Il trattamento della cefalea nei pre-adolescenti attraverso l’ausilio della pet therapy

En la infancia, el dolor de cabeza puede ser la expresión de problemas psicológicos, como ansiedad y depresión, o de eventos estresantes de la vida. También es cierto que el dolor de cabeza en sí mismo puede ser una fuente de estrés y puede causar ansiedad en los pacientes y en sus familias (Holmes, MacGregor, 2001). Las investigaciones realizadas en los últimos años por autores como Guidetti (1998) y Sillanpää (2000) mostraron que existe una comorbilidad entre migraña y trastornos psiquiátricos. La hipótesis de la investigación es demostrar que la terapia con animales domésticos es un tratamiento eficaz para la mejora de aspectos como la depresión y los trastornos del comportamiento, que son comórbidos al trastorno de dolor de cabeza. La terapia con animales domésticos contribuyen a la maduración del comportamiento prosocial dirigido hacia el mundo exterior, al desarrollo del nivel de adecuación personal, crea una buena autoestima y autoimagen positiva. La muestra estadística consistió de 50 niños y niñas: 44% varones y 46% hembras, edades comprendidas entre los 8 y 11 años. Han participado durante 5 meses en sesiones de la terapia con mascotas. Para el propósito de la hipótesis se han realizado 2 pruebas psicométricas: el inventario de depresión de niños (CDI) y la Escala infantil de sensación de actitud y comportamiento (FAB), antes y después del programa de terapia con el animal doméstico, así como en el diseño pre-experimental con un grupo y dos de prueba. Los resultados confirman que la terapia con animales domésticos es un tratamiento eficaz.In childhood, the headache may be the expression of psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression, and stressful life events. It is also true that the headache itself can be a source of stress and can cause anxiety both in patients and in their families (Holmes, MacGregor, 2001). From research made in recent years by authors such as Guidetti (1998) and Sillanpää (2000) showed that there is a comorbidity between migraine and psychiatric disorders. The hypothesis of the research is to show that pet therapy is an effective treatment for the improvement of aspects such as depression and behavioral disorders, which are comorbid to headache disorder. Pet therapy contributes to the maturation of prosocial behavior directed toward the outside world, to the development of positive self-image, good self-esteem and personal adequacy level. The statistical sample consisted of 50 children: 44% male and 46% female, aged between 8 and 11 years who have participated in 5 months of pet-therapy ‘s meetings. For the purposes of hypothesis we have administered 2 psychometric tests: the Children Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Feeling Attitude Behavior Scale for Children (FAB-C), before and after the pet therapy program, such as in the pre-experimental design with one group and two test. The results confirm that the Pet Therapy is an effective treatment.peerReviewe

Promoting STEM via UMI: an Ecological Framing of CoPs in Networking and Networked Robotics

Ubiquitous Computing, Mobile Computing and Internet of Things (UMI) technologies, are widely diffused in the everyday life. In addition to their primary usage (e.g., supporting the implementation of the future 5G network),these technologies can be used in the context of Science Education.According to this perspective, the innovative psycho-pedagogical approach here presented has been ad-hoc developed for the Horizon 2020 Project “Exploiting Ubiquitous Computing, Mobile Computing and the Internet of Things to promote Science Education” (Umi-Sci-Ed). The aim of the project is to enhance knowledge and skills of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and to promote positive attitudes towards these disciplines. In order to reach this goal, the UMI technologies, framed in the Community of Practices (CoPs) paradigm, will be introduced in the learning process of secondary schools’ students (i.e., 9thand 10thgrade). Specifically, the students will attend to innovative learning activities, such as hands-on activities, concerning with Networking and networked Robotics. In the present contribution, the theoretical framework that constitutes the rationale for the Umi-Sci-Ed projectwill be described. In particular, the “bottom-up” socio-constructionist perspective will be presented, aswell as the main technological tools (e.g., UDOO) that would be used to implement an integrated STEM learning environment. The expected results of the project will be discussed

Regulatory modes and Entrepreneurship: the Mediational Role of Alertness in Small Business Success

Previous studies suggest that entrepreneurs play a key role in the success of their ventures. But relatively little is currently known about how they produce such effects. The present research provides data suggesting that two modes of entrepeneurs’ self-regulation—locomotion and assessment—enhance a firm's success through their effects on the components of alertness. This mediational model was tested and supported with data from 120 entrepreneurs. Locomotion was positively related to the scanning and search component, while assessment was positively related to the association and evaluation components. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of founders’ self-regulation in the performance of their companies

Topical betablocker use can result in inconclusive dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with glaucoma

Dobutamine stress echocardiography is a well-established method to assess coronary artery disease, of which sensitivity has been enhanced by adding atropine at the end of the protocol. Individuals with glaucoma, a disease with a high prevalence in patients with cardiac diseases older than 40 years, cannot benefit from the use of atropine as it is contraindicated for this group of patients. Additionally, these individuals are often treated with topical betablockers (eye drops), which can have systemic effects by decreasing cardiac frequency, blood pressure and pulmonary capacity. The aim of our study was to verify whether a possible systemic effect caused by the use of these eye drops, yielding a low chronotropic response, could result in inconclusive dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with glaucoma.O ecocardiograma sob estresse com dobutamina é um método bem estabelecido para avaliar doença arterial coronária, cuja sensibilidade tem sido potencializada pela adição de atropina no final do protocolo. Indivíduos com glaucoma, doença com alta prevalência em pacientes cardiopatas com mais de 40 anos, não podem se beneficiar do uso de atropina por ser contra-indicada neste grupo. Além disso, estes indivíduos são tratados freqüentemente com betabloqueadores tópicos (colírios), que podem exercer efeitos sistêmicos diminuindo a freqüência cardíaca, pressão arterial e capacidade pulmonar. O objetivo do nosso trabalho foi verificar se a ocorrência de um possível efeito sistêmico causado por estes colírios, causando baixa resposta cronotrópica, poderia determinar resultados inconclusivos no ecocardiograma sob estresse pela dobutamina nestes pacientes com glaucoma.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) EPMHospital Israelita Albert EinsteinHospital Sírio-LibanêsUSP FM Hospital das ClínicasUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Patients with paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis are at higher risk of cognitive impairment in adulthood: an Italian collaborative study

Background: Patients with paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) could be at an increased risk for cognitive impairment (CI), given the potential harmful effects of disease activity in neurodevelopment. However, there is scarce information on their long-term cognitive outcomes. Objective: To compare the prevalence and profile of CI between adults with a history of POMS and those with classic, adult-onset multiple sclerosis (AOMS). Methods: Cognitive performance was assessed through the Brief Repeatable Battery (BRB) and the Stroop Test in consecutive patients referred to six Italian MS centres. CI was defined as impairment in ⩾2 cognitive domains. Results: In all, 119 patients with POMS and 712 with AOMS were included in this analysis. The prevalence of CI was 48.0% in AOMS, 44.5% in POMS; with similar neuropsychological profile between the two groups. However, when adjusting for current age, we found a significantly increased risk for CI (odds ratio (OR) = 1.71; p = 0.02) and for impairment in information processing speed (OR = 1.86; p < 0.01) in patients with POMS. A higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was also identified in POMS (p = 0.03) compared with AOMS patients.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This study was in part financed through an FISM (Italian Federation of Multiple Sclerosis) research grant

Comunidades de lectura “en los márgenes”: El arte de habitar, un territorio de lo posible

El relato que presentamos forma parte de un proceso colectivo de escritura1 en el que participaron maestras de la Escuela Hugo Leonelli (una escuela pública que apuesta al cuidado de las infancias contra el desamparo), estudiantes de la Escuela de Ciencias de la Educación y el equipo que coordina, desde el 2015, el Seminario de Práctica Sociocomunitaria “Destejiendo itinerarios de enseñanza en la escuela primaria: formas narrativas, memorias visuales, mundos culturales” en la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades (UNC). En los tiempos actuales de desfinanciamiento de la educación pública, parecen imponerse el utilitarismo y la medición de resultados. Por eso tenemos la tarea de contribuir a ensanchar, desde la universidad y las escuelas, un territorio de lo posible frente a lo uniforme y hegemónico.Como sugiere Michèle Petit, mientras más difícil es el contexto, más necesarios son los espacios poéticos: espacios abiertos hacia otra cosa, espacios para salir de uno mismo por un momento, espacios donde reconocerse y comprender la propia historia, espacios para el pensamiento y los sueños. En este sentido, sostenemos que si apostamos a un proyecto social de infancia, la lectura literaria es una experiencia deseable y vital que debería ser posible para todxs lxs niñxs.Nos interesa especialmente articular prácticas con debates, preocupaciones y teorizaciones vinculadas a un campo relacional muy sensible y relevante, en el cruce entre infancias, territorio, cultura y escuela. Al mismo tiempo, queremos que la reflexión desde distintas voces forme parte de una práctica educativa extensionista. Dicha práctica ha movilizado puentes entre actores sociales extrauniversitarixs y universitarixs, resignificando el diálogo de saberesentre la universidad y las escuelas, y el valor de las narrativas pedagógicas para resituar el carácter público y político de la enseñanza. La perspectiva que asumimos al escribir es que todo puede decirse, pensarse y ser sentido con libertad: la libertad para escribir posibilitando la emergencia de la palabra cargada de mundo (Freire, 1970)

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far

Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar

Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (bodymass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use

COVID-19 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: Putting Data Into Context

Background and objectives: It is unclear how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to compare COVID-19-related outcomes collected in an Italian cohort of patients with MS with the outcomes expected in the age- and sex-matched Italian population. Methods: Hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death after COVID-19 diagnosis of 1,362 patients with MS were compared with the age- and sex-matched Italian population in a retrospective observational case-cohort study with population-based control. The observed vs the expected events were compared in the whole MS cohort and in different subgroups (higher risk: Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score &gt; 3 or at least 1 comorbidity, lower risk: EDSS score ≤ 3 and no comorbidities) by the χ2 test, and the risk excess was quantified by risk ratios (RRs). Results: The risk of severe events was about twice the risk in the age- and sex-matched Italian population: RR = 2.12 for hospitalization (p &lt; 0.001), RR = 2.19 for ICU admission (p &lt; 0.001), and RR = 2.43 for death (p &lt; 0.001). The excess of risk was confined to the higher-risk group (n = 553). In lower-risk patients (n = 809), the rate of events was close to that of the Italian age- and sex-matched population (RR = 1.12 for hospitalization, RR = 1.52 for ICU admission, and RR = 1.19 for death). In the lower-risk group, an increased hospitalization risk was detected in patients on anti-CD20 (RR = 3.03, p = 0.005), whereas a decrease was detected in patients on interferon (0 observed vs 4 expected events, p = 0.04). Discussion: Overall, the MS cohort had a risk of severe events that is twice the risk than the age- and sex-matched Italian population. This excess of risk is mainly explained by the EDSS score and comorbidities, whereas a residual increase of hospitalization risk was observed in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and a decrease in people on interferon