A higher SFR was reached for upper calyceal stones in Group A (90.4%) lower calyceal stones in Group B (91.6%). Retreatment rate (p = 0.31) and auxiliary procedure rate (p = 0.18) were comparable. Complication rate was 5.5% and 5.2% for Groups A and B, respectively.RIRS and MP are both effective to obtain a postoperative SFR with Fiber Dust. According to the stone position one treatment is superior to the other one.

Deprived people are less physically active than privileged individuals. However, pathways underlying the association between deprivation and physical activity remain overlooked. We examined whether the association between deprivation and physical activity was mediated by body mass index (BMI). Consistent with an intersectional perspective (how the combination of belongingness to vulnerable social categories widens inequalities), we tested whether gender moderated this mediating pathway and hypothesized that the mediating effect of BMI would be stronger among women (vs men). Large-scale longitudinal data from 20,961 adults 50 years of age or older (57% women) from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were used. Social and material deprivation were measured by questionnaire, BMI and physical activity were reported from two to six years later. Simple mediation models showed that BMI partly mediated the association of material (total effect

The cryptic diversity in the polychaete Syllis gracilis Grube, 1840, in the Mediterranean Sea was examined with an integrative morpho-molecular approach. Individuals of S.gracilis were collected at eleven Mediterranean localities to provide an insight into the role of brackish environments in inducing cryptic speciation. The examination of morphological features combined with a molecular genetic analysis based on a partial sequence of the 16S rRNA gene highlighted discrepancies between morphological and molecular diversity. Morphological data allowed to identify a morphotype with short appendages occurring in coralline algae communities and another one with long appendages observed in brackish-water environments and Sabellaria reefs. Multivariate analyses showed that sampling localities were the greatest source of morphological divergence, suggesting that phenotypic plasticity may play a role in local adaptations of S.gracilis populations. Molecular data showed the occurrence of four divergent lineages not corresponding to morphological clusters. Different species delimitation tests gave conflicting results, retrieving, however, at least four separated entities. Some lineages occurred in sympatry and were equally distributed in marine and brackish-water environments, excluding a biogeographic or ecological explanation of the observed pattern and suggesting instead ancient separation between lineages and secondary contact. The co-occurrence of different lineages hindered the identification of the lineage corresponding to S.gracilis sensu stricto. The discrepancy between morphological and molecular diversity suggests that different environmental and biogeographic features may interact in a complex and unpredictable way in shaping diversity patterns. An integrative approach is needed to provide a satisfactory insight on evolutionary processes in marine invertebrates.

Background We sought to evaluate the additional value of left atrial appendage (LAA) 3D printing derived from computed tomography (CCT) in determining the size for LAA occlusion (LAAO) devices as compared to standard measurement by using occurrence of LAA leak as endpoint. Methods We evaluated 6 patients with LAA leak (cases) and 14 matched patients without LAA leak (controls) after LAAO. For each group, a patient-specific 3D printed model of LAA was manufactured using CT pre-operative images. The size recommended by the 3D printed model was compared with the size of the implanted device. Results Compared to the 3D printed model, 55% of the devices were underestimated, the two sizing approaches agreed in 35% of the patients, while the 3D printed model overestimated the size in 10% of patients. The prevalence of LAA leak was significantly higher in the subset of patients with underestimation of prosthesis implanted with the standard approach as compared to the other patients (p = 0.019). Conclusion 3D printing of the LAA may provide additional value to standard practice for LAAO device prosthesis sizing with the potential impact to reduce LAA leak.

To assess whether changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviour during the COVID-19 lockdown are associated with changes in mental and physical health. Observational longitudinal study. Participants living in France or Switzerland responded to online questionnaires measuring physical activity, physical and mental health, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Paired sample t-tests were used to assess differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviour before and during lockdown. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate associations between changes in physical activity and changes in mental and physical health during lockdown. 267 (wave1) and 110 participants (wave2; 2 weeks later) were recruited. Lockdown resulted in higher time spent in walking and moderate physical activity (~10min/day) and in sedentary behaviour (~75min/day), compared to pre COVID-19. Increased physical activity during leisure time from week 2 to week 4 of lockdown was associated with improved physical health (β=.24, p=.002). Additionally, an increase in sedentary behaviour during leisure time was asso- ciated with poorer physical health (β=−.35, p=.002), mental health (β=−.25, p=.003), and subjective vitality (β=−.30, p=.004). Ensuring sufficient levels of physical activity and reducing sedentary time can play a vital role in helping people to cope with a major stressful event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assess the effects of a new ejaculation-sparing thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ES-ThuLEP) technique on sexual functions and micturition, in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and to evaluate how the surgical technique of ES-ThuLEP can lead to ejaculation preservation. A prospective study was carried out between January 2015 and January 2018 on patients with surgical indication for BPH, who wished to preserve ejaculation. The patients were treated with ES-ThuLEP and were evaluated before and 3 and 6 months after surgery. Three validated questionnaires (ICIQ-MLUTSsex, IIEF-5 and IPSS) were used to assess changes in ejaculation, erectile function and urinary symptoms. Uroflowmetry (Qmax and Qavg), post-void residual volume and voided volume were also evaluated, to assess micturition improvement. Patients with moderate to severe erectile dysfunction were excluded. Statistical analysis was performed with the Student’s t test, Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Two hundred and eighty three patients were enrolled. Ejaculation was spared in 203 and 219 patients at 3 and 6 months after surgery. No significant differences were observed between erectile function before and after surgery: baseline IIEF-5 = 16.2 ± 4.47 vs 16.7 ± 2.9 (p = 0.419) and 17.7 ± 3.2 (p = 0.410) at 3 and 6 months. Significant improvement in urinary symptoms was achieved: baseline IPSS = 19.4 ± 7.24 vs 5.8 ± 4.3 (p = 0.032) and 3.9 ± 4.1 (p = 0.029) at 3 and 6 months. ES-ThuLEP effectively preserved ejaculation in over two thirds of the patients without compromising micturition improvement or erectile function. ES-ThuLEP could be a valid treatment option for BPH in young and sexually active men.

INTRODUÇÃO: A evolução no design dos attachments e o maior número deles na mecânica promovem movimentações dentárias mais precisas, resultando, consequente- mente, em melhor adaptação e retenção dos alinhadores à arcada dentária, o que dificulta sua remoção. Dessa forma, dispositivos que facilitem a remoção do alinhador e que auxiliem na higiene são necessários. OBJETIVO: Sendo assim, esse artigo tem como objetivo apresentar a patente de um dispositivo para a remoção e higienização de alinhadores ortodônticos, comercialmente denominado OutKlean® (Coraldent, São Paulo/SP). CONCLUSÃO: Esse dispositivo facilitará a remoção dos alinhadores, permitindo ao paciente higienizar o alinhador ou sua cavidade bucal, conforme sua preferência.

The influence of substrate morphology on early stages of fouling development was assessed through submerged experimental substrates with different morphological complexity. The experiment was carried out within commercial and touristic harbours of the port of Livorno (Italy), analysing the communities at three steps of colonization (14, 28, 42 days). We assessed the effect of substrate complexity on recruitment of non-indigenous species (NIS), combined with the influence of port use destinations. NIS were recorded in both use destination areas since the first step of colonization. Substrate morphological complexity significantly affected fouling colonization and particularly NIS assemblages. We found that high-complexity substrates are particularly suitable for NIS establishment in comparison with less complex ones. The touristic harbour exhibited a potential for fouling colonization higher than the commercial harbour. These results contributed to the understanding of factors involved in NIS establishment and spread, as well as in their spatial-temporal dynamics within port environments.

Physical activity is unequally practiced across populations: relative to more privileged individuals, deprived people are less likely to be physically active. However, pathways underlying the association between deprivation and physical activity remain overlooked. Here, we examined whether the association between several indicators of deprivation (administrative area deprivation and self-reported individual material and social deprivation) and physical activity was mediated by body mass index (BMI). In addition, consistent with an intersectional perspective, we tested whether this mediating pathway was moderated by participants’ gender and we hypothesized that the mediating effect of BMI would be stronger among women, relative to men. We used two independent large-scale studies to test the proposed pathways cross-sectionally and prospectively. In a first sample composed of 5,723 British adults (Study 1), BMI partly mediated the cross-sectional association between administrative area deprivation and self-reported physical activity. Moreover, relative to men, the detrimental effect of deprivation on BMI was exacerbated among women, with BMI mediating 3.1% of the association between deprivation and physical activity among women (vs 1.5% among men). In a second sample composed of 8,358 European older adults (Study 2), our results confirmed the findings observed in Study 1: BMI partly mediated the prospective association between perceived material and social deprivation and self-reported physical activity. Moreover, compared to men, the effect of deprivation on BMI was more pronounced among women, with BMI respectively mediating 8.1% and 3.4% of the association between material and social deprivation and physical activity among women (vs 1.3% and 1.2% among men). These findings suggest that BMI partly explained the detrimental association between deprivation and physical activity, with this effect being stronger among women. Our study highlights the need to further consider how gender may shape the mechanisms behind the association between disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances and physical activity.

To compare endoscopic enucleation of the prostate using a thulium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Tm:YAG) laser and a super-pulsed thulium fiber laser set in continuous-wave (CW) mode, and to evaluate whether theoretical advantages of thulium fiber lasers, related to their shorter wavelength, translate into relevant clinical differences.In total, 110 patients suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia were randomized to undergo either thulium:YAG laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) or CW thulium fiber laser enucleation of the prostate (CW-ThuFLEP). Intraoperative and postoperative variables and complications were compared. Micturition improvement was assessed at 3-month follow-up using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), post-void residual urine (PVR) and maximum flow rate (Qmax). Erectile function was evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5).No significant differences between the ThuLEP and CW-ThuFLEP groups were found in terms of operative time (70.69 vs 72.41 min), enucleation time (50.23 vs 53.33 min), enucleated tissue weight (40.2 vs 41.9 g), enucleation efficiency (0.80 vs 0.79 g/min), catheterization time (2.45 vs 2.57 days), hospital stay (2.82 vs 2.95 days) and hemoglobin drop (1.05 vs 1.27 g/dl). At 3-month follow-up, no significant differences were found in IPSS (5.09 vs 5.81), Qmax (26.51 vs 27.13 ml/s), PVR (25.22 vs 23.81 ml) and IIEF-5 (14.01 vs 14.54).ThuLEP and CW-ThuFLEP were equivalent in relieving patients from LUTS and improving micturition. Theoretical advantages of the TFL, such as shallower penetration depth and improved vaporization capacity, did not translate into relevant perioperative outcomes or clinical differences.

Poor sleep quality and physical inactivity are known risk factors for depressive symptoms. Yet, whether these factors differently contribute to depressive symptoms and whether they interact with one another remains unclear. Here, we examined how sleep quality and physical activity influence depressive symptoms in 79,274 adults 50 years of age or older (52.4% women) from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) study. Sleep quality (poor vs. good), physical activity (inactive vs. active), and depressive symptoms (0 to 12 score) were repeatedly collected (7 waves of data collection) between 2004 and 2017. Results showed that sleep quality and physical activity were associated with depressive symptoms. Specifically, participants with poorer sleep quality reported more depressive symptoms than participants with better sleep quality (b = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.83-1.86, p .001). Likewise, compared to physically active participants, physically inactive participants reported more depressive symptoms (b = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.42-0.45, p .001). Moreover, sleep quality and physical activity showed an interactive association with depressive symptoms (b = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.13-0.20, p .001). The negative association between poor sleep quality and higher depressive symptoms was stronger in physically inactive than active participants. These findings suggest that, in adults 50 years of age or older, both poor sleep quality and physical inactivity are related to an increase in depressive symptoms. Moreover, the detrimental association between poor sleep quality and depressive symptoms is amplified in physically inactive individuals.