Implementation of mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticle Technology in Atlantic Salmon ().

Background: This study was conducted to investigate whether mRNA vaccine technology could be adapted for the ectothermic vertebrate Atlantic salmon (). Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology has been developed and optimized for mRNA vaccines in mammals, stabilizing mRNA and facilitating its delivery into cells. However, its utility at the temperatures and specific biological environments present in ectotherms remains unclear.

SPRi analysis of molecular interactions of mApoE-functionalized liposomes as drug delivery systems for brain diseases.

The application of liposomes (LPs) to central nervous system disorders could represents a turning point in the therapy and quality of life of patients. Indeed, LPs have demonstrated their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and, as a consequence, to enhance the therapeutics delivery into the brain. Some approaches for BBB crossing involve the modification of LP surfaces with biologically active ligands.

Microglial-Targeted nSMase2 Inhibitor Fails to Reduce Tau Propagation in PS19 Mice.

The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlates with the propagation of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus and neocortex. Neutral sphingomyelinase2 (nSMase2) is critical in the biosynthesis of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which play a role in pTau propagation. We recently conjugated DPTIP, a potent nSMase2 inhibitor, to hydroxyl-PAMAM-dendrimer nanoparticles that can improve brain delivery.

Multiplexing Biosensor for the Detection of Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers of Tissue Damage and Recovery after Ischemic Stroke.

The inflammatory, reparative and regenerative mechanisms activated in ischemic stroke patients immediately after the event cooperate in the response to injury, in the restoration of functions and in brain remodeling even weeks after the event and can be sustained by the rehabilitation treatment. Nonetheless, patients' response to treatments is difficult to predict because of the lack of specific measurable markers of recovery, which could be complementary to clinical scales in the evaluation of patients. Considering that Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are carriers of multiple molecules involved in the response to stroke injury, in the present study, we have identified a panel of EV-associated molecules that (i) confirm the crucial involvement of EVs in the processes that follow ischemic stroke, (ii) could possibly profile ischemic stroke patients at the beginning of the rehabilitation program, (iii) could be used in predicting patients' response to treatment.

Biochemical Characterization of Human Salivary Extracellular Vesicles as a Valuable Source of Biomarkers.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural nanoparticles secreted under physiological and pathological conditions. Thanks to their diagnostic potential, EVs are increasingly being studied as biomarkers of a variety of diseases, including neurological disorders. To date, most studies on EV biomarkers use blood as the source, despite different disadvantages that may cause an impure isolation of the EVs.

Freeze Drying of Polymer Nanoparticles and Liposomes Exploiting Different Saccharide-Based Approaches.

Biodegradable nanocarriers represent promising tools for controlled drug delivery. However, one major drawback related to their use is the long-term stability, which is largely influenced by the presence of water in the formulations, so to solve this problem, freeze-drying with cryoprotectants has been proposed. In the present study, the influence of the freeze-drying procedure on the storage stability of poly(lactide--glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles and liposomes was evaluated.

Recent Advances on Surface-Modified GBM Targeted Nanoparticles: Targeting Strategies and Surface Characterization.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor, associated with low long-term survival. Nanoparticles (NPs) developed against GBM are a promising strategy to improve current therapies, by enhancing the brain delivery of active molecules and reducing off-target effects. In particular, NPs hold high potential for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics both across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and specifically to GBM cell receptors, pathways, or the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Post-COVID-19 Ongoing Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life: Does Rehabilitation Matter?: Preliminary Evidence.

Objective: Individuals with persisting symptoms after coronavirus disease 2019 have reported a decrease in health-related quality of life. This study explores the outcome of 50 subjects with post-coronavirus disease 2019 ongoing symptoms including "long COVID"(symptoms lasting over 3 mos), after a rehabilitation program focused on three symptoms: fatigue, breathlessness, and pain. The aims were as follows: to assess the feasibility of the program, to observe a possible change in symptoms and quality of life (null hypothesis: no differences in variables before and after treatment), and to investigate a possible relationship between symptoms and quality of life.

Identification of the Raman Salivary Fingerprint of Parkinson's Disease Through the Spectroscopic- Computational Combinatory Approach.

Despite the wide range of proposed biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD), there are no specific molecules or signals able to early and uniquely identify the pathology onset, progression and stratification. Saliva is a complex biofluid, containing a wide range of biological molecules shared with blood and cerebrospinal fluid. By means of an optimized Raman spectroscopy procedure, the salivary Raman signature of PD can be characterized and used to create a classification model.

Rehabilitative treatment of patients with COVID-19 infection: the P.A.R.M.A. evidence based clinical practice protocol.

Background: The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 on the National Health System (NHS) required a reorganization of the various levels of care, which also involved the rehabilitation reality.

Aim Of The Work: A clinical practice review of the literature was conducted to provide operational-rehabilitation guidelines adapted to the local reality and to the recent corporate reorganization in the context of the COVID-19 emergency.

Methods: A practice review of the available scientific evidence was regularly conducted from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to periodically update the clinical practice guidelines.

Learning new sport actions: Pilot study to investigate the imitative and the verbal instructive teaching methods in motor education.

The aim of the project was to investigate the effects of two strategies of teaching new sport actions on performance of eight-year-old children: observational-imitative method (OIM) and descriptive-directive method (DDM). The OIM group was provided with a pre-practice instruction in the form of expert modeling observation by an expert athlete. The DDM group received only verbal explanations of few selected static images.

Appropriateness of admission to rehabilitation: definition of a set of criteria and rules through the application of the Delphi method.

Background: Controlling inappropriateness of care is an essential issue, especially in rehabilitation medicine. In fact, admitting a patient to a rehabilitation hospital or unit is a complex decision also due to the absence of shared and objective admission criteria.

Aim: The aim was to define clinical admission criteria and rules in rehabilitation medicine.

Cortical and subcortical connections of parietal and premotor nodes of the monkey hand mirror neuron network.

Mirror neurons (MNs) are a class of cells originally discovered in the monkey ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). They discharge during both action execution and action observation and appear to play a crucial role in understanding others' actions. It has been proposed that the mirror mechanism is based on a match between the visual description of actions, encoded in temporal cortical regions, and their motor representation, provided by PMv and IPL.

Psychometric validation of the Italian Rehabilitation Complexity Scale-Extended version 13.

In Italy, at present, a well-known problem is inhomogeneous provision of rehabilitative services, as stressed by MoH, requiring appropriate criteria and parameters to plan rehabilitation actions. According to the Italian National Rehabilitation Plan, Comorbidity, Disability and Clinical Complexity should be assessed to define the patient's real needs. However, to date, clinical complexity is still difficult to measure with shared and validated tools.

Action observation activates neurons of the monkey ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.

Prefrontal cortex is crucial for exploiting contextual information for the planning and guidance of behavioral responses. Among contextual cues, those provided by others' behavior are particularly important, in primates, for selecting appropriate reactions and suppressing the inappropriate ones. These latter functions deeply rely on the ability to understand others' actions.

Anatomo-functional organization of the ventral primary motor and premotor cortex in the macaque monkey.

The ventral agranular frontal cortex of the macaque monkey is formed by a mosaic of anatomically distinct areas. Although each area has been explored by several neurophysiological studies, most of them focused on small sectors of single areas, thus leaving to be clarified which is the general anatomo-functional organization of this wide region. To fill this gap, we studied the ventral convexity of the frontal cortex in two macaque monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) using intracortical microstimulation and extracellular recording.

Neurons controlling voluntary vocalization in the macaque ventral premotor cortex.

The voluntary control of phonation is a crucial achievement in the evolution of speech. In humans, ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and Broca's area are known to be involved in voluntary phonation. In contrast, no neurophysiological data are available about the role of the oro-facial sector of nonhuman primates PMv in this function.

Broken affordances, broken objects: a TMS study.

It is well known that specific components of motor programs are automatically activated when they are afforded by object related pragmatic features. Among these features the handle appears to be particularly salient for interacting with an object. The aim of this study was to test the modulation of the motor system when object features, particularly relevant for the action, like the object's handle, are violated.