Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-intensity aerobic training (AT) and high-intensity aerobic training combined with resistance training (ie, combined training [CT]) on cognitive function in patients with COPD. Methods: Twenty-eight Caucasian male patients (68.35±9.64 years; mean ± SD) with COPD were recruited and randomized into two groups, AT and CT. Both groups performed physical reconditioning for 4 weeks, with a frequency of five training sessions per week. The CT group completed two daily sessions of 30 minutes: one aerobic session and one strength session, respectively; The AT group performed two 30-minute aerobic endurance exercise sessions on treadmill. Physical and cognitive function tests were performed before and after the training intervention performances. Results: Exercise training improved the following cognitive functions: long-term memory, verbal fluency, attentional capacity, apraxia, and reasoning skills (P<0.01). Moreover, the improvements in the CT group were significantly greater than those in the AT group in long-term memory, apraxia, and reasoning skills (P<0.05). Conclusion: CT may be a possible strategy to prevent cognitive decline and associated comorbidities in male patients with COPD.

The aim of the present study was to analyse the daily variation of balance in two groups of female adolescents: elite athletes (n=20, aged 13.2 ± 0.5 years) and untrained students (n=20, aged 12.9 ± 0.6 years). Participants underwent two testing sessions over two days at two different times each day. Morningness-Eveningness self-assessment questionnaire was administered to assess the chronotype of the participants and oral temperature was measured too. Significant group differences were found in the overall balance tests (p<0.01). Athlete group showed no significant differences in balance tests with respect to the time-of-day. Untrained adolescents attained better results in the morning in the dynamic balance tests (p<0.01). No correlations were found between chronotype, oral temperature variations and balance tests scores. The main outcome of the study was that elite athletes did not show time-of-day effects on balance, whereas the untrained adolescents achieved better results in the morning.

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema has recently been recognized as a syndrome but remains under-diagnosed. Neither clinical management nor therapeutic approaches have been clearly defined. Pulmonary rehabilitation has not been considered within the therapeutic options for combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. In this case we explored the potential benefits of a specific aerobic physical retraining program in the management of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. We describe the case of a 65-year-old Caucasian man with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema and respiratory failure who was receiving long-term oxygen therapy. Our patient underwent physical retraining with moderate intensity aerobic and breathing exercises for four weeks. Clinical and motor tests, as well as questionnaires assessing quality of life and depression levels, were performed prior to and following the retraining. At the end of the retraining program a relevant reduction of long-term oxygen therapy requirement was registered; improvements in terms of physical performance, quality of life, and mood were observed in our patient but no change in respiratory parameters. A program of aerobic physical retraining appears to be beneficial to patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema and may be considered as an additional therapeutic option.

The school-age period is a crucial time for the integrated development of cognitive and motor functions. Literature highlights that physical activity enhances executive functions, including visuospatial working memory (VSWM). In light of this evidence, this study investigated the effects of a school-based coordinative motor intervention on VSWM and gross motor skills in primary school children. An experimental research trial was conducted involving 184 children aged 9–10 years (mean age = 9.5 years, SD = 0.50 years), with 51.1% girls, divided into an experimental group (EG; n = 110), and a control group (CG; n = 74). Randomisation was performed at the class level via sealed envelope extraction by an independent researcher, ensuring allocation concealment. Outcome assessors were blinded to group assignment. VMWM was assessed using BVS-Corsi-2, and gross motor skills were evaluated via the TGMD-3. The EG showed significant improvements in VSWM (Corsi Forward: p < 0.001, d = 1.12; Corsi Backward: p < 0.001, d = 1.40) and gross motor skills, including Total Gross Motor: p < 0.001, d = 1.58, as well as in locomotion (p < 0.001, d = 2.11) and ball skills score (p < 0.001, d = 1.34). These findings strongly endorse incorporating cognitively demanding physical activities into standard school programmes to support children’s overall development and demonstrate the practicality of implementing such programmes within existing educational settings.

Several studies in recent decades have investigated the relationship between physical activity and learning, emphasising the role of corporeality as an effective tool for embodying knowledge, as well as skills, motor skills, and life. The aim of this exploratory study is to analyse and interpret the correlations existing between motor competence and school performance in all the disciplines included in the curriculum of primary school. Through non-probability sampling, a sample of 120 Italian children aged 6–10 years was involved. The TGMD-3 test was used to assess gross motor competence, while academic achievement was assessed based on the children’s GPA (grade point average) evaluation. Additional information on extracurricular sports practice was acquired through a questionnaire completed by parents. The Spearman correlation conducted between the children’s TGMD-3 scores (Gross Motor Index, Locomotion, and Ball scaled scores) and the academic achievement showed weak intensity and no statistical significance. In the analysis by sex, only weak and non-significant correlations, mostly of a negative type, were revealed in the group of males. In the group of females, on the other hand, positive, mostly moderate, and statistically significant correlations emerged between GMI and the scaled Ball scores with the learning assessments, except for Physical Education. The results suggest the need to expand studies investigating the quantity and quality of physical education and sports in the formal school context to understand whether, in sharing the educational project, it can promote better school performance and, more generally, more harmonious development of cognitive, motor, and social skills.