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Introduction The influence of personality on field of study choice is comparable to that of cognitive skills. Additionally, personality traits seem linked with academic motivation, and engagement. Choosing the most suitable career is also related to students’ personal well-being and work success. Objectives To explore how personality traits are associated with the choice of university courses among Italian students. Methods A web-survey was spread on social networks between March and June 2020 through Google Forms. Eligibility criteria for inclusion were: 1) Being a university student between 18 and 35 years of age; 2) Attending a course in an Italian university; 3) Good comprehension of Italian language. On-line informed consent, socio-demographic, and career data were collected during the survey. Personality traits were assessed using the Big Five Inventory (BFI). We computed multinomial linear regressions to calculate potential associations between personality traits and university courses. Results Lower Conscientiousness, higher Neuroticism, and higher Openness to experience are associated with the attendance of Humanities compared with students of Health faculties. Higher Neuroticism traits are associated with the attendance of a scientific course compared with Health faculties. High Conscientiousness is significantly associated with the attendance of Law-related courses compared with Health courses. Non significant differences were detected in the other domains according to the big five personality model. Conclusions Our results suggest interesting associations between personality traits and educational choices. Future research may investigate this relationship in high-school students to implement appropriate strategies for better addressing students’ educational needs and career outcomes. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Since the first introduction from North America more than a century ago, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have rapidly established self-sustaining populations in major river basins of Patagonia. Many generations later, only the freshwater resident life history is expressed in the Chubut and Negro rivers of northern Argentinian Patagonia, whereas both the resident and anadromous life histories are found in the Santa Cruz River of southern Argentina. Despite previous studies that have tried to identify the sources of these introduced populations, uncertainty still exists. Here we combined data from many single-nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellite loci in O. mykiss populations from Argentina and North America to evaluate putative source populations, gene flow between Argentinian river basins, and genetic diversity differences between Argentinian and North American populations. We found that populations from northern and southern Patagonia are highly differentiated and have limited gene flow between them. Phylogeographic analysis also confirmed that they have separate origins, with the northern populations most closely related to the domesticated rainbow trout strains that are raised worldwide and the Santa Cruz River populations most closely related to North American populations from California and Oregon that have an anadromous component. In addition, fish with different life histories in the Santa Cruz River were found to constitute a single interbreeding population. No evidence was found of reduced genetic variation in introduced rainbow trout, suggesting multiple contributing sources. In spite of these advances in understanding, significant questions remain regarding the origins and evolution of the introduced O. mykiss in Patagonia.

This quantitative study investigated whether a "mandala set" consisting of 143 mandalas drawn by art therapy graduate students depicts archetypal patterns and stages as defined by Kellogg's "Archetypal Stages of the Great Round of the Mandala" and if these patterns explain events in their professional development. Eight standard mandalas were included to evaluate the reliability of the raters. The results demonstrate that all patterns were present but that seven archetypal patterns representing six stages occurred most frequently: stages 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 11. These stages relate to career directions, professional identity, struggles, untapped potential, transitions and change, fragmentation, and chaos, and directions. The process could be used for assessing graduate students' professional development.

To date, no retrospective or real-world studies have comprehensively examined the interactions between direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and widely used medications such as novel oral anticoagulant, statins, and antihypertensive agents. However, clinical experience from key opinion leaders may guide physicians in managing these interactions in patients undergoing DAA treatment. This study aims to elucidate the interactions between DAAs and commonly prescribed drugs in patients with prevalent comorbidities (e.g., type II diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia), with a particular focus on those receiving polytherapy with cardiovascular drugs while undergoing DAA treatment for hepatitis C. The clinicians’ experience was combined with input from a qualified expert panel using a Consensus Delphi approach. The findings of this study offer essential and practical recommendations that can be readily applied in everyday clinical practice, helping physicians in managing hepatitis C virus patients undergoing DAA therapy.

BackgroundPrimary FSGS manifests with nephrotic syndrome and may recur following KT. Failure to respond to conventional therapy after recurrence results in poor outcomes. Evaluation of podocyte B7-1 expression and treatment with abatacept (a B7-1 antagonist) has shown promise but remains controversial.MethodsFrom 2012 to 2020, twelve patients developed post-KT FSGS with nephrotic range proteinuria, failed conventional therapy, and were treated with abatacept. Nine/twelve (

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant risk factor for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Traditionally, the primary prevention strategy for HCV-associated HCC has focused on removing infection through antiviral regimes. Currently, highly effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) offer extraordinary success across all patient categories, including cirrhotics. Despite these advancements, recent studies have reported that even after sustained virologic response (SVR), individuals with advanced liver disease/cirrhosis at the time of DAA treatment may still face risks of HCC occurrence or recurrence. Based on this premise, this review tries to shed light on the multiple mechanisms that establish a tumorigenic environment, first, during chronic HCV infection and then, after eventual viral eradication by DAAs. Furthermore, it reviews evidence reported by recent observational studies stating that the use of DAAs is not associated with an increased risk of HCC development but rather, with a significantly lower chance of liver cancer compared with DAA-untreated patients. In addition, it seeks to provide some practical guidance for clinicians, helping them to manage HCC surveillance of patients who have achieved SVR with DAAs.

Working with a post-secondary student with intellectual disability, an adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare sight-word acquisition across three computer-delivered learning trial interventions: one with fixed 5-s response intervals, another with fixed 1-s response intervals, and a third with self-determined intervals. Visual analysis of session-series graphs suggest that all three interventions increased sight-word acquisition with the 5-s and self-determined interventions causing more steady and consistent learning per session than the 1-s intervention. Analysis of the time-series graph suggests that the self-determined intervention caused superior learning rates to the other interventions. From an applied perspective, the self-determined intervention is the most appropriate remedial procedure for this student because it resulted in the most rapid learning. Discussion focuses on the value of making relative-effectiveness decisions based on measures of learning as a function of time spent learning (learning speed) versus measures of learning as a function of sessions or trials.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for over 9 million deaths annually. The prevalence of CAD continues to rise, driven by ageing and the increasing prevalence of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Current clinical guidelines emphasize the importance of functional tests in the diagnostic pathway, particularly for assessing the presence and severity of ischemia. While recommended tests are valuable, they may not fully capture the complex physiological responses to exercise or provide the necessary detail to tailor personalized treatment plans. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) offers a comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and muscular systems under stress, potentially addressing these gaps and providing a more precise understanding of CAD, particularly in settings where traditional diagnostics may be insufficient. By enabling more personalized and precise treatment strategies, CPET could play a central role in the future of CAD management. This narrative review examines the current evidence supporting the use of CPET in CAD diagnosis and management and explores the potential for integrating CPET into existing clinical guidelines, considering its diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and the challenges associated with its adoption.