Search

Post-varicella arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) is considered an uncommon cause of pediatric stroke that is considered a self-limiting, monophasic disease. However, in a subset of patients, disease recurs; the prevalence of vasculopathy or AIS recurrence, severity of clinical outcomes, and standardized therapies have not been well characterized. Herein, we determined the clinical-neuroradiological features, long-term evolution, and relationship between acute phase treatment and vasculopathy recurrence in a pediatric population with post-varicella AIS. Clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological features of 22 children with post-varicella AIS between 2010 and 2019 (16 males, mean age at stroke 4 years, range 1.7–10) were reviewed. Statistical analyses were performed using χ2 and Fisher exact tests. Of the 22 cases, mean time from varicella to stroke was 4.5 months with 3 cases presenting more than 12 months after rash; 21 (95%) were not vaccinated for varicella; 3 (13.6%) had posterior circulation involvement; and 5 (22.7%) had AIS or vasculopathy recurrence, of which 4 recurred 6.1 months to 2.8 years after initial clinical onset. Recurrence was associated with lack of antiviral treatment during the first episode (p = 0.02). Post-varicella AIS can occur months after rash making diagnosis challenging. Because recurrent vasculopathy was seen predominantly in cases not treated with antiviral therapy during initial presentation, it is important to rapidly diagnose post-varicella AIS through clinical criteria and/or virological testing then treat with antivirals to prevent recurrence.

To determine whether brain volumetric and white matter microstructural changes are present and correlate with neurological impairment in subjects with alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC). In this prospective single-center study, 12 AHC subjects (mean age 22.9 years) and 24 controls were studied with 3DT1-weighted MR imaging and high angular resolution diffusion imaging at 3T. Data obtained with voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics were correlated with motor impairment using the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) and Movement and Disability sub-scales of Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMMS and BFMDS). Compared to healthy controls, AHC subjects showed lower total brain volume (P

The multi-channel strategy becomes crucial for the competitiveness of retail system; it is based on open trustworthy relationships, on the support of new communication tools (e.g. social media), and on innovative devices (24/7 connections), which extend possibilities, process and moment of purchasing. Thanks to the support of innovative information technologies, the store constitutes a privileged area of integration between real and digital, where brand management strategies confront with new social spaces. Augmented reality add different degrees of information to the consumers’ sense. So as the augmented reality reshapes the commercial area, providing it for contextual information and activable by potential customers when needed; at the same time, the integration with the mobility reconfigures the mode of use, organizing new opportunities of connections with the user. In addition, the generation of contents both bottom-up and top-down makes the individual from tryer into buyer into advertiser, through social networking, generating greater value experiences and, therefore, additional sales.

The recent outbreak of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has led to a global panic due to its fatal nature which has harshly impacted the tourist sector and on the place reputation in general. This study aims to compare the factors that develop tourist preferences in terms of (i) what drives the favorability of tourist preferences? (ii) what relationship exists between tourist expectations, proximity, and favorable reputation? and (iii) what are the main influences of tourist preferences on hospitality system competitiveness pre and post Covid-19? By employing structural equation modeling, this study advances knowledge into the research variables’ relationships and advances reputation and marketing performance and practices in the hospitality industry.

Nowadays organizations are increasingly engaged in talent management, because it allows firms to grow rapidly by leveraging on human capital. Most antecedent studies focused on expectations and motivations of talents living in developed countries. Though, a little is known about career expectations of talents in emerging economies, and whether they diverge from those of developed countries or not. However, this information might be of use for several motives. First, emerging countries have a high growth rate. Second, these talents may be effectively harnessed from domestic and non-domestic firms, depending on whether their expectations are met or not. Consistently, this study aims at exploring the career expectations of individuals in emerging countries, by capturing the heterogeneity of expectations between emerging and developed countries due to cultural, politic, economic, and religious differences. As a matter of fact, emerging countries are frequently characterized by low levels of both income and employment, differently from many developed countries. For such motives and because of the absence of valid employment alternatives, talents might be more willing to engage in entrepreneurial initiatives rather than attempting to be employed in an organization. Thus, the primary intent of this explorative study is to understand what are the factors that affect career expectations of talents in emerging countries. Consistently, a cross-sectional principal component analysis (PCA) was used for hypotheses testing. The sample refers to a set of African countries, based on data availability for 2019. Data used for the analysis are drawn from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and they refer to individual entrepreneurial behaviours and attitudes. Notably, findings show that career expectations of talents are driven by motivation and opportunity, especially in the male groups. However, the study also originally shows that the need for achievement and the willingness to stand out are the main drivers of talents’ expectations. In a nutshell, talents may prefer independence over the employment status. Implications of the findings, at a business level, suggest that companies in emerging markets should revisit their talent management strategy in order to avoid the loss of many talented employees. As instance, they should grant more independence, raise the income, and favour internal and female entrepreneurship. Thereby, the original findings of the study contribute both theoretically and practically to the research domain by specifying that career needs of talented people vary according to context and time.

SUMMARY: Adenosine deaminase 2 deficiency (OMIM #615688) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a wide clinical spectrum, including small- and medium-sized vessel vasculopathies, but data focusing on the associated neuroimaging features are still scarce in the literature. Here, we describe the clinical neuroimaging features of 12 patients with genetically proven adenosine deaminase 2 deficiency (6 males; median age at disease onset, 1.3 years; median age at genetic diagnosis, 15.5 years). Our findings expand the neuroimaging phenotype of this condition demonstrating, in addition to multiple, recurrent brain lacunar ischemic and/or hemorrhagic strokes, spinal infarcts, and intracranial aneurysms, also cerebral microbleeds and a peculiar, likely inflammatory, perivascular tissue in the basal and peripontine cisterns. Together with early clinical onset, positive family history, inflammatory flares and systemic abnormalities, these findings should raise the suspicion of adenosine deaminase 2 deficiency, thus prompting genetic evaluation and institution of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, with a potential great impact on neurologic outcome.

PurposeThe study aims to investigate whether and how digital transformation, in terms of digital collaboration, joint efforts with internal/external partners to achieve common goals and the adoption of digital tools supporting this practice, affect social innovation capital in the context of small innovative enterprises (SIEs).Design/methodology/approachThe research hypotheses derived from the analysis of the literature, evaluating how sharing resources, sharing intensity and digital patterns affect the collective capacity of SIEs to innovate, were investigated by applying multiple regression analysis. Data were retrieved from a sample of Italian SIEs through an online survey.FindingsThe main findings suggest that the propensity to spread resources and the sharing intensity positively affect the collective capacity of SIEs to innovate. Also, the effect of resources sharing on collective innovation increases as more digital patterns are used as tools. The connection is weaker for the intensity of resources sharing.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted on Italian SIEs, a particular cluster of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It would be interesting to compare and contrast the results of an analysis of a large sample of international companies, of different sizes and belonging to digital and non-digital sectors.Originality/valueThe results enrich the existing literature on social innovation capital, by clarifying its competitive benefits on the characteristic context of the SIEs and underlining the mediating role of the digital patterns.

SUMMARY: Diencephalic-mesencephalic junction dysplasia is a rare malformation characterized by a poorly defined junction between the diencephalon and the mesencephalon, associated with a characteristic butterfly-like contour of the midbrain (butterfly sign). This condition may be variably associated with other brain malformations, including callosal abnormalities and supratentorial ventricular dilation, and is a potential cause of developmental hydrocephalus. Here, we have reported 13 fetuses with second-trimester obstructive ventriculomegaly and MR features of diencephalic-mesencephalic junction dysplasia, correlating the fetal imaging with available pathology and/or postnatal data. The butterfly sign can be clearly detected on axial images on fetal MR imaging, thus allowing for the prenatal diagnosis of diencephalic-mesencephalic junction dysplasia, with possible implications for the surgical management of hydrocephalus and parental counseling.

This paper concerns project financing initiatives from a general perspective with a particular focus on small and medium enterprises, emphasising the importance of operational management for special purpose vehicles. In fact, this study, mainly from a theoretical point of view, focuses on business management as a strategic and operative flywheel for the successful functioning of project financing initiatives. In this way, small and medium enterprises can play an important role, even in public-private partnerships; although small and medium enterprises are usually not involved in public-private partnerships, they can be competitive in a different sense with respect to large enterprises simply by having more intense involvement in the management of special purpose vehicles. A focus on the role of small and medium enterprises in public-private partnerships in Europe, which are analysed through content analysis, shows evidence of significant opportunities, not only as subcontractors but also as attractors of innovative financing solutions.