Convergent validity of five-dimension psychopathology of Addiction: Relationships with aggressive behaviour

Background. In the present study, which continues our programme of five-dimension psychopathology of addiction validation, we have investigated a sample of Heroin Use Disorder (HUD) patients, using SCL-90 and the Buss-Durke Inventory to provide a more precise definition of the psychopathological structure of HUD patients in terms of aggressive behaviour. Methods. Two hundred and forty-two patients were recruited; all of them had received a diagnosis of HUD, according to DSM-5 criteria. Their age was 26.01±4.4 years (age range: 16-42). Of the 242 study participants, 157 (64.9%) were males. We studied correlations between BDI and SCL-90 at the univariate and multivariate canonical correlation analysis to identify and measure the associations that may connect the two separate sets of variables. Results. Recruited patients showed a severe drug addiction history and had a psychopathology and aggressive behaviour severity very similar to those of HUD patients entering treatment. Two different psychopathological profiles, both positively correlated with aggressive behaviour, were found. In the first, where Violence/Suicide is inversely correlated with the Panic Anxiety dimension, violent behaviour (Assault) is directly correlated with Violence/Suicide. Conversely, when Violence/Suicide is directly correlated with Panic Anxiety, this psychopathological cluster also includes opioid withdrawal symptoms and the tendency to a negative affect expressed both in the style, including arguing, shouting, screaming and the content of speech, including threats, curses, and being overcritical (Verbal Aggression). This psychopathological/ behavioural syndrome is indirectly correlated with a covert form of aggressive behaviour marked out by Resentment, Suspiciousness, Worthlessness/Being Trapped and Sensitivity/Psychoticism symptomatology. Conclusions. Violence/ Suicide dimension was confirmed to have a closer relationship with violent behaviour than with suicidality proneness. The correlation between Worthlessness/Being Trapped and Sensitivity/Psychoticism appears to be confirmed again by a questionnaire on aggressive behaviour

Prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid anxiety and panic disorders in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Mood and anxiety disorders are the most common neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of lifetime and current anxiety disorders in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), to explore possible dis-tinctive neurological and psychiatric features associated with such comorbidity. One hundred patients were consecutively recruited at the Movement Disorders Section of the Neurological Outpatient Clinic of the University of Pisa. According to the MINI‐Plus 5.0.0, 41 subjects were diagnosed with lifetime anxiety disorder (22 with panic disorder) and 26 were diagnosed with current anxiety disorders. Patients with anxiety disorders were more frequently characterized by psychiatric symptoms preceding PD, lifetime major depression and antidepressant treatments. They showed more anxious temperamental traits and scored higher at Parkinson Anxiety Scale (PAS) and per-sistent anxiety subscale. Current anxiety disorders were associated with more severe psycho-pathology, depressive symptomatology, and avoidant behavior. Among anxiety subtypes, patients with lifetime panic disorder showed higher rates of psychiatric symptoms before PD, lifetime unipolar depression, current psychiatric treatment, and a more severe psychopathology. Given the overall high impact of anxiety on patients’ quality of life, clinicians should not underestimate the extent of different anxiety dimensions in PD

Biodistribution and pharmacokinetic screening in humans of monoclonal antibody AR-3 as a possible immunoscintigraphy agent in patients with pancreatic cancer

This pharmacokinetic study was performed in order to assess the potential usefulness of the murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb) AR-3-IgG1 as an immunoscintigraphy agent for pancreatic cancer. This MoAb, which defines a mucin-like antigen (CAR-3) expressed by a large fraction of pancreatic cancers, shows in fact favourable in vivo localizing properties in the experimental animal model of human tumor xenograft. 131I-AR-3-IgG1 was injected i.v. into 5 patients with suspected pancreatic cancer. Whole-body maps and spot views of the abdominal area were recorded with a computerized gamma-camera, and specific regions of interest drawn over the liver and spleen helped to define the kinetics of activity in these organs. Blood samples taken from 0.1-144 hours post-injection and daily urine collections over the same interval served to define the kinetics of plama distribution and removal of activity from the body. Different multicompartmental models were tested to fit the experimental data, assuming as the starting hypothesis that there was to be significant nonspecific tracer accumulation in the liver, spleen and bone marrow, as already observed for the majority of radioiodinated murine MoAbs injected into humans. Surgery confirmed pancreatic cancer in 3 out of the 5 patients (chronic pancreatitis and periampullary cancer in one each); in all these 3 patients immunostaining with the MoAb AR-3 demonstrated the presence of the CAR-3 antigen (with a cytoplasmic and endoluminal/secretory pattern of distribution). Nonspecific radioactivity accumulation in the liver, spleen and bone marrow was extremely low, linked essentially to the blood pool effect of circulating activity in these organs

Valutazione dei danni

Il contributo affronta, con riferimenti dottrinali e giurisprudenziali, il tema della valutazione del danno svolta dal giudice secondo equit\ue0 ex art.1226, prendendo in considerazione i danni nell'ambito del rapporto di lavoro, da discriminazione, da vacanza rovinata, nel campo dei rapporti bancari e finanziari, nella responsabilit\ue0 professionale e nel diritto industriale.The article addresses, with doctrinal and jurisprudential references, the issue of the quantification of damage made by the judge, according to equity pursuant to art.1226, taking into account the damages in the fields of labour, banking, financial and industrial law, professional liability and anti -discrimination law

Danni non patrimoniali agli enti collettivi

Il contributo affronta il tema del danno non patrimoniale subito dagli enti collettivi dal punto di vista della tutela dell'immagine, della riservatezza, della reputazione dell'enteThe study is focused on the moral damage suffered by the collective organizations specially regarding to the image, the privacy, the reputation of the institutions