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Generalization and enhancement of the effects of an active placebo nasal spray on sadness
Get PDFIntroduction: The placebo effect, i.e., the psychobiological response arising from administering an inert treatment, influences various domains, such as pain perception and emotional regulation. Positive framing might enhance this effect. This study tested whether the effect of an active placebo (mimicking drug side effects to enhance treatment credibility) on is generalized between two different contexts of sadness induction and if positive framing of side effects enhances this effect. Methods: Ninety-six healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Placebo+positive framing (PPF), Placebo+standard information (PSI), or no treatment control (NTC). Participants underwent a sadness induction protocol during an in-person lab session and a 20-min online follow-up at home six hours later. Primary outcome was self-reported sadness, secondary outcome was self-reported side effects. Results: Both the PPF and PSI groups showed a significant decrease in sadness compared to the NTC group after placebo administration during the lab session (p < 0.001) and at follow-up (p < 0.05). At follow-up, only the PPF group did not experience a significant increase in sadness. Positive framing did not improve side effect tolerability. Limitations: Self-reported measures introduce subjective bias. The sample restriction to healthy volunteers limits generalizability. The six-hour period may not capture clinically relevant long-term effects. Conclusions: The active placebo nasal spray effectively reduced sadness, with effects persisting for six hours and across different contexts. Positive framing did not enhance side effect tolerability but may have helped maintain effectiveness at follow-up. Further research is needed in clinical populations and to explore long-term effects
Head-to-head comparison of DaVinci and HugoTM RAS robotic platforms for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies
No full textBackground: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies to analyze intra- and postoperative outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using either DaVinci (DV-RARP) or HugoTMRAS (H-RARP) platforms. Methods: The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024562326) and followed PRISMA guidelines. Literature search was conducted in June 2024 using academic databases, focusing on articles from 2021 to 2024. Research question focused on men with PCa (P) undergoing H-RARP (I) versus DV-RARP (C) to evaluate surgical, pathology, and functional outcomes (O), across comparative studies. Continuous variables were summarized using mean difference (MD) and categorical variables using odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. Publication bias was evaluated with Egger's and Begg's tests. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata®17.0, with significance set at p < 0.05. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Methodological quality was evaluated with AMSTAR 2. Results: Eight studies (three prospective, five retrospective) with 1114 patients (454 H-RARP vs. 660 DV-RARP) were included. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. No significant differences were found in overall operative time, console time, blood loss, nerve-sparing, or lymphadenectomy. Docking time was significantly longer for HugoTMRAS (MD:6 min,95% CI 4.2;7.8). Postoperative outcomes, including complications, length of stay, and catheterization time, were similar. Pathological outcomes showed no significant differences in positive surgical margins or staging, but lower node yield was observed with H-RARP (MD:-2,95% CI -3.3;-0.6). Urinary continence recovery was comparable. Risk of bias was moderate to serious. Conclusion: The meta-analysis suggests H-RARP and DV-RARP perform not statistically different across most of analyzed outcomes, except for docking time and lymph-node yield. The longer docking time associated with the HugoTMRAS suggests demanding setup but does not translate into significantly longer operative time. Although statistically significant, the observed difference in lymph-node yield might be clinically negligible
Introduction: literature and crises across historical scales
No full textThis chapter introduces "The Routledge Companion to Literature and Crises", focusing on the complex and multifaceted nature of crisis. It outlines how the volume explores crises as represented in literary texts across diverse contexts, including the environment, finance, migration and diaspora, war, human rights, values and identity, health, politics, terrorism, and technology. The chapter also emphasizes the diachronic dimension, highlighting how the volume examines both contemporary permacrisis and historical crises, analyzing their representation in literature across different periods and cultures
Chapter 4 - Handling of food samples
No full textFood safety is the basis of consumer health protection and requires, among other things, the identification and quantification of all those contaminants that may be harmful to humans and animals. In order to take care of this important aspect, the scientific community is increasingly engaged in the development of reliable analytical methodologies to isolate such contaminants from food matrices. Among the strategies currently employed in this regard, some can be defined ‘conventional’ such as liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), solid–liquid extraction (SLE) as well as solid-phase extraction (SPE). These approaches are the most widely used, either in their traditional version or in the form of variants based, for example, on the use of new solvents (e.g., deep eutectic solvent, DSE-LLE), stationary phases with special properties (e.g., magnetic SPE) or aimed at minimising the amount of material (e.g., dispersive LLE and SPE).
In addition to these, there is also a series of more ‘advanced’ approaches involving the use of instrumental extraction technologies that allow the extraction of analytes to be conducted more efficiently by the application of energy forms, as in the case of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) or ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE), which are also characterised by traditional and more sophisticated variants. Finally, the large family of QuEChERS (Quick, Efficient, Cheap, Rudge and Safe) methods is slowly gaining ground both in the determination of specific contaminant classes and in multi-target analysis. This chapter will provide an overview of current trends in the extraction of contaminants from food samples
Education paths in neuro-oncology: combining technical skills with multidisciplinary care. A survey from the AINO (Italian Association for Neuro-Oncology) Youngster Committee
No full textPurpose: Neuro-oncology is a multidisciplinary subspecialty that has evolved and expanded tremendously over the last 20 years. In Europe, notwithstanding a number of commendable initiatives, neither a specific neuro-oncology training curriculum nor a consensus on the ideal training tools have been set. In this context, the Youngster Committee of the Italian Association for Neuro-Oncology (AINO) has run a nationwide survey to take a snapshot of the current situation of neuro-oncology education in Italy. Methods: Between July and November 2023, we distributed through AINO a 34-question survey addressed to all Italian care providers dealing with neuro-oncology, irrespective of specialty and level of experience, as per AINO mission. The questionnaire was disseminated using an open link. We analyzed and stratified answers according to epidemiological characteristics of the respondents, i.e. age, gender, role, years of experience, type and case load of their work Institutions, geographical region. Results: We collected 254 valid questionnaires. The majority of respondents were under 40 years old (62.6%); neurosurgeons formed the largest specialty group (48%). Residency was a key step for neuro-oncology education according to 33% of participants; notably, younger respondents gave a significantly more positive assessment of residency programs compared to older ones (72% vs. 56%, p = 0.0193). PhD programs in Italy are focused only on research, according to 30% of respondents. Regarding the tools for continuing medical education in neuro-oncology, a striking contrast between the ideal ones, which should be the frequent participation in dedicated courses (59% responses), and the actual one, which is scientific literature (55%), was recorded. Mentorship programs are rare and inconsistent and should be strengthened. More than 90% of participants declared multidisciplinary collaboration as fundamental. Multispecialty societies like AINO have a key role in strengthening education in neuro-oncology through the organization of structured post-graduate programs. Conclusion: The results of this survey, by describing the status of the neuro-oncology training paths in Italy, can lay the foundation for initiatives aimed at harmonizing neuro-oncology education in Italy and Europe. The creation of a shared neuro-oncology curriculum and of a network of mentors is suggested
Gaining legitimation during environmental crises: an inquiry into the relationship between corporate social responsibility, reputation, and blame attribution
No full textPurpose–Responsible management of waterresources is critical owing to its effects on the environment and society. This study aims to address customer perceptions of a water utility during a severe environmental crisis that affected northern Italy and aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), perceived crisis response and corporate reputation.
Design/methodology/approach– This study draws on legitimacy theory and attribution theory, adopting a quantitative design. In detail, a moderated mediation model is used to investigate the direct effect of CSR on reputation, the mediating effect of perceived crisis response on the relationship between CSR and reputation and the moderating effect of blame attribution on the relationship between CSR and perceived crisis response. In addition, the evolution of the crisis event and its management is traced through the analysis of the water utilities’ sustainability reports published since the beginning of the crisis.
Findings– The findings show that CSR affects corporate reputation directly and via perceived crisis response. In addition, CSR improves perceived crisis response, especially when an organization is held responsible for a crisis. The analysis of the CSR report allows for understanding the evolution of CSR policies of water utilities, shifting attention from a merely informative role of sustainability disclosure to a more comprehensive approach to perfluoroalkyl substances risks in the struggle of contributing to sustainable development.
Practical implications– The findings suggest some managerial implications about the usefulness of adopting CSR for crisis management and, furthermore, the importance of communicating CSR policies to all stakeholders overall the customers of public utilities.
Originality/value– This paper focuses on the relationship between CSR, reputation, and blame attribution. Literature on this topic is still scarce overall in the field of public utilities. Furthermore, this study is relevant because it faces one of the major European environmental crises that affected the water sector and provides helpful insights for all public utility sectors and, more generally, for environmental crisis management
Safety of direct oral anticoagulants reversal agents in older patients: an analysis of individual case safety reports of adverse drug reaction from VigiBase®
No full textBackground: Real-world data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with idarucizumab and andexanet alfa are limited. Aim: This study aimed to assess the frequency, the characteristics and clinical and demographic factors associated with ADRs related to their use. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of ADR reports collected in Vigibase® until May 31, 2023. Multivariable logistic regression estimated reporting odds ratios (RORs) for serious ADRs, death, and thromboembolic events according to demographical and clinical covariates. Results: A total of 1095 Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) reporting idarucizumab (72%) or andexanet alfa (28%) as suspected/interacting agents were collected. Most of the subjects were males (44.5%), with a median age of 78 years, and exposed to only one suspected/interacting medication (73.6%). ADRs were defined as serious in 88.6% of cases, with a total of 614 (56.1%) fatal cases. Compared to patients without concomitant medications, probability of serious ADRs and death were both higher in those receiving ≥ 5 concomitant medications in the idarucizumab subgroup (ROR 4.04 and 1.66, respectively) and in those receiving 1-4 concomitant medications in the andexanet alfa subgroup (ROR 5.66 and 4.80, respectively). Moreover, the probability of thromboembolic events was significantly lower for subjects aged > 75 years (ROR for 75-84 years 0.55; ROR for ≥ 85 years 0.50). Discussion: In real-world, ADRs associated with idarucizumab and andexanet alfa use are generally serious, resulting in death in a high percentage of subjects. Conclusion: Clinicians should pay particular attention when managing individuals needing these drugs, especially if vulnerable and requiring polytherapy
Bayesian prior uncertainty and surprisal elicit distinct neural patterns during sound localization in dynamic environments
Get PDFEstimating the location of a stimulus is a key function in sensory processing, and widely considered to result from the integration of prior information and sensory input according to Bayesian principles. A deviation of sensory input from the prior elicits surprisal, depending on the uncertainty of the prior. While this mechanism is increasingly understood in the visual domain, much less is known about its implementation in audition, especially regarding spatial localization. Here, we combined human EEG with computational modeling to study auditory spatial inference in a noisy, volatile environment and analyzed behavioral and neural patterns associated with prior uncertainty and surprisal. First, our results demonstrate that participants indeed used prior information during periods of stable environmental statistics, but showed evidence of surprisal and discarded prior information following environmental changes. Second, we observed distinct EEG activity patterns associated with prior uncertainty and surprisal in both the time- and time-frequency domain, which are in line with previous studies using visual tasks. Third, these EEG activity patterns were predictive of our participants' sound localization error, response uncertainty, and prior bias on a trial-by-trial basis. In summary, our work provides novel behavioral and neural evidence for Bayesian inference during dynamic auditory localization
Parental Involvement: A bibliometric Analysis of Research on Relations between Disadvantaged Families and the School
No full textPer Hannah Arendt, l'educazione è il contesto in cui si gioca il futuro: "L'educazione è il punto in cui decidiamo se amiamo abbastanza il mondo da assumerci la responsabilità per esso e, allo stesso tempo, salvarlo da quella rovina che, senza il rinnovamento, senza l'arrivo del nuovo e del giovane, sarebbe inevitabile" (Arendt, 2006, p. 193). L'educazione, nel senso più ampio, si trova al centro delle relazioni umane, delle nostre – e ora anche del pianeta – possibilità di un futuro. I due contesti espressamente dedicati a far crescere i giovani verso l'età adulta sono la famiglia e la scuola. È all'interno di essi che si dispiega il futuro.
La delicata relazione scuola-famiglia è stata oggetto di ricerca e dibattito per decenni, con un forte aumento degli studi e delle pubblicazioni negli ultimi anni (Addi-Raccah et al., 2023). La sua storia ha abbracciato cambiamenti culturali e socioeconomici, nuove forme di famiglia e la rivoluzione digitale. Non solo questo, ma i genitori e gli insegnanti hanno tradizionalmente svolto ruoli diversi nel percorso educativo dei giovani.
Tenendo conto di ciò, e dell'investimento emotivo e del senso di realizzazione personale che caratterizzano la funzione dei genitori in società sempre più competitive, l'incontro scuola-famiglia appare "una situazione complessa per sua natura, che va oltre le differenze socio-culturali e legislative dei contesti dove avviene questo incontro" (Dusi, 2012, p. 29). Implementare un approccio educativo comune può essere visto sia come una sfida (Yamauchi et al., 2017) che come un problema irrisolto (Dusi, 2012), specialmente quando si ha a che vedere con genitori provenienti da contesti diversi con esperienze di vita e educazione variegate (O’Donnell & Kirkner, 2014).
In questo capitolo, dopo una breve rassegna della letteratura focalizzata sull'evoluzione storica dell'incontro scuola-famiglia e le principali prospettive adottate dai ricercatori, indirizziamo la nostra attenzione verso i gruppi svantaggiati, utilizzando l'analisi bibliometrica per mappare gli argomenti associati alla relazione tra famiglie svantaggiate e il sistema scolastico.For Hannah Arendt, education is the context in which we gamble with the future: ‘Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it and by the same token save it from that ruin which, except for renewal, except for the coming of the new and young, would be inevitable’ (Arendt, 2006, p. 193). Education, in the widest sense, lies at the centre of human relationships, of our – and now the planet’s – chances of a future. The two contexts expressly dedicated to bringing up young people into adulthood are the family and the school. It is within them that the future unfolds.
The sensitive school–family relationship has been the subject of research and debate for decades, with a steep rise in studies and publications in recent years (Addi-Raccah et al., 2023). Its history has encompassed cultural and socioeconomic change, new forms of family, and the digital revolution. Not only this, but parents and teachers have traditionally played different roles in young people’s educational journey.
With this in mind, and the emotional investment and sense of personal fulfilment that
characterize the function of parents in increasingly competitive societies, the school–family encounter appears to be ‘a complex situation by its very nature, which goes beyond the socio-cultural and legislative differences of where this encounter takes place’ (Dusi, 2012, p. 29).
Implementing a common educative approach can be seen as both a challenge (Yamauchi et al., 2017) and an unresolved problem (Dusi, 2012) especially when dealing with parents from diverse backgrounds with varied experiences of life and education (O’Donnell & Kirkner, 2014).
In this chapter, after a short literature review focusing on the historical evolution of the school–family encounter and the main perspectives adopted by researchers, we direct our attention to disadvantaged groups, using bibliometric analysis to map the topics associated with the relationship between disadvantaged families and the school system
Riflessioni intorno all’utilizzo di dati sanitari, genetici e genomici. Quale libertà vi può mai essere se l’obbedienza la si compra con i pani?
No full textIl capitolo discute criticamente alcune concezioni tradizionali di “soggetto” e di “morale” nel contesto del capitalismo biogenetico. Queste concezioni sono problematizzate in chiave interdisciplinare alla luce di alcune considerazioni interne alla teoria e alle pratiche del Diritto privato, degli Studi Organizzativi e della Genomica. Così il tema della persona e del
corpo, sotto il profilo materiale e informazionale, è affrontato in termini di trattamento dei dati genetici, nel difficile bilanciamento tra tutela della persona e mercato, e vengono poi illustrati alcuni profili di comparazione (UK GDPR e EU GDPR) e l’uso secondario dei dati genomici rispetto alle cure personalizzate