Facial emotion recognition in children and adolescents with specific learning disorder

(1) Background: Some recent studies suggest that children and adolescents with different neurodevelopmental disorders perform worse in emotions recognition through facial expressions (ER) compared with typically developing peers. This impairment is also described in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), compromising their scholastic achievement, social functioning, and quality of life. The purpose of our study is to evaluate ER skills in children and adolescents with SLD compared to a control group without learning disorders, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. (2) Materials and Methods: Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-three children and adolescents aged between 8 and 16 years, diagnosed with SLD, and 32 sex/age-matched controls without learning disorders were recruited. All participants were administered standardized neuropsychological tests, evaluating facial emotion recognition (NEPSY-II), executive functions (EpiTrack Junior), and intelligence profile (WISC-IV). (3) Results: Emotion recognition mean score was significantly lower in the SLD group than in the controls group on the Mann–Whitney U test for unpaired samples (p < 0.001). The SLD group performed significantly lower than the control group in their abilities to identify neutral expressions, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear compared to controls (p < 0.001). ER scores were positively correlated to the executive functions scores. There was no correlation with the Total Intelligence Quotient scores but there is a significant positive correlation with Working Memory Index and Processing Speed Index measured by WISC.IV. (4) Conclusions: Our study showed that children and adolescents with Specific Learning Disorders have facial emotion recognition impairment when compared with a group of peers without learning disorders. ER abilities were independent of their global intelligence but potentially related to executive functions

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms and Parental Stress

The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional and behavioral symptoms in minors with neuropsychiatric disorders and on parental stress through a standardized neuropsychological assessment, comparing the data collected before the pandemic with those collected during the lock-down. Another goal of our study was to analyze the relationship between parental stress and behavioral/emotional symptoms in children. Our study was conducted on 383 families of patients who had already been referred at the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Salerno for different neuropsychiatric conditions. All the parents completed two neuropsychological standardized questionnaires for the assessment of parental stress (PSI—Parenting Stress Index-Short Form) and the emotional/behavioral problems of their children (Child Behaviour CheckList). The data collected during the pandemic were compared with those collected from questionnaires administered during the six months preceding the pandemic, as is our usual clinical practice. The comparison between the mean scores of PSI and CBCL before and after the pandemic showed a statistically significant increase in all subscales analyzed in the total sample. The correlation analysis showed significant positive relationship between the subscale Total Stress of PSI and the subscales Total Problems and Internalizing Problems of CBCL. Our study suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding measures adopted led to an increase in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric disorder. Similarly, parental stress increased during COVID-19 and ahigher level of stress in parents can be related to the internalizing symptoms of their children

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms and Parental Stress

The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional and behavioral symptoms in minors with neuropsychiatric disorders and on parental stress through a standardized neuropsychological assessment, comparing the data collected before the pandemic with those collected during the lock-down. Another goal of our study was to analyze the relationship between parental stress and behavioral/emotional symptoms in children. Our study was conducted on 383 families of patients who had already been referred at the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Salerno for different neuropsychiatric conditions. All the parents completed two neuropsychological standardized questionnaires for the assessment of parental stress (PSI—Parenting Stress Index-Short Form) and the emotional/behavioral problems of their children (Child Behaviour CheckList). The data collected during the pandemic were compared with those collected from questionnaires administered during the six months preceding the pandemic, as is our usual clinical practice. The comparison between the mean scores of PSI and CBCL before and after the pandemic showed a statistically significant increase in all subscales analyzed in the total sample. The correlation analysis showed significant positive relationship between the subscale Total Stress of PSI and the subscales Total Problems and Internalizing Problems of CBCL. Our study suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding measures adopted led to an increase in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric disorder. Similarly, parental stress increased during COVID-19 and ahigher level of stress in parents can be related to the internalizing symptoms of their children

OUTCOME CHIRURGICO DI LESIONI OSTEONECROTICHE INDOTTE DA DENOSUMAB: STUDIO PROSPETTICO.

Scopo della tesi è stato quello di valutare l'outcome chirurgico del paziente affetto da osteonecrosi dei mascellari da denosumab sottoposto a trattamento chirurgic

A machine learning approach to discriminate malignant and benign breast lesions using multimodal MRI

The study explores using Artificial Intelligence to distinguish malignant from benign breast lesions with multimodal MRI. Using a public dataset of 200 patients, a radiomic approach has been tried to extract the features to train an XGBoost classifier, alongside the extraction of dynamic features from the kinetic curves of DCE-MRI. The model achieved an AUC of 0.90 using radiomic features alone, 0.91 using dynamic features and 0.92 when combining radiomic and dynamic features, showing the potential diagnostic improvement with both modalitie

L'istruzione industriale: una prospettiva storica italiana ed europea 1861-1930

Dottorato di ricerca in storia dell'industria. 12. ciclo. Coordinatore Lucio AvaglianoConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - P.za Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Analisi del crowdfunding : il caso italiano 2012-2014

LAUREA MAGISTRAL

Congenital van Bogaert-Bertrand Disease in a non-Jewish Family

SUMMARYThree siblings were born of consanguineous parents (first cousins), two of which, our probands, affected by van Bogaert-Bertrand disease. Clinical diagnosis was made by cerebral biopsy of one of the two sisters.The genetic research ascertained a schizophrenic paternal cousin and a girl cousin showing neurotic character and epilepsy. One maternal sister died with a picture of progressive encephalopathy that could be similar to the one showed by our probands. In this family syphilis was present for three subsequent generations.The authors describe the essential symptoms of the disease and point out the present trend of biological research for the discovery of the supposed metabolic trouble.</jats:p

CONGENITAL CHYLOTHORAX OF THE NEWBORN: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT IN THREE PICTURES

There is general agreement regarding the evident need for an international, multicenter trial including long-term follow-up to establish the correct criteria for diagnosing and managing congenital chylothorax. In an attempt to identify these criteria, which could then be used to draft a prospective multicenter trial, we propose three flow-charts showing three algorithms that could be used to: 1) obtain a definitive diagnosis of pleural chylous effusion; 2) specifically focus on chyle leakage evolution and etiology of chylothorax; and 3) focus on the management of congenital chylothorax. The aim of the algorithms we propose is to build the basis on which a strongly needed multicenter trial might be structured