Looking at the immigrants’ faces. The study of audience’s emotions and attitude toward immigrants through a documentary film

In line with the refugee agency recommendations (UNHCR, 2010) the present research recruited citizens in the general population with the aim of understanding whether positive media messages may foster acceptance towards refugee immigrants. The study has specifically considered the case of unaccompanied refugee minors verifying if and how specific affective and cognitive dimensions implicated in individual moral functioning were related to empathic or hostile emotions experienced while watching a documentary realized by refugee minors in a hosting centre in Italy. In addition, the relationship between different emotional responses and attitudes toward immigrations were examined. Fifty student were invited to complete pre-assessment questionnaire containing measures on empathic tendencies (e.g. perspective taking, Davis, 1990) personal values (self-enhancement values, Schwartz, 1992) and moral regulation (e.g. moral efficacy; Bandura, 1991). Then, voluntary participants were invited to watch the documentary film produced in the a European Project. After the presentation of the film, the students have to indicate their current emotional states and attitude toward immigration as spectators. Overall, the results showed that self-transcendence values, empathic concern and moral self-efficacy were positively related to sympathy, and negatively related to hostile emotions. Differently, moral disengagement was positively related to negative affect. Moreover, the presence of empathic affect during the film was associated with positive attitudes toward immigrations; on the contrary, the presence of hostile emotions was strongly related  to negative attitudes toward hosting. Overall, results suggest the importance of considering citizens’ moral sensitivity, motivation and moral regulative capabilities together audio-visual contents to better understand people’s emotions in relation to immigration and hosting

Tumor-associated macrophages in osteosarcoma: From mechanisms to therapy

Osteosarcomas (OSs) are bone tumors most commonly found in pediatric and adolescent patients characterized by high risk of metastatic progression and recurrence after therapy. Effective therapeutic management of this disease still remains elusive as evidenced by poor patient survival rates. To achieve a more effective therapeutic management regimen, and hence patient survival, there is a need to identify more focused targeted therapies for OSs treatment in the clinical setting. The role of the OS tumor stroma microenvironment plays a significant part in the development and dissemination of this disease. Important components, and hence potential targets for treatment, are the tumor-infiltrating macrophages that are known to orchestrate many aspects of OS stromal signaling and disease progression. In particular, increased infiltration of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) has been associated with OS metastasis and poor patient prognosis despite currently used aggressive therapies regimens. This review aims to provide a summary update of current macrophage-centered knowledge and to discuss the possible roles that macrophages play in the process of OS metastasis development focusing on the potential influence of stromal cross-talk signaling between TAMs, cancer-stem cells and additional OSs tumoral microenvironment factors

Childhood absence epilepsy and electroencephalographic focal abnormalities with or without clinical manifestations

SummaryPurposeWe studied the electroclinical features and evolution in patients with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) associated with electroencephalographic findings similar to those of benign focal epilepsies (BFE) with or without clinical manifestations compatible with these focal idiopathic syndromes.MethodsBetween June 1994 and June 2002, we found 203 (3.6%) patients with typical electroclinical features of CAE among 8285 children with epilepsy. From this population of 203, we found 30 cases (14.7%) that also showed focal abnormalities of BFE on the EEG. Seven of these 30 cases also had clinical manifestations of BFE that preceded the onset of the absences.ResultsThere were 20 (66.5%) boys and 10 (33.5%) girls. Age at onset of absences ranged from 2 to 10.5 years, with a mean age of 5.5 years. Of 30, 7 had focal clinical seizures as well. Three of seven had seizures characteristic of Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS), and the other four had seizures compatible with childhood occipital epilepsy (COE) of Gastaut. The focal seizures started between 3 and 7 years of age. In all patients seizures were under control within 2–24 months (mean: 11 months) after onset. The focal discharges disappeared in 26 patients at a mean age of 8 years (range 4–13 years), 1 year after the typical absences had disappeared. In four patients the focal paroxysms are still present.ConclusionThe association of two different idiopathic focal and generalized epilepsies in the same patient may be merely coincidental, but a close genetic relationship between both epileptic syndromes might be another hypothesis. Another explanation could be that our series of patients represent a subgroup of CAE

Fare satira ai tempi di Stalin. Golubaja kniga di M. M. Zoščenko: selezione di racconti, proposta di traduzione e commento

Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di presentare una traduzione di alcuni racconti tratti dalla raccolta Golubaja kniga di Michail Michajlovič Zoščenko, con relativo commento. Si tratta di una scelta basata sul potenziale interesse che una tale pubblicazione può suscitare all’interno del nostro mercato editoriale, dato lo scarso numero di opere russe degli anni Venti e Trenta e di recente traduzione fruibili da parte del lettore italiano al giorno d’oggi. La particolarità di quest’opera si trova nel ruolo svolto dalla lingua del Narratore e dei personaggi: la lingua di Zoščenko si pone alla base del suo umorismo e ciò ha originato una vera e propria sfida per la traduzione. Purtroppo, data la lunghezza dell’opera, non è sembrato opportuno proporre una traduzione integrale della raccolta, ma si è operata una selezione dei testi. Dal momento che la raccolta è stata organizzata dall’Autore secondo una divisione in cinque sezioni che raggruppano racconti sui soldi, sull’amore, sulla cattiveria, sugli insuccessi e su eventi incredibili, tale divisione è stata rispettata; inoltre, l’inizio di ogni sezione è stato segnalato tramite l’inserimento delle illustrazioni originali della prima edizione di Golubaja kniga. L'elaborato si compone di due capitoli di commento, più le conclusioni e la bibliografia, seguiti dalla mia proposta di traduzione dei racconti selezionati e dal testo originale a fronte, allo scopo di permettere al lettore un confronto immediato con il testo russo. Nel primo capitolo, ho costruito un commento critico all’opera, articolato in cinque sottocapitoli. Nel primo, ho fornito una breve introduzione all’autore, mentre nel secondo ho presentato la raccolta, analizzando il rapporto di Golubaja kniga con la Storia attraverso la forma dell’aneddoto e la sua supposta carica esopica. Nel terzo sottocapitolo, ho esposto i numerosi temi presenti nel testo, analizzando l’eroe di Zoščenko, in quanto uomo nuovo e meščanin sovietico, caratterizzato dalla propria incultura e dal materialismo, e riflettendo su come venga raffigurata la burocrazia, la vita quotidiana e il rapporto dei cittadini col Partito. Nel quarto, ho analizzato lo stile di Zoščenko, con particolare attenzione alla lingua e all'uso dello skaz. Nel quinto, infine, ho riportato i numerosi passi censurati dalla raccolta: per ogni intervento ho fornito una proposta di traduzione accompagnata dal testo originale a fronte, oltre a un breve commento esplicativo. Nel secondo capitolo, ho presentato e giustificato la scelta traduttiva da me adottata: ho esposto ogni problema linguistico e traduttivo su cui io stessa mi sono soffermata e che ho ritenuto utile condividere col lettore, corredando ogni caso traduttivo di esempi

Beliefs of personal efficacy in learning regulation within digital university

This study aims at presenting and validating a questionnaire on beliefs about personal efficacy in learning regulation within digital university contexts. Psychological and educational literature has recognised the role of personal effi cacy, citing associations to positive learning outcomes and good quality student trajectories. Nevertheless, few studies have been conducted regarding online courses. In this study (N=159, aged 19 to 63) two dimensions of self-effi cacy, namely “Task e-Efficacy” and “Social e-Efficacy”, are found to be relevant. The fi rst infl uences the average score of the results; whilst the second increases the number of exams and the level of pro-social behaviour demonstrated in areas such as sharing assignments, receiving support, and providing help. In conclusion, we believe these two dimensions could be useful to strategically monitor and organize the educational offe

Mesothelioma Malignancy and the Microenvironment: Molecular Mechanisms

Several studies have reported that cellular and soluble components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a key role in cancer-initiation and progression. Considering the relevance and the complexity of TME in cancer biology, recent research has focused on the investigation of the TME content, in terms of players and informational exchange. Understanding the crosstalk between tumor and non-tumor cells is crucial to design more beneficial anti-cancer therapeutic strategies. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a complex and heterogenous tumor mainly caused by asbestos exposure with few treatment options and low life expectancy after standard therapy. MPM leukocyte infiltration is rich in macrophages. Given the failure of macrophages to eliminate asbestos fibers, these immune cells accumulate in pleural cavity leading to the establishment of a unique inflammatory environment and to the malignant transformation of mesothelial cells. In this inflammatory landscape, stromal and immune cells play a driven role to support tumor development and progression via a bidirectional communication with tumor cells. Characterization of the MPM microenvironment (MPM-ME) may be useful to understand the complexity of mesothelioma biology, such as to identify new molecular druggable targets, with the aim to improve the outcome of the disease. In this review, we summarize the known evidence about the MPM-ME network, including its prognostic and therapeutic relevance

Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Osteosarcoma: from mechanisms to therapy

Abstract: Osteosarcomas (OSs) are bone tumors most commonly found in paediatric and adolescent patients characterized by high risk of metastatic progression and recurrence after therapy. Effective therapeutic management of this disease still remains elusive as evidenced by poor patient survival rates. To achieve a more effective therapeutic management regimen, and hence patient survival, there is a need to identify more focused targeted therapies for OSs treatment in the clinical setting. The role of the OS tumor stroma microenvironment plays a significant part in the development and dissemination of this disease. Important components, and hence potential targets for treatment, are the tumor-infiltrating macrophages that are known to orchestrate many aspects of OS stromal signaling and disease progression. In particular, increased infiltration of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) has been associated with OS metastasis and poor patient prognosis despite currently used aggressive therapies regimens. This review aims to provide a summary update of current macrophage-centered knowledge and to discuss the possible roles that macrophages play in the process of OS metastasis development focusing on the potential influence of stromal cross-talk signaling between TAMs, cancer-stem cells and additional OSs tumoral microenvironment factors