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  1. Article ; Online: Randomized Trial on the Effects of a Group EMDR Intervention on Narrative Complexity and Specificity of Autobiographical Memories

    Andrea Poli / Angelo Gemignani / Mario Miccoli

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 19, Iss 7684, p

    A Path Analytic and Supervised Machine-Learning Study

    2022  Volume 7684

    Abstract: Narratives of autobiographical memories may be impaired by adverse childhood experiences, generating narrative fragmentation and increased levels of perceived distress. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) proved to be an effective ... ...

    Abstract Narratives of autobiographical memories may be impaired by adverse childhood experiences, generating narrative fragmentation and increased levels of perceived distress. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) proved to be an effective treatment to overcome traumatic experiences and to promote coherent autobiographical narratives. However, the specific mechanisms by which EMDR promotes narrative coherence remains largely unknown. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05319002) in a non-clinical sample of 27 children recruited in a primary school. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent a three-week group EMDR intervention. Subjective unit of distress (SUD), validity of cognition (VoC), classification of autobiographical memories, narrative complexity and specificity were assessed before and after the group EMDR intervention. The group EMDR intervention was able to improve SUD and VoC scales, narrative complexity and specificity, and promoted the classification of autobiographical memories as relational. The path analysis showed that SUD was able to predict VoC and narrative specificity, which, in turn, was able to predict both narrative complexity and the classification of autobiographical memories as relational. Machine-learning analysis showed that random tree classifier outperformed all other models by achieving a 93.33% accuracy. Clinical implications are discussed.
    Keywords EMDR ; childhood ; psychological trauma ; autobiographical memory ; distress ; cognition ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-06-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  2. Article ; Online: Cognitive Fusion, Ruminative Response Style and Depressive Spectrum Symptoms in a Sample of University Students

    Mario Miniati / Sara Busia / Ciro Conversano / Graziella Orrù / Rebecca Ciacchini / Viarda Cosentino / Donatella Marazziti / Angelo Gemignani / Laura Palagini

    Life, Vol 13, Iss 803, p

    2023  Volume 803

    Abstract: Psychological inflexibility is related to depressive symptoms through the ‘ruminative response style’ (RR) and ‘cognitive fusion’ (CF). We aimed at exploring whether university students were more exposed to CF, RR and depressive symptoms because of their ...

    Abstract Psychological inflexibility is related to depressive symptoms through the ‘ruminative response style’ (RR) and ‘cognitive fusion’ (CF). We aimed at exploring whether university students were more exposed to CF, RR and depressive symptoms because of their intellectual performance than non-university students of the same age. We compared university students (US) ( n = 105) vs. non-university students (NUS) ( n = 76) through online administration of the ‘Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire’ (CFQ-7), the ‘Depression-Zung Self-Assessment Scale’ (ZSDS) and the ‘Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire’ (PTQ) (study protocol #0077818/2022, approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Pisa, Italy). University students scored significantly higher than non-university students in the CFQ-7 Total Score (27.5 ± 9.4 vs. 24.4 ± 9.5; p = 0.040), ZSDS Total Score (41.1 ± 7.7 vs. 39.0 ± 7.3; p = 0.031), PTQ Total Score (26.1 ± 13.1 vs. 21.8 ± 13.9; p = 0.029), PTQ ‘Repetitiveness’ (5.3 ± 2.8 vs. 4.5 ± 2.9; p = 0.034), ‘Intrusiveness’ (5.8 ± 3.0 vs. 4.8 ± 3.1; p = 0.046) and ‘Repetitive Negative Thinking capturing mental resources’ (5.0 ± 3.1 vs. 4.0 ± 3.0; p = 0.013) (MANOVA analysis). In a binary logistic regression analysis of US (with ZSDS scores < 44 vs. ≥44 as the dependent variable, and PTQ Total Score and dimensions, CFQ-7 Total Score, age and gender as the covariates), PTQ Total Score predicted the more severe depressive symptomatology (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.017–2.039; p = 0.040). We believe that RR and CF should be specifically targeted through psychoeducational/psychotherapeutic interventions in university students.
    Keywords university students ; depression ; ruminative response ; cognitive fusion ; psychological inflexibility ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  3. Article ; Online: Machine Learning Increases Diagnosticity in Psychometric Evaluation of Alexithymia in Fibromyalgia

    Graziella Orrù / Angelo Gemignani / Rebecca Ciacchini / Laura Bazzichi / Ciro Conversano

    Frontiers in Medicine, Vol

    2020  Volume 6

    Abstract: Here, we report an investigation on the accuracy of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a measure to assess alexithymia, a multidimensional construct often associate to fibromyalgia. Two groups of participants, patients with fibromyalgia (n = 38), healthy ... ...

    Abstract Here, we report an investigation on the accuracy of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a measure to assess alexithymia, a multidimensional construct often associate to fibromyalgia. Two groups of participants, patients with fibromyalgia (n = 38), healthy controls (n = 38) were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and background tests. Machine learning models achieved an overall accuracy higher than 80% in detecting both patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. The parameter which alone has demonstrated maximum efficiency in classifying the single subject within the two groups has been the item 3 of the alexithymia scale. The analysis of the most informative features, based on all scales administered, revealed that item 3 and 13 of the alexithymia questionnaire and the visual analog scale scores were the most informative attributes in correctly classifying participants (accuracy above 85%). An additional analyses using only the alexithymia scale subset of items and the visual analog scale scores has shown that the predictors which efficiently classified patients with fibromyalgia and controls were the item 3 and 7 (accuracy = 85.53%). Our findings suggest that machine learning models analysis based on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale subset of items scores accurately distinguish patients with fibromyalgia from healthy controls.
    Keywords alexithymia ; chronic conditions ; fibromyalgia ; machine learning ; experiment ; Medicine (General) ; R5-920
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  4. Article ; Online: Is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Effective for People with Hypertension? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 30 Years of Evidence

    Ciro Conversano / Graziella Orrù / Andrea Pozza / Mario Miccoli / Rebecca Ciacchini / Laura Marchi / Angelo Gemignani

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 2882, p

    2021  Volume 2882

    Abstract: Background: Hypertension is among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which are considered high mortality risk medical conditions. To date, several studies have reported positive effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction ( ... ...

    Abstract Background: Hypertension is among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which are considered high mortality risk medical conditions. To date, several studies have reported positive effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) interventions on physical and psychological well-being in other medical conditions, but no meta-analysis on MBSR programs for hypertension has been conducted. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of MBSR programs for hypertension. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of MBSR on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), anxiety, depression, and perceived stress in people with hypertension or pre-hypertension was conducted. The PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched in November 2020 to identify relevant studies. Results: Six studies were included. The comparison of MBSR versus control conditions on diastolic BP was associated with a statistically significant mean effect size favoring MBSR over control conditions (MD = −2.029; 95% confidence interval (CI): −3.676 to −0.383, p = 0.016, k = 6; 22 effect sizes overall), without evidence of heterogeneity (I 2 = 0.000%). The comparison of MBSR versus control conditions on systolic BP was associated with a mean effect size which was statistically significant only at a marginal level (MD = −3.894; 95% CI: −7.736–0.053, p = 0.047, k = 6; 22 effect sizes overall), without evidence of high heterogeneity (I 2 = 20.772%). The higher the proportion of participants on antihypertensive medications was, the larger the effects of MBSR were on systolic BP (B = −0.750, z = −2.73, p = 0.003). Conclusions: MBSR seems to be a promising intervention, particularly effective on the reduction of diastolic BP. More well-conducted trials are required.
    Keywords mindfulness ; mind–body therapies ; blood pressure ; hypertension ; meditation ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  5. Article ; Online: Textile-Based Pressure Sensing Matrix for In-Bed Monitoring of Subject Sleeping Posture and Breathing Activity

    Nicola Carbonaro / Marco Laurino / Lucia Arcarisi / Danilo Menicucci / Angelo Gemignani / Alessandro Tognetti

    Applied Sciences, Vol 11, Iss 2552, p

    2021  Volume 2552

    Abstract: According to current trends in healthcare sensing technologies, we describe a textile-based pressure sensing matrix that can be integrated in the mattress of a smart bed to characterize sleeping posture/movement of a subject and to extract breathing ... ...

    Abstract According to current trends in healthcare sensing technologies, we describe a textile-based pressure sensing matrix that can be integrated in the mattress of a smart bed to characterize sleeping posture/movement of a subject and to extract breathing activity. The pressure mapping layer is developed as a matrix of 195 piezoresistive sensors, it is entirely made of textile materials, and it is the basic component of a smart bed that can perform sleep analysis, can extract physiological parameters, and can detect environmental data related to subject’s health. In this paper, we show the principle of the pressure mapping layer and the architecture of the dedicated electronic system that we developed for signal acquisition. In addition, we describe the algorithms for posture/movement classification (dedicated artificial neural network) and for extraction of the breathing rate (frequency domain analysis). We also perform validation of the system to quantify the accuracy/precision of the posture classification and the statistical analysis to compare our breathing rate estimation with the gold standard.
    Keywords smart textiles ; sleeping posture classification ; physiological signals ; breathing signal elaboration ; Technology ; T ; Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ; TA1-2040 ; Biology (General) ; QH301-705.5 ; Physics ; QC1-999 ; Chemistry ; QD1-999
    Subject code 629
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  6. Article ; Online: Mindfulness, Age and Gender as Protective Factors Against Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Pandemic

    Ciro Conversano / Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe / Mario Miccoli / Rebecca Ciacchini / Angelo Gemignani / Graziella Orrù

    Frontiers in Psychology, Vol

    2020  Volume 11

    Abstract: ObjectiveMindfulness disposition is associated with various psychological factors and prevents emotional distress in chronic diseases. In the present study, we analyzed the key role of mindfulness dispositions in protecting the individual against ... ...

    Abstract ObjectiveMindfulness disposition is associated with various psychological factors and prevents emotional distress in chronic diseases. In the present study, we analyzed the key role of mindfulness dispositions in protecting the individual against psychological distress consequent to COVID-19 social distancing and quarantining.MethodsAn online survey was launched on March 13, 2020, with 6,412 responses by April 6, 2020. Socio-demographic information, exposure to the pandemic, and quarantining were assessed together with psychological distress and mindfulness disposition. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to study the influence of predictive factors on psychological distress and quality of life in Italian responders during the early days of lockdown. Pearson correlations were calculated to study the relationship between mindfulness and psychiatric symptoms.ResultsMultivariate linear regression run on socio-demographics, COVID-19-related variables, and mindfulness disposition as moderators of overall psychological distress showed that mindfulness was the best predictor of psychological distress (β = −0.504; p < 0.0001). High negative correlations were found between mindfulness disposition and the overall Global Severity Index (r = −0.637; p < 0.0001), while moderate to high associations were found between mindfulness and all SCL-90 sub-scales.DiscussionFindings showed that high dispositional mindfulness enhances well-being and helps in dealing with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-based mental training could represent an effective intervention to stem post-traumatic psychopathological beginnings and prevent the onset of chronic mental disorders.
    Keywords mindfulness ; COVID-19 ; pandemic ; meditation ; psychological distress ; SCL-90 ; Psychology ; BF1-990 ; covid19
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  7. Article ; Online: Neurological Complications of COVID-19 and Possible Neuroinvasion Pathways

    Graziella Orrù / Ciro Conversano / Eleonora Malloggi / Francesca Francesconi / Rebecca Ciacchini / Angelo Gemignani

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 17, Iss 6688, p

    A Systematic Review

    2020  Volume 6688

    Abstract: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has shocked the whole world with its unexpected rapid spread. The virus responsible for the disease, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), enters host cells by means of the ... ...

    Abstract The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has shocked the whole world with its unexpected rapid spread. The virus responsible for the disease, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), enters host cells by means of the envelope spike protein, which binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors. These receptors are highly expressed in heart, lungs, respiratory tract epithelium, endothelial cells and brain. Since an increasing body of significant evidence is highlighting a possible neuroinvasion related to SARS-CoV-2, a state of the art on the neurological complications is needed. To identify suitable publications, our systematic review was carried out by searching relevant studies on PubMed and Scopus databases. We included studies investigating neurologic manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 in patients over 18. According to the analyzed studies, the most frequent disorders affecting central nervous system (CNS) seem to be the following: olfactory and taste disorders, ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke, meningoencephalitis and encephalopathy, including acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a rare type of encephalopathy. As regards the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Guillain-Barré and Miller Fisher syndromes are the most frequent manifestations reported in the literature. Important clinical information on the neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 would help clinicians raise awareness and simultaneously improve the prognosis of critically ill patients.
    Keywords COVID-19 ; SARS-CoV-2 ; neurologic complications ; Medicine ; R ; covid19
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  8. Article ; Online: Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout in Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Outbreak

    Graziella Orrù / Francesca Marzetti / Ciro Conversano / Guido Vagheggini / Mario Miccoli / Rebecca Ciacchini / Eugenia Panait / Angelo Gemignani

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 337, p

    2021  Volume 337

    Abstract: 1) Background: The present study aims to assess the level of professional burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), and to identify potential risk or protective factors among health care workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ... ...

    Abstract (1) Background: The present study aims to assess the level of professional burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), and to identify potential risk or protective factors among health care workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.; (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study, based on an online survey, collected demographic data and mental distress outcomes from 184 HCWs from 1 May 2020, to 15 June 2020, from 45 different countries. The degree of STS, perceived stress and burnout was assessed using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify potential risk and protective factors for STS; (3) Results: 184 HCWs (M = 90; Age mean: 46.45; SD: 11.02) completed the survey. A considerable proportion of HCWs had symptoms of STS (41.3%), emotional exhaustion (56.0%), and depersonalization (48.9%). The prevalence of STS was 47.5% in frontline HCWs while in HCWs working in other units it was 30.3% ( p < 0.023); 67.1% for the HCWs exposed to patients’ death and 32.9% for those HCWs which were not exposed to the same condition ( p < 0.001). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, and exposure to patients’ death remained as significant predictors in the final model for STS (adjusted R2 = 0.537, p < 0.001).; (4) Conclusions: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs facing patients’ physical pain, psychological suffering, and death are more likely to develop STS.
    Keywords COVID-19 ; secondary traumatic stress ; burnout ; health care workers ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  9. Article ; Online: Long-COVID Syndrome? A Study on the Persistence of Neurological, Psychological and Physiological Symptoms

    Graziella Orrù / Davide Bertelloni / Francesca Diolaiuti / Federico Mucci / Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe / Marco Biella / Angelo Gemignani / Rebecca Ciacchini / Ciro Conversano

    Healthcare, Vol 9, Iss 575, p

    2021  Volume 575

    Abstract: Background: Emerging aspects of the Covid-19 clinical presentation are its long-term effects, which are characteristic of the so-called “long COVID”. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of physical, psychological, and sleep ... ...

    Abstract Background: Emerging aspects of the Covid-19 clinical presentation are its long-term effects, which are characteristic of the so-called “long COVID”. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of physical, psychological, and sleep disturbances and the quality of life in the general population during the ongoing pandemic. Methods: This study, based on an online survey, collected demographic data, information related to COVID-19, sleep disturbances, and quality of life data from 507 individuals. The level of sleep disturbances and quality of life was assessed through the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), respectively. Results: In total, 507 individuals (M = 91 and F = 416 women) completed the online survey. The main symptoms associated with “long COVID” were headache, fatigue, muscle aches/myalgia, articular pains, cognitive impairment, loss of concentration, and loss of smell. Additionally, the subjects showed significant levels of insomnia ( p < 0.05) and an overall reduced quality of life ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the study appear in line with recent publications, but uncertainty regarding the definition and specific features of “long COVID” remains. Further studies are needed in order to better define the clinical presentation of the “long COVID” condition and related targeted treatments.
    Keywords long COVID ; long-haul COVID ; quality of life ; insomnia ; COVID-19 ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 150
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-05-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  10. Article ; Online: Alternate fluency in Parkinson's disease

    Roberta Ferrucci / Francesca Mameli / Fabiana Ruggiero / Mariella Reitano / Mario Miccoli / Angelo Gemignani / Ciro Conversano / Michelangelo Dini / Stefano Zago / Silvie Piacentini / Barbara Poletti / Alberto Priori / Graziella Orrù

    PLoS ONE, Vol 17, Iss 3, p e

    A machine learning analysis.

    2022  Volume 0265803

    Abstract: Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate whether patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) had changes in their level of performance in extra-dimensional shifting by implementing a novel analysis method, utilizing the new alternate phonemic/ ...

    Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate whether patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) had changes in their level of performance in extra-dimensional shifting by implementing a novel analysis method, utilizing the new alternate phonemic/semantic fluency test. Method We used machine learning (ML) in order to develop high accuracy classification between PD patients with high and low scores in the alternate fluency test. Results The models developed resulted to be accurate in such classification in a range between 80% and 90%. The predictor which demonstrated maximum efficiency in classifying the participants as low or high performers was the semantic fluency test. The optimal cut-off of a decision rule based on this test yielded an accuracy of 86.96%. Following the removal of the semantic fluency test from the system, the parameter which best contributed to the classification was the phonemic fluency test. The best cut-offs were identified and the decision rule yielded an overall accuracy of 80.43%. Lastly, in order to evaluate the classification accuracy based on the shifting index, the best cut-offs based on an optimal single rule yielded an overall accuracy of 83.69%. Conclusion We found that ML analysis of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency may be used to identify simple rules with high accuracy and good out of sample generalization, allowing the detection of executive deficits in patients with PD.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 006
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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