Novel Antimicrobial Approaches to Combat Bacterial Biofilms Associated with Urinary Tract Infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent bacterial infections in both community and healthcare settings. They account for approximately 40% of all bacterial infections and require around 15% of all antibiotic prescriptions. Although antibiotics have traditionally been used to treat UTIs for several decades, the significant increase in antibiotic resistance in recent years has made many previously effective treatments ineffective.

A Semi-Automatic Method on a Small Italian Sample for Estimating Sex Based on the Shape of the Crown of the Maxillary Posterior Teeth.

Teeth are known to be reliable substrates for human identification and are endowed with significant sexual dimorphism not only in the size but also in the shape of the crowns. In the preliminary phase of our study (already published in 2021), a novel sex estimation method based on dental morphometric geometric (GMA) analysis combined with the artificial neural network (ANN) was developed and validated on a single dental element (first upper premolar) with an accuracy rate of 80%. This study aims to experiment and validate the combination of GMA-ANN on the upper first and second left premolars and the upper left first molar to obtain a reliable classification model based on the sexual dimorphic traits of multiple maxillary teeth of Caucasian Italian adults (115 males and 115 females).

A Survey on forensic odontologists' activity in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Few information on virus contagion at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic led to severe restrictions in the dental and forensic activity in Italy, the introduction of procedural guidelines and implementation of preventive measures. A specific survey on Italian forensic odontologists (FOds) activity was conducted to investigate the COVD-19 pandemic impact on daily practices, the preventive measures adopted to manage the risks of contagion procedures performed on living and dead people and the possible peculiar cases that required the intervention of a medical examiner. A total of 122 FOds answered, mostly males over 46 years coming from northern Italy.

Slower Calcium Handling Balances Faster Cross-Bridge Cycling in Human HCM.

Background: The pathogenesis of -associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is still unresolved. In our HCM patient cohort, a large and well-characterized population carrying the :c772G>A variant (p.Glu258Lys, E258K) provides the unique opportunity to study the basic mechanisms of -HCM with a comprehensive translational approach.

Paradoxical prolongation of QT interval during exercise in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: cellular mechanisms and implications for diastolic function.

Aims: Ventricular cardiomyocytes from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patient hearts show prolonged action potential duration (APD), impaired intracellular Ca homeostasis and abnormal electrical response to beta -adrenergic stimulation. We sought to determine whether this behaviour is associated with abnormal changes of repolarization during exercise and worsening of diastolic function, ultimately explaining the intolerance to exercise experienced by some patients without obstruction.

Methods And Results: Non-obstructive HCM patients (178) and control subjects (81) underwent standard exercise testing, including exercise echocardiography.

Quantification of Myocyte Disarray in Human Cardiac Tissue.

Proper three-dimensional (3D)-cardiomyocyte orientation is important for an effective tension production in cardiac muscle. Cardiac diseases can cause severe remodeling processes in the heart, such as cellular misalignment, that can affect both the electrical and mechanical functions of the organ. To date, a proven methodology to map and quantify myocytes disarray in massive samples is missing.

Mavacamten has a differential impact on force generation in myofibrils from rabbit psoas and human cardiac muscle.

Mavacamten (MYK-461) is a small-molecule allosteric inhibitor of sarcomeric myosins being used in preclinical/clinical trials for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment. A better understanding of its impact on force generation in intact or skinned striated muscle preparations, especially for human cardiac muscle, has been hindered by diffusional barriers. These limitations have been overcome by mechanical experiments using myofibrils subject to perturbations of the contractile environment by sudden solution changes.

T-tubule remodeling in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The highly organized transverse T-tubule membrane system represents the ultrastructural substrate for excitation-contraction coupling in ventricular myocytes. While the architecture and function of T-tubules have been well described in animal models, there is limited morpho-functional data on T-tubules in human myocardium. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a primary disease of the heart muscle, characterized by different clinical presentations at the various stages of its progression.

Dental age estimation in children affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Dental root calcification has proven to be a reliable biological evidence to estimate chronological age of children. The development of structures usually examined in the age estimation forensic practice (e.g.

High Glucose Concentrations Affect Band 3 Protein in Human Erythrocytes.

Hyperglycemia is considered a threat for cell homeostasis, as it is associated to oxidative stress (OS). As erythrocytes are continuously exposed to OS, this study was conceived to verify the impact of either diabetic conditions attested to by glycated hemoglobin (Hb) levels (>6.5% or higher) or treatment with high glucose (15-35 mM, for 24 h) on erythrocyte homeostasis.

Electrophysiological and Contractile Effects of Disopyramide in Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Translational Study.

Disopyramide is effective and safe in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action are unknown. We tested disopyramide in cardiomyocytes from the septum of surgical myectomy patients: disopyramide inhibits multiple ion channels, leading to lower Ca transients and force, and shortens action potentials, thus reducing cellular arrhythmias.

The relation between sarcomere energetics and the rate of isometric tension relaxation in healthy and diseased cardiac muscle.

Full muscle relaxation happens when [Ca] falls below the threshold for force activation. Several experimental models, from whole muscle organs and intact muscle down to skinned fibers, have been used to explore the cascade of kinetic events leading to mechanical relaxation. The use of single myofibrils together with fast solution switching techniques, has provided new information about the role of cross-bridge (CB) dissociation in the time course of isometric force decay.

The homozygous K280N troponin T mutation alters cross-bridge kinetics and energetics in human HCM.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic form of left ventricular hypertrophy, primarily caused by mutations in sarcomere proteins. The cardiac remodeling that occurs as the disease develops can mask the pathogenic impact of the mutation. Here, to discriminate between mutation-induced and disease-related changes in myofilament function, we investigate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying HCM in a patient carrying a homozygous mutation (K280N) in the cardiac troponin T gene (), which results in 100% mutant cardiac troponin T.

Combining dental and skeletal evidence in age classification: Pilot study in a sample of Italian sub-adults.

Background: Dental and skeletal maturation have proved to be reliable evidence for estimating age of children and prior studies and internationally accredited guidelines recommend to evaluate both evidence in the same subject to reduce error in age prediction. Nevertheless the ethical and legal justification of procedures that imply a double exposition of children stands as a relevant issue. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of age estimation provided by a combination of skeletal and dental methods applied in the same sample of children.

Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of four odontological methods for age evaluation in Italian children at the age threshold of 14 years using ROC curves.

The age threshold of 14 years is relevant in Italy as the minimum age for criminal responsibility. It is of utmost importance to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of every odontological method for age evaluation considering the sensitivity, or the ability to estimate the true positive cases, and the specificity, or the ability to estimate the true negative cases. The research aims to compare the specificity and sensitivity of four commonly adopted methods of dental age estimation - Demirjian, Haavikko, Willems and Cameriere - in a sample of Italian children aged between 11 and 16 years, with an age threshold of 14 years, using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC).

Comparison of the applicability of four odontological methods for age estimation of the 14 years legal threshold in a sample of Italian adolescents.

The 14-years age threshold is especially important in Italy for criminal, civil and administrative laws. Several methods relying on dental calcification of the teeth, up to the second molar, are used for the evaluation of age in childhood. The objective of the research was to compare the inter-rater agreement and accuracy of four common methods for the dental age estimation - Demirjian (D), Willems (W), Cameriere (C) and Haavikko (H) - in a sample of Italian adolescents between 11 and 16 years.