1,354,655 research outputs found
Self-reported autistic traits using the AQ: A comparison between individuals with ASD, psychosis, and non-clinical controls
No full textThe term “autism” was originally coined by Eugen Bleuler to describe one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia. Even if autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are now considered two distinct conditions, they share some clinical features. The present study aimed to investigate self-reported autistic traits in individuals with ASD, SSD, and non-clinical controls (NCC), using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a 50-item questionnaire. The study was conducted in the Psychiatry Unit of Policlinico “G. Rodolico”, Catania, Italy. The AQ was administered to 35 adults with ASD, 64 with SSD, and 198 NCC. Overall, our data showed that the ASD sample scored significantly higher than NCC. However, no significant differences were detected between individuals with ASD and SSD. Notably, the three groups scored similarly in the subscale “attention to detail”. AQ showed good accuracy in differentiating ASD from NCC (AUC = 0.84), while discriminant ability was poor in the clinical sample (AUC = 0.63). Finally, AQ did not correlate with clinician-rated ADOS-2 scores in the ASD sample. Our study confirms that symptoms are partially overlapping in adults with ASD and psychosis. Moreover, they raise concerns regarding the usefulness of AQ as a screening tool in clinical populations
Una nazione e la sua fede: il processo risorgimentale nei manuali di Niccolò Rodolico (1922-1941)
No full textThis essay offers a reconstruction of the scholastic production for Italian high schools by the well-known historian Rodolico during the ‘ventennio’. It discusses that he was one of the main voices of post-unification Italian nationalism and therefore easily assimilated to the fascist scholastic production. A careful analysis, in particular, about the Historical Summary –wich was continuously published from 1923 to 1967- shows that more than a kind of late-liberal nationalism in Rodolico’s manuals there is a Catholic populist nationalism: this Catholic nationalism wich strengthened during the fascist period also in parallel with a series of transformations that the same contemporary Catholicism was experiencing.Il saggio propone una ricostruzione della produzione manualistica destinata ai licei del noto storico italiano Niccolò Rodolico durante il ventennio, discutendo la tesi che lo vuole tra le principali voci del nazionalismo dell’Italia post-unitaria e per questo facilmente assimilabile alla produzione più direttamente di marca fascista. In realtà l’attenta analisi, in particolare, del suo Sommario storico, che fu ininterrottamente pubblicato dal 1923 al 1967, mostra che più che una forma di nazionalismo tardo-liberale, quello che si esprime nel manuale di Rodolico è una forma di nazionalismo populista di matrice cattolica, che si rafforza nel corso del periodo fascista anche parallelamente ad una serie di trasformazioni che lo stesso cattolicesimo coevo stava conoscendo
Fever with perinasal and tongue lesions: A diagnostic challenge
No full textThe diagnosis may be challenging, and high suspicion index should be maintained in immunosuppressed patients with unusual mucocutaneous lesions, even in non-endemic areas for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis
Lipoma of the fossa femoralis mimicking a femoral hernia. Report of 2 cases
No full textIntroduction: Lipoma of the femoral fossa is uncommon. Often asymptomatic, femoral lipoma may growth within the circumscribed space of the femoral fossa causing pain and discomfort. A worsening pain caused by a lipomatous mass in the femoral area is a clinical feature that can mislead the diagnosis, resembling the more common condition of femoral hernia. Methods: Two cases of symptomatic lipomas of the femoral fossa mimicking an incarcerated femoral hernia are presented. In both, Caucasian female, patients clinical examination and ultrasound of the femoral region revealed a painful neoplasm suspected for incarcerated femoral hernia. Results: Intraoperatively, a mass of encapsulated fat arising from the bottom of the fossa femoralis was found. No visceral protrusion through the femoral ring could be documented. The neoplasms were removed in toto. Histology of the excised specimens evidenced the diagnosis of femoral lipomas suffering by chronic compressive damages. In a midterm postoperative follow up, both patients were symptom- free. Discusion: A correct preoperative diagnosis of femoral lipoma is challenging, even following an accurate diagnostic pathway. The cases highlighted herewith seem to confirm that lipoma of the femoral fossa can be mistaken with a femoral hernia. Conclusions: The clinical and histological features evidenced could result helpful in the differentiation of a lipomatous mass of the femoral fossa from a genuine femoral hernia
Psychosocial treatments for relapse prevention in schizophrenia: study protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised evidence.
No full textINTRODUCTION
There is evidence that different psychosocial interventions could reduce the risk of relapse in schizophrenia, but a comprehensive evidence based on their relative efficacy is lacking. We will conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA), integrating direct and indirect comparisons from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to rank psychosocial treatments for relapse prevention in schizophrenia according to their efficacy, acceptability and tolerability.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
We will include all RCTs comparing a psychosocial treatment aimed at preventing relapse in patients with schizophrenia with another psychosocial intervention or with a no treatment condition (waiting list, treatment as usual). We will include studies on adult patients with schizophrenia, excluding specific subpopulations (eg, acutely ill patients). Primary outcome will be the number of patients experiencing a relapse. Secondary outcomes will be acceptability (dropout), change in overall, positive, negative and depressive symptoms, quality of life, adherence, functioning and adverse events. Published and unpublished studies will be sought through database searches, trial registries and websites. Study selection and data extraction will be conducted by at least two independent reviewers. We will conduct random-effects NMA to synthesise all evidence for each outcome and obtain a comprehensive ranking of all treatments. NMA will be conducted in R within a frequentist framework. The risk of bias in studies will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the credibility of the evidence will be evaluated using Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be conducted to assess the robustness of the findings.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
No ethical issues are foreseen. Results from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42019147884
Metabolic inflammation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
No full textOne in 10 persons in the world aged 40 years and older will develop the syndrome of HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), the most common form of chronic cardiovascular disease for which no effective therapies are currently available. Metabolic disturbance and inflammatory burden contribute importantly to HFpEF pathogenesis. The interplay within these two biological processes is complex; indeed, it is now becoming clear that the notion of metabolic inflammation-metainflammation-must be considered central to HFpEF pathophysiology. Inflammation and metabolism interact over the course of syndrome progression, and likely impact HFpEF treatment and prevention. Here, we discuss evidence in support of a causal, mechanistic role of metainflammation in shaping HFpEF, proposing a framework in which metabolic comorbidities profoundly impact cardiac metabolism and inflammatory pathways in the syndrome
Characterization of focal liver lesions with a new ultrasound contrast agent using continuous low acoustic power imaging: comparison with contrast enhanced spiral CT.
No full textInternationalisation and Education, is it becoming more of a dream than reality?
No full textGabriella Rodolico, Mark Breslin and a colleague from Italy, Anna Maria Mariani, investigated how remote cooperative teaching, based on mutual enrichment across
international Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, support active
participation of students in international activities. They worked with year 3
undergraduate students studying at the University of Glasgow, School of
Education, on the Master of Education (MEDuc) ITE programme and Italian student
teachers on the course “Scienze della formazione” at the Niccolo’ Cusano
University, Rome. Results revelaed a mutual enrichment and active participation
which went beyond any expectations with elements of e-networking and overcome
of language, communication and even possible stereotype barrier
Aging-associated genes and let-7 microRNAs: a contribution to myogenic program dysregulation in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy
No full textOculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset muscle disease caused by an abnormal (GCN) triplet expansion within the polyadenylate-binding protein nuclear 1 gene and consequent mRNA processing impairment and myogenic defects. Because a reduced cell proliferation potential and the consequent regeneration failure of aging muscle have been shown to be governed by lethal-7 (let-7) microRNA-mediated mechanisms, in the present study, we evaluated the role of let-7 in the pathogenesis of OPMD. By a multidisciplinary approach, including conf ocal microscopy, Western blot, and quantitative PCR analyses on muscle biopsies from patients and unaffected individuals, we found a significant increase in let-7 expression in OPMD muscles associated with an unusual high percentage of paired box 7–positive satellite cells. Furthermore, IL-6, a cytokine involved in the regulation of satellite cell proliferation and differentiation and a potential target of let-7, was found strongly down-regulated in OPMD compared with control muscles. The decrease in IL-6 transcript levels and protein content was also confirmed in vitro during differentiation of patients' and controls' muscle cells. Overall, our data suggest a key role of let-7 in the regeneration and degeneration process in OPMD muscle and pointed to IL-6 as a potential target molecule for new therapeutic approaches for this disorder.—Cappelletti, C., Galbardi, B., Bruttini, M., Salerno, F., Canioni, E., Pasanisi, M. B., Rodolico, C., Brizzi, T., Mora, M., Renieri, A., Maggi, L., Bernasconi, P., Mantegazza, R. Aging-associated genes and let-7 microRNAs: a contribution to myogenic program dysregulation in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. FASEB J. 33, 7155–7167 (2019). www.fasebj.org
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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