Influenze tra processo ed esiti: alleanza, coesione e cambiamento in un gruppo terapeutico a lungo termine

Research is currently moving in the direction of an integration between the outcome measures of the patients and the relational and/or structural factors that can facilitate their change. It is increasingly important to focus studies on the relationship between process and outcome, especially with regard to psychodynamic group therapy. These treatments, very complex and difficult to operationalize, still pose critical questions for research such as what are the main elements of the therapeutic process that are activated in these therapies?Many efforts are to be made in understanding which factors develop in groups and the conditions that positively influence the success of therapy. Important is, moreover, the work of conceptual and "operational" depth on the different constructs, to better understand their nature and differences and build tools to more easily detect their features. Therapeutic alliance and cohesion are among the most investigated process variables, because of their role on the results of therapy.This study investigates these two variables in a therapeutic group with severe patients and analyzes their associations with treatment outcomes in term of symptoms and defenses. A long-term, semi-open group meeting on a weekly basis was examined. The observation was carried out for a period of 18 months, for a total amount of 50 sessions; 11 patients with different diagnoses in Axis I and II DSM IV were examined. Outcome measures: SCL-90 - Symptom Check List; OQ-45 - Outcome Questionnaire 45.2; DSQ - Defense Style Questionnaire.Process measures: CALPAS-G: California Psychotherapy Alliance Scale-Group; GMLCS: Group/Member/Leader Cohesion Scale. The observation period was divided into 3 phases according to re-modulations of the setting (new entries, overcomes, dropout). Significant correlations between alliance, cohesion and outcomes were found in the three phases. During the phase of greater instability, the predominant role of cohesion and, more generally, dimensions related to group commitment emerge. Results offer interesting suggestions about the differentiation between Alliance and Cohesion and their different relationship with outcomes and process evolution

Is this the real time for genomics

In the last decades, molecular biology has moved from gene-by-gene analysis to more complex studies using a genome-wide scale. Thanks to high-throughput genomic technologies, such as microarrays and next-generation sequencing, a huge amount of information has been generated, expanding our knowledge on the genetic basis of various diseases. Although some of this information could be transferred to clinical diagnostics, the technologies available are not suitable for this purpose. In this review, we will discuss the drawbacks associated with the use of traditional DNA microarrays in diagnostics, pointing out emerging platforms that could overcome these obstacles and offer a more reproducible, qualitative and quantitative multigenic analysis. New miniaturized and automated devices, called Lab-on-Chip, begin to integrate PCR and microarray on the same platform, offering integrated sample-to-result systems. The introduction of this kind of innovative devices may facilitate the transition of genome-based tests into clinical routine. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)

Calcium oxide, potassium phosphite and a Trichoderma enriched compost water suspension protect Capsicum annuum against Phytophthora capsici by priming the immune system

BACKGROUND: Proper management of Phytophthora capsici in pepper cultivation is extremely important, since Phytophthora blight is the main disease of this crop worldwide. In the past, the main strategy adopted had been the use of fungicides, causing, in some cases, the development of P. capsici resistant strains. In this work three different treatments selected from previous studies (potassium phosphite, calcium oxide and a water suspension from Trichoderma sp. TW2 enriched compost) were tested to prove their ability to activate the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in pepper against P. capsici; acibenzolar‐s‐methyl was used as positive control. Two independent growth chamber pot experiments were performed, spatially dividing the site of treatments application (as radical drench) and the site of inoculation (as agar plug on the third leaf). RESULTS: Leaf lesions were measured, showing a significant reduction on all treated plants compared to the untreated control. To further confirm this hypothesis, the expression levels of three SAR key genes (CaPBR1, CaPO1 and CaDEF1) were evaluated though RT‐Real Time PCR at the three end‐point times: T0, T6 and T24. A significant increase of target genes expression at least in one end‐point time in each treated plant was observed. Eventually, statistical overaccumulation of salicylic acid was observed in the upper leaves at the same end‐point times, through HPLC‐MS/MS analysis. CONCLUSION: This work confirmed the hypothesis that the three treatments tested have the ability to prime the plant immune system, leading pepper to an alert status able to confer a better defence against P. capsici. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry

Post-modernity: which changes in the social framework and psychic function.

Aim of this work is to highlight some psychic consequences of post-modernity and particularly the sliding towards more archaic levels of functioning. Therefore, after presenting some distinctive characteristics of post-modernity, we briefly report some data related to the last Censis report on the social situation in Italy, we continue highlighting the emergence of some specific behavioral and relational difficulties show by the recent clinical literature and, finally, using as a vertex of analysis the groupanalytic theory, we propose  a key of reading still little explored, on the link between the changes registered at the social level and those recorded at the psychic level (affects, thoughts, behaviors) that can explain the general shift towards more archaic levels of operation.</p

A Diagnostic Gene-Expression Signature in Fibroblasts of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease with limited treatment options. Diagnosis can be difficult due to the heterogeneity and non-specific nature of the initial symptoms, resulting in delays that compromise prompt access to effective therapeutic strategies. Transcriptome profiling of patient-derived peripheral cells represents a valuable benchmark in overcoming such challenges, providing the opportunity to identify molecular diagnostic signatures. In this study, we characterized transcriptome changes in skin fibroblasts of sporadic ALS patients (sALS) and controls and evaluated their utility as a molecular classifier for ALS diagnosis. Our analysis identified 277 differentially expressed transcripts predominantly involved in transcriptional regulation, synaptic transmission, and the inflammatory response. A support vector machine classifier based on this 277-gene signature was developed to discriminate patients with sALS from controls, showing significant predictive power in both the discovery dataset and in six independent publicly available gene expression datasets obtained from different sALS tissue/cell samples. Taken together, our findings support the utility of transcriptional signatures in peripheral cells as valuable biomarkers for the diagnosis of ALS

Leaf anthracnose and defoliation of blueberry caused by Colletotrichum helleniense in Northern Italy

Highbush blueberry is an increasingly important crop due to its economic value and demonstrated health benefits of blueberries. Leaf spots are considered as minor diseases of blueberry plants, but they adversely affect blueberry productivity, causing reduced photosynthetic activity, flower bud formation and berry production. Surveys of blueberry crops were conducted in Piedmont, Northern Italy, during 2019-2020. Fungi isolated from leaf spots of the blueberry cultivar 'Blue Ribbon' were identified as Colletotrichum helleniense through a robust multi-locus phylogeny. Eight genomic loci were considered: tub, gapdh, act, cal, his3, chs-1, ApMat and gs. Morphological characters of a representative strain were assessed. Pathogenicity was confirmed on four blueberry cultivars, although with different levels of aggressiveness to the cultivars. This study shows the importance of a polyphasic approach to investigate species of Colletotrichum, and the relevance of molecular tools for the species-level characterization within the 'Kahawae' clade. This is the first report of Colletotrichum helleniense causing leaf anthracnose on Vaccinium corymbosum

Ultra-Low-Dose Whole-Body Computed Tomography Protocol Optimization for Patients With Plasma Cell Disorders: Diagnostic Accuracy and Effective Dose Analysis From a Reference Center

BACKGROUND: The whole-body low-dose CT (WBLDCT) is the first-choice imaging technique in patients with suspected plasma cell disorder to assess the presence of osteolytic lesions. We investigated the performances of an optimized protocol, evaluating diagnostic accuracy and effective patient dose reduction using a latest generation scanner. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Retrospective study on 212 patients with plasma cell disorders performed on a 256-row CT scanner. First, WBLDCT examinations were performed using a reference protocol with acquisition parameters obtained from literature. A phantom study was performed for protocol optimization for subsequent exams to minimize dose while maintaining optimal diagnostic accuracy. Images were analyzed by three readers to evaluate image quality and to detect lesions. Effective doses (E) were evaluated for each patient considering the patient dimensions and the tube current modulation. RESULTS: A similar, very good image quality was observed for both protocols by all readers with a good agreement at repeated measures ANOVA test (p>0.05). An excellent inter-rater agreement for lesion detection was achieved obtaining high values of Fleiss’ kappa for all the districts considered (p<0.001). The optimized protocol resulted in a 56% reduction of median DLP (151) mGycm, interquartile range (IQR) 128–188 mGycm vs. 345 mGycm, IQR 302–408 mGycm), of 60% of CTDIvol (2.2 mGy, IQR 1.9–2.7 mGy vs. 0.9 mGy, IQR 0.8–1.2 mGy). The median E value was about 2.6 mSv (IQR 1.7–3.5 mSv) for standard protocol and about 1.5 mSv (IQR 1.4–1.7 mSv) for the optimized one. Dose reduction was statistically significant with p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Protocol optimization makes ultra-low-dose WBLDCT feasible on latest generation CT scanners for patients with plasma cell disorders with effective doses inferior to conventional skeletal survey while maintaining excellent image quality and diagnostic accuracy. Dose reduction is crucial in such patients, as they are likely to undergo multiple whole-body CT scans during follow-up

An optical coherence tomography-based grading of diabetic maculopathy proposed by an international expert panel: The European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology classification.

Aims:To present an authoritative, universal, easy-to-use morphologic classification of diabetic maculopathy based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography.Methods:The first draft of the project was developed based on previously published classifications and a literature search regarding the spectral domain optical coherence tomography quantitative and qualitative features of diabetic maculopathy. This draft was sent to an international panel of retina experts for a first revision. The panel met at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, and elaborated the final document.Results:Seven tomographic qualitative and quantitative features are taken into account and scored according to a grading protocol termed TCED-HFV, which includes foveal thickness (T), corresponding to either central subfoveal thickness or macular volume, intraretinal cysts (C), the ellipsoid zone (EZ) and/or external limiting membrane (ELM) status (E), presence of disorganization of the inner retinal layers (D), number of hyperreflective foci (H), subfoveal fluid (F), and vitreoretinal relationship (V). Four different stages of the disease, that is, early diabetic maculopathy, advanced diabetic maculopathy, severe diabetic maculopathy, and atrophic maculopathy, are based on the first four variables, namely the T, C, E, and D. The different stages reflect progressive severity of the disease.Conclusion:A novel grading system of diabetic maculopathy is hereby proposed. The classification is aimed at providing a simple, direct, objective tool to classify diabetic maculopathy (irrespective to the treatment status) even for non-retinal experts and can be used for therapeutic and prognostic purposes, as well as for correct evaluation and reproducibility of clinical investigations