Mushroom-Based Supplements in Italy: Let's Open Pandora's Box.

Mushrooms and derivates are well known to the scientific community for having different health benefits and exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, including lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobic, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunomodulating, neuroprotective and osteoprotective actions. In Europe, medical mushrooms are mainly marketed in the form of food supplements as single components or combined with other nutraceuticals. In this context, the first peculiarity that distinguishes it is the safety established through the "history of consumption" that characterizes that mushroom.

The Role of Medicinal Mushrooms in Brain Cancer Therapies: Review.

Medicinal mushrooms are considered an unlimited source of polysaccharides (mainly β-glucans) and polysaccharide-protein complexes and possess various immunological and anticancer properties. In addition, their use in integrative medicine leads to a clear reduction of side effects in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The literature reports a number of beneficial effects of using mushrooms as health supplements in patients affected by high-grade glioma.

Overview of different modified full-face snorkelling masks for intraoperative protection.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant impact on healthcare systems worldwide. The rate of infected healthcare workers is > 10% in Italy. Within this dramatic scenario, the development of new personal protective equipment (PPE) devices is mandatory.

Blu-ray based optomagnetic aptasensor for detection of small molecules.

This paper describes an aptamer-based optomagnetic biosensor for detection of a small molecule based on target binding-induced inhibition of magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) clustering. For the detection of a target small molecule, two mutually exclusive binding reactions (aptamer-target binding and aptamer-DNA linker hybridization) are designed. An aptamer specific to the target and a DNA linker complementary to a part of the aptamer sequence are immobilized onto separate MNPs.

Mathematical Model for Biomolecular Quantification Using Large-Area Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Mapping.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based on nanostructured platforms is a promising technique for quantitative and highly sensitive detection of biomolecules in the field of analytical biochemistry. Here, we report a mathematical model to predict experimental SERS signal (or hotspot) intensity distributions of target molecules on receptor-functionalized nanopillar substrates for biomolecular quantification. We demonstrate that by utilizing only a small set of empirically determined parameters, our general theoretical framework agrees with the experimental data particularly well in the picomolar concentration regimes.

Quantification of rolling circle amplified DNA using magnetic nanobeads and a Blu-ray optical pick-up unit.

We present the first implementation of a Blu-ray optical pickup unit (OPU) for the high-performance low-cost readout of a homogeneous assay in a multichamber microfluidic disc with a chamber thickness of 600 μm. The assay relies on optical measurements of the dynamics of magnetic nanobeads in an oscillating magnetic field applied along the light propagation direction. The laser light provided by the OPU is transmitted through the sample chamber and reflected back onto the photo detector array of the OPU via a mirror.

Nanomechanical recognition of prognostic biomarker suPAR with DVD-ROM optical technology.

In this work the use of a high-throughput nanomechanical detection system based on a DVD-ROM optical drive and cantilever sensors is presented for the detection of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor inflammatory biomarker (uPAR). Several large scale studies have linked elevated levels of soluble uPAR (suPAR) to infectious diseases, such as HIV, and certain types of cancer. Using hundreds of cantilevers and a DVD-based platform, cantilever deflection response from antibody-antigen recognition is investigated as a function of suPAR concentration.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based quantitative bioassay on aptamer-functionalized nanopillars using large-area Raman mapping.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been used in a variety of biological applications due to its high sensitivity and specificity. Here, we report a SERS-based biosensing approach for quantitative detection of biomolecules. A SERS substrate bearing gold-decorated silicon nanopillars is functionalized with aptamers for sensitive and specific detection of target molecules.

Centrifugally driven microfluidic disc for detection of chromosomal translocations.

Chromosome translocations are a common cause of congenital disorders and cancer. Current detection methods require use of expensive and highly specialized techniques to identify the chromosome regions involved in a translocation. There is a need for rapid yet specific detection for diagnosis and prognosis of patients.

High throughput label-free platform for statistical bio-molecular sensing.

Sensors are crucial in many daily operations including security, environmental control, human diagnostics and patient monitoring. Screening and online monitoring require reliable and high-throughput sensing. We report on the demonstration of a high-throughput label-free sensor platform utilizing cantilever based sensors.