Implementing proximity care for people with multiple sclerosis in Italy: the bottom-up approach of the StayHome project.

Objective: In Italy, around 137,000 people live with multiple sclerosis, facing organizational complexities due to the current model's limited focus on proximity care. This project aims to define a proximity model, in accordance with recent developments in the Italian healthcare landscape, engaging over 150 healthcare stakeholders and potentially impacting approximately 14,000 patients.

Methods: An analysis was pursued to map the multiple sclerosis pathway, followed by interviews to capture the actual implementation in Italian Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

Correction: Bellu et al. Smart Nanofibers with Natural Extracts Prevent Senescence Patterning in a Dynamic Cell Culture Model of Human Skin. 2020, , 2530.

In the original publication [...

Job Retention by People With Disabilities: A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS), because of its early age at onset, greatly impacts the working lives of those affected by it in ways linked to different factors, both professional and personal. It has been observed that only a small percentage (20-40%) of workers with MS retain their jobs after the diagnosis. When identifying factors determining job retention or loss in this setting, it is essential to consider the direct perspectives of people with MS (PwMS).

Occupational Physicians' Management of Workers With Multiple Sclerosis in Italy: Results From a Survey.

Background: This study, conducted on a sample of Italian occupational physicians (OPs), aimed to gather data regarding professional activity and their needs in managing workers with multiple sclerosis.

Methods: A convenience sample of OPs recruited by e-mail invitation to the list of Italian Society of Occupational Medicine members was considered. A total of 220 OPs participated between July and October 2022.

Work Difficulties in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Purpose: This study identifies potential predictors of unemployment and describes specific work difficulties and their determinants in a subgroup of employed people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The specific work difficulties were evaluated using a validated tool that measures the impact of respondents' symptoms and of workplace features.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Italy during 2021-2022.

Physiological adaptations of active postmenopausal women and matched men to the multi-day Sardinia Selvaggio Blu wild trek: a gender-comparative pilot study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of wild trekking by examining, in postmenopausal women, the physiological adaptations to an intensive 5-day wild trek and comparing their responses to those displayed by a group of men of comparable age, training status and mountaineering skills.

Methods: Six healthy, active postmenopausal women in their sixth decade of life participated in the study. Six men of comparable age and training status were also enrolled for gender-based comparisons.

Work Barriers and Job Adjustments of People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

Purpose The aim was to carry out a systematic review dedicated to describing the work barriers and the job adjustments that are particularly sensitive to people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Methods Four electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) were searched for peer-reviewed original articles reporting the barriers at work and/or the job adjustments used by PwMS. MS must have been diagnosed according to accepted international criteria at the time of the study and/or confirmed by a doctor.

Stigma, Discrimination and Disclosure of the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in the Workplace: A Systematic Review.

The objective of the study was to describe and analyze the stigma, discrimination and the disclosure of the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the workplace. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022320437). We systematically searched four scientific databases with key search terms.

Spatial and temporal distribution of the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: We aimed to summarise the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement among people with MS and analyze data according to a spatio-temporal perspective.

Methods: We undertook a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. We included any peer-reviewed original article reporting the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement in the working-age population with MS.

Occupational outcomes of people with multiple sclerosis: a scoping review.

Objectives: To update the knowledge on the occupational outcomes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), systematically examine the extent, scope and nature of the pre-existing literature and identify research gaps in the existing literature.

Design: Scoping review.

Data Sources: A comprehensive database search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect and Web of Science was performed.

Low back pain prevalence and risk factors in Italian adolescent male soccer players: results from an online survey.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective survey was to analyze the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among Italian adolescent soccer players, and to identify potential risk factors.

Methods: Participants were requested to answer an online survey based on the standardized Nordic questionnaires for musculoskeletal symptoms.

Results: Data were obtained from 204 male soccer players aged 14-17 years competing at the national and regional level.

Natural Compounds and PCL Nanofibers: A Novel Tool to Counteract Stem Cell Senescence.

Tissue homeostasis mainly depends on the activity of stem cells to replace damaged elements and restore tissue functions. Within this context, mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts are essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis in skin, in particular in the dermis. Modifications in collagen fibers are able to affect stem cell features.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with multiple sclerosis: Early findings from a survey on disruptions in care and self-reported outcomes.

Objective: To describe the disruptions in care experienced by persons with Multiple Sclerosis in Italy due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the self-reported impact on their health and wellbeing.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 2722 persons with Multiple Sclerosis, after Italy instituted a national lockdown in response to the pandemic.

Results: Persons with Multiple Sclerosis reported that the pandemic caused broad disruptions to usual health and social care services, which impacted on their health and wellbeing.

Smart Nanofibers with Natural Extracts Prevent Senescence Patterning in a Dynamic Cell Culture Model of Human Skin.

Natural cosmetic products have recently re-emerged as a novel tool able to counteract skin aging and skin related damages. In addition, recently achieved progress in nanomedicine opens a novel approach yielding from combination of modern nanotechnology with traditional treatment for innovative pharmacotherapeutics. In the present study, we investigated the antiaging effect of a pretreatment with natural extract combined with a polycaprolactone nanofibrous scaffold (NanoPCL-M) on skin cell populations exposed to UV.

A human MMTV-like betaretrovirus linked to breast cancer has been present in humans at least since the copper age.

The betaretrovirus Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) is the well characterized etiological agent of mammary tumors in mice. In contrast, the etiology of sporadic human breast cancer (BC) is unknown, but accumulating data indicate a possible viral origin also for these malignancies. The presence of MMTV-like sequences (MMTVels) in the human salivary glands and saliva supports the latter as possible route of inter-human dissemination.

Risk factors associated with low back pain in competitive female gymnasts: A meta-analytic approach.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to aggregate data from studies investigating the risk factors associated with low back pain (LBP) in competitive gymnasts. Four databases were searched and studies reporting demographics, anthropometrics, functional, psychosocial and gymnastics-practice variables in competitive gymnasts with and without LBP were included. For continuous data, the weighted mean difference (MD) and confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated, while odds or risk ratio (OR, RR) were calculated for dichotomous data.

Genetic history from the Middle Neolithic to present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia's genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period.

Real-time telemetry monitoring of oxygen in the central complex of freely-walking Gromphadorhina portentosa.

A new telemetric system for the electrochemical monitoring of dissolved oxygen is showed. The device, connected with two amperometric sensors, has been successfully applied to the wireless detection of the extracellular oxygen in the central complex of freely-walking Gromphadorhina portentosa. The unit was composed of a potentiostat, a two-channel sensor conditioning circuit, a microprocessor module, and a wireless serial transceiver.

Agenesis of the posterior arch of the atlas and complex alterations of the craniovertebral junction: A case report.

The craniovertebral junction is a unique part of the somite-derived axial skeleton. The absence or hypoplasia of the posterior arch of C1 is frequently associated with compensatory hypertrophy of the anterior arch of C1 and of the spinous process of C2. Here, we report a patient with agenesis of the posterior arch of C1 without neurologic deficits.

Association of Klippel-Feil syndrome, Dandy-Walker malformation, spina bifida: A case report.

Klippel-Feil syndrome is a congenital malformation characterized by the fusion of at least 2 cervical vertebrae. It may occur in association with other clinical syndromes and disorders. We describe a case of prenatal diagnosis of a Klippel-Feil syndrome with Dandy-Walker malformation, and spina bifida, proved by ultrasound examination.

Neuroanatomy, the Achille's Heel of Medical Students. A Systematic Analysis of Educational Strategies for the Teaching of Neuroanatomy.

Neuroanatomy has been deemed crucial for clinical neurosciences. It has been one of the most challenging parts of the anatomical curriculum and is one of the causes of "neurophobia," whose main implication is a negative influence on the choice of neurology in the near future. In the last decades, several educational strategies have been identified to improve the skills of students and to promote a deep learning.

Posterior tibial perforators relationship with superficial nerves and veins: A cadaver study.

Background: Most authors have evaluated the location of lower leg arterial perforators, but little is still known about the relationship between the arterial network and great saphenous vein (GSV) and saphenous nerve (SN). The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the arterial network of the posterior tibial artery perforators, the cutaneous nerves, and the superficial venous system in the lower one third of the leg.

Methods: Eighteen lower limbs from cadavers were used for this study.

Metals in bones of the middle-aged inhabitants of Sardinia island (Italy) to assess nutrition and environmental exposure.

Metals in bones of 72 subjects lived between the twelfth and eighteenth century AC and collected in four Sardinian (Italian insular region) burial sites (Alghero, Bisarcio, Geridu, and Sassari) were determined and used as biomarkers to evaluate diet and potential social-environmental differences. Concentrations of Ba, Ca, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sr, and Zn were quantified in different types of compact bone (femur, fibula, humerus, radius, tibia, ulna) by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry previous acidic digestion and differences among the various burial sites, centuries, types of bone, gender, and age were explored by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results indicated differences between sites in terms of diet: Bisarcio (inland village) had increased ratios of Ba/Ca and Zn/Ca due to higher incidence of vegetables, cereals, and animal foods in the diet; Geridu (coastal village) showed increased Sr/Ca ratio indicating foods of plant and marine origin that were predominant; Alghero (coastal site) and Sassari (inland site) displayed prevalently a mixed diet reflecting a higher economy and food imports.

How long does the volumizing effect of a Zingiber officinale-based lip plumper last?

Objective: Lip plumpers should enhance lip volume. It has been shown that no noticeable result was obtained after long term use of these products. The present study has been carried out to assess lip plumpers' short term effectiveness within 2 h from application.

Atlas occipitalisation associated with other anomalies in a 16th century skeleton from Sardinia (Italy).

Archaeological excavations carried out in the plague cemetery of 16th century Alghero (Sardinia) brought to light the skeleton of a male aged 35-45 years, showing anomalies of the atlas. A macroscopic and radiological study has been carried out. The first cervical vertebra is fused with the skull base, resulting in an occipitalisation of the atlas.