Analysis of Injuries and Risk Factors in Taekwondo during the 2014 Italian University Championship.

 This study aims to analyze the risk factors and type of injuries occurring in Taekwondo athletes participating in a national competition.  Out of the 127 competitors, 18 athletes got injured during a Taekwondo championship who were analyzed for the following parameters: modality of training; age, weight; belt color; and the type of injury.  Around 89% of the injuries were due to bruising and were found mainly on the lower limbs (61%) during the elimination rounds and during the first match of the day.

Effects of transdermal buprenorphine on patients-reported outcomes in cancer patients: results from the Cancer Pain Outcome Research (CPOR) Study Group.

Objectives: Pain still afflicts most cancer patients, mainly in the metastatic phases, and under-treatment is well documented. Transdermal delivery systems (TDS) containing fentanyl or buprenorphine could potentiality have advantages over oral and parenteral routes, but evidence from comparative trials are scanty. In the framework of a wider initiative, an Outcome Research Study was carried out in Italy in 2006 to evaluate the effects of various analgesic options, particularly buprenorphine TDS.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of bupropion for smoking cessation in primary care.

Background: Studies undertaken in academic settings have shown that bupropion hydrochloride can double the odds of smoking cessation compared with placebo. To assess whether these results are applicable in primary care, we launched a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to be conducted by general practitioners.

Methods: We assigned 593 healthy smokers to receive bupropion hydrochloride, 150 mg twice a day, or placebo daily for 7 weeks (hereinafter, bupropion group [n = 400] and placebo group [n = 193], respectively).

A multidisciplinary project to improve the quality of cancer pain management in Italy: background, methods, and preliminary results.

Pain afflicts most cancer patients, mainly in the advanced and metastatic phases of the disease. Despite the existence of several guidelines for cancer pain management that are based on the recommendations by the World Health Organization and the availability of effective treatments for 70% to 90% of cases, undertreatment is well documented and can involve up to 40% of patients. Undertreatment is usually attributed to an incorrect use of opioids for reasons often conceptualized in terms of barriers related to healthcare provider, patient, family, institution, and society.