The data obtained in this study show that genetic factors seem to be the major aspect in TPMT phenotype variability in adults, whilst, in children, other physiological factors should be taken into consideration when assessing the TPMT phenotype, such as age and gender.

Headache disorders are considered the second leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide, and 90% of people have a headache episode at least once a year, thus representing a relevant public health priority. As the pharmacist is often the first and only point of reference for people complaining of headache, we carried out a survey in a nationwide sample of Italian pharmacies, in order to describe the distribution of migraine or non-migraine type headaches and medicines overuse among people entering pharmacies seeking for self-medication; and to evaluate the association, in particular of migraine, with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and with the pathway of care followed by the patients. A 14-item questionnaire, including socio-demographic and clinical factors, was administered by trained pharmacists to subjects who entered a pharmacy requesting self-medication for a headache attack. The ID Migraine™ Screener was used to classify headache sufferers in four classes. From June 2016 to January 2017, 4424 people have been interviewed. The prevalence of definite migraines was 40%, significantly higher among women and less educated people. About half of all headache sufferers and a third of migraineurs do not consider their condition as a disease and are not cared by any doctor. Among people seeking self-medication in pharmacies for acute headache attacks, the rate of definite or probable migraine is high, and a large percentage of them is not correctly diagnosed and treated. The pharmacy can be a valuable observatory for the study of headaches, and the first important step to improve the quality of care delivered to these patients.

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Headache patients often consult a pharmacist in an attempt to obtain momentary pain relief without having been given any previous expert advice. A specific questionnaire was distributed to the pharmacies in order to assess the patterns of use and dispensing of analgesic medications to the headache patient who turns to the pharmacist for relief of a painful attack. This study aimed at identifying migraine patients who self-medicated, with further end points including whether these patients shared any particular clinical characteristics, the most common type of analgesic medications used, and what, if anything, was recommended by the pharmacist; lastly, which health care professional, if any, routinely managed the patient's headaches. A total of 9,100 questionnaires were distributed to the pharmacies and the complete 3,065 were included in the database. The ID Migraine Screener Test was used to classify subjects into 4 groups: "Definite migraine" (3/3 positive answers: n = 1,042; 34 %), "Probable migraine" (2/3: n = 969; 31.6 %), "Unlikely migraine" (1/3: n = 630; 20.5 %), and "Other headaches" (0/3: n = 424; 13.8 %). Only Definite and Probable migraines (n = 2,011) are considered in this paper. Amongst the drugs usually taken by the patients, NSAIDs were more common in the Probable migraine group (60.7 %) than in the Definite migraine (44.7 %) group (p < 0.001). On the contrary, triptans were more commonly used by the Definite migraine group (42.9 %) than the Probable migraine (23.7 %) group (p < 0.001), and combination drugs were preferentially (p < 0.001) chosen by the Definite (13.8 %) rather than the Probable migraine group (8.7 %). A total of 29.2 % of respondents reported that for the management of their headaches, they did not avail themselves of any type of professional healthcare, such as their general practitioner, a headache specialist, or a Headache Center.

Background: Physical fitness in youth is a predictor of health in adulthood. The main objective of the present study was to understand if an enriched sport activity program could increase physical fitness in a population of schoolchildren. Methods: In a sample of 672 children aged 10.0 ± 1.90 years, different motor skills were tested by the 1 kg and 3 kg ball throw (BT), the standing broad jump (SBJ), the 30 m sprint (30mS), the leger shuttle run (LSR), the illinois agility test (IGT), and the quadruped test (QT). Within the controlled-trial, the intervention group (ESA) underwent an additional warm-up protocol, which included cognitive enhancing elements, for 14 weeks while the control group continued with ordinary exercise activity. Results: A significant increase was present regarding the 1 kg and 3 kg BT, the SBJ, the 30mS, and the IGT, while no significant difference was shown regarding the QT and the LSR in the ESA group between pre and post intervention. In the control group, no differences were present for any test except for the QT and the LSR post-test. Conclusion: A 14-week structured physical intervention had moderate effects regarding throwing, jumping, sprinting, and agility in a sample of schoolchildren.