Bilingue e biculturale? Uno studio sulla percezione della lingua e della cultura italiana in docenti di lingua italiana in Argentina

Lo studio presentato nasce da un interesse sulla condizione psicologica e culturale di quei docenti di italiano che operano in scuole italiane all'estero, in quanto necessariamente coinvolti in un processo di formazione dell' identità culturale dei loro alunni e non solo di insegnamento della lingua. In questo senso, essi sono partecipi di un progetto educativo che, in maniera più o meno esplicita e più o meno armonica, tende al biculturalismo oltre che al bilinguismo. Come ogni situazione fortemente dialettica, tale condizione ha in sé un grande potenziale di riflessività sia sulle rispettive lingue che sulle rispettive culture a confronto, ed investe necessariamente sia i docenti che gli alunni, con modalità differenti. E' questo livello "meta", sia metalinguistico sia metaculturale, messo in atto da docenti di lingua italiana all'estero, che si è voluto studiare a vari livelli. La ricerca si è svolta nelle scuole italiane, riconosciute dal Governo Italiano e per questo considerate paritarie, che si trovano in Argentina, nelle quali è stato possibile reperire una popolazione di docenti, distinti poi in docenti italiani e docenti argentini che hanno svolto un percorso formativo per il raggiungimento del titolo di docente di italiano. Sono stati utilizzati come strumenti di ricerca un'intervista autobiografica che mettesse in luce aspetti personali sul rapporto con la lingua italiana e sulla motivazione all'insegnamento della stessa; un'intervista semistrutturata sulla percezione di alcuni aspetti della lingua italiana, al fine di esplorare la percezione di valenze estetiche e sociolinguistiche della lingua; è stato, infine, svolta un'esplorazione sul campo, con il metodo etnografico e l'osservazione delle interazioni in classe durante due momenti di didattica, uno durante il quale il docente presenta un brano di letteratura italiana e l'altro in cui svolge un'attività da lui pensata e organizzata

Video didattico sull’uso interattivo del TAM-2

This booklet is an educational resource that accompanies a video where children discuss about the possible answers to a metalinguistic test, under the guidance of an adult. The booklet describes the nature and the function of the video and reports the transcripts of the interactions between children and the tutor of the focus group. Some turning points are highlighted during these interactions, where the participants evolve towards more advanced levels of metalinguistic awareness. Teachers and educators can draw on these commented interactions for creating favourable conditions to enhance metalinguistic awareness in classroom activities

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Associated With Lower Risk for Heart Failure But Not Atrial Fibrillation

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the hypothesis that alcohol consumption is associated with onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) and/or heart failure (HF). Background The connection between ethanol intake and AF or HF remains controversial. Methods The study population was 22,824 AF- or HF-free subjects (48% men, age \ue2\u89\ua535 years) randomly recruited from the general population included in the Moli-sani study, for whom complete data on HF, AF, and alcohol consumption were available. The cohort was followed up to December 31, 2015, for a median of 8.2 years (183,912 person-years). Incident cases were identified through linkage to the Molise regional archive of hospital discharges. Hazard ratios were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models and cubic spline regression. Results A total of 943 incident cases of HF and 554 of AF were identified. In comparison with never drinkers, both former and occasional drinkers showed comparable risk for developing HF. Drinking alcohol in the range of 1 to 4 drinks/day was associated with a lower risk for HF, with a 22% maximum risk reduction at 20 g/day, independent of common confounders. In contrast, no association of alcohol consumption with onset of AF was observed. Very similar results were obtained after restriction of the analyses to regular or only wine drinkers or according to sex, age, social status, or adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Conclusions Consumption of alcohol in moderation was associated with a lower incidence of HF but not with development of AF

Mean platelet volume is associated with lower risk of overall and non-vascular mortality in a general population: Results from the Moli-sani study

Larger mean platelet volume (MPV) has been associated with adverse health outcomes in high-risk populations or patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested the association of MPV with mortality in a prospective cohort study including 17,402 subjects randomly recruited from an adult general population within the Moli-sani study (2005-2010). Two distinct subgroups (with or without CVD at baseline) were subsequently analysed. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using multivariable Cox-proportional hazard models. Over a median follow up of eight years (137,547 person-years), 925 all-cause deaths occurred (330 vascular, 351 cancer and 244 other deaths). In a multivariable model, the highest MPV quintile (mean MPV=10.0 fL), as compared to the lowest one, was associated with reduced risk of overall mortality (HR=0.79; 95 % confidence interval 0.64-0.98), cancer death (HR=0.70; 0.49-1.00) and death from other non-vascular/non cancer causes (HR=0.55; 0.36-0.84) but not with vascular mortality. The inverse association with overall death appeared even stronger in the subgroup without CVD at baseline (HR=0.64; 0.50-0.81). In contrast, within 920 subjects reporting a previous CVD event, larger MPV was associated with higher risk of total mortality (HR=1.69; 1.05-2.72; p for interaction=0.048) and with a trend of risk for other cause-specific deaths. In conclusion, larger MPV is associated with lower risk of overall and non-vascular death in subjects apparently free from CVD, but appears to be a predictive marker of death in patients with CVD history. The latter is a likely effect modifier of the association between MPV and death

Reduced mortality risk by a polyphenol-rich diet: An analysis from the Moli-sani study

Objectives: The effect of the polyphenol content of the human diet on mortality risk is not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of a polyphenol-rich diet with mortality rate and a possible mediation effect by inflammation, in what we believe to be a novel, holistic approach. Methods: We analyzed 21 302 participants (10 980 women and 10 322 men, aged 6535 y) from the Moli-sani cohort. The participants were followed up for a median of 8.3 y. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used for dietary assessment. Flavonol, flavone, flavanone, flavanol, anthocyanin, isoflavone, and lignan intakes were calculated using European Food Information Resource\u2014Bioactive Substances in Food Information Systems and the polyphenol antioxidant content (PAC)-score was constructed to assess the total content of these nutrients in the diet. Results: Participants included in the highest quintile of intake of various polyphenol classes and subclasses presented a significant lower all-cause mortality risk compared with those in the lowest group of consumption (hazard ratio [HR] < 1; P < 0.05). Cox regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders indicated that participants in higher quintiles of PAC-score had lower all-cause mortality risk (HR <1; P < 0.05). When cause-specific mortality rates were considered, similar effects were observed for cardiocerebrovascular and cancer mortality (HR <1; P < 0.05). Conclusions: The polyphenol content of the diet was associated with reduced mortality risk in a Mediterranean population, possibly through an antiinflammatory mechanism

Rationale and design of the CV-PREVITAL study: an Italian multiple cohort randomised controlled trial investigating innovative digital strategies in primary cardiovascular prevention

Introduction Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is of key importance in reducing morbidity, disability and mortality worldwide. Observational studies suggest that digital health interventions can be an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, evidence from large randomised clinical trials is lacking.Methods and analysis The CV-PREVITAL study is a multicentre, prospective, randomised, controlled, open-label interventional trial designed to compare the effectiveness of an educational and motivational mobile health (mHealth) intervention versus usual care in reducing CV risk. The intervention aims at improving diet, physical activity, sleep quality, psycho-behavioural aspects, as well as promoting smoking cessation and adherence to pharmacological treatment for CV risk factors. The trial aims to enrol approximately 80 000 subjects without overt CVDs referring to general practitioners’ offices, community pharmacies or clinics of Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care (Italian acronym IRCCS) affiliated with the Italian Cardiology Network. All participants are evaluated at baseline and after 12 months to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on short-term endpoints, namely improvement in CV risk score and reduction of major CV risk factors. Beyond the funded life of the study, a long-term (7 years) follow-up is also planned to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on the incidence of major adverse CV events. A series of ancillary studies designed to evaluate the effect of the mHealth intervention on additional risk biomarkers are also performed.Ethics and dissemination This study received ethics approval from the ethics committee of the coordinating centre (Monzino Cardiology Center; R1256/20-CCM 1319) and from all other relevant IRBs and ethics committees. Findings are disseminated through scientific meetings and peer-reviewed journals and via social media. Partners are informed about the study’s course and findings through regular meetings.Trial registration number NCT05339841