Search

Literature on the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional (ICU) traits has suggested different versions of the instrument for assessing these traits during development. However, consensus on the instrument version and the best factorial solution remains a matter of debate, with only a few studies having validated ICU versions from a longitudinal perspective. The current study aims to contribute to the literature by comparing ICU models in a longitudinal sample of early adolescents (N = 739; 70.6% of eligible subjects, 371 females and 368 males, in the 6th grade at baseline assessment and in the 8th grade at the second assessment). We tested the validity of various versions of the ICU scales and their respective dimensions by conducting a series of confirmatory factor analyses to verify the factor structure, alongside assessments of internal consistency. For the best-fitting structure, we then analyzed gender and longitudinal invariance in addition to construct and predictive validity, using internalizing and externalizing criteria as well as prosocial behavior. From the comparative analysis, it emerged that the abbreviated 11-item ICU scale version displayed overall better data fit than the full 24-item version. Moreover, its confirmed gender invariance underscores its applicability across genders within the studied age group. With regard to longitudinal invariance, our findings advise caution when comparing ICU scores across early adolescence. Practical implications are discussed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In the context of socio-technical systems, traditional engineering approaches are inadequate, calling for a fundamental change in perspective. A different approach encourages viewing socio-technical systems as complex living entities rather than through a simplistic lens, which enhances our understanding of their dynamics. However, these systems are designed to facilitate human activities, and the goal is not only to comprehend how they operate but also to guide their function. Currently, we lack the appropriate terminology. Hence, we introduce two principal concepts, simplexity and complixity, drawing inspiration from how nature conceals intricate mechanisms beneath straightforward, user-friendly interfaces.

The present study aims to understand the processes involved in misinformation among adolescents by examining the role of self-efficacy beliefs in dealing with misleading news. Specifically, we argue that the perceived capability to analyze and reflect critically on the reliability of online information sources should be stayed with the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist online social pressures to share unverifiable news. Moreover, we posited that specific online self-efficacies beliefs can be promoted by the capabilities related to regulating emotions and reflecting on new problems. In a sample of 273, we tested a path analysis model. The results attest that self-efficacy beliefs in dealing with online misinformation refer to specific capabilities: an active one, related to checking the sources of the news in order to validate their content, and an inhibitory one, related to the capability to refrain from sharing the news that seems unreliable. Moreover, self-efficacy beliefs in self-control during online interaction spreading misleading news are supported by cognitive reflective capability and self-efficacy in regulating negative emotion. The relationship between active self-efficacy related to fact-checking and sharing misleading news is not significant. The role of regulation in sharing misinformation during activated online dynamics is discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Paciello, Corbelli and D’Errico.)

During online interactions, adolescents are often exposed to deviant opportunities. In this context, the capacity to regulate one's behavior is essential to prevent cyberbullying. Among adolescents, this online aggressive behavior is a growing phenomenon, and its deleterious effects on teenagers' mental health are well known. The present work argues the importance of self-regulatory capabilities under deviant peer pressure in preventing cyberbullying. In particular, focusing on two relevant risk factors, i.e., impulsivity and moral disengagement, we examine (1) the mediation role of moral disengagement in the process leading to cyberbullying from impulsivity; (2) the buffering effect of the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist deviant peer pressure in mitigating the effect of these impulsive and social-cognitive dimensions on cyberbullying. Moderated mediation analysis was performed on a sample of 856 adolescents; the results confirm that the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist peer pressure effectively mitigates the indirect effect of impulsivity through moral disengagement on cyberbullying. The practical implications of designing interventions to make adolescents more aware and self-regulated in their online social lives to counter cyberbullying are discussed.

The present study investigates the personal factors underlying online sharing of moral misleading news by observing the interaction between personal values, communication bias, credibility evaluations, and moral emotions. Specifically, we hypothesized that self-transcendence and conservation values may differently influence the sharing of misleading news depending on which moral domain is activated and that these are more likely to be shared when moral emotions and perceived credibility increase. In a sample of 132 participants (65% female), we tested SEMs on misleading news regarding violations in five different moral domains. The results suggest that self-transcendence values hinder online sharing of misleading news, while conservation values promote it; moreover, news written with a less blatantly biased linguistic frame are consistently rated as more credible. Lastly, more credible and emotionally activating news is more likely to be shared online.

Background: Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) is the first cause of death in Western Countries. Several risk factors contribute to generate atherosclerosis and the preventive therapeutic approaches, in particular statin therapy, reduce the mortality. However, the residual risk in statin treated patients remains significant, despite reaching the low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C) goals., Methods: we reviewed the literature published in PUB-MED to discuss the role of residual dyslipidemia in particular high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TGs) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], genetic factors, suboptimal implementation of lifestyle therapy, mood disorders associated to low compliance to application of evidence-based therapies or related to ASCVD., Results: we summarized the current knowledge on the topic, evidencing its contradictory aspects., Conclusion: HDL-C is an important biomarker for predicting cardiovascular risk, but the classical HDL hypothesis is no longer correct and it is now being replaced by the HDL function hypothesis, thought more studies are needed to validate it. The connection between cardiovascular risk and levels of TGs is not so definite. APOE genotype and Lp(a) levels are two genetics factors associated to CV risk. Healthy lifestyle with particular dietetic factors, connected to psychological aspects, are very important for the optimal control of the global risk.

Determining when to start antiretroviral treatment (ART) is vitally important for people living with HIV. Yet the optimal point at which to start to maximize clinical benefit remains unknown. In the absence of randomized studies, current guidelines rely on conflicting observational data and expert opinion, and consequently diverge on this point. In the USA, ART is recommended irrespective of CD4 cell count. The World Health Organization now recommends starting ART at a CD4 cell count of 500 cells/μL, while the threshold for the UK and South Africa remains at 350 cells/μL. The Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment (START) study, one of the largest clinical trials on the treatment of HIV infection, will answer this question. START compares two treatment strategies: immediate treatment at a CD4 cell count of 500 cells/μL or higher versus deferring treatment until the CD4 cell count decreases to 350 cells/μL or until AIDS develops. START includes seven substudies, five of which will clarify the relative contributions of HIV and ART in common comorbidities. START is fully enrolled and expected to be completed in 2016. HIV advocates support the study's design and have been involved from inception to enrolment. The trial will produce rigorous data on the benefits and risks of earlier treatment. It will inform policy and treatment advocacy globally, benefitting the health of HIV-positive people., (© 2015 British HIV Association.)

A case of Tietze's syndrome in a 62-year-old man and a critical up-to-date review of the literature are reported. Although the etiology of the disease is unknown, it has been suggested that recurrent microtrauma of the anterior chest wall may be implied in the development of characteristic degenerative changes involving single or multiple upper costochondral junction. The syndrome described by Tietze has been more commonly found in older people than previously reported and it seems to be no sex or side prevalence. Because of the benign nature of this disease and its excellent prognosis, the treatment is usually symptomatic. The accumulated data stress the importance of a thorough clinical investigation and the need to exclude severe and lifethreatening conditions in the elderly.

Three cases of male breast cancer, observed during the last 10 years at the III Surgical Department of the University of Rome "La Sapienza", out of a total of 282 operations performed for mammary carcinoma are reported. In agreement to what reported in the literature the M/F ratio was 1:100. It is pointed out how male breast cancer compared to the female one, involves older subjects. Furthermore, since the disease in males reaches its most advanced stages quite rapidly a radical surgical treatment such as the traditional Halsted operation is mandatory. The prevalence of the histopathological form of invasive ductal carcinoma and the high frequency of intratumoral estradiol and progesterone receptors are confirmed. The latter in many cases allows for adjuvant hormonal therapy and represents, in association with polychemotherapy, a valid alternative to traditional endocrino-surgical therapy, both in terms of long term prognosis and quality of life.

In these years, more light has been brought into the field of hepatitis viruses, particularly with regard to their biology and etiopathogenesis. Besides, first attempts of specific therapy have been done, thanks to the introduction of interferons. This paper wants to give the main guidelines of up-to-date diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis supported by viral infection.

E-rosetting of leukaemic blast cells is one of the markers of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). In children, E+ ALL has a bad prognosis. In adults, data are scarce. This report provides information on 25 E+ ALL adult patients who have a minimum follow-up time of 36 months. Twenty-two of 25 patients (88%) achieved complete remission (CR) (median duration 16 months), and six of them were alive, relapse-free, and off therapy after 36-81 months, with a 26% projected 6-year relapse-free survival. In 97 patients with E-SmIg- ALL, who were treated at the same Institutions, over the same period of time, and by the same modalities, the outcome of therapy was almost identical: CR 80%, median duration of first CR 15 months, projected 6-year relapse-free survival 15%. The white blood cell (WBC) count at presentation influenced significantly and to the same degree first CR length in both E+ and E- cases. In this adult series, WBC count was not as high as in children. Moreover, a high Hb concentration, a very high WBC count, lymphadenomegaly, and mediastinal involvement, were found more frequently in adolescents and young adults than in adults. Based on these data, it is suggested that in adults E-rosetting as such is not a marker of a poorer prognosis, that some of the typical features of children E+ ALL weaken with age, and that in adults the disease can have a less aggressive character.