The Italian Public Policies Frame on Prostitution and the Practical Overlapping with Trafficking: an Inevitable Condition?

The article examines the Italian experience in implementing policies and practices on prostitution. What characterizes the Italian scenario is a difficulty or (in) capacity to distinguish, correctly identify and \u2018treat\u2019 individual positions in prostitution using different approaches capable of matching the complex plurality of situations experienced by person involved. In this article the authors analyse the legal provisions and public policies that contribute to an overlap of practices and methods as regard as the coercion/consent dichotomy that does not capture the ways in which the majority of migrant women enter in prostitution. In other words, the article seeks to demonstrate, also introducing the policy practice(s) of the operators that national law, and more in general the public regulation of prostitution along with protective mechanisms, despite important distinctions related to prostitution, exploitation of prostitution and trafficking, due to a \u2018confused scenario\u2019, can intercept and support a significant number of people \u2013 mostly women - in trouble and in parallel to empower sexworkers. If this reality demonstrates the existence of an interactive process that offers to operators and other actors the opportunities of intercepting different segments of persons in prostitution, the same element could represent a critical argument in framing new public policies on this issue. Key-words: women, trafficking, prostitution, public policies, migratio

Clinical Profiles in Multiple Sclerosis: Cognitive Reserve and Motor Impairment along Disease Duration

(i) Background: Cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been studied in relation to certain clinical variables (e.g., motor disability and disease duration) and lifestyle factors such as cognitive reserve (CR). However, only very few studies have considered the interaction of clinical variables and cognitive reserve in preserving the integrity of the neuropsychological profile. In this paper, we hypothesised that a higher level of CR might predict good cognitive efficiency by modulating the clinical outcome of the disease. (ii) Methods: A sample of 100 participants with MS (age range 30–74), was recruited and assessed remotely with a questionnaire to measure CR and a cognitive screening test. Data were analysed through generalized additive models. (iii) Results: We found that the model analysing the interaction between CR and disease duration, and between CR and motor disability, was able to explain a significant percentage of cognitive performance. In particular, higher levels of CR predicted a better cognitive performance despite a long disease duration, unless the motor disability was severe. (iv) Conclusion: This study highlights the crucial role of CR in modulating cognitive efficiency in people with MS

Trans-synaptic degeneration in the optic pathway. A study in clinically isolated syndrome and early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with or without optic neuritis

Increasing evidence suggest that neuronal damage is an early and diffuse feature of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) pathology. Analysis of the optic pathway may help to clarify the mechanisms involved in grey matter damage in MS. Purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between inflammation and neurodegeneration and to achieve evidence of trans-synaptic degeneration in the optic pathway in MS at clinical onset

D-KEFS ST Failure Identifies Multiple Sclerosis Patients With Worse Objective and Self-Perceived Physical and Cognitive Disability

Background and Objectives: The Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Test (BRB-NT) does not explore the executive functions. We combined BRB-NT and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Sorting Test (D-KEFS ST) to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation of cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.Methods: 137 Relapsing Remitting MS (RRMS) patients underwent a detailed neuropsychological assessment including BRB-NT, D-KEFS ST and self-administrated questionnaires, namely the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II).Results: Fifty-four patients (39.4%) had normal scores in each item of both batteries (cognitive normal), while 64 patients (46.7%) failed in at least one test of BRB-NT but not of D-KEFS ST (BRB-NT impaired) and 18 (13.1%) failed in at least one test of both batteries (BRB-NT+D-KEFS ST impaired). Only one patient (0.7%) failed in D-KEFS ST, but not in BRB-NT and was excluded from further analysis. BRB-NT+D-KEFS ST impaired patients had a significant higher mean disease duration and median EDSS score (15.5 ± 13.6 years and 3.5, respectively) compared to those with only BRB-NT impaired (7.9 ± 9.2, p < 0.01 and 2.5, p < 0.05) and with cognitive normal patients (6.7 ± 9.4, p < 0.005 and 2.0, p < 0.01). SDMT was more frequently impaired in BRB-NT+D-KEFS ST impaired patients (77.8%) compared to only BRB-NT impaired ones (20.0%, p < 0.001). The failure in D-KEFS ST was associated with the number of failed BRB-NT items (OR 1.46, IC95% 1.07–1.99, p < 0.05) and with pathological SDMT z-value (OR 10.56, IC95% 2.50–44.66, p < 0.005). Compared to BRB-NT impaired patients and the cognitive normal ones, BRB-NT+D-KEFS ST impaired patients had significant higher MSNQ (p < 0.01) and BDI-II (p < 0.05) values.Conclusion: D-KEFS ST did not increase the number of cognitively impaired MS patients identified by BRB-NT, but provided a more comprehensive evaluation of cognitive decline. D-KEFS ST identified a subgroup of patients with increased self-perception of cognitive decline, depression and higher physical disability

Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in five different groups of individuals at different environmental and professional risk of infection

It is partially unknown whether the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection persists with time. To address this issue, we detected the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different groups of individuals previously diagnosed with COVID-19 disease (group 1 and 2), or potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection (group 3 and 4), and in a representative group of individuals with limited environmental exposure to the virus due to lockdown restrictions (group 5). The primary outcome was specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the different groups assessed by qualitative and quantitative analysis at baseline, 3 and 6 months follow-up. The seroconversion rate at baseline test was 95% in group 1, 61% in group 2, 40% in group 3, 17% in group 4 and 3% in group 5. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed male gender, close COVID-19 contact and presence of COVID-19 related symptoms strongly associated with serological positivity. The percentage of positive individuals as assessed by the qualitative and quantitative tests was superimposable. At the quantitative test, the median level of SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels measured in positive cases retested at 6-months increased significantly from baseline. The study indicates that assessing antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 through qualitative and quantitative testing is a reliable disease surveillance tool

ÁREAS VERDES E TEMPERATURA DA SUPERFÍCIE NA CIDADE DE TRÊS LAGOAS/MS

O trabalho aborda o tema das áreas verdes e a sua relação com a temperatura da superfície na cidade de Três Lagoas/MS. Mapear, caracterizar e relacionar as áreas verdes com a temperatura da superfície foram os objetivos adotados. Entremeado ao aporte e potencial metodológico coube uma discussão para a classificação, ainda que em primeiras aproximações, das atuais áreas verdes, em potencialidades ou as já efetivas para a população. Os procedimentos adotados como referências se mostraram satisfatórios para atingir os objetivos propostos e colaborar com o levantamento de dados, informações e resultados que aproximem esta temática para futuros trabalhos de planejamento, biologia, climatologia e biogeografia urbana na cidade de Três Lagoas. No mapeamento de uso da terra, como esperado para uma cidade, a maior classe foi a “área urbana consolidada” e, numa relação ao uso da terra, os valores do Índice de Vegetação por Diferença Normalizada (NDVI) foram considerados baixos. No que tange à identificação das áreas verdes, identificou-se 7 áreas na cidade, relevando as características adotadas para a caracterização. Por fim, identificou-se na cidade um grande potencial que ainda é pouco aproveitado em relação as áreas verdes

De la lectura a la creación en la red: el tráiler de lectura

El artículo describe y reflexiona sobre las competencias lectoras que tiene que desarrollar un adolescente en un entorno digital. El foco se pone en cómo el entorno digital transforma al lector en un creador de contenidos y en las acciones que se pueden realizar para conseguirlo de manera diversificada, lingüística y culturalmente. La primera parte del estudio desarrolla el concepto de competencia lectora digital: las destrezas que debe desarrollar, los tipos de textos que Internet le propone y las dificultades con las que se encuentra. La segunda parte analiza los resultados de tres estudios de casos en los que la lectura se transforma en creación a través del tráiler de lectura (se trata de concursos realizados en catalán, desde un centro educativo, la biblioteca y la institución pública) y en las acciones de políticas públicas que se proponen llevar a cabo para mejorar los resultados