Publications by authors named "Maj M"

This is the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of postpartum depression and psychosis in women. The study has been co-designed, co-conducted and co-written by experts by experience and academics, drawing on first-person accounts within and outside the medical field. The material initially identified was shared with all participants in a cloud-based system, discussed across the research team, and enriched by phenomenological insights.

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Isonitrile-derivatized amino acids are emerging as highly effective infrared (IR) probes for investigating the structures and dynamics of hydrogen (H)-bonds. These probes enable the quantification of chemical exchange processes in solute-solvent complexes via two-dimensional IR spectroscopy and hold significant promise for site-specific dynamic studies within proteins. Despite their potential, theoretical models that elucidate the solvatochromism of isonitriles remain underdeveloped.

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The present study aimed to investigate the causal relationships among cognitive impairment, psychopathology, and real-life functioning in a large sample of people with schizophrenia, using a data-driven causal discovery procedure based on partial ancestral graphs (PAGs). This method may provide additional insights for the identification of potential therapeutic targets to promote recovery in people with chronic schizophrenia. State-of-the-art instruments were used to assess the study variables.

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Objective: Excitotoxicity is a common hallmark of epilepsy and other neurological diseases associated with elevated extracellular glutamate levels. Thus, here, we studied the protective effects of (R)-AS-1, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of glutamate uptake in epilepsy models.

Methods: (R)-AS-1 was evaluated in a range of acute and chronic seizure models, while its adverse effect profile was assessed in a panel of standard tests in rodents.

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Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy holds promise for treating various clinical conditions. The activation process is crucial in releasing growth factors and cytokines from platelets, enhancing the therapeutic properties of PRP. Standard activation methods involve autologous thrombin or collagen, with variations in efficacy and growth factor release.

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The serotonin 5-HT receptor (5-HTR), expressed almost exclusively in the brain, affects the Cdk5 signaling as well as the mTOR pathway. Due to the association of 5-HTR signaling with pathways involved in cancer progression, we decided to check the usefulness of 5-HTR ligands in the treatment of CNS tumors. For this purpose, a new group of low-base 5-HTR ligands was developed, belonging to arylsulfonamide derivatives of cyclic arylguanidines.

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Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most prevalent and burdensome consequences of COVID-19 infection, which can persist up to months or even years after remission of the infection. Current guidelines on post-COVID CI are based on available knowledge on treatments used for improving CI in other conditions. The current review aims to provide an updated overview of the existing evidence on the efficacy of treatments for post-COVID CI.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) measures cognitive impairment in individuals with schizophrenia and is recognized as a key tool alongside other performance-based measures like the MCCB.
  • Recent findings suggest negative symptoms, social cognition, and functional capacity significantly influence how cognitive impairment affects daily functioning.
  • A study involving 618 participants from Italian psychiatric clinics supports the CAI's validity and highlights the importance of interview-based assessments for understanding schizophrenia's complexities in clinical settings.
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At present, one of the most promising strategies to tackle the complex challenges posed by Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves the development of novel multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs). To this end, we designed and synthesized nine new MTDLs using a straightforward and cost-efficient one-pot Biginelli three-component reaction. Among these newly developed compounds, one particular small molecule, named has emerged as a promising MTDL.

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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease. Due to its high prevalence, considerable morbidity, and chronicity, there is a need for the accurate in vivo evaluation of treatment efficacy. Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a new emerging imaging technique able to perform a non-invasive, real-time examination of the epidermis and the upper dermis.

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  • The study investigates the link between neuroimaging biomarkers and negative symptoms (NS) and cognitive impairment (CI) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ).
  • It involves 62 SCZ participants and uses regression analyses to explore the relationship between brain resting-state activity and various disease-related features.
  • Findings indicate different neural markers are associated with neurocognitive deficits and specific negative symptom domains, which could help identify actionable biomarkers for better clinical outcomes.
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  • Schizophrenia significantly reduces life expectancy, but available treatments can help, and personal traits like resilience and coping skills are crucial for recovery.
  • A study examined the genetic factors behind these personal traits in 490 schizophrenia patients, finding links to neuroticism and worry, alongside social influences.
  • The research points to biological mechanisms like hippocampal neurogenesis and specific microRNAs (miR-124 and miR-137) that may be key in understanding resilience and coping in schizophrenia, marking a significant advancement in this field.
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This article presents some views on the subject of self- or residual stresses, trying to clarify some erroneously seemingly ingrained formulations in the introduction, which are widely used in castings and their classification (thermal, shrinkage, and phase stresses). For example, the location of their occurrence is often not specified, nor in which cross sections (volumes) they balance. In thin bars there are uniaxial stresses and in thin plates, stresses in two orthogonal directions are considered, while in castings, which are always three-dimensional objects, stresses in all planes should be considered.

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Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are characterized by their low immunogenicity and unique immunosuppressive properties, providing many opportunities for autologous transplantation in regenerative medicine and plastic surgery. These methods are characterized by low rejection rates and intense stimulation of tissue regeneration. However, procedures during which fat tissue is harvested occur under local anaesthesia.

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Work at the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry has an extensive and influential history, and has received increased attention recently, with the emergence of professional associations and a growing literature. In this paper, we review key advances in work on philosophy and psychiatry, and their related clinical implications. First, in understanding and categorizing mental disorder, both naturalist and normativist considerations are now viewed as important - psychiatric constructs necessitate a consideration of both facts and values.

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We provide here the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of mental disorders in adolescents co-designed, co-conducted and co-written by experts by experience and academics. We screened first-person accounts within and outside the medical field, and discussed them in collaborative workshops involving numerous experts by experience - representing different genders, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and continents - and their family members and carers. Subsequently, the material was enriched by phenomenologically informed perspectives and shared with all collaborators.

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This paper explores the therapeutic perspectives of polyphenols and chitosan as potential anticancer agents in the mouthwash formulations. Taking into account the high incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) among oral cancers, this discussion will concentrate on the potential advantages of these compounds in oral care, focusing on their impact on improving oral health and cancer prevention. According to the data, it appears that the mixture of BACs extract and chitosan may increase the efficiency of the apoptosis of cancer cells while reducing the undesired side effects.

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Background: Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is highly prevalent in schizophrenia, its relationship with patients' real-life functioning is still controversial.

Methods: The present study aims at investigating the prevalence of OCD in a large cohort of non-preselected schizophrenia patients living in the community and verifying the relationship of OCD, as well as of other psychopathological symptoms, with real-life functioning along a continuum of OCD severity and after controlling for demographic variables.

Results: A sample of 327 outpatients with schizophrenia was enrolled in the study and collapsed into three subgroups according to OCD severity (subclinical, mild-moderate, severe).

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Deficits in social cognition (SC) interfere with recovery in schizophrenia (SZ) and may be related to resting state brain connectivity. This study aimed at assessing the alterations in the relationship between resting state functional connectivity and the social-cognitive abilities of patients with SZ compared to healthy subjects. We divided the brain into 246 regions of interest (ROI) following the Human Healthy Volunteers Brainnetome Atlas.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lithium is the primary treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), but how it works and predicts outcomes is not fully understood.
  • A previous study identified key cellular pathways linked to lithium response, including focal adhesion and PI3K-Akt signaling.
  • In this new study, researchers confirmed these pathways in a larger group of 2039 patients but found no connection with the extracellular matrix, suggesting that issues with neuronal growth signaling may impact lithium effectiveness.
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Preparation of cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) grids for imaging of amyloid fibrils is notoriously challenging. The human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) serves as a notable example, as the majority of reported structures have relied on the use of nonphysiological pH buffers, N-terminal tags, and seeding. This highlights the need for more efficient, reproducible methodologies that can elucidate amyloid fibril structures formed under diverse conditions.

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This work relates to the design and synthesis of a series of novel multi-target directed ligands (MTDLs), i.e., compounds -, via a convenient one-pot three-component Hantzsch reaction.

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Charge-transfer reactions in proteins are important for life, such as in photolyases which repair DNA, but the role of structural dynamics remains unclear. Here, using femtosecond X-ray crystallography, we report the structural changes that take place while electrons transfer along a chain of four conserved tryptophans in the Drosophila melanogaster (6-4) photolyase. At femto- and picosecond delays, photoreduction of the flavin by the first tryptophan causes directed structural responses at a key asparagine, at a conserved salt bridge, and by rearrangements of nearby water molecules.

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