Psychological health of mothers and siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: new evidence in Italian families.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Psychological challenges are well recognized in families with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Instead, less is known about the effects of traumatic scenarios, such as COVID-19, on the psychological health of these families. The main aim of this research was to study the psychological health of both mothers and typically developing (TD) siblings of children with ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, we investigated the relationship between the mothers' psychological resources and their children psychological well-being. METHODS: The sample included 52 mothers and their children: 15 with one child with ASD and at least one TD child (aged 4-14) (ASD-siblings group) and 37 with one or more TD child (aged 4-14) (TD control group). The data were collected through an online platform; four standardized questionnaires (GAD-7, BDI-II, CD-RISC 25 and CBCL) were administered. RESULTS: The analyses revealed more internalizing and total behavioral symptoms in the siblings of children with ASD, compared to TD control group. Regarding the mothers, we did not find differences in depression and anxious symptoms between the two groups. However, the results reported a lower level of resilience in the mothers of children with ASD relative to mothers of TD children. Finally, the psychological well-being of the TD children was associated with the level of mothers' anxiety only in the ASD-siblings group. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our data show that the COVID-19 outbreak may had been particularly challenging for families of children with ASD, and highlight the importance of intensifying psychological support to families.

The Moderator Effect of Subthreshold Autistic Traits on the Relationship between Quality of Life and Internet Addiction.

People with sub-threshold autistic traits (SATs) are more prone to develop addictive behaviors such the ones linked to Internet abuse. The restrictions for anti-COVID-19 distancing measures encourage social isolation and, consequently, increase screen time, which may lead to Internet addiction (IA). However, a better quality of life (QoL) may have function as a protective factor against the development of IA. This study wanted to investigate the relation between SATs, QoL, and the overuse of the Internet in a group of 141 university students in the North of Italy. Participants completed a battery of tests. Results suggest that QoL is a predictive factor of IA and that the relationship between QoL and IA is significantly moderated by SATs. This could mean that SATs might represent a risk factor for IA, even when people have a better quality of life. Differences between female and male students are discussed, as well as possible implications for practice.

Are British urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) "bold"? The importance of understanding human-wildlife interactions in urban areas.

Human-wildlife interactions are believed to be increasing in urban areas. In Britain, numerous media reports have stated that urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are becoming "bolder," thereby posing a risk to public safety. However, such claims overlook how an individual's personality might influence urban fox behavior. Personality determines multiple aspects of an animal's interactions with both conspecifics and its environment, and can have a significant impact on how people perceive wildlife. Furthermore, describing urban foxes as "bold" confounds two different but inter-related behaviors, both of which influence an animal's propensity to take risks. Neophobia affects an animal's reaction to novelty, wariness its reaction to potential threats. Since urban wildlife frequently encounters both novel and threatening stimuli, a highly adaptable species such as the red fox might be predicted to exhibit reduced neophobia and wariness. We investigated how social status influenced both behaviors in Bristol's fox population. Dominant foxes were significantly more neophobic and warier than subordinates, which adopt a more exploratory and risk-taking lifestyle to meet their energetic and other needs. We found no seasonal effect on neophobia and wariness, although this may be due to sample size. The presence of conspecifics decreased neophobia for dominants, and wariness for both dominants and subordinates. We highlight the importance of considering animal social status and personality when planning management protocols, since interventions that destabilize fox social groups are likely to increase the number of subordinate foxes in the population, thereby increasing rather than decreasing the number of interactions between humans and urban foxes.

Language and Pragmatics Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: An Investigation Using the Italian Version of CCC-2.

Impairments in structural language and pragmatics are well recognized in different neurodevelopmental disorders, yet in clinical work the discrimination of children with various language difficulties into different diagnostic profile is still a major challenge. Using the CCC-2 questionnaire this study assesses and compares language competences in a sample of Italian children (aged 8-10) with typical development (n = 26) and in children with different neurodevelopmental conditions: high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (n = 19), Language Disorder with associated Developmental Dyslexia (n = 23), Developmental Dyslexia without linguistic impairments (n = 21). The results supported the validity of CCC2 as screening measure that is able to distinguish children with communication impairments from non-impaired peers.

Introduced plants as novel Anthropocene habitats for insects.

Major environmental changes in the history of life on Earth have given rise to novel habitats, which gradually accumulate species. Human-induced change is no exception, yet the rules governing species accumulation in anthropogenic habitats are not fully developed. Here we propose that nonnative plants introduced to Great Britain may function as analogues of novel anthropogenic habitats for insects and mites, analysing a combination of local-scale experimental plot data and geographic-scale data contained within the Great Britain Database of Insects and their Food Plants. We find that novel plant habitats accumulate the greatest diversity of insect taxa when they are widespread and show some resemblance to plant habitats which have been present historically (based on the relatedness between native and nonnative plant species), with insect generalists colonizing from a wider range of sources. Despite reduced per-plant diversity, nonnative plants can support distinctive insect communities, sometimes including insect taxa that are otherwise rare or absent. Thus, novel plant habitats may contribute to, and potentially maintain, broader-scale (assemblage) diversity in regions that contain mixtures of long-standing and novel plant habitats.

[The neuropsychology of prodromal schizophrenia. Brief review and proposal of a tests battery for clinical use]. / Neuropsicologia dell'esordio schizofrenico. Breve rassegna della letteratura e proposta di una batteria di test per l'uso clinico.

The study of the neuropsychological profile of schizophrenic patients has provided systematic results in linking specific deficit (working memory, verbal learning, attentive and executive functioning, social cognition) to the functional outcome of subjects. More recently this approach has been applied to younger subjects, from the age of 14, that show prodromal signs of a possible psychotic conversion (ultra-risk subjects). The review is at first intended to describe the clinical and experimental studies that investigated the cognitive and neuropsychological profile of subjects at ultra-risk for psychosis. These studies show the presence of minor cognitive difficulties in several specific areas (working memory, verbal learning, attentive and executive functioning) that can be indicative of both a possible conversion to psychosis and a need for cognitive remediation programs. Secondarily, the article describes several neuropsychological tools, standardized for the Italian population, that can be used to approach the clinical assessment of ultra-risk subjects considering some critical aspects such as their typical age range (adolescents and young adults).

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its association with cardiovascular disease in patients with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in type 1 diabetic individuals, and to evaluate whether NAFLD is associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: All patients with diagnosed type 1 diabetes with available liver ultrasound data (n=250), who regularly attended our diabetes clinic, were enrolled. Main study measures were detection of NAFLD (by patient history and liver ultrasound) and asymptomatic/symptomatic CVD (by patient history, chart review, electrocardiogram, and echo-Doppler scanning of carotid and lower limb arteries). RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD was 44.4%, and NAFLD was the most common cause (69.8%) of hepatic steatosis on ultrasound examination. Patients with NAFLD had a remarkably higher (p<0.001) age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of coronary (10.8% vs. 1.1%), cerebrovascular (37.3% vs. 5.5%) and peripheral (24.5% vs. 2.5%) vascular disease than their counterparts without NAFLD. In logistic regression analysis, NAFLD was associated with prevalent CVD (as composite endpoint), independently of age, sex, diabetes duration, hemoglobin A(1c), smoking history, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and medication use (adjusted odds ratio 7.36, 95% confidence intervals 1.60-34.3, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that NAFLD is very common in type 1 diabetic subjects and is associated, independently of several confounding factors, with a higher prevalence of CVD. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether NAFLD predicts incident CVD events in type 1 diabetes.

Hourglass cystic schwannoma of the trochlear nerve.

Cranial nerves' schwannomas most commonly arise from the vestibular nerve. Involvement of other cranial nerves, in absence of neurofibromatosis, is extremely rare. A case of a pathology proven trochlear nerve schwannoma, with internal cystic components, in a patient with isolated right superior oblique muscle palsy, is described. Only 67 cases of such entity have been previously reported in the literature.

Stroop effects on redemption and semantic effects on confession: simultaneous automatic activation of embedded and carrier words.

The present study was aimed at assessing whether focusing attention on a task-relevant part of a word prevents processing of its meaning. Participants performed a color-naming task on a prime word followed by lexical decision on a probe. Primes were words, which could contain an embedded color word (e.g., "redemption") written in an incongruent color. Probes were either semantically related (e.g., "confession") or unrelated (e.g., "production") to the prime word. A Stroop effect emerged for color words appearing either in the initial or in the final position of the carrier word. A priming effect also emerged, with faster responses to probes semantically related to the prime. These results are evidence that focusing attention on part of a prime (i.e., the embedded color word) does not prevent the semantic processing of the entire word.

Differences and similarities in early atherosclerosis between patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and chronic hepatitis B and C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) - an index of early atherosclerosis - among patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) and control subjects. METHODS: We studied 60 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NASH, 60 patients with HCV, 35 patients with HBV, and 60 healthy controls who were comparable for age and sex. Common carotid IMT was measured with ultrasonography in all participants by a single operator blinded to subjects' characteristics. RESULTS: Carotid IMT measurements were markedly different among the groups; the lowest values were in controls, intermediate in patients with HBV or HCV, and highest in those with NASH (0.84+/-0.1 vs. 0.97+/-0.1 vs. 1.09+/-0.2 vs. 1.23+/-0.2mm, respectively; p<0.001). The marked differences in carotid IMT that were observed among the groups were little affected by adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance (by homeostasis model assessment) and components of the Adult Treatment Panel III-defined metabolic syndrome. Concordantly, in logistic regression analysis, NASH, HBV and HCV predicted carotid IMT independent of potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that NASH, HCV and HBV are strongly associated with early atherosclerosis independent of classical risk factors, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome components.

Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its association with cardiovascular disease among type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in type 2 diabetic population and to compare the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors between people with and without NAFLD. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The entire sample of type 2 diabetic outpatients (n = 2,839) who regularly attended our clinic was screened. Main outcome measures were NAFLD (by patient history and liver ultrasound) and manifest CVD (by patient history, review of patient records, electrocardiogram, and echo-Doppler scanning of carotid and lower limb arteries). RESULTS: The unadjusted prevalence of NAFLD was 69.5% among participants, and NAFLD was the most common cause (81.5%) of hepatic steatosis on ultrasound examination. The prevalence of NAFLD increased with age (65.4% among participants aged 40-59 years and 74.6% among those aged > or = 60 years; P < 0.001) and the age-adjusted prevalence of NAFLD was 71.1% in men and 68% in women. NAFLD patients had remarkably (P < 0.001) higher age and sex-adjusted prevalences of coronary (26.6 vs. 18.3%), cerebrovascular (20.0 vs. 13.3%), and peripheral (15.4 vs. 10.0%) vascular disease than their counterparts without NAFLD. In logistic regression analysis, NAFLD was associated with prevalent CVD independent of classical risk factors, glycemic control, medications, and metabolic syndrome features. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD is extremely common in people with type 2 diabetes and is associated with a higher prevalence of CVD. Follow-up studies are needed to determine whether NAFLD predicts the development and progression of CVD.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations and carotid artery intima-media thickness among type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among type 2 diabetic adults and to assess the relationship between hypovitaminosis D and intimal medial thickening (IMT) of the common carotid artery, a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: We compared winter serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] concentrations in 390 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients and 390 nondiabetic controls who were comparable for age and sex. Common carotid IMT was measured with ultrasonography only in diabetic patients by a single trained operator blinded to subjects' details. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (i.e. 25(OH)D

Relations between carotid artery wall thickness and liver histology in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

OBJECTIVE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with several metabolic syndrome features. We assessed whether NAFLD is associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and whether such an association is independent of classical risk factors, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome features. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared carotid IMT, as assessed by ultrasonography, in 85 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 160 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS: NAFLD patients had a markedly greater carotid IMT (1.14 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.82 +/- 0.12 mm; P < 0.001) than control subjects. The metabolic syndrome (according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria) and its individual components were more frequent in those with NAFLD (P < 0.001). The marked differences in carotid IMT observed between the groups were only slightly weakened after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking history, LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance (by homeostasis model assessment), and metabolic syndrome components. Notably, carotid IMT was strongly associated with degree of hepatic steatosis, necroinflammation, and fibrosis among NAFLD patients (P < 0.001 for all). Similarly, by logistic regression analysis, the severity of histological features of NAFLD independently predicted carotid IMT (P < 0.001) after adjustment for all potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the severity of liver histopathology among NAFLD patients is strongly associated with early carotid atherosclerosis, independent of classical risk factors, insulin resistance, and the presence of metabolic syndrome.

The comprehension of ambiguous idioms in aphasic patients.

The ability to understand ambiguous idioms was assessed in 15 aphasic patients with preserved comprehension at a single word level. A string-to-word matching task was used. Patients were requested to choose one among four alternatives: a word associated with the figurative meaning of the idiom string; a word semantically associate with the last constituent of the idiom string; and two unrelated words. The results showed that patients' performance was impaired with respect to a group of matched controls, with patients showing a frontal and/or temporal lesion being the most impaired. A significant number of semantically associate errors were produced, suggesting an impairment of inhibition mechanisms and/or of recognition/activation of the idiomatic meaning.

Hypnotic susceptibility, baseline attentional functioning, and the Stroop task.

According to the theoretical framework relating hypnosis to attention, baseline attentional functioning in highly hypnotizable individuals should be more efficient than in low hypnotizable individuals. However, previous studies did not find differences in Stroop-like tasks in which the measure indicative of the Stroop interference effect was based on response latencies. This study was designed to determine whether subjects with different levels of hypnotic susceptibility show differences in baseline attentional functioning. To assess this hypothesis, high, medium, and low hypnotizable subjects performed a Stroop task designed to evaluate accuracy performance, before being subjected to hypnotic induction. Results showed that the Stroop interference effect was smaller in high hypnotizable subjects than in low hypnotizable subjects, whereas it was not different between high, and medium hypnotizable subjects. This outcome supports the notion that baseline attentional functioning is related to hypnotic susceptibility.

Grammatical gender in the brain: evidence from an fMRI study on Italian.

The grammatical gender of a word is a lexical-syntactic property determining agreement among different sentence parts. Recent fMRI investigations identified the areas involved in the retrieval of grammatical gender near the left Broca's area providing further evidence to confirm the preeminent syntactic role of this area. However, these studies employed categorical designs based on the controversial methodology of the cognitive subtraction of neural activations related to different tasks. In the present study we identified the neural substrates of grammatical gender assignment using an fMRI parametric study. Participants decided the grammatical gender of visually presented Italian words whose gender-to-ending regularity varied. The results showed activation in left and right fronto-temporal areas suggesting an interplay of both hemispheres in the processing of grammatical gender.

Evidence for differential effects of selective somatostatin receptor subtype agonists on alpha-subunit and chromogranin a secretion and on cell viability in human nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas in vitro.

Somatostatin (SRIF) analogs interacting with SRIF receptor (SSTR) subtypes SSTR2 and SSTR5 reduce hormone secretion of pituitary adenomas, but their antiproliferative effects are still controversial. We investigated the in vitro effects of SRIF and SSTR-selective agonists interacting with SSTR1 (BIM-23926), SSTR2 (BIM-23120), SSTR5 (BIM-23206), or both SSTR2 and SSTR5 (BIM-23244) on alpha-subunit and chromogranin A secretion and on cell viability of 12 nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFA) expressing SSTR1, SSTR2, and SSTR5, as assessed by RT-PCR. Treatment with SRIF or BIM-23206 did not modify alpha-subunit and chromogranin A secretion, which was significantly inhibited by BIM-23926, BIM-23120, and BIM-23244. SRIF and BIM-23120 did not influence cell viability, which was significantly promoted by BIM-23206 and BIM-23244 and reduced by treatment with BIM-23926. These results demonstrate that, in the selected NFA, the SSTR1-selective agonist inhibits secretory activity and cell viability, the SSTR2-selective agonist inhibits secretion but not cell viability, and the SSTR5-selective agonist does not influence secretion but promotes cell viability. These data can explain the lack of inhibitory effects of currently used SRIF analogs and suggest that drugs acting potently and preferentially on SSTR1 might be useful for medical treatment of NFA.