A hybrid approach for the analysis of complex categorical data structures: assessment of latent distance learning perception in higher education.

A long tradition of analysing ordinal response data deals with parametric models, which started with the seminal approach of cumulative models. When data are collected by means of Likert scale survey questions in which several scored items measure one or more latent traits, one of the sore topics is how to deal with the ordered categories. A stacked ensemble (or hybrid) model is introduced in the proposal to tackle the limitations of summing up the items.

Employment Status and Work Ability in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis.

Improvements in the survival and clinical outcomes of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients raised questions about their workforce participation and capacity to work. One hundred and ninety-six outpatients, attending the Adult CF Center of an Italian University Hospital, were enrolled between May 2020 and March 2021. The patients' personal and clinical characteristics, employment status, and profession were assessed.

The impact of cystic fibrosis on the working life of patients: A systematic review.

Advances in the treatment and management of cystic fibrosis (CF) have led to a substantial increase in patient life expectancy, thus facilitating healthier lives and labour force participation. This review aimed to address the impact of CF on the occupational functioning of patients. A significant proportion of patients were reported to retain a job on a full- or part-time schedule.

The Impact of Shift-Work and Night Shift-Work on Thyroid: A Systematic Review.

Thyroid hormones are regulated by the pituitary thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), whose secretion presents a circadian rhythmicity. Indeed, it is conceivable that shift- and night shift-work, affecting sleep-wake rhythms, may impact thyroid functionality. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to provide an overview on the association between shift- and night shift-work and thyroid hormonal changes and disease development.

Opportunities and challenging issues of nanomaterials in otological fields: an occupational health perspective.

Nanotechnology may offer innovative solutions to overcome the physiological and anatomical barriers that make the diagnosis and treatment of ear diseases an extremely challenging issue. However, despite the solutions provided by nano-applications, the still little-known toxicological behavior of nanomaterials raised scientific concerns regarding their biosafety for treated patients and exposed workers. Therefore, this review provides an overview on recent developments and upcoming opportunities in nanoscale otological applications, and critically assesses possible adverse effects of nanosized compounds on ear structures and hearing functionality.

Characterization of the sensory, affective, cognitive, biochemical, and neuronal alterations in a modified chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain in mice.

The chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve is a nerve injury-based model of neuropathic pain (NP). Comorbidities of NP such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive deficits are associated with a functional reorganization of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we have employed an adapted model of CCI by placing one single loose ligature around the sciatic nerve in mice for investigating the alterations in sensory, motor, affective, and cognitive behavior and in electrophysiological and biochemical properties in the prelimbic division (PrL) of the mPFC.

Reply to Accelerated Silicosis-An Emerging Epidemic Associated with Engineered Stone. Comment on Leso, V. et al. Artificial Stone-Associated Silicosis: A Systematic Review. 2019, 16(4), 568, doi:10.3390/ijerph16040568.

Our systematic review on artificial stone (AS)-associated silicosis and the related comment by Edwards underline the urgency to define effective strategies to assess and manage the risk of exposure to silica in workers involved in AS job tasks. Case screening programs may be important to fully understand the extent of the silicosis epidemic associated with AS and point out critical issues in workplace settings/practices that, by contributing to higher respirable crystalline exposure, favor the disease manifestation. This information may guide the identification of the most appropriate preventive measures in workplaces, especially regarding the administration of updated training and information courses, the definition of good working practices, and the application of targeted health surveillance programs.

Artificial Stone Associated Silicosis: A Systematic Review.

Silicosis is a progressive fibrotic lung disease that is caused by the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. Due to its high silica content, artificial stone (AS) can become a possible source of hazardous dust exposure for workers that are employed in the manufacturing, finishing, and installing of AS countertops. Therefore, the aim of this review was to verify the association between AS derived silica exposure and silicosis development, and also then define the pathological characteristics of the disease in relation to specific work practices and preventive and protective measures that were adopted in the workplace.

Ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide rescues the cognitive decline-associated loss of neural plasticity in the neuropathic mouse entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus pathway.

Chronic pain is associated with cognitive deficits. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has been shown to ameliorate pain and pain-related cognitive impairments by restoring glutamatergic synapses functioning in the spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve in mice. SNI reduced mechanical and thermal threshold, spatial memory and LTP at the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC)-dentate gyrus (DG) pathway.

d-Aspartic acid ameliorates painful and neuropsychiatric changes and reduces β-amyloid Aβ peptide in a long lasting model of neuropathic pain.

Depressive symptoms and other neuropsychiatric dysfunctions are common in neurodegenerative disorders, including chronic pain and dementia. A correlation between the β-amyloid protein accumulation and the development of depression has been suggested, however the underlying mechanisms are unknown. d-Aspartate (d-Asp) is a free d-amino acid found in the mammalian brain and involved in neurological and psychiatric processes, such as cognition and affective disorders.

Palmitoylethanolamide Reduces Neuropsychiatric Behaviors by Restoring Cortical Electrophysiological Activity in a Mouse Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major public health problem, which is associated with neurological dysfunction. In severe or moderate cases of TBI, in addition to its high mortality rate, subjects may encounter diverse behavioral dysfunctions. Previous reports suggest that an association between TBI and chronic pain syndromes tends to be more common in patients with mild forms of brain injury.

D-Aspartate drinking solution alleviates pain and cognitive impairment in neuropathic mice.

D-Aspartate (D-Asp) is a free D-amino acid detected in multiple brain regions and putative precursor of endogenous N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) acting as agonist at NMDA receptors. In this study, we investigated whether D-Asp (20 mM) in drinking solution for 1 month affects pain responses and pain-related emotional, and cognitive behaviour in a model of neuropathic pain induced by the spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve in mice. SNI mice developed mechanical allodynia and motor coordination impairment 30 days after SNI surgery.

FACTOR STRUCTURE AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE INDEX OF TEACHING STRESS-SHORT FORM (ITS-SF).

This study analyses factor structure and psychometric properties of the Italian short version of the Index of Teaching Stress-Short Form (ITS-SF). The original version of the ITS (90 items) was submitted to 567 teachers randomly drawn from a cross-section of school levels. Confirmatory factor analysis to check the factor structure was unsatisfactory, and Cronbach's α (.

Genetic deletion of monoacylglycerol lipase leads to impaired cannabinoid receptor CB₁R signaling and anxiety-like behavior.

Endocannabinoids (eCB) are key regulators of excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmission at cannabinoid-1-receptor (CB1 R)-expressing axon terminals. The most abundant eCB in the brain, that is 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), is hydrolyzed by the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), whose chronic inhibition in the brain was reported to cause CB1 R desensitization. We employed the MAGL knock-out mouse (MAGL-/-), a genetic model of congenital and sustained elevation of 2-AG levels in the brain, to provide morphological and biochemical evidence for β-arrestin2-mediated CB1 R desensitization in brain regions involved in the control of emotional states, that is, the prefrontal cortex (PFC), amygdala, hippocampus and cerebellar cortex.

Enhanced serotonin and mesolimbic dopamine transmissions in a rat model of neuropathic pain.

In humans, affective consequences of neuropathic pain, ranging from depression to anxiety and anhedonia, severely impair quality of life and are a major disease burden, often requiring specific medications. Depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors have also been observed in animal models of peripheral nerve injury. Dysfunctions in central nervous system monoamine transmission have been hypothesized to underlie depressive and anxiety disorders in neuropathic pain.

MMPIP, an mGluR7-selective negative allosteric modulator, alleviates pain and normalizes affective and cognitive behavior in neuropathic mice.

This study investigated the effects of a single administration of 6-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-methyl-3-pyridinyl-4-isoxazolo[4,5-c]pyridin-4(5H)-one (MMPIP), a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7), on pain and on affective and cognitive behavior in neuropathic mice. The activity of pyramidal neurons in the prelimbic cortex (PLC), which respond to stimulation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) with either excitation or inhibition, was also investigated. The spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve induced, 14 days after surgery, thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, reduced open-arm choice in the elevated plus-maze, increased time of immobility in the tail suspension, and increased digging and burying in the marble burying test.

A2A adenosine receptor antagonism enhances synaptic and motor effects of cocaine via CB1 cannabinoid receptor activation.

Background: Cocaine increases the level of endogenous dopamine (DA) in the striatum by blocking the DA transporter. Endogenous DA modulates glutamatergic inputs to striatal neurons and this modulation influences motor activity. Since D2 DA and A2A-adenosine receptors (A2A-Rs) have antagonistic effects on striatal neurons, drugs targeting adenosine receptors such as caffeine-like compounds, could enhance psychomotor stimulant effects of cocaine.

Loss of striatal cannabinoid CB1 receptor function in attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder mice with point-mutation of the dopamine transporter.

Abnormal dopamine (DA) transmission in the striatum plays a pivotal role in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As striatal DA signalling modulates the endocannabinoid system (ECS), the present study was aimed at investigating cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) function in a model of ADHD obtained by triple point-mutation in the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene in mice, making them insensitive to cocaine [DAT cocaine-insensitive (DAT-CI) mice]. DAT-CI mice had a marked hyperactive phenotype, and neurophysiological recordings revealed that the sensitivity of CB1Rs controlling GABA-mediated synaptic currents [CB1Rs((GABA)) ] in the striatum was completely lost.

Higher free D-aspartate and N-methyl-D-aspartate levels prevent striatal depotentiation and anticipate L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

In Parkinson's disease (PD) progressive alteration of striatal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) signaling has emerged as a considerable factor for the onset of the adverse motor effects of long-term levodopa (l-DOPA) treatment. In this regard, the NMDAR channel blocker amantadine is so far the only drug available for clinical use that attenuates L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). In this study, we examined the influence of a basal corticostriatal hyper-glutamatergic transmission in the appearance of dyskinesia, using a genetic mouse model lacking D-Aspartate Oxidase (DDO) enzyme (Ddo(-/-) mice).

Persistent increase of D-aspartate in D-aspartate oxidase mutant mice induces a precocious hippocampal age-dependent synaptic plasticity and spatial memory decay.

The atypical amino acid d-aspartate (d-Asp) occurs at considerable amounts in the developing brain of mammals. However, during postnatal life, d-Asp levels diminish following the expression of d-aspartate oxidase (DDO) enzyme. The strict control of DDO over its substrate d-Asp is particularly evident in the hippocampus, a brain region crucially involved in memory, and highly vulnerable to age-related deterioration processes.