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INTRODUCTION: We are developing the California Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB) to provide neuropsychological assessments to patients who lack test access due to cost, capacity, mobility, and transportation barriers. METHODS: The CCAB consists of 15 non-verbal and 17 verbal subtests normed for telemedical assessment. The CCAB runs on calibrated tablet computers over cellular or Wi-Fi connections either in a laboratory or in participants homes. Spoken instructions and verbal stimuli are delivered through headphones using naturalistic text-to-speech voices. Verbal responses are scored in real time and recorded and transcribed offline using consensus automatic speech recognition which combines the transcripts from seven commercial ASR engines to produce timestamped transcripts more accurate than those of any single ASR engine. The CCAB is designed for supervised self-administration using a web-browser application, the Examiner. The Examiner permits examiners to record observations, view subtest performance in real time, initiate video chats, and correct potential error conditions (e.g., training and performance failures, etc.,) for multiple participants concurrently. RESULTS: Here we describe (1) CCAB usability with older (ages 50 to 89) participants; (2) CCAB psychometric properties based on normative data from 415 older participants; (3) Comparisons of the results of at-home vs. in-lab CCAB testing; (4) We also present preliminary analyses of the effects of COVID-19 infection on performance. Mean z-scores averaged over CCAB subtests showed impaired performance of COVID+ compared to COVID- participants after factoring out the contributions of Age, Education, and Gender (AEG). However, inter-cohort differences were no longer significant when performance was analyzed with a comprehensive model that factored out the influences of additional pre-existing demographic factors that distinguished COVID+ and COVID- cohorts (e.g., vocabulary, depression, race, etc.,). In contrast, unlike AEG scores, comprehensive scores correlated significantly with the severity of COVID infection. (5) Finally, we found that scoring models influenced the classification of individual participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI, z-scores < -1.50) where the comprehensive model accounted for more than twice as much variance as the AEG model and reduced racial bias in MCI classification. DISCUSSION: The CCAB holds the promise of providing scalable laboratory-quality neurodiagnostic assessments to underserved urban, exurban, and rural populations.

Oral health care can be a difficult experience for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for their family and for the dentist. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the challenges experienced by the three aforementioned figures during oral care treatment. A cohort of 275 parents of typical development children (TD), 57 parents of children with ASD (3-15 years old) and by 61 dentists, completed two different multiple choices questionnaires. The data obtained show a great difficulty in the treatment of children with ASD as seen by the dentists and by the parents. This is due to: caregivers' demographic issues; difficulties encountered before and during the dental examination; scarce presence of experts in ASD treatment.

This research revealed that the frequency of reported parent-infant singing interactions predicted 6-month-old infants' performance in laboratory music experiments and mediated their language development in the second year. At 6 months, infants (n = 36) were tested using a preferential listening procedure assessing their sustained attention to instrumental and sung versions of the same novel tunes whilst the parents completed an ad-hoc questionnaire assessing home musical interactions with their infants. Language development was assessed with a follow-up when the infants were 14-month-old (n = 26). The main results showed that 6-month-olds preferred listening to sung rather than instrumental melodies, and that self-reported high levels of parental singing with their infants [i] were associated with less pronounced preference for the sung over the instrumental version of the tunes at 6 months, and [ii] predicted significant advantages on the language outcomes in the second year. The results are interpreted in relation to conceptions of developmental plasticity.

Background: For investigating the individual–environment interplay and individual differences in response to environmental exposures as captured by models of environmental sensitivity including Diathesis‐stress, Differential Susceptibility, and Vantage Sensitivity, over the last few years, a series of statistical guidelines have been proposed. However, available solutions suffer of computational problems especially relevant when sample size is not sufficiently large, a common condition in observational and clinical studies. Method: In the current contribution, we propose a Bayesian solution for estimating interaction parameters via Monte Carlo Markov Chains (MCMC), adapting Widaman et al. (Psychological Methods, 17, 2012, 615) Nonlinear Least Squares (NLS) approach. Results: Findings from an applied exemplification and a simulation study showed that with relatively big samples both MCMC and NLS estimates converged on the same results. Conversely, MCMC clearly outperformed NLS, resolving estimation problems and providing more accurate estimates, particularly with small samples and greater residual variance. Conclusions: As the body of research exploring the interplay between individual and environmental variables grows, enabling predictions regarding the form of interaction and the extent of effects, the Bayesian approach could emerge as a feasible and readily applicable solution to numerous computational challenges inherent in existing frequentist methods. This approach holds promise for enhancing the trustworthiness of research outcomes, thereby impacting clinical and applied understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is a specific register that adults use to address infants, and it is characterised by prosodic exaggeration and lexical and syntactic simplification. Several authors have underlined that this simplified speech becomes more complex according to the infant's age. However, there is a lack of studies on lexical and syntactic modifications in Italian IDS during the first year of an infant's life. In the present study, 80 mother-infant dyads were longitudinally observed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months during free-play interactions. Maternal vocal productions were subsequently coded. The results show an overall low lexical variability and syntactic complexity that identify speech to infants as a simplified register; however, the high occurrence of complex items and well-structured utterances suggests that IDS is not simple speech. Moreover, maternal IDS becomes more complex over time, but not linearly, with a maximum simplification in the second half of the first year.

Introduction: Mother--infant attunement is fundamental to supporting infant socio-emotional development. Based on the assumption that we connect better with others if we are aware of and connected with our own experience, mindfulness could affect the maternal ability to attune to the infant. However, little is known about this topic in the first year of life. Study 1 aimed to investigate the role of maternal dispositional mindfulness and mindful parenting in mother--infant physiological and behavioral attunement at 3 months of age. Study 2 aimed to explore the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention not specific to parenting experience on mother--infant behavioral and physiological attunement and on maternal wellbeing at 9 months of age. Methods: In Study 1, mother--infant (n = 67) behavioral and physiological attunement (i.e., co-regulation and RSA) were collected simultaneously each 20 s during face-to-face interaction. Mothers completed questionnaires about their dispositional mindfulness and mindful parenting. In Study 2, mother-- infant dyads were randomly divided into a control (n = 20) and an intervention group (n = 29). The intervention group attended a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention. At T1 and T2, the same procedure described in Study 1 was applied and mothers reported about their wellbeing. Results: Results showed that maternal mindfulness was associated with high physiological and behavioral attunement at 3 months and with more positive maternal behaviors and less stress at 9 months. Analysis evidenced a slight improvement in the intervention group in maternal dispositional mindfulness and a reduction in parenting stress at T2. Discussion: Findings from both studies suggested that maternal mindfulness could represent a protective factor that could support mothers in fostering better dyadic interactions with their infants. The implementation of mindfulness-based interventions for mothers could have preventive and clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Tripartite Influence Model, social media is one of the primary sources influencing women's body dissatisfaction. However, the role of social media influencers as a potential driver for impacting users' body image evaluation when disseminating content on social networks has been little investigated. The present research aims to explore the relationship between following three Instagram influencers (i.e., nutrition, fitness, and entertainment) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms and body dissatisfaction among a group of female users. A sample of 5060 women (mean age = 35.33 ± 9.33) were recruited with the collaboration of three Italian influencers, and self-reported questionnaires were administered. Women who followed the nutritional influencer account reported significantly higher scores on ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction than women who followed the fitness and entertainment influencer accounts (η2 = 0.05 and η2 = 0.02, respectively). Overall, following nutrition and fitness accounts (compared to entertainment accounts) and spending more time daily on social networks positively predicts ED symptoms (β = 0.28, p < 0.001, β = 0.10, p < 0.001, β = 0.11, p < 0.001, respectively) and body dissatisfaction (β = 0.07, p < 0.001, β = 0.04, p < 0.001, β = 0.07, p < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, following nutritional influencers compared to fitness influencers positively predicts ED symptoms (β = 0.17, p < 0.001) but not body dissatisfaction. The current results suggest that being exposed to dieting and weight loss topics on social media might be particularly harmful for individuals with specific vulnerabilities. Practical implications will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The specific role that Broca's area plays in speech and language has been hotly debated in the literature. Some research has pointed to a specific role in particular aspects of speech production, while other findings have suggested additional roles in aspects of language comprehension. In the current study, we had the opportunity to take a broad approach by analyzing lesion and behavioral data from a large cohort of left hemisphere stroke patients. In this brief report, our objective was to identify which speech-language measures show a significant association with Broca's area, specifically pars opercularis and pars triangularis. Methods: Lesion site and neuropsychological data from 173 chronic left hemisphere stroke patients were analyzed in the current study. Univariate lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) with rigorous correction was used to identify brain regions associated with individual test performance on a large battery of speech and language tasks. Multivariate LSM analyses were conducted in subsequent runs to confirm findings. Results: The LSM results identified many predictable left hemisphere gray and whitematter regions significantly associated with the speech-language data, but Broca's area was not implicated in performance on any speech or language measure. Regions adjacent to Broca's area, however, in left central opercular, precentral, and insular cortices were associated with speech production and motor speech performance. Discussion: The current study failed to identify a single speech or language measure in our comprehensive test battery that was dependent on Broca's area. This finding could not be attributed to a lack of power, as Broca's area had among the highest power values and substantial lesion coverage. Interrogation of data at the individual patient level revealed the likely source of this null finding: Patients with lesions involving Broca's area varied widely in their speech-language performance, with profiles ranging from non-aphasic to Broca's to global aphasia. Given previous studies in acute stroke patients and healthy participants implicating Broca's area in speech-language, the current findings suggest that Broca's area plays a more supplementary than critical role and can be compensated by surrounding brain regions in chronic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is bystanders' behavior and their willingness to intervene in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) in three different countries (China, Italy, and Ethiopia), considering individual and social factors (i.e., right-wing Authoritarianism, masculinity ideology, and gender). The Italian sample was made up of 192 participants (56% male). The Chinese sample was made up of 274 participants (66% female). The Ethiopian sample was made up of 161 participants (53.3% female). Participants completed the Male Role Norms Inventory–Short Form, the Right-wing Authoritarianism Scale, and the Willingness to intervene in cases of IPVAW. The Chinese model suggested how masculinity ideology is negatively associated with "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor, and positively with "not my business" factor. Right-wing authoritarianism is positively associated with "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor. The Italian model suggested how masculinity ideology was positively related to the "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor, and gender was negatively related to "not my business" factor, and positively related to "personal involvement" factor. The Ethiopian model suggested how masculinity ideology is positively associated with "personal involvement in the case" factor and gender is positively associated with the "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor. Masculine ideologies, authoritarian personality characteristics, and gender are predisposing factors toward bystander attitudes when confronted with cases of intimate partner violence. Our findings highlight key areas of focus to help raise awareness related to IPV cases, and policy aimed at promoting prosocial society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objective. Pathologic fractures are devastating complications in metastatic bone disease. Treatment of these condition varies, and includes systemic therapies and surgical interventions. Lack of evidence still exists for standardized care. The aim of this study is to analyze radiological healing response and clinical outcomes after intramedullary nailing (IMN) and adjuvant radiotherapy in complete pathologic fractures of femur or humerus Methods. A total of 19 patients who presented with pathological fracture were retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes and radiologic images were obtained from hospital records. All patients in this cohort were treated with closed, unreamed IMN and adjuvant radiation treatment. Results. Pain relief and full range of motion was obtained in all patients. The mean postoperative Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores at last follow-up were 69% (range 50–85). All patients demonstrated complete radiographic healing between 2 and 6 months. Only one patient required reoperation for refracture at the tip of the nail which was revised with a longer nail. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated that pathologic fractures managed with closed unreamed IMN and adjuvant multifractional 20 Gy dose radiotherapy yielded good clinical outcomes with complete radiologic response regardless of patient’s life expectancy, adjuvant treatments and overall condition. Closed unreamed IMN was also associated with decreased surgical time in these high-risk patients.

Introduction/Objective. Sciatica is a disabling pathology with variable etiologies. The most common pathologies arise from discogenic or non-discogenic causes. Mass lesions are a rare cause of extraspinal sciatica, which have been commonly overlooked, leading to unnecessary spinal surgeries, delay in diagnosis or inadequate treatment. There is no standard surgical approach and functional outcomes after surgical treatment of these lesions are not well-known. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes after surgical treatment of mass lesions causing sciatica in different locations. Methods. Data were obtained by a retrospective review from 2015 to 2020. The mean duration of symptoms at the time of surgery was 10.3 months (3–48 months). The mean age of patients at the time of surgery was 43.8 years (14–73 years). The mean follow-up was 19.5 months (4–50 months). In total, 14 cases had an extrapelvic localization distal to sciatic notch. The other three cases had lesions in the intrapelvic area, including left sciatic notch (1), right acetabulum (1), sacroiliac and lumbosacral region (1). None of the patients had palpable masses. Transgluteal, infragluteal, lateral, and posteromedial approach were used depending on location and size of the lesion. Results. At the final follow-up, all patients recovered with pain relief. The median musculoskeletal tumor society score was 90% (70–100). There was no recurrence at the latest follow-up. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated that early detection by neurological examination and radiological work-up can avoid unnecessary surgeries, enable early surgical treatment of tumoral mass with satisfactory clinical outcomes. The surgical approach should be individualized according to location and size of the lesion.

This study aimed to investigate specific associations between structural and acoustic characteristics of infant-directed (ID) speech and word recognition. Thirty Italian-acquiring children and their mothers were tested when the children were 1;3. Children's word recognition was measured with the looking-while-listening task. Maternal ID speech was recorded during a mother-child interaction session and analyzed in terms of amount of speech, lexical and syntactic complexity, positional salience of nouns and verbs, high pitch and variation, and temporal characteristics. The analyses revealed that final syllable length positively predicts children's accuracy in word recognition whereas the use of verbs in the utterance-final position has an adverse effect on children's performance. Several of the expected associations between ID speech features and children's word recognition skills, however, were not significant. Taken together, these findings suggest that only specific structural and acoustic properties of ID speech can facilitate word recognition in children, thereby fostering their ability to extrapolate sound patterns from the stream and map them with their referents.

Intuitive eating (IE) is a non-dieting approach that promotes listening to internal cues of hunger and satiety, rather than adhering to external dietary restrictions aimed at weight loss. However, the role of IE in dieting behaviors related to weight-loss approaches is still unclear. To address this issue, the aim of this study was to compare IE levels between dieting and non-dieting individuals, exploring the relationship between IE and dieting-related psychological and physical factors. A sample of 2059 females was recruited via social media and self-reported questionnaires were administered to measure IE, eating psychopathology, self-efficacy, and quality of life. Individuals with a history of dieting exhibited lower IE levels, a higher BMI, and a greater eating psychopathology, as well as a reduced self-efficacy and quality of life, compared to non-dieters. IE showed a protective effect against dieting behaviors, with higher IE levels being associated with a lower likelihood of dieting. Additionally, higher BMI and eating psychopathology were predictors of dieting. Promoting IE could represent a relevant clinical target strategy to address disordered eating and enhance overall well-being, underscoring the need for interventions that foster a healthier relationship with food and bodily internal sensations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children differ in their environmental sensitivity (ES), which can be measured observationally or by self-report questionnaire. A parent-report scale represents an important tool for investigating ES in younger children but has to be psychometrically robust and valid. In the current multistudy, we validated the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC-PR) scale in Italian children, evaluating its factorial structure (Study 1, N = 1,857, 6.2 years, age range: 2.6–14 years) through a multigroup Confirmatory Factory Analysis in preschoolers (n = 1,066, 4.2 years) and school-age children (n = 791, 8.8 years). We then investigated the HSC-PR relationship with established temperament traits (Study 2, N = 327, 4.3 years), before exploring whether the scale moderates the effects of parenting stress on children's emotion regulation (Study 3, N = 112, 6.5 years). We found support for a bi-factor structure in both groups, though in preschoolers minor adaptations were suggested for one item. Importantly, the HSC-PR did not fully overlap with common temperament traits and moderated the effects of parenting stress on children emotion regulation. To conclude, the HSC-PR performs well and appears to capture ES in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We are developing the California Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB) to provide neuropsychological assessments to patients who lack test access due to cost, capacity, mobility, and transportation barriers. Methods: The CCAB consists of 15 non-verbal and 17 verbal subtests normed for telemedical assessment. The CCAB runs on calibrated tablet computers over cellular or Wi-Fi connections either in a laboratory or in participants' homes. Spoken instructions and verbal stimuli are delivered through headphones using naturalistic text-to-speech voices. Verbal responses are scored in real time and recorded and transcribed offline using consensus automatic speech recognition which combines the transcripts from seven commercial ASR engines to produce timestamped transcripts more accurate than those of any single ASR engine. The CCAB is designed for supervised self-administration using a webbrowser application, the Examiner. The Examiner permits examiners to record observations, view subtest performance in real time, initiate video chats, and correct potential error conditions (e.g., training and performance failures, etc.,) for multiple participants concurrently. Results: Here we describe (1) CCAB usability with older (ages 50 to 89) participants; (2) CCAB psychometric properties based on normative data from 415 older participants; (3) Comparisons of the results of at-home vs. in-lab CCAB testing; (4) We also present preliminary analyses of the effects of COVID-19 infection on performance. Mean z-scores averaged over CCAB subtests showed impaired performance of COVID+ compared to COVID-participants after factoring out the contributions of Age, Education, and Gender (AEG). However, inter-cohort differences were no longer significant when performance was analyzed with a comprehensive model that factored out the influences of additional pre-existing demographic factors that distinguished COVID+ and COVID-cohorts (e.g., vocabulary, depression, race, etc.,). In contrast, unlike AEG scores, comprehensive scores correlated significantly with the severity of COVID infection. (5) Finally, we found that scoring models influenced the classification of individual participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI, z-scores < -1.50) where the comprehensive model accounted for more than twice as much variance as the AEG model and reduced racial bias in MCI classification. Discussion: The CCAB holds the promise of providing scalable laboratoryquality neurodiagnostic assessments to underserved urban, exurban, and rural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]