Cardiovascular diseases in Paralympic athletes.

Background: Sport participation (SP) of individuals with impairments has recently grown exponentially. Scarce scientific data, however, exist regarding cardiovascular (CV) risk associated with competitive SP.

Objective: Assessing the prevalence of CV abnormalities and the risk for SP in Paralympic athletes (PA).

Benign clinical significance of J-wave pattern (early repolarization) in highly trained athletes.

Background: J wave/QRS slurring (early repolarization) on 12-lead ECG has been associated with increased risk for ventricular fibrillation in the absence of cardiovascular (CV) disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical significance of J wave/QRS slurring in a large population of competitive athletes.

Methods: Seven hundred four athletes (436 males [62%], age 25 ± 5 years) free of CV disease who had engaged in 30 different sports were examined.

Knowledge about health effects of cigarette smoking and quitting among Italian university students: the importance of teaching nicotine dependence and treatment in the medical curriculum.

Aims of the study were to compare medical students (MS) to non-MS with respect to their knowledge of smoking and to investigate the effect of a short educational intervention on MS knowledge. MS (n = 962) and students of architecture and law (n = 229) were asked to complete a 60-item questionnaire addressing knowledge of smoking epidemiology and health effects ("Score 1"), and effectiveness of cessation treatments ("Score 2"). Upon completion of questionnaire, fourth year MS received a lecture on tobacco dependence.

Validity of the Italian version of the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) for nicotine dependence in smokers intending to quit.

The objective was to test the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Severity of Dependence Scale, a five-item measure designed to assess the compulsive dimension of drug dependence. 635 smokers enrolled in a tobacco dependence treatment program served as the participants. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence was used as a comparative measure.