Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a systematic review.

Background: Conflict is known to impact maternal and neonatal health in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an area of longstanding insecurity. We conducted a systematic review on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in this region to provide a comprehensive overview of maternal and neonatal outcomes over a 20-year period.

Methods: We systematically searched databases, such as Medline, EMBASE, Global Health, ClinicalTrials.

Evaluation of waning of IgG antibody responses after rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola virus disease vaccines: a modelling study from the PREVAC randomized trial.

rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo are WHO-prequalified vaccination regimens against Ebola virus disease (EVD). Challenges associated with measuring long-term clinical protection warrant the evaluation of immune response kinetics after vaccination.

Characterization and antitumor effect of doxorubicin-loaded FeO-Au nanocomposite synthesized by electron beam evaporation for magnetic nanotheranostics.

Magnetic nanocomposites (MNC) are promising theranostic platforms with tunable physicochemical properties allowing for remote drug delivery and multimodal imaging. Here, we developed doxorubicin-loaded FeO-Au MNC (DOX-MNC) using electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) in combination with magneto-mechanochemical synthesis to assess their antitumor effect on Walker-256 carcinosarcoma under the influence of a constant magnetic (CMF) and electromagnetic field (EMF) by comparing tumor growth kinetics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. Transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of spherical magnetite nanoparticles with a discontinuous gold coating that did not significantly affect the ferromagnetic properties of MNC, as measured by vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM).

Safety and immunogenicity of an Ad26.ZEBOV booster vaccine in Human Immunodeficiency Virus positive (HIV+) adults previously vaccinated with the Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen against Ebola: A single-arm, open-label Phase II clinical trial in Kenya and Uganda.

Background: People living with HIV constitute an important part of the population in regions at risk of Ebola virus disease outbreaks. The two-dose Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen induces strong immune responses in HIV-positive (HIV+) adults but the durability of this response is unknown.

Safety and immunogenicity of the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in infants: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled trial in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Background: This study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine regimen in infants aged 4-11 months in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Methods: In this phase 2, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled trial, we randomly assigned healthy infants (1:1 in a sentinel cohort, 5:2 for the remaining infants via an interactive web response system) to receive Ad26.

The Effect of Previous Exposure to Malaria Infection and Clinical Malaria Episodes on the Immune Response to the Two-Dose Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola Vaccine Regimen.

We assessed whether the immunogenicity of the two-dose Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen with a 56-day interval between doses was affected by exposure to malaria before dose 1 vaccination and by clinical episodes of malaria in the period immediately after dose 1 and after dose 2 vaccinations. Previous malaria exposure in participants in an Ebola vaccine trial in Sierra Leone (ClinicalTrials.

Safety and immunogenicity of an Ad26.ZEBOV booster dose in children previously vaccinated with the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen: an open-label, non-randomised, phase 2 trial.

Background: Children account for a substantial proportion of cases and deaths during Ebola virus disease outbreaks. We aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of the Ad26.ZEBOV vaccine in children who had been vaccinated with a two-dose regimen comprising Ad26.

Ebola Virus Glycoprotein IgG Seroprevalence in Community Previously Affected by Ebola, Sierra Leone.

We explored the association of Ebola virus antibody seropositivity and concentration with potential risk factors for infection. Among 1,282 adults and children from a community affected by the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, 8% were seropositive for virus antibodies but never experienced disease symptoms. Antibody concentration increased with age.

Green Silver Nanoparticles Promote Inflammation Shutdown in Human Leukemic Monocytes.

The use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the biomedical field deserves a mindful analysis of the possible inflammatory response which could limit their use in the clinic. Despite the anti-cancer properties of Ag NPs having been widely demonstrated, there are still few studies concerning their involvement in the activation of specific inflammatory pathways. The inflammatory outcome depends on the synthetic route used in the NPs production, in which toxic reagents are employed.

High Doses of Silica Nanoparticles Obtained by Microemulsion and Green Routes Compromise Human Alveolar Cells Morphology and Stiffness Differently.

Among all the inorganic nanomaterials used in commercial products, industry, and medicine, the amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO NPs) appeared to be often tolerated in living organisms. However, despite several toxicity studies, some concerns about the exposure to high doses of SiO NPs with different sizes were raised. Then, we used the microemulsion method to obtain stable SiO NPs having different sizes (110 nm, 50 nm, and 25 nm).

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Administering Antioxidant Grape Seed-Derived Polyphenol Compounds: A Potential Application in Aquaculture.

The supply of nutrients, such as antioxidant agents, to fish cells still represents a challenge in aquaculture. In this context, we investigated solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) composed of a combination of Gelucire 50/13 and Precirol ATO5 to administer a grape seed extract (GSE) mixture containing several antioxidant compounds. The combination of the two lipids for the SLN formation resulted in colloids exhibiting mean particle sizes in the range 139-283 nm and zeta potential values in the range +25.

Safety and long-term immunogenicity of the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in adults in Sierra Leone: a combined open-label, non-randomised stage 1, and a randomised, double-blind, controlled stage 2 trial.

Background: The Ebola epidemics in west Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlight an urgent need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent Ebola virus disease. We aimed to assess the safety and long-term immunogenicity of a two-dose heterologous vaccine regimen, comprising the adenovirus type 26 vector-based vaccine encoding the Ebola virus glycoprotein (Ad26.ZEBOV) and the modified vaccinia Ankara vector-based vaccine, encoding glycoproteins from Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus, and the nucleoprotein from the Tai Forest virus (MVA-BN-Filo), in Sierra Leone, a country previously affected by Ebola.

Safety and immunogenicity of the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in children in Sierra Leone: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.

Background: Children account for a substantial proportion of cases and deaths from Ebola virus disease. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a two-dose heterologous vaccine regimen, comprising the adenovirus type 26 vector-based vaccine encoding the Ebola virus glycoprotein (Ad26.ZEBOV) and the modified vaccinia Ankara vector-based vaccine, encoding glycoproteins from the Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus, and the nucleoprotein from the Tai Forest virus (MVA-BN-Filo), in a paediatric population in Sierra Leone.

Essential Oil-Loaded NLC for Potential Intranasal Administration.

Complementary and alternative medicines represent an interesting field of research on which worldwide academics are focusing many efforts. In particular, the possibility to exploit pharmaceutical technology strategies, such as the nanoencapsulation, for the delivery of essential oils is emerging as a promising strategy not only in Italy but also all over the world. The aim of this work was the development of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for the delivery of essential oils (, , and ) by intranasal administration, an interesting topic in which Italian contributions have recently increased.

Synergistic Effect Induced by Gold Nanoparticles with Polyphenols Shell during Thermal Therapy: Macrophage Inflammatory Response and Cancer Cell Death Assessment.

Background: In recent decades, gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-based cancer therapy has been heavily debated. The physico-chemical properties of AuNPs can be exploited in photothermal therapy, making them a powerful tool for selectively killing cancer cells. However, the synthetic side products and capping agents often induce a strong activation of the inflammatory pathways of macrophages, thus limiting their further applications in vivo.

Surface architecture of Neisseria meningitidis capsule and outer membrane as revealed by atomic force microscopy.

An extensive morphological analysis of the Neisseria meningitidis cell envelope, including serogroup B capsule and outer membrane, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) together with mechanical characterization by force spectroscopic measurements, has been carried out. Three meningococcal strains were used: the encapsulated serogroup B strain B1940, and the isogenic mutants B1940 siaD(+C) (lacking capsule), and B1940 cps (lacking both capsule and lipooligosaccharide outer core). AFM experiments with the encapsulated strain B1940 provided unprecedented images of the meningococcal capsule, which seems to be characterized by protrusions ("bumps") with the lateral dimensions of about 30 nm.

Copper Dependent Modulation of α-Synuclein Phosphorylation in Differentiated SHSY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells.

Copper (Cu) dyshomeostasis plays a pivotal role in several neuropathologies, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Metal accumulation in the central nervous system (CNS) could result in loss-of-function of proteins involved in Cu metabolism and redox cycling, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, neurodegenerative disorders imply the presence of an excess of misfolded proteins known to lead to neuronal damage.

Selective loss of microvesicles is a major issue of the differential centrifugation isolation protocols.

Microvesicles (MVs) are large extracellular vesicles differing in size, cargo and composition that share a common mechanism of release from the cells through the direct outward budding of the plasma membrane. They are involved in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions and represent promising biomarkers for diseases. MV heterogeneity together with the lack of specific markers had strongly hampered the development of effective methods for MV isolation and differential centrifugation remains the most used method to purify MVs.

Cyto/Biocompatibility of Dopamine Combined with the Antioxidant Grape Seed-Derived Polyphenol Compounds in Solid Lipid Nanoparticles.

The loss of nigrostriatal neurons containing dopamine (DA) together with the "mitochondrial dysfunction" in midbrain represent the two main causes related to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Hence, the aim of this investigation is to co-administer the missing DA and the antioxidant grape seed-derived proanthocyanidins (grape seed extract, GSE) in order to increase the levels of the neurotransmitter (which is unable to cross the Blood Brain Barrier) and reducing the oxidative stress (OS) related to PD, respectively. For this purpose, we chose Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN), because they have been already proven to increase DA uptake in the brain.

Selenite and selenate removal in a permeable flow-through bioelectrochemical barrier.

This study demonstrated the removal of selenite and selenate in flow-through permeable bioelectrochemical barriers (microbial electrolysis cells, MECs). The bioelectrochemical barriers consisted of cathode and anode electrode compartments filled with granular carbon or metallurgical coke. A voltage of 1.

Investigations of byzantine wall paintings in the abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate (Italy) in view of their restoration.

In this paper, diagnostic analyses on 12th-13th century byzantine wall paintings in the abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate (Southern Italy) were carried out preparatory to restoration work promoted by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano). Both the pigments and the areas with a bleaching alteration in the frescoes were analysed using the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, the Raman spectroscopy and the scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. In particular, ED-XRF analyses were performed in situ on wall paintings, while Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDX were accomplished on frescoes fragments.