Assessment of oppositional defiant disorder and oppositional behavior in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

IntroductionChildren and adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) exhibit higher rates of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) than typically developing (TD) peers. However, studies focusing on the investigation of ODD prevalence in youth with Down syndrome (DS) are still limited.MethodsThe current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ODD clinical and subclinical symptoms in a group of 101 youth with DS (63 boys, 38 girls) ranging in age from 6 to 18 years. Moreover, the prevalence of ODD symptoms, as detected by means of three parent-report questionnaires, was compared with that detected by a semi-structured psychopathological interview, namely, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS) Version Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5).ResultsWe found that 17% of participants met diagnostic criteria for ODD on the K-SADS, whereas 24% exhibited subclinical symptoms. Results also suggest good specificity of Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Rating Scale (SNAP-IV), Conners’ Parent Rating Scales Long Version (CPRS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in detecting ODD symptoms. The investigation of the agreement in the prevalence rates of clinical and subclinical symptoms of ODD between K-SADS and the parent-report questionnaires indicated CPRS as the parent-report questionnaire with the best agreement with K-SADS.DiscussionThis study provides support for the use of parent-report questionnaires to assess ODD symptoms in children and adolescents with DS by evaluating their levels of agreement with a semi-structured psychopathological interview. In particular, our results suggest that CPRS could be considered a suitable screening tool for ODD clinical and subclinical symptoms in youth with DS

Impianto Tor di Quinto SapienzaSport

Il progetto si concentra sull’impianto Tor di Quinto SapienzaSport, situato nelle immediate vicinanze dell’omonimo viadotto, compreso fra la ciclabile Ponte Milvio-Castel Giubileo, che costeggia il parco correndo lungo tutto l’argine, e l’ansa del fiume Tevere. Si propone di valorizzare, riqualificare e ridefinire gli impianti rafforzando il ruolo dell’area nel circuito Sapienza e nel contesto urbano, attraverso un radicale miglioramento dell’offerta di servizi, della riconoscibilità del sito e della sua accessibilità

Characterization of Sleep Disturbances in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome and Their Relation with Cognitive and Behavioral Features

Despite sleep disturbances are common among youths with Down syndrome (DS), the cognitive and behavioral features associated with sleep problems have not yet been studied extensively. The present study investigated the presence of sleep disturbances in a group of children and adolescents with DS and their cognitive and behavioral correlates. Seventy-one children and adolescents with DS underwent a neuropsychological evaluation, whereas parents completed questionnaires for the screening of the child’s sleep, emotional and behavioral problems. We found no association between sleep disturbances and sex, nonverbal IQ, nor adaptive abilities. However, we found that age was positively associated with disorders in initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) and disorders of excessive somnolence (DOES), while body mass index was related with DOES. We also detected a relationship between visual-motor integrations and DIMS, as well as multiple associations between sleep disturbances and psychopathological and behavioral problems, mainly externalizing symptoms. The present study provided a detailed characterization of sleep problems in relation to several features of youths with DS. The proper identification of sleep disturbances profile in the DS population could support the process of clinical evaluation, in particular for psychopathological aspects

Strada Mondo. Via Flaminia: una linea tra immaginario e realtà

Disegno interpretativo della via Flaminia presentato alla mostra "La strada. Dove si crea il mondo" nella sezione "community" con un video di Carmine e Luciaconcetta Vincelli, Museo MAXXI a Roma dal 6 dicembre 2018 al 28 aprile 2019 a cura di Hou Hanru con il team curatoriale del MAXXI. Più di 140 artisti e oltre 200 opere per comporre il racconto multiculturale, poliglotta, colorato, spaventoso, stimolante, assordante delle strade di tutto il mondo, il vero grande laboratorio di discussione, creazione, confronto, dove si inventa l’era contemporanea. Opere d’arte, progetti di architettura, fotografie, performance, interventi site specific e video accolgono il visitatore in una successione di gallerie che formano una strada lunga decine e decine di metri. Un percorso organizzato per temi – le azioni pubbliche, la vita quotidiana, la politica, la comunità, l’innovazione, il ruolo dell’istituzione – fondamentali per comprendere le nuove funzioni e identità della strada contemporanea. Partendo dalla convinzione che sia il luogo in cui si crea il mondo, lo spazio viene analizzato come manifesto della vita contemporanea, scenario e punto di vista privilegiato dell’esperienza del quotidiano, un paesaggio in cui la comunità creativa e quella cittadina danno vita a una nuova comunità e a un nuovo mondo di creatività urbana

Boosting Numerical Cognition in Children and Adolescents with Mathematical Learning Disabilities by a Brain-Based Intervention: A Study Protocol for a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial

Numbers are everywhere, and supporting difficulties in numerical cognition (e.g., mathematical learning disability (MLD)) in a timely, effective manner is critical for their daily use. To date, only low-efficacy cognitive-based interventions are available. The extensive data on the neurobiology of MLD have increased interest in brain-directed approaches. The overarching goal of this study protocol is to provide the scientific foundation for devising brain-based and evidence-based treatments in children and adolescents with MLD. In this double-blind, between-subject, sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial, transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) plus cognitive training will be delivered to participants. Arithmetic, neuropsychological, psychological, and electrophysiological measures will be collected at baseline (T0), at the end of the interventions (T1), one week (T2) and three months later (T3). We expect that tRNS plus cognitive training will significantly improve arithmetic measures at T1 and at each follow-up (T2, T3) compared with placebo and that such improvements will correlate robustly and positively with changes in the neuropsychological, psychological, and electrophysiological measures. We firmly believe that this clinical trial will produce reliable and positive results to accelerate the validation of brain-based treatments for MLD that have the potential to impact quality of life

Teatri re-esistenti. Confronti su teatro e cittadinanze

Il volume affronta l'affascinante tema delle connessioni tra teatro e cittadinanza, valorizzandone la dimensione educativa. La riflessione che ne scaturisce \ue8 quanto mai necessria oggi ai mondi dell'educazione chiamati ad elaborare e costruire nuovi saperi e competenze all'altezza di una complessit\ue0 politica, sociale, culturae e umana che presenta sempre forti ambivalenze e non solo oppotunit\ue0. Il teatro diventa necessario all'educazione proprio per la sua capacit\ue0 di realizzare una sintesi dei saperi, superando frammentazioni, oltrepassando i confini delle discipline cos\uec da ricomporre in modo dialogico, problematizzante, attraverso un linguaggio che ricongiunge mente e corpo, l'aspetto cognitivo con quello emotivo. La connessione tra teatro e cittadinanza si rinforza anche nel riconoscimento della dimensione della memoria e della denuncia, del disvelamento di realt\ue0 scomode e dimenticate: si apre la possibilit\ue0 ddi guardare il mondo con occhi diversi, di immaginare e costruire nuove cittadinanze, di comunicare le nostre rispettive narrazioni di mondi alternativi possibili

La Sapienza della cura urbana

La Sapienza di Roma è la prima università in Europa per dimensioni; con i suoi 115.000 studenti – più 4.500 docenti e 3.900 personale tecnico-amministrativo è pari alle dimensioni di un comune italiano medio. Il “campus diffuso” della Sapienza, inoltre, rappresenta una vera e propria città nella città: frequentato da un alto numero di presenze giornaliere e caratterizzato oggi da molteplici criticità logistiche, è un caso interessante per generare azioni di sistema nel tessuto urbano romano e per pensare le relazioni tra terreno edificabile, strade e infrastrutture verdi. La Sapienza, infatti, si inserisce in un contesto urbano segnato da profonde contraddizioni: per numero di auto, tempi di percorrenza, mancanza di mobilità pubblica, manutenzione degli spazi pubblici, Roma è una città che presenta un livello di qualità della vita molto basso. ma, allo stesso tempo, è una delle capitali con il più verde pro capite composto dalle sue ville, aree naturali protette e “campagna romana”, con uno straordinario patrimonio culturale conferito dalla sua storia urbana. Così, partendo dagli uffici dell'Ateneo, l'Unità di ricerca Sapienza del PRIN La città della cura e della cura della città si è posta l'obiettivo di costruire un progetto organico di riorganizzazione e riqualificazione dello spazio pubblico di Roma attraverso un lavoro incentrato sul sistema delle sede della Sapienza. A supporto di questa visione è stata preliminarmente realizzata un'indagine quantitativa, orientata allo studio degli stili di vita e dei comportamenti legati al movimento e alla salute della popolazione attiva della Sapienza, che ha posto le basi per lo sviluppo di interventi progettuali integrati su tre diverse dimensioni chiave: la dimensione più intima del Campus; la dimensione intermedia dell'asse Flaminio tra il Tevere e Piazza del Popolo; la grande dimensione dell'area nord compresa tra il quartiere Flaminio e Via di Grottarossa.Roman Sapienza is the first university in Europe in size; with its 115,000 students – plus 4,500 teaching staff and 3,900 technical-administrative staff it is equivalent to the dimensions of an average Italian municipality. Moreover, the Sapienza “widespread campus” represents a real city within a city: frequented by a high number of daily attendances and today characterised by multiple logistic criticalities, it is an interesting case to generate systemic actions in the Roman urban fabric and to think about the relations between building plot, roads and green infrastructures. Sapienza, in fact, is inserted within an urban context marked by deep contradictions: in terms of number of cars, travel times, lack of public mobility, maintenance of public spaces, Rome is a city that has a very low level of quality of life but, at the same time, is one of the capitals with the most green per capita composed of its villas, protected natural areas and the Roman countryside, and with an extraordinary cultural heritage bestowed by its urban history. So, starting from the university’s offices, the Sapienza research unit of the PRIN The city of care and city cure has set itself the objective of building an organic project for the reorganization and requalification of Rome’s public space through a work focused on the system of the Sapienza headquarters. To support this vision, a quantitative survey was preliminarily carried out, oriented to the study of lifestyles and behaviors related to motion and health of the active population of Sapienza, which laid the foundations for the development of integrated project interventions on three different key dimensions: the more intimate dimension of the Campus; the intermediate dimension of the Flaminio axis between the Tiber and Piazza del Popolo; the large dimension of the northern area between the Flaminio neighborhood and Via di Grottarossa

Characterization of the rs2802292 SNP identifies FOXO3A as a modifier locus predicting cancer risk in patients with PJS and PHTS hamartomatous polyposis syndromes

Background: Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes (HPS) are inherited conditions associated with high cancer risk. They include the Peutz-Jeghers and the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes, which are caused by mutations in the LKB1 and PTEN genes, respectively. Estimation of cancer risk is crucial in order to optimize surveillance, but no prognostic markers are currently available for these conditions. Our study relies on a 'signal transduction' hypothesis based on the crosstalk between LKB1/AMPK and PI3K/PTEN/Akt signaling at the level of the tumor suppressor protein FoxO3A. Interestingly, the FOXO3A rs2802292 G-allele was shown to be associated with longevity, reduced risk of aging-related diseases and increased expression of FoxO3A mRNA. Methods: We typed rs2802292 in 150 HPS unrelated patients and characterized the expression of FoxO3A by quantitative PCR and immunoblot analysis in human intestinal cell lines. Results: We found a significantly higher risk for malignancies in females and TT genotype carriers compared to patients having at least one G-allele. Subgroup analysis for each HPS syndrome revealed a G-allele-associated beneficial effect on cancer risk occurring mainly in males. Molecular characterization of human intestinal cell lines showed that the G-allele significantly correlated with increased basal expression of FoxO3A mRNA and protein. Conclusion: Our results suggest an inverse correlation between the protective allele (G) copy number and cancer risk, and might be useful to optimize surveillance in HPS patients. Further investigations are needed to confirm our hypothesis and to ascertain whether differences in therapeutic response exist across genotypes