Ragionamento e giustizia: Analisi di un procedimento penale

ItIntroduzione. Uno degli ambiti di interesse della psicologia giuridica è lo studio dei processi che guidano il ragionamento del giudice e che lo portano a prendere una decisione su di un caso in esame. L’obiettivo del nostro lavoro è quello di analizzare le argomentazioni di tre esperti,operatori di giustizia, che ragionano su di un medesimo evento attraverso l’utilizzo di uno strumento di analisi del testo. Metodi. Abbiamo considerato le diverse fasi processuali relative ad uno stesso caso: la sentenza del GUP, l’Appello della difesa e la sentenza di II Grado della Corte d’assise d’Appello. L’analisi che è stata condotta ha riguardato i tre testi separatamente ma anche, successivamente, il confronto fra di essi. Risultati. Le analisi hanno rilevato che la sentenza di I Grado è caratterizzata dall’utilizzo delle prove fattuali e dalle argomentazioni logiche su di esse, tese a dimostrare i reati. L’Appello della difesa presenta delle obiezioni di diritto e mette in luce alcune discordanze sui fatti ricostruiti dal GUP. Infine, la Corte d’assise d’Appello tratta e valuta in egual misura sia le argomentazioni del GUP che quelle della difesa, collocandosi in una posizione intermedia rispetto alle posizioni assunte dai due precedenti ragionatori.Conclusioni.Il GUP crea una propria ricostruzione dei fatti, sulla base delle prove fornite dalle parti, l’avvocato della difesa ed il giudice di II Grado non propongono una storia alternativa, bensì si focalizzano solo su alcuni argomenti. Il ragionamento dell’avvocato della difesa e del Giudice di II Grado fanno dunque pensare ad un processo di verificazione piuttosto che di falsificazione.EnBackground. One of the most interesting areas about forensic psychology is the study of the judges’ reasoning which lead them to make a decision on a legal case. The aim of our work is to analyze the reasoning of two judges and a layer who argument on a same event using an instrument of text analysis.Methods.We considered the different trial stages about the same legal case: the GUP sentence, the Appeal defence and the sentence of the Court of Appeal. A Analysis regarded the three texts separately and the comparison among them. Results. Results showed that: the GUP sentence was characterized by the use of factual evidences and logical argumentation about them; the Appeal defence introduced some law objections and points out some discordances about the facts explained by the GUP sentence; the Court of Appeal reconstructed facts using in the same manner the GUP and defence arguments. Conclusions. The GUP reconstructed the crime on the base of the evidences suggested by the parties to the case. The defence lawyer and the Court of Appeal judge did not propose an alternative story, but they focused only on some topics. Therefore, the reasoning of the defence lawyer and the Court of Appeal judge suggests the involvement of a verification rather than falsification process.EsAntecedentes. Una de las áreas más interesantes sobre la psicología forense es el estudio del razonamiento de los jueces que conducen a tomar una decisión en un caso legal. La meta de nuestro trabajo es analizar el razonamiento de dos jueces y de un abocado que se ponen en discusión en un mismo acontecimiento usando un instrumento de análisis del texto. Métodos.Considerábamos las diversas etapas de ensayo caso legal casi igual: la oración de GUP, la defensa de la súplica y la oración del tribunal de apelación. Un análisis miró los tres textos por separado y la comparación entre ellos. Resultados. Los resultados demostraron eso: la oración de GUP fue caracterizada por el uso de evidencias efectivas y de la argumentación lógica sobre ellas; la defensa introdujo algunas objeciones de la ley y precisa algunos discordances sobre los hechos explicados por la oración de GUP; el tribunal de apelación reconstruyó hechos usando de manera semejante las discusiones de GUP y de la defen El GUP reconstruyó el crimen en la base de las evidencias sugeridas por las partes. El abogado defensor y el tribunal de apelación y el juez no propusieron una historia alternativa, sino que se centraron solamente en algunos asuntos. Por lo tanto, el razonamiento del abogado defensor y del tribunal de apelación sugiere la implicación de un proceso de la verificación más bien que de la falsificación

A Highly Intensified ART Regimen Induces Long-Term Viral Suppression and Restriction of the Viral Reservoir in a Simian AIDS Model

Stably suppressed viremia during ART is essential for establishing reliable simian models for HIV/AIDS. We tested the efficacy of a multidrug ART (highly intensified ART) in a wide range of viremic conditions (103–107 viral RNA copies/mL) in SIVmac251-infected rhesus macaques, and its impact on the viral reservoir. Eleven macaques in the pre-AIDS stage of the disease were treated with a multidrug combination (highly intensified ART) consisting of two nucleosidic/nucleotidic reverse transcriptase inhibitors (emtricitabine and tenofovir), an integrase inhibitor (raltegravir), a protease inhibitor (ritonavir-boosted darunavir) and the CCR5 blocker maraviroc. All animals stably displayed viral loads below the limit of detection of the assay (i.e. <40 RNA copies/mL) after starting highly intensified ART. By increasing the sensitivity of the assay to 3 RNA copies/mL, viral load was still below the limit of detection in all subjects tested. Importantly, viral DNA resulted below the assay detection limit (<2 copies of DNA/5*105 cells) in PBMCs and rectal biopsies of all animals at the end of the follow-up, and in lymph node biopsies from the majority of the study subjects. Moreover, highly intensified ART decreased central/transitional memory, effector memory and activated (HLA-DR+) effector memory CD4+ T-cells in vivo, in line with the role of these subsets as the main cell subpopulations harbouring the virus. Finally, treatment with highly intensified ART at viral load rebound following suspension of a previous anti-reservoir therapy eventually improved the spontaneous containment of viral load following suspension of the second therapeutic cycle, thus leading to a persistent suppression of viremia in the absence of ART. In conclusion, we show, for the first time, complete suppression of viral load by highly intensified ART and a likely associated restriction of the viral reservoir in the macaque AIDS model, making it a useful platform for testing potential cures for AIDS

Individual differences in the Enhanced Cognitive Interview: the role of imagery

The aim was to explore the role of imagery in the Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI). The use of imagery was specifically introduced in the ECI and it is reasonable that some mixed results on specific mnemonics could be due to individual differences in the use of imagery ability. Eighty participants performed a questionnaire (Verbalizer–Visualizer Questionnaire) to measure their imagery abilities and watched a short film. Successively, participants were informed that they would be interviewed the next day as witnesses of the event they viewed earlier. Each participant was randomly allocated to one of the two interview conditions: ECI or Structured Interview (SI). Results showed that: (1) ECI elicited more correct information, specifically for action and environmental details, than SI; (2) mental image users (visualizers) recalled more correct information than verbal users (verbalizers) apart from type of interview used without increased confabulation and incorrect information. Results are discussed on the basis of the recent research on imagery individual differences for each ECI techniques

Use of Glucocorticoids and Risk of Venous Thromboembolism: A Narrative Review

Glucocorticoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents that are widely used for the treatment of many inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic disorders. However, their beneficial effect is associated with several side effects, including an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Whether their use also contributes to a procoagulant state, and therefore increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), is still a matter of debate. As an increased risk of venous thrombotic events is described in patients with Cushing's syndrome, which is characterized by endogenous hypercortisolism, it is reasonable to speculate that the chronic administration of glucocorticoids may induce a hypercoagulable state. However, it seems virtually impossible to separate the role of the drug from the underlying condition, which itself predisposes to the development of VTE. Actually, some evidence suggests that the use of exogenous glucocorticoids for the treatment of underlying disease and its exacerbations may further amplify the risk of VTE. Moreover, a procoagulant state has also been reported in healthy participants receiving oral glucocorticoids versus placebo. We have performed a concise narrative review on available data on the influence of exogenous glucocorticoids on hemostasis and their clinical impact on the risk of VTE

Management of single pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer: State of the art

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of death from cancer. Lung seeding occurs in approximately 10% of patients surgically treated for primary CRC with radical intent: the lung is the most common site of metastases after the liver. While surgical treatment of liver metastases is widely accepted to affect long-term outcomes, more controversial and not standardized is the therapy for CRC patients developing lung metastases. Experience suggests the potential curative role of pulmonary metastasectomy, especially in oligometastatic disease. However, the optimal strategy of care and the definition of prognostic factors after treatment still need to be defined. This review focused on the uncommon scenario of single pulmonary metastases from CRC. We explored pertinent literature and provide an overview of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and imaging of single pulmonary metastases from CRC. Additionally, we identified the best available evidence for overall management. In particular, we analyzed the role and results of locoregional approaches (surgery, radiotherapy or ablative procedures) and their integration with systemic therapy