Biocompatible Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nanocapsules Enhance the Bioavailability, Antibacterial, and Immunomodulatory Activities of Curcumin.

Curcumin (Cur), the primary curcuminoid found in L., has garnered significant attention for its potential anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. However, its hydrophobic nature significantly limits its bioavailability.

Oral Health and Nutraceutical Agents.

Oral health is essential for both overall health and quality of life. The mouth is a window into the body's health, and nutrition can strongly impact the state of general and oral health. A healthy diet involves the synergistic effect of various nutraceutical agents, potentially capable of conferring protective actions against some inflammatory and chronic-degenerative disorders.

Establishment of a Biorepository for Down Syndrome: Experience of the Inter-Institutional Multidisciplinary BioBank - BioBIM.

Background: Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is the leading genetic cause of cognitive disability in children and is associated with a high risk of several comorbidities, particularly congenital heart defects, early onset Alzheimer's disease, leukaemia, and autoimmune disorders.

Objective: This study describes the design, methods, and operational procedures employed to establish a biobank dedicated to Down syndrome that can support research projects investigating the effects of various genetic and environmental factors on this complex disease.

Methods: Blood was collected from all recruited subjects, processed, aliquoted and immediately frozen at -80 °C in the Interinstitutional Multidisciplinary BioBank (BioBIM) facilities.

Subleading power corrections for event shape variables in annihilation.

We consider subleading power corrections to event shape variables in collisions at the first order in the QCD coupling . We start from the jettiness variable and the resolution variable for the jet clustering algorithm and we analytically compute the corresponding cumulative cross section. We investigate the origin of the different power suppressed contributions in the two-jet limit and trace it back to their different coverage of the phase space.

Biospecimen Digital Twins: Moving from a "High Quality" to a "Fit-for-Purpose" Concept in the Era of Omics Sciences.

The growing demand for personalized medicine we are currently witnessing has given rise to more in-depth research in the field of biomarker discovery and, thus, in biological banks that hold the ability to process, collect, store, and distribute "high-quality" biological specimens. However, the notion of "specimen quality" is subject to change with technological advancements. In this perspective, we propose that the notion of sample quality should shift from a broad definition of "high-quality" to a "fit-for-purpose" concept more suitable for precision medicine studies.

Novel therapeutic approaches based on the pathological role of gut dysbiosis on the link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.

The growing global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has determined an increased prevalence of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), making it the most common chronic liver disease in the Western world and a leading cause of liver transplantation. In the last few years, a rising number of studies conducted both on animal and human models have shown the existence of a close association between insulin resistance (IR), dysbiosis, and steatosis. However, all the mechanisms that lead to impaired permeability, inflammation, and fibrosis have not been fully clarified.

Association of LTA and SOD Gene Polymorphisms with Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities in Migraine Patients.

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in migraine could be related to inflammatory and antioxidant events. The aim of this study is to verify whether migraine patients with WMHs carry a genetic pro-inflammatory/pro-oxidative status. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed (; rs2071590T and rs2844482G) and (; rs2234694C) and 2 (; rs4880T) gene polymorphisms (SNPs) in 370 consecutive patients affected by episodic (EM; n = 251) and chronic (CM; n = 119) migraine and in unrelated healthy controls (n = 100).

Artificial Intelligence Predictive Models of Response to Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Alone or Combined to Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Tailored treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have not yet completely evolved due to the variety in response to drugs. Therefore, artificial intelligence has been recently used to develop prognostic and predictive models of treatment response (either activity/efficacy or toxicity) to aid in clinical decision making. In this systematic review, we have examined the ability of learning methods to predict response to chemotherapy alone or combined with targeted therapy in mCRC patients by targeting specific narrative publications in Medline up to April 2022 to identify appropriate original scientific articles.

Forssk. Extract Affects Human Breast Cancer Cell MCF-7 Survival and Viral Replication.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The severity of BC strictly depends on the molecular subtype. The less aggressive hormone-positive subtype is treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET), which causes both physical and psychological side effects.

Plasma Cystatin C Correlates with Plasma NfL Levels and Predicts Disease Progression in Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction: Previous studies reported increased plasma levels of cystatin C (Cys-C) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and claimed for a possible association with disease severity and progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma Cys-C in PD and healthy controls (HC) and test its association with markers of peripheral inflammation, neurodegeneration, and clinical progression in a longitudinal study.

Methods: Plasma Cys-C, high-sensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were assessed at the baseline in 71 consecutive non-demented PD and 69 HC.

The challenge of the Molecular Tumor Board empowerment in clinical oncology practice: A Position Paper on behalf of the AIOM- SIAPEC/IAP-SIBioC-SIC-SIF-SIGU-SIRM Italian Scientific Societies.

The development of innovative technologies and the advances in the genetics and genomics, have offered new opportunities for personalized treatment in oncology. Although the selection of the patient based on the molecular characteristics of the neoplasm has the potential to revolutionize the therapeutic scenario of oncology, this approach is extremely challenging. The access, homogeneity, and economic sustainability of the required genomic tests should be warranted in the clinical practice, as well as the specific scientific and clinical expertise for the choice of medical therapies.

Anti-Candidal Activity of the Parasitic Plant Forssk.

() and () are part of the human microbiome. However, they possess numerous virulence factors, which confer them the ability to cause both local and systemic infections. Candidiasis can involve multiple organs, including the eye.

Impact of deleterious variants in other genes beyond BRCA1/2 detected in breast/ovarian and pancreatic cancer patients by NGS-based multi-gene panel testing: looking over the hedge.

Background: Hereditary breast cancer (BC), ovarian cancer (OC), and pancreatic cancer (PC) are the major BRCA-associated tumours. However, some BRCA1/2-wild-type (wt) patients with a strong personal and/or family history of cancer need a further genetic testing through a multi-gene panel containing other high- and moderate-risk susceptibility genes.

Patients And Methods: Our study was aimed to assess if some BC, OC, or PC patients should be offered multi-gene panel testing, based on well-defined criteria concerning their personal and/or family history of cancer, such as earliness of cancer onset, occurrence of multiple tumours, or presence of at least two or more affected first-degree relatives.

Towards the Interpretability of Machine Learning Predictions for Medical Applications Targeting Personalised Therapies: A Cancer Case Survey.

Artificial Intelligence is providing astonishing results, with medicine being one of its favourite playgrounds. Machine Learning and, in particular, Deep Neural Networks are behind this revolution. Among the most challenging targets of interest in medicine are cancer diagnosis and therapies but, to start this revolution, software tools need to be adapted to cover the new requirements.

Risk Prediction and New Prophylaxis Strategies for Thromboembolism in Cancer.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a compelling challenge across all phases of cancer care as it may result in treatment delays, impaired quality of life (QoL), and increased mortality [...

Clinical Utility of Plasma KRAS, NRAS and BRAF Mutational Analysis with Real Time PCR in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients-The Importance of Tissue/Plasma Discordant Cases.

Background: Tumor tissue (T) mutational analysis represents the standard for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detected by liquid biopsy in plasma (PL) can better represent tumor heterogeneity.

Methods: mCRC patients undergoing standard first-line chemotherapy with known T-KRAS/NRAS/BRAF status were enrolled in the present prospective study. PL mutations were assessed within 2 weeks before chemotherapy start with real time PCR and correlated with T status and Progression free survival (PFS).

Protective Effect of Antioxidants in Nitric Oxide/COX-2 Interaction during Inflammatory Pain: The Role of Nitration.

In clinical practice, inflammatory pain is an important, unresolved health problem, despite the utilization of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In the last decade, different studies have proven that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are involved in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia via the post-translation modification of key proteins, such as manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). It is well-known that inducible cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) plays a crucial role at the beginning of the inflammatory response by converting arachidonic acid into proinflammatory prostaglandin PGE and then producing other proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines.

Irinotecan or Oxaliplatin: Which is the First Move for the Mate?

Objectives: The aim of the present review is to discuss the potential link between RAS, BRAF and microsatellite instability (MSI) mutational patterns and chemotherapeutic agent efficacy [Irinotecan (IRI) vs. Oxaliplatin (OXA)], and how this can potentially influence the choice of the chemotherapy backbone.

Methods: Following a review of the research literature, all pertinent articles published in the core journals were selected for the study.

Machine learning approach to predict medication overuse in migraine patients.

Machine learning (ML) is largely used to develop automatic predictors in migraine classification but automatic predictors for medication overuse (MO) in migraine are still in their infancy. Thus, to understand the benefits of ML in MO prediction, we explored an automated predictor to estimate MO risk in migraine. To achieve this objective, a study was designed to analyze the performance of a customized ML-based decision support system that combines support vector machines and Random Optimization (RO-MO).

Dopaminergic symptoms in migraine: A cross-sectional study on 1148 consecutive headache center-based patients.

Background: Dopaminergic symptoms may be extremely pronounced in some migraine patients during the attack, representing a major source of disability.

Objectives: We aimed to carefully characterize the clinical picture of migraine patients with dopaminergic symptoms in a large patients' population as a putative migraine endophenotype, allowing more precise disease management, treatment and outcome prediction.

Methods: We screened 1148 consecutive tertiary care episodic and chronic migraine patients with face-to-face interviews collecting thorough data on lifestyle, socio-demographic factors, and clinical migraine features.

Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients on Simultaneous and Palliative Care.

Simultaneous care represents the ideal integration between early supportive and palliative care in cancer patients under active antineoplastic treatment. Cancer patients require a composite clinical, social and psychological management that can be effective only if care continuity from hospital to home is guaranteed and if such a care takes place early in the course of the disease, combining standard oncology care and palliative care. In these settings, venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents a difficult medical challenge, for the requirement of acute treatments and for the strong impact on anticancer therapies that might be delayed or, even, totally discontinued.

Proposed Tandem Effect of Physical Activity and Sirtuin 1 and 3 Activation in Regulating Glucose Homeostasis.

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are seven nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent protein deacetylases enzymes (SIRT1-7) that play an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Among those, the most studied are SIRT1 and SIRT3, a nuclear SIRT and a mitochondrial SIRT, respectively, which significantly impact with an increase in mammals' lifespan by modulating metabolic cellular processes. Particularly, when activated, both SIRT1 and 3 enhance pancreatic β-cells' insulin release and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress pancreatic damage, maintaining then glucose homeostasis.

Denosumab for bone health in prostate and breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy? A systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Hormonal therapies for receptor positive-breast and prostate cancer patients have shown clinical efficacy but also several side effects including osteoporosis, loss of bone mass and increased fracture risk. Denosumab represents an anti RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand) monoclonal anti-body acting as inhibitor of osteoclasts formation, function, and survival, then increasing bone mass. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the role of Denosumab in saving bone health in prostate and breast cancer patients receiving respectively androgen deprivation therapy and adjuvant endocrine therapy.

How do skeletal morbidity rate and special toxicities affect 12-week versus 4-week schedule zoledronic acid efficacy? A systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Zoledronic Acid is a bisphosphonate used in a 4-week schedule for the treatment of bone metastases. Some randomized trials supported its role also when administered every 12 weeks.

Methods: we performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis in order to evaluate the two different schedules in terms of skeletal morbidity rate (SMR), skeletal related events (SRE) and adverse events (AEs).