Improvement of Self-Esteem in Children with Specific Learning Disorders after Donkey-Assisted Therapy.

Dyslexia is a learning disorder related to receptive language characterized by difficulties with decoding, fluent word recognition, automatic naming skills and/or reading comprehension skills. It usually leads to severe functional impairment and the permanent need for support and interventions. Since animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have been found to improve physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social functioning in humans, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of onotherapy on children with SLD by improving self-esteem and school performance. Sixteen patients with a diagnosis of dyslexia were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: the first was a conventional neuropsychological group therapy without onotherapy, and the second was a neuropsychological group therapy incorporating AAIs with therapy donkeys. The neuropsychological assessment included the WISC-IV, DDE and the TMA test, which were administered before and after the treatment in both groups. The results of the experimental group show significant improvement in word reading test correctness (p = 0.03) and speed (p = 0.03), non-word reading test speed (p = 0.01), reading text test correctness (p = 0.05) and speed (p = 0.03), word writing test correctness (p = 0.01), non-word writing test correctness (p = 0.02), writing sentences with homophonic words correctness (p = 0.01), interpersonal TMA (p = 0.04) and the total TMA (p = 0.04), which were significative. On the other hand, in the control group, significant differences were found in word reading test speed (p = 0.01), non-word reading test speed (p = 0.04), reading text test speed (p = 0.02), writing word test correctness (p = 0.01), writing non-word test correctness (p = 0.01) and writing sentences with homophonic words (p = 0.01). However, in this group, we observed no significant difference in the esteem of children. Training associated with the donkeys determined improved scholastic performances as far as reading is concerned and a change in self-esteem. Therefore, we can state that AAIs for dyslexia could be a viable and effective option to enhance the rehabilitation process, increase self-esteem and improve cognitive functions and language skills recovery.

Mental Health of Nurses Working in a Judicial Psychiatry Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: An Online Survey.

The onset of this new pandemic has highlighted the numerous critical issues at the organizational level, which involve both national healthcare and the judicial system. For this reason, nurses working in prisons may exhibit a poor quality of life, mainly related to their high level of work stress. This cross-sectional survey aimed to assess the emotional state of nurses working in the Judicial Psychiatry Hospital of Barcellona PG (Messina, Italy) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection occurred twice: from 1 April to 20 May 2020 (i.e., during the Italian lockdown) and from 15 October to 31 December 2021 (during the second wave). At baseline, the 35 enrolled nurses presented medium to high levels of stress. At T1, they had a reduction in perceived personal achievement (MBI-PR p = 0.01), an increase in emotional exhaustion (MBI-EE p < 0.001), and stress (PSS p = 0.03), as well as anxiety (STAI Y1/Y2 p < 0.001). Most participants underlined the high usability of the online system (SUS: 69.50/SD 19.9). We also found increased stress, anxiety, and burnout risk in nursing staff. The study clearly demonstrates that the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy caused a worsening of mental health among nurses working in prisons. We believe that monitoring the mental state of healthcare professionals is fundamental to improving their quality of life and healthcare services.

The Role of Hypertropia in the Surgical Management of Bilateral Inferior Oblique Muscle Overaction.

PURPOSE: Inferior oblique muscle overaction (IOOA) is an ocular motility anomaly consisting of overelevation in adduction, often associated with ipsilateral hypertropia. The weakening procedure of IO muscle is the most widely used procedure in IOOA. Usually, surgical planning is based on the degree of overaction of the IO muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have retrospectively analyzed patients with bilateral IOOA with and without hypertropia in primary position, who underwent a bilateral IO weakening procedure. Both the amount of IOOA and the presence of a hypertropia in primary position were taken into consideration for the surgical plan. RESULTS: Nineteen patients met the entry criteria for this study. In 12 patients, a hypertropia in primary position was present at baseline, and it was significantly lower after the asymmetrical IO weakening: 11 had an asymmetric IOOA at baseline, and one had symmetric IOOA. None of the remaining seven patients had a vertical deviation in primary position before surgery, despite having asymmetric IOOA. None of them developed a hypertropia in primary position after symmetric IO weakening. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings outline the utility of considering both the presence of a vertical deviation in primary position and the magnitude of IOOA in this set of patients. Asymmetric inferior oblique weakening procedure is effective in treating a hypertropia in the primary position and bilateral IOOA.

Are We Paving the Way to Dig Out of the "Pandemic Hole"? A Narrative Review on SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination: From Animal Models to Human Immunization.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new pathogen agent causing the coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). This novel virus originated the most challenging pandemic in this century, causing economic and social upheaval internationally. The extreme infectiousness and high mortality rates incentivized the development of vaccines to control this pandemic to prevent further morbidity and mortality. This international scenario led academic scientists, industries, and governments to work and collaborate strongly to make a portfolio of vaccines available at an unprecedented pace. Indeed, the robust collaboration between public systems and private companies led to resolutive actions for accelerating therapeutic interventions and vaccines mechanism. These strategies contributed to rapidly identifying safe and effective vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible. Preclinical research employed animal models to develop vaccines that induce protective and long-lived immune responses. A spectrum of vaccines is worldwide under investigation in various preclinical and clinical studies to develop both individual protection and safe development of population-level herd immunity. Companies employed and developed different technological approaches for vaccines production, including inactivated vaccines, live-attenuated, non-replicating viral vector vaccines, as well as acid nucleic-based vaccines. In this view, the present narrative review provides an overview of current vaccination strategies, taking into account both preclinical studies and clinical trials in humans. Furthermore, to better understand immunization, animal models on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis are also briefly discussed.

Improvement of brain functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorder: an exploratory study on the potential use of virtual reality.

Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need to be provided with behavioral, psychological, educational, or skill-building interventions as early as possible. Cognitive Behavior Therapy has proven useful to manage such problems. There is also growing evidence on the usefulness of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) in treating various functional deficits in ASD. This exploratory study is aimed at assessing the changes in cognitive functions in children with ASD, and the putative subtending neurophysiological mechanisms, following the provision of rehab training using an innovative VRT system. Twenty patients with ASD, aged 6-15 years, were provided with 24 sessions of VRT by using the pediatric module of the BTS NIRVANA System. Neuropsychological and EEG evaluations were carried out before and at the end of the training. After VRT, all patients showed a significant improvement in their cognitive-behavioral problems concerning attention processes, visuospatial cognition, and anxiety. These findings were paralleled by an evident reshape of frontoparietal connectivity in the alpha and theta frequency range. Our study suggests that VRT could be a useful and promising tool to improve ASD neurorehabilitation outcomes. This improvement is likely to occur through changes in frontoparietal network connectivity following VRT.

How personality traits affect functional outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis: A scoping review on a poorly understood topic.

Personality is an important variable when explaining individual differences in disease acceptance, coping styles and psychological well-being. Personality changes, such as social inadequacy, disinhibition, apathy, emotional lability, and impulsivity, have been reported in many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This review sought to assess the role of personality traits in people with MS, focusing on how this may affect the patient's outcome. Studies were identified by searching on PubMed, Web Of Science and Cochrane databases. Our review shows that the personality traits commonly found in MS are often dysfunctional. In particular, it has been suggested that people with MS present with lower levels of conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness, as well as higher levels of neuroticism than healthy controls. These personality traits negatively affect cognitive domains, mood, and psychological well-being. As personality may affect the clinical manifestations and disabilities of patients with MS, personality assessment should be an integral part of the management of the disease, in order to achieve better functional outcomes.

Who Will Pay for Robotic Rehabilitation? The Growing Need for a Cost-effectiveness Analysis.

The robot-assisted rehabilitation is a type of technology that has shown great advances in recent years, demonstrating its effectiveness in different neurological disorders; however, the main argument against the introduction of robot technology in rehabilitation is economic considerations. Herein, we discussed the main concerns related to the widespread use of innovation technology and the need for a cost-effectiveness analysis to enter robotics into the framework of the healthcare systems involved in neurorehabilitation.