Value-based healthcare in management of chronic back pain: A multidisciplinary- and lean-based approach.

Background: Chronic back pain stands as the most common musculoskeletal disorder and a primary cause of disability in people under 45 years old. Multidisciplinary consultation offers an efficient approach to chronic back pain management compared to traditional therapeutic-rehabilitative paths. This paper aims to show the benefit of a diagnostic-therapeutic multidisciplinary program pathway for patients with chronic back pain.

An integrative structural study of the human full-length RAD52 at 2.2 Å resolution.

Human RAD52 (RAD52) is a DNA-binding protein involved in many DNA repair mechanisms and genomic stability maintenance. In the last few years, this protein was discovered to be a promising novel pharmacological target for anticancer strategies. Although the interest in RAD52 has exponentially grown in the previous decade, most information about its structure and mechanism still needs to be elucidated.

The supramolecular processing of liposomal doxorubicin hinders its therapeutic efficacy in cells.

The successful trajectory of liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (e.g., Doxil, which has been approved by the U.

Boosting antigen-specific T cell activation with lipid-stabilized protein nanoaggregates.

Vaccines based on protein antigens have numerous advantages over inactivated pathogens, including easier manufacturing and improved safety. However, purified antigens are weakly immunogenic, as they lack the spatial organization and the associated 'danger signals' of the pathogen. Formulating vaccines as nanoparticles enhances the recognition by antigen presenting cells, boosting the cell-mediated immune response.

Compartmentalized drug localization studies in extracellular vesicles for anticancer therapy.

In the development of therapeutic extracellular vesicles (EVs), drug encapsulation efficiencies are significantly lower when compared with synthetic nanomedicines. This is due to the hierarchical structure of the EV membrane and the physicochemical properties of the candidate drug (molecular weight, hydrophilicity, lipophilicity, and so on). As a proof of concept, here we demonstrated the importance of drug compartmentalization in EVs as an additional parameter affecting the therapeutic potential of drug-loaded EVs.

Humic substance/metal-oxide multifunctional nanoparticles as advanced antibacterial-antimycotic agents and photocatalysts for the degradation of PLA microplastics under UVA/solar radiation.

As a result of the accumulation of plastic in the environment, microplastics have become part of the food chain, boosting the resistance of fungi and bacteria which can frequently encounter human beings. Employing photocatalytic degradation is a possible route towards the removal of chemical and biological pollutants, such as plastics and microplastic wastes as well as microorganisms. Using biowaste materials to design hybrid nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial features would uphold the principles of the circular bioeconomy.

Isolation and Characterization of Monomeric Human RAD51: A Novel Tool for Investigating Homologous Recombination in Cancer.

DNA repair protein RAD51 is a key player in the homologous recombination pathway. Upon DNA damage, RAD51 is transported into the nucleus by BRCA2, where it can repair DNA double-strand breaks. Due to the structural complexity and dynamics, researchers have not yet clarified the mechanistic details of every step of RAD51 recruitment and DNA repair.

Microglia reactivity entails microtubule remodeling from acentrosomal to centrosomal arrays.

Microglia reactivity entails a large-scale remodeling of cellular geometry, but the behavior of the microtubule cytoskeleton during these changes remains unexplored. Here we show that activated microglia provide an example of microtubule reorganization from a non-centrosomal array of parallel and stable microtubules to a radial array of more dynamic microtubules. While in the homeostatic state, microglia nucleate microtubules at Golgi outposts, and activating signaling induces recruitment of nucleating material nearby the centrosome, a process inhibited by microtubule stabilization.

Effect of Synthesis Method on Reaction Mechanism for Hydrogen Evolution over CuO/TiO Photocatalysts: A Kinetic Analysis.

The existing literature survey reports rare and conflicting studies on the effect of the preparation method of metal-based semiconductor photocatalysts on structural/morphological features, electronic properties, and kinetics regulating the photocatalytic H generation reaction. In this investigation, we compare the different copper/titania-based photocatalysts for H generation synthesized via distinct methods (i.e.

A novel green approach for silver recovery from chloride leaching solutions through photodeposition on zinc oxide.

Silver is extensively used in electronics, industrial catalysis, and biomedical sector owing to its enhanced physicochemical properties. E-waste recycling may contribute significantly to enhance silver recovery in the view of a circular economy and limit the depletion of mineral sources. In this scenario, hydrometallurgical routes represent the most widely used techniques for silver extraction/recovery and require strong acidic solutions, high temperatures, and multiple operating units.

Microfluidic assembly of "Turtle-Like" shaped solid lipid nanoparticles for lysozyme delivery.

After two decades of research in the field of nanomedicine, nanoscale delivery systems for biologicals are becoming clinically relevant tools. Microfluidic-based fabrication processes are replacing conventional techniques based on precipitation, emulsion, and homogenization. Here, the focus is on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) for the encapsulation and delivery of lysozyme (LZ) as a model biologic.

Psychopathological Risk Assessment in Children with Hyperphenylalaninemia.

Background: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare congenital disorder caused by decreased metabolism of phenylalanine determining cerebral impairments. If untreated, PKU might lead to intellectual disability, seizures and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to provide a characterization of the psychopathological profile of a pediatric population diagnosed with PKU at newborn screening.

Ultrastable shelled PFC nanobubbles: A platform for ultrasound-assisted diagnostics, and therapy.

Nanoscale echogenic bubbles (NBs), can be used as a theranostic platform for the localized delivery of encapsulated drugs. However, the generation of NBs is challenging, because they have lifetimes as short as milliseconds in solution. The aim of this work has been the optimization of a preparation method for the generation of stable NBs, characterized by measuring: a) acoustic efficiency, b) nano-size, to ensure passive tumour targeting, c) stability during storage and after injection and d) ability to entrap drugs.

The Mechanistic Understanding of RAD51 Defibrillation: A Critical Step in BRCA2-Mediated DNA Repair by Homologous Recombination.

The cytotoxic action of anticancer drugs can be potentiated by inhibiting DNA repair mechanisms. RAD51 is a crucial protein for genomic stability due to its critical role in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway. BRCA2 assists RAD51 fibrillation and defibrillation in the cytoplasm and nucleus and assists its nuclear transport.

Dysbindin-1A modulation of astrocytic dopamine and basal ganglia dependent behaviors relevant to schizophrenia.

The mechanisms underlying the dichotomic cortical/basal ganglia dopaminergic abnormalities in schizophrenia are unclear. Astrocytes are important non-neuronal modulators of brain circuits, but their role in dopaminergic system remains poorly explored. Microarray analyses, immunohistochemistry, and two-photon laser scanning microscopy revealed that Dys1 hypofunction increases the reactivity of astrocytes, which express only the Dys1A isoform.

Differences in Attitudes of Front-Line Clinicians, Healthcare Workers, and Non-Healthcare Workers Toward COVID-19 Safety Protocols.

Background The advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated varying opinions toward adhering to safety protocols among public health experts. With decreasing restrictions on public gatherings, lax protective behaviors, distortion of facts, and increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccines, response to public health guidelines vary greatly. Personal experiences with COVID-19, education, and work environment may influence decisions on safety recommendations and vaccination protocols among the public and healthcare professionals alike.

The exacerbated prevalence of acute malnutrition and growth retardation in Roma children living in camps.

Background: Child malnutrition is still a concern in marginalized groups of populations, such as immigrants living in very low socio-economic conditions. Roma children are within the most hard-to-reach populations, susceptible to undernutrition and growth retardation. In the city of Rome (Italy), the Hospital "Bambino Gesù", in collaboration with the Catholic Association Community of Saint'Egidio, is dedicating free services for the health and nutritional needs of vulnerable people.

Specific and nondisruptive interaction of guanidium-functionalized gold nanoparticles with neutral phospholipid bilayers.

Understanding and controlling the interaction between nanoparticles and biological entities is fundamental to the development of nanomedicine applications. In particular, the possibility to realize nanoparticles capable of directly targeting neutral lipid membranes would be advantageous to numerous applications aiming at delivering nanoparticles and their cargos into cells and biological vesicles. Here, we use experimental and computational methodologies to analyze the interaction between liposomes and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) featuring cationic headgroups in their protecting monolayer.

Conformable hierarchically engineered polymeric micromeshes enabling combinatorial therapies in brain tumours.

The poor transport of molecular and nanoscale agents through the blood-brain barrier together with tumour heterogeneity contribute to the dismal prognosis in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Here, a biodegradable implant (μMESH) is engineered in the form of a micrometre-sized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) mesh laid over a water-soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) layer. Upon poly(vinyl alcohol) dissolution, the flexible poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) mesh conforms to the resected tumour cavity as docetaxel-loaded nanomedicines and diclofenac molecules are continuously and directly released into the adjacent tumour bed.

Chromatophores efficiently promote light-driven ATP synthesis and DNA transcription inside hybrid multicompartment artificial cells.

The construction of energetically autonomous artificial protocells is one of the most ambitious goals in bottom-up synthetic biology. Here, we show an efficient manner to build adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) synthesizing hybrid multicompartment protocells. Bacterial chromatophores from accomplish the photophosphorylation of adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) to ATP, functioning as nanosized photosynthetic organellae when encapsulated inside artificial giant phospholipid vesicles (ATP production rate up to ∼100 ATP∙s per ATP synthase).

CXCL12-PLGA/Pluronic Nanoparticle Internalization Abrogates CXCR4-Mediated Cell Migration.

Chemokine-induced chemotaxis mediates physiological and pathological immune cell trafficking, as well as several processes involving cell migration. Among them, the role of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in cancer and metastasis is well known, and CXCR4 has been often targeted with small molecule-antagonists or short CXCL12-derived peptides to limit the pathological processes of cell migration and invasion. To reduce CXCR4-mediated chemotaxis, we adopted a different approach.

High-Light versus Low-Light: Effects on Paired Photosystem II Supercomplex Structural Rearrangement in Pea Plants.

In plant thylakoid membranes Photosystem II (PSII) associates with a variable number of antenna proteins (LHCII) to form different types of supercomplexes (PSII-LHCII), whose organization is dynamically adjusted in response to light cues, with the CS more abundant in high-light and the CSM in low-light. Paired PSII-LHCII supercomplexes interacting at their stromal surface from adjacent thylakoid membranes were previously suggested to mediate stacking. Here, we present the cryo-electron microscopy maps of paired CS and CSM supercomplexes isolated from pea plants grown in high-light and low-light, respectively.