Patient Voices: Multimethod Study on the Feasibility of Implementing Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Background: "Patient Voices" is a software developed to promote the systematic collection of electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) in routine oncology clinical practice.

Objective: This study aimed to assess compliance with and feasibility of the Patient Voices ePROM system and analyze patient-related barriers in an Italian comprehensive cancer center.

Methods: Consecutive patients with cancer attending 3 outpatient clinics and 3 inpatient wards were screened for eligibility (adults, native speakers, and being able to fill in the ePROMs) and enrolled in a quantitative and qualitative multimethod study.

Combining functionalities-nanoarchitectonics for combatting bacterial infection.

New antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory therapeutics are needed because of antibiotic resistance development and resulting complications such as inflammation, ultimately leading to septic shock. The antimicrobial effects of various nanoparticles (NPs) are currently attracting intensive research interest. Although various NPs display potent antimicrobial effects against strains resistant to conventional antibiotics, the therapeutic use of such materials is restricted by poor selectivity between bacteria and human cells, leading to adverse side effects.

Validation of the European Oncology toolkit for the self-assessment of Quality of Life (EUonQoL-Kit) in cancer patients and survivors: study protocol of a pan European survey.

Background: European cancer programmes and policies lack a unified health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment tool. The European oncology quality of life toolkit (EUonQoL-Kit) is a novel set of HRQoL questionnaires, co-designed with cancer patients and survivors, translated and culturally adapted into 31 European languages, and with both static and dynamic electronic administration modes. The main aim of this study is the psychometric assessment of the static version.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharides by Peptide-Coated TiO Nanoparticles.

In this study, we report the degradation of smooth and rough lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria and of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Gram-positive bacteria by peptide-coated TiO nanoparticles (TiO NPs). While bare TiO NPs displayed minor binding to both LPS and LTA, coating TiO NPs with the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 dramatically increased the level of binding to both LPS and LTA, decorating these uniformly. Importantly, peptide coating did not suppress reactive oxygen species generation of TiO NPs; hence, UV illumination triggered pronounced degradation of LPS and LTA by peptide-coated TiO NPs.

Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering applied to lipid-based nanoparticles: Recent advancements across different length scales.

Lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs), ranging from nanovesicles to non-lamellar assemblies, have gained significant attention in recent years, as versatile carriers for delivering drugs, vaccines, and nutrients. Small-angle scattering methods, employing X-rays (SAXS) or neutrons (SANS), represent unique tools to unveil structure, dynamics, and interactions of such particles on different length scales, spanning from the nano to the molecular scale. This review explores the state-of-the-art on scattering methods applied to unveil the structure of lipid-based nanoparticles and their interactions with drugs and bioactive molecules, to inform their rational design and formulation for medical applications.

Neutron reflectometry as a powerful tool to elucidate membrane interactions of drug delivery systems.

The last couple of decades have seen an explosion of novel colloidal drug delivery systems, which have been demonstrated to increase drug efficacy, reduce side-effects, and provide various other advantages for both small-molecule and biomacromolecular drugs. The interactions of delivery systems with biomembranes are increasingly recognized to play a key role for efficient eradication of pathogens and cancer cells, as well as for intracellular delivery of protein and nucleic acid drugs. In parallel, there has been a broadening of methodologies for investigating such systems.

Boosting Membrane Interactions and Antimicrobial Effects of Photocatalytic Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles by Peptide Coating.

Photocatalytic nanoparticles offer antimicrobial effects under illumination due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), capable of degrading bacterial membranes. ROS may, however, also degrade human cell membranes and trigger toxicity. Since antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may display excellent selectivity between human cells and bacteria, these may offer opportunities to effectively "target" nanoparticles to bacterial membranes for increased selectivity.

Mortality and healthcare assessment among patients with chronic disease over 2 years of COVID-19: a population-based study in a large hard-hit Italian region.

Objectives: We aimed to provide a region-wide comprehensive account of the indirect effects of COVID-19 on patients with chronic disease, in terms of non-COVID-19 mortality, and access to both inpatient and outpatient health services over a 2-year pandemic period.

Design: Population-based retrospective study.

Setting: Adult patients, affected by at least 1 of 32 prevalent chronic conditions, residing in the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy, during the years 2020 (N=1 791 189, 47.

Direct impact of 2 years of COVID-19 on chronic disease patients: a population-based study in a large hard-hit Italian region.

Objectives: We aimed to provide a region-wide comprehensive account of the direct effects of COVID-19 on chronic disease patients, in terms of disease incidence, severity and mortality, over a 2-year pandemic period (2020-2021).

Design: Population-based retrospective study.

Setting/participants: Adult patients, affected by at least 1 of 32 prevalent chronic conditions, residing in the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy, during the years 2020 (N=1 791 189, 47.

The Capacity of Magnesium to Induce Osteoclast Differentiation Is Greatly Enhanced by the Presence of Zoledronate.

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are successfully used to cure a number of diseases characterized by a metabolic reduction in bone density, such as Osteoporosis, or a neoplastic destruction of bone tissue, such as multiple myeloma and bone metastases. These drugs exert their therapeutic effect by causing a systemic osteoclast depletion that, in turn, is responsible for reduced bone resorption. Unfortunately, in addition to their beneficial activity, BPs can also determine a frightening side effect known as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).

Pulmonary delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides.

Bacterial infections of the respiratory tract cause millions of deaths annually. Several diseases exist wherein (1) bacterial infection is the main cause of disease (e.g.

Bioactive Suture with Added Innate Defense Functionality for the Reduction of Bacterial Infection and Inflammation.

Surgical site infections (SSI) are a clinical and economic burden. Suture-associated SSI may develop when bacteria colonize the suture surface and form biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics. Thrombin-derived C-terminal peptide (TCP)-25 is a host defense peptide with a unique dual mode of action that can target both bacteria and the excessive inflammation induced by bacterial products.

Probing the coverage of nanoparticles by biomimetic membranes through nanoplasmonics.

Although promising for biomedicine, the clinical translation of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) is limited by low biocompatibility and stability in biological fluids. A common strategy to circumvent this drawback consists in disguising the active inorganic core with a lipid bilayer coating, reminiscent of the structure of the cell membrane to redefine the chemical and biological identity of NPs. While recent reports introduced membrane-coating procedures for NPs, a robust and accessible method to quantify the integrity of the bilayer coverage is not yet available.

Italian health professionals on the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine: An online cross-sectional survey.

Italy was the first country in Europe to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for healthcare professionals by imposing restrictions in cases of non-compliance. This study investigates the opinions of the Italian healthcare professionals' categories affected by the regulation. We performed a qualitative online survey: the questionnaire comprised both close- and open-ended questions.

Mesoporous silica as a matrix for photocatalytic titanium dioxide nanoparticles: lipid membrane interactions.

In the present study, we investigate the combined interaction of mesoporous silica (SiO) and photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles with lipid membranes, using neutron reflectometry (NR), cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), fluorescence oxidation assays, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ζ-potential measurements. Based on DLS, TiO nanoparticles were found to display strongly improved colloidal stability at physiological pH of skin (pH 5.4) after incorporation into either smooth or spiky ("virus-like") mesoporous silica nanoparticles at low pH, the latter demonstrated by cryo-TEM.

Ball milled glyco-graphene oxide conjugates markedly disrupted biofilms.

The engineering of the surface of nanomaterials with bioactive molecules allows controlling their biological identity thus accessing functional materials with tuned physicochemical and biological profiles suited for specific applications. Then, the manufacturing process, by which the nanomaterial surface is grafted, has a significant impact on their development and innovation. In this regard, we report herein the grafting of sugar headgroups on a graphene oxide (GO) surface by exploiting a green manufacturing process that relies on the use of vibrational ball mills, a grinding apparatus in which the energy is transferred to the reacting species through collision with agate spheres inside a closed and vibrating vessel.

Interaction of Metallic Nanoparticles With Biomimetic Lipid Liquid Crystalline Cubic Interfaces.

In the past decades, events occurring at the nano-bio interface (i.e., where engineered nanoparticles (NPs) meet biological interfaces such as biomembranes) have been intensively investigated, to address the cytotoxicity of nanomaterials and boost their clinical translation.

Membrane Phase Drives the Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles on Biomimetic Lipid Bilayers.

In recent years, many efforts have been devoted to investigating the interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with lipid biomimetic interfaces, both from a fundamental perspective aimed at understanding relevant phenomena occurring at the nanobio interface and from an application standpoint for the design of novel lipid-nanoparticle hybrid materials. In this area, recent reports have revealed that citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) spontaneously associate with synthetic phospholipid liposomes and, in some cases, self-assemble on the lipid bilayer. However, the mechanistic and kinetic aspects of this phenomenon are not yet completely understood.

How Many Cancer Patients Need Palliative Care? A Population-Based Study.

Background: The number of cancer patients potentially amenable to palliative care is conventionally estimated from cancer deaths, as reported in the death certificates. However, a more representative population should also include cancer patients who die from causes other than cancer, as they may develop other life-limiting chronic conditions leading to terminal prognosis.

Aim: This study aimed at refining the assessment of the number of cancer patients potentially in need of palliative care, by linked hospital and death data.

Nanoscale structural and mechanical characterization of thin bicontinuous cubic phase lipid films.

The mechanical response of lipid membranes to nanoscale deformations is of fundamental importance for understanding how these interfaces behave in multiple biological processes; in particular, the nanoscale mechanics of non-lamellar membranes represents a largely unexplored research field. Among these mesophases, inverse bicontinuous cubic phase Q membranes have been found to spontaneously occur in stressed or virally infected cells and to play a role in fundamental processes, such as cell fusion and food digestion. We herein report on the fabrication of thin ( ̴150 nm) supported Q cubic phase lipid films (SQFs) and on their characterization via multiple techniques including Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS), Ellipsometry and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).

Interaction of nanoparticles with lipid films: the role of symmetry and shape anisotropy.

The bioactivity, biological fate and cytotoxicity of nanomaterials when they come into contact with living organisms are determined by their interaction with biomacromolecules and biological barriers. In this context, the role of symmetry/shape anisotropy of both the nanomaterials and biological interfaces in their mutual interaction, is a relatively unaddressed issue. Here, we study the interaction of gold nanoparticles (NPs) of different shapes (nanospheres and nanorods) with biomimetic membranes of different morphology, flat membranes (2D symmetry, representative of the most common plasma membrane geometry), and cubic membranes (3D symmetry, representative of non-lamellar membranes, found in Nature under certain biological conditions).

Stiffness of Fluid and Gel Phase Lipid Nanovesicles: Weighting the Contributions of Membrane Bending Modulus and Luminal Pressurization.

The mechanical properties of biogenic membranous compartments are thought to be relevant in numerous biological processes; however, their quantitative measurement remains challenging for most of the already available force spectroscopy (FS)-based techniques. In particular, the debate on the mechanics of lipid nanovesicles and on the interpretation of their mechanical response to an applied force is still open. This is mostly due to the current lack of a unified model being able to describe the mechanical response of both gel and fluid phase lipid vesicles and to disentangle the contributions of membrane rigidity and luminal pressure.

Lipid Cubic Mesophases Combined with Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: A Hybrid Multifunctional Platform with Tunable Magnetic Properties for Nanomedical Applications.

Hybrid materials composed of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and lipid self-assemblies possess considerable applicative potential in the biomedical field, specifically, for drug/nutrient delivery. Recently, we showed that SPIONs-doped lipid cubic liquid crystals undergo a cubic-to-hexagonal phase transition under the action of temperature or of an alternating magnetic field (AMF). This transition triggers the release of drugs embedded in the lipid scaffold or in the water channels.