An Evaluation of the Social Emotional Health Survey-Secondary for Use with Students with Learning Disabilities: Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Measurement Invariance, and Comparative Analyses

As the fields of psychology and education increasingly move from a deficit-based, medical model toward a strengths-focused model, researchers and practitioners are in need of measures with adequate psychometric properties to assess personal strengths. Students with learning disabilities (LD) represent a vulnerable population and one that is at a higher risk for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges compared to their peers without LD. As the effects of LD are not confined to childhood or the school setting, and often affect people throughout their lives, a strengths-based orientation is recommended to encourage building strengths and resilience factors to counteract the negative effects of LD over the lifespan. Therefore, identifying and focusing on the building of strengths, adaptive skills, and personal assets, while important for all youth, is especially important for youth with LD. In order to identify areas of strength and areas for growth, measurement tools that are appropriate for the population of students with LD are needed. This study examined the psychometric properties of one measure, the Social Emotional Health Survey–Secondary (SEHS–S), for use with students with LD. Specifically, data from three secondary schools was used to confirm the existing factor structure of the SEHS–S measurement model, establish measurement invariance across LD and non-LD groups, and compare the social-emotional profiles of students with and without LD. The LD group was found to report lower overall social emotional strengths than their non-LD peers, with some variation across the subdomains measured. Implications for practitioners and researchers will be discussed

Appendiceal-sigmoid fistula presenting in a man with ulcerative colitis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease characterized by diffuse mucosal inflammation limited to the colon. It mostly affects young adults, yet a large number of middle-aged and older patients with ulcerative colitis have also been reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 58-year-old Caucasian man presented to our hospital in August 2006 with continuous and diffuse abdominal pain, meteorism, fever and bloody diarrhea. He had a two-year history of ulcerative colitis. Our patient was treated with intravenous medical therapy. As his condition worsened, he underwent surgery. An explorative laparotomy revealed that the entire colon was distended and pus was found around an appendiceal-sigmoid fistula.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Therapy for ulcerative colitis <b/>is a rapidly evolving field, with many new biological agents under investigation that are likely to change therapeutic strategies radically in the next decade. Indications for surgery are intractability (49%), stricture, dysplasia, toxic colitis, hemorrhage and perforation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of an appendiceal-sigmoid fistula in a patient affected by ulcerative colitis reported in the literature. Fistulae between the appendix and the sigmoid tract are rarely reported in cases of diverticular disease and appendicitis.</p

Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses in a cohort of systemic sclerosis patients

Objectives: To assess serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses in a cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and to evaluate the influence of IgG subclasses in the main complications of the disease. Methods: The serum level of IgG subclasses was evaluated in 67 SSc patients and 48 healthy controls (HC), matched for sex and age. Serum samples were collected and measured IgG1–4 subclasses by turbidimetry. Results: SSc patients had lower median total IgG [9.88 g/l (IQR 8.18–11.42 g/l) vs. 12.09 g/l (IQR 10.24–13.54 g/l), p &lt; 0.001], IgG1 [5.09 g/l (IQR 4.25–6.38 g/l) vs. 6.03 g/l (IQR 5.39–7.90 g/l), p &lt; 0.001], and IgG3 [0.59 g/l (IQR 0.40–0.77 g/l) vs. 0.80 g/l (IQR 0.46–1 g/l), p &lt; 0.05] serum levels compared to HC. The logistic regression analysis showed IgG3 as the only variable associated with the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco) ≤60% of the predicted [OR 9.734 (CI 95%: 1.312–72.221), p &lt; 0.05] and modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) [OR 1.124 (CI 95%: 1.019–1.240), p &lt; 0.05], anti-topoisomerase I [OR 0.060 (CI 95%: 0.007–0.535), p &lt; 0.05], and IgG3 [OR 14.062 (CI 95%: 1.352–146.229), p &lt; 0.05] as variables associated with radiological interstitial lung disease (ILD). Conclusion: SSc patients have reduced levels of total IgG and an altered IgG subclass distribution compared to HC. Moreover, SSc patients show different serum IgG subclasses profiles according to the main involvement of the disease

Installazione nell'area etnea di un clinometro digitale in foro profondo 30 metri.

Questo lavoro riporta i risultati della prima installazione clinometrica ad alta profondità effettuata su aree vulcaniche italiane. L'installazione, nata da una collaborazione fra INGV-CT e Provincia Regionale di Catania, è stata possibile grazie all'utilizzo di strumentazione digitale autolivellante di nuova generazione; lo strumento utilizzato è un clinometro modello AGI (Applied Geomechanics Incorporation) con sensibilità pari a 0.005 microradianti (AGI Mod. LILY). Sono illustrati i dettagli dell’installazione e i primi due mesi di dati che evidenziano l’ottima qualità dei dati che risultano essere priva di effetti legati alla temperatura e le cui uniche oscillazioni, dell’ordine di 0.1-0.2 microrad, sono legate alle mareali

Electron transport chain and mTOR inhibition synergistically decrease CD40 signaling and counteract venetoclax resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

CD40 signaling upregulates BCL-XL and MCL-1 expression in the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) lymph node microenvironment, affording resistance to the BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax. Venetoclax resistance in the therapeutic setting and after long-term laboratory selection has been linked to metabolic alterations, but the underlying mechanism(s) are unknown. We aimed here to discover how CD40 stimulation as a model for tumor microenvironment-mediated metabolic changes, affects venetoclax sensitivity/resistance. CD40 stimulation increased oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, but only inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation countered venetoclax resistance. Furthermore, blocking mitochondrial import of pyruvate, glutamine or fatty acids affected CLL metabolism, but did not prevent CD40-mediated resistance to venetoclax. In contrast, inhibition of the electron transport chain (ETC) at complex I, III or V attenuated CLL activation and ATP production, and downregulated MCL-1 and BCL-XL, correlating with reduced CD40 surface expression. Moreover, ETC inhibition equaled mTOR1/2 but not mTOR1 inhibition alone for venetoclax resistance, and all three pathways were linked to control of general protein translation. In line with this, ETC plus mTOR inhibition synergistically counteracted venetoclax resistance. These findings link oxidative CLL metabolism to CD40 expression and cellular signaling, and may hold clinical potential

Comparison of Front and Side-Facing Jumps to Assess Maximal Vertical Jump Height using the Vertec

The purpose of this study was to compare front and side-facing jumping techniques in determining vertical jump height using the Vertec vertical jump measuring device. The Vertec unit is a very popular device utilized for assessing maximal jump height. Previous research has shown strong correlations between increased vertical jump height and sport specific running speed. Field tests make vertical jump testing feasible without expensive laboratory equipment such as force plates or camera systems. Using a randomized crossover design, 41 participants, including athletes (n=19) and non-athletes (n=22), performed three to five countermovement jumps from both a front-facing (FF) and side-facing (SF) position. The highest jump from each individual’s trials was used for analysis. A paired samples t-test revealed that the FF jumps were significantly higher for non-athletes (mean±SD; FF 18.3±5.0in.; SF 17.4±4.8in.;

IL ruolo della nutrizione nella chemioterapia a base di cisplatino

Nonostante i notevoli progressi nelle strategie e nelle terapie chemioterapiche, il cancro, rappresenta ancora una delle principali cause di morte a livello globale. La chemioterapia è il trattamento di prima linea. Il cisplatino è uno dei farmaci chemioterapici più efficaci e più utilizzati per il trattamento di vari tumori solidi come quello testicolare, ovarico, testa e collo, vescica, polmoni. Il suo meccanismo d'azione è generalmente attribuito alla formazione di addotti del DNA, che inducono distorsioni nella struttura del DNA, inibiscono la sua replicazione e trascrizione del DNA e, infine , portano alla morte cellulare programmata o all'apoptosi. Tuttavia, la resistenza ai farmaci e numerosi effetti collaterali indesiderati come grave epatotossicità, ototossicità, nefrotossicità, rappresentano il limite alla sua applicazione fino alla sospensione della terapia. In questo lavoro di tesi si affronta il tema dell'alimentazione in pazienti oncologici durante il trattamento chemioterapico a base di cisplatino, in cui frequentemente manifestano difficoltà ad alimentarsi in maniera adeguata a causa degli effetti collaterali della terapia. Questo può innescare problemi di malnutrizione causata da scarso introito calorico e conseguente perdita di peso. In questo contesto, in ambito oncologico risulta quindi fondamentale il ruolo del nutrizionista. Compito fondamentale è aiutare il paziente ad affrontare la patologia e la terapia, elaborando parallelamente al percorso chemioterapico, un piano alimentare personalizzato, utile supporto metabolico nutrizionale al paziente oncologico. In questo senso , il piano alimentare ha come scopo principale, quello di rendere più sostenibile la terapia farmacologica riducendo la possibilità di sviluppare o quanto meno attenuare gli effetti collaterali. Scopo principale di questo elaborato, revisionando i dati della letteratura scientifica, è evidenziare come determinati nutrienti e una corretta alimentazione nel modello della dieta mediterranea possono essere di effettivo supporto nel paziente oncologico e migliorare la qualità di vit