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Exercise represents the most important integrative therapy in metabolic, immunologic and chronic diseases; it represents a valid strategy in the non-pharmacological intervention of lifestyle linked diseases. A large body of evidence indicates physical exercise as an effective measure against chronic non-communicable diseases. The worldwide general evidence for health benefits are both for all ages and skill levels. In a dysregulated lifestyle such as in the obesity, there is an imbalance in the production of different cytokines. In particular, we focused on Adiponectin, an adipokine producted by adipose tissue, and on Orexin-A, a neuropeptide synthesized in the lateral hypothalamus. The production of both Adiponectin and Orexin-A increases following regular and structured physical activity and both these hormones have similar actions. Indeed, they improve energy and glucose metabolism, and also modulate energy expenditure and thermogenesis. In addition, a relevant biological role of Adiponectin and Orexin A has been recently highlighted in the immune system, where they function as immune-suppressor factors. The strong connection between these two cytokines and healthy status is mediated by physical activity and candidates these hormones as potential biomarkers of the beneficial effects induced by physical activity. For these reasons, this review aims to underly the interconnections among Adiponectin, Orexin-A, physical activity and healthy status. Furthermore, it is analyzed the involvement of Adiponectin and Orexin-A in physical activity as physiological factors improving healthy status through physical exercise.

A quasi-natural experiment has been carried out in which the Centre Meeting (CM) rules of some centres of a large Microfinance Institution (MFI) that offers microfinance services, in the form of group lending, were changed. The study has been carried out at the Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF), an MFI that operates in South Africa. The frequency of group meetings, organised as part of the “Monthly Centre Meetings” pilot programme, was reduced from bimonthly to monthly, and only one member per credit- group was asked to participate instead of all the group members. The purpose of these changes was to allow borrowers to save time to spend on their own economic activities. This new policy was put into force for one year, from May 2014 to the end of April 2015. After selecting a suitable control group of micro- borrowers, using Propensity Score Matching techniques, we ran difference-in-difference (DID) regressions to evaluate the impact of the policy changes on the client’s repayment and saving behaviour. The obtained estimates suggest that the change in the policy rules had led to a deterioration of the customers’ saving balances and had increased delayed repayments. Text mining techniques, applied to survey data, pointed towards a lack of trust within the groups, the members of which did not meet frequently outside the CMs, and this was found to be one of the main causes of failure of the pilot experiment. We have concluded that group meetings are an effective tool to stimulate the accumulation of social capital for some categories of clients, and that those MFIs that wish to implement similar interventions should be aware of the drawbacks pertaining to borrowers’ behaviour.

This study investigates the efficiency of suspicious transaction reporting activity to a financial intelligence unit as a means to deter money laundering. Baseline and two-province theoretical models are used to frame the empirical analysis. The latter examines the relationship between suspicious transaction reporting and the vulnerability of Italian provinces to money laundering from 2009 to 2013. Instrumental variables and spatial analysis are exploited to identify the role of suspicious transaction reporting on vulnerability. The results provide a positive assessment of the risk-based mechanism of reporting suspicious operations to the financial intelligence unit, although ‘congestion’ problems from overreporting are observed.

We studied the effects of a pilot project that strengthened savings incentive mechanisms. The project was established by The Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF), a leading microfinance institution based in South Africa. The program introduced a savings stimulus in the form of a Goal Card: clients subscribing to this (non-coercive) tool were required to identify a savings goal and to commit to regular payments to reach it. The experiment had a quasi-natural approach as it was implemented by SEF in non-randomly selected locations. Difference-in-differences estimates show improved savings habits among those of the foundation’s customers who were involved in the program, compared to the counterfactual that are identified using propensity score matching. The effect of the program manifested in its second semester, suggesting a persistent change of habits but a slow accumulation of savings. We conclude that asking microcredit customers to identify a savings goal and commit to a regular savings amount to achieve it is a promising savings incentive mechanism.

Recent studies have demonstrated that obesity is a significant risk factor for the development of several malignancies such as cancer. Colorectal cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide and is strong linked to obesity. A healthy lifestyle, characterized by hypocaloric diet and physical activity, is important to reduce a chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and metabolic disorders typical of obesity (Messina et al, 2018; Messina et al, 2017; Messina et al, 2015). It is well known that the chronic inflammation state and oxidative stress are responsible for the aging and development of many diseases, such as cancer. Dysregulation of cytokine's secretion probably participates in the establishment of cancer in obese patients. The aim of this study is to analyse the effects of sera from obese patients subjected to a physical activity program before and after weight loss on cell viability, apoptosis and oxidative stress in HCT116 carcinoma cell line treated for 24, 48 and 72 hours through MTT test. We analysed the expression of cytokines in HCT116 cells. We found that sera from obese after physical activity intervention compared to treatment with sera from obese patients before physical activity intervention reduce the survival rate of HCT116 cells through induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress. Finally, we found a reduction of mRNA levels corresponding to the pro-inflammatory IL-6 and IL-8 cytokines together with an increase of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine. We can conclude that the physical activity has numerous beneficial effects also in colorectal cancer cell, indeed the physical activity and weight loss in obese subjects have an inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects in a short period on carcinoma cell line.

Accident prevention is certainly the topic of greatest interest in the football medical field. Data literature reported that the risk of injuries is approximately 1000 times greater in professional football than in other occupations; for these reasons, it is very important the prevention. The costs of an accident, both in economic terms and in terms of time away from the playing fields, have pushed researchers from more fields (sports doctors, orthopedists, physiotherapists, sports scientists and physiologists) to find causes regarding muscle and joint injuries and to prevent them. Many researchers have tried the cause of the damage in the anatomic setting: in the single muscle, in the muscular bundle and from the fasciculus to the single myofibril, losing the general system, studying the single function and muscular structure, and not the real physiology movement and the complex connectivity of the anatomical network. For these reasons, we think that the anatomical network and the relationships between the various structures of the body in motion represent the substrate on which we must research. For many years the anatomists have divided the body, while in recent decades it is understood the importance of the elements that unite the body, and in particular to the mechanical connection element: the fascia.

A better understanding of loan repayment behavior of borrowers can contribute to the development of microfinance. This paper investigates the repayment performance of borrowers of a nonprofit Indian microfinance institution, the Indian Institute for Mother and Child – IIMC, using a novel data set. We collected raw data on more than 1600 borrowers, covering a period of more than three years. The data collection focused on the installments of those borrowers who at first received a loan lower than the loan limit, but then reached the loan limit within the time span considered. The final sample for the empirical analyses is homogeneous in terms of borrowers’ characteristics and includes the installments of 373 loans. We focus on a relatively neglected issue in the microcredit literature, viz. the motivation of the borrower for receiving future loans. In addition to borrowers’ characteristics, we analyze the motivational issues that may influence the probability that the loan is fully or partially repaid, and the time horizon over which it is repaid. Empirical results show that the repayment rate improves as borrowers get closer to the loan limit, which is the maximum available loan. In other words, motivation for reaching the maximum loan level is positively associated to the repayment performance.

Summary Objective The aim of this study was to describe a case of acute acalculous cholecystitis occurring in the course of primary Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Methods The clinical features of the case were analyzed and compared to those of three other similar cases reported in the international literature. Results All cases occurred in European females with cholestatic hepatitis, presented with gallbladder wall thickening, and recovered uneventfully without the need for surgical intervention. Conclusions Acute acalculous cholecystitis may occur during the course of acute EBV infection, especially in patients with cholestatic hepatitis. Clinicians should be aware of the possible involvement of the gallbladder during EBV infection to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures or the overuse of antibiotics.

Most Microfinance institutions (MFIs) worldwide focus their efforts in relieving the poor from financial constraints through micro-loans. This research focuses on integrating a money management and entrepreneurial training plan to a lending program in a non-profit MFI in Kolkata, India. The paper’s main purpose is to measure the marginal impact of training on the beneficiaries through a randomized control trial. Positive and significant effects are found on both institutional outcomes (number of missing or delayed repayments, average weekly savings) and financial management skills of the clients (ability to separate personal and business money, to track revenues and expenses, to calculate profits). Initiative and self-confidence measures also increase, while business outcomes and entrepreneurial skills of the participants exhibit no significant changes. The effects appear stronger on those for whom the training was compulsory, and for those who expressed more interest in the course before the beginning of the program. A formal set-up and incentives linked with the completion of the training are therefore advised when considering similar interventions.

Aims of the study and methods Recent studies suggested the existence of significant regional variations, in Italy, for cancer survival. For most neoplasms, survival rates tended to be lower in Southern regions versus Northern areas; for colorectal tumours, 5-year survival was 60% in Northern regions, but ranged between 40% and 50% in the South. Main purpose of the present study was to find out possible reasons which might explain such differences. To reach this objective, we compared the main epidemiological and clinical data in two areas covered by cancer registration: Modena, in the North, and Naples in the South of Italy. Results The results of the study suggest that differences in colorectal cancer survival can be mainly attributed to a different stage at diagnosis, which was less favourable in a larger fraction of cases diagnosed in Southern Italy. This could be the consequence of an insufficient diffusion of screening procedures. Type of surgery, medical treatment and follow-up seem to play little or no role. The study also shows that incidence rates of colorectal cancer are significantly higher in the North than in the South of the country, and that the excess of cases seen in Modena is limited to the age group 55–75+ years, while age-specific incidence is virtually identical in the younger age classes. Conclusion This high-resolution study confirms the paramount importance of stage at diagnosis in the management of colorectal cancer, and suggests that social and economic factors are of relevance, even in Western countries, for reducing inequalities in cancer care.

Social networking sites are an increasingly important tool for career development, especially for highly skilled individuals. Moreover, they may constitute valuable sources of data for scholars and policy makers. However, little research has been conducted on the use by highly skilled individuals of those social networks. In this paper, we focus on PhD graduates, who play an important role in the innovation process and in particular in knowledge creation and diffusion. We seek to increase understanding of the determinants that induce PhD graduates to register on LinkedIn and to develop wider or narrower networks. Controlling for the most relevant individual characteristics, we find that (i) PhD holders moving to the industry sector are more likely to have a LinkedIn account and to have a larger network of connections in LinkedIn; (ii) PhD holders are more likely to use LinkedIn if they have co-authors abroad; and (iii) they have wider networks if they have moved abroad after obtaining their PhD. In light of our analyses, we discuss the usefulness of - and main concerns about - the adoption of LinkedIn as a new data source for research and innovation studies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.