L\u27Italiano a Miami: An Investigation of the Current Status of the Teaching and Learning of the Italian Language in Miami and of Students\u27 Motivational Factors

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the current status of the study of Italian in Miami and particularly to identify the motivational factors behind student enrollment in local Italian programs. A qualitative study was carried out based on interviews with the local director of “Società Dante Alighieri” and four students studying Italian in two different settings. Gardner and Lambert’s (1959) concepts of instrumental and integrative motivation and the motivation components identified by Csizér and Dörnyei (2005) provided the conceptual framework for this study. According to the information obtained from the five participants the study of Italian in Miami is mostly linked to integrative motivation and particularly to the motivation components referred by Csizér and Dörnyei as “attitude toward the L2 speakers/community” and “culture interest”. These findings are in line with previous research that linked the study of Italian in the United States to cultural and ethnic factors related to integrative motivation

Comparison between “early” or “late” intravitreal injection of dexamethasone implant in branch (BRVO) or central (CRVO) retinal vein occlusion: six months follow-up

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare early and late injections of intravitreal dexamethasone implant in patients affected by central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) or branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) with a six-months follow-up. We assessed whether an earlier treatment start (within seven days from diagnosis) could be more beneficial than a delayed (or late) treatment start (after seven days). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 81 patients (81 eyes) affected by retinal vein occlusion. Best corrected visual acuity was assessed through Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) while central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: Both types of patients had a positive therapeutic response to dexamethasone, with an increase in visual acuity (ETDRS) and CMT reduction. CRVO patients were characterized by lower ETDRS values at baseline and at the end of the follow-up as compared to BRVO. CRVO patients showed higher CMT values at baseline, after three and six months from injection. No significant differences in therapeutic response to dexamethasone were observed between patients treated early or late, regardless of RVO type. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the therapeutic properties of dexamethasone implant are not significantly influenced by an early or late treatment start in patients affected by BRVO and CRVO, although its therapeutic efficacy seems greater in the former type

The use of yoga to manage stress and burnout in healthcare workers: a systematic review

The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze and summarize the current knowledge regarding the use of yoga to manage and prevent stress and burnout in healthcare workers. In February 2017, a literature search was conducted using the databases Medline (PubMed) and Scopus. Studies that addressed this topic were included. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies were clinical trials that analyzed yoga interventions and evaluated effectiveness by gauging stress levels, sleep quality and quality of life. A study on Chinese nurses showed statistical improvement in stress levels following a six-month yoga program (χ2 = 16.449; p < 0.001). A population of medical students showed improvement in self-regulation values after an 11-week yoga program (from 3.49 to 3.58; p = 0.04) and in self-compassion values (from 2.88 to 3.25; p = 0.04). Four of the included articles were observational studies: They described the factors that cause stress in the work environment and highlighted that healthcare workers believe it is possible to benefit from improved physical, emotional and mental health related to yoga activity. According to the literature, yoga appears to be effective in the management of stress in healthcare workers, but it is necessary to implement methodologically relevant studies to attribute significance to such evidence

From form to function: m6A methylation links mRNA structure to metabolism

Reversible N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is a posttranscriptional epigenetic modification of the RNA that regulates many key aspects of RNA metabolism and function. In this review, we highlight major recent advances in the field, with special emphasis on the potential link between m6A modifications and RNA structure. We will also discuss the role of RNA methylation of neuronal transcripts, and the emerging evidence of a potential role in RNA transport and local translation in dendrites and axons of transcripts involved in synaptic functions and axon growth

Gender differences in reaching top roles in banking: a cross-sectional study performed by bankers work in province of Pisa

The financial industry is a pivot of the economy and plays an important social role. Goal of this study was to analyze factors associated with the framing level in banking in the province of Pisa. We collected data about age, gender, framing level, workplace and type of bank for bankers in Pisa through trade unionists. We collected data on 2018 workers and we found significant associations between framing level and aged over 40 years (OR = 4.5; 95% CI: 2.9-6.9), workplace in Pisa (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.20-0.44) and male gender (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.98-4.21). The first two factors are explainable with organizational characteristics. In fact for becoming manager you already have to work a number of year and in cities rather than in the surrounding municipalities, consistent with the size of bank. However, the third factor, already known in the literature in other work areas, requires further studies for explaining causes and helping to implement actions to reduce the gender gap

Colectivos autónomos de adolescentes en Lima, Perú: las adolescencias como sujeto político

En Perú viven actualmente alrededor de 30 millones de personas, el 10,3% -más de 3 millones- tienen entre 13 y 17 años (CPI, 2012), y su relación con la sociedad civil y el Estado (El Plan Nacional de Acción por la Infancia y la Adolescencia 2012-2012), se produce, prioritariamente, mediante actividades diseñadas y manejadas por adultos, para que se informen, opinen y capaciten. Son pocas las experiencias donde las y los adolescentes pueden aprender a ser ciudadanos participando en la vida de la sociedad, desde sus propias organizaciones, junto a otros actores sociales. Veamos brevemente algunos escenarios

The Urbino Charter: a Declaration for the well-being of working people

The “Urbino Charter” is a document aimed at promoting the well- being of the working person that the Olympus Observatory of the Uni- versity of Urbino Carlo Bo and the Rubes Triva National Foundation, a joint body in the field of environmental hygiene, presented in Bilbao at a public conference in March 2023. The Charter has the objective of stimulating reflection on the issues related to prevention while drawing attention to the essential values for the effective protection of workers’ health, safety and well-being. This commentary has the aim of presenting the 10 statements of the Chart, from a perspective of Occupational health and safety

Efficacy of adalimumab in young children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and chronic uveitis: A case series

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a relatively common chronic disease of childhood, and is associated with persistent morbidity and extra-articular complications, one of the most common being uveitis. The introduction of biologic therapies, particularly those blocking the inflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor-α, provided a new treatment option for juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients who were refractory to standard therapy such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and/or methotrexate. Case presentations. The first case was a 2-year-old girl with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis who failed to respond to treatment with anti-inflammatories, low-dose corticosteroids and methotrexate, and had growth retardation. Adalimumab 24 mg/m2 every 2 weeks and prednisone 0.5 mg/kg/day were added to methotrexate therapy; steroid tapering and withdrawal started after 1 month. After 2 months the patient showed good control of articular and ocular manifestations, and she remained in remission for 1 year, receiving adalimumab and methotrexate with no side effects, and showing significant improvement in growth. Case 2 was a 9-year-old boy with an 8-year history of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis that initially responded to infliximab, but relapse occurred after 2 years off therapy. After switching to adalimumab, and adjusting doses of both adalimumab and methotrexate based on body surface area, the patient showed good response and corticosteroids were tapered and withdrawn after 6 months; the patient remained in remission taking adalimumab and methotrexate. The final case was a 5-year-old girl with juvenile idiopathic arthritis for whom adalimumab was added to methotrexate therapy after three flares of uveitis. The patient had two subsequent episodes of uveitis that responded well to local therapy, but was then free of both juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis symptoms, allowing methotrexate and then adalimumab to be stopped; the patient remained in drug-free remission. Conclusion: This report includes the first published case of the use of adalimumab in a child aged <3 years. Our clinical experience further supports the use of biologic therapy for the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis in children as young as two years of age. © 2014 La Torre et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Acoso escolar y violencia familiar en la ideación suicida de adolescentes de una institución educativa del Callao, 2023

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar la influencia del acoso escolar y la violencia familiar en la ideación suicida en adolescentes de una institución educativa del Callao, 2023. El tipo de investigación utilizado fue: básica y de nivel explicativo, de enfoque cuantitativo, de diseño no experimental, corte transversalcorrelacional causal. Se consideró una población de 1370 estudiantes de secundaria, con una muestra de 300 estudiantes, y el muestreo fue aleatorio simple probabilístico. La técnica empleada fue la encuesta y como instrumento se utilizó el cuestionario, validados por juicio de expertos y estableciendo su confiabilidad con el estadístico Alfa de Cronbach del 0.805, 0.926 y 0.944. El resultado obtenido fue que: el 43,0% de los estudiantes han vivenciado un nivel regular de acoso escolar, el 47,3% indicaron que perciben un nivel medio de violencia familiar y el 52% expresaron un nivel medio de ideación suicida; concluyéndose, según el coeficiente de Nagelkerke, que la ideación suicida depende al 68,8% del acoso escolar y la violencia familiar (p valor < 0.05. Se infiere que existe influencia del acoso escolar y la violencia familiar en la ideación suicida en adolescentes de secundaria de una institución educativa del Callao, 2023