A risk model for addictive behaviors in adolescents: interactions between personality and learning.

Background And Aims: To determine whether transdiagnostic risk, represented as elevations in one high-risk personality trait, interacts with behavior-specific risk, represented as elevated expectancies for reinforcement from either drinking or smoking, to account partly for early adolescent drinking and smoking behavior.

Design: Multiple regression analysis.

Setting: Twenty-three public schools in two school systems in the United States.

Effects of olanzapine during cognitive and emotional processing in schizophrenia: A review of functional magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Objective: Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia and has shown some degree of efficacy on negative and cognitive symptoms. We aimed to review the effects of olanzapine treatment on brain regions that are directly involved in cognitive and emotional processing.

Methods: We used the PubMed database to perform a bibliographic search on functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that investigated the effects of olanzapine treatment on neural activity in patients with schizophrenia during cognitive and emotional tasks.

Effects of sacubitril/valsartan on B-type natriuretic peptide circulating levels and loop diuretic dose in a case series of stabilized heart failure patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35.

Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, was shown to improve outcome in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). There are reasons for believing that the concept that the lower the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) circulating level the better the prognosis may no longer be correct in patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan, since sacubitril may interfere with BNP clearance. We reported a case series of ten patients with stable chronic HF and LVEF ≤35% (mean age: 64 ± 8 years; 30% female), referred to our outpatient HF clinic, treated with sacubitril/valsartan, in whom the global amelioration of NYHA class and LVEF was coupled with a clinically significant decrease in BNP levels and a reduction of loop diuretic dose.

Does Piezosurgery Influence the Severity of Neurosensory Disturbance Following Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy?

The present paper aims to evaluate the long-term incidence and severity of the neurosensory disturbance (NSD) of the inferior alveolar nerve following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) of the mandibular ramus performed with piezosurgery. A retrospective study on patients referred to the Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry Clinic of the University of Verona for orthognathic surgery between March 2013 and October 2015 was performed. Inclusion criteria were having undergone BSSO with piezosurgery and follow-up lasting at least 24 months.

Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates implicit attitudes towards food in eating disorders.

Objective: Neuromodulation of regions involved in food processing is increasingly used in studies on eating behaviors, but results are controversial. We assessed the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on food and body implicit preferences in patients with eating disorders (EDs).

Method: Thirty-six ED patients and 36 healthy females completed three sessions with a-tDCS applied to the medial-prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the right extrastriate body area (rEBA) or in sham mode.

The Added Value of Exercise Stress Echocardiography in Patients With Heart Failure.

Doppler echocardiography can provide reliable and repeatable measures of cardiac index (CI), whereas lung ultrasound (LUS) represents a quantitative approach to assess pulmonary congestion. We tested the hypothesis that simultaneous assessment of CI and LUS during exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) may define heart failure (HF) outpatients with different risk of adverse outcome. Standard transthoracic echocardiography and LUS (B-lines) evaluation were assessed during semisupine ESE.

Innovative Biomaterials for Bone Regrowth.

The regenerative medicine, a new discipline that merges biological sciences and the fundamental of engineering to develop biological substitutes, has greatly benefited from recent advances in the material engineering and the role of stem cells in tissue regeneration. Regenerative medicine strategies, involving the combination of biomaterials/scaffolds, cells, and bioactive agents, have been of great interest especially for the repair of damaged bone and bone regrowth. In the last few years, the life expectancy of our population has progressively increased.

Preliminary Validation of the Interpersonal Dysphoria Model of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most puzzling psychiatric disorders. In order to improve its understanding and management, we have recently proposed an interpersonal dysphoria model that emphasizes the key role of the complex emotional state of dysphoria in BPD. The purpose of this study was to test the interpersonal dysphoria model using a structural equation modeling analysis.

Identification of a Novel Transcription Factor Required for Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Osteogenic differentiation is a complex and still poorly understood biological process regulated by intrinsic cellular signals and extrinsic microenvironmental cues. Following appropriate stimuli, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into osteoblasts through a tightly regulated multistep process driven by several transcription factors and characterized by the expression of a number of bone-specific proteins. In this study, we describe a novel transcription factor that we named osteoblast inducer (ObI)-1, involved in MSC differentiation toward the osteogenic lineage.

Dimensional structure of first episode psychosis.

Aim: Current diagnostic systems, DSM-5 and ICD-10, still adopt a categorical approach to classify psychotic disorders. The present study was aimed at investigating the structure of psychotic symptomatology in both affective and non-affective psychosis from a dimensional approach.

Methods: Participants with a first episode psychosis (FEP) were recruited from a cluster-randomized controlled trial (GET-UP PIANO TRIAL), offered to all Community Mental Health Centres (CMHCs) located across two northern Italian regions.

Effects of multisensory stop signals on alcohol-induced disinhibition in adults with ADHD.

Multisensory environments facilitate behavioral functioning in humans. The redundant signal effect (RSE) refers to the observation that individuals respond more quickly to stimuli when information is presented as multisensory, redundant stimuli (e.g.

An immune response-based approach to evaluate physiological stress in rehabilitating loggerhead sea turtle.

The sea turtles maintaining in rescue centres can cause physiological stress to the animals with subsequent effects, such as the imbalance of immune system components. It is therefore crucial to investigate how innate immune responses are influenced by stress within recovery centers with the aim to use them as primary tools for the evaluation of the rescued specimens' health status and for developing more effective conservative strategies. In this study we monitored for the first time different immune responses in hospitalized Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) (n = 88), comparing them with free-ranging animals (n = 11).

Insight and Dissociation in Lucid Dreaming and Psychosis.

Dreams and psychosis share several important features regarding symptoms and underlying neurobiology, which is helpful in constructing a testable model of, for example, schizophrenia and delirium. The purpose of the present communication is to discuss two major concepts in dreaming and psychosis that have received much attention in the recent literature: insight and dissociation. Both phenomena are considered functions of higher order consciousness because they involve metacognition in the form of reflective thought and attempted control of negative emotional impact.

Robust, reproducible, recyclable SERS substrates: monolayers of gold nanostars grafted on glass and coated with a thin silica layer.

We prepared and characterized recyclable surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) active glass chips. Gold nanostars were grafted on properly functionalized glasses by means of electrostatic interactions and then they were coated with a silica layer of controllable thickness in the nanometer range. The SERS activity of the obtained substrates were tested in terms of reproducibility and homogeneity intra-samples and inter-samples from different batches using the Raman reporter as the model compound rhodamine 6G.

Echo- and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide-Guided Follow-Up versus Symptom-Guided Follow-Up: Comparison of the Outcome in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients.

Recent European Society of Cardiology and American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guidelines did not recommend biomarker-guided therapy in the management of heart failure (HF) patients. Combination of echo- and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) may be an alternative approach in guiding ambulatory HF management. Our aim was to determine whether a therapy guided by echo markers of left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP), lung ultrasound (LUS) assessment of B-lines, and BNP improves outcomes of HF patients.

In Vitro Evaluation of Hybrid Cooperative Complexes of Hyaluronic Acid as a Potential New Ophthalmic Treatment.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the potential benefits of eye drops based on hybrid cooperative complexes (HCCs) obtained from high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA).

Methods: Rheological measurements were performed to adjust the HCC concentration toward optimal resistance to drainage from the ocular surface. The viscosity and mucoadhesion profiles of the optimized preparation were derived.

Who were the miners of Allumiere? A multidisciplinary approach to reconstruct the osteobiography of an Italian worker community.

This research presents an in-depth study of the skeletal remains collected from the archaeological site of Allumiere (15th-16th centuries CE; Rome, Italy). A multidisciplinary approach was used, combining skeletal biology, molecular anthropology and archaeobotany with the aim of reconstructing the osteobiography of the alum miners buried at the site. Since 1460, the area of the Tolfa Mountains was significant for the exploitation of alum which was used for a wide range of purposes in the Middle Ages, ranging from woven production to medical practice.

Protective effect of extractive and biotechnological chondroitin in insulin amyloid and advanced glycation end product-induced toxicity.

Glycosaminoglycans are extracellular matrix components related to several biological functions and diseases. Chondroitin sulfate is a sulphated glycosaminoglycan synthesized as part of proteoglycan molecules. They are frequently associated with amyloid deposits and possess an active role in amyloid fibril formation.

Psychotic symptoms in borderline personality disorder: an update.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this article is to review the most recent literature on psychotic symptoms in borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Recent Findings: Both auditory hallucinations and delusional ideation (especially paranoid delusions) are relatively common in individuals with BPD. It is still difficult to distinguish these and related phenomena in BPD from the corresponding experiences in psychotic disorders and schizophrenia, despite numerous attempts to do so.

Fabrication of photothermally active poly(vinyl alcohol) films with gold nanostars for antibacterial applications.

The unique photothermal properties of non-spherical gold nanoparticles under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation find broad application in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The combination of their plasmonic features with widely used biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films can lead to novel hybrid polymeric materials with tunable photothermal properties and a wide range of applications. In this study, thin PVA films containing highly photothermally efficient gold nanostars (GNSs) were fabricated and their properties were studied.

Factors associated with first- versus second-generation long-acting antipsychotics prescribed under ordinary clinical practice in Italy.

Background: For many years, long-acting intramuscular (LAI) antipsychotics have been prescribed predominantly to chronic and severe patients, as a last resort when other treatments failed. Recently, a broader and earlier use of LAIs, particularly second-generation LAIs, has been emphasized. To date, few studies attempted to frame how this change in prescribing took place in real-world practice.

A biophysically-defined hyaluronic acid-based compound accelerates migration and stimulates the production of keratinocyte-derived neuromodulators.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) preparations are widely used in clinical practice and recent data suggest that commercially available HA-based compounds promote ulcer re-epithelialization and induce pain relief. However, the pathophysiological basis of these effects remains poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the biophysical, biomolecular and functional properties of a HA preparation combined with a pool of collagen precursor synthetic aminoacids, namely l-proline, l-leucine, l-lysine and glycine (Aminogam®).