1,721,312 research outputs found
Da Esculapio a Igea un approccio di genere alla salute
No full textConsiderare il "genere" tra i determinanti di salute, costituisce una sfida conoscitiva interessante ma anche, e soprattutto, un potenziale contributo alla definizione di strumenti operativi altamente innovativi. Il volume intende promuovere la riflessione su un approccio teorico che ha già dato un apporto importante in altri settori scientifici ma che nel nostro paese, relativamente alle scienze mediche e rispetto ad altre nazioni europee, registra un ritardo consistente nell'utilizzo di tale categoria analitica. La chiave interpretativa utilizzata dovrebbe, sempre di più, essere presente sia nella produzione dei dati statistici sia nell'interpretazione dei risultati delle ricerche, al fine di non perdere elementi rilevanti per la diagnosi sociale ma anche, come è dimostrato dai contributi presenti nel testo, per quella sanitaria. Il confronto multidisciplinare tra le diverse aree: medica, sociologica e psicologica, costituisce un passo importante in questa direzione. Il percorso conoscitivo proposto analizza le differenze nello stato di salute, nei percorsi di malattia nonché nelle cause del malessere, senza tralasciare le connessioni con il lavoro di cura e il contesto familiare e sociale. Tenere presente i diversi fattori che incidono sulla salute/malattia diventa fondamentale per una programmazione efficace/efficiente dei servizi sociosanitari ma anche per un'effettiva realizzazione dell'equità dei diritti di cittadinanza. Questo volume intende, pertanto, richiamare l'attenzione dei ricercatori, degli operatori e dei politici su questa dimensione della salute, altrettanto importante come quelle lavorative e ambientali, e promuovere ulteriori riflessioni nella direzione qui individuata
Oxidative stress, maternal diabetes, and autism spectrum disorders
Full text linkAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of early-onset neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by alterations in brain connectivity with cascading effects on neuropsychological functions. To date, in the framework of an increasing interest about environmental conditions which could interact with genetic factors in ASD pathogenesis, many authors have stressed that changes in the intrauterine environment at different stages of pregnancy, such as those linked to maternal metabolic pathologies, may lead to long-term conditions in the newborn. In particular, a growing number of epidemiological studies have highlighted the role of obesity and maternal diabetes as a risk factor for developing both somatic and psychiatric disorders in humans, including ASD. While literature still fails in identifying specific etiopathological mechanisms, a growing body of evidence is available about the presence of a relationship between maternal immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and the development of ASD in the offspring. In this framework, results from high-fat diet animal models about the role played by oxidative stress in shaping offspring neurodevelopment may help in clarifying the pathways through which maternal metabolic conditions are linked with ASD. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of literature about the effects of early life insults linked to oxidative stress which may be involved in ASD etiopathogenesis and how this relationship can be explained in biological terms
Autistic traits and illness trajectories
Full text linkIn the framework of increasing attention towards autism-related conditions, a growing number of studies have recently investigated the prevalence and features of sub-threshold Autistic Traits (ATs) among adults. ATs span across the general population, being more pronounced in several clinical groups of patients affected by psychiatric disorders. Moreover, ATs seem to be associated with specific personality features in non-clinical population, implying both a higher vulnerability towards psychopathology and extraordinary talents in specific fields. In this framework, the DSM-5’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presentations may be considered as the tip of an iceberg that features several possible clinical and non-clinical phenotypes. Globally, the autism spectrum may be considered as a trans-nosographic dimension, which may not only represent the starting point for the development of different psychopathological trajectories but also underlie non-psychopathological personality traits. These different trajectories might be shaped by the specific localization and severity of the neurodevelopmental alteration and by its interaction with the environment and lifetime events. In this wider framework, autistic-like neurodevelopmental alterations may be considered as a general vulnerability factor for different kinds of psychiatric disorders, but also the neurobiological basis for the development of extraordinary abilities, eventually underlying the concept of geniality. Moreover, according to recent literature, we hypothesize that ATs may also be involved in the functioning of human mind, featuring the peculiar sense of “otherness” which can be found, with different grades of intensity, in every human being
Camouflaging: Psychopathological meanings and clinical relevance in autism spectrum conditions
No full textIn the last decade, increasing literature focused on camouflaging as a strategy adopted to cope with social environment by subjects with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A better understanding of this phenomenon may shed more light on cognitive mechanisms and coping strategies of subjects in the autism continuum, eventually leading to reconsider some previous "dogmas" in this field, such as the gender's discrepancy in ASD diagnosis. Moreover, shared features can be observed in the camouflaging strategies adopted amongst the general population, amongst subjects of the autism spectrum and amongst patients with different kinds of psychiatric disorders, further challenging our perspectives. Camouflaging behaviours might be considered as a transdiagnostic element, closely associated with the continuous distribution of the autism spectrum amongst the general and the clinical population
Use of an automated data processing system in psychopatological and psychopharmacological research
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