The impact of COVID-19 in women with intimate partner violence (IPV): a psychological and psychophysiological study

Domestic violence is characterized by coercive actions of various kinds (psychological, physical, sexual and economic) that persist over time; the chronicity of these same actions implies the development of short, medium and long term consequences that compromise the daily functioning of the woman. The aim of this study was to investigate, through a web Survey based on psychophysiological assessments, the relationship between the stress perceived with intimate partner violence and the dysfunctional coping strategies used during the pandemic phase 1 of the health emergency in Italy. The results highlighted a greater sensitivity to perceived stress, resulting in the use of dysfunctional strategies in the management of emergency situations. The levels of perceived anxiety are decreased. High levels of perceived stress produced effects in the management of the health emergency situation, consequences of behavioral, emotional, perceptual and psychophysiological nature (i.e, pain perception, sensory perception, sleep habits)

A Rather Unusual ”Pearl”: Biological Observations of the Hidden Pearlfish Carapus acus (Brünnich, 1768) and Its First Report from Apulian Waters (Salento Peninsula, Southern Italy)

The Salento peninsula in southern Italy (Mediterranean Sea) is a strip of land between the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas, both characterized by local regimes of currents, different geological and physical backgrounds, and quite diversified fauna. In this area, specimens of the sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa (Brünnich, 1768) (Echinodermata) were collected at four stations in the spring and autumn of 2020 to investigate a possible symbiotic association with the inquiline fish Carapus acus (Brünnich, 1768). Among the collected holothurians, five pearlfish specimens were found in the body cavity of four H. tubulosa collected at 10 m of depth, in autumn, at “Grotta Verde” in Marina di Andrano, Lecce (Ionian Sea). More than half of the sea cucumbers from the latter station hosted the symbiont, suggesting the presence of a shallow population of C. acus inhabiting this coastal area. Furthermore, morphometric analysis carried out on the collected fish helped to shed light on the population dynamics characterizing this neglected species. This is the first report of C. acus from Apulian waters, allowing us to unite previously disjoined areas and providing essential baseline knowledge for planning future in-depth analysis of this difficult-to-study fish in a geographical area that is strategic in terms of the conservation of Mediterranean biodiversity. Furthermore, the range of preferred host species is extended, as C. acus was previously known to prefer other sea cucumber species such as Parastichopus regalis (Cuvier, 1817) instead of H. tubulosa. Finally, the finding of C. acus in a single station and in only one season is not trivial and delivers baseline useful information for future conservation purposes

Coronary artery perforation: How to treat it?

AbstractCoronary artery perforation fortunately represents a rare complication of coronary catheterization but, if not properly and promptly treated, it is burdened by a high mortality rate. Rates of coronary perforation may be potentially higher when atherectomy devices are used or very complex calcified lesions are treated. Cardiac tamponade constitutes the most severe clinical consequence.We report the case of an intra-stent coronary perforation at the end of revascularization of a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), followed by an immediate impairment of hemodynamic compensation, due to significant pericardial effusion and subsequent cardiac tamponade.The use of covered stents has revolutionized the management of coronary perforation and this has meant that the use of emergency CABG has decreased over the years with satisfactory immediate and short-term outcomes, reducing the incidence of acute cardiac tamponade and mortality without surgery

Social Odour Perception and Stress Responses in Women’s Quality of Partner Relationship and Attachment Style

The perception of body and social odours (SOP) is crucial for interpersonal chemosensory signalling and mate choice, yet little is known about the role of the SOP on the quality of partnerships and the attachment style. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the SOP in women's stress responses by considering the role of biopsychosocial variables in the quality of interpersonal relationships (also considering intimate partner violence). In total, 253 women filled out an online survey that included a series of questionnaires to investigate self-perceived stress (PSS), emotional regulation (ERQ), olfactory social assessment (SOS), quality of partnership (RRQ), attachment style (RQ), and the Conflict Tactile Scale 2 (CTS-2). The main results highlight that a high awareness of social odours correlates with a good quality of relationship and with an emotional regulation capacity; the PSS correlates negatively with the ERQ (i.e., as the PSS increases, the ERQ decreases). The level of IPV predicts an interpersonal style characterized by a low desire to develop meaningful relationships but with a tendency to depend on and trust another. The idea of being hurt by the other is not central in women who experience this type of relationship. The study's main conclusion is that social odour perception is important for emotional regulation and in partner relationships

Potential Role of OERP as Early Marker of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Olfactory impairment is present in up to 90% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is present in certain cases of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transient phase between normal aging and dementia. Subjects affected by MCI have a higher risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, and studies have found that olfactory deficits could be an indicator of whether such a conversion might happen. Following these assumptions, aim of this study was to investigate olfactory perception in MCI patients. We recruited 12 MCI subjects (mean age 70 ± 6.7 years) through the Alzheimer Assessment Unit (UVA Unite) of ASL Lecce (Italy), and 12 healthy geriatric volunteers (HS) as the control group (mean age 64 ± 6.0 years), all of whom were first evaluated via a panel of neuropsychological tests. Subjects were asked to perform an olfactory recognition task involving two scents: rose and eucalyptus, administrated in the context of an oddball task during EEG recordings. Olfactory event-related potential (OERP) components N1 and Late Positive Potential (LPC) were then analyzed as measures of the sensorial and perceptive aspects of the olfactory response, respectively. It was determined that, in the MCI group, both the N1 and LPC components were significantly different compared to those of the HS group during the execution of the oddball task. In particular, the N1 amplitude, was reduced, while the LPC amplitude was increased, indicating that a degree of perceptive compensation can occur when sensorial function is impaired. Further, a correlation analysis, involving OERP components and neuropsychological battery scores, indicated that impairment of olfactory perception may share common pathways with impairments of the spatial system and long-term memory processing

Gender-related stress factors and emotional perception in migraine: a structured online questionnaire in migraine patients and controls

Background: While migraine is markedly prevalent in women, gender-related phenotype differences were rarely assessed. For this reason, we investigated, through a multicenter observational cross-sectional study, based on an online questionnaire, gender-related differences in stress factors, emotions, and pain perception in migraine patients and controls and their impact on migraine severity. Methods: The study was designed as an online questionnaire. The link was emailed to healthy subjects (C) and migraine patients (MIG) (age 18-75, education ≥ 13 years) recruited during the first visit in 8 Italian Headache Centers adhering to Italian Society for Headache Study (SISC). The questionnaire included personal/social/work information, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Romance Quality Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Body Perception Questionnaire, the pain perception, and a self-assessment of migraine severity in the last 3 months. Results: 202 MIG and 202 C completed the survey. Independently from gender, migraine was characterized by higher pain sensitivity and more severe partner relationships. The female gender, in MIG, exhibited higher anxiety scores, body awareness, and reduced emotional suppression. Body awareness and emotional suppression were discriminating factors between genders in control and migraine groups without relevant influence on disease features. Perceived perception of migraine severity was similar between genders. Conclusion: Gender-related emotional and stress factors did not contribute to delineate a distinct phenotype in migraine men and women. The possible impact of emotional and stress factors characterizing genders could be considered for a single case-tailored therapeutic approach

“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)

“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021

Pain and Olfactory Perception and other sensorial impairment in geriatric women with Chronic Intimate Partner Violence

The Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) turns out to be of particular social importance, taking into account the current high incidence and the cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social consequences that this phenomenon determines. The knowledge so far produced highlights how the presence of a prolonged stress causes psychophysiological consequences that generate cognitive, emotional and behavioural dysfunctions in victims of violence. The aim of this study is to investigate in geriatric women who have suffered chronically from the partner's violence, the relationship between IPV, nociception and memory in relation to common cognitive aspects. This relationship determines a connection between processes that in a different way contribute to assessing the salience of specific stimuli related to the trauma suffered and to reactivate this salience even in subsequent moments. The perception of pain is, in fact, cognitively codified in a multi-sensorial way, attributing a specific value and emotional and perceptive salience, which we can connect to the theories of the embodied cognition. The analysis of this framework was useful for the development of an intercultural model aimed at clarifying the cognitive, emotional and behavioral functioning of women victims of violence in relation to the evaluation of pain perception. This assessment will use neuropsychological tests to investigate cognitive and emotional responses and psychological tests to investigate the personality of the victims

Intimate Partner Violence: a pilot study on olfactory perception, nociception and depression

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is defined as any kind of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occurs within the family or a domestic unit, including spouses, former spouses or partners. Recent studies have shown that in IPV there may be sensory, emotional and cognitive habituation or sensitization responses, elicited by chronic stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the IPV and the olfactory, nociceptive, emotional and cognitive responses. A pilot observational study was conducted on a group of 6 IPV women (mean age 44.8 ± 6), recruited through the ‘Centro Antiviolenza dell’Ambito Territoriale di Lecce – Renata Fonte’, and a group of 6 control women (44.7 ± 7), in order to analyze the behavioral differences in the functioning of the olfactory, emotional and nociceptive system. The following tests were administered: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); the Scale for perceived stress; Pain Related Scale (PRS), a Visual analogic scale on perceived pain (VAS); the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ); the Sniffing Stick Test (lateralized version). Data analysis indicates that the IPV group has a reduced olfactory response, higher scores on the BDI; the nociceptive response, measured both through the VAS and the PRS, is significantly greater in the group with IPV. Confirming our previous study, women with IPV do not differ from control respect to the perceived level of stress. Instead, the beliefs, thoughts and cognitive patterns related to how the woman represents pain are significantly greater in the group with IPV, particularly with respect to the variables of “catastrophic” and “lack of help”. These data indicate that depression, perceptive olfactory response and nociception are strongly interrelated even in the disorder with IPV. This pilot study will allow us to subsequently evaluate the psychophysiological correlation between nociception and olfactory response (as indices of common subcortical pathways particularly linked to emotional aspects) in situations of chronic violence