Emotion, rationality, and social identity: a theoretical-methodological proposal for a cognitive approach.

Humberto Maturana's biology of cognition and the studies of neuroscientist Antonio Damasio have proposed theories that indicate the role of emotion in cognitive processes. Emotion lies at the basis of any behavior. An emotional transition defines a transition from one domain of actions to the other, while emotions shared in human interaction define collective domains of action and thus also social identity.

Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant use in the elderly: a prospective real-world study - data from the REGIstry of patients on Non-vitamin K oral Anticoagulants (REGINA).

Purpose: Numerous studies on thromboembolic prevention for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) have shown either equal or better efficacy and safety of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) compared to warfarin, even for patients aged ≥75 years. Data on elderly patients, in particular, octogenarians, are lacking. Paradoxically, this population is the one with the highest risk of bleeding and stroke with a worse prognosis.

Effects of an Outpatient Service Rehabilitation Programme in Patients Affected by Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: An Observational Study.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease characterised by a severe impairment of functional status and quality of life (QoL). Use of rehabilitative programmes may help to improve outcomes. The aim of this pre/post test case series was to evaluate the impact of a training program, including sessions of aerobic and resistance exercise, inspiratory muscle reinforcement, slow breathing, relaxation, and psychological support, on functional outcomes.

EaRly-start ExerciSe training afTer acute hemodynAmic decompensation in patients with chRonic hearT failure (RE-START). A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial on short-term feasibility and impact on functional capacity, symptoms and neurohumoral activation .

RE-START is a multicenter, randomized, prospective, open, controlled trial aiming to evaluate the feasibility and the short- and medium-term effects of an early-start AET program on functional capacity, symptoms and neurohormonal activation in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with recent acute hemodynamic decompensation. Study endpoints will be: 1) safety of and compliance to AET; 2) effects of AET on i) functional capacity, ii) patient-reported symptoms and iii) AET-induced changes in beta-adrenergic receptor signaling and circulating angiogenetic and inflammatory markers. Two-hundred patients, randomized 1:1 to training (TR) or control (C), will be enrolled.

Angiostrongylus vasorum in 20 dogs in the province of Chieti, Italy.

After a case of Angiostrongylus vasorum (canine lungworm) was diagnosed in the province of Chieti (Italy) in early 2008, parasitological research was conducted to investigate the presence of the parasite in dogs in the area. A total of 178 dogs, 56 carcasses and 122 stool samples were examined between January and September 2008. The carcasses were examined for the presence of adult parasites in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery, and larval forms in the internal organ and brain tissues.

[Epidemiology without numbers: nurses tell their perception, and the management strategies, of the behavioral problems of the elderly].

Objectives: To assess the practicability of caring strategies which rely on the subjective resources and insights of nursing personnel in the management of behavioral problems of the elderly.

Methods: Following the indications of a training session, the nurses in charge of a residential geriatric department have been invited to express, through brief written accounts, their point of view on: 1. the definition(s) of behavioral problems; 2.