Tailoring FPOX enzymes for enhanced stability and expanded substrate recognition.

Fructosyl peptide oxidases (FPOX) are deglycating enzymes that find application as key enzymatic components in diabetes monitoring devices. Indeed, their use with blood samples can provide a measurement of the concentration of glycated hemoglobin and glycated albumin, two well-known diabetes markers. However, the FPOX currently employed in enzymatic assays cannot directly detect whole glycated proteins, making it necessary to perform a preliminary proteolytic treatment of the target protein to generate small glycated peptides that can act as viable substrates for the enzyme.

Impaired Vagal Activity in Long-COVID-19 Patients.

Long-COVID-19 refers to the signs and symptoms that continue or develop after the “acute COVID-19” phase. These patients have an increased risk of multiorgan dysfunction, readmission, and mortality. In Long-COVID-19 patients, it is possible to detect a persistent increase in D-Dimer, NT-ProBNP, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

The Cross-Talk between Thrombosis and Inflammatory Storm in Acute and Long-COVID-19: Therapeutic Targets and Clinical Cases.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) commonly complicates with coagulopathy. A syndrome called Long-COVID-19 is emerging recently in COVID-19 survivors, characterized, in addition to the persistence of symptoms typical of the acute phase, by alterations in inflammatory and coagulation parameters due to endothelial damage. The related disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can be associated with high death rates in COVID-19 patients.

A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Diabetes Using a Risk Index.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents an independent risk factor for chronic AF and is associated with unfavorable outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), with and without diabetes mellitus (DM), using a new risk index (RI) defined as: RI =Rate of EventsRate of Patients at Risk. In particular, an RI lower than 1 suggests a favorable treatment effect.

DIC-Like Syndrome Following Administration of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 Vaccination.

In recent weeks, adverse reactions have been reported after administration of Oxford-AstraZeneca chimpanzee adenovirus vectored vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), in particular thrombus formation, which has led several European Countries to discontinue administration of this vaccine. On March 8, 2021, the European Medicines Agency Safety Committee did not confirm this probable association. We report the case of a patient who developed disseminated intravascular coagulation after the first dose of Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine, which resolved in a few days with the administration of dexamethasone and enoxaparin.

Impulse control disorders in chronic migraine with medication overuse after onabotulinumtoxinA: A single-center prospective cohort study.

Chronic migraine (CM) with medication overuse headache (MOH) is one of the most common and disabling chronic headache disorders associated with both frequencies of use of medication and behavioral alterations, including psychopathology and psychological drug dependence. Several previous studies on large patient samples have demonstrated the efficacy of Onabotulinum toxin A (OnabotA) on physical symptomatology treatment of headache, but effects on behavioral alterations remain still debate. Our study investigated the effects of OnabotA on psychiatric comorbidities and on quality of life of patients with CM and MOH that failed on traditional therapies.

The Cross-Talk between Age, Hypertension and Inflammation in COVID-19 Patients: Therapeutic Targets.

This paper presents a brief overview of the complex interaction between age, hypertension, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), inflammation, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is more frequent and more severe in comorbid elderly patients, especially those with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular diseases. There are concerns regarding the use of RAAS inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

Biomechanical and neuroautonomic adaptation to acute blood volume displacement in ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: the predictive value of the CD25 test.

We aimed to examine biomechanical and neuroautonomic adaptation to blood volume displacement induced by tilt test in patients with previous inferoapical/inferolateral (IA-IL) or basal/apical septal (BS-AS) myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-four patients with heart failure (HF) and previous IA-IL MI and 30 patients with HF and previous BS-AS MI were enrolled. All patients underwent head-up tilt test, radionuclide ventricular function monitoring (VEST), sympathovagal balance evaluation, and chronotropic 25-dose isoproterenol infusion test (CD).

Early Initiation of Sacubitril/Valsartan in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure After Acute Decompensation: A Case Series Analysis.

Background And Objective: Sacubitril/valsartan improved the prognosis of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in the PARADIGM-HF study. Recently, the TRANSITION and PIONEER-HF studies demonstrated the safety and efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure, with treatment initiated after hemodynamic and clinical stabilization. In this case series study, we assessed the short-term effects of sacubitril/valsartan on exercise capacity, inflammation, and biomarkers in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and High Thromboembolic Risk. A Systematic Review.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in a subgroup of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), CHADS score ≥3, advanced age, and heart failure (HF) coming from the main DOACs randomized clinical trials. We searched MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, and Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. English-language articles published from 2002 to March 2019 dealing with DOACs for preventing thrombotic events in AF were considered.

Relative lymphocyte count as an indicator of 3-year mortality in elderly people with severe COPD.

Background: Prognostic stratification of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is difficult due to the wide inter-individual variability in the course of the disease. No marker can exactly stratify the evolution and natural history of COPD patients. Studies have shown that leukocyte count is associated with increased risk of mortality in COPD patients.

CD44v6 as innovative sarcoma target for CAR-redirected CIK cells.

Purpose of our study was to explore a new immunotherapy for high grade soft tissue sarcomas (STS) based on cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) redirected with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against the tumor-promoting antigen CD44v6. We aimed at generating bipotential killers, combining the CAR specificity with the intrinsic tumor-killing ability of CIK cells (CAR.CIK).

Usefulness of nutraceuticals in migraine prophylaxis.

Several studies have supported the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine approaches (physical, behavioral and nutraceutical therapies) in the treatment of headache disorders. Nutraceutical treatment consists of taking vitamins, supplements (magnesium, riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, and alpha lipoic acid) and herbal preparations (feverfew and butterbur), and its usage is frequently determined by dissatisfaction with conventional medical therapies. There is a growing body of research on nutraceutical use for migraine prophylaxis.

Exercise training effects on elderly and middle-age patients with chronic heart failure after acute decompensation: A randomized, controlled trial.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise training on cardiac function in heart failure (HF) patients recently suffering from acute decompensation. Radionuclide ambulatory ventricular function monitoring (VEST) was used to detect variations in cardiac hemodynamics during training period.

Methods: This was a monocentric, randomized, controlled trial.

Safety and Feasibility of Treatment with Rivaroxaban for Non-Canonical Indications: A Case Series Analysis.

Background And Objectives: The new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are used for the prevention of thromboembolic complications in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and those at risk of deep venous thrombosis. Their rapid onset of action and predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles make them the optimal alternative to warfarin in the treatment of these two categories of patients. Unfortunately, however, NOACs cannot be used in patients with valvular AF or valvular cardiac prostheses.

Migraine and lifestyle in childhood.

Migraine is one of the most frequently reported somatic complaints in childhood, with a negative impact on health-related quality of life. The incidence of migraine in childhood has substantially increased over the past 30 years, probably due to both increased awareness of the disease and lifestyle changes in this age group. Indeed, several conditions have been identified as risk factors for migraine in childhood.

Inositol and acne.

Acne, once considered as a mere esthetic problem, is now recognized as a disease that can cause major disturbances of the psychological and emotional sphere. Currently, the treatment of acne is focused on one or more pathogenic factors: hormonal stimulation and sebaceous hypersecretion, disorder of keratinization, colonization of Propionibacterium acnes and inflammation. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the use of inositol in patients with moderate acne.

Post-traumatic headaches: an epidemiological overview.

Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is the most common secondary headache disorder, corresponding to approximately 4 % of all symptomatic headaches. PTH, a cardinal feature of the post-concussive syndrome, usually shows a phenotype similar to migraine or tension-type headache. However, rare cases of PTH similar to trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias have been described.

Headache in school age.

Headache, especially migraine and tension-type headache, is one of the most frequently reported somatic complaints by children and adolescents. Different population-based studies have been conducted to study the correlation between headache and lifestyles in pediatric age, nevertheless, the obtained results are often controversial and these relationship still remain unclear. Likewise, is still strongly debated the burden of headache during school age, its impact on school performances and on quality of life of children and their families.

Basilar-type migraine patients responsive to lamotrigine: a 5-year follow-up.

Five years ago we reported the case of three patients affected by basilar-type migraine (BM) responsive to lamotrigine. At that time, proven treatment options for BM are rather limited and lamotrigine has been tested in BM patients because it was a widely tested treatment for migraine with aura. That positive 1-year experience leaded us to suggest that lamotrigine could be a preventive therapeutic option for BM patients, with and without menstruation association.

Controversies in migraine treatment: opioids should be avoided.

The use of opioids for migraine is still controversial. Evidence-based guidelines do not recommend opioids as first-line treatment of migraine attacks, while clinical and epidemiological surveys demonstrate that the use of opioids is associated with more severe headache-related disability, symptomology and comorbidities, and greater health-care resource utilization. There are concerns that opioids may be misused or abused, leading to opioid abuse or dependence and migraineurs are particularly prone and at risk for the development of chronic daily headache from opioids overuse.