University Of Milan Research Articles

Efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy vs treatment as usual in a sample of patients with anxiety and depressive disorders

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) in comparison with treatment as usual (TAU) in treatment of patients suffering from anxiety and depressive disorders. Sixty patients were recruited from the Psychotherapy Service, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, at Milan's IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico with the diagnosis of depressive or anxiety disorders according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. These subjects were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention group (STPP) or control group (TAU) for 12 months (T1). Each patient was clinically evaluated at the moment of recruitment (T0) and after 12 months using a battery composed of these scales: Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP). Statistical analysis highlighted significant improvements (p<0.05) for the group treated with STPP in every clinical scale. Instead control group revealed significant changes (p<0.05) only for SCL-90 scale scores. We noticed a clinical improvement in both groups without particular differences, but the IIP scores went through a significant higher enhancement only in STPP group. Our results suggest that STPP is so effective as TAU in treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. Moreover STPP leads to a better recover of relational functioning.

Referre Index

Referees IndexThe academicians listed below have acted as referees since December 2015 for manuscripts in which the review process of which have been completed, as well as for those paper submissions which have been cancelled by the authors for some reason and for those that have been rejected. The editorial board members are grateful to all referees who have contributed to GJPR.Alevriadou AnastasiaUniversity of Western Macedonia, GreeceKobus MareePretoria University, South AfricaEbru ÇakıcıNear East University, CyprusMelahat HalatNear East University, CyprusMelis Seray ÖzdenIstanbul Kultur University, TurkeyDemet Erol OngenAkdeniz University, TurkeyEdwin HerazoHuman Behavioral Research Institute, ColombiaAyhan ÇakıcıNear East University, CyprusDiane SunarBilgi University, TurkeyGönül AkcameteAnkara University, TurkeyIan ButlerUniversity of Bath, UKGiuseppe RivaThe Catholic University of Milan, Italy

Strength Asymmetry Between Front and Rear Leg in Elite Snowboard Athletes.

To examine possible bilateral strength asymmetries between the front (FL) and the rear leg (RL) in elite snowboard athletes due to the imposed asymmetrical position on the board. Observational study. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan. Thirty-three elite male snowboarders: 12 alpine athletes (SBalp), 11 snowboardcross athletes (SBx), and 10 freestyle athletes (SBfs). Open and closed kinetic chain exercises. Maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVC) and vertical jump force (VJFT). Only SBalp athletes presented MVC and VJFT values in RL 9.9% and 11.3% greater than the corresponding value in FL (P < 0.001), respectively. No significant differences were observed in SBx and SBfs. A muscle strength asymmetry between FL and RL was detected only in elite SBalp. This asymmetry is lower than the ±15% cutoff interval used to define clinically relevant bilateral strength asymmetry and is likely to be explained by technical aspects. Indeed, only SBalp athletes naturally distributed the center of mass, and thus, the weight toward RL to have a good board control. This feature likely reflects a greater adaptation of the muscle characteristics.

The role of the WISE Consortium in the European DEDIPAC-KH project

WISE (Wellness, nutrItion, Sport and Exercise prevention) is a research consortium including five Italian research teams (University of Turin, University of Milan, University of Trieste, Universiy of Rome “Foro Italico”, University of Bari), operating within the broader framework of the DEDIPAC-KH joint action (Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity Knowledge Hub). Research actions within the WISE consortium, funded by the Italian Ministry of Higher Education & Research, are in line with the main objective of the DEDIPAC-KH of developing an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers on dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours, related determinant research and policy interventions. More specifically, the WISE consortium research aimed to contribute to the following task (1.2.4 - Task Leader: Prof. Alan Donnelly): perform SLRs to identify state-of the art methods for physical activity and sedentary behaviour measurements. The focus of task 1.2.4 was to examine the methodological effectiveness (validity, reliability and sensitivity/responsiveness) of measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviours. The approach taken with this task was to examine the methodological effectiveness of measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in two populations; i) child/adolescence and ii) adults. Findings on methodological effectiveness of measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviours constitute the basis for a variety of publication and reports, and conference communications. The DEDIPAC-KH project created an unique opportunity for developing a comprehensive analysis on the determinants of diet and physical activity in Italy, and fostered successful collaboration with leading international groups. The findings of the WISE project created valuable information for the implementation of successful policies in Italy.This work was supported by MIUR.

Assessment of facial asymmetry using stereophotogrammetry

Asymmetry in the dimensions and spatial position of facial structures is a common finding in healthy individuals and in esthetically pleasing faces (1). Additionally, a variety of craniofacial anomalies are characterized by severe hard- and soft-tissue asymmetry (2). Facial asymmetry can impair the affected people from both aesthetical and functional points of view. Currently, facial asymmetry is mainly evaluated using the entire facial surface, thus providing measurements that give only general information about facial morphology. In contrast, several pathologies affecting facial appearance are localized in selected parts of the face, and a local assessment can provide helpful information for clinical decisions. For these reasons a detailed, focused and objective evaluation of facial asymmetry is advised, both for surgical planning and treatment evaluation. In this study we present a new quantitative method to assess symmetry in different facial thirds, objectively defined on the territories of distribution of trigeminal branches. Forty healthy young adults (21 women; 19 men; average age 39 ± 12 years) were acquired with a stereophotogrammetric system and the level of asymmetry of their hemi-facial thirds was evaluated, comparing the root mean square of the distances (RMSD) between their original and mirrored facial surfaces. The method resulted highly reproducible (Bland and Altman coefficient of reproducibility for area selection, 98.8%). In the upper facial third, median asymmetry was 0.726 mm (IQ range: 0.579-0.954 mm); in the middle facial third, median asymmetry was 0.739 mm (IQ range: 0.558-0.887 mm); in the lower facial third, median asymmetry was 0.679 mm (IQ range: 0.552-0.907 mm). No significant differences in RMSD values among the facial thirds were found (ANOVA, p>0.05). The presented method provides an accurate, reproducible and local facial symmetry analysis, that can be used for different conditions, especially when only part of the face is asymmetric.This work was supported by grants from University of Milan (Grant for Research 2015-2017).

Blank on the Geological Map

This paper summarizes the history of the geological studies performed by Italian teams in the Karakorum-East Hindu Kush ranges (Pakistan and Sinkiang, China) over the past 35 years. These studies began under the direction of Ardito Desio, who was the lead Italian investigator from 1929 to the end of the seventies. The Italian teams were from the universities of Milan, Turin and Pavia and benefited from a fruitful cooperation with Pakistani authorities, mainly the Geoscience Laboratory of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Islamabad. The main geological features of the Karakorum Terrane are described. To the south, the Southern Metamorphic Belt, the Ghamu Bar Unit and the Gazin–Darkot Metasedimentary Unit are identified. To the east of the Karambar River, they merge in a higher metamorphic degree unit. The Karakorum Batholiths forms the backbone of the Terrane, with isolated plutons intruding also into the neighbouring units. The Northern Karakorum shows the Crystalline Basement of pre-Ordovician age, overlaid by a sedimentary sequence from Ordovician to Jurassic without major unconformities. The deformations building since the Cretaceous the actual range are shortly exposed.

Multiple Databases are Needed to Search the Journal Literature on Computer Science

A Review of:&#x0D; Cavacini, A. (2015). What is the best database for computer science journal articles? Scientometrics 102(3): 2059-2071. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-014-1506-1&#x0D; &#x0D; Objective – To compare the coverage of computer science literature in four bibliographic databases by checking the indexing of a selection of journal articles. The purpose of this comparison was to identify the most comprehensive database in computer science and determine whether more than one database is needed to search for articles on computer science topics. &#x0D; &#x0D; Design – Comparative database evaluation using citation analysis.&#x0D; &#x0D; Setting – Computer science journal literature found within the INSPEC, Scopus, Web of Science, and DBLP databases.&#x0D; &#x0D; Subjects – 1,135 computer science journal articles published by an Italian university’s researchers from 1979 to 2014.&#x0D; &#x0D; Methods – The University of Milan’s institutional repository (AIR), containing publications authored by the university’s researchers, was searched in October 2014 for journal articles that were assigned the subject heading “informatica” (the word for computer science in Italian). The author then searched the titles of these journal articles in each of the databases to check whether they were indexed. For articles indexed in all four databases, the author also examined the quality of the bibliographic records by looking for the presence of 20 elements (e.g., the “cited by” option, ranking of search results, precision of results, etc.) in each database’s record. These overlapping articles were also searched in Google Scholar to help compare the quality of the records between the databases. &#x0D; &#x0D; Main Results – Scopus indexed 75.86% of the journal articles found in AIR, Web of Science indexed 64.49%, DBLP indexed 61.15%, and INSPEC indexed 53.39%. Web of Science and INSPEC put together covered 74.80% of the articles, which is comparable to the amount indexed by Scopus. DBLP and Scopus contained the highest number of references to articles that were not found in the other databases, about 4% each. Out of the 1,135 journal articles, 391 (34.45%) were indexed by all four databases, with Web of Science scoring the highest for providing the best quality bibliographic records for these articles. &#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusions – According to the author, the findings showed that INSPEC, Scopus, Web of Science, and DBLP “complemented each other, in a way that neither one could replace the other” (p. 2068) when searching the computer science literature. While there was overlap between databases, they each also contained unique articles.

Tracheal melanic tattoo

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Prevalence of child sexual abuse: a comparison among 4 Italian epidemiological studies.

Although many epidemiological studies defining child sexual abuse prevalence rates in many countries of the world are now available, Italy presents a lack of data regarding this specific issue. Only recently some attempts to define the epidemiology of this public health problem have been tried. Between 2003 and 2010, the Department of Public Health at University of Milan was in charge of one of the more important study of this kind in Italy, involving almost 3000 students aged 18 attending secondary schools in the City of Milan who filled out an anonymous questionnaire aiming at detecting their previous experiences of sexual victimization during childhood and adolescence. After this first edition, the study was replicated among students attending secondary schools in the city of Varese, in the area of Piedmont and in Basilicata (area of Lauria), using the same investigational model and questionnaire. This paper presents the main data collected through four different epidemiological studies using the same methodology and survey tool. Considering at least one of the five different forms of child sexual abuse surveyed (being exposed to pornography, being touched on private parts, being forced to masturbate an older person, being forced to perform oral sex, or being penetrated), the prevalence rate among our samples ranges between a minimum of 12.5% (Varese) and a maximum of 34.1% (Lauria). In Lauria the research reveals a higher prevalence rate of child sexual abuse, especially among the male population, for all typologies of abuse but being touched in their private parts. In all other geographical areas and for all typologies of abuse, there is always a higher prevalence among girls, with the only exception of abuse such as being exposed to pornographic materials.

Decreased argyrophilic nucleolar organiser region (AgNOR) expression in Purkinje cells: first signal of neuronal damage in sudden fetal and infant death

AimsThe nucleolus is an important cellular component involved in the biogenesis of the ribosome. This study was performed in order to validate the introduction of the argyrophilic nucleolar organiser region...

In the Light of the Midnight Sun

In the Light of the Midnight Sun

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Talking about animal research: Scientists and their institutions need to communicate more proactively to counter claims of mistreatment by animal rights activists.

In June 2015, the extremist group Animal Liberation Front (ALF) destroyed two trucks belonging to Harlan Laboratories in Ontario, Canada. In the same month, Nikos Logothetis, a renowned neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany, announced that he would abandon his research on nonhuman primates after months of harassment and slander from animal rights activists. In May 2014 and April 2013, animal rights activists forced their way into the Pharmacology Department of the University of Milan, Italy. They spread paint, broke glass, and removed information tags from animal cages, destroying years of work. In April 2014, the Tierversuchsgegner Bundesrepublik Deutschland placed a full‐page advertisement in a number of Germany's national and regional newspapers, accusing neuroscientist Andreas Kreiter at the University of Bremen of “torturing” nonhuman primates in “pseudoscientific” experiments. > … reluctance to speak up leads to a paucity of information about the use of animals in research, which benefits animal rights activists. Most scientists are fortunate that they do not become the target of such attacks. Nonetheless, all scientists who work with animals are indirectly affected by animal rights activism, because activists strike at random and spread fear. “Even if they don't target you directly, they have an incredible impact on the attitude of scientists. They spread reluctance among people to engage in a public debate,” said David Jentsch, a behavioral neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA), who has been personally attacked and is now fighting back. However, this reluctance to speak up leads to a paucity of information about the use of animals in research, which benefits animal rights activists. “We delivered an informational void to the public and then stepped aside to allow fanatics to fill it with all kinds of fiction,” said Cindy Buckmaster, Director of the Center for …

The Effects of Guar Meal on Production Performances in Broiler Chicken

Abstract Research carried out by the Chemical SRL Company in partnership with the University of Milan on broiler chicken, regarding the replacement of soybean meal with guar meal (Guar 60PF and Guar 70 PFR) highlighted a higher body mass for the groups that received Guar 70 PFR and Guar 60 PF, the control group showing smaller body mass values. Regarding the average daily gain, the higher values were recorded in the experimental groups, the highest value being recorded in Guar 70 PFR group, followed by the Guar 60 PF group, and the control group. The food conversion ratio was lower for the Guar 70 PFR and Guar 60 PF groups. Other authors reported that guar meal administered in low doses (2.5% and 5%) in feeds had no negative effects on the growth performances of broiler chickens, whereas higher doses (7.5 and 10%) negatively influenced both growth performances and broiler chickens’ health. After partially replacing the soybean meal with guar meal in broiler chicken feeds, no negative effects on body mass evolution, weight gain, feed conversion and carcass quality in broiler chicken were reported.   Â

Two decades of adolescent suicides assessed at Milan University's medicolegal unit: Epidemiology, forensic pathology and psychopathology

Aimto analyze the cases of suicide committed by adolescents in and around the city of Milan over a 20-year period (1993–2012). Materials and methodscases of suicide involving individuals between 10 and 19 years of age were drawn from 20,757 autopsies performed by the Medico-legal Unit at Milan University. Seventy-eight cases were considered (20 females and 58 males, with the ratio of 1:2.9), and their clinical and circumstantial histories, epidemiology, forensic pathology and psychopathological issues were analyzed. ResultAdolescents were involved in 2.23% of all suicides committed in Milan during the period examined. The “mean” victim is a male without psychiatric disease, aged between 16 and 19, that commits suicide outdoors. ConclusionsIn the majority of cases, there were no premonitory signs, nor any particular contingent or remote reason that might explain these violent deaths, which therefore remain “impulsive”.

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

F. d’Amore1, P. Gaulard2, L. Trumper3, P. Corradini4, W.-S. Kim5, L. Specht6, M. Bjerregaard Pedersen1 & M. Ladetto7, on behalf of the ESMO Guidelines Committee* Department of Hematology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Pathology, Hopital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France; Department of Hematology and Oncology, Georg August University, Gottingen, Germany; Department of Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea; Department of Oncology and Hematology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Divisione di Ematologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Santi Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy

Correlation between neuropsychological and social cognition measures and symptom dimensions in schizophrenic patients

Neurocognitive and social cognition deficits have been largely reported in Schizophrenia (SKZ) but their association with psychopathology remains uncertain. Our purpose was to explore the relationship between symptom dimensions and neuropsychological performances.We enrolled 35 stabilized schizophrenic outpatients of the Department of Psychiatry of Policlinico Hospital, University of Milan, who completed psychiatric Rating Scales, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and the Executive and Social Cognition Battery (ESCB).Disorganized dimension seems to have the most significant impact on cognition, being associated with performance in several BACS subtests (verbal memory, working memory, motor speed, symbol coding, Tower of London) and ESCB tasks (MET and Hotel task number of tasks attempted, number of broken MET rules, sum of deviations in Hotel Task). Positive dimension correlated with performance in verbal fluency, negative dimension with IOWA Test results, cognitive dimension with MET number of inefficiencies and Eyes test score. Impulsive-aggressive and depressive dimensions weakly correlated only with Faux Pas test. Our study supports the existence of a specific disorganized dimension in SKZ, separated from cognitive dimension evaluated through clinical instruments (e.g. PANSS), but capable of influencing cognitive abilities. Furthermore, it strengthens the validity of ecological tasks in evaluating cognition in SKZ.

SPATIAL NEGLECT

Giuseppe Vallar, MD, specialty in Neurology, Italian, was born in Milan. Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, & IRCCS Italian Auxological Institute, Milan, Italy. Email: giuseppe.vallar@unimib.itGiuseppe Vallar since 1999, Professor...

New strategies to ensure good patient&amp;ndash;physician communication when treating adolescents and young adults with cancer: the proposed model of the Milan Youth Project

New strategies to ensure good patient&ndash;physician communication when treating adolescents and young adults with cancer: the proposed model of the Milan Youth Project Maria Chiara Magni,1 Laura Veneroni,1 Carlo Alfredo Clerici,2 Tullio Proserpio,3 Giovanna Sironi,1 Michela Casanova,1 Stefano Chiaravalli,1 Maura Massimino,1 Andrea Ferrari1 1Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy; 2Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; 3Pastoral Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy Abstract: Adolescence is a particularly complex time of life, entailing physiological, psychological, and social changes that further the individual&#39;s cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Being diagnosed with cancer at this time can have important consequences on an individual&#39;s emotional and physical development, and adolescent and young adult cancer patients have particular medical and psychosocial needs. Patient&ndash;physician communications are important in any clinical relationship, but fundamental in the oncological sphere because their quality can affect the patient&ndash;physician relationship, the therapeutic alliance, and patient compliance. A major challenge when dealing with adolescent and young adult patients lies in striking the right balance between their need and right to understand their disease, treatment, and prognosis, and the need for them to remain hopeful and to protect their emotional sensitivity. We herein describe the activities of the Youth Project of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy in order to share a possible model of interaction with these special patients and the tactics our group has identified to help them communicate and share their thoughts. This model implies not only the involvement of a multidisciplinary team, including psychologists and spirituality experts, but also the constitution of dedicated creative activities to give patients the opportunity to express feelings they would otherwise never feel at ease putting into words. These efforts seek the goal to minimize the potentially traumatic impact of disease on the patient&#39;s psychological well-being. Our group focused also on communication using modern media as vehicles of information, eg, integrating the use of social networks in the involvement of patients in adolescent- and young adult-dedicated activities and uploading informative videos on YouTube. Keywords: relationship, teenagers, psychology, spirituality, art, social network

Analytic errors in Sysmex-generated hematology results in blood from a dog with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A blood sample from a 14-year-old dog was submitted to the veterinary diagnostic laboratory of the University of Milan for marked leukocytosis with atypical cells. A diagnosis of chronic T-cell lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was made based on blood smear evaluation and flow cytometric phenotyping. A CBC by Sysmex XT-2000iV revealed a moderate normocytic normochromic anemia. Red blood cells counted by optic flow cytometry (RBC-O) resulted in a higher value than using electrical impedance (RBC-I). The relative reticulocyte count based on RNA content and size was 35.3%, while the manual reticulocyte count was <1%. The WBC count of 1,562,680cells/μL was accompanied by a flag. Manual counts for RBC and WBC using the Bürker chamber confirmed the Sysmex impedance results. Finally the manual PCV was lower than HCT by Sysmex. While Sysmex XT can differentiate between RBC and WBC by impedance, even in the face of extreme lymphocytosis due to CLL, RBC-O can be affected by bias, resulting in falsely increased RBC and reticulocyte numbers. Overestimation of RBC-O may be due to incorrect Sysmex classification of leukemic cells or their fragments as reticulocytes. This phenomenon is known as pseudoreticulocytosis and can lead to misinterpretation of regenerative anemia. On the other side PCV can be affected by bias in CLL due to the trapping of RBC in the buffy coat, resulting in a pink hue in the separation area. As HGB concentration is not affected by flow cytometric or other cell-related artifacts it may represent the most reliable variable to assess the degree of anemia in cases of CLL.