Entre psychiatrie et anthropologie criminelle. Les Italiens au congrès de Psychiatrie infantile de Paris

Les médecins italiens intervenants au premier congrès de Psychiatrie infantile n’étaient pas exclusivement psychiatres mais aussi psychologues, comme Agostino Gemelli, ou spécialistes d’anthropologie criminelle comme Benigno di Tullio. Leurs interventions étaient axées autour de deux thèmes principaux : les réflexes conditionnés et la délinquance juvénile. L’article explore les interventions des Italiens en les inscrivant dans la situation complexe d’une discipline en construction et aux contours encore mal définis et ce dans le contexte politique et culturel dominant du fascisme. En ce qui concerne la délinquance juvénile, la partie la plus importante fut assurée par un spécialiste d’anthropologie criminelle qui était non seulement capable de produire des données chiffrées et une analyse quantitative mais plus encore de se faire le porte-parole des priorités du fascisme en matière de sécurité et d’ordre. Di Tullio présenta une proposition de rééducation des mineurs – les délinquants aussi bien que les prédisposés – basée sur le concept de bonification de la personne qui consistait autant dans une volonté de contrôle que de rééducation.At the First International Congress of Child Psychiatry the Italian speakers were not only psychiatrists, but also psychologists, like Agostino Gemelli, and criminal anthropologists, like Benigno Di Tullio. The reports presented dealt with two main issues: conditional reflexes and juvenile delinquency. This article explores the contributions of Italian doctors in relation with the complicated situation of a branch of medicine that was under construction, with boundaries not yet defined and connected with the cultural and political context dominated by fascism. On the topic of juvenile delinquency, the most important role was played by B. Di Tullio who was able not only to present statistical data and quantitative analysis, but also to be the spokesman of the priorities of fascist policy such as order and security. Di Tullio presented in Paris a project of re-education of minors - young criminals and predelinquents- based on the ‘reclamation’ of personality which was a mix between control and correction

Effect of the anthropometric characteristics of the arm on blood pressure measurement in the obese

BACKGROUND The type of cuff that should be used for blood pressure measurement in the obese is still the subject of debate. The problem is even more controversial in people with morbid obesity due to the pronounced tronco-conical shape of the upper arm. OBJECTIVES In this study we investigated the effect of the shape of the cuff on blood pressure measurement in obese subjects with arm circumference > 42 cm by comparing the blood pressure readings obtained with a cylindrical and a tronco-conical cuff with the same width. MATERIAL AND METHODOS We enrolled 33 obese subjects (mean BMI, 45 ± 5 kg/m2) with arm circumference between 42 and 50 cm (mean 44.8 ± 2.7 cm ). In each subject, body weight and height, upper arm length, proximal, medial and distal circumference, biceps and triceps skinfold, and blood pressure at enrolment were measured. From the proximal and distal arm circumference and the arm length the slant angle (in degrees) of the truncated cone was calculated. Two cuffs and bladders of different shape (cylindrical and conical) of proper fit were built following the recommendations of the American Heart Association. The tronco-conical cuff had a 85.5° slant angle (bladder had proximal and distal length, respectively, of 45 and 35 cm). Sequential same-arm measurements were performed in triplicate by two observers using the two cuffs in a random order. The obese subjects (group 2) were compared with a group of individuals with normal upper arm circumference (< 32 cm, group 1). In group 2, the pressure transmitted to the arm surface under the centre of the two cuffs was also measured using a paper thin sensor. RESULTS The blood pressure differences between the two cuffs were negligible in group 1. In contrast, in the obese subjects of Group 2 the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) differences were 4.8±4.0 and 3.0±4.3 mmHg, respectively, and were significantly greater than in the control group (SBP, p< 0.001 and DBP, p=0.01, after adjustment for age an sex). These differences remained significant also after adjustment for BP at enrolment (p< 0.001/0.01). Among the obese participants, in a multivariable linear regression that included sex, age, height, upper arm length and systolic blood pressure, upper arm slant angle was an independent predictor of the between-cuff SBP difference (p=0.003). A close correlation was found between SBP at enrolment and the measurement error with the cylindrical cuff (r=0.55, p<0.001). In the subjects of the top SBP quintile (SBP≥150 mmHg), the between-cuff SBP difference was particularly elevated, being 9.1±5.1 mmHg. Measurement of BP under the cuffs with the pressure sensor revealed that there was a loss of pressure under the cylindrical cuff which was proportional to the BP applied, with a mean difference of -10.2 ± 5.2 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS In people with morbid obesity, the upper arm has a pronunced tronco-conical shape and cylindrical cuffs may overestimate the true pressure especially in people with high SBP. Tronco-conical cuffs should be used for blood pressure measurement in individuals with very large arms

Bambini "anormali" e psichiatria in Italia tra le due guerre mondiali. Teorie e pratiche

This research deals with children and with people who studied them and who took care of them in the period between world wars. This thesis analyses the question of childhood considering psychiatry and some neighboring disciplines like medicine, pedagogy, psychology, psychoanalysis and criminal antropology. The research analyses the Italian situation, but it considers also the international relations both in the theorization of the psychiatrists and in the practices created for “abnormal” children. From a methodological point of view, the thesis uses several tools: it combines the reconstruction of the general background with the intensive observation of some case-studies, in particular the Venetian Medico-Pedagogical Institute, the Colonia-scuola Marro part of the Psichiatric Hospital of Reggio Emilia, the Scuola magistrale ortofrenica of Rome. It also takes ideas and suggestions from transnational approach, particularly useful in the reconstruction of medical and psychiatric networks. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part concerns institutions – institutes, schools and consulting rooms – for abnormal children and specific features of these institutions like admission and dismissal policies, the role of doctors and families and so on. The second part considers the scientific and political background in which psychiatrists operated and their relations with fascism and with the international context. The third part is about children: through their case histories we can analyse the diagnoses and we can also partly hear their voices

Histaminergic ligands injected into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis differentially affect fear conditioning consolidation

Abstract The role of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) in fear conditioning encoding is well established. In the present report, we investigate the involvement of the NBM histaminergic system in consolidating fear memories. The NBM was injected bilaterally with ligands of histaminergic receptors immediately after contextual fear conditioning. Histaminergic compounds, either alone or in combination, were stereotaxically administered to different groups of adult male Wistar rats and memory was assessed as conditioned freezing duration 72 h after administration. This protocol prevents interference with NBM function during either acquisition or retrieval phases, hence restricting the effect of pharmacological manipulations to fear memory consolidation. The results presented here demonstrate that post-training H3 receptors (H3R) blockade with the antagonist/inverse agonist thioperamide or activation with immepip in the NBM potentiates or decreases, respectively, freezing response at retrieval. Thioperamide induced memory enhancement seems to depend on H2R, but not H1R activation, as the H2R antagonist zolantidine blocked the effect of thioperamide, whereas the H1R antagonist pyrilamine was ineffective. Furthermore, the H2R agonist ampthamine improved fear memory expression independently of the H3R agonist effect. Our results indicate that activation of post-synaptic H2R within the NBM by endogenous histamine is responsible for the potentiated expression of fear responses. The results are discussed in terms of activation of H3 auto- and heteroreceptors within the NBM and the differential effect of H3R ligands on fear memory consolidation in distinct brain regions

Management of pericarditis

Pericarditis is an inflammatory syndrome involving pericardium, which is a double-walled sac consisting of two leaves, a serous visceral layer in contact with the myocardium (pericardium) and a parietal fibrous one, delimiting a cavity (pericardial cavity) containing pericardial fluid. Pericarditis may occur isolated or as a manifestation of a systemic disorder. Diagnosis and correct management of pericarditis can be difficult and its natural history is often characterized by a lot of relapses. Treatment of acute pericarditis should target the underlying etiology. The diagnosis is based on characteristic clinical findings, electrocardiogram, and echocardiography. The goals of treatment are relief of pain, resolution of inflammation (and, if present, pericardial effusion), and prevention of recurrence. Despite a significant impairment of the quality of life, pericarditis usually has good long-term outcomes

La tradizione europea del pensiero economico

Spalletti \ue8 segretario organizzativo, membro del collegio dei docenti del dottorato e co-curatore della cotutela del titolo di dottorato con l'Universit\ue0 Sorbona di Parigi. Lo scopo \ue8 formare studiosi con una preparazione adeguata alla complessit\ue0 che la ricerca nella Storia del pensiero economico ha raggiunto negli ultimi anni, conformemente anche con le nuove funzioni che la disciplina ha assunto nella formazione di economisti e scienziati sociali. La Storia del pensiero economico svolge infatti il ruolo di riflessione critica sui fondamenti della teoria economica; di riconoscimento dell\u2019influenza esercitata dall'evoluzione delle altre scienze; di approfondimento della teoria che nasce dall\u2019inquadramento del contesto culturale e storico che l\u2019ha determinata. In altre parole, la Storia del pensiero contribuisce a mantenere viva la tradizione europea di considerare la scienza economica come una scienza sociale. Tuttavia i corsi di laurea attuali non sono in grado di fornire un\u2019adeguata preparazione alla ricerca \u2013 ed eventualmente all\u2019insegnamento universitario \u2013 in questo settore. La materia richiede sia la conoscenza della teoria economica contemporanea (non fornita dai corsi di laurea propriamente umanistici) sia un\u2019adeguata preparazione alla ricerca storica (non fornita dai corsi di laurea in economia). Studi recenti hanno messo in evidenza i limiti di un approccio alla Storia del Pensiero economico confinato alla tradizione nazionale (considerata come un\u2019esperienza isolata poich\ue9 sovente gli Italiani studiano gli economisti italiani, i Tedeschi studiano gli economisti tedeschi etc.) ovvero alla tradizione anglosassone dominante. Ci\uf2 ha fatto passare in secondo piano interessanti correnti di pensiero che hanno avuto meno fortuna, o che sono legate a realt\ue0 nazionali diverse. La diffusione delle idee economiche tra i Paesi europei e la ricostruzione delle reti internazionali di collaborazione e di influenze costituiscono i campi di ricerca pi\uf9 innovativi e interessanti e sono ancora quasi interamente da esplorare. In particolare i rapporti tra Germania, Francia, Spagna e Italia sono tutti da ricostruire. Occorre, dunque, essere pronti ad accogliere le indicazioni provenienti dalla Comunit\ue0 scientifica internazionale, che gi\ue0 da tempo ha cominciato a interrogarsi sui meccanismi di trasferimento delle idee economiche attraverso i confini nazionali. Proprio l'istituzione scientifica pi\uf9 autorevole in materia, la Societ\ue0 Europea per la Storia del pensiero economico (ESHET), ha organizzato nel 1999 il convegno: "National Traditions in Economic Thought and the Diffusion of Ideas". Si tratta di filoni di ricerca che richiedono una complessa preparazione (disciplinare e linguistica) per essere adeguatamente affrontati. Non esistono dottorati in Europa che abbiano queste caratteristiche di apertura internazionale e di interdisciplinarit\ue0 tra economia e storia. In Italia i giovani studiosi/e che nutrono interesse in questo campo vi accedono generalmente tramite dottorati in economia e sono costretti ad acquisire faticosamente e isolatamente la strumentazione necessaria e a dedicare tempo e risorse ad approfondire conoscenze che non sono funzionali ai loro interessi di ricerca. Inoltre l\u2019alta specializzazione di questo dottorato, che ha quasi come solo sbocco professionale la ricerca, rende efficiente la scelta di concentrare gli sforzi tra diversi Paesi in un unico corso di studio a valenza internazionale

An explainable model of host genetic interactions linked to COVID-19 severity

We employed a multifaceted computational strategy to identify the genetic factors contributing to increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection from a Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) dataset of a cohort of 2000 Italian patients. We coupled a stratified k-fold screening, to rank variants more associated with severity, with the training of multiple supervised classifiers, to predict severity based on screened features. Feature importance analysis from tree-based models allowed us to identify 16 variants with the highest support which, together with age and gender covariates, were found to be most predictive of COVID-19 severity. When tested on a follow-up cohort, our ensemble of models predicted severity with high accuracy (ACC = 81.88%; AUCROC = 96%; MCC = 61.55%). Our model recapitulated a vast literature of emerging molecular mechanisms and genetic factors linked to COVID-19 response and extends previous landmark Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). It revealed a network of interplaying genetic signatures converging on established immune system and inflammatory processes linked to viral infection response. It also identified additional processes cross-talking with immune pathways, such as GPCR signaling, which might offer additional opportunities for therapeutic intervention and patient stratification. Publicly available PheWAS datasets revealed that several variants were significantly associated with phenotypic traits such as "Respiratory or thoracic disease", supporting their link with COVID-19 severity outcome.A multifaceted computational strategy identifies 16 genetic variants contributing to increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection from a Whole Exome Sequencing dataset of a cohort of Italian patients

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy/autophagy and reduced TNF/TNFα production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3L412F-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A statistically significant reduced survival at 28 days was shown in L412F COVID-19 patients treated with the autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (p = 0.038). An increased frequency of autoimmune disorders such as co-morbidity was found in L412F COVID-19 males with specific class II HLA haplotypes prone to autoantigen presentation. Our analyses indicate that L412F polymorphism makes males at risk of severe COVID-19 and provides a rationale for reinterpreting clinical trials considering autophagy pathways. Abbreviations: AP: autophagosome; AUC: area under the curve; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; RAP: rapamycin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TLR: toll like receptor; TNF/TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor