Obesity in Prediabetic Patients: Management of Metabolic Complications and Strategies for Prevention of Overt Diabetes.

Obesity and prediabetes affect a substantial part of the general population, but are largely underdiagnosed, underestimated, and undertreated. Prediabetes differs from diabetes only in the degree of hyperglycaemia consequent to the progressive decline in residual beta-cell function. Both prediabetes and diabetes occur as a consequence of insulin resistance that starts several years before the clinical onset of overt diabetes.

Tunable ciprofloxacin delivery through personalized electrospun patches for tympanic membrane perforations.

Approximately 740 million symptomatic patients are affected by otitis media every year. Being an inflammatory disease affecting the middle ear, it is one of the primary causes of tympanic membrane (TM) perforations, often resulting in impaired hearing abilities. Antibiotic therapy using broad-spectrum fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP), is frequently employed and considered the optimal route to treat otitis media.

Probiotic Properties of Strains Isolated from Natural Whey Starter Cultures.

is a lactic acid bacterium (LAB), generally recognized as safe, and has been widely used in the food industry, especially in fermented dairy products. Numerous studies have evaluated the technological and probiotic properties of lactococci; however, few studies have reported the probiotic characteristics of strains isolated from dairy products. In this work, probiotic potential, including survival in simulated gastric juice, tolerance to bile salts, hydrophobicity, and auto- and co-aggregation, was evaluated in strains from natural whey starter cultures.

Regulatory Ability of on Human Skin Health by Counteracting In Vitro Effects.

The skin serves as the first barrier against pathogen attacks, thanks to its multifunctional microbial community. is a commensal organism of normal cutaneous microflora but is also a cause of skin diseases. It acts on different cell pattern recognition receptors (TLRs, AhR, NLRP3 inflammasome) leading to cellular damage, barrier impairment, and inflammatory cytokines production.

Biopolymer- and Natural Fiber-Based Biomimetic Tissues to Realize Smart Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals Using an Innovative Approach.

More sustainable and smart cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals are necessary due to the ecological transition. In this study, a pullulan-based water solution containing chitin nanofibril-nano-lignin (CN-LG) complexes that encapsulate fish collagen polypeptide, allantoin and nicotinamide was electrospun onto a nonwoven substrate made of bamboo fibers to obtain a smart nanostructured bilayer system for releasing active molecules onto the skin or other body tissues. Infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the composition of the bilayer system before and after rapid washing of the sample with distilled water and liquids mimicking physiological fluids.

Bacterial Cellulose Electrospun Fiber Mesh Coated with Chitin Nanofibrils for Eardrum Repair.

In this study, we develop a bio-based and bioactive nanofibrous patch based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and chitin nanofibrils (CNs) using an ionic liquid as a solvent for BC, aimed at tympanic membrane (TM) repair. Electrospun BC nanofiber meshes were produced via electrospinning, and surface-modified with CNs using electrospray. The rheology of the BC/ionic liquid system was investigated.

Oreoch-1: A Peptide from as a Potential Tool against Staphylococci.

Staphylococci, including and , are important human pathogens associated with potentially life-threatening infections. Their great biofilm-producing ability and the development of resistance mechanisms often account for therapeutic failure. Hence, the scientific community has devoted intensive efforts to the development of antimicrobial compounds active against both planktonic and sessile bacterial populations.

Evaluation of Different Activity of spp. against Two Isolated Clinical Strains in Different Anatomical Sites In Vitro: An Explorative Study to Improve the Therapeutic Approach.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs) are the principal hospital-acquired infections. Between these, bacterial prostatitis is believed to be the leading cause of recurrent UTIs in men under 50 years of age and is often unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. is more commonly associated with UTIs in these abnormalities, especially in patients undergoing catheterization.

An Unconventional Oral Candidiasis in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Oral candidiasis (OC) is an opportunistic fungal infection of the oral mucosae, sustained by or other non-albican species (NAC), usually eradicated by conventional antifungals of the classes of azoles, polyenes, or derivative from echinocandins. OC usually occurs under predisposing local or systemic factors. is an opportunistic strain that is rarely responsible for human infection and occurs mainly in severe immunocompromised states.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Most Active Probiotic Strains Able to Improve the Intestinal Barrier Functions and to Prevent Inflammatory Diseases of the Gastrointestinal System.

: The integrity of the intestinal barrier is fundamental to gut health and homeostasis; its damage can increase intestinal permeability, with translocation of bacteria and/or endotoxins from gut, and the onset of various intestinal diseases. spp. is one of the most common probiotics normally found in fermented foods and dairy products and is known for its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and for its ability to protect and enhance the intestinal barrier functions.

Clinical and microbiological efficacy of indocyanine green-based antimicrobial photodynamic therapy as an adjunct to non-surgical treatment of periodontitis: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Objectives: The aim of the present randomized clinical trial (RCT) with a parallel arm design was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological efficacy of repeated ICG-aPDT as an adjunct to full-mouth subgingival debridement in the treatment of periodontitis.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four periodontitis patients were treated with full-mouth ultrasonic subgingival debridement (FMUD). Initial sites with probing depth (PD) > 4 mm were randomly assigned to receive the test (ICG-aPDT with an 810 nm diode laser) or the control treatment (off-mode aPDT) one and four weeks after FMUD.

Photocatalytic activity of P-doped TiO photocatalyst.

In this study, P-doped TiO photocatalysts with different molar percentages (in the range 0.071-1.25 mol %) of the non-metallic element were prepared and their photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation was tested.

Optimization of growth of SP 48 and evaluation of the effect of viable cells and high molecular weight potential postbiotics on .

Several strains have the potential to be used as probiotics since they provide health benefits due to the interaction of live cells, and of their secreted products, with the host (tissues). Therefore, the development of simple fermentation processes that improve cell viability to reduce industrial production costs, and at the same time the characterization and biological evaluation of cell-free postbiotics that can further promote application, are of great interest. In the present study, small scale batch fermentations on semi defined media, deprived of animal derived raw materials, were used to optimize growth of SP48, reaching 1.

Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Metformin: AME-MET Study - A Multicentric Real-world Study in Italy.

Aims: Metformin is the most widely used drug for the first-line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but its use and schedule have been poorly investigated in elderly patients.

Methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional, multicentric study on metformin in T2DM outpatients older than 65 years who were taking the drug for at least 6 months and referred to Italian Endocrinology and Diabetology Services. The primary endpoint was daily metformin dose, and secondary endpoints were the correlations between metformin dose and age, comorbidities, and concomitant use of other drugs.

Antimicrobial peptide human β-defensin-2 improves cellular viability and reduces pro-inflammatory effects induced by enteroinvasive in Caco-2 cells by inhibiting invasion and virulence factors' expression.

is one of the commensal species most represented in the intestinal microbiota. However, there are some strains that can acquire new virulence factors that enable them to adapt to new intestinal niches. These include enteroinvasive (EIEC) that is responsible for the bacillary dysentery that causes severe diarrheal symptoms in both children and adults.

from buffalo milk is suitable for potential biotechnological process development and inhibits in a gastric epithelial cell model.

Probiotics are living microorganisms that give beneficial health effects while consumed, and each strain possesses diverse and unique properties and also different technological characteristics that affect its ability to be produced at large scale. is a widely studied member of probiotics, however, few data are available on the development of fermentation and downstream processes for the production of viable biomasses for potential industrial applications. In the present study a novel strain was isolated from buffalo milk and used as test example for biotechnological process development.

Hydroxychloroquine Blood Concentrations Can Be Clinically Relevant Also After Drug Discontinuation.

Background And Objective: Hydroxychloroquine was widely used during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic as an antiviral drug. Most previous pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies on hydroxychloroquine were conducted on healthy volunteers or patients receiving long-term therapy. There are no studies on the elimination of hydroxychloroquine after short-term treatments.

Chitin Nanofibril-Nanolignin Complexes as Carriers of Functional Molecules for Skin Contact Applications.

Chitin nanofibrils (CN) and nanolignin (NL) were used to embed active molecules, such as vitamin E, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, lutein, nicotinamide and glycyrrhetinic acid (derived from licorice), in the design of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nanostructured chitin nanofibrils-nanolignin (CN-NL) complexes for skin contact products, thus forming CN-NL/M complexes, where M indicates the embedded functional molecule. Nano-silver was also embedded in CN-NL complexes or on chitin nanofibrils to exploit its well-known antimicrobial activity. A powdery product suitable for application was finally obtained by spray-drying the complexes co-formulated with poly(ethylene glycol).

Impact of COVID-19 in immunosuppressive drug-naïve autoimmune disorders: Autoimmune gastritis, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and autoimmune thyroid disease.

Few conflicting data are currently available on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with autoimmune disorders. The studies performed so far are influenced, in most cases, by the treatment with immunosuppressive drugs, making it difficult to ascertain the burden of autoimmunity per se. For this reason, herein we assessed the susceptibility to COVID-19 in immunosuppressive drug-naïve patients with autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune gastritis (AIG), celiac disease (CD), type 1 diabetes (T1D), and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).

Chitin Nanofibril Application in Tympanic Membrane Scaffolds to Modulate Inflammatory and Immune Response.

Chitin nanofibrils (CNs) are an emerging bio-based nanomaterial. Due to nanometric size and high crystallinity, CNs lose the allergenic features of chitin and interestingly acquire anti-inflammatory activity. Here we investigate the possible advantageous use of CNs in tympanic membrane (TM) scaffolds, as they are usually implanted inside highly inflamed tissue environment due to underlying infectious pathologies.

Silver Nanoparticle-Coated Polyhydroxyalkanoate Based Electrospun Fibers for Wound Dressing Applications.

Wound dressings are high performance and high value products which can improve the regeneration of damaged skin. In these products, bioresorption and biocompatibility play a key role. The aim of this study is to provide progress in this area via nanofabrication and antimicrobial natural materials.

V-Gel Guided Endotracheal Intubation in Rabbits.

General anesthesia in rabbits is associated with higher morbidity and mortality relative to other mammalian species commonly anesthetized. Unique challenges related to endotracheal intubation (ETI) in rabbits contribute to this risk. To improve the safety of ETI in rabbits, we developed two new ETI methods using a supraglottic airway device (v-gel) to facilitate ETI and compared them to traditional "blind" technique.