Background: Approximately one-third of trauma-related deaths are due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly among young adults and elderly patients. Management strategies may vary across different age groups, potentially influencing short-term neurological outcomes. This study aims to investigate age-related disparities in treatment approaches and 3-month neurological outcomes among TBI patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the most common musculoskeletal disorders, osteoarthritis (OA), causes worldwide disability, morbidity, and poor quality of life by degenerating articular cartilage, modifying subchondral bone, and inflaming synovial membranes. OA pathogenesis pathways must be understood to generate new preventative and disease-modifying therapies. In recent years, it has been acknowledged that gut microbiota (GM) can significantly contribute to the development of OA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic pain disorder arising from somatosensory nervous system impairment. Extensive evidence supports the notion that the gut microbiota (GM) is crucial in maintaining human health by performing vital tasks. At the same time, its disruption has been linked to the emergence and advancement of an expanding range of disorders, including NP, in which GM could play a role in its pathophysiology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Probiotic microorganisms, commonly used to bolster gut health, might also have benefits for dental health, according to certain studies. Probiotics (PBs) are associated with reducing cariogenic pathogens and protecting against periodontal diseases, although the exact way they function in the mouth is not fully clear. Our study aimed to explore the use of PBs to improve oral health, focusing on issues such as cavities, gum disease, bad breath, mucositis, and periimplantitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic low back pain is often due to L5S1 instability resulting in facet joint syndrome. Patients suffering from low back pain may also have a gait pattern characterized by a reduced speed and a shorter, asymmetrical step in order to reduce pain. This case is of a patient with L5S1 instability that occurred after L1 to L5 lumbar stabilization who was treated with radiofrequency (RF) denervation of the medial branch of L5S1 bilaterally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Oral lesions received increased attention as likely new signs or secondary manifestations of COVID-19. Therefore, we clinically examined oral cavity of patients with COVID-19 and investigated oral lesions and patient comorbidities as possible risk factors of COVID-19 disease outcome.
Methods: From January to March 2022, a prospective study was conducted by recruiting all COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Intensive Care Unit of Maxi-Emergencies Hospital in Bari, Italy.
Critically ill patients undergo early impairment of their gut microbiota (GM) due to routine antibiotic therapies and other environmental factors leading to intestinal dysbiosis. The GM establishes connections with the rest of the human body along several axes representing critical inter-organ crosstalks that, once disrupted, play a major role in the pathophysiology of numerous diseases and their complications. Key players in this communication are GM metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acids, neurotransmitters, hormones, interleukins, and toxins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly become a significant threat to public health. However, among the Coronaviridae family members, there are other viruses that can also cause infections in humans. Among these, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) have posed significant threats to human health in the past.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe secretion of IgG SARS-CoV-2 antispike antibodies after vaccination with BNT162b2 and the protection represent the response of the human organism to the viral vector symptomatic infections. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the immune reaction in health workers of the Polyclinic of Bari to identify the relationship of antispike titers with blood type, sex, age, and comorbidities. This prospective observational study (RENAISSANCE) had as its primary endpoint the assessment of serologic response to BNT162b2 at three blood titers: the first at 60 days after the second dose (3 February 2021); the second titer at 75 days after the first titer; and the third titer at 130 days after the second titer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhenolic compounds are natural phytochemicals that have recently reported numerous health benefits. Resveratrol, curcumin, and quercetin have recently received the most attention among these molecules due to their documented antioxidant effects. The review aims to investigate the effects of these molecules on bone metabolism and their role in several diseases such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, bone tumours, and periodontitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The recent COVID-19 pandemic produced a significant increase in cases and an emergency state was induced worldwide. The current knowledge about the COVID-19 disease concerning diagnoses, patient tracking, the treatment protocol, and vaccines provides a consistent contribution for the primary prevention of the viral infection and decreasing the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 disease. The aim of the present investigation was to produce a general overview about the current findings for the COVID-19 disease, SARS-CoV-2 interaction mechanisms with the host, therapies and vaccines' immunization findings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe oral microbiota plays a vital role in the human microbiome and oral health. Imbalances between microbes and their hosts can lead to oral and systemic disorders such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this review is to investigate the literature evidence of oral microbiota dysbiosis on oral health and discuss current knowledge and emerging mechanisms governing oral polymicrobial synergy and dysbiosis; both have enhanced our understanding of pathogenic mechanisms and aided the design of innovative therapeutic approaches as ORALBIOTICA for oral diseases such as demineralization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOdontogenic infections represent a frequent condition that in some cases, if not treated promptly, can spread quickly to the rest of the body and turn into life-threatening infections. In this work, the case is reported of a 59-year-old woman, diabetic and overweight, who presented to the Odontostomatology and Otolaryngology Section of the Policlinic of Bari with mandibular tooth infection that had developed into a deep neck space infection leading to the involvement of cavernous sinuses and near mediastinum. The diagnosis, the surgical drainage of the phlegmon and removal of infection foci, appropriate control of the airways, and a correct antibiotic therapy made it possible to avoid a potentially fatal condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Coronavirus disease is a pandemic that has disrupted many human lives, threatening people's physical and mental health. Each pandemic wave struck in different ways, infectiveness-wise and mortality-wise. This investigation focuses on critically ill patients affected by the last two variants, Delta and Omicron, and aims to analyse if any difference exists between the two groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResveratrol is a polyphenol that has been shown to possess many applications in different fields of medicine. This systematic review has drawn attention to the axis between resveratrol and human microbiota, which plays a key role in maintaining an adequate immune response that can lead to different diseases when compromised. Resveratrol can also be an asset in new technologies, such as gene therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince the beginning in December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak appeared to affect mostly the adult population, sparing the vast majority of children who only showed mild symptoms. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the status on the mechanisms that give children and infants this variation in epidemiology compared to the adult population and its impact on therapies and vaccines that are aimed towards them. A literature review, including in vitro studies, reviews, published guidelines and clinical trials was performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Goal-directed therapy (GDT) aims to assure tissue perfusion, by optimizing doses and timing of fluids, inotropes, and vasopressors, through monitoring of cardiac output and other basic hemodynamic parameters. Several meta-analyses confirm that GDT can reduce postoperative complications. However, all recent evidences focused on high-risk patients and on major abdominal surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF