Alexithymia, Metacognition, and Theory of Mind in Children and Preadolescents With Migraine Without Aura (MWoA): A Case-Control Study

Background: Some studies have demonstrated the high impact of headache and migraine in several areas of children and adolescents’ life. In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific interest in the relationship between migraine and emotional regulation, investigating the possible consequences of emotional dysregulation on physical and mental health. While some studies have been carried out on the relationship between alexithymia and headache or migraine (especially in adults), no data exist on relationship between Theory of Mind (TOM), metacognition, and alexithymia in children and adolescents with migraine. Methods: Children with diagnosis of migraine without aura (MWoA) (36 males and 34 females) were compared to a healthy control group (31 males and 39 females). The age range was from 8 to 13 years in both groups. All children completed the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children (AQC) for the assessment of alexithymia levels and the Domain of Social Perception included in the NEPSY-II to evaluate levels of TOM. Metacognitive development was evaluated with Io e La Mia Mente for children aged between 8 and 10 years and with Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children (MCQ-C) for children from 11 to 13. Results: There were no differences between children with MWoA and the control group in metacognitive abilities; only in the subscale “Negative Meta Worrying” of MCQ-C girls scored higher than boys, regardless of the group they were part of. Also, in the NEPSY-II subscale there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Children with MWoA scored higher in the AQC subscales “Difficulty Identifying Feelings” and “Difficulty Describing Feelings” than controls. Moreover, children between 8 and 10 years statistically differed from older children in “Difficulty Identifying Feelings” and in Total Score. Conclusion: Our data suggest that children with MWoA have no metacognitive and TOM problems compared to a healthy group. The experimental group showed higher traits of alexithymia, confirming what suggested by other studies in the literature. Future research will have to focus on migraine with aura and tension-type headache to evaluate any differences with children with MWoA

Adolescents’ Characteristics and Peer Relationships in Class: A Population Study

Abstract: Background: This study aimed to investigate differences in adolescents’ social relationships with classmates of diverse gender, socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and academic achievement. Methods: A population of 10th-grade students (N = 406,783; males = 50.3%; Mage = 15.57 years, SDage = 0.75) completed the Classmates Social Isolation Questionnaire (CSIQ), an instrument specifically designed to measure two distinct but correlated types of peer relationships in class: peer acceptance and peer friendship. To obtain reliable comparisons across diverse adolescent characteristics, the measurement invariance of the CSIQ was established by means of CFAs and then latent mean differences tests were performed. Results: Immigrant background, academic achievement, and socioeconomic status all proved to be important factors influencing relationships with classmates, while being a male or a female was less relevant. Being a first-generation immigrant adolescent appears to be the foremost risk factor for being less accepted by classmates, while having a low academic achievement is the greatest hindrance for having friends in the group of classmates, a finding that diverges from previous studies. Conclusions: This population study suggests that adolescent characteristics (especially immigrant background, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement) seem to affect social relationships with classmates

High-Pressure Game Conditions Affect Quiet Eye Depending on the Player’s Expertise: Evidence from the Basketball Three-Point Shot

Research on attention in sport using eye-tracking methodology has highlighted that the highest levels of expertise and performance are characterized by a specific gaze behavior consisting of a perception–action variable named quiet eye. The present study aimed to understand the role of quiet eye during the three-point shot, especially in game conditions in which even a single point may determine victory or defeat. Twenty-one basketball players (twelve competitive elites and nine semi-elites) with a high-shooting style performed three-point shots in four game scenarios different from each other for the time available (time pressure) and the relevance of the score (performance pressure). The results showed that competitive elites performed a longer quiet eye online duration and a shorter QE preprogramming duration than semi-elites, especially in the highest-pressure condition. On the one hand, these results suggest that quiet eye during three-point shots could fulfill an online control function. On the other hand, the findings stressed the importance of implementing experimental conditions that can resemble as closely as possible actual sport situations. Finally, we suggest that sport professionals interested in administering to athletes a quiet eye training protocol in order to improve three-point shot performance consider the shooting style of the players

GESTIONE DELLA FISTOLA ENTEROCUTANEA E DELLA NUTRIZIONE CLINICA IN PAZIENTE CON PROTESI INFETTA DOPO TRATTAMENTO DI LAPAROCELE ADDOMINALE. SUGGERIMENTI, TRUCCHI E REVISIONE DELLA LETTERATURA

Il trattamento della fistola entero-cutanea (FEC) richiede un approccio multidisciplinare, genera costi elevati e mostra tassi critici di morbilità e mortalità. E’ una complicanza tra le più impegnative nella Chirurgia dell'Ernia post-incisionale (laparocele addominale) e nella Chirurgia colorettale. L’età dei pazienti, in media avanzata, e la coesistenza di una o più patologie croniche, determinano un esito infausto, nonostante i trattamenti applicati. Materiali e metodi: Si illustrano gli attuali sistemi di classificazione della FEC, le metodiche attualmente utilizzate nella gestione della complicanza, una revisione bibliografica approfondita sul controllo della fonte settica, sul metodo da seguire nell’applicazione della nutrizione clinica, ossigenoterapia iperbarica e drenaggio a pressione negativa. Abbiamo valutato l’impiego della pancera che, seppure la bibliografia scientifica non ne evidenzi l’utilità, in questo tipo di pazienti è consigliabile. Risultati: Maschio 71 anni, settico, displasia midollare, fistolizzato a 100 cm dal Treitz dopo rimozione di protesi infetta impiantata per laparocele. Scenario complesso per malattia del sistema eritropoietico. Confrontiamo i nostri risultati con la letteratura scientifica internazionale. I pazienti con FEC necessitano il supporto nutrizionale per contrastare ipercatabolismo, flogosi e sepsi, perdita di liquidi, proteine e sali minerali. BMI medio / velocità infusionale media / output medio alla domiciliarizzazione / in domiciliare, e in fase terminale sono stati 21.8/82.8 (ml/h)/83,2 (ml/24 ore); 23.3/59.2/70.1; 22.9/70/100.3 rispettivamente. L’Hb media/Hct medio/PLT medie nelle tre fasi 8.8(g/dL) / 27(%) / 98.5(x10^9/L) (nessuna trasfusione), 7/20.9/84 (2 trasfusioni), 7.3/21.1/46 (10 trasfusioni). Conclusione: Nel trattamento della FEC è indispensabile l’approccio multidisciplinare aggressivo, espianto della fonte settica, ipernutrizione (iniziando con Nutrizione Parenterale Totale-NPT, seguita da Nutrizione Enterale-NE) prima possibile. Nella fase intermedia l’output lasciava ben sperare nella chiusura spontanea. La/le patologie associate hanno un peso determinante nella riuscita. Teduglutide potrebbe essere utile out label. Necessaria la stesura di linee guide condivise ottenendo dati omogenei, schematizzare la metodologia per disegnare studi randomizzati dai risultati accettabili alla comunità scientifica

When the going gets tough, what happens to quiet eye? The role of time pressure and performance pressure during basketball free throws

In aiming sport contexts, the quiet eye (QE) - the final ocular fixation before movement initiation - is a crucial perceptual-cognitive skill. Indeed, an extended QE permits athletes to achieve high performances, aiding optimal attentional control, particularly in situations in which athletes are "under pressure." Such situations are common in sport, especially when time runs out, and even just a few points can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Although QE has been widely investigated across several sports and tasks, no previous studies have considered both the role of time pressure and performance pressure on QE. The current study aimed to comprehend the effect of tough sport situations on QE characteristics. Accordingly, we tested basketball players (competitive-élites and semi-élites) in free throw trials, manipulating both the time available to perform the task and the relevance of the performance. The results showed that time pressure and performance pressure impaired QE characteristics, regardless of expertise levels. Also, time pressure led to a decrease in free throw accuracy. Interestingly, the match between task demands and the ability to cope seemed to play a role on QE, especially in the competitive-élite players, with negative QE characteristics (short and late) when task demands exceeded the ability to cope. These findings suggest that QE research and QE training protocols should account for time pressure, performance pressure, and the players' perceived ability to cope with the requested task

The Psychometric Properties of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3): Factorial Structure, Invariance and Validity in the Italian Context

Background: Motivation to engage in physical activity plays a central role in ensuring the health of the population. The present study investigated the psychometric properties and validity in Italy of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3), a widely used instrument for assessing individuals’ motivation to exercise based on self-determination theory (SDT). Methods: A large sample (N = 2222; females = 55.4%; Mage = 36.4 years, SDage = 13.9, min = 20, max = 69) of young people, and middle aged and older adults completed the Italian translation of the BREQ-3, also indicating their intentions to exercise in the following weeks. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the posited six-factor structure of the BREQ-3 fitted the data well (CFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.04) and provided evidence for full measurement invariance across gender and different age groups. The construct validity of the BREQ-3 was supported by the latent correlations among the subscales, which were consistent with the quasi-simplex pattern theorized by SDT. The overall level of self-determination and the intention to exercise were positively correlated, providing evidence for the criterion validity of the scale. Conclusions: The Italian version of the BREQ-3 has proved to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the behavioral regulation of exercise in individuals with different demographic characteristics

A study of quiet eye's phenomenon in the shooting section of "laser run" of modern pentathlon

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the Quiet eye (QE) phenomenon on performances during the shooting section of "Laser Run" of Modern Pentathlon, in two samples of athletes (novices and experts). The "Laser Run" consists of running and shooting activities. The study involved 18 experienced athletes of the Italian National Team of Modern Pentathlon (i.e., "elite" group) and 18 young and nonexpert athletes of a local Pentathlon club (i.e., "novice" group). Participants performed, in ecological conditions, five trials of four series of shootings (as it occurs in the real competitions), for a total of 20 series. During the shooting trials, athletes wore a mobile Eye Tracking System to record eye movements (saccades, blinks, and fixations). Key measures of the study were QE parameters (QE Duration [QED], Relative QED [RQED], and QE Onset), as well as the performance (accuracy and time to perform the event). The results revealed that both groups of athletes had a longer QED, RQED, and an earlier onset during their best shots than during the worse ones. Furthermore, differences between the groups showed that elite athletes had an earlier onset and a shorter QED than the novice group of athletes. These results provide insightful information about different cognitive and perceptual processes involved in Modern Pentathlon's athletes' performances at both the elite and non-elite level. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Adolescents' Characteristics and Peer Relationships in Class: A Population Study

This study aimed to investigate differences in adolescents' social relationships with classmates of diverse gender, socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and academic achievement