Publications by authors named "Longoni A"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate links between serum vitamin D levels and depressive/anxiety symptoms in women during pregnancy and after childbirth, analyzing various qualifying research studies.* -
  • A total of 25 studies were included, revealing that lower vitamin D levels were significantly associated with higher rates of depressive symptoms both before and after childbirth, while only one study suggested a potential link with anxiety.* -
  • The evidence presented is of low quality, indicating a need for more thorough research, particularly longitudinal studies, to better understand these relationships between vitamin D levels and mental health during and after pregnancy.*
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  • About 6-13% of women globally experience antenatal depression (AD), which can harm both mother and baby; the study explored the link between vitamin D deficiency and AD in pregnant women in Pelotas, Brazil.
  • A cross-sectional study analyzed blood samples from 180 pregnant women (50 with depression) to measure levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, finding a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and AD.
  • The findings suggest that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of AD and support maternal mental health, potentially benefiting child development as well.
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Endochondral bone regeneration is a promising approach in regenerative medicine. Callus mimics (CMs) are engineered and remodeled into bone tissue upon implantation. The long-term objective is to fabricate a sustainable off-the-shelf treatment option for patients.

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  • Microcarrier expansion systems are promising for scaling up mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapies, making them more economical for clinical use.
  • New microcarriers with customizable properties aim to enhance how cells grow, but they still need more biological testing and compatibility checks with dynamic culture setups.
  • There has been progress in creating the infrastructure for scaling these technologies, but challenges still exist in understanding how different microcarrier properties affect MSC behavior and function.
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Cell encapsulation within three-dimensional hydrogels is a promising approach to mimic tissues. However, true biomimicry of the intricate microenvironment, biophysical and biochemical gradients, and the macroscale hierarchical spatial organizations of native tissues is an unmet challenge within tissue engineering. This review provides an overview of the macromolecular chemistries that have been applied toward the design of cell-friendly hydrogels, as well as their application toward controlling biophysical and biochemical bulk and gradient properties of the microenvironment.

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Synthetic polymers, such as poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), are popular biomaterials for the fabrication of hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) applications, as they provide excellent control over the physico-chemical properties of the hydrogel. However, their bioinert nature is known to limit cell-biomaterial interactions by hindering cell infiltration, blood vessel recruitment and potentially limiting their integration with the host tissue. Efforts in the field have therefore focused on increasing the biofunctionality of synthetic hydrogels, without limiting the advantages associated with their tailorability and controlled release capacity.

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Conventional additive manufacturing and biofabrication techniques are unable to edit the chemicophysical properties of the printed object postprinting. Herein, a new approach is presented, leveraging light-based volumetric printing as a tool to spatially pattern any biomolecule of interest in custom-designed geometries even across large, centimeter-scale hydrogels. As biomaterial platform, a gelatin norbornene resin is developed with tunable mechanical properties suitable for tissue engineering applications.

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  • The study explores the use of engineered cartilage models to promote bone regeneration through a process called endochondral bone regeneration (EBR) in a large animal model.
  • It involves inducing cartilage formation in goat-derived cells and creating two different biomaterials that simulate various stages of soft callus development.
  • Results showed that the more advanced biomaterial led to significant bone regeneration similar to traditional grafting methods, highlighting potential for future clinical applications in humans.
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Visible light-mediated cross-linking has utility for enhancing the structural capacity and shape fidelity of laboratory-based polymers. With increased light penetration and cross-linking speed, there is opportunity to extend future applications into clinical spheres. This study evaluated the utility of a ruthenium/sodium persulfate photocross-linking system for increasing structural control in heterogeneous living tissues as an example, focusing on unmodified patient-derived lipoaspirate for soft tissue reconstruction.

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Background: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. A major factor in brain damage following ischemia is excitotoxicity caused by elevated levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate. In the brain, glutamate homeostasis is a primary function of astrocytes.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was the preclinical and clinical evaluation of osteoinductive calcium phosphate with submicron surface topography as a bone graft substitute for maxillary sinus floor augmentation (MSFA).

Material And Methods: A preclinical sheep model of MSFA was used to compare a calcium phosphate with submicron needle-shaped topography (BCP , MagnetOs Granules, Kuros Biosciences BV) to a calcium phosphate with submicron grain-shaped topography (BCP ) and autologous bone graft (ABG) as controls. Secondly, a 10-patient, prospective, randomized, controlled trial was performed to compare BCP to ABG in MSFA with two-stage implant placement.

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  • Research indicates a potential link between thyroid antibodies and depression during pregnancy and after childbirth, prompting a systematic review to examine postpartum depression (PPD) prevalence in women with thyroid issues.
  • The review analyzed 15 studies from various databases, primarily using a mix of study designs (case-control, cross-sectional, and prospective cohort), focusing on outcomes within the first year postpartum.
  • Prevalence rates of PPD among pregnant women with thyroid disorders ranged from 8.3% to 36.0%, but it remains unclear if thyroid function directly contributes to the onset of PPD, despite some suggestions that positive anti-TPO antibodies might indicate increased vulnerability.
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The Lombardy region has been one of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since the first months of 2020, providing real-life experiences in the acute phase. It is unclear how the respiratory rehabilitation network responded to this emergency. The aims of this retrospective study were: i) to analyze clinical, functional, and disability data at admission; ii) describe assessment tools and rehabilitative programs; iii) evaluate improvement after rehabilitation.

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Clinical implementation of endochondral bone regeneration (EBR) would benefit from the engineering of devitalized cartilaginous constructs of allogeneic origins. Nevertheless, development of effective devitalization strategies that preserves extracellular matrix (ECM) is still challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate EBR induced by devitalized, soft callus-mimetic spheroids.

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The principle challenge for engineering viable, cell-laden hydrogel constructs of clinically-relevant size, is rapid vascularization, in order to moderate the finite capacity of passive nutrient diffusion. A multiscale vascular approach, with large open channels and bulk microcapillaries may be an admissible approach to accelerate this process, promoting overall pre-vascularization for long-term viability of constructs. However, the limited availability of bioinks that possess suitable characteristics that support both fabrication of complex architectures and formation of microcapillaries, remains a barrier to advancement in this space.

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There remains a critical need to develop new technologies and materials that can meet the demands of treating large bone defects. The advancement of 3-dimensional (3D) printing technologies has allowed the creation of personalized and customized bone grafts, with specific control in both macro- and micro-architecture, and desired mechanical properties. Nevertheless, the biomaterials used for the production of these bone grafts often possess poor biological properties.

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Glutamate (Glu) is the main mammalian brain neurotransmitter. Concerning the glutamatergic neurotransmission, excessive levels of glutamate in the synaptic cleft are extremally harmful. This phenomenon, named as excitotoxicity is involved in various acute and chronic brain diseases.

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Mimicking endochondral bone formation is a promising strategy for bone regeneration. To become a successful therapy, the cell source is a crucial translational aspect. Typically, autologous cells are used.

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Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are particularly promising for tissue engineering (TE) due to the ease of their isolation procedure, great expansion potential and capability to differentiate towards several cell types of the mesodermal, ectodermal and endodermal lineages. Although several studies hint that DPSCs exhibit potential for cartilage tissue formation, the chondrogenic potential of DPSCs has only been marginally explored. Thus, the aim of the present study was to closely investigate the chondrogenic differentiation capacity of DPSCs for TE applications.

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Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are two therapeutic strategies to treat, and to potentially cure, diseases affecting cartilaginous tissues, such as osteoarthritis and cartilage defects. Insights into the processes occurring during regeneration are essential to steer and inform development of the envisaged regenerative strategy, however tools are needed for longitudinal and quantitative monitoring of cartilage matrix components. In this study, we introduce a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT)-based method using a cationic iodinated contrast agent (CA4+) for longitudinal quantification of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in cartilage-engineered constructs.

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This study aimed at investigating in vitro and in vivo the efficiency of commercially available fibrin as a carrier for controlled and sustained bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) release to induce bone formation and reduce the side effects of its use. In vitro release and activity of low-dose recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) (37.5 µg/mL) embedded in commercially available fibrin were evaluated and, subsequently, critical-size femur defects in rats were grafted to study bone regeneration and vascularisation by micro-computed tomography (µCT) and histology.

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Decellularisation of tissues, utilising their biochemical cues, poses exciting tissue engineering (TE) opportunities. However, removing DNA from cartilage (dCart) requires harsh treatments due to its dense structure, causing loss of bioactivity and limiting its application as a cartilaginous extra cellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we demonstrate for the first time the successful application of vitreous humor (VH), a highly hydrated tissue closely resembling the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen composition of cartilage, as an ECM hydrogel to support chondrogenic differentiation.

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