Publications by authors named "Maria Caruso"

Allergic contact dermatitis is a common, pruritic, debilitating skin disease, affecting at least 20% of the population. To prospectively validate a computer vision algorithm across all Fitzpatrick skin types. Each participant was exposed to 10 allergens.

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In this work, it is reported a scalable and systematic protocol for the preparation of xerogels based on the use of green, highly available, and low-cost materials, i.e. halloysite nanoclay and chitosan, without the need for any expensive equipment or operational/energetic demands.

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Background: Covering a significant part of a woman's life, the postmenopausal phase is often associated with the onset of obesity, metabolic dysfunction, osteoporosis, and their most disabling complications. In this context, scant evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies suggests that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene might be involved in the etiopathogenesis of these conditions, posing them as possible molecular predictors of their development. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the role of the FSHR gene SNPs c.

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Caring for the dying can generate anxiety and emotional distress, particularly in nursing students, and perceived competence could play a crucial role in enabling nurses to perform their duties with greater confidence. Unfortunately, few studies describe the relationship between students' nursing attitudes and perceived self-efficacy in palliative care (PC). To overcome this gap, this survey aimed to assess the attitudes towards dying patients and the perceived competence of nursing students in palliative care at different universities in the south of Italy.

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Background: Spanish-speakers with non-English language preference and complex medical needs suffer disparities in quality of care, safety, and health outcomes. Communication challenges during prolonged hospitalizations for complex illnesses negatively influence how this group engages in their care and decision-making while hospitalized. Limited literature capturing the perspectives of Spanish-speaking patients in this context exists.

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The diagnosis of prostate cancer using histopathology is reliant on the accurate interpretation of prostate tissue sections. Current standards rely on the assessment of Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining, which can be difficult to interpret and introduce inter-observer variability. Here, we present a digital pathology atlas and online resource of prostate cancer tissue micrographs for both H&E and the reinterpretation of samples using a novel set of three biomarkers as an interactive tool, where clinicians and scientists can explore high resolution histopathology from various case studies.

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In our ageing global population, the cognitive decline associated with dementia and neurodegenerative diseases represents a major healthcare problem. To date, there are no effective treatments for age-related cognitive impairment, thus preventative strategies are urgently required. Physical exercise is gaining traction as a non-pharmacological approach to promote brain health.

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Article Synopsis
  • Colorectal cancer's diverse characteristics make early diagnosis difficult, contributing to high mortality rates due to its complex genetic underpinnings.
  • The adenoma-carcinoma and serrated polyp-carcinoma sequences are the primary pathways in sporadic colorectal cancer, influenced by specific genetic mutations like APC, KRAS, TP53, BRAF, and MLH1.
  • These mutations affect the endosome-lysosome system, which is crucial for cancer development and colon function, highlighting its role in the variations of colorectal cancer pathology.
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Background: Early diagnosis is the key to improving outcomes for patients with melanoma, and this requires a standardized histological assessment approach. The objective of this survey was to understand the challenges faced by clinicians when assessing melanoma cases, and to provide a perspective for future studies.

Methods: Between April 2022 and February 2023, national and international dermatologists, pathologists, general practitioners, and laboratory managers were invited to participate in a six-question online survey.

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High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) is a well-characterised precursor lesion in prostate cancer. The term atypical intraductal proliferations (AIP) describes lesions with features that are far too atypical to be considered HGPIN, yet insufficient to be diagnosed as intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDCP). Here, a panel of biomarkers was assessed to provide insights into the biological relationship between IDCP, HGPIN, and AIP and their relevance to current clinicopathological recommendations.

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Cutaneous melanoma is the deadliest form of skin neoplasm and its high mortality rates could be averted by early accurate detection. While the detection of melanoma is currently reliant upon melanin visualisation, research into melanosome biogenesis, as a key driver of pathogenesis, has not yielded technology that can reliably distinguish between atypical benign, amelanotic and melanotic lesions. The endosomal-lysosomal system has important regulatory roles in cancer cell biology, including a specific functional role in melanosome biogenesis.

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The presence of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDCP) correlates with late-stage disease and poor outcomes for patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma, but the accurate and reliable staging of disease severity remains challenging. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been utilised to overcome problems in assessing IDCP morphology, but the current markers have only demonstrated limited utility in characterising the complex biology of this lesion. In a retrospective study of a cohort of patients who had been diagnosed with IDCP, we utilised IHC on radical prostatectomy sections with a biomarker panel of Appl1, Sortilin and Syndecan-1, to interpret different architectural patterns and to explore the theory that IDCP occurs from retrograde spread of high-grade invasive prostatic adenocarcinoma.

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Although significant portion of women experience depressive symptoms during or after menopausal transition, there has been considerable controversy over the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and antidepressants due to insufficient evidence supporting the superiority of either treatment. This frequentist model based network meta-analysis (NMA) included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of menopausal depression symptoms management in menopausal women. Seventy RCTs involving a total of 18,530 women (mean age 62.

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Gleason scoring is used within a five-tier risk stratification system to guide therapeutic decisions for patients with prostate cancer. This study aimed to compare the predictive performance of routine H&E or biomarker-assisted ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) grade grouping for assessing the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and clinical recurrence (CR) in patients with prostate cancer. This retrospective study was an assessment of 114 men with prostate cancer who provided radical prostatectomy samples to the Australian Prostate Cancer Bioresource between 2006 and 2014.

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Background: Severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is associated with mortality in end stage kidney disease (ESKD). Parathyroidectomy (PTX) becomes necessary when medical therapy fails, thus highlighting the interest to compare biochemical and clinical outcomes of patients receiving either medical treatment or surgery.

Methods: We aimed to compare overall survival and biochemical control of hemodialysis patients with severe hyperparathyroidism, treated by surgery or medical therapy followed-up for 36 months.

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We propose a physico-chemical approach for theharacterization of the conservation condition of yarns from a Flemish tapestry of the sixteenth century. The aging effect on the yarns' performance was evaluated by comparison with commercial materials. Water uptake experiments highlighted the aptitude of yarns toward water sorption and their increased hydrophilicity upon aging.

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Highly stressful situations, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, induce constant changes in the mental state of people who experience them. In the present study, we analyzed the prevalence of some psychological symptoms and their determinants in four different categories of healthcare workers during the second year of the pandemic. A total of 265 physicians, 176 nurses, 184 other healthcare professionals, and 48 administrative employees, working in different Italian healthcare contexts, answered a questionnaire including variables about their mental status and experience with the pandemic.

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Keratin/alginate hydrogels filled with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have been tested for the protective coating of human hair. Preliminary studies have been conducted on the aqueous colloidal systems and the corresponding hydrogels obtained by using Ca ions as crosslinkers. Firstly, we have investigated the colloidal properties of keratin/alginate/HNTs dispersions to explore the specific interactions occurring between the biomacromolecules and the nanotubes.

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This clinical trial was aimed to investigate the effects of fresh table grape intake on the serum levels of the Omega-3 index, defined as the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels. Forty consecutive healthy subjects were randomly assigned to the control group, receiving only dietary recommendations, and the grape group receiving a daily dose of 5 g of fresh table grape per kg of body weight, for 21 days. Compared with baseline, the grape treatment produced no significant difference in the serum levels of glucose, liver transaminase, and triglycerides, with the exception of cholesterol value, which was significantly reduced in both control and grape group (180.

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Diagnosis and assessment of patients with prostate cancer is dependent on accurate interpretation and grading of histopathology. However, morphology does not necessarily reflect the complex biological changes occurring in prostate cancer disease progression, and current biomarkers have demonstrated limited clinical utility in patient assessment. This study aimed to develop biomarkers that accurately define prostate cancer biology by distinguishing specific pathological features that enable reliable interpretation of pathology for accurate Gleason grading of patients.

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Background: Acrylamide, a component of fried foods, has been associated with several negative health outcomes. However, the relationship between dietary acrylamide and osteoporotic fractures has been explored by a few cross-sectional studies.

Aims: To investigate if dietary acrylamide is associated with the onset of fractures in North American participants at high risk/having knee osteoarthritis (OA), over 8 years of follow-up.

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Pregnancy represents a crucial period in which several exposures-and especially maternal diet-might shape children's health. Thus, identifying how maternal dietary intakes early affect biological aging in children represents a public health mission. We aimed to assess the relationship between maternal intake of nutrients in early pregnancy and telomere length of cell-free circulating DNA (cfDNA) from amniotic fluid.

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The demand for care services in the healthcare system has changed and is triggering a smooth transition from in-hospital to primary care. In this regard, patient-centered-care models of care delivery might provide a framework to follow patients' journeys throughout their transition between different levels of care. Accordingly, an Italian research group at a cardiac hospital in Northern Italy implemented the Synergy Model in a Cardiac Surgery Unit, a patient-centered-care model, and is using the framework of the model to guide a smooth transition of patients towards rehabilitation and primary care after their hospitalization.

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Background: the possible relationship between dietary habits and the incidence of late-onset depression (LOD), defined as first depression onset at later age, is unclear.

Objective: to investigate the relationship between consumption of different food groups and incident LOD.

Design: longitudinal population-based study with a 12-year follow-up.

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