SLAM map application for tracking lights on car dashboards

Recent studies conducted by some insurance companies highlighted that the most part of drivers do not know the meaning of the dashboard lights. This leads drivers to be dangerous for others and themselves. Hence, the need to provide drivers with tools that support them to always be aware of the state of their cars. This paper proposes a system for mobile devices that uses augmented reality to be able to give information on a particular dashboard lights. The system is implemented by combining the use of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) maps with central moment computation widely used in computer vision. Preliminary research results show that the proposed system achieves its goal enables a a real-time visual feedback

Memory performances and personality traits in mothers of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Background: Chronic diseases in pediatric age have been identified as stressful risk factors for parents. Studies on caregivers have documented the impact of chronic parenting stress on emotion and cognition. Aim: To investigate the differences between a group of mothers of children affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) for at least 4 years and a group of mothers of typically developing children (TDC) in relation to parental stress, self-esteem, locus of control, and memory performances. Methods: A group of 86 mothers (mean age 35.6±4.9, ranged between 32 and 41 years) of children with OSAS diagnosis, and a group of 52 mothers of TDC (mean age 35.9±4.2, ranged between 32 and 41 years) participated in the study. All participants were administered stress level, global self-esteem, internal/external locus of control scales, and memory assessment. Results: Mothers of OSAS children, compared to mothers of TDC, had a significantly higher level of stress, lower self-esteem, more external locus of control and poorer memory performance. Conclusions: The child respiratory disease, with its sudden and unpredictable features, appeared as a significant source of stress for the mother. Such stress condition may have an impact on mothers’ personality traits (self-esteem, locus of control) and on their memory performances. The data have suggested a need for psychological support programs for mothers to better manage stress associated with children’s respiratory disease

Psychological stress in seafarers: a review

Background: Seafaring is a particular profession, in which workers are usually exposed to several stressors that are related to the different duties on board ships. This paper has reviewed the main publications on different factors affecting seafarers with the purpose of identifying specific stress factors related to a particular duty on board. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted using the online databases PubMed and OvidSP. A survey on health, stress, and fatigue of Australian Seafarers published by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) fulfilling the selection criteria was also examined. This publication provided relevant data obtained from a large sample of seafarers. Results: Our analysis confirmed that seafaring is associated with mental, psychosocial, and physical stressors. The most important factors were separation from family, loneliness on board, fatigue, multi-nationality, limited recreation activity, and sleep deprivation. The AMSA report gave a more detailed analysis on lifestyle and relevant factors inducing psychological distress. Stressors affecting seafarers working in the engine room were different from those involving the deck crew. Sleep quality and duration were reported to be poor mainly in pilots, whereas deck crew tended to be less adherent to physical exercise and healthy lifestyle recommendations. Conclusions: Seafaring is still associated with relevant mental health risks. Information on known stress factors on board should be provided to seafarers to help them in lowering stress perception. Strategies for coping with “inevitable” stress conditions should also be investigated and developed. Strategies to decrease risks of stress should be directed to the different categories of seafarers, and the results of specific interventions should be evaluated

The Effect of the Association between Donepezil and Choline Alphoscerate on Behavioral Disturbances in Alzheimer's Disease: Interim Results of the ASCOMALVA Trial

BACKGROUND: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a group of psychological reactions, psychiatric symptoms, and behaviors commonly found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Four clusters of BPSD have been described: mood disorders (depression, anxiety, and apathy), psychotic symptoms (delusions and hallucinations), aberrant motor behaviors (pacing, wandering, and other purposeless behaviors), and inappropriate behaviors (agitation, disinhibition, and euphoria). Most of them are attributed to acetylcholine deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if a higher amount of acetylcholine obtained by associating donepezil and choline alphoscerate might have a favorable effect on BPSD. METHODS: BPSD were measured at baseline and after 24 months in 113 mild/moderate AD patients, included in the double-blind randomized trial ASCOMALVA, by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Two matched groups were compared: group A treated with donepezil (10 mg/day) plus choline alphoscerate (1200 mg/day), and group B treated with donepezil (10 mg/day) plus placebo. RESULTS: Data of NPI revealed a significant decrease of BPSD severity and distress of the caregiver in patients of group A compared with group B. Mood disorders (depression, anxiety and apathy) were significantly decreased in subjects treated with donepezil and choline alphoscerate, while their severity and frequency was increased in the other group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with donepezil plus choline alphoscerate showed a lower level of behavioral disturbances than subjects treated with donepezil only, suggesting that the association can have beneficial effect

Evaluation of neurocognitive abilities in children affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome before and after adenotonsillectomy

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is the most severe form of sleep-related disordered breathing (SRDB) and is characterised by snoring, apnoeas, and/or hypopnoeas associated to hypoxia, hypercarbia, or repeated arousals from sleep. OSAS has three major categories of morbidities: neurobehavioural, cardiovascular and somatic growth failure. The gold standard for objective diagnosis of obstructive-SRDB severity is polysomnography (PSG). The indication for surgical treatment in children is moderate-severe OSAS (AHI, apnoea hypopnoea index > 5/h) and in mild OSAS (AHI 2-5/h) with complications or morbidity. The entire spectrum of PSG-defined SRDB (ranging from Primary Snoring to severe OSAS) may correlate with behavioural, attentional and executive function deficits relating to hypoxia and sleep disruption: in some cases, these alterations may mimic attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this research was to evaluate visuoperceptual and constructional abilities, paediatric sleep questionnaire and polysomnographic scores before and 6 months after adenotonsillectomy with objective and subjective information. We included 59 children who underwent neuropsychiatric and otolaryngologist clinical evaluation and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI); children parents were asked to fill in the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ); each child underwent PSG. At 6 months after adenotonsillectomy, all patients were evaluated again. There is a significant difference in PSQ parameters, VMI standard, visual tests scores and PSG parameters before and after adenotonsillectomy in children affected by OSAS. These results showed the achievement of therapeutic benefits with improvement of the quality of life for both children and their parents

The Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) for assessing stress of seafarers on board merchant ships

Background: In their working activity, seafarers are exposed to high levels of stress that should be accuratelyinvestigated, measured, followed up and, if possible, countered. This is also required by regulations recently entered into force such as the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, recommending to consider special physiological or psychological problems created by the shipboard environment. The choice of the tools for this evaluation is challenging, and a common basic standard usable in a large scale should be identified.Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate: 1) the suitability of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) questionnaire conducted on board for assessing stress in the sailing seafarers, 2) The presenceof stress in seafarers of different categories (deck officers, engine officers, deck crew, engine crew, chiefstewards/catering staff) monitored by the PGWBI.Materials and methods: 162 male seafarers on board of 7 tankers belonging to the same shipping companywere evaluated through the PGWB questionnaire. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse thedifferences in the scores of the questionnaire.Results: Engine officers exhibited significantly higher anxiety levels than the deck or engine crew, andshowed lower satisfaction than the deck crew. Deck and engine officers revealed higher self-control levelsthan the engine crew. Chief stewards/catering staff showed lower vitality levels than the deck crew.Conclusions: Deck or engine officers should achieve a greater self-control than the crew and this is documentedby the present study. Our findings support the view that management responsibility is more often associated with higher levels of stress. In our opinion, the PGWB questionnaire is a reasonable compromise forobtaining a global evaluation of psychological conditions, including stress of seafarers. It should be therefore considered as a large scale tool for assessing the well-being and eventual stress levels of sailing seafarers

The Social Brain and Emotional Contagion: COVID-19 Effects

Background and objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious infectious disease, responsible for a global pandemic that began in January 2020. Human/COVID-19 interactions cause dierent outcomes ranging from minor health consequences to death. Since social interaction is the default mode by which individuals communicate with their surroundings, dierent modes of contagion can play a role in determining the long-term consequences for mental health and emotional well-being. We examined some basic aspects of human social interaction, emphasizing some particular features of the emotional contagion. Moreover, we analyzed the main report that described brain damage related to the COVID-19 infection. Indeed, the goal of this review is to suggest a possible explanation for the relationships among emotionally impaired people, brain damage, and COVID-19 infection. Results: COVID-19 can cause several significant neurological disorders and the pandemic has been linked to a rise in people reporting mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Neurocognitive symptoms associated with COVID-19 include delirium, both acute and chronic attention and memory impairment related to hippocampal and cortical damage, as well as learning deficits in both adults and children. Conclusions: Although our knowledge on the biology and long-term clinical outcomes of the COVID-19 infection is largely limited, approaching the pandemic based on lessons learnt from previous outbreaks of infectious diseases and the biology of other coronaviruses will provide a suitable pathway for developing public mental health strategies, which could be positively translated into therapeutic approaches, attempting to improve stress coping responses, thus contributing to alleviate the burden driven by the pandemic

Parental Stress and Parental Ratings of Behavioral Problems of Enuretic Children

Background: Primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) may have a stressful impact on the everyday life of children and parents, and it may represent a cumulative stress factor increasing feelings of “learned helplessness.” Methods: The current study investigated parental stress in a group of parents (n = 330) of children affected by PMNE, compared to a group of parents (n = 330) of typical developing children (TDC). In addition, the study evaluated whether parents of PMNE children experience more emotional, social, and behavioral problems in their children, compared to parents of TDC. Finally, the study correlated frequency of enuresis with stress values and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) subscales and total stress with CBCL. Both groups were given The Parental Stress Inventory-Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results: Parents of PMNE children showed significantly higher stress level than parents of TDC. Nocturnal enuresis, as a demanding clinical condition difficult to control, represents a relevant stress factor. Mothers appeared as more vulnerable to stress than fathers. Parents of PMNE children reported higher behavioral and emotional problems, compared to reports of parents of TDC. PMNE children appeared to their parents as having lower competency in social activities, school performance, and social relationships than TDC. Moreover, they were rated as more withdrawn, anxious-depressed,more aggressive, inattentive, and withmore somatic complaints than healthy children. It was always the mother who rated a significantly higher number of emotional, social, and behavioral problems compared to fathers. Correlational analysis showed that the higher the frequency of enuresis, the greater the parental stress level, the lower the social activities, school performance and relational competencies and the higher the emotional, social and behavioral problems in children, according to the parents’ evaluations. The greater the parental stress level, the lower the competencies rated and the higher the behavioral problems detected by parents

Assessment of neuroactive steroids in cerebrospinal fluid comparing acute relapse and stable disease in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Previous studies have reported an involvement of neuroactive steroids as neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agents in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS); an analysis of their profile during a specific clinical phase of MS is largely unknown. The pregnenolone (PREG), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and allopregnanolone (ALLO) profile was evaluated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients as well as those in patients affected by non-inflammatory neurological (control group I) and without neurological disorders (control group II). An increase of PREG and DHEA values was shown in CSF of male and female RR-MS patients compared to those observed in both control groups. The ALLO values were significantly lower in female RR-MS patients than those found in male RR-MS patients and in female without neurological disorder. During the clinical relapse, we observed female RR-MS patients showing significantly increased PREG values compared to female RR-MS patients in stable phase, while their ALLO values showed a significant decrease compared to male RR-MS patients of the same group. Male RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions showed PREG and DHEA values higher than those found in female RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions. Similary, male RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions showed PREG and DHEA values higher than male without gadolinium-enhanced lesions. Female RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions showed DHEA values higher than those found in female RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions. Male and female RR-MS patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions showed ALLO values higher than those found in respective gender groups without gadolinium-enhanced lesions. ALLO values were lower in male than in female RR-MS patients without gadolinium-enhanced lesions. Considering the pharmacological properties of neuroactive steroids and the observation that neurological disorders influence their concentrations, these endogenous compounds may have an important role as prognostic factors of the disease and used as markers of MS activity such as relapses

Late and early onset dementia: what is the role of vascular factors? A retrospective study.

Neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) demonstrates that the common occurrence of vascular lesions and vascular factors is suggested to contribute significantly to the clinical progression of the disease. This study has assessed the presence of vascular brain lesions and risk factors in subjects with diagnosis of AD and their influence on the disease course both in Late Onset Dementia (LOD) and in Early Onset Dementia (EOD). METHODS: MRI scans of 374 LOD and of 67 EOD patients were evaluated for the presence of vascular associated lesions and rated according to the age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale as "pure degenerative", "mixed" and "vascular" cases of dementia. Vascular risk factors burden (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, myocardial infarction) and disease progression were also assessed. RESULTS: 44% of LOD cases and 46% of EOD were classified as "mixed dementia cases". The vascular risk factors burden showed an increase from the pure degenerative to the pure vascular forms. Disease progression, calculated in two years using the Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scores, did not reveal differences among the three different classes of dementias. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular lesions are found in the majority of LOD cases and in about one half of EOD. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis of a synergistic effect of the degenerative and vascular factors on the development of cognitive dysfunction. The linear increase of the vascular burden supports the idea of a continuum spectrum between the pure degenerative and the pure vascular forms of adult-onset dementia disorder