The region of Campania (particularly Naples and Caserta) has experienced an emergency in the waste management cycle during past years. Although the most critical phase has been overcome after the ...construction of the incineration plant in Acerra (an old-fashioned technology built up over a few months, whose impact on environment and health has not yet been assessed), most of the underlying problems have not been resolved. The illegal burning of wheels, plastics, textiles, and other industrial residuals, along with the detection of two thousand toxic substance dumping sites, still represents major concerns of environmental pollution and population health. This review summarizes the most relevant studies, which analyzed chemical contamination (primarily dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) of the air, soil, water, animals, and humans in Campania. In addition, we reviewed information on population health (i.e., mortality data, congenital malformations, and cancer incidence). Moving from a detailed mapping of (mostly illegal) waste dumping sites in Campania, we have focused on recent studies which have found: (a) high concentrations of dioxins (≥5.0 pg TEQ/g fat) in milk samples from sheep, cows, and river buffaloes; (b) remarkable contamination of dioxin and PCBs in human milk samples from those living in the Naples and Caserta areas (PCDDs+PCDFs and dioxin-like-PCBs (dl-PCBs) assessed at 16.6 pg TEQ/g of fat; range: 7.5-43 pg/g of fat); (c) potential age-adjusted standardized mortality rates associated with some specific cancer types; (d) a statistically significant association between exposure to illegal toxic waste dumping sites and cancer mortality, even after adjustment by socio-economic factors and other environmental indicators.
Background: The purpose of the present study was to examine, through an experimental vignette design, the effects of appearance-related comments from one’s partner on body image and the perceived ...quality of one’s relationship. Body image was considered both in negative (body dissatisfaction) and positive (body compassion) terms. Methods: Appearance-related commentary from one’s partner was manipulated through a vignette describing the purchase of a swimsuit. The participants (n = 211) were women and men who were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental conditions (positive comment, negative comment, no comment). Results: A series of ANOVAs showed different findings for women and men. Being criticized for body weight and shape caused an increase in body dissatisfaction and a decrease in body compassion in men but not in women. Regarding couple satisfaction, women who imagined receiving a compliment about their body perceived being more accepted by their partner and were less afraid of being abandoned or rejected. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of appearance-based comments from one’s partner on men’s body image and on women’s perception of their couple relationship. Therefore, appearance comments might be addressed by interventions aimed at enhancing positive body image, reducing body dissatisfaction, and fostering couple relationships, carefully considering sex differences.
Through a 2 × 2 experimental vignette design, we tested if partner perceived attractiveness in interaction with appearance-related comments from one's partner might affect women and men's body ...dissatisfaction, body shame, acceptance of cosmetic surgery, and perceived relationship quality. Participants were 154 women and 157 men living in Italy (mean age = 30.97; all of them were in a couple relationship), who read a vignette describing the purchase of a swimsuit, through which partner attractiveness (poor versus high) and partner commentary (negative versus positive) were manipulated. Some ANCOVAs were performed on women and men separately. For men, partner commentary affected body dissatisfaction with low body fat. Moreover, the main effect of partner attractiveness was found in their consideration of undergoing cosmetic procedures. Among women, a significant partner attractiveness X partner commentary interaction effect emerged on acceptance of cosmetic surgery for social reasons. As regards relationship quality, for women, there was a main effect of partner attractiveness on relational communication, while a marginally significant interaction effect between partner attractiveness and partner commentary emerged for men's self-disclosure. Our findings suggest that partner attractiveness is generally beneficial, but when combined with negative feedback concerning the appearance, it might lose its advantages. These findings should be considered for planning interventions aimed at both preventing body dissatisfaction and acceptance of cosmetic surgical procedures for not medical reasons and promoting relationship satisfaction among women and men.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the adherence to anti-contagion measures was the way to contain the pandemic and overwhelmed healthcare systems. Protection Motivation Theory might offer a valid ...framework to identify predictors of individuals' motivation to protect themselves from COVID-19. We examined the role of threat and coping appraisals, together with values, in predicting the intentions to follow anti-contagion measures among Italians. We used a correlational design. Path analysis was performed to examine the relationships among variables. A total of 420 participants completed an online survey assessing threat appraisal (perceived threat severity and vulnerability), coping appraisal (perceived response efficacy and self-efficacy), fear of COVID-19, intentions to follow government measures, values. Threat appraisal was positively associated with intentions to follow anti-contagion measures via fear of COVID-19. Coping appraisal and values showed a positive association with the intentions to follow government measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Our findings suggest that public-health communications might enhance threat and coping appraisal to increase the intention to follow anti-contagion measures among Italians. Also the role of fear should be considered in health policies. Furthermore, appeals to values could be useful to increase compliance with COVID-19 behavioral guidelines.
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The use of (nanostructured lipid carries) NLC to disperse curcumin in aqueous media is widely found in literature. However, few studies systematically analyze the influence of the ...lipid matrix composition and the presence of curcumin on the physicochemical characteristics of NLC. Thus, the present work aimed to verify the influence of the NLC composition on its structure. Different solid lipid (SL) to liquid lipid (LL) ratios were evaluated, yielding NLC < 600 nm and <400 nm with the use of MCT and castor oil, respectively. The addition of Tween 80 favored the formation of smaller structures. Thermal analysis data confirmed the formation of different structures due to their different composition and also after the incorporation of curcumin. The present study also describes a correlation between the rheology of the NLC dispersion and the degree of structural organization of the NLC, indicating the formation of structures with a differentiated degree of organization. Photomicrographs showed the formation of two different structures, multiple types and amorphous, with drug concentrated in nucleus. in vitro studies have not shown significant IC50 differences between the systems developed with curcumin; however, the time and effectiveness of internalization were different for the two developed systems. The interaction between SL and LL demonstrated to be an important parameter that should be considered before the development of NLC, also the molecular characteristics of each component must be verified in order to develop NLC on a desirable type.
This study aimed to examine the association between positive (self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness) and negative (isolation, self-judgment, and over-identification) components of ...self-compassion, and both body dissatisfaction and acceptance of cosmetic surgery among women, through the mediation (for the negative components) of internalization and physical appearance comparison. The participants were 220 young Italian women aged 19-31 (
= 21) years, who completed a questionnaire assessing the variables of interest. Path analysis indicated that higher mindfulness was directly linked to lower acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Mindfulness presented the strongest link with cosmetic surgery, as it was directly associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery for both social and interpersonal motivations and with consideration of undergoing some cosmetic procedures. Common humanity and self-kindness were related to acceptance of cosmetic surgery for social reasons. Over-identification seemed to be associated with body dissatisfaction and acceptance of cosmetic surgery both directly and indirectly through internalization and physical appearance comparison. Self-judgment and isolation did not present a significant association with either body dissatisfaction or acceptance of cosmetic surgery. These findings confirm that psychological assessment of women who are interested in cosmetic surgery is highly recommended. Interventions should not consider self-compassion as a whole, but they should rather focus on some of its components. The role of over-identification seems to be especially pivotal, as higher scores on this dimension are linked to higher levels of body dissatisfaction and greater acceptance of cosmetic surgery.
Objective
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale‐Self Report (LSAS‐SR) is a self‐report measure of social anxiety (SA), which has shown adequate psychometric properties across cultures. However, no study ...has systematically evaluated its measurement invariance (MI) between (a) individuals with and without a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and (b) males and females. The current study addresses this issue.
Methods
We collected data on 257 (158 females) Italian individuals diagnosed with SAD and 356 (232 females) community‐dwelling adults.
Results
We initially found support for the unidimensionality of the Italian LSAS‐SR measurement model in all samples. Using the Graded Response Model, we obtained evidence of partial MI and differential item functioning between community‐dwelling and SAD‐diagnosed individuals and evidence of strong MI between male and female participants.
Conclusions
The results of this study suggest that the Italian LSAS‐SR measures the same trait in the same way across the symptom continuum and sexes, making it a psychometrically sound tool for assessment, screening, and research purposes.
This study aimed to compare perspective‐taking with a hypothetical target and perspective‐taking occurring during a real interaction with an outgroup member in reducing prejudice toward people with ...disabilities and other groups (e.g., immigrants, homosexual people), via increased empathy. We adopted an experimental design with two treatment groups (Hypothetical target vs. Real target) and one control group (no intervention), one pretest and two posttest measures. Participants, who were 437 students aged 11–17 years (M = 14.28; SD = 1.17), were randomly assigned to the various conditions on a classroom basis. Perspective‐taking was facilitated asking participants to travel in a wheelchair on a path that simulated a real pavement in the presence (or not) of an individual with a motor disability. Findings showed that perspective‐taking in the presence of a real target was more effective in reducing prejudice toward people with disabilities than perspective‐taking task without encountering an outgroup member. Perspective‐taking with a hypothetical target was not sufficient to increase participants' empathy toward people with disabilities, which instead was enhanced when the task was performed at the presence of a real member of that group. Positive effects produced by perspective‐taking (with both a hypothetical and a real target) were transferred to immigrants and homosexuals. These findings suggest that, when possible, perspective‐taking in the presence of the target, which can improve empathy by favoring a two‐way exchange process, is highly recommended to improve attitudes toward different stigmatized groups, not necessarily targeted by the intervention.
Ubiquitous in nature, polyamines (PAs) are a class of low-molecular aliphatic amines critically involved in cell growth, survival and differentiation. The polycation behavior is validated as a ...successful strategy in delivery systems to enhance oligonucleotide loading and cellular uptake. In this study, the chemical features and the functional roles of the PA spermidine are synergistically exploited in the synthesis and bioactive functionalization of SiO
-based structures. Inspired by biosilicification, the role of spermidine is assessed both as catalyst and template in a biomimetic one-pot synthesis of dense silica-based particles (SPs) and as a competitive agent in an interfacial reassembly strategy, to empty out SPs and generate spermidine-decorated hollow silica nanoporous pods (spd-SNPs). Spermidine bioactivity is then employed for targeting tumor cell over-expressed polyamine transport system (PTS) and for effective delivery of functional miRNA into melanoma cells. Spermidine decoration promotes spd-SNP cell internalization mediated by PTS and along with hollow structure enhances oligonucleotide loading. Accordingly, the functional delivery of the tumor suppressor miR-34a 3p resulted in intracellular accumulation of histone-complexed DNA fragments associated with apoptosis. Overall, the results highlight the potential of spd-SNP as a multi-agent anticancer therapy.
The Northern Bald Ibis
is an endangered species, and recently it was reintroduced in Europe by the Waldrappteam. The reintroduction program has been strongly threatened by several sudden deaths, ...mainly in Italy. The present study used a forensic approach to analyze all of the 27 Northern Bald Ibises found dead in Italy between 2016 and 2022, which were suspected to have been victims of poaching, and it followed the veterinary forensic guidelines. Human-related causes accounted for 60% of the deaths, including illegal hunting (30%), blunt force trauma (26%), and electrocution (4%). Natural causes, starvation (15%), predation (11%) and disease (7%), accounted for 33% of the deaths. 7% of the causes of deaths remained undetermined. This study uses a forensic approach to analyze, for the first time, the main causes of death in
and highlights the relevance of detecting illegal actions related to endangered species and stopping the phenomenon of poaching.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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