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Abstract Background Measuring psychological constructs in children presents unique challenges, as careful consideration of children’s cognitive and socioemotional development is needed. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Child Form (TEIQue-CF) was developed within the theoretical underpinnings of trait Emotional Intelligence theory and is predicated on primary aged children. This review aims to systematize the scientific literature on the TEIQue-CF, its corresponding short form, the TEIQue-CSF and the translated versions of these tools to identify the key outcomes predicted by these forms in children aged 8–13 years. Method A search was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and APA PsycArticles in June 2024. This review was guided by the latest version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results Conducted search identified 40 studies that investigated child emotional intelligence measured via TEIQue child forms. The key findings cover several topics related to the emotional aspects of children’s personalities, such as their intra- and interpersonal relationships, school life, cognition, and creativity. Conclusions This systematic review revealed that trait Emotional Intelligence measured via the TEIQue child forms provide reliable results and is valid, as it has been linked to key childhood variables. This review also provides guidance for future research on the topic of trait Emotional Intelligence in children by highlighting current research limitations to avoid the likelihood of misleading research findings.

Urban trees are crucial in delivering essential ecosystem services, including air pollution mitigation. This service is influenced by plant associated microbiomes, which can degrade hydrocarbons, support tree health, and influence ecological processes. Yet, our understanding of tree microbiomes remains limited, thus affecting our ability to assess and quantify the ecosystem services provided by trees as complex systems. The main hypothesis of this work was that tree microbiomes concur to hydrocarbon biodegradation, and was tested through three case studies, which collectively investigated two tree micro-habitats (phyllosphere and tree cavity organic soil—TCOS) under various conditions representing diverse ecological scenarios, by applying different culture-based and molecular techniques and at different scales. The integration of all results provided a more comprehensive understanding of the role of microbiomes in urban trees. Firstly, bacterial strains isolated from the phyllosphere of Quercus ilex were characterized, indicating the presence of Plant-Growth Promoting bacteria and strains able to catabolize PAHs, particularly naphthalene and phenanthrene. Secondly, naphthalene biodegradation on artificially spiked Hedera helix leaves was quantified in greenhouse experiments on inoculated and untreated plants. The persistence of the inoculated strain and community structure of epiphytic bacteria were assessed by Illumina sequencing of V5–V6 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA gene. Results showed that naphthalene degradation was initially faster on inoculated plants but later the degradation rates became similar, probably because bacterial populations with hydrocarbon-degrading abilities gradually developed also on non-inoculated plants. Finally, we explored bacterial and fungal biodiversity hosted by TCOS samples, collected from six large trees located in an urban park and belonging to different species. Microbial communities were characterized by Illumina sequencing of V5–V6 hypervariable regions of bacterial gene 16S rRNA and of fungal ITS1. Results indicated TCOS as a distinct substrate, whose microbiome is determined both by the host tree and by canopy environmental conditions and has a pronounced aerobic hydrocarbon degradation potential. Overall, a better assessment of biodiversity associated with trees and the subsequent provision of ecosystem services constitute a first step toward developing future new microbe-driven sustainable solutions, especially in terms of support for urban green planning and management policy.

Background: Ascites is common in advanced gastrointestinal cancers with peritoneal metastases (PM) and negatively impacts patient survival. No study to date has specifically evaluated the relationship between ascites, PM and survival outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and metastatic gastric cancer (mGC). Objectives: This study aims to investigate and elucidate the relationship between malignant ascites, PM and survival outcomes in both mCRC and mGC patients. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected clinical trial data of mCRC and mGC patients with PM. Methods: We performed two pooled analyses, firstly of two Italian randomized trials enrolling patients with mCRC eligible for systemic therapy (TRIBE2; VALENTINO), and secondly of gastric cancer and peritoneal metastasis (GCPM) patients who underwent bi-directional therapeutic treatment comprising systemic and peritoneal-directed therapies. Results: Of 900 mCRC patients, 39 (4.3%) had PM with malignant ascites. Compared to the group without PM, median progression-free and overall survival were significantly inferior in the ascites group (hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–2.35, p = 0.007; HR for overall survival (OS) 2.14, 95% CI: 1.57–3.01, p

BackgroundObsessive-compulsive (OC) traits (i.e., tendency to implement stereotyped behaviors to avoid negative consequences) are transversally observed in psychiatric disorders largely differing in terms of clinical manifestations and etiopathogenesis. Interestingly, OC traits were also extensively found in the prodromal phases of the full-blown psychopathology and in healthy relatives of affected individuals. Moreover, OC traits were found to be associated—and possibly underlain by—cognitive control impairments. Nonetheless, the role of such interplay in the onset of OC disorders is yet to be understood. We hypothesized that OC traits are associated with abnormalities in proactively implement cognitive control for solving conflict.MethodsWe administered healthy individuals (n = 104) with the perifoveal spatial Stroop task to measure their ability of solving conflict in a proactive fashion, and with Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) to stratify population according to the severity of OC traits.ResultsAnalysis of response times by means of Linear Mixed-effect models revealed that proactive control performance was not associated with and the severity of OC traits. Furthermore, an equivalence test (Two One-Sided Test) revealed that the association between OCI scores and task performance was equivalent to zero.ConclusionThese results suggest that the interplay between OC traits and proactive control abnormalities might not contribute to the development of OC-related disorders. Therefore, the role of other cognitive endophenotypes should be scrutinized for exploiting alternative prevention and intervention strategies.

ABSTRACT This study addresses the gap in translatable in vitro models for investigating Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) infections, particularly relevant to both canine and human health. EHEC is known to induce acute colitis in dogs, leading to symptoms like hemorrhagic diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome, similar to those observed in humans. However, understanding the pathophysiology and developing treatment strategies have been challenging due to the lack of effective models that replicate the clinical disease caused by EHEC in both species. Our approach involved the development of colonoid-derived monolayers using intestinal tissues from healthy, client-owned dogs. These monolayers were exposed to EHEC, and the impact of EHEC was assessed through several techniques, including trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurement, immunofluorescence staining for junction proteins and mucus, and scanning electron microscopy for morphological analysis. Modified culture with saline, which was intended to prevent bacterial overgrowth, maintained barrier integrity and cell differentiation. EHEC infection led to significant decreases in TEER and ZO-1 expression, but not in E-cadherin levels or mucus production. In addition, EHEC elicited a notable increase in tumor necrosis factor-alpha production, highlighting its distinct impact on canine intestinal epithelial cells compared to non-pathogenic E. coli. These findings closely replicate in vivo observations in dogs and humans with EHEC enteropathy, validating the canine colonoid-derived monolayer system as a translational model to study host-pathogen interactions in EHEC and potentially other clinically significant enteric pathogens.IMPORTANCEThis study develops a new model to better understand Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) infections, a serious bacterial disease affecting both dogs and humans, characterized by symptoms such as hemorrhagic diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Traditional research models have fallen short of mimicking how this disease manifests in patients. Our research used intestinal tissues from healthy dogs to create layers of cells, known as colonoid-derived monolayers, which we then exposed to EHEC. We assessed the damage caused by the bacteria using several techniques, observing significant changes similar to those seen in actual cases of the disease. The model proved effective in replicating the interaction between the host and the pathogen, marking an important step toward understanding EHEC’s effects and developing treatments. This canine colonoid-derived monolayer system not only bridges a crucial gap in current research but also offers a promising platform for studying other enteric pathogens affecting both canine and human health.

Conservation efforts are needed in the face of the rapid decline in farmland birds over the past decades. While existing conservation strategies have shown limited success, there is a growing recognition of the role of farmers as primary stakeholders in agroecosystems conservation. We applied the ''Human Dimension'' approach, which emphasizes the importance of human perspectives on wildlife conservation, to assess whether a long-term monitoring project of barn swallows Hirundo rustica, ongoing since 1999, has heightened farmers’ awareness regarding biodiversity protection. Indeed, while monitoring serves to track population trends and understand the factors influencing species dynamics, it also provides opportunities for interaction between researchers and farmers. Through in-person administration of the questionnaire, we investigated the impact of the barn swallow monitoring project on farmers’ environmental consciousness in terms of their perceptions of the environment, knowledge about priority habitats for biodiversity, and preferences for environmental awareness strategies. Subsequently, we investigated whether environmental consciousness and the participation in the barn swallow monitoring project translated into their inclination to implement costless actions for barn swallow conservation. Our findings suggest that the barn swallow monitoring project may not have enhanced farmers’ environmental consciousness. However, a higher environmental consciousness and the engagement in the barn swallow monitoring project were associated to a greater willingness to undertake actions in support of barn swallows. This study highlights the potential of long-term projects in fostering the conservation of charismatic species through establishing a mutual trust between farmers and researchers over years of monitoring, with cascading benefits for the barn swallows.