Health is affected by the financial, environmental and work conditions. In this paper, we have proposed an algorithm to be used in a game so that it could behave intelligently for stress relieving and health care rather than in a traditional leisure. Our study explores the efficacy of intelligent games to keep the interest of a user in computer usage that helps in the reduction of stress. The games keep track of a user’s actions and decide intelligently which best next level should be provoked to the user for keeping his/her interest in the game. In several experiments it has been observed that after playing stress relief game, users become less distracted by rejection, help releasing their stress and anxiety.

In 2017, Active Citizenship Network (ACN) launched the second edition of the bi-annual research-project conducted at the European level and entitled “EU Civic Prize on Chronic Pain - Collection of good practices”. This initiative aims to provide evidence of existing good practices in terms of struggle against pain across Europe. In particular, this second edition allowed ACN to give continuity to the successful collection of good practices in the struggle against pain that was started in 2015, as well as to expand the “agora” of operators of good practices on pain, encouraging the exchange of experiences among health professionals, healthcare providers, institutions, civic associations and patient advocacy groups. This article describes the main results of the second edition of the research: 40 good practices gathered from several EU countries and 4 winning best practices. The latter are all mobile apps and thus demonstrate the growing role of digital health in the treatment of chronic pain. The full research has been published in the Report entitled “Collecting Good Practices European Civic Prize on Chronic Pain Second Edition”, edited by Cittadinanzattiva Onlus (all rights reserved).

The research involved a sample of 150 patients with a diagnosis of cancer, with the aim of assessing food habits and lifestyle. Smoking, physical activity and diet have been observed so as to seek for possible correlation with cancer. Patients involved had different types of cancer: data regarding correlation between diet and gastrointestinal cancer have been specifically assessed. Surprisingly, most patients, who declared to follow Mediterranean diet, instead, by actually analysing type and quantities of specific food , followed a different pattern. Therefore, in a population of South of Italy, one of the places which gave birth to Mediterranean diet, the protective effect of this kind of diet against many diseases is now at risk. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation between nutritional pattern and gastrointestinal cancer has been found.

Self-compassion refers to a positive, kind attitude of a person toward oneself when confronted with difficulties. A self-compassionate coping style may buffer against the development of psychological problems. Aim was to introduce a new, 4-item measure for Self-compassion and to test its psychometric properties. In addition, its relationships with Neff’s Self Compassion Scale (SCS) and with the HADS depression and anxiety scales were studied, in an adult general population sample. The results showed that the SCCM had a high reliability, confirming internal validity. In addition, the SCCM was strongly related to all subscales and total score of the SCS, suggesting construct validity. Finally, also strong relationships were found with symptoms of depression and anxiety, suggesting criterion validity. The SCCM might therefore be considered a valuable and reliable tool in the study of self-compassion associated with mental-health problems, while it also might provide us with targets for intervention.

During the past 15 years, the biological and scientific knowledge of the pleiotropic properties of vitamin D and its metabolites has expanded beyond the well-understood effects of vitamin D in calcium homeostasis and skeletal health.  Many, recently published peer-reviewed articles clinical and epidemiological studies support multiple extra-skeletal beneficial effects of having adequate serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations.  However, this knowledge has not translated into clinical practice.  Consequently, thousands of people are developing (and existing disease are getting worse) vitamin D deficiency release and complications , otherwise could have been prevented.