Fiorenzo Moscatelli

Background/Objectives: Whether coordination-based training can develop group cohesion in youth sport, and how cohesion relates to peripheral oxytocin, is unclear. We examined cohesion and salivary oxytocin during a six-month coordination- and cohesion-oriented program in junior handball players. Methods: Sixty-four male players (12–14 years) from four clubs joined a prospective, non-randomized, within-club controlled study (not prospectively registered). In each club, one pre-existing training slot (eight players) formed the experimental group (EG; n = 32) and the other the control group (CG; n = 32). For 24 weeks (three sessions/week), EG replaced 20–25 min of technical–tactical work with coordination, cooperation, and interpersonal-synchrony exercises. The primary outcome was Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ) Task Cohesion. Results: In the baseline-adjusted, cluster-robust analysis, T1 Task Cohesion was 0.72 points higher in EG than CG (95% CI 0.22–1.23; p = 0.010); Social Cohesion differed similarly (adjusted difference 0.77 points; 95% CI 0.33–1.22; p = 0.003). The adjusted oxytocin difference was imprecise and non-significant (5.0 pg/mL; 95% CI −0.01 to 10.02; p = 0.050), and oxytocin change was unrelated to Task Cohesion change. Conclusions: The program was accompanied by a more favorable cohesion trajectory than time-matched standard training. Non-randomized allocation precludes causal conclusions; oxytocin findings remain exploratory.

Background: Regular physical activity is generally associated with better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and lower psychological distress, yet regular exercisers may differ in how coping strategies, psychological inflexibility, and cognitive fusion relate to perceived health and functioning. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of adult regular exercisers based on coping, psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, HRQoL, psychological distress, age, body mass index (BMI), and years of regular physical activity. Methods: A total of 591 regular exercisers (358 males, 60.6%; 233 females, 39.4%; mean age = 32.46 ± 13.72 years) completed the COPE-NVI-25, SF-36, GHQ-12, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II), and Italian Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (I-CFQ). Results: Latent profile analysis was performed using age, BMI, years of physical activity, five coping subscales, eight SF-36 domains, three GHQ-12 domains, and AAQ-II and I-CFQ scores. A three-profile solution was retained as the preferred substantive solution based on the joint consideration of statistical fit, class representation, entropy (0.87), parsimony, and interpretability. Class 1 (35.5%) showed high avoidance, poorer HRQoL, and higher distress; Class 2 (43.0%) showed near-average coping and better HRQoL; Class 3 (21.5%), comprising older, longer-term exercisers, showed the most adaptive coping and psychological flexibility profile alongside favorable HRQoL. Conclusions: These findings support person-centered approaches in sport and exercise psychology.

Background/Objectives: University students are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, including poor dietary habits, insufficient physical activity, and prolonged sedentary time. While these three behaviours have each been extensively studied individually, the extent to which they have been jointly investigated as distinct constructs in the same undergraduate populations remains unclear. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence jointly addressing dietary habits, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity among undergraduate university students. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus (search date: 27 June 2026), covering records published between 2014 and 2026 in English. Studies were eligible if they measured all three constructs (diet, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity) as distinct outcomes in undergraduate populations aged 18 years or older. Results: Of 1910 records identified, 70 studies met the eligibility criteria, comprising 62 primary studies and 8 ongoing study protocols. The primary studies spanned 26 countries across five continents, and most used cross-sectional designs; only one intervention study was identified. Across studies, inadequate diet, low physical activity, and elevated sedentary time were common and frequently co-occurred within individuals, with associations reported for mental health, body image, and weight-related outcomes. Sedentary behaviour was the construct most often absent from otherwise relevant studies and was consistently elevated when measured. Conclusions: Across the 62 primary studies spanning 26 countries, a broadly consistent pattern of suboptimal diet, insufficient physical activity, and elevated sedentary time was observed among undergraduate students.

Background/Objectives: Obesity is a chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease that requires long-term, multidisciplinary management rather than episodic weight-loss treatment. Although novel incretin-based anti-obesity pharmacotherapies, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists, have markedly improved the clinical management of obesity, weight reduction alone does not fully capture treatment success. Body composition, lean mass preservation, physical function, nutritional adequacy, psychological well-being, adherence, and long-term weight-loss maintenance are increasingly recognized as essential therapeutic outcomes. This narrative review critically examines the role of lifestyle medicine as a co-therapeutic strategy during modern anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, with particular attention to physical activity, nutrition, behavioral support, and individualized monitoring. Methods: A narrative literature search was conducted in PubMed up to June 2026. The review included studies addressing adults with overweight or obesity and evidence related to anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, physical activity, nutrition, body composition, functional outcomes, eating behavior, quality of life, treatment tolerability, adherence, weight regain, and long-term maintenance. Results: Current evidence indicates that incretin-based therapies produce substantial and clinically meaningful weight loss, but pharmacological efficacy may be limited by reductions in lean mass, gastrointestinal adverse events, inadequate nutritional intake, treatment discontinuation, and weight regain after drug withdrawal. Physical activity should be considered a therapeutic component rather than only a tool for increasing energy expenditure, as aerobic exercise supports cardiometabolic health and cardiorespiratory fitness, while resistance training helps preserve muscle strength, bone health, and functional capacity. Nutritional strategies are equally important, particularly during appetite suppression, to maintain adequate protein, fiber, fluids, micronutrients, and diet quality. Behavioral factors, including sleep, stress, mood, stigma, self-regulation, and the food environment, may influence adherence and long-term outcomes. Conclusions: Novel anti-obesity drugs should not be viewed as replacements for lifestyle medicine but as powerful tools within an integrated chronic-care model. The goal of treatment should move beyond maximal body-weight reduction to durable improvements in body composition, metabolic health, physical function, nutritional status, quality of life, and weight-loss maintenance.

Purpose: Acute exercise elicits coordinated neuroendocrine and autonomic responses that are strongly influenced by exercise modality and intensity. While cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase are widely used as peripheral indicators of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system activation, respectively, salivary orexin remains an exploratory biomarker whose relationship with central orexinergic activity is not yet fully established, particularly in response to different exercise conditions. This study aimed to compare the acute salivary responses of orexin, alpha-amylase, and cortisol following distinct exercise modalities characterized by different physiological loads. Methods: A repeated-measures design was employed in a sample of physically active young women. Each participant completed four experimental sessions: high-intensity interval training (HIIT), combined exercise (CE), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), and yoga. Saliva samples were collected at baseline (T0), immediately post-exercise (T1), and during early recovery (T2 and T3). Biomarker concentrations were analyzed to assess temporal dynamics and modality-dependent differences. Results: All biomarkers showed modality-dependent responses. HIIT elicited the most pronounced increases in alpha-amylase and cortisol, reflecting robust sympathetic and HPA axis activation, whereas CE and MICT induced more moderate responses. Yoga was associated with minimal changes across all biomarkers. Orexin displayed a graded response across the exercise modalities, with higher post-exercise levels observed following HIIT compared to lower-intensity conditions. Temporal analyses revealed distinct kinetic profiles, with alpha-amylase peaking rapidly in the early post-exercise phase, whereas cortisol exhibited a more delayed response. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that acute salivary responses of orexin, alpha-amylase, and cortisol are strongly modulated by exercise modality, supporting the importance of an integrated, multi-biomarker approach to characterize the physiological response to exercise. The inclusion of salivary orexin provides exploratory information on a potentially relevant arousal- and energy-regulation-related pathway, complementing established peripheral markers of autonomic and endocrine activation. This integrated perspective may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of exercise-induced stress responses in young women.

Secondary osteoporosis is a major but frequently under-recognized contributor to skeletal fragility, particularly in men, premenopausal women, patients with fragility fractures at unexpectedly preserved bone mineral density, and individuals with rapid bone loss or inadequate response to standard therapy. Endocrine disorders are among the leading causes because they affect bone remodeling, mineral metabolism, sex steroid signaling, glucocorticoid pathways, insulin-like growth factor activity, and parathyroid hormone regulation. Management requires both correction of the underlying endocrine disorder and pharmacological treatment of skeletal fragility according to fracture risk. This review provides a clinically oriented and guideline-informed synthesis of endocrine-related secondary osteoporosis, with a focus on disease-specific skeletal phenotypes, diagnostic red flags, and targeted management strategies. Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of bone quality as a major determinant of fracture risk and on the limitations of conventional tools such as BMD and FRAX in this setting. We propose a practical clinical framework that integrates endocrine phenotype, vertebral imaging, trabecular bone score, and biochemical assessment into fracture-risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making. This approach supports a shift from a purely densitometric model toward a mechanism-based strategy, enabling improved identification of high- and very-high-risk patients and facilitating the appropriate use of anabolic and antiresorptive therapies.

Background: This study aimed to compare changes in motor coordination associated with two different motor practice models—multisport and single-sport soccer training—in children, without implying causal effects of one training context over the other. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre–post study (T0–T1) was conducted over 10 weeks in non-randomized, pre-existing groups. A total of 143 children (mean age: 6.21 ± 0.55 years; 107 males) were allocated to a Multisport Group (MG; n = 79) and a Single-sport Group (SG; n = 64). Motor coordination was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), and raw scores (RAW SCORE) were used for analysis. Statistical analyses included t-tests, change-score (Δ) and effect-size analyses, and two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements over time (p < 0.001; d = 0.75 for MG, d = 0.77 for SG). However, the MG showed significantly greater improvements than the SG (Δ = 16.68 ± 6.14 vs. 12.28 ± 4.08; p < 0.001; d = 0.83). At T1, the SG still showed slightly higher absolute RAW SCORE values than the MG (p = 0.049; d = −0.33), although this between-group difference was markedly reduced compared to baseline (d = −0.59). The ANOVA revealed a very large effect of Time (F(1,141) = 1092.31, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.886), a small-to-medium effect of Group (F(1,141) = 7.51, p = 0.007, η²p = 0.051), and a large Time × Group interaction (F(1,141) = 24.18, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.146). A sensitivity analysis (ANCOVA) confirmed that, after adjusting for baseline scores, sex, and anthropometric variables, the Multisport group showed significantly higher adjusted T1 scores than the Single-sport group (adjusted mean difference = 3.96 points, 95% CI: 1.93–5.99), reversing the direction observed in the unadjusted T1 comparison. Given the non-randomized design and baseline group differences, findings reflect observed associations rather than causal effects. Conclusions: Both practice models were associated with improved motor coordination, with multisport participation associated with greater observed change over 10 weeks. These findings are consistent with a possible role of diversified motor experiences in coordination development, though this study cannot establish causality.

Background: Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are major public health concerns associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, reduced quality of life, and substantial healthcare burden. In recent years, technology-based interventions, including wearable devices, mobile health applications, artificial intelligence-driven systems, and adaptive digital platforms, have been increasingly adopted to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary time in adult populations. However, the evidence remains fragmented across intervention types, behavioural targets, and population groups. The aim of this scoping review was to map the recent literature on digital interventions designed to promote active lifestyles in adults, with a specific focus on their reported impact on physical activity promotion and sedentary behaviour reduction. Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A literature search was performed in PubMed and Scopus using a predefined search strategy combining terms related to digital technologies, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and adult populations. Studies published in English between 2022 and 2026 were considered. After removal of duplicates and screening of titles and abstracts, full texts were assessed according to predefined eligibility criteria. Data were charted descriptively and synthesised narratively to identify the main intervention models and emerging research trends. Results: The search identified 887 records, of which 35 studies were included in the final synthesis. The literature included was grouped into four broad categories: wearable devices and mHealth tools for monitoring and goal-setting; adaptive interventions based on Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions, artificial intelligence, and gamification; advanced technologies such as Internet of Things systems and exoskeleton-based approaches; and hybrid interventions combining digital tools with human support or environmental modifications. Overall, technology-based interventions were generally associated with increases in step count, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and adherence to movement-related behaviours. In contrast, their effectiveness in reducing sedentary behaviour was less consistent and appeared to depend more strongly on context-sensitive prompting, posture-focused strategies, and multicomponent or hybrid intervention models. Conclusions: Digital health interventions represent a promising strategy for promoting physical activity in adults, but their impact on sedentary behaviour reduction remains more limited and heterogeneous. The findings suggest that simply increasing exercise is not sufficient to address prolonged sitting and that more tailored, adaptive, and context-aware approaches are needed. Future research should prioritise methodological standardisation, longer follow-up periods, and interventions specifically designed to interrupt sedentary time across different adult populations.