Visuo-spatial attention and reading abilities: an action game prototype for dyslexic children

The ability to play action videogames – not directly related to phonological or orthographic training – seems to be a teaching tool able to intervene specifically on spatial attention and drastically improve the reading skills of dyslexic children. The MADRIGALE project aims at the design and development of an action game, simultaneously involving both phonological and attention training in order to adapt educational game strategies for special needs. Within the MADRIGALE project, the design of the prototype was presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Networking and Collaborative Systems, while an experimentation about educational effectiveness of the prototype, conducted using ‘Prove MT2’ as a benchmarking tool for measuring accuracy and speed of reading, was published in the International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET). This paper is an extension of the work presented in SIREM – SIEL 2014 Conference, and presents the results of a Game Evaluation Sheet administered to 50 primary school teachers with experience of dyslexic student

Educare seamlessly. Dalla visione integrata delle teorie alle esperienze della comunità pedagogica italiana

The learning is no longer related to the structural setting of traditional classroom; it is instead an “across spaces” place characterized by the possibility to build ubiquitous experiences. Such experiences are in fact no more subject to space-time limits and bounds but focused on context – student relation and onsituation awareness to enhance the learning processes. Also, these experiences are often associated with next generation technologies, mobiles, wereables and interactives, which well fit to a paradigm shift marked by learning situations in enactive, embodied and readable by the student learning. In this work, we present the first theoretical and applicative results that the Italian scientific community has achieved as part of the research lines that involve around the concept of SituationAwareness and Cognitive Awareness, constituent a seamless learning.L’apprendimento non è più legato alla configurazione strutturale di una classe tradizionale, diviene “across spaces” e si caratterizza per la possibilità di costruire esperienze ubique. Tali esperienze non sono più soggette ai limiti e vincoli di spazio e tempo e puntano sulla relazione studente-contesto e sullaconsapevolezza cognitiva necessaria per migliorare i processi di apprendimento. Tali esperienze vengono spesso associate alle tecnologie di nuova generazione, mobili, indossabili e interattive, che ben si prestano ad uno shift di paradigma caratterizzato da situazioni di apprendimento in un contesto enattivo, corporeo e leggibile per lo studente. In questo lavoro presentiamo i primi risultati, sia da un punto di vista teorico sia da un punto di vista applicativo, che la comunitàscientifica italiana ha ottenuto nell’ambito delle linee di ricerca che ruotano intorno al concetto di Situation Awareness e alla Consapevolezza Cognitiva alla base di un apprendimento seamless

El espacio empático en la educación: representación del espacio y empatía, de Piaget a la didáctica de la “simplicidad”

Este trabajo quiere ofrecer un punto de vista sobre la relación entre el espacio y la didáctica, partiendo de la hipótesis, desarrollada por Alain Berthoz, de que los numerosos problemas planteados por el avance en el espacio han sido utilizados en el curso de la evolución, incluso para las funciones cognitiva superiores. La investigación en neurociencias, de hecho, identificó las bases neurobiológicas de las intuiciones de Piaget sobre la representación del espacio en el niño y puso de manifiesto los vínculos entre la capacidad de gestión de los sistemas de referencia espacial, la capacidad de rotación mental y la modalidad empática de relación intersubjetiva. El trabajo se desarrolla presentando un marco funcional de la idea de espacio en el pensamiento occidental y de la relación entre la manipulación de los sistemas de referencia espacial y los procesos cognitivos. Para concluir se analizan las consecuencias , en el ámbito educativo, de la teoría espacial de la empatía, desarrollada en el Collège de France, en la estela de la tradición fenomenológica

Anaesthesiologic protocol for kidney transplantation in two patients with Fabry Disease: a case series

Fabry's Disease is a rare genetic syndrome, with a classic X-linked alpha -galactosidase A deficiency phenotype, responsible for glico-sphyngolypids metabolism impairment with clinical effects in several organs and functions. We describe the anaesthesiologic implications of two patients with Fabry disease who underwent a kidney transplantation from a deceased donor. We recommend careful preoperative evaluation, including cardiac sonography study and spirometry for Fabry disease patients, and according to our experience, we recommend advanced haemodynamic monitoring during surgery. Careful airway examination should be further performed, with particular attention to patient ventilability prediction and available alternative strategies for airway management in case of difficulties. A nephroprotective strategy and a particular care to the associated end-stage organ disease may significantly improve the long-term outcome of patients with Fabry Disease

Anaesthesiological implications of Kimura's disease: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Kimura's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition belonging to the angio-lymphatic proliferative group of disorders, usually affecting young men of Asian race, but is rare in Western countries. It is a benign but locally injurious disease, of unknown aetiology, whose classical clinical features are a tumour-like swelling, usually in the head and neck, with or without satellite lymphadenopathy, often accompanied by eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 33-year-old Caucasian woman with an atypical localization of Kimura's disease, discussing the anaesthesiological implications and reviewing the current literature on Kimura's disease.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The diagnosis of Kimura's disease can be difficult and misleading, and anaesthesiological precautions could be ignored. Patients with this disease are often evaluated for other disorders: unnecessary diagnostic tests and investigations, or even surgery, may be avoided by just being aware of Kimura's disease.</p

Synthesis, cytotoxicity and antiviral evaluation of new series of imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline and pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone derivatives

Linear aromatic N-tricyclic compounds with promising antiviral activity and minimal cytotoxicity were prepared and analyzed in the last years. Specifically, the pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone nucleus was found endowed with high potency against several pathogenic RNA viruses as etiological agents of important veterinary and human pathologies. Following our research program on new antiviral agents we have designed, synthesized and assayed new series of imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline and pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone derivatives. Lead compounds 1-4 were further modified to enhance their antiviral activity and reduce their cytotoxicity. Thus, different substituents were introduced on N atom at position 1 or the O atom at position 2 of the leads; contextually, several groups were inserted on the nitrogen atom at position 7 of diaminoquinoline intermediates. Title compounds were tested in cell-based assays for cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against RNA virus families containing single-stranded (either positive-sense (ssRNA+) or negative-sense (ssRNA-)), and double-stranded genomes (dsRNA), and against two representatives of DNA virus families. Some derivatives emerged as potential leads for further development as antiviral agents against some viruses of public health significance, such as RSV, Reo, BVDV and HCV. Particularly, compounds 4, 11b, 11c, 13c, 15a, 18 and 21 resulted active against BVDV at concentrations ranging from 1.3 to 5\ua0\u3bcM. Compound 21 was also evaluated for its activity on the BVDV RdRp. Compound 4 was also tested as potential anti-HCV compound in a subgenomic replication assay. Molecular simulation results provided a molecular rationale for the anti-BVDV activity of these compounds

Effects of Melatonin Treatment in Septic Newborns

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Dichloro-Phenyl-Benzotriazoles: A New Selective Class of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Entry Inhibitors

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the primary cause of bronchopneumonia in infants and children worldwide. Clinical studies have shown that early treatments of RSV patients with ribavirin improve prognosis, even if the use of this drug is limited due to myelosuppression and toxicity effects. Furthermore, effective vaccines to prevent RSV infection are currently unavailable. Thus, the development of highly effective and specific antiviral drugs for pre-exposure prophylaxis and/or treatment of RSV infections is a compelling need. In the quest of new RSV inhibitors, in this work we evaluated the antiviral activity of a series of variously substituted 5,6-dichloro-1-phenyl-1(2)H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole derivatives in cell-based assays. Several 1- and 2-phenyl-benzotriazoles resulted fairly potent (\ub5M concentrations) inhibitors of RSV infection in plaque reduction assays, accompanied by low cytotoxicity in human highly dividing T lymphoid-derived cells and primary cell lines. Contextually, no inhibitory effects were observed against other RNA or DNA viruses assayed, suggesting specific activity against RSV. Further results revealed that the lead compound 10d was active during the early phase of the RSV infection cycle. To understand whether 10d interfered with virus attachment to target cells or virus-cell fusion events, inhibitory activity tests against the RSV mutant strain B1 cp-52 \u2013 expressing only the F envelope glycoprotein \u2013 and a plasmid-based reporter assay that quantifies the bioactivity of viral entry were also performed. The overall biological results, in conjunction with in silico modeling studies, supported the conclusion that the RSV fusion process could be the target of this new series of compounds

Addendum: Impact of BMI on the outcome of metastatic breast cancer patients treated with everolimus: a retrospective exploratory analysis of the BALLET study.

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