Valutazione dei livelli individuali di resilienza negli studenti della scuola secondaria di primo grado: adattamento e validazione del Questionario di Valutazione dell’Atteggiamento Resiliente (QVAR)

Resilience and socio-emotional skills play a central role in promoting individual’s general and academic well-being and supporting a positive adaptation to the context. The school can play a strategic role in the evaluation of these aspects. The Questionnaire for the Assessment of Resilient Attitude at school (QVAR), derived from the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment, was developed for the assessment of resilience and socioemotional skills in lower secondary school students. The questionnaire recalls the perspective of strength-based assessment, focusing on the individuals’ resources. The purpose of this contribution is to offer an overview of the theoretical framework on the relevance of resilience and socio-emotional skills and to present the procedure for constructing, adapting and validating the QVAR. The sample of schools that participated in the validation of the QVAR belongs entirely to the three-year period of lower secondary school and is distributed throughout the country. The classes participating in the survey were 88 for a total of 1401 students, consisting of 698 female students and 703 students. The statistical analyzes conducted confirm the good psychometric properties of the Resilient Attitude Assessment Questionnaire (QVAR): this will allow the application to plan and monitor interventions to improve the student’s coping skills

Il Questionario Comprensivo sul Clima Scolastico (QCCS): adattamento e validazione sul campione italiano

Il contributo presenta la procedura di adattamento e validazione del Questionario Comprensivo sul Clima Scolastico (QCCS), tratto dal Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (McCabe, Michelli, M. & Pickeral, 2009), per studenti di scuola secondaria di primo grado. Sono stati coinvolti 114 insegnanti di un corso di specializzazione per le attività di sostegno i quali hanno interessato 1396 studenti (708 femmine e 688 maschi) nella valutazione del clima di classe percepito. Vengono confermate le buone proprietà psicometriche del QCCS composto dalle seguenti scale: Educazione alla cittadinanza; Sostegno e inclusione tra gli studenti; Sostegno dei docenti alla relazione; Percezione della sicurezza fisica ed emotiva; Coinvolgimento delle famiglie e degli studenti; Adeguatezza dell’ambiente scolastico; Comportamento antisociale, come scala inversamente correlata. Si aggiunge la dimensione Sostegno dei docenti all’apprendimento e personalizzazione della didattica. Questo strumento standardizzato permette ai docenti di monitorare l’efficacia di interventi didattico-organizzativi e socio-relazionali verso un miglioramento dell’ambiente scolastico

I colloqui di orientamento per facilitare il successo accademico: una indagine sperimentale

This article discusses the effectiveness of colloquium for university guidance in facilitating academic success and address the phenomenon of the delay in the studies, which also represents a drop-out risk factor. Before and after the session period of the colloquium for guidance, are administered some questionnaires including the OQ-45 and Lambert Hill (1994; Lo Coco et al., 2008). Participants are divided into an experimental group (80 students completing the guidance session in the first semester), and a control group (52 students placed on the waiting list, who have booked advice for guidance session in the next semester). The characteristics of the participants are described (age, frequented faculty, main areas of discomfort), and data collected show the significant reduction of the symptoms of stress and of the common relational difficulties after the colloquia for university guidance. Data underscore even the efficacy and good stability effects during the follow-up session. Moreover, compared to the control group, students who have done the session path for orientation have showed a significant recovery of the studies. The offer by a university institution of guidance colloquium is one of the many initiatives to facilitate academic success, as well as the setting up of credit recovery courses, the presence of educational support achieved through mentoring and/or online individualized teaching strategies the implementation of paths of re-training orientation

Contribution of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the Staging of Pancreatic Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasms: A Case Report

: Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) is an extremely rare pancreatic epithelial neoplasm with low malignancy that affects mainly young females. It is characterized by a good prognosis, even in the presence of metastases. SPNs have a particular avidity for 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). Nonetheless, there are very few papers in the literature on the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F- FDG PET/CT) in the diagnosis and staging of SPNs. A 23-year-old woman presented to our attention with gastric outlet obstruction due to a bulky solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreatic head. A 18F-FDG PET/CT showed a marked 18F-FDG uptake at the pancreatic head with no abnormal metabolic activity in other abdominal organs. Given the particular avidity for 18F-FDG, SPNs can be easily recognized on 18F-FDG PET/CT. However, this exam is not useful in differentiating this neoplasm from other malignant pancreatic solid lesions, but it could give a contribution to the staging by the ability to identify potential metastases or recurrences

Activation of anti-apoptotic machinery downstream to Fas/FasL pathway in primary mixed and pure mucin producing cholangiocarcinoma cells: key role of c-FLIP

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) comprises a heterogeneous group of malignancies lacking of effective strategies for prevention and cure. Recently, we have established a protocol for the isolation of primary cells from mixed and mucin specimens of human CCA. To this regard, the aim of this study was to analyze the influence on proliferation and apoptosis as well as the related modifications of apoptotic machinery downstream to Fas/FasL pathway in primary cultures of human mixed and mucin-producing CCA after direct co-culture with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Our findings show that both IH-CCA subtypes constitutively express high levels of Fas and FasL. Following direct co-culture with PBMCs, the expression of Fas and FasL significantly increased after 24, 48 and 72 hours of exposure (p< 0.05). At the same time, a significant increase of percentage of apoptotic CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells or Natural Killer CD56+ cells was observed along the co-cultures compared to PBMCs cultured alone (

Enhanced tonic GABAA inhibition in typical absence epilepsy

The cellular mechanisms underlying typical absence seizures, which characterize various idiopathic generalized epilepsies, are not fully understood, but impaired GABAergic inhibition remains an attractive hypothesis. In contrast, we show here that extrasynaptic GABAA receptor–dependent ‘tonic’ inhibition is increased in thalamocortical neurons from diverse genetic and pharmacological models of absence seizures. Increased tonic inhibition is due to compromised GABA uptake by the GABA transporter GAT–1 in the genetic models tested, and GAT–1 is critical in governing seizure genesis. Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors are a requirement for seizures in two of the best characterized models of absence epilepsy, and the selective activation of thalamic extrasynaptic GABAA receptors is sufficient to elicit both electrographic and behavioural correlates of seizures in normal animals. These results identify an apparently common cellular pathology in typical absence seizures that may have epileptogenic significance, and highlight novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of absence epilepsy.peer-reviewe

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (third edition)

The third edition of Flow Cytometry Guidelines provides the key aspects to consider when performing flow cytometry experiments and includes comprehensive sections describing phenotypes and functional assays of all major human and murine immune cell subsets. Notably, the Guidelines contain helpful tables highlighting phenotypes and key differences between human and murine cells. Another useful feature of this edition is the flow cytometry analysis of clinical samples with examples of flow cytometry applications in the context of autoimmune diseases, cancers as well as acute and chronic infectious diseases. Furthermore, there are sections detailing tips, tricks and pitfalls to avoid. All sections are written and peer‐reviewed by leading flow cytometry experts and immunologists, making this edition an essential and state‐of‐the‐art handbook for basic and clinical researchers.DFG, 389687267, Kompartimentalisierung, Aufrechterhaltung und Reaktivierung humaner Gedächtnis-T-Lymphozyten aus Knochenmark und peripherem BlutDFG, 80750187, SFB 841: Leberentzündungen: Infektion, Immunregulation und KonsequenzenEC/H2020/800924/EU/International Cancer Research Fellowships - 2/iCARE-2DFG, 252623821, Die Rolle von follikulären T-Helferzellen in T-Helferzell-Differenzierung, Funktion und PlastizitätDFG, 390873048, EXC 2151: ImmunoSensation2 - the immune sensory syste

The evaluation of individual and relational factors in university drop-out through a statistical analysis model of mediation / La valutazione di fattori individuali e relazionali nella dispersione universitaria attraverso un modello di analisi statistica della mediazione

Il presente studio si propone di esaminare le relazioni tra dimensioni affettive (distress psicologico e livelli di ansia e rabbia esperiti), dimensioni relazionali (interazione con il contesto universitario) e rischio di drop-out in un campione di 128 studenti universitari (88,8% donne, età media 21 anni) reclutati attraverso il Servizio di Orientamento Universitario in itinere del Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione dell’Ateneo Roma Tre e durante le esercitazioni didattiche universitarie. Gli studenti hanno compilato una batteria di questionari online, che comprendeva: a) una scala di intenzione di drop-out; b) lo STAI-Y per valutare i livelli di ansia; c) lo STAXI per valutare i livelli di rabbia; d) l’OQ-45.2 per valutare il distress psicologico; e) una breve scala per rilevare l’interazione con il contesto universitario. Le analisi statistiche hanno mostrato correlazioni positive tra intenzione di abbandono e livelli di ansia, rabbia e disagio psicologico. Sono state inoltre rilevate correlazioni negative tra abbandono scolastico e scarsa qualità dell’interazione con il contesto. I modelli di regressione indicano che punteggi elevati di problemi socio-relazionali, inadeguato rapporto studente-insegnante e alti livelli di rabbia autodiretta predicono l'intenzione di abbandono. Un'analisi della mediazione rivela la qualità della relazione studente-insegnante quale mediatore tra disagio psicologico e intenzione di abbandono, evidenziando il ruolo centrale della relazione educativa e didattica.The present study aims to examine the relationships between affective dimensions (psychological distress and levels of experienced anxiety and anger), relational dimensions (interaction with the university context) and the risk of drop-out in a sample of 128 university students (88.8% women, average age 21), recruited through the Ongoing University Guidance Service of the Department of Education at Roma Tre University, and during the university laboratory exercises. Students filled a battery of online questionnaires, which included: a) a drop-out intention scale; b) the STAI-Y assessing anxiety levels; c) the STAXI evaluating anger levels; d) the OQ-45.2 assessing psychological distress; e) a short scale assessing the quality of engagement with university context. Statistical analyses showed positive correlations between drop-out intention and anxiety, anger levels and psychological distress. Negative correlations between drop-out and poor quality of engagement with university were also revealed. Regression models indicate that high scores of socio-relational problems, inadequate student-teacher relationship and high levels of self- directed anger predict drop-out intention. A mediation analysis reveals the quality of the student-teacher relationship as a mediator between psychological distress and the intention of abandonment, highlighting the central role of the educational and didactic relationship