A Spironolactone-Based Prototype of an Innovative Biomedical Patch for Wound Dressing Applications.

The electrospinning process is an effective technique for creating micro- and nanofibers from synthetic and natural polymers, with significant potential for biomedical applications and drug delivery systems due to their high drug-loading capacity, large surface area, and tunable release times. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) stands out for its excellent thermo-mechanical properties, biodegradability, and bioabsorbability. Electrospun PLLA nanofibrous structures have been extensively investigated as wound dressings, sutures, drug delivery carriers, and tissue engineering scaffolds.

Alternative Treatments for Emotional Experiencing and Processing in People with Migraine or Tension-Type Headache: A Scoping Review.

This narrative review aims to summarize the use of alternative treatments (e.g., relaxation training, meditation, written intervention) for emotional expression, processing, control, or management in patients with migraine and tension-type headaches, which the previous literature has shown to be related to migraine pain perception and headache symptoms.

Exploiting the Features of Short Peptides to Recognize Specific Cell Surface Markers.

Antibodies are the macromolecules of choice to ensure specific recognition of biomarkers in biological assays. However, they present a range of shortfalls including a relatively high production cost and limited tissue penetration. Peptides are relatively small molecules able to reproduce sequences of highly specific paratopes and, although they have less biospecificity than antibodies, they offer advantages like ease of synthesis, modifications of their amino acid sequences and tagging with fluorophores and other molecules required for detection.

Salicylic Acid Release from Syndiotactic Polystyrene Staple Fibers.

Films and fibers of syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS), being amorphous or exhibiting nanoporous crystalline (NC) or dense crystalline phases, were loaded with salicylic acid (SA), a relevant non-volatile antimicrobial molecule. In the first section of the paper, sPS/SA co-crystalline (CC) δ form is characterized, mainly by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns and polarized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The formation of sPS/SA δ CC phases allows the preparation of sPS fibers even with a high content of the antibacterial guest, which is also retained after repeated washing procedures at 65 °C.

From economic difficulties to psychological maladjustment in Italian women during the Covid-19 pandemic: does marital dissatisfaction moderate or mediate this association?

Introduction: The empirical study about the negative impact of economic difficulties due to Covid- 19 on the psychological well-being of Italian women by considering perceived stress and marital satisfaction is an area worthy of investigation. The study explored these variables by hypothesizing that marital satisfaction (DAS) could moderate or mediate the links between economic difficulties, perceived stress (PSS), and psychological maladjustment (PGWBI).

Methods: A total of 320 Italian women completed an online survey about the study's variables during the lockdown period.

After the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions, experiences, and effects on well-being in Italian people.

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures of containment, multiple studies have been conducted aimed at assessing the impacts on people's psychophysical well-being; however, few studies have investigated the general population's perceptions, experiences, and effects by adopting a mixed-method approach.

Methods: A total of 855 Italian participants completed an online survey, conducted in the period following the first lockdown in Italy. Psychological well-being, perceived stress and COVID-19-related fears were assessed by standardized questionnaires (, , and ).

The Role of Pre-Pandemic Mental Health Status and Personality Traits on Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Lockdown among Italian Young Adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes on day-to-day activities and had a detrimental psychological effect on the population, especially among vulnerable individuals, such as adolescents and young adults. The current study aimed to explore variables associated with anxiety, depressive and somatic symptoms in a sample of 608 Italian young adults aged 18 to 25. Data were collected using an online questionnaire administered two months into the COVID-19 lockdown, which explored several areas including sociodemographic information, pre-pandemic and current psychological distress, pre-pandemic and current levels of loneliness, and the traits of intolerance of uncertainty and boredom susceptibility.

Structural analysis of a simplified model reproducing SARS-CoV-2 S RBD/ACE2 binding site.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an RNA virus identified as the cause of the coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 (COVID-19). Like all the RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 constantly evolves through mutations in its genome, accumulating 1-2 nucleotide changes every month, giving the virus a selective advantage through enhanced transmissibility, greater pathogenicity, and the possibility of circumventing immunity previously acquired by an individual either by natural infection or by vaccination. Several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) have been identified, among which we find Alpha (Lineage B.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and their experience with vaccination against COVID-19: a descriptive and explanatory study.

Not available.

Towards an Improvement of Anticancer Activity of Benzyl Adenosine Analogs.

N6-Isopentenyladenosine () is a naturally occurring modified nucleoside displaying in vitro and in vivo antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic properties. In our previous studies, including an in silico inverse virtual screening, NMR experiments and in vitro enzymatic assays, we demonstrated that targeted farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS), a key enzyme involved in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and prenylation of downstream proteins, which are aberrant in several cancers. Following our interest in the anticancer effects of FPPS inhibition, we developed a panel of derivatives bearing bulky aromatic moieties in the N6 position of adenosine.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus before and after COVID-19 Lockdown: How the Perception of Disease Changes through the Lenses of Narrative Medicine.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic contributes to the burden of living with different diseases, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). We described, from a narrative point of view, the experiences and perspectives of Italian SLE adults during the COVID-19 emergency, by distinguishing the illness experience before and after the lockdown.

Methods: Fifteen patients were invited to participate.

Ethanol Extracts Enhance Re-Epithelialization and Prevent Keratinocytes from Free-Radical Injury.

or Reishi is recognized as the most potent adaptogen present in nature, and its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anticancer activities are well known. Moreover, lately, there has been an increasing interest from pharmaceutical companies in antiaging -extract-based formulations. Nevertheless, the pharmacological mechanisms of such adaptogenic and regenerative actions remain unclear.

Long term perceptions of illness and self after Deep Brain Stimulation in pediatric dystonia: A narrative research.

Background: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is increasingly used in pediatric patients affected by isolated dystonia, with excellent results. Despite well documented long-term effects on motor functioning, information on quality of life and social adaptation is almost lacking.

Objectives: The present study aims to explore the experience of illness and the relation with the device in adult patients suffering from dystonia who underwent DBS surgery in pediatric age.

NMR for screening and a biochemical assay: Identification of new FPPS inhibitors exerting anticancer activity.

Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) is a crucial enzyme for the synthesis of isoprenoids and the key target of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs). N-BPs are potent and selective FPPS inhibitors that are used in the treatment of bone-related diseases, but have poor pharmacokinetic properties. Given the key role played by FPPS in many cancer-related pathways and the pharmacokinetic limits of N-BPs, hundreds of molecules have been screened to identify new FPPS inhibitors characterized by improved drug-like properties that are useful for broader therapeutic applications in solid, non-skeletal tumours.

Profiling acquired pedophilic behavior: Retrospective analysis of 66 Italian forensic cases of pedophilia.

Neurological disorders can be mis-diagnosed as psychiatric ones. This might happen to pedophilia emerging as a symptom of brain insult (i.e.

Validation of a self-reported instrument to assess work-related difficulties in patients with migraine: the HEADWORK questionnaire.

Background: The degree to which work-related difficulties are recognized in headache research is poor and often carried out with inadequate information such as "reduced ability to work as usual", which do not capture at all the variety of difficulties and the factors that impact over them. The aim of this paper is to present the validation of the HEADWORK questionnaire, which addresses the amount and severity of difficulties in work-related tasks and the factors that impact over them.

Methods: We developed a set of items based on a previous literature review and patients' focus groups and tested it on a wide set of patients with episodic and chronic migraine attending eight different Italian headache centers.

A Qualitative Study On Patients With Chronic Migraine With Medication Overuse Headache: Comparing Frequent And Non-Frequent Relapsers.

Background: It is common clinical experience that, after structured withdrawal, some patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse headache (CM with MOH) are more prone than others to relapse and to be in need of further structured treatments. Our aim was to explore similarities and differences between frequent relapsers (FRs) and non-frequent relapsers (NFRs) by considering their point of view, perceptions, and perspective of their subjective experience with relapse into CM with MOH.

Methods: Patients were consecutively recruited on occasion of a structured withdrawal treatment and were interviewed individually about their headache experience and their perspectives on relapse into CM with MOH.

Influential Parameters for the Analysis of Intracellular Parasite Metabolomics.

Metabolomics is increasingly popular for the study of pathogens. For the malaria parasite , both targeted and untargeted metabolomics have improved our understanding of pathogenesis, host-parasite interactions, and antimalarial drug treatment and resistance. However, purification and analysis procedures for performing metabolomics on intracellular pathogens have not been explored.

Family members and health professionals' perspectives on future life planning of ageing people with Down syndrome: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To address the way in which primary caregivers of people over 45 with Down syndrome describe daily life activities and context and foresee their future.

Methods: Thirteen family members and 15 health professionals participated to four focus groups. Meaningful concepts were identified and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health using established linking rules.

A comparative study on assessment procedures and metric properties of two scoring systems of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised items: standard and modified scores.

Objective: The study compared the metric characteristics (discriminant capacity and factorial structure) of two different methods for scoring the items of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised and it analysed scale scores collected using the standard assessment procedure and a new proposed method.

Design: Cross sectional design/methodological study.

Setting: Inpatient, neurological unit.

Evidence of altered pressure pain thresholds in persons with disorders of consciousness as measured by the Nociception Coma Scale-Italian version.

Pain assessment in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) is a controversial issue for clinicians, who require tools and standardised procedures for testing nociception in non-communicative patients. The aims of the present study were, first, to analyse the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Nociception Coma Scale and, second, to evaluate pressure pain thresholds in a group of patients with DoC. The authors conducted a multi-centre study on 40 healthy participants and 60 DoC patients enrolled from six hospitals in Italy.

Psychosocial difficulties in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this study was to report the most frequent psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), to explore the relationship between PSDs, disability and quality of life (QoL), and to address the predictors of PSDs. Patients with PD were interviewed using a protocol composed of a questionnaire investigating PSDs (PARADISE 24), QoL, disability, comorbidity, and social support questionnaires, scales on resilience, personality traits, and empathy in physician. Most frequent PSDs were reported.

PARADISE 24 instrument: An observational study on psychosocial difficulties, quality of life, and disability levels in patients with epilepsy.

Aim: The aim of this observational study was to test the effectiveness of the PARADISE 24 instrument in describing the psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) reported by people with epilepsy, their relation with disability, and quality-of-life (QoL) levels and, overall, to explore a horizontal epidemiology methodology applied to a sample of patients with epilepsy.

Methods: A convenience sample of 80 adult patients with epilepsy was included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were interviewed using a structured protocol composed of demographic, clinical, and patient-reported outcome measures to collect PSDs associated with epilepsy.