Funcionamento diferencial de condutas agressivas em jovens infratores e universitários agressivos

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar o funcionamento diferencial dos itens de uma Escala de Avaliação de Tendência à Agressividade, comparando pessoas infratoras, e pessoas estudantes sem histórico conhecido de delinqüência. O primeiro grupo foi constituído por 41 jovens infratores, enquanto o grupo dois foi composto por 42 jovens universitários que obtiveram as mais altas pontuações na escala. Primeiramente, foi analisado o ajuste da escala ao modelo Rasch, sendo que as médias do infit e do outfit sugeriram boa adequação. O resultado da análise do funcionamento diferencial dos itens resultou em 24 itens, com funcionamento diferencial, sendo 10 favorecendo o primeiro grupo e 14 favorecendo o grupo de universitários. Concluiu-se que os comportamentos agressivos exclusivos dos infratores foram o de intimidação física, intimidação e vingança, e para o segundo grupo o comportamento de irritar as pessoas

Ocular sarcoidosis : clinical experience and recent pathogenetic and therapeutic advancements

Purpose To describe the ocular manifestations in a cohort of patients with systemic sarcoidosis (SS). Recent advances in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapy of SS are also discussed. Methods Data from 115 Italian patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. All but the first 17 patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination. The diagnosis was based on clinical features, the demonstration of non-caseating granulomas in biopsies from involved organs, and multiple imaging techniques. Data on broncho-alveolar lavage fluid analysis, calcemia, calciuria, serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels and soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels were retrieved when available. Results Ocular involvement, detected in 33 patients (28.7%), was bilateral in 29 (87.9%) and the presenting feature in 13 (39.4%). Anterior uveitis was diagnosed in 12 patients (36.4%), Lofgren syndrome and uveoparotid fever in one patient each (3%), intermediate uveitis in 3 patients (9.1%), posterior uveitis in 7 (21.2%), and panuveitis in 9 (27.3%). First-line therapy consisted of corticosteroids, administered as eyedrops (10 patients), sub-Tenon's injections (1 patient), intravitreal implants (9 patients), or systemically (23 patients). Second-line therapy consisted of steroid-sparing immunosuppressants, including methotrexate (10 patients) and azathioprine (10 patients). Based on pathogenetic indications that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a central mediator of granuloma formation, adalimumab, targeting TNF-alpha, was employed in 6 patients as a third-line agent for severe/refractory chronic sarcoidosis. Conclusion Uveitis of protean type, onset, duration, and course remains the most frequent ocular manifestation of SS. Diagnostic and therapeutic advancements have remarkably improved the overall visual prognosis. An ophthalmologist should be a constant component in the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of this often challenging but intriguing disease.Peer reviewe

Low serum total testosterone level as a predictor of upstaging and upgrading in low-risk prostate cancer patients meeting the inclusion criteria for active surveillance

Active surveillance (AS) is currently a widely accepted treatment option for men with clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa). Several reports have highlighted the association of low serum testosterone levels with high-grade, high-stage PCa. However, the impact of serum testosterone as a predictor of progression in men with low-risk PCa has been little assessed.In this study, we evaluated the association of circulating testosterone concentrations with a staging/grading reclassification in a cohort of low-risk PCa patients meeting the inclusion criteria for the AS protocol but opting for radical prostatectomy.Radical prostatectomy (RP) was performed in 338 patients, eligible for AS according to the following criteria: clinical stage T2a or less, PSApT2) and upgrading (GS≥7; primary Gleason pattern 4) disease. Unfavorable disease was defined as the occurrence of pathological stage>pT2 and predominant Gleason score 4. Total testosterone was measured before surgery.Low serum testosterone levels (<300 ng/dL) were significantly associated with upgrading, upstaging, unfavorable disease and positive surgical margins. The addition of testosterone to a base model, including age, PSA, PSA density, clinical stage and positive cancer involvement in cores, showed a significant independent influence of this variable on upstaging, upgrading and unfavorable disease.In conclusion, our results support the idea that total testosterone should be a selection criterion for inclusion of low-risk PCa patients in AS programs and suggest that testosterone level less than 300 ng/dL should be considered a discouraging factor when a close AS program is considered as treatment option

Long non-coding RNA containing ultraconserved genomic region 8 promotes bladder cancer tumorigenesis

Ultraconserved regions (UCRs) have been shown to originate non-coding RNA transcripts (T-UCRs) that have different expression profiles and play functional roles in the pathophysiology of multiple cancers. The relevance of these functions to the pathogenesis of bladder cancer (BlCa) is speculative. To elucidate this relevance, we first used genome-wide profiling to evaluate the expression of T-UCRs in BlCa tissues. Analysis of two datasets comprising normal bladder tissues and BlCa specimens with a custom T-UCR microarray identified ultraconserved RNA (uc.) 8+ as the most upregulated T-UCR in BlCa tissues, although its expression was lower than in pericancerous bladder tissues. These results were confirmed on BlCa tissues by real-time PCR and by in situ hybridization. Although uc.8+ is located within intron 1 of CASZ1, a zinc-finger transcription factor, the transcribed non-coding RNA encoding uc.8+ is expressed independently of CASZ1. In vitro experiments evaluating the effects of uc.8+ silencing, showed significantly decreased capacities for cancer cell invasion, migration, and proliferation. From this, we proposed and validated a model of interaction in which uc.8+ shuttles from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of BlCa cells, interacts with microRNA (miR)-596, and cooperates in the promotion and development of BlCa. Using computational analysis, we investigated the miR-binding domain accessibility, as determined by base-pairing interactions within the uc.8+ predicted secondary structure, RNA binding affinity, and RNA species abundance in bladder tissues and showed that uc.8+ is a natural decoy for miR-596. Thus uc.8+ upregulation results in increased expression of MMP9, increasing the invasive potential of BlCa cells. These interactions between evolutionarily conserved regions of DNA suggest that natural selection has preserved this potentially regulatory layer that uses RNA to modulate miR levels, opening up the possibility for development of useful markers for early diagnosis and prognosis as well as for development of new RNA-based cancer therapies

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p &lt; 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p &lt; 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p &lt; 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p &lt; 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p &lt; 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

Rituximab-mediated Raf kinase inhibitor protein induction modulates NF-κB in Sjögren's syndrome

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by an epithelium injury surrounded by dense lymphocytic infiltrates. The conditions for the long-term maintenance of human salivary gland epithelial cells (SGEC) from pSS patients, and a coculture system with pSS lymphocytes were used to assess the effect of Rituximab (RTX) on the inflammatory condition and progression in pSS. Quantitative Real-Time PCR, genes and proteins Array analysis, Western blot, flow cytometry, siRNAs transfection and NF-kB DNA binding assays were used as methods. Supporting the RTX's benefits, this study demonstrates that RTX decreases NF-κB activity and interrupts NF-κB signalling pathway through the upregulation of the Raf-1 kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP). RKIP overexpression down-regulates interleukins, their receptors and the expression of genes encodes proteins that attracted lymphocytes. RKIP gene silencing leads to significantly increased expression and/or release of pro-inflammatory mediators supporting that RKIP expression could be involved in the suppression of NF-κB activation in pSS SGE

The metalloproteinase ADAM17 and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling drive the inflammatory epithelial response in Sjögren’s syndrome

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that particularly compromises the function of exocrine glands. The pathogenetic mechanisms of this autoimmune exocrinopathy have not been fully elucidated. Since increasing evidence actually suggests that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway has a major impact on the inflammatory/immune reactions of the epithelial cells, in the apparent effort of enhancing innate immune defense while opposing overactivation of pro-inflammatory functions, the focus of the work presented here is clarify whether the EGFR-extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway plays a role in the pro-inflammatory responses mounted by pSS salivary gland epithelial cells (SGEC). Investigations revealed that the EGFR-mediated activation of the downstream effectors ERK1/2 in pSS SGEC appeared to require ADAM17-dependent release of the endogenous EGFR ligand amphiregulin and transactivation of the EGFR. Moreover, blockade of amphiregulin bioactivity using a neutralizing Ab significantly reduced EGFR transactivation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In addition, pSS SGEC treated with the specific ADAM17 inhibitor TAPI-1 and with the EGFR inhibitor AG1478 exhibited deactivated AREG/EGFR/ERK signaling pathway and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines released

Jovens delinquentes e universitários agressivos: diferenças comportamentais

Este artigo teve como objetivo verificar as diferenças de condutas agressivas entre um grupo de pessoas que cometeram delitos (grupo 1) e um grupo de universitários com as maiores pontuações na Escala de Avaliação de Tendência a Agressividade (grupo 2). O grupo 1 foi constituído por 41 jovens com idades entre 18 e 19 anos, enquanto o grupo 2 foi composto por 42 participantes universitários com idades entre 18-29 anos. Os resultados mostraram o grupo 1 caracterizou-se por condutas relacionadas a enganar para prejudicar, obter sexo ou não perceberem minha culpa; desafiar pessoas, descarregar a raiva em alguém e andar armado, enquanto o grupo 2 apresentou apenas o fato falar alto quando não atendido ou entendido

Estudo da dimensionalidade da escala de comprometimento organizacional pelo modelo de Rasch

Abstract: This study aims to verify the dimensionality of the Organizational Compromising Scale by Rasch Model. The scale consists of the affective factor and sub-dimensions of the instrumental factor. Took part in this study 184 workers, 91 male (48.5%) with ages ranging from 18 to 61 (M=27.44, SD=7,12). Infit average was 1.04 (SD=0.19) range from 0.72 to 1.53. Outif mean was 1.03 (SD=0.54) with minimum value 0.67 and maximum of 1.90. Regarding people fit parameters, the infit mean was 1.02 (SD=0.49) and outfit 1.03 (SD=0.54). Items with higher loading in positive and negative dimension were selected. The correlation analysis between positive and negative items corrected by Spearman-Brown form was r = 0,68. After rehearsals for answered categories association and analysis, the dysfunctions categories were grouped, reducing from seven to three answer alternatives. Because of that, the scale shows evidence of one-dimensionality.Key-Words: Dimensionality; Organizational Commitment, Psychological Assessment, Psychometrics, Rasch ModelResumen: La investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar la dimensionalidad de la Escala de Compromiso Organizacional. Participaron 184 trabajadores, 91 (49,5%) eran hombres de edades comprendidas entre los 18 y 61 años (M = 27,44, SD = 7,12). La media del infit fue de 1,04 (SD = 0,19) que van desde 0,72 hasta 1,53. El outfit promedio fue de 1,03 (SD = 0,24), y los valores oscilaron entre 0,67 y 1,90. En cuanto a los parámetros de ajuste de personas los valores medios de infit (1,02, SD = 0,49) y outfit (1,03, SD = 0,54). Se seleccionaron ítens con mayor carga en la dimensión positiva y negativa. El análisis de correlación entre los elementos positivos y negativos corregidas por Spearman-Brown formulario fue de r = 0,68. Después de ensayos de asociación de las categorías de respuesta y análisis, se decidió llevar a cabo una agrupación de categorías disfuncionales, lo que reduce siete para tres opciones de respuesta. Por lo tanto, se concluye que la escala presenta evidencia que apoya la hipótesis de escala unidimensionalidad.Palabras-clave: Dimensionalidad, Compromiso Organizacional, Evaluación Psicológica, Psicometría, Modelo de RaschA pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a dimensionalidade da Escala de Comprometimento Organizacional pelo modelo Rasch. A escala é composta pelo fator afetivo e as subdimensões do fator instrumental. Participaram 184 trabalhadores sendo 91 do sexo masculino (49,5%) com idades variando entre 18 e 61 anos (M=27,44; DP=7,12). A média para o infit foi 1,04 (DP=0,19), variando entre 0,72-1,53. O valor médio do outfit foi de 1,03 (DP=0,24), sendo que os valores variaram entre 0,67 e 1,90. Em relação aos parâmetros de ajuste das pessoas o valor médio do infit foi de 1,02 (DP=0,49) e do outfit 1,03 (DP=0,54). Foram selecionados os itens de maior saturação na dimensão positiva e negativa, decorrentes da análise de componentes principais de resíduos. A correlação entre os itens positivos e negativos, após correção pela fórmula de profecia de Spearman-Brown, foi de r = 0,68. Após alguns ensaios de associação das categorias de respostas e respectivas análises, optou-se por realizar um agrupamento das categorias disfuncionais, reduzindo de sete para três alternativas de respostas. Com isso, conclui-se que a escala apresenta evidências que sustentam a hipótese de unidimensionalidade.Palavras-chaves: Dimensionalidade; Comprometimento Organizacional; Avaliação Psicológica; Psicometria; Modelo Rasc