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Research has shown a link between specific learning disorders (SLD) and both internalizing (e.g., anxiety and depression) and externalizing problems (e.g., anger and aggressive behavior). However, the predictive factors of these behaviors have not been examined in significant depth. The main purpose of the present study is, therefore, to investigate the possible presence of learned helplessness as the main predictor of the development of internalizing/externalizing problems in students. The present study also aims to verify whether there are differences between pre-adolescent students with and without SLD in terms of learned helplessness in school and the development of internalizing/externalizing problems. The sample consisted of 84 students, with an average age of 12.9 years (SD= 1.42). A total of 52 males (62 %) and 32 females (38 %) were divided into two groups, based on the presence of SLD (44 students with SLD and 40 without). The results showed that students with SLD demonstrated higher levels of internalizing problems. Further, although learned helplessness in a student was not a predictor of externalizing problems in the group without SLD, it was predictive of internalizing and externalizing problems in the group with it. The study’s results, directions for future research, and implications for the psychological wellbeing of students are also discussed., Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 7, No 2 (2019)

The kinetics of the CO oxidation on a typical nanocomposite MnCeOx catalyst (M5C1) were probed by temperature programmed catalytic reaction (TPCR) tests in the range of 293-533 K, varying reagent partial pressure (i.e., pCO and pO2) between 0.00625 and 0.025 atm (P, 1 atm) (Arena et al., 2017). Experimental data indicate kinetic orders of 0.6 and 0.4 on pCO and pO2 respectively, with apparent activation energy of 40 ± 3 kJ/mol (Arena et al., 2017). A systematic study of the interaction pattern of catalyst with reagen tand product molecules shows easy reactivity of surface oxygen to CO, low mobility of lattice oxygen and weak surface affinity to CO2. Systematic evidences on reaction mechanism and surface intermediates signal an extrafacial redox path, triggered by abstraction of oxygen atoms in the neighbouring of active MnIV sites (Arena et al., 2017), and sustained by O2 species adsorbed on those surface oxygen vacancies. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) reaction mechanism leads to a formal kinetic model explaining the CO oxidation functionality of bare and promoted MnOxcatalysts.

Parkinson's disease has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients. Depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopaminergic drugs are the variables that most affect health-related quality of life. The ecological model of human development focuses attention on both individual and social environmental factors as targets for health interventions. From this perspective, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the influence of gender, family size and perceived autonomy on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients in northeastern Sicily, Italy. Ninety Parkinson's disease patients, attending the Movement Disorders Clinic at IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo" (Messina), were consecutively enrolled. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-III) scores, the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire-39 Item scores (as a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life), scores on the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire (as a generic measure), and answers to a brief checklist were recorded. A total of 85 Parkinson's disease patients (49% males and 51% females; mean age 70.8 ± 8.6 years; mean UPDRS-III 24.15 ± 6.55; mean disease duration 5.52 ± 4.65 years) completed the booklet of questionnaires. In the multivariate regression analysis, we included clinical and social variables as independent predictors of health-related quality of life. Our results suggest a potential compounding effect of ecological intrapersonal and interpersonal levels on health-related quality of life outcomes. Gender, self-evaluated autonomy and family size significantly impacted health-related quality of life. If quality of life is used as an indicator of treatment outcomes, an ecological perspective of the case history will be important to disclose relevant prognostic information and trigger personalized health care interventions.

The aim of the present research is to compare phonological abilities and visuo-spatial abilities in Chinese dyslexic children (CDC) vs. Italian dyslexic children (IDC). Specifically, 10 CDC, 10 IDC, 10 Chinese and 10 Italian children with typical development (TD) were administered instruments to assess reading, writing, visual-perceptual, and visual-spatial memory abilities. CDC showed lower performance in the reading task, in the text and sentence dictation tasks, in the visual-perceptual, visual-motor integration, and visual-spatial memory tasks, as compared to Chinese TD. IDC made more errors in the reading task and more phonological errors in the text and in the sentence dictation tasks, as compared to the Italian TD, but no significant differences emerged in visual-perceptual, visual-motor integration and visual-spatial memory abilities. The most important result is that CDC made significantly less errors in the reading task and in the phonological dictation task, despite they performed worse in the visual-perceptual, visual-motor integration and visual-spatial memory tasks, as compared to IDC. Indeed, CDC’ perceptual deficits do not appear to impair learning of reading and writing in a language with transparent orthography, despite those perceptual deficits represent a fundamental component of Chinese dyslexic children’s profile. Educational and practical implications are discussed., Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 4, No 3 (2016)

Hyperdynamic syndrome is a well-known clinical condition found in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, characterized by increased heart rate and cardiac output, and reduced systemic vascular resistance and arterial blood pressure. The leading cause of hyperdynamic circulation in cirrhotic patients is peripheral and splanchnic vasodilatation, due to an increased production/activity of vasodilator factors and decreased vascular reactivity to vasoconstrictors. The term “cirrhotic cardiomyopathy” describes impaired contractile responsiveness to stress, diastolic dysfunction and electrophysiological abnormalities in patients with cirrhosis without known cardiac disease. Underlying circulatory and cardiac dysfunctions are the main determinant in the development of hepatorenal syndrome in advanced cirrhosis. Moreover, the clinical consequences of cirrhosis-related cardiovascular dysfunction are evident during and after liver transplantation, and after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt insertion. Cardiovascular complications following these procedures are common, with pulmonary edema being the most common complication. Other complications include overt heart failure, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, pericardial effusion, and cardiac thrombus formation. This review discusses the circulatory and cardiovascular dysfunctions in cirrhosis, examining the pathophysiologic and clinical implications in light of the most recent published literature.