Endorsing Precarious Manhood Beliefs Is Associated With Sexual Harassment Myths Acceptance in Italian Men and Women

The present study aimed to expand the understanding of the correlates of sexual harassment myths, a set of beliefs that serve to justify male perpetrators. Data collected among Italian adults (N = 407; 59.5% women) showed that individual levels of precarious manhood beliefs-according to which manhood is a social status that must be proven via public action-were related to greater sexual harassment myths acceptance in male and female respondents. Such associations were mediated by hostile sexism and benevolence toward men. Findings suggest that interventions to reduce tolerance of sexual harassment of women should target cultural views of manhood and counteract rigid models of masculinity and femininity.

Turning ingroup wounds into bonds: perceptions of gender inequalities predict attitudes toward other minorities

Despite significant strides in reducing gender disparities over the past decades, women still face disparities in several domains. While extensive research has explored the various consequences of gender inequalities for women, this study (N = 493 participants) delves into a less-explored dimension, investigating whether and how perceiving gender inequalities is associated with attitudes toward minorities. Drawing on relative deprivation theory and intra-minority solidarity research, we examined the relationship between women's perceptions of gender inequalities-spanning workplace inequality, domestic inequality, sexual harassment, and social expectations-and attitudes toward gays and lesbians, transgender women, and immigrants. We also explored whether indignation, arising from recognizing unjust circumstances, mediated these relationships, and the moderating role of perceived friends' support for gender equality. The results of the path analyses unveiled a nuanced relationship. While women who were more aware of gender inequalities exhibited more positive attitudes toward gays and lesbians and transgender women, no such relationship was observed regarding immigrants. Indignation and perceived friends' support for gender equality were key factors in fostering positive intergroup attitudes. Regarding their moderating role, perceived social norms only influenced the relationship between indignation and attitudes toward gays and lesbians. These findings shed light on the intricate interplay between gender inequalities and minority group attitudes. Recognizing the multifaceted nature of gender inequality and its emotional impact can catalyze promoting coalitional attitudes and collective action among disadvantaged groups. The study also underscores the potential of close groups' norms in promoting positive intergroup attitudes, warranting further exploration.

Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader

Introduction

In times of great uncertainty and hardship, calls for a strong leader tend to arise. The present study delved into this issue by examining possible sociopsychological antecedents of the wish for a strong leader during the COVID-19 crisis.

Methods

We examined the role of social identification, belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19, and trust in various relevant social actors in a sample of 350 Italian citizens.

Results

Structural equation modeling analyses showed that identification with Italians was related to a lower wish for a strong leader through the mediation of trust. Identification with Europeans had a direct and negative association with the wish for a strong leader. Finally, greater endorsement of conspiracy beliefs was related to a greater wish for a strong leader, directly and through diminished trust.

Discussion

These findings suggest that belief in conspiracy theories might drive individuals to depart from democratic principles, whereas relying on meaningful social identities can effectively contrast possible authoritarian turns brought about by a global societal crisis, such as the coronavirus outbreak.

"Everything Will Be All Right!" National and European Identification as Predictors of Positive Expectations for the Future During the COVID-19 Emergency

During the first national lockdown imposed in a Western country to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Italians tried to boost their spirits by hanging hand-drawn rainbows with the slogan "Everything will be all right" from their windows. To understand which processes might have nurtured their positive views about the future during the pandemic, the present study (N=846), building upon social identity research, examined the relationships among Italians' identification with their country and with the superordinate entity of the European Union (EU), trust in the main institutions in charge of managing the crisis (i.e., the Italian government, the EU, and the scientific community), and beliefs that the COVID-19 crisis would eventually result in the improvement of society. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that identification with Italians and Europeans had positive direct associations with positive expectations about humankind. Identification with Europeans was also directly related to positive expectations about Italian leaders and the strengthening of the EU through the crisis. Trust in the Italian government and, to a lower extent, trust in the EU mediated some of these associations. These findings suggest that governments should actively promote national and European identification to help citizens counter the negative psychological impact of the pandemic and maintain positive views of the future.

Bronchial reacutization and gastroesophageal reflux: is there a potential clinical correlation?

BACKGROUND

Pepsin plays a role in gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Aims of this study were to verify if pepsin could be the cause of frequent bronchial exacerbations and to check if the persistence of chronic respiratory symptoms were correlated with pre-existing respiratory diseases.

METHODS

From January to May 2016, 42 patients underwent a diagnostic bronchoscopy. All patients had a history of at least one bronchial exacerbation during the previous year. Bronchial lavage fluid specimens were obtained. A semiquantitative assessment of pepsin in the samples was carried out based on the intensity of the test sample.

RESULTS

Pepsin was present in 37 patients (88%), but in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the finding of pepsin in the bronchoalveolar fluid was 100%. There was a strong positive statistical correlation between pepsin detection and radiological signs of GER (ρ=0.662), and between pepsin detection and diagnosis (ρ=0.682). No correlation was found between the bacteriology and the presence of pepsin in the airways (ρ=0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of pepsin in the airways shows the occurrence of reflux. The persistence of respiratory symptoms by at least 2 months suggest an endoscopic bronchial examination. This straightforward test confirms the cause possible irritation of the airways and may prevent further diagnostic tests, such as an EGD or pH monitoring esophageal.

Effects of Candesartan on Left Ventricular Function, Aldosterone and BNP in Chronic Heart Failure

PURPOSE: Heart failure (HF) is characterized by activation of neurohormonal systems such as aldosterone and natriuretic peptides. In the absence of published data, CandHeart trial was designed to assess the effects on left ventricular (LV) function, aldosterone and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) of candesartan in patients with HF and preserved (LVEF ≥ 40%) or depressed (LVEF <40%) LV systolic function. METHODS: A total of 514 patients with stable symptomatic NYHA II-IV HF and any left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)were randomized to candesartan (target dose 32 mg once daily) as add-on therapy or standard medical therapy alone. Standardized echocardiographic exams were performed locally under central quality control, whereas biomarkers were assayed in a core laboratory. RESULTS: The majority of patients (73.3%) were NYHA II and on ACE inhibitors (91.8%) and beta-blockers (85.4%). Mean age was 66 ± 11 years. Mean LVEF was 36.2 ± 9.7% and 24.9% of patients had LVEF ≥ 40%. LVEF increased significantly more in the candesartan group (p = 0.09 at 12 weeks and p = 0.01 at 48 weeks) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased in candesartan group (p = 0.05 at 12 weeks). Candesartan significantly reduced aldosterone at 48 weeks (p = 0.009). BNP was reduced similarly over time in both study groups (p = 0.35 and p = 0.98 at 12 and 48 weeks, respectively). There were 6.6% of discontinuations of candesartan for adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In CandHeart, the addition of candesartan to standard medical treatment did not reduce circulating BNP more than standard therapy (primary endpoint), but it significantly improved LV function and produced a marked decrease in aldosterone levels at study end.

Effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy on insulin-like growth factor-1 in patients with advanced heart failure

BACKGROUND

Although a more favorable neurohormonal balance may contribute to improving symptoms following cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), no information is available regarding the effects of CRT on insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This study assessed the effects of CRT on IGF-1 levels and their correlation with changes in quality of life and left ventricular (LV) function.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Patients with cardiomyopathy in New York Heart Association class III or IV (n = 18; age 71 +/- 10 years), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < or = 40% and QRS > or = 130 ms or ventricular dyssynchrony were enrolled in the study and followed up for 6 months. After 3 months, there was an improvement in LVEF (from 29 +/- 7 to 33 +/- 10%, P = 0.0136) and quality of life (from 33 +/- 14 to 13 +/- 12, P = 0.0000) and an increase in IGF-1 levels (from 137 +/- 79 to 175 +/- 111 ng/ml, P = 0.01353). The change in quality of life correlated with changes in IGF-1 levels (P = 0.02) but not with LVEF changes.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with advanced heart failure, CRT leads to a significant increase in plasma IGF-1 levels within 3 months. This increase is correlated with the improvement in quality of life, whereas the increase in LVEF is not. This finding suggests that IGF-1 may play a role as a mediator in the early phase of symptomatic improvement after CRT.

Severe factor X deficiency in pregnancy: case report and review of the literature

Isolate factor X deficiency is an extremely rare clotting factor disorder inherited in autosomal recessive fashion and pregnancy in a homozygous patient is frequently complicated by recurrent miscarriage, uterine bleeding and premature labour. Eleven pregnancies in seven patients affected by FX deficiency have been reported in the literature. Two additional pregnancies have been reported in a FX variant (FX Friuli). We present a new case of successful at term pregnancy in a homozygous patient.

Immunoresponse to hepatitis B vaccination and adherence campaign among injecting drug users

Fifty injecting drug users (IDUs) were recruited to evaluate the efficacy of an hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination campaign to be carried out in a Public centre for Drug Users (PCDU). The vaccination schedule was successfully performed in most patients, who showed a great interest in this problem. After three doses of vaccine the seroconversion rate, with antibodies against HBV, proved similar to the one obtained in another group of healthy men of same age, while the antibody titres against HBV were lower after the second and third dose of vaccine. Vaccination campaigns for IDUs could lead to successful results in terms of compliance and efficacy, but they need to be closely monitored considering the IDUs relatively low antibody response.

[Acute pneumonia and cell-mediated immunity in patients with HIV infection]

The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the correlation between T-cell immunity and pulmonary disorders in a group of Italian subjects with HIV infection. HIV-infected patients seen at the Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Verona, were included in this study if they had a specific acute pneumonia, a CD4+ cell count and a CD4+/CD8+ ratio during the 60 days immediately before the onset of pulmonary disease. Cases receiving any antimicrobial prophylaxis were excluded. Pneumonia was recognized by usual clinical and radiologic abnormalities. The diagnostic procedure included sputum examination, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy. The specimens were processed for bacterial, mycobacterial and fungal stains and cultures. Ziehl-Neelsen, periodic acid-Schiff and silver methenamine stains were performed on the transbronchial biopsy specimens in addition to usual pathologic examinations mononuclear. Determination of percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells bearing CD4+ and CD8+ markers was done by conventional fluorescent antibody cell-sorter analysis of the mononuclear cell population. Absolute number of CD4+ lymphocytes was determined by multiplying the total lymphocyte count by the percent of mononuclear cells bearing CD4+ marker. From October 1987 to August 1991, 61 patients, 50 males and 11 females, had 65 episodes of specific pneumonia. The average age of patients was 31.4 years (range 29-59 years). The risk factors for HIV infection included intravenous drug abuse (47 patients), homosexuality (6 patients), bisexuality (3 patients) and heterosexual contact (5 patients). Before the onset of pulmonary disorders, patients were classified in the following clinical HIV-related stages: asymptomatic state (22 episodes), ARC (22 episodes) and AIDS (21 episodes). In decreasing order of frequency diagnosis of pneumonias were PCP (29 episodes), community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (16 episodes), pulmonary tuberculosis (8 episodes), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (4 episodes), PCP and pulmonary tuberculosis (3 episodes), cytomegalovirus pneumonia (2 episodes), and one of each episode of PCP and pulmonary cryptococcosis, pulmonary candidiasis, pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma. The mean and the standard deviation of immunologic values regarding the four primary diagnostic groups were: PCP CD4+/CD8+ 0.50 +/- 0.42, CD4+/mm3 196 +/- 190; bacterial pneumonia CD4+/CD8+ 0.53 +/- 0.44, CD4+/mm3 247 +/- 139; pulmonary tuberculosis CD4+/CD8+ 0.62 +/- 0.38, CD4+/mm3 260 +/- 170; nonspecific interstitial pneumonia CD4+/CD8 + 0.57 +/- 0.48, CD4+/mm3 240 +/- 189. No significant statistical differences with respect to CD4+/CD8 ratios and CD4+ cell counts among these diagnostic groups were found by standard analysis of variance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Presence and significance of cold agglutinins in patients with HIV infection

BACKGROUND

HIV-infected patients may contract a variety of other concurrent infections, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), that are known to be causes of transient cold agglutinins (CA). The aim of this study was to search for the prevalence, the persistence and the significance of CA in HIV antibody-positive patients.

METHODS

Ninety patients belonging to different risk groups (drug addicts, homosexuals and hemophiliacs), including 15 with AIDS, 20 with ARC, 25 with PGL, 30 symptom-free individuals and 100 healthy blood donors were assessed for the presence of CA for at least six months.

RESULTS

In 20 cases (22%) CA were found: 3, 7, 5 and 5 respectively, in each of the above mentioned HIV-positive groups, while the group used as control was CA-negative. There were no differences between CA-negative and CA-positive patients with regard to the presence of anemia, frequency of other infections, or development of lymphatic malignancy during the follow-up period. Serological specificity of CA included 14 of type anti-I, 5 of anti-i and 1 of anti-Pr specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

It appears that CA production is another immune disorder of patients with HIV infection.

HLA gene and phenotype data of 60 insulin-dependent diabetic patients from north-eastern Italy. A negative association with DR5 rather than DR2?

The purpose of our study was to evaluate what kind of relationships exist between HLA antigens and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), in 20 families and in 40 single patients coming from and living in North Eastern Italy. The subjects studied show a strong association with HLA-DR3 and/or -DR4; at least one of these antigens is present in 88% of the diabetic subjects; this confirms that these antigens play a role in the pathogenesis of IDDM. We also noticed a negative association between IDDM and DR5 rather than DR2 and DR7. This result supports the hypothesis of a specific protective effect of DR5, at least as regards the population studied. Possibly, the gene(s) hypothetically involved in the protection against IDDM is (are) in linkage disequilibrium with DR2 and/or DR7 in some Caucasian populations and with DR5 in others. Another important result is the frequent HLA identity (75% of cases) among diabetic siblings of the same families. This result indicates that HLA identity is the main condition responsible for the susceptibility to the disease in the healthy siblings with HLA antigens identical to the diabetic siblings.

Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus epidemiology: HLA genotype study in 12 north eastern Italian families with two siblings affected by type I diabetes

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between the histocompatibility antigens and type I diabetes mellitus in families living in the north-eastern part of Italy. In each family two siblings were affected by diabetes. HLA-antigens were determined with the lymphocytotoxicity test, utilizing antisera of the series A-B-C-DR. The phenotypic frequencies were compared with those observed in controls. We showed that diabetes has a strong association with HLA DR 3 and/or DR 4 antigens. In particular we registered high frequency of compound heterozygous DR 3 - DR 4 subjects, and this fact supports the hypothesis of the existence of two different genes for diabetes associated with these HLA antigens. Moreover we observed a particular haplotype segregation with a very high percentage of HLA identity between patients belonging to the same family, confirming the association between HLA and genetic susceptibility to insulin dependent diabetes. These results confirm data in the literature and, completed by other data from other patients' families living in our area, will be useful in providing reliable genetic counselling.

Neutrophil function and humoral immunity in children with recurrent infections of the lower respiratory tract and chronic bronchial suppuration

Neutrophil motility and superoxide anion production and serum immunoglobulin levels were assessed in 51 children with recurrent infections of the lower respiratory tract and chronic bronchial suppuration, not due to anatomic or functional cause. In 26 children (50.9%), a significant defect of the immunologic defenses, likely to be responsible for the disease, was observed. A precocious diagnosis and an adequate therapy could result, at least in some patients, in the prevention of progressive lung damage.

[Clinical and laboratory study of 7 cases of lupus anticoagulant]

The clinical and laboratory data from seven patients with "Lupus anticoagulant" are reported. Laboratory tests are reliable as far as identification and properties of this kind of anticoagulant are concerned. Clinically, it is dramatic how often these patients show thrombotic phenomena. Clinical or laboratory tests which could point out whether these patients are at risk of incurring into thrombotic or hemorrhagic phenomena are not available, which underlines the critical situation one has to confirm with in case a patient with "Lupus anticoagulant" has to undergo surgery.

[Determination of the antiplasmin activity of platelets with a chromogenic substrate]

The synthesis of chromogenic substrate has opened new prospects to the study of haemostasis factors and particularly to the determination of coagulation inhibitors and components of fibrinolysis. In this paper we propose a new and simple method to anti-plasmin activity of platelets, by using H-D-Valyl-L-Leucyl-L-Lysine-p-nitroanilide HCl (S-2251) (Kabi Company, Sweden) as a chromogenic substrate.

[The role of methods using immunofluorescence (platelet suspension immunofluorescence test and granulocyte immunofluorescence test) in the diagnosis of autoimmune thrombocytopenia and neutropenia]

The authors examined 46 patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic Purpura and 17 patients with autoimmune neutropenia, with the direct and indirect immunofluorescence method. They intended to verify the sensibility of such methods and to determine the class of immunoglobulins. In the PTA the direct PSIFT was positive in 26 of the 46 examined patients, while the indirect in 15 cases. In the GPA the direct GIFT was positive in 9 of the 17 patients and the indirect in 6 cases. By using FITC-labelled monospecific anti-immunoglobulin reagents, in the PTA we have found IgG in the 57.7% of the patients, IgM in the 11.5% and IgG + IgM in 30.8%; in the GPA we have found IgG in the 66% of the cases, IgM in 11% and IgG + IgM in 23%. These methods have shown a good reliability and sensibility, but also delicacy.

[Howie's antithrombin activity and thrombin inhibitors in the nephrotic syndrome]

A prospective study was carried out on a group of 28 patients affected by nephrotic syndrome in order to compare the antithrombin activity, measured by the technique of Howie, the antithrombin III, measured with chromogenic substrate and by radial immunodiffusion, the alpha 2-macroglobulin and the alpha 1-antitrypsin. An increased level of alpha 2-macroglobulin and of the antithrombin activity, measured by the technique of Howie and a reduction of the level of antithrombin III and of alpha 1-antitrypsin was observed. It is suggested that the increased antithrombin activity is related to the increase of alpha 1-antitrypsin was observed. It is suggested that the increased antithrombin activity is related to the increase of alpha 2-macroglobulin concentration in spite of the simultaneous decrease of antithrombin III.