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In cases of severe horizontal atrophy, implant placement requires bone reconstruction procedures. The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the outcomes of bone augmentation with simultaneous implant placement using the shell technique to the outcomes of guided bone regeneration (GBR) in cases of severely horizontal bone atrophy. This study was designed as a monocentric, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial with a six-month follow-up. Among the primary outcomes of this study, peri-implant bone regeneration and peri-implant bone defect closure were selected. Forty-four patients were recruited and equally divided between two groups. In the GRB group, a horizontal regeneration of 2.31 ± 0.23 mm was observed opposed to a horizontal regeneration of 2.36 ± 0.17 mm in the shell group (p = 0.87). A volumetric increase was observed in both groups, with an increase of 0.30 ± 0.12 cm3 in the GBR group and an increase of 0.39 ± 0.09 cm3 in the shell group, highlighting a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.02). In conclusion, bone augmentation with simultaneous implant placement using the shell technique or guided bone regeneration in horizontal bone atrophy are both predictable therapeutic options.

Aims/Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of women in the perinatal period has been widely shown in literature. Although longitudinal quantitative studies investigated the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on both women and children's health, no longitudinal qualitative study can be found within literature. The study aimed at an in-depth exploration of the longitudinal trajectories, from pregnancy to postpartum, lived by women through the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Design/Methods: As a method, the qualitative approach of Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. A total of 14 women were interviewed for the first time during pregnancy (March-May 2021/second wave of the COVID-19 spread). Among the total, 8 completed a second interview, one year later, during postpartum (March-May 2022/end of the COVID-19 public emergency) and were included in the analysis. Results: Three superordinated themes emerged: (1) Maternal functions during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) 'Care' needs of women in maternal services; (3) Unspeakable: obstetric violence and gender inequality in the working field. Themes were organised considering women's experience, showing continuity and discontinuity paths overtime. Conclusion: Women in their perinatal period during the COVID-19 pandemic felt like 'living incubators', both isolated and invested in individual and social responsibilities of 'caring'. The study confirms the need to re-centre maternal care services' praxis on women's needs as an act of collective repair against the consequences of collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Nowadays, due to the esthetic and social demands of patients, conventional staged protocols seem to be increasingly replaced by faster, one-step protocols. The purpose of the present systematic review is to assess the peri-implant soft tissue changes after immediate implant placement and provisionalization (IIPP) comparing patients treated with or without a sub-epithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) when replacing a single tooth in the esthetic region. Methods The present systematic review was written following the PRISMA checklist. Immediate implants placed with a connective tissue graft and without one were compared. The researched primary outcomes were the mid-buccal mucosa level (MBML) facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) and marginal bone loss (MBL). The weighted mean differences (WMD) were estimated for all three outcomes. Results The change in the mid-buccal mucosa level in the intervention group was significantly higher (WMD 0.54; 95% CI 0.33–0.75), with no indication of heterogeneity (I2 = 16%). The facial soft tissue thickness increased significantly in the intervention group (WMD 0.79; 95% CI 0.37–1.22). The marginal bone loss was significantly higher in the control group (WMD 0.13; 95% CI 0.07–0.18), with no indication of heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). Conclusions The results of the meta-analyses showed a statistically significant reduced change of the marginal bone loss and vestibular recession, as well as higher soft tissue thickness, when a graft was used. The included studies had a short observation time; therefore, studies with longer follow-ups are needed to confirm these findings.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to analyze the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients rehabilitated using a single implant supporting a crown with a cantilever extension or two implants supporting two single crowns. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a systematic review of relevant literature published from 2000 was conducted in the Cochrane Library, Scopus, and MEDLINE databases. Moreover, a manual search was performed. A meta‐analysis of the resulting data was carried out. Peri‐implant marginal bone level, probing pocket depth, prevalence of technical and mechanical complications, implant survival rate, and prosthesis survival rate were assessed. Results: The meta‐analysis showed a non‐statistically significant change in the peri‐implant marginal bone level and probing pocket depth in the cantilever group and revealed a non‐significant prevalence of technical complications, showing a 27% rate in the cantilever group. The analysis of the prosthesis survival rate in the cantilever group showed a mean survival rate of 99% while the comparison of the implant survival between the two groups revealed an odds ratio of 0.50. Conclusions: The use of a single implant supporting a crown with a cantilever extension does not result in lower implant survival rate if compared with two implants supporting two single crowns. Moreover, a high prosthesis survival rate was observed in the cantilever group even if the high prevalence of complications should be carefully considered by the clinician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Psychological distress in pregnant and postpartum women increased during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, the impact of the pandemic in perinatal women at the end of the health emergency has been rarely studied. This study is aimed at investigating the psychological health of pregnant and postpartum women at the end of the COVID‐19 public health emergency, hypothesizing that the COVID‐19‐related fears influence perinatal psychological distress via the mediation of the COVID‐19‐related posttraumatic impact and loneliness. Methods: A total of 200 women in the perinatal period, of which 125 were pregnant and 75 were postpartum, participated in an online survey at the end of the COVID‐19 public health emergency in Italy. Depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, posttraumatic impact of COVID‐19 pandemic and COVID‐19‐related fears were assessed. To test the hypotheses, robust serial mediation analyses were performed. Results: Increased levels of COVID‐19‐related fears were associated with an increase in perinatal depression, anxiety and stress indirectly through the serial mediation of COVID‐19 posttraumatic impact and loneliness. Loneliness played a stronger role in mediating the relationship between COVID‐19‐related fears and depression than anxiety and stress outcomes. Conclusions: This study should be considered exploratory for its methodological characteristics and nonreplicability of the pandemic condition. However, this study suggests the importance of assessing posttraumatic reactions to 'collective' crises in pregnant and postpartum women for research and clinical practice. In addition, it sustains the role of loneliness as a transversal construct that should be greatly considered in targeting psychological interventions for women in the perinatal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of bone volume may compromise a correct three-dimensional implant placement. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of simultaneous horizontal guided bone regeneration (GBR) performed using autogenous bone or blood-derived products mixed with a bone xenograft. The study population consisted of patients operated on using one of two clinical protocols for GBR: group A, which used autogenous bone mixed with a bone xenograft, and group B, which used advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) mixed with a bone xenograft. The primary outcome was the clinical gain in the peri-implant defect. The secondary outcomes included an analysis of the postoperative healing, periodontal parameters, marginal bone loss, and occurrence of adverse events. All of the surgeries were carried out successfully. One patient in each group experienced a case of early implant loss, and three patients (one in group A and two in group B) presented biologic complications. The mean peri-implant vertical defect heights at baseline in group A and group B were 3.6 ± 0.9 mm and 4 ± 1.5 mm, respectively (P = .382). No statistically significant differences in the mean residual defect heights (P = .521) or in the postoperative wound healing (P = .611) were observed. Stable peri-implant marginal bone levels were recorded after loading in both groups. The use of A-PRF combined with a particulate bone xenograft and covered with a fixed collagen membrane may provide clinical results similar to those obtained via autogenous bone mixed with bone xenograft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The spread of online platform services offering psychological psychotherapy and counselling has been observed globally. In Italy, these services were aimed at young people and offered job opportunities to early‐career clinical psychologists. Aim: The current study aimed to explore the professional experiences of early‐career psychologists (age range: 29–35 years) in working on online platform services that deliver psychotherapy and counselling in Italy. Method: A total of 13 psychologists practising psychological interventions on online platform services were interviewed. Participants had a mean of 3 years' clinical experience. A thematic analysis, following the qualitative approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was performed. Results: From the analysis, four superordinate themes emerged: (1) a smart intervention; (2) professional identity; (3) a different and wide contact; and (4) grateful to the platform, loyal to the 'company'. Discussion: The online platforms represented a 'medium' with a 'third' function on a double level. At one level, they mediated between the request of the client and the psychologist, using the suggestions of AI algorithms. At another level, they offered employability and a guide to online interventions to early‐career psychologists. Some critical issues related to ethics emerged considering the difficulty in maintaining the psychologists' autonomy before the affiliation to the business model promoted by the company, which may not match the client's interests. Conclusion: The study highlights that online platforms promote a new culture of psychological health services, changing the representations and meanings attributed to the online intervention, the clinical profession and the psychologist–client relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the experiences of five Italian social workers working in secondary reception centres with African refugee families in an attempt to deepen the feelings experienced in working with refugee families as well as their representations of African parenthood. A semi-structured interview was developed and analysed according to the principles of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings suggested that the work with the refugee families, compared to that with single refugees, might configure a higher at-risk area for mental health, due to the copious individual, relational, collective, social dimensions, and cultural issues to take into consideration, returning the idea that professionals working with refugee families seem to feel 'unaccompanied' and 'emotionally loaded'. The results also deepen, from the social workers' gaze, composite representations of African parenthood, evidencing the importance played by the cultural differences in reading and interpreting the foreigner parenting practices. Clinical implications will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to describe the methodological procedures which led to the development of the ASPI, a photo-elicitation method aimed at exploring the life stories of Nigerian asylum seekers. The purposes of the manuscript are to share a research and methodological protocol for the development of similar methods as well as, through this, to extract and offer some methodological and operational research practices and criteria useful for transcultural research with forced migrants. The questioning attitude of researcher, intended as a methodological praxis in transcultural research, combined with the psychological function played by participatory research, which also engages a 'third gaze' on the traumatic experiences of asylum seekers, will be discussed to highlight and reflect upon the potentialities of qualitative research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID‐19 pandemic was assessed by several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta‐analyses which provided contrasting and different results. We aimed to summarize the evidence relating to the global prevalence of anxiety and depression among pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Material and methods: An umbrella review of SRs and meta‐analyses was performed. Searches were conducted in electronic databases up to April 2023. SRs and meta‐analyses reporting the prevalence of perinatal anxiety and depression during the COVID‐19 pandemic were selected for eligibility. Primary studies extracted from eligible meta‐analyses were included in the quantitative synthesis. The research protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020173125). Results: A total of 25 SRs (198 primary studies) and 12 meta‐analyses (129 primary studies) were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis, respectively. Studies involved data from five continents and 45 countries. The pooled prevalence of antenatal and postpartum depression was 29% (n = 55; 95% CI: 25%–33%) and 26% (n = 54; 95% CI: 23%–30%), respectively. In the case of anxiety, the pooled antenatal and postnatal prevalence was 31% (n = 44; 95% CI: 26%–37%; n = 16; 95% CI: 24%–39%). Differences emerged between continents, with Africa having the highest prevalence of perinatal depression and Oceania and Europe having the highest prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety. The prevalence also varied depending on the assessment tools, especially for antenatal anxiety. A medium‐high quality of the studies was observed. One SR assessed strength‐of‐evidence, reporting very low strength. Conclusions: During the COVID‐19 pandemic, depression and anxiety were common, affecting almost one in three perinatal women globally. A high heterogeneity and a risk of publication bias were found, partially due to the variety of assessment tools and cut‐offs. The results may not be generalized to minorities. Studies on the prevalence of clinical diagnoses are needed. Based on our results it is not possible to firmly affirm that the COVID‐19 pandemic was the main factor that directly increased perinatal depression and anxiety during the past few years. Future studies should study other factors' impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Organ transplantation may elicit several emotional responses, where the lack of psychological integration of the allograft can lead to up to out-to-out manifestations of psychopathological symptoms. As there are only a few studies which examined the impact of a successful psychological integration, it is mandatory to have a specific tool available. The aim of this study is to assess the factorial structure of the Italian translation of the Transplanted Organ Questionnaire (TOQ) and verify the association with its dimensions and psychopathology. Methods: The TOQ was translated from English into Italian using back-translation procedure, then it has been included in a survey with the Brief Symptoms Inventory in order to assess predictive validity with psychopathological symptoms. 117 Italian solid organ transplant recipients were enrolled via web and completed the survey. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the three-factor model had sufficient fit to the data obtained from the Italian sample, with the exclusion of five items for cultural and transplant-specific reasons. Predictive validity was partially confirmed, implying that the TOQ is significantly associated with mental health outcome measures. Conclusion: The Italian version of the TOQ represents a valid tool to explore the process of psychological integration of the transplanted organ and could improve the understanding about the role of psychological factors in post-transplant physiological recovery and duration of the graft. Clinicians and researchers in healthcare settings may take advantage of the TOQ to assess the changes experienced over time by transplant recipients and the resulting psychological implications on their global well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A 'new' way of dreaming has emerged during the pandemic, enhancing the interest of psychological literature. Indeed, during the years of the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), many studies have investigated dream‐related phenomena and dreaming functions. Considering the constant and rapid emergence of new results on this topic, the main aim of this study was to create an 'observatory' on the short‐ and long‐term consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic on dreaming, by means of a living systematic review. The baseline results are presented, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement guidelines, to identify and discuss existing studies about dreams and dreaming during the COVID‐19 pandemic published until February 2022. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were used for the search strategy, yielding 71 eligible papers included in the review. Our results show: (a) a more intense oneiric activity during lockdown; (b) changes in dreaming components (especially dream‐recall and nightmare frequency); (c) a particular dreaming scenario ('pandemic dreams'); (d) an alteration of the dreaming–waking‐life continuum and a specific function of dreaming as emotional regulator. Findings suggest that monitoring changes in dreaming provides important information about psychological health and could also contribute to the debate on the difficulties of dreaming, as well as sleeping, in particular during and after a period of 'collective trauma'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents a qualitative and culturally-sensitive investigation of the lived experiences of the forced migration of six Nigerian asylum seekers, three men and three women, hosted in Italy. Through a focus on gender identity issues, the study aimed to explore possible gender differences between participants and define their specific needs, requirements and characteristics. Overall, the gender-focused perspective through which we explored participants' subjective experiences has enriched our understanding of their unique life stories, shedding light on the psychic dimensions as well as on the social and cultural inscriptions of their gender identity and providing insights on the different ways in which Nigerian women and men made sense of their experiences of displacement, migration, violence and trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]