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Research on the subjective experience of transitioning to adulthood among young people aging out of foster care is scarce. Accordingly, this study investigated 26 Italian care leavers' self and personal history perceptions. Thematic analysis was conducted using in-depth interview data. Two major themes emerged—personal strengths that may lead to strong personal and relational adjustment, and difficulties related to a critical personal and relational functioning—suggesting that the family fostering experience may lead to different perceptions of self, others, and one's own history that influence the development of care leavers' identity while transitioning to adulthood, with noteworthy implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about historical changes in sediment fluxes in most coarse‐bedded rivers worldwide is extremely limited. In consideration of this deficiency, we developed a width‐based approach to estimating multi‐decade changes in coarse sediment fluxes occurring at reaches of the Po River and 21 of its tributaries in northern Italy. The estimation was based on temporal variations in the reach‐averaged width of the river's active channel, and such width was expressed through a dimensionless index of coarse bed material load (Iq). The index was determined in two periods: 1954–1998 and 1998–2020. Statistically significant relationships were found between temporal variations in Iq occurring in reaches of the Po River and at key locations of each specific reach (i.e., upstream reaches and tributaries). Such evidence of coherent changes in sediment transfer through space and time led us to conclude that Iq variations can be regarded as a reliable proxy for historical changes in sediment transport in a river reach. The application of the approach to the investigation of the Po River catchment provided new insights into the historical changes characterizing coarse sediment fluxes along the river and its major tributaries. From 1954 to 1998, an average decrease in coarse sediment fluxes of about −20% and −30% occurred along the river and the terminal sectors of its tributaries, respectively. The estimations showed that coarse sediment fluxes exhibited a slightly lower decrease in the last two decades, with sediment flux recovery occurring only in some tributaries. The results suggest that a profound change in sediment dynamics and fluxes has occurred, and is likely still ongoing, in the Po River system, despite the decrease in human disturbances (e.g., in‐channel sediment mining) in more recent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of river dynamics requires the grain size distribution of bed sediments and its variation across different temporal and spatial scales. Several techniques are already available for grain size assessment based on field and remotely sensed data. However, the existing methods are only applicable on small spatial scales and on short time scales. Thus, the operational measurement of grain size distribution of riverbed sediments at the catchment scale remains an open problem. A solution could be the use of satellite images as the main imaging platform. However, this would entail retrieving information at sub‐pixel scales. In this study, we propose a new approach to retrieve sub‐pixel scale grain size class information from Copernicus Sentinel‐2 imagery building upon a new image‐based grain size mapping procedure. Three Italian gravel‐bed rivers featuring different morphologies were selected for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acquisitions, field surveys and laboratory analysis meant to serve as ground truth grain size data, ranging from medium sand to coarse gravel. Grain size maps on the river bars were generated in each study site by exploiting image texture measurements, upscaled and co‐registered with Sentinel‐2 data resolution. Relationships between the grain sizes measured and the reflectance values in Sentinel‐2 imagery were analysed using a machine learning framework. Results show statistically significant predictive models (MAE of ±8.34 mm and R2 = 0.92). The trained model was applied on 300 km of the Po River in Italy and allowed us to identify the gravel–sand transition occurring along this river length. Therefore, the approach presented here—based on freely available satellite data calibrated by low‐cost drone‐derived imagery—represents a promising step towards an automated surface mean grain size mapping over long river length, easily repeated through time for monitoring purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to test the psychometric proprieties of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) applied to younger (13–16 years) and older (17–20 years) Italian adolescents examining (1) the factorial structure of RFQ; (2) its invariance across age and sex; (3) correlations between RFQ subscale scores, as well as the associations of the RFQ with (4) psychological problems and alexithymia dimensions. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 593 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 20 years old recruited from the community within Italy. These participants completed the RFQ, Symptom Checklist‑90, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results: The two‐factor structure of the RFQ was confirmed. However, higher internal consistency of RFQ was obtained by removing two items that seemed problematic within this sample. Using a six‐item version of RFQ, the two‐factor structure was invariant across adolescent age and sex. Significant correlations among RFQ subscale scores, and between RFQ subscales with both psychological problems and alexithymia dimensions were found. Conclusions: Preliminary results reveal a short version of RFQ (six‐item) is a suitable measure to assess mentalizing in adolescents in the Italian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning with Ensink's seminal study (2015), the field entered a new era in which we were able to measure mentalizing in school-aged children. The goal of this work is to continue developing the state of the research within this tradition by exploring the psychometric properties of the Child Reflective Functioning Scale (CRFS) - a measure applied to the Child Attachment Interview and designed to assess RF during middle childhood - within both clinical and normative groups, and to examine if it differentiates between both groups. Participants were 159 Italian children (age range 8–12 years, Mage = 10.66, SD =1.83; 57% males) divided into two groups: 71 children with emotional-behavioral problems ('clinical group') and 88 children without emotional-behavioral problems ('community group'). Demographic data and Verbal Comprehension Index were collected. A two-factor model of CRFS (self- and other-focused RF) was confirmed in both groups, revealing that these intrapersonal and interpersonal indicators of children's RF are important domains of mentalizing abilities in middle childhood. The results revealed adequate inter-rater reliability of the CRFS. Controlling for the effect of potentially confounding demographic variables, significant differences on CRFS scales between clinical and community groups were found. The clinical group showed lower levels of CRFS scores than normative group, but importantly, the self-focused RF score uniquely predicted clinical/community status. Taken together, the findings showed that the CRFS is a reliable and validity measure for assessing RF in middle childhood with clinical and normative groups, contributing important information to the scientific literature on mentalizing in middle childhood. Highlights: The CRFS is a reliable and valid measure used to assess RF in middle childhood, discriminating between clinical and community children (children with and without emotional behavioral problems). Testing the psychometric proprieties of CRFS through the use of clinical and community groups, we found that the measure achieved adequate internal consistency, high inter-rater reliability, with a two-factor solution of CRFS (self- and other-focused RF). In both the clinical and the normative samples, CRFS scores were associated with age, gender and verbal competence, while they were not associated with SES and family composition. Clinical group showed lower levels of CRFS scores of all three dimensions (general, self- and other-focused RF) than the normative group, and only self-focused RF predicted clinical/community status in middle childhood. New evidence regarding the similar factorial invariance of CRFS for clinical and community children suggest that the two intrapersonal and interpersonal components of children's RF are reliable dimensions of mentalizing within clinical and community children during middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol abuse has long been known as a disease with social and economic burden to society. Given the complex nature of alcohol treatment, it is worthwhile to examine the change over time of patients admitted to residential alcohol abuse rehabilitation units.~Aims~Unassigned~The data were collected from two Italian projects on alcoholics performed in the mid-1990s (ASSALT) and in 2009 (CORRAL), respectively. Categorical variables were considered in terms of absolute and relative frequencies. Comparisons of relative frequencies between groups were assessed by means of Fisher's exact test. Mixed logistic regression models were fitted to CORRAL data to identify the predictors of the probability of being a polysubstance abuser or having a dual diagnosis. The association estimates were reported as adjusted odds ratios and relative 95% confidence intervals.~Methods~Unassigned~Compared to the mid-1990s, in 2009 patients were older (P= 0.0003), with a higher level of education (P= 0.0204), with fewer comorbidities (liver disease except cirrhosis, P < 0.0001; polyneuropathy, P= 0.0001), more frequently polysubstance abusers (P < 0.0001), affected by dual diagnosis (P < 0.0001). In 2009, the probability of being a polysubstance abuser was higher in younger and in patients with dual psychiatric diagnosis. Female gender and polysubstance abuse were positively associated to the probability of being affected by dual psychiatric diagnosis.~Results~Unassigned~The increment of patients admitted to residential programs for alcohol dependence with polysubstance abuse and/or dual psychiatric diagnoses suggests the need to pay more attention to both psychological/psychiatric interventions and internal medicine/physical rehabilitation.~Conclusions~Unassigned~The results of this study suggest that further research is needed to identify the best treatment strategy that is safe and effective for the new population of alcoholics.~Short summary~Unassigned [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the current study is to collect scientific data on all branded hyaluronic acid (HA) products in Italy that are in use for intraarticular (IA) injection in osteoarthritis (OA) compared with that reported in the leaflet. Methods: An extensive literature research was performed for all articles reporting data on the IA use of HA in OA. Selected studies were taken into consideration only if they are related to products based on HAs that are currently marketed in Italy with the specific joint indication for IA use in patients affected by OA. Results: Sixty-two HA products are marketed in Italy: 30 products are indicated for the knee but only 8 were proved with some efficacy; 9 products were effective for the hip but only 6 had hip indication; 7 products proved to be effective for the shoulder but only 3 had the indication; 5 products proved effective for the ankle but only one had the indication; 6 products were effective for the temporomandibular joint but only 2 had the indication; only 2 proved effective for vertebral facet joints but only 1 had the indication; and 5 products proved effective for the carpometacarpal joint but only 2 had the indication.Conclusions: There are only a few products with some evidences, while the majority of products remain without proof. Clinicians and regulators should request postmarketing studies from pharmaceuticals to corroborate with that reported in the leaflet and to gather more data, allowing the clinicians to choose the adequate product for the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The value of utilizing a qualitative approach focusing on individual attachment-based narratives (the Friends and Families Interview) allows investigating mental representations of self and significant others by giving voice to the adopted adolescents' inner worlds. • Positive relationships with the adoptive family, relational conflict, recognize significant others' supportive role, and the possibility of reparation are the main thematic within the adolescents' narratives. • Narratives permit a better understanding of the adoption processes in adolescence and stimulate wider and clearer dialogue between adoptive families and public adoption services. Adolescence can be regarded as a transitional phase of profound changes with significant consequences for overall psychosocial adjustment. Adolescence may represent a more challenging period for adopted than non-adopted individuals, as they face greater risks of developing maladaptive problems. Research in this area has largely focused on factors associated with maladaptive rather than adaptive outcomes, mainly investigated through the use of quantitative methods. Given these considerations, the present explorative investigation applies a qualitative methodology to an attachment-based interview (the Friends and Family Interview; Steele & Steele, 2005), with the aim of exploring adopted adolescents' mental representations of self and significant others by giving voice to their inner worlds. The study constitutes part of a larger research project conducted in Italy, involving 13 adopted adolescents (aged 12–17) who have been placed for international adoption for a length of almost eight years. The thematic analysis conducted on the 13 interviews revealed a total of 20 categories, from which six were considered dominant within the adolescents' narratives: positive relationship with the adoptive family; relational conflict; recognize significant others' supportive role; possibility of reparation; fear of rejection/abandonment; and tendency not to recognize the adoptive family. The majority of positively oriented themes indicated positive attitudes toward the adoptive family, which was regarded as a repairing relational space. The findings highlight the value of utilizing a qualitative approach and focusing on individual narratives in order to reveal the varied experiences of the adoption process as well as to provide useful tools for public adoption services and social workers dealing with post-adoption issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report the clinical, genetic, neuroimaging, and neuropathologic studies of patients with the hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis linked to the APP E693K mutation., Design: Case series. Clinical details and laboratory results were collected by direct evaluation and previous medical records. DNA analysis was carried out in several affected subjects and healthy individuals. Neuropathologic examination was performed in 2 subjects., Setting: Southern Lombardy, Italy. Patients Individuals with and without amyloidosis in 4 unrelated Italian families (N = 37). Main Outcome Measure Genotype-phenotype relationship., Results: The affected individuals presented with recurrent headache and multiple strokes, followed by epilepsy and cognitive decline in most of them. The disease was inherited with an autosomal dominant trait and segregated with the APP E693K mutation. Neuroimaging demonstrated small to large hematomas, subarachnoid bleeding, scars with hemosiderin deposits, small infarcts, and leukoaraiosis. Amyloid-beta immunoreactivity was detected in the wall of leptomeningeal and parenchymal vessels and in the neuropil, whereas phosphorylated tau, neurofibrillary changes, and neuritic plaques were absent., Conclusions: These findings expand the number of APP mutations linked to hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, reinforcing the link between this phenotype and codon 693 of APP.

Background: Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease (PMLD) is an inherited hypomyelinating leukoencephalopathy with onset in early infancy. Like Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), PMLD is characterized clinically by nystagmus, cerebellar ataxia, and spasticity, due to a permanent lack of myelin deposition in the brain. Mutations in the GJA12 gene, encoding connexin 47 (Cx47), were recently reported in five children with autosomal recessive PMLD., Objectives: To evaluate the impact of mutations in the GJA12 gene in, and define the clinical and neuroimaging features of, autosomal recessive PMLD., Results: The authors screened for GJA12 mutations in 10 additional PMLD families originating from Italy, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Three novel homozygous GJA12 mutations were identified in 12 mutant cases distributed in 3 of 10 families. The mutations segregated with the disease according to an autosomal recessive trait and included one missense (G236S) and two nonsense (L281fs285X and P131fs144X) changes., Conclusions: The identification of homozygous mutations predicting the synthesis of aberrant and truncated polypeptides, and their tight segregation with the disease in very large families, clearly demonstrate that the loss of Cx47 function is the cause of the disease. The phenotype of GJA12-related Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease is fairly homogeneous and similar to that of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease. However, slower progression of symptoms, greater preservation of cognitive functions, and partial myelination of corticospinal tracts at MRI were distinctive features, which could help in the differential diagnosis.

Three members of an Italian family with autosomal dominant dementia and multiple strokes had the A713T mutation of the APP gene. The neuropathologic examination of the proband disclosed Alzheimer disease (AD) with severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy and multiple infarcts. This indicates that the A713T mutation of the APP gene, lying at the gamma-secretase cleavage site, can be responsible for AD with symptomatic cerebral amyloid angiopathy.