Psoriasis is a common cutaneous disorder characterized by abnormal epidermal differentiation, proliferation and inflammation mediated by dermal infiltrates, such as T cells, neutrophils, dendritic cells and macrophages. There are renewed interest in the role of components of the innate immune system. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-• (TNF-•) and interleukin (IL)-6, and-1ß involved in pathogenic phenomena in psoriasis are known as inducers of the acute phase response. Among the large group of acute phase reactants, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen are of special interest in psoriasis. The PTX-3, a long pentraxin sharing similarities with the classical short proteins. Thus, considering the numerous biological roles of inflammatory cytokines and their relationship with inflammatory markers, such as CRP and fibrinogen we have investigated the role of PTX3 in psoriasis. To this aim PTX3, TNF-•, IL-6 and IL-1ß in plasma and in monocytic cultures by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 44 patients including severe and mild psoriasis were measured. An increased production of PTX3, both in supernatant of purified monocytes and in plasma from patients with severe psoriasis, was found. The significant correlation, between cellular production and plasma levels of PTX3 in psoriasis was found as a sign of cellular activation by monocytes/macrophages that first infiltrate the psoriatic lesion. In severe psoriasis, a significant correlation between psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and TNF-• and IL-6 levels in both supernatant of monocytes and plasma was found. In contrast, no correlation was found for IL-1ß. By immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, a strong PTX3 staining in fibroblasts, endothelial cells and monocytes/macrophages in severe psoriatic lesional skin was detected. Finally, a positive correlation between PTX3 and disease activity of psoriasis was observed as PASI score was elevated. These findings suggest that PTX3 could be used as a further marker of disease activity of psoriasis.

Gait analysis is clinically relevant in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and consists of several joint angular displacement–time relationships and spatiotemporal parameters. However, it lacks representation by means of diagrams in which knee-angle/hip-angle and knee-angle/ankle-angle variations are plotted against each other at the same points of time. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis was performed on 20 subjects (10 PwMS/10 healthy controls, HCs), and the knee-angle/hip-angle and knee-angle/ankle-angle diagrams of both lower limbs were determined in the sagittal plane while walking on a motorized treadmill. The area (a quantifier of range of motion) and the perimeter (a quantifier of coordination) of angle-angle diagram loops were calculated. PwMS showed reduced knee-angle/ankle-angle loops compared to HCs (p < 0.05), whereas the hip-angle/ankle-angle loops between the PwMS and HCs was not significant (p > 0.05). Similarly, the activation of leg muscles showed significant differences between PwMS and HCs (p ranged from 0.05 to 0.001). The results indicate that the proposed knee-angle/hip-angle diagram is feasible and could be applied as a reliable tool in future studies aimed at assessing the acute and long-term effects of specific exercise programmes and/or pharmacological treatment in PwMS.

Flexibility training is a fundamental biological process that improves the quality of life of the elderly by improving the ranges of motion of joints, postural balance and locomotion, and thus reducing the risk of falling. Two different training programs were assessed acutely and after 12 weeks by means of the sit-and-reach test. Thirty-one healthy older adults were randomly divided into three groups: the Experiment I group (Exp) performed strength and static stretching exercises; the Experiment II group performed dynamic and static stretching exercises; and participants assigned to the control group maintained a sedentary lifestyle for the entire period of the study. Flexibility acutely increased in Exp I by the first (ΔT0 = 7.63 ± 1.26%; ES = 0.36; p = 0.002) and second testing sessions (ΔT1 = 3.74 ± 0.91%; ES = 0.20; p = 0.002). Similarly, it increased in Exp II significantly by the first (ΔT0 = 14.21 ± 3.42%; ES = 0.20; p = 0.011) and second testing sessions (ΔT1 = 9.63 ± 4.29%; ES = 0.13; p = 0.005). Flexibility significantly increased over the 12 weeks of training in Exp I (ΔT0 − T1 = 9.03 ± 3.14%; ES = 0.41; p = 0.020) and Exp II (ΔT0 − T1 = 22.96 ± 9.87%; ES = 0.35; p = 0.005). The acute and chronic differences between the two groups were not significant (p > 0.05). These results suggest the effectiveness of different exercise typologies in improving the flexibility of the posterior muscular chains in older adults. Therefore, the selection of a program to optimize training interventions could be based on the physical characteristics of the participants.

Gait analysis is clinically relevant in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and consists of several joint angular displace-ment-time relationships and spatiotemporal parameters. However, it lacks representation by means of diagrams in which knee angle-hip angle and knee angle-ankle angle variations are plotted against each other at the same instants of time. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis was performed on 20 subjects (10 PwMS/10 healthy controls, HCs), and the knee-angle/hip-angle and knee-angle/ankle-angle diagrams of both lower limbs were determined in the sagittal plane while walking on a motorized treadmill. The area (a quantifier of conjoint range of motion) and the perimeter (a quantifier of coordina-tion) of angle-angle diagram loops were calculated. PwMS showed reduced knee-angle/ankle-angle loops compared to HCs (P<0.05, ES = 0.80), whereas the hip-angle/ankle-angle loops between the PwMS and HCs was not significant (P> 0.05). Similarly, the activation of leg muscles showed significant differences between PwMS and HCs (p ranged from 0.05-to 0.001; ES ranged from 1.30 to 1.89). The results indicate that the proposed knee-angle/hip-angle diagram is feasible and could be applied as a reliable tool in future studies aimed at assessing the acute and long-term effects of specific exercise programmes and/or pharmacological treatment in PwMS.