Correlations Between Personality, Affective and Filial Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Psychological Well-Being in a Sample of Italian Adolescents.

Adolescence is a critical period for the emergence of a balanced personality in adults. Extraversion, neuroticism, and affective self-efficacy beliefs in emotion regulation showed to be good predictors of psychological well-being in adolescents. We analyzed the association between affective self-efficacy beliefs, personality traits, and psychological well-being of 179 Italian adolescents. We also analyzed the connection between adolescents' filial self-efficacy beliefs and psychological well-being and possible moderating effects of self-efficacy beliefs on personality traits. Results show that extraversion, neuroticism, and self-efficacy beliefs in emotion regulation are correlated with psychological well-being, while filial self-efficacy does not. Self-efficacy beliefs do not show significant moderating effects on personality traits, even if self-efficacy beliefs in expressing positive emotions reduce negative characteristics of individuals with high level of psychoticism

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome diagnosed with linear endoscopic ultrasound

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Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Consumption as Early Markers of Neurosurgery-Related Brain Injury in Children

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lipid peroxidation represents a marker of secondary brain injury both in traumatic and in non-traumatic conditions-as in major neurosurgical procedures-eventually leading to brain edema amplification and further brain damage. Malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation marker, and ascorbate, a marker of antioxidant status, can represent early indicators of this process within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We hypothesized that changes in cerebral lipid peroxidation can be measured ex vivo following neurosurgery in children. METHODS: Thirty-six children (M:F = 19/17, median age 32.9 months; IQR 17.6-74.6) undergoing neurosurgery for brain tumor removal were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in the postoperative period with an indwelling intraventricular catheter for intracranial pressure monitoring and CSF drainage. Plasma and CSF samples were obtained for serial measurement of MDA, ascorbate, and cytokines. RESULTS: An early brain-limited increase in lipid peroxidation was measured, with a significant increase from baseline of MDA in CSF (p = 0.007) but not in plasma. In parallel, ascorbate in CSF decreased (p = 0.05). Systemic inflammatory response following brain surgery was evidenced by plasma IL-6/IL-8 increase (p 0.0022 and 0.0106, respectively). No correlation was found between oxidative response and tumor site or histology (according to World Health Organization grading). Similarly, lipid peroxidation was unrelated to the length of surgery (mean 321 ± 73 min), or intraoperative blood loss (mean 20.9 ± 16.8% of preoperative volemia, 44% given hemotransfusions). Median PICU stay was 3.5 days (IQL range 2-5.5 d.), and postoperative ventilation need was 24 h (IQL range 20-61.5 h). The elevation in postoperative MDA in CSF compared with preoperative values correlated significantly with postoperative ventilation need (P = 0.05, r2 0168), while no difference in PICU stay was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that lipid peroxidation increases consistently following brain surgery, and it is accompanied by a decrease in antioxidant defences; intraventricular catheterization offers a unique chance of oxidative process monitoring. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether monitoring post-neurosurgical oxidative stress in CSF is of prognostic utility

Does observed vs expected lung head ratio correlate with neonatal survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernias?

To investigate whether observed vs expected (O/E) lung–to–head ratio (LHR) correlates with neonatal survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Secondary goal was to correlate O/E LHR with Oxygenation index (OI) in the first 12 hours of life

The Assessment of Trait Emotional Intelligence: Psychometric Characteristics of the TEIQue-Full Form in a Large Italian Adult Sample

Trait Emotional Intelligence (or trait emotional self-efficacy) is a constellation of emotional perceptions assessed through questionnaires and rating scales (Petrides et al., 2007b). This paper examined the psychometric features of the Trait Emotional Questionnaire Full Form (TEIQue-FF; Petrides, 2009b) in the Italian context. Incremental validity in the prediction of depression and anxiety was also tested with respect to the Big Five. Participants were 1343 individuals balanced for gender (690 females and 653 males) whose mean age was 29.65 years (SD = 13.64, range 17–74 years). They completed a questionnaire battery containing the TEIQue and measures of the Big Five, depression, and anxiety (both trait and state). Results indicated that the performance of the TEIQueFF in the Italian context was comparable to the original United Kingdom version as regards its reliability and factor structure. Moreover, the instrument showed incremental validity in the prediction of depression and state-trait anxiety after controlling for the Big Five

BDNF-TrkB signaling in striatopallidal neurons controls inhibition of locomotor behaviour

The physiology of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in enkephalinergic striatopallidal neurons is poorly understood. Changes in cortical Bdnf expression levels, and/or impairment in brain-derived neurotrophic factor anterograde transport induced by mutant huntingtin (mHdh) are believed to cause striatopallidal neuron vulnerability in early-stage Huntington’s disease. Although several studies have confirmed a link between altered cortical brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling and striatal vulnerability, it is not known whether the effects are mediated via the brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptor TrkB, and whether they are direct or indirect. Using a novel genetic mouse model, here, we show that selective removal of brain-derived neurotrophic factor–TrkB signaling from enkephalinergic striatal targets unexpectedly leads to spontaneous and drug-induced hyperlocomotion. This is associated with dopamine D2 receptor-dependent increased striatal protein kinase C and MAP kinase activation, resulting in altered intrinsic activation of striatal enkephalinergic neurons. Therefore, brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB signaling in striatopallidal neurons controls inhibition of locomotor behavior by modulating neuronal activity in response to excitatory input through the protein kinase C/MAP kinase pathway

The evaluation of tactile dysfunction in the hand in type 1 diabetes: a novel method based on haptics

Aims We present an innovative method based on haptics for the evaluation of the sense of touch in the hand, in people affected by type 1 diabetes. Methods Forty individuals affected by diabetes and 20 healthy controls took part in the study; the diabetes group was further divided into two subgroups based on vibration sensitivity in the lower limb. By means of a novel haptic device, tactile sensitivity in the fingertip was measured as the ability of the participants to discriminate slip motion speed. Results Tactile sensitivity was significantly lower in individuals affected by diabetes as compared to controls. Depending on the subgroup, the difference from the controls was equal to 0.11 (95% CI from 0.029 to 0.186) and to 0.267 (95% CI from 0.198 to 0.336). Within the diabetes group, tactile sensitivity correlated with vibration sensitivity in the upper (p = 0.001) and lower limb (p = 0.003). A significant relationship between nerve conduction parameters and tactile sensitivity was found (p = 0.03). Finally, we combined the different predictors (clinical, vibratory and electroneurography data) by using cluster analysis; tactile sensitivity was found to be significantly different between different clusters (p = 0.004). Conclusions Early signs of tactile dysfunction in the hand were found in individuals affected by diabetes, even in absence of diabetic neuropathy. The protocol presented in this study is a promising tool for the assessment of tactile dysfunction in the hand in people affected by type 1 diabetes

Performance of a commercial polymerase chain reaction test for endocervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a university hospital population.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the accuracy of a commercial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test (Amplicor CTR, Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg NJ) for identification of endocervical chlamydial infections through both laboratory evaluation and among a diverse teaching hospital patient population. METHODS: Testing of reliable threshold inocula and reproducibility were carried out using laboratory stock organisms. Paired endocervical samples from patients with a wide range of indications were tested by PCR and an established culture procedure, and discrepant pairs were further analyzed to determine true results. RESULTS: Laboratory evaluation suggested that one copy of target DNA from a viable organism consistently yielded a positive result, and test reproducibility was very good, with an overall coefficient of variation of 15%. Compared to true results in 1,588 paired clinical samples from 1,489 women with a 10% prevalence of infection, the PCR test and culture yielded respective sensitivities of 87.4% and 78.0%, and negative predictive values of 98.6% and 97.6%. Specificity and positive predictive value for both tests were 100%. Cost per specimen was nearly identical at $18.84 and$18.88 respectively. Polymerase inhibitors and organisms lacking target DNA were not found in false-negative PCR samples. CONCLUSION: This commercial PCR test is accurate, cost-competitive, and much faster than culture for diagnosis of endocervical chlamydia infections in our population of intermediate prevalence of chlamydial infection

Serotonin drives striatal synaptic plasticity in a sex-related manner

Introduction: Plasticity at corticostriatal synapses is a key substrate for a variety of brain functions – including motor control, learning and reward processing – and is often disrupted in disease conditions. Despite intense research pointing toward a dynamic interplay between glutamate, dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission, their precise circuit and synaptic mechanisms regulating their role in striatal plasticity are still unclear. Here, we analyze the role of serotonergic raphe-striatal innervation in the regulation of DA-dependent corticostriatal plasticity. Methods: Mice (males and females, 2–6 months of age) were housed in standard plexiglass cages at constant temperature (22 ± 1 °C) and maintained on a 12/12 h light/dark cycle with food and demineralized water ad libitum. In the present study, we used a knock-in mouse line in which the green fluorescent protein reporter gene (GFP) replaced the I Tph2 exon (Tph2GFP mice), allowing selective expression of GFP in the whole 5-HT system, highlighting both somata and neuritis of serotonergic neurons. Heterozygous, Tph2+/GFP, mice were intercrossed to obtain experimental cohorts, which included Wild-type (Tph2+/+), Heterozygous (Tph2+/GFP), and Mutant serotonin-depleted (Tph2GFP/GFP) animals. Results: Using male and female mice, carrying on different Tph2 gene dosages, we show that Tph2 gene modulation results in sex-specific corticostriatal abnormalities, encompassing the abnormal amplitude of spontaneous glutamatergic transmission and the loss of Long Term Potentiation (LTP) in Tph2GFP/GFP mice of both sexes, while this form of plasticity is normally expressed in control mice (Tph2+/+). Once LTP is induced, only the Tph2+/GFP female mice present a loss of synaptic depotentiation. Conclusion: We showed a relevant role of the interaction between dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in controlling striatal synaptic plasticity. Overall, our data unveil that 5-HT plays a primary role in regulating DA-dependent corticostriatal plasticity in a sex-related manner and propose altered 5-HT levels as a critical determinant of disease-associated plasticity defects