Il fuoco nella fraseologia spagnola e sarda: cultura e tradizioni popolari

Viaggio nelle tradizioni popolari della Spagna e della Sardegna sviluppatesi attorno al campo semantico del ‘fuoco’, attraverso la comparazione del sistema fraseologico delle due lingue, lo spagnolo e il sardo.Un viaje en las tradiciones populares de España y Cerdeña referidas al campo semántico del ‘fuego’, mediante la comparación del sistema fraseológico de ambas lenguas, el español y el sardo

Il fuoco nella fraseologia spagnola e sarda: cultura e tradizioni popolari

Viaggio nelle tradizioni popolari della Spagna e della Sardegna sviluppatesi attorno al campo semantico del ‘fuoco’, attraverso la comparazione del sistema fraseologico delle due lingue, lo spagnolo e il sardo.Un viaje en las tradiciones populares de España y Cerdeña referidas al campo semántico del ‘fuego’, mediante la comparación del sistema fraseológico de ambas lenguas, el español y el sardo

The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Italy

Background: This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress symptoms in Italian medical students and to identify the associated factors. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to second-sixth year medical students of the University of Torino, collecting data on the students’ sociodemographics, COVID-19 exposure, anxiety, depression and stress symptoms. Three hierarchical regressions adjusted for age, gender and year of study were executed. Results: The sample size was 1359. The prevalence of anxiety, depression symptoms, moderate perceived stress and severe perceived stress was 47.8%, 52.1%, 56.2% and 28.4%, respectively. The factors associated with mental health symptoms were: being a woman, a family history of psychiatric disorders, living off-site, competitive/hostile climates and unsatisfying friendships among classmates, poor relationships with cohabitants, negative judgment of medical school choice, fear of COVID-19 infection, feelings of loneliness, distressing existential reflections, and a worsening psychological condition related to the pandemic. Being in the fourth or sixth year constituted a protective factor for depression symptoms. Conclusions: Mental health in medical students was associated with both COVID-independent and COVID-related factors. Accessibility to effective interventions must be increased to counteract these changes

The Consequences of the Pandemic on Medical Students' Depressive Symptoms and Perceived Stress: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey with a Nested Longitudinal Subsample

This study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on medical students’ mental health in Italy using a repeated cross-sectional survey with a nested longitudinal subsample (first timepoint: 2018; second: 2020/2021). Three research questions (RQs) were investigated. Study 1 (longitudinal sub-sample) explored whether medical students had higher levels of depressive symptoms and stress during the pandemic compared with a pre-pandemic period (RQ1) and what variables were associated with these conditions during the pandemic adjusting for baseline levels (RQ2). Study 2 (repeated cross-sectional data) aimed to examine whether medical students had higher levels of these conditions during the pandemic compared with their same-year peers during a pre-pandemic period (RQ3). In Study 1, higher levels of depressive symptoms and stress were shown during the pandemic (RQ1). Multivariable models highlighted associations between poor mental health and worsening of the judgment of medical school choice, worsened psychological condition due to the pandemic, economic repercussions due to the pandemic, and baseline levels of symptoms (RQ2). In Study 2, our findings reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and stress during the pandemic, also adjusting for other variables (RQ3). In conclusion, depressive symptoms and stress were greater during the pandemic. The most relevant variables were pandemic-related items and medical school choice judgment

La salute mentale negli studenti di medicina: il progetto del Servizio di Aiuto Psicologico (SAP) dell’Università degli Studi di Torino

     Dalla letteratura emerge come gli studenti di medicina spesso presentino livelli di ansia, stress e de-pressione superiori alla popolazione generale. Si rende quindi sempre più necessario un supporto psi-cologico gratuito e fruibile interno alle università. La facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia dell’Università de-gli Studi di Torino può vantare un servizio di aiuto psicologico (SAP) dedicato. Il presente studio ha lo scopo di illustrare in termini sociodemografici, clinici e psicopatologici la coorte di studenti che ha usufruito del servizio. Il progetto prevede un colloquio conoscitivo al termine del quale, se necessario, seguirà una presa in carico dal punto di vista psicologico e/o psichiatrico; agli studenti inoltre viene chiesto di compilare alcuni test psicometrici per valutare depressione, ansia e stress. Da gennaio 2019 ad agosto 2020, 166 studenti hanno fatto richiesta per un primo colloquio. Dal nostro studio emerge come, in linea con la letteratura, una sintomatologia depressiva e/o di tipo ansioso sia presen-te negli utenti. I dati raccolti e altresì il feedback ricevuto dagli studenti dimostrano l’utilità del servi-zio.      Dalla letteratura emerge come gli studenti di medicina spesso presentino livelli di ansia, stress e de-pressione superiori alla popolazione generale. Si rende quindi sempre più necessario un supporto psi-cologico gratuito e fruibile interno alle università. La facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia dell’Università de-gli Studi di Torino può vantare un servizio di aiuto psicologico (SAP) dedicato. Il presente studio ha lo scopo di illustrare in termini sociodemografici, clinici e psicopatologici la coorte di studenti che ha usufruito del servizio. Il progetto prevede un colloquio conoscitivo al termine del quale, se necessario, seguirà una presa in carico dal punto di vista psicologico e/o psichiatrico; agli studenti inoltre viene chiesto di compilare alcuni test psicometrici per valutare depressione, ansia e stress. Da gennaio 2019 ad agosto 2020, 166 studenti hanno fatto richiesta per un primo colloquio. Dal nostro studio emerge come, in linea con la letteratura, una sintomatologia depressiva e/o di tipo ansioso sia presen-te negli utenti. I dati raccolti e altresì il feedback ricevuto dagli studenti dimostrano l’utilità del servi-zio.&nbsp

Spatial mapping and prediction of Plasmodium falciparum infection risk among school-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire

BACKGROUND: In Côte d'Ivoire, malaria remains a major public health issue, and thus a priority to be tackled. The aim of this study was to identify spatially explicit indicators of Plasmodium falciparum infection among school-aged children and to undertake a model-based spatial prediction of P. falciparum infection risk using environmental predictors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, including parasitological examinations and interviews with more than 5,000 children from 93 schools across Côte d'Ivoire. A finger-prick blood sample was obtained from each child to determine Plasmodium species-specific infection and parasitaemia using Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Household socioeconomic status was assessed through asset ownership and household characteristics. Children were interviewed for preventive measures against malaria. Environmental data were gathered from satellite images and digitized maps. A Bayesian geostatistical stochastic search variable selection procedure was employed to identify factors related to P. falciparum infection risk. Bayesian geostatistical logistic regression models were used to map the spatial distribution of P. falciparum infection and to predict the infection prevalence at non-sampled locations via Bayesian kriging. RESULTS: Complete data sets were available from 5,322 children aged 5-16 years across Côte d'Ivoire. P. falciparum was the predominant species (94.5 %). The Bayesian geostatistical variable selection procedure identified land cover and socioeconomic status as important predictors for infection risk with P. falciparum. Model-based prediction identified high P. falciparum infection risk in the north, central-east, south-east, west and south-west of Côte d'Ivoire. Low-risk areas were found in the south-eastern area close to Abidjan and the south-central and west-central part of the country. CONCLUSIONS: The P. falciparum infection risk and related uncertainty estimates for school-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire represent the most up-to-date malaria risk maps. These tools can be used for spatial targeting of malaria control interventions

Detection of fish allergen by droplet digital PCR

Fish is one of fourteen allergens that must be highlighted on the label within the ingredients list. It should be noted that the European regulation, is very restrictive to allergens with zero tolerance. Therefore it is important to establish sensitive and specific methods for detecting fish allergen. Applicability to detect and quantify fish allergen by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) has been evaluated in this work. Genomic DNA of three fish species belonging to the most common fish families were analyzed. PCR primers were designed to amplify a 166 bp region of the 18S rRNA gene. Comparative studies were performed to establish the optimal primer and probe concentrations.  Annealing temperature was determined by using thermal gradient. The results have shown good applicability of the optimized 18S rRNA gene-method to detect and quantify small amounts of the target in all samples analyzed. However, validation studies are needed in order to apply ddPCR technology for routine allergens analysis.

Effects of Cadmium chloride on human fetal cells in vitro

The principal aim of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of tests with substances known as teratogenic in vivo on cell types which are the real target of their teratogenic effects. To this purpose Cadmium chloride has been tested on human amniotic fluid cells using the Chromosome aberrations (CA) and Sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) tests

Ultrasound and autoptic diagnosis of asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia

Background. The skeletal system develops from mesoderm. In most bones (e.g., the long bones), ossification is preceded by cartilage (endochondral ossification). In other cases, such as flat bones, ossification develops directly in the mesenchyme without cartilage formation (intramembranous ossification). Skeletal dysplasias are a heterogeneous group of more disorders associated with developmental abnormalities of bone and cartilage. The modes of transmission are similar: autosomal dominant and recessive and X-linked dominant and recessive. Despite the potential advantages of 3-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US), antenatal diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia is difficult, given the large variety and complexity of these disorders: their phenotypes are variables and their features are overlapping. We present a case report of a woman with prenatal diagnosis of skeletal thoracic dysplasia, confirmed by postnatal radiography and fetal autopsy. Case report. A 26-year-old woman, primigravida, was referred for routine ultrasonic examination during her second trimester of pregnancy. Ultrasonography (USG) showed a single live foetus of a gestational age of 20+3 weeks; biparietal diameter and head circumference were adequate for the week of gestation. There was a polyhydramnios. The fetal thorax was extremely narrow. The thoracic circumference (TC) measured 100 mm (< 5th percentile), the abdominal circumference (AC) measured 157 mm (50th percentile), and the TC/AC ratio was 0.64 (normal range: 0.77–1.01). The long-bone lengths measured < 5th percentile, especially the proximal part of the upper limbs. Ultrasound scans of fetal abdomen revealed bilateral slight increase in the size of kidneys. There were no neural tube defects, and the fetal stomach and urinary bladder were normal. Fetal echocardiography revealed mild ventricular septal defect with good hemodynamic effect. Based on these findings, the diagnosis postulated as possible was asphyxiating thorax dysplasia (ATD). After genetic counseling, the patient decided for an elective termination of the pregnancy. A stillborn male fetus was delivered with a weight of 470 g. Infantogram and gross autopsy findings (narrow thorax, short upper limb bones, poor definition of pyramids of kidneys) supported the diagnosis made. Conclusion. Although skeletal anomalies are difficult to diagnose antenatally, a detailed scan of fetal anatomy between 20 and 32 gestational weeks exclude majority of major skeletal dysplasias. Termination of pregnancy is indicated and must be followed by genetic counseling for recurrence risk

Morphological findings in malformed fetuses with normal karyotype

In our Department morphological findings on fetuses from therapeutic interruption of pregnancy or spontaneous abortion are performed since ten years in order to correlate the ultrasound and/or chromosomic diagnosis with a real presence of malformations. The fetopathologic examination generally agrees with the chromosomal diagnosis, while in several cases it is possible to find malformations also in presence of a normal karyotype (Gitz, 2011). In our experience over the past 5 years we have found that 17 fetuses with a normal karyotype showed different heterogeneous ultrasound malformations. Only in 2 cases the fetuses died in uterus (17th and 22nd weeks of gestation), the other cases, aged between 14th and 23rd weeks of gestation, went from voluntary abortions. In 7 cases the karyotype was defined by amniocentesis while in the remaining 10 was determined by fetal fibroblasts culture; in only 30% of the observed cases the couple had carried out a genetic evaluation. External malformations were present in 16 fetuses, often related to the face (such as micrognathia, low-set of ears, flattened nasal bridge, cleft lip) or limb (short, curved, stubby) of spine (spina bifida) or genitalia (hypospadias). Malformations of internal organs were present in 10 cases, often affecting the cardiovascular system (complex heart defects and abnormal origin of the greath vessels), and nervous system (meningocele, agenesia of the corpus callosum, ventricular dilatation and Arnold-Chiari malformation); less frequent were malformations of other systems (digestive, respiratory and urinary). There was a single case of situs viscerum inversus associated with complex cardiac malformations and atresia of the bucco-pharyngeal membrane. These results indicate that the fetal morphological study is useful not only to confirm but often to supplement and complete the ultrasound data. Moreover genetic evaluation, utilizing fetopatholgical study, may have an important role in defining the diagnostic and clinical procedure, especially in relapses with malformed fetus and normal karyotype