Reading a story. Different degrees of learning in different learning environments

he learning environment in which material is acquired may produce differences in delayed recall and in the elements that individuals focus on. These differences may appear even during development. In the present study, we compared three different learning environments in 450 normally developing 7-year-old children subdivided into three groups according to the type of learning environment. Specifically, children were asked to learn the same material shown in three different learning environments: reading illustrated books (TB); interacting with the same text displayed on a PC monitor and enriched with interactive activities (PC-IA); reading the same text on a PC monitor but not enriched with interactive narratives (PC-NoIA). Our results demonstrated that TB and PC-NoIA elicited better verbal memory recall. In contrast, PC-IA and PCNoIA produced higher scores for visuo-spatial memory, enhancing memory for spatial relations, positions and colors with respect to TB. Interestingly, only TB seemed to produce a deeper comprehension of the story's moral. Our results indicated that PC-IA offered a different type of learning that favored visual details. In this sense, interactive activities demonstrate certain limitations, probably due to information overabundance, emotional mobilization, emphasis on images and effort exerted in interactive activities. Thus, interactive activities, although entertaining, act as disruptive elements which interfere with verbal memory and deep moral comprehensio

EMDR therapy for PTSD after motor vehicle accidents: meta-analytic evidence for specific treatment

Motor vehicle accident (MVA) victims may suffer both acute and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). With PTSD affecting social, interpersonal and occupational functioning, clinicians as well as the National Institute of Health are very interested in identifying the most effective psychological treatment to reduce PTSD. From research findings, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is considered as one of the effective treatment of PTSD. In this paper, we present the results of a meta-analysis of fMRI studies on PTSD after MVA through activation likelihood estimation. We found that PTSD following MVA is characterized by neural modifications in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a cerebral structure involved in fear-conditioning mechanisms. Basing on previous findings in both humans and animals, which demonstrate that desensitization techniques and extinction protocols act on the limbic system, the effectiveness of EMDR and of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) may be related to the fact that during these therapies the ACC is stimulated by desensitization

Gender effects in young road users on road safety attitudes, behaviors and risk perception

In the present study, we investigated gender-related effects on road safety attitudes in 2681 young drivers (1458 males, 54.4%; aged 18-22) who filled out several scales assessing attitudes toward road safety issues, driving behavior in specific hypothetical situations, accident risk perception, and concerns about such a risk. We focused only on young drivers to better understand the role of gender in road safety attitudes in a period of life in which risky behaviors are widespread for males and females. Indeed, there is still no agreement as to the nature of these gender differences. According to some authors, the effects of gender on being involved in a crash due to driving skills are either non-existent or largely explained by differences in alcohol consumption. In our study, we found gender differences in road safety attitudes (i.e., "negative attitude toward traffic rules and risky driving"; "negative attitude toward drugs and alcohol" and "tolerance toward speeding") and in driver behavior (i.e., "errors in inattentive driving" and "driving violations"). This result is consistent in all drivers coming from nine different European countries. Our analyses yielded an important finding concerning risk perception. The results indicate that the level of risk perception during driving is the same for males and females. However, these two groups differ in the level of concern about this risk, with males being less concerned about the risk of a road accident. This suggests that the main difference between these two groups is not strictly related to judgment of the perceived risk probability but rather to the level of concern experienced about the consequences of the risk. This difference between risk perception and worry could explain differences in the frequency of car accidents in the two groups. The present findings may provide new insights for the development of gender-based prevention program

Specific issues concerning the management of patients on the waiting list and after liver transplantation

The present document is a second contribution collecting the recommendations of an expert panel of transplant hepatologists appointed by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) concerning the management of certain aspects of liver transplantation, including: the issue of prompt referral; the management of difficult candidates; malnutrition; living related liver transplants; hepatocellular carcinoma; and the role of direct acting antiviral agents before and after transplantation. The statements on each topic were approved by participants at the AISF Transplant Hepatology Expert Meeting organized by the Permanent Liver Transplant Commission in Mondello on 12-13 May 2017. They are graded according to the GRADE grading system

Reading a Story: Different Degrees of Learning in Different Learning Environments

The learning environment in which material is acquired may produce differences in delayed recall and in the elements that individuals focus on. These differences may appear even during development. In the present study, we compared three different learning environments in 450 normally developing 7-year-old children subdivided into three groups according to the type of learning environment. Specifically, children were asked to learn the same material shown in three different learning environments: reading illustrated books (TB); interacting with the same text displayed on a PC monitor and enriched with interactive activities (PC-IA); reading the same text on a PC monitor but not enriched with interactive narratives (PC-NoIA). Our results demonstrated that TB and PC-NoIA elicited better verbal memory recall. In contrast, PC-IA and PC-NoIA produced higher scores for visuo-spatial memory, enhancing memory for spatial relations, positions and colors with respect to TB. Interestingly, only TB seemed to produce a deeper comprehension of the story’s moral. Our results indicated that PC-IA offered a different type of learning that favored visual details. In this sense, interactive activities demonstrate certain limitations, probably due to information overabundance, emotional mobilization, emphasis on images and effort exerted in interactive activities. Thus, interactive activities, although entertaining, act as disruptive elements which interfere with verbal memory and deep moral comprehension

Personality Traits and Coping Strategies for Contrasting the Occurrence of Traumatic Reactions in Emergency Rescuers

We investigated personality traits, coping strategies, and social factors among emergency rescuers of three different catastrophic events that occurred in 2009 and 2013. These events were natural disasters, two of which were caused by human negligence. We used the cognitive interview (CI) protocol to interview witnesses and investigate their memory of the event. A qualitative analysis using the ATLAS.ti software was performed to subdivide the type of verbal production in the number of scenes recollected, negative emotions, vivid mental images, and self-experience of the event. All participants were also assessed using the Trauma Symptom Inventory for the presence of traumatic reactions at the time of the interview and tests (from December 2015 until January 2016) and 6 months before the interview to exclude the presence of further Traumatic job-related events. Personality traits (Big Five Questionnaire), coping strategies (Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-Adult), and other social factors (the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory) have been assessed. The aim of the study is to identify individual factors contributing to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in emergency rescuers. We found that some personality traits, social factors, and specific cognitive strategies may act as protective factors to traumatic reactions

Disimpegno morale, mass media e casi di cronaca nera

The present paper intends to verify the presence of Bandura’s mechanisms of Moral Disengagement in the narratives about three criminal cases (the so called “strage di Erba”, the case of the aggression to Giovanna Reggiani, and the so-called “crime of Iole Tassitani”), reported by five Italian newspapers (Corriere della Sera, la Repubblica, Il Messaggero, Libero and Il Manifesto). The construct of Moral Disengagement was developed by Bandura in the context of social-cognitive theory and was subsequently extended to the study of aggressive and violent behaviours. This paper aims at verifying if, in media communication, veiled distortions of narrated events can result in a detachment from ethical standards. For this purpose, two independent judges reviewed 177 newspaper articles: a descriptive analysis allowed to discover the most frequent mechanisms of moral disengagement in the different newspapers and the different cases.The coefficient K of Cohen shows a good degree of agreement between independent judges. Some considerations on the possible role that media can play with relation to issues of legality and security.Il presente lavoro si prefigge di individuare i meccanismi del Disimpegno Morale in cinque quotidiani italiani (Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Il Messaggero, Libero e Il Manifesto) riguardo a tre eventi di cronaca nera accaduti in Italia nel recente passato (la “strage di Erba”, il caso dell’aggressione a Giovanna Reggiani ed il cosiddetto “delitto di Iole Tassitani”). Il "Disimpegno Morale" è un costrutto elaborato da Bandura (1997) nell’ambito della teoria social-cognitiva ed è stato esteso allo studio delle condotte aggressive e violente. Questo lavoro intende mettere in evidenza come, nella comunicazione a mezzo stampa, possano essere presenti delle distorsioni linguistiche velate capaci di esprimere un certo distacco dalle norme etiche. A questo scopo, due giudici indipendenti hanno esaminato 177 articoli giornalistici. I risultati emersi dalle analisi descrittive evidenziano i meccanismi più frequenti di disimpegno morale tra le testate giornalistiche considerate. Il coefficiente K di Cohen ha mostrato un buon grado di accordo tra i giudici. Sono riportate alcune considerazioni sui risultati emersi e sui possibili approfondimenti riguardo al ruolo dei mass-media rispetto alle questioni inerenti al tema della legalità e della sicurezza

Combined Orthoplastic Approach in Fracture-Related Infections of the Distal Tibia

This series reports on the treatment of distal tibia (DT) fracture-related infections (FRI) with a combined orthoplastic approach. Thirteen patients were included. In eight patients with extensive bone involvement and in those with a non-healed fracture, the DT was resected ("staged approach"). In five cases, the DT was preserved ("single-stage approach"). A wide debridement was performed, and the cavity was filled with antibiotic-loaded PerOssal beads. All patients had a soft-tissue defect covered by a free vascularized flap (anterolateral thigh perforator flap in eight cases, latissimus dorsi flap in five). At the final follow-up (mean 25 months, range, 13-37), no infection recurrence was observed. In one patient, the persistence of infection was observed, and the patient underwent a repeated debridement. In two cases, a voluminous hematoma was observed. However, none of these complications impacted the final outcome. The successful treatment of FRI depends on proper debridement and obliteration of dead spaces with a flap. Therefore, when dealing with DT FRI, debridement of infected bone and soft tissues must be as radical as required, with no fear of the need for massive reconstructions

Bone and Joint Infections: The Role of Imaging in Tailoring Diagnosis to Improve Patients' Care

Imaging is needed for the diagnosis of bone and joint infections, determining the severity and extent of disease, planning biopsy, and monitoring the response to treatment. Some radiological features are pathognomonic of bone and joint infections for each modality used. However, imaging diagnosis of these infections is challenging because of several overlaps with non-infectious etiologies. Interventional radiology is generally needed to verify the diagnosis and to identify the microorganism involved in the infectious process through imaging-guided biopsy. This narrative review aims to summarize the radiological features of the commonest orthopedic infections, the indications and the limits of different modalities in the diagnostic strategy as well as to outline recent findings that may facilitate diagnosis

Psychological Health Status of Psychiatric Patients Living in Treatment Communities before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Brief Report

Many studies investigated the psychological impact of lockdown measures on the general population, while few studies focused on the psychiatric population. This study aimed to investigate the role of therapeutic communities in the management and containment of symptoms of patients with psychosis living in psychiatric residential facilities. Data were collected at two different points: November 2019 (Coronavirus disease 19 had not yet spread) and April 2020 (during the lockdown in Italy). Twenty-two study participants were recruited from three residential accredited psychiatric facilities. During lockdown, the patients showed a small increase in symptomatology in terms of emotional isolation. In addition, it was been observed significant differences in certain functional areas of the behavior, measured as lower inclination towards violent behaviors during lockdown, and higher scores in substance abuse and medical impairment. The lockdown condition could represent a form of containment; daily routines, along with adequate social support, are important aspects of the stability and the level of behavioral functioning of psychiatric patients. Social support and continuity of care offered by psychiatric communities can be an effective safeguard against the psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic