439 research outputs found
Buone prassi di integrazione/inclusione nei nidi e nelle scuole d’infanzia del Comune di Bologna
No full textTema dell’indagine sono le “buone prassi” di integrazione/inclusione dei bambini con disabilità nelle scuole e nei nidi d’infanzia del Comune di Bologna. La prima parte della ricerca è di tipo storico ed è consistita nell'analisi di 123 documentazioni educative conservate presso il Centro Risorse Educative e Scolastiche (Ri.E.Sco) del Comune di Bologna a partire dal 1979 per individuare, mediante una griglia predisposta, le buone prassi attuate. Ci si è rivolti poi al presente, analizzando i Piani Educativi Individualizzati realizzati nell'anno scolastico 2016-17 e intervistando le figure che a vario titolo (insegnanti di sezione, insegnanti “di sostegno”, educatrici delle cooperative sociali) si occupano dei bambini disabili nelle scuole dell’infanzia e dei nidi del quartiere S. Stefano di Bologna. Dalle analisi effettuate sembra emergere nei servizi considerati la presenza di una cultura di comunità, che sostiene i processi di integrazione/ inclusione, che deve essere costantemente alimentata. Occorre continuare a investire con forte intenzionalità pedagogica ed educativa, facendo sì che la cultura dell’inclusione sia messa a fondamento di ogni professionalità coinvolta nel gruppo di lavoro e si concretizzi in scelte e in azioni chiaramente valutabili. Si tratta quindi di continuare a promuovere: – una capillare “formazione in situazione”, che risponda ai bisogni specifici di ogni contesto educativo. Solo mediante una ricerca/azione/ formazione sarà possibile diffondere uno sguardo inclusivo anche tra i professionisti stessi e quindi praticare il co-teaching e il sostegno diffuso, evitando processi di delega e qualsiasi forma di esclusione sia del bambino con disabilità sia di colui che viene percepito come “suo” educatore/insegnante “di sostegno”; – una formazione sulla “didattica attiva” per promuovere la partecipazione di ogni singolo bambino e il lavoro collaborativo; – una costante documentazione e auto-valutazione dei processi di integrazione/inclusione attivati e dei risultati conseguiti da parte degli educatori/insegnanti
SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS AND THE SEROTONIN SYNDROME: AN UNFORESEEN ASSOCIATION
No full textSYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS AND THE SEROTONIN SYNDROME: AN UNFORESEEN ASSOCIATION Duccio Papanti 1, Laura Orsolini 2, Tommaso Bonavigo 1, Federico Sandri 1, Elisabetta Pascolo-Fabrici 1, Fabrizio Schifano 3 1 University of Trieste, Italia 2 University of Marche, Italia 3 University of Hertfordshire, UK Educational Objectives: Use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) has been increasingly associated with severe adverse effects, including deaths. SC intoxication is very different to cannabis one and shows common features with the serotonin syndrome. Purpose Synthetic cannabinoid compounds belong to a new psychoactive class of substances misused as an alternative to marijuana (MJ). These compounds have been developed for research purposes and have never been tested in clinical human studies. Currently, SCs can be easily bought on a global level, both online and in local stores. We aimed here at identifying SC pharmacodynamics, effects/symptoms of intoxication and neurobehavioral sequaelae in humans, with a focus on findings compatible/common to the serotonin syndrome. Methods: A search was carried out on PubMed/Medline for the terms “synthetic cannabimimetics”, “synthetic cannabinoids”, “synthetic cannabis” in order to identify effects/symptoms of intoxication, neurobehavioral sequaelae related to SC intake in humans. Results: SC compounds are structurally dissimilar and incorporate indole mojeties, not present in MJ. SC are full agonists on cannabinoid receptors (CB-rs) while cannabis main psychoactive, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exerts partial agonism on cannabinoid receptors. SCs visual hallucinations are described as fractals/trails/flashes of colour/geometric patterns [1]. Signs of intoxication are elevated heart rate; hallucinations; mydriasis; agitation; vomiting; and seizures; these signs are common in the serotonin syndrome. Indole is structurally similar to serotonin (5-HT), has activity on 5-HT receptors and is typically identified within indoleamine hallucinogens such as DMT. While 5-HT2A receptors are the primary site of action for DMT (typically producing visual geometric hallucinations in the users), the agonism of 5-HT2A receptors contributes substantially to the development of the serotonin syndrome. Conclusions: Beside the well-known cannabimimetic properties, SC drugs could have additive hallucinogenic effects due to the indole mojeties incorporated in their structures. SCs intake/intoxication can produce acute signs/symptoms/clinical findings belonging to the serotonin syndrome. Literature Reference [1] Spaderna, M., Addy, P.H., D’Souza, D.C., 2013. Spicing thin
Searching for patterns in caldera unrest
No full textThe ultimate goal of volcanology is forecasting eruptions. This task is particularly challenging at
calderas, where unrest is frequent, affects wider areas and its evidence is often masked by the activity of
hydrothermal systems. A recent study has compiled a database on caldera unrest, derived from seismicity,
geodetic, gravity, and geochemical monitoring data at calderas worldwide, from 1988 to 2014. Here we
exploit this database, searching for the most recurring features of unrest and, in turn, its possible dynamics.
In particular, we focus on (a) the duration of unrest at calderas; (b) recurring patterns in unrest; (c) unrest
episodes culminating in eruptions, including time-predictability or size-predictability and a multivariate
regression analysis. Our analysis indicates that preeruptive unrest is shorter than noneruptive unrest, partic-
ularly with open or semiplugged calderas, calderas with mafic or mixed composition of past eruptive prod-
ucts, or unrest driven by mafic magma; conversely, lack of data on preeruptive unrest driven by felsic
magma and/or at felsic or plugged calderas prevents an analysis of these specific subsets. In addition, 72%
of preeruptive unrest lasts <10 months and shows high seismicity and degassing. The remaining 28% (a) is
essentially aseismic in calderas with open-conduit (17%), or (b) lasts between 10 and 18 months, with seis-
micity and degassing, constituting a longer-duration tail of the preeruptive unrest with seismicity and
degassing (11%). Surface deformation is not always reliable to characterize preeruptive unrest. Our analysis
suggests that magma may withstand only a limited period of ‘‘eruptability,’’ before becoming stored in the
upper crust.Published2748–27684V. Dinamica dei processi pre-eruttiviJCR Journa
Event trees for eruption forecasting at Vesuvius volcano
No full textA probabilistic approach is used to forecast a future eruption at Vesuvius volcano. Such approach,
differently from a deterministic one, allows to account for spatial and temporal variability of
eruptive style (effusive, explosive), event magnitude (VEI), and environmental impact (dispersion,
runout) (Newhall and Hoblitt, 2002; Marzocchi et al., 2004; Neri et al., 2008). This variability is
quantified by means of Event Trees and conditional probabilities (Newhall and Hoblitt, 2002). To
better constrain uncertainty, different sources of information should be considered and integrated
with each other: geological record, historical observations, monitoring activities, results from
scenario modelling. The integration of the different data is important to provide a robust
characterization of the state of Vesuvius over geological vs. historical times, also in light of its current
state as inferred from monitoring data and conceptual models. Different techniques exist to carry
out this integration. For Vesuvius, available studies are based on the application of the Bayesian
Event Tree (BET) model (Marzocchi et al., 2008; Sandri et al., 2009; Selva et al., 2014), and on the
development of an Event Tree informed by expert elicitations (Neri et al., 2008), making possible to
set up probabilistic eruption forecasting models both at long- (years) and short-term (hours to days),
based on the current vs. past states of the volcano.Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e VulcanologiaPublished6V. Pericolosità vulcanica e contributi alla stima del rischi
Outbreak of Ampicillin/Piperacillin-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Investigation and Control Measures
No full textKlebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent cause of infectious outbreaks in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). The aim of this paper is to describe an outbreak occurred in a 13-bed NICU and the control measures adopted in order to interrupt the chain of transmission. We described the microbiological investigations, the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures by means of a specifically designed check-list and the control measures adopted. Six cases of primary bloodstream infections sustained by ampicillin/piperacillin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed over a two-month period. One culture obtained from a 12% saccarose multiple-dose solution allowed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. During the inspections performed by the Hospital Infection Control Team, using the check-list for the evaluation of the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures, several breaches in the infection control policy were identified and control measures were adopted. In our case the definition of a specific check-list led to the adoption of the correct control measures. Further studies would be helpful in order to develop a standard check-list able to identify critical flows in the adhesion to the guidelines. It could be used in different NICUs and allow to obtain reproducible levels of infection control
Mobilome analysis of Achromobacter spp. isolates from chronic and occasional lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients
No full textAchromobacter spp. is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Although a variety of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying antimicrobial resistance genes have been identified in clinical isolates, little is known about the contribution of Achromobacter spp. mobilome to its pathogenicity. To provide new insights, we performed bioinformatic analyses of 54 whole genome sequences and investigated the presence of phages, insertion sequences (ISs), and integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). Most of the detected phages were previously described in other pathogens and carried type II toxin-antitoxin systems as well as other pathogenic genes. Interestingly, the partial sequence of phage Bcep176 was found in all the analyzed Achromobacter xylosoxidans genome sequences, suggesting the integration of this phage in an ancestor strain. A wide variety of IS was also identified either inside of or in proximity to pathogenicity islands. Finally, ICEs carrying pathogenic genes were found to be widespread among our isolates and seemed to be involved in transfer events within the CF lung. These results highlight the contribution of MGEs to the pathogenicity of Achromobacter species, their potential to become antimicrobial targets, and the need for further studies to better elucidate their clinical impact
From the detection of monitoring anomalies to the probabilistic forecast of the evolution of volcanic unrest: an entropy-based approach
No full textOwing to the current lack of plausible and exhaustive physical pre-eruptive models, often volcanologists rely on the observation of monitoring anomalies to track the evolution of volcanic unrest episodes. Taking advantage from the work made in the development of Bayesian Event Trees (BET), here we formalize an entropy-based model to translate the observation of anomalies into probability of a specific volcanic event of interest. The model is quite general and it could be used as a stand-alone eruption forecasting tool or to set up conditional probabilities for methodologies like the BET and of the Bayesian Belief Network (BBN). The proposed model has some important features worth noting: (i) it is rooted in a coherent logic, which gives a physical sense to the heuristic information of volcanologists in terms of entropy; (ii) it is fully transparent and can be established in advance of a crisis, making the results reproducible and revisable, providing a transparent audit trail that reduces the overall degree of subjectivity in communication with civil authorities; (iii) it can be embedded in a unified probabilistic framework, which provides an univocal taxonomy of different kinds of uncertainty affecting the forecast and handles these uncertainties in a formal way. Finally, for the sake of example, we apply the procedure to track the evolution of the 1982–1984 phase of unrest at Campi Flegrei.Published5OSV1: Verso la previsione dei fenomeni vulcanici pericolosiJCR Journa
Rec. a Sandri Carrozzo, Gramatiche fonetiche furlane, Consorzi "Centri Friul Lenghe 2000", pp. 136
No full textEffect of montelukast on markers of airway remodeling in children with asthma
No full textBackground: Asthma is a pathology characterized by chronic inflammation and remodeling of the airways. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of montelukast treatment on markers of airway inflammation and remodeling in children with mild asthma and to evaluate if the administration of montelukast to children with mild asthma could inhibit the release of matrix metallopeptidase 9, matrix metallopeptidase 12, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, transforming growth factor beta 1, C-peptide terminal procollagen type (PICP), and eosinophils count, which are markers of inflammation and remodeling in induced sputum. Methods: Thirty children with mild asthma were recruited. They were randomized into two groups: group A received montelukast and as needed beta-2-agonist for 8 weeks (T0-T1), whereas group B received placebo and as needed beta-2-agonist for 8 weeks. After 2 weeks of washout (T1-T2), they were reallocated for treatment according a crossover design (T2-T3). Tests for lung function, oral exhaled nitric oxide, and hypertonic saline solution-induced sputum level were performed at T0-T1-T2-T3. Results: In the placebo group, the PICP mean (standard deviation [SD]) value at baseline was 2279.42 ± 2530.77 pg/mL and 1916.00 ± 2178.75 pg/mL after treatment. Patients treated with montelukast, in contrast, showed a baseline mean (SD) value of 2439.29 ± 2834.51 pg/mL and 1406.72 ± 1508.65 pg/mL after treatment. The difference between the mean pre- and posttreatment decrease of PICP in the two groups was statistically significant (delta -690.21 pg/mL [95% confidence interval, -1220.83 to -159.5844 pg/mL]; p = 0.011). The mean (SD) percentage of the eosinophil count in the placebo group was 3.11 ± 4.03% at baseline and 4.86 ± 5.83% after treatment. Patients treated with montelukast, in contrast, showed a percentage mean (SD) value at baseline of 4.51 ± 5.48% and, after treatment, of 3.06 ± 3.29%. The difference between the mean pre- and posttreatment decrease of the percentage eosinophil count in the two groups was statistically significant (delta -2.76% [95% confidence interval, -4.65 to -0.87%]; p = 0.004). Conclusion: This study investigated in vivo effects of montelukast on remodeling markers. The reduction of PICP levels and eosinophil count supported the hypothesis that montelukast can modulate collagen deposition in airways and reduce eosinophilic airway inflammation
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