Silver-Treated Sutures for the Prevention of Biofilm-Associated Surgical Site Infections.

Background/objectives: The huge concerns associated with biofilm-related infections in surgical procedures, along with the antibiotic resistance demonstrated by an increasing number of bacteria, have highlighted the need for alternative and effective prevention approaches. The aim of this research was to develop novel antimicrobial coatings on surgical sutures for the prevention of surgical site infections through nanotechnology-based methods.

Results: The results demonstrated that although very low amounts of silver precursor were adopted for the treatments, the silver coating was effective against and antibiotic-resistant in reducing the potential risk of infection.

Safe and Orally Bioavailable Inhibitor of Serine Palmitoyltransferase Improves Age-Related Sarcopenia.

The accumulation of ceramides and related metabolites has emerged as a pivotal mechanism contributing to the onset of age-related diseases. However, small molecule inhibitors targeting the ceramide synthesis pathway for clinical use are currently unavailable. We synthesized a safe and orally bioavailable inhibitor, termed ALT-007, targeting the rate-limiting enzyme of ceramide synthesis, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT).

ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY FOR TREATING SPINAL STENOSIS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS.

Background: Spinal stenosis refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal which can generate clinical symptoms secondary to the spinal cord injury itself, or even root involvement. The traditional open surgical procedure to correct spinal stenosis is highly traumatic and risky, and with the development of surgical techniques, endoscopic procedures have been widely used in treating said stenosis, achieving good results with minimally invasive management.

Aim: To conduct a literature review regarding endoscopic techniques for correcting spinal stenosis.

Enhancing Corneal Sensitivity in Diabetic Patients Through an Innovative Ophthalmic Solution: In Vivo and Vitro Results.

: Diabetes is a well-recognised factor inducing a plethora of corneal alterations ranging from dry eye to reduced corneal sensibility, epithelial defects, and reduced cicatrisation. This cohort study aimed to assess the efficacy of a novel ophthalmic solution combining cross-linked hyaluronic acid (CHA), chondroitin sulfate (CS), and inositol (INS) in managing diabetes-induced corneal alterations. Specifically, it evaluated the solution's impact on the tear breakup time (TBUT), the ocular surface disease index (OSDI), and corneal sensitivity after three months of treatment.

Prolonged incubation with Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol but not with cannabidiol induces synaptic alterations and mitochondrial impairment in immature and mature rat organotypic hippocampal slices.

Cannabis derivatives are among the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world, which leads to growing medical concerns regarding its chronic use and abuse especially among adolescents. Exposure to THC during formative years produces long-term behavioral alterations that share similarities with symptoms of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we have analyzed the functional and molecular mechanisms that might underlie these alterations.

Label-free quantitative proteomics of commercial rice beverages reveals the presence of high amounts of exogenous amylases.

Rice milk is known for its wide range of beneficial effects on human health. Despite an increasing inclination towards rice drinks consumption, not much is known regarding the protein composition of commercial rice beverages. Hence, using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach we analyzed 9 different commercially available rice drinks and identified 259 rice proteins and 4 exogenous microbial α-amylases.

Phytoremediation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Insights on plant uptake, omics analysis, contaminant detection and biomass disposal.

The unique properties of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have driven their pervasive use in different industrial applications, leading to substantial environmental pollution and raising critical concerns about the long-term impacts on ecosystem and human health. To tackle the global challenge of PFAS contamination, there is an urgent need for sustainable and efficient remediation strategies. Phytoremediation has emerged as a promising eco-friendly approach with the potential to mitigate the spread of these persistent contaminants.

Improved myocardial scar visualization using free-breathing motion-corrected wideband black-blood late gadolinium enhancement imaging in patients with implantable cardiac device.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to introduce and evaluate a novel two-dimensional wideband black-blood (BB) LGE sequence, incorporating wideband inversion recovery, wideband T2 preparation, and non-rigid motion correction (MOCO) reconstruction, to improve myocardial scar detection and address artifacts associated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Materials And Methods: The wideband MOCO free-breathing BB-LGE sequence was tested on a sheep with ischemic scar and in 22 patients with cardiac disease, including 15 with cardiac implants, at 1.5 T.

Zebrafish () as a Model System to Investigate the Role of the Innate Immune Response in Human Infectious Diseases.

The zebrafish () has emerged as a valuable model for studying host-pathogen interactions due to its unique combination of characteristics. These include extensive sequence and functional conservation with the human genome, optical transparency in larvae that allows for high-resolution visualization of host cell-microbe interactions, a fully sequenced and annotated genome, advanced forward and reverse genetic tools, and suitability for chemical screening studies. Despite anatomical differences with humans, the zebrafish model has proven instrumental in investigating immune responses and human infectious diseases.

Silver-Treated Silk Fibroin Scaffolds for Prevention of Critical Wound Infections.

The risk of infections in chronic wounds represents a serious issue, particularly in aged people and in patients affected by diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Moreover, the growing resistance demonstrated by many bacterial strains has significantly reduced the therapeutic options for clinicians and has become a great challenge for the researchers in the definition of novel approaches that promote the wound healing process and reduce the healing time. Tissue engineering approaches based on biomaterials and three-dimensional scaffolds have demonstrated huge potential in supporting cell proliferation; among them, Bombyx mori-derived silk fibroin is a very appealing possibility for the development of devices with regenerative properties for wound healing applications.

Single-cell integration reveals metaplasia in inflammatory gut diseases.

The gastrointestinal tract is a multi-organ system crucial for efficient nutrient uptake and barrier immunity. Advances in genomics and a surge in gastrointestinal diseases has fuelled efforts to catalogue cells constituting gastrointestinal tissues in health and disease. Here we present systematic integration of 25 single-cell RNA sequencing datasets spanning the entire healthy gastrointestinal tract in development and in adulthood.

Multi-Modality Imaging to Detect Ischemic and Valvular Heart Disease in Adult Cancer Patients.

Thanks to impressive advances in the field of oncology over the last 30 years, there has been a significant rise in cancer survivors. Nowadays, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in this patient population. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major problem due to shared risk factors, an aging population and in many cases induced and/or accelerated atherosclerosis by antitumoral treatment during and even decades after the end of cancer therapy.

Clinical parameters of death and heart failure hospitalization in biventricular systolic dysfunction assessed via cardiac magnetic resonance.

Aims: While factors associated with adverse events are well elucidated in setting of isolated left ventricular dysfunction, clinical and imaging-based prognosticators of adverse outcomes are lacking in context of biventricular dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to establish role of clinical variables in prognosis of biventricular heart failure (HF), as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: Study cohort consisted of 840 patients enrolled in DERIVATE registry with coexisting CMR-derived right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, as defined by RV and LV ejection fractions ≤45 % and ≤ 50 %, respectively.

Low-cost architecture for iron-based coated conductors.

The design of iron-based coated conductors (IBS-CC) with a simplified architecture is possible thanks to the material properties that allow for milder requirements on the template crystalline quality. With respect to the state-of-the-art multilayered layout, it is possible to use a single buffer layer that remains necessary for protection and to promote the oriented growth of the superconducting film. In this work, Fe(Se,Te) films are grown via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on commercial tapes using a single, chemically deposited, CeO-based buffer layer, and interesting properties are obtained.

Intramyocardial fatty infiltration lesion in sporadic inclusion body myositis: a case report.

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), the most common inflammatory muscle disorder in adults over 50 years, is often misdiagnosed due to its gradual onset and its common but unspecific muscle weakness in older adults. Diagnosis relies on clinical, radiological, and pathological features. Cardiac involvement is rare, prompting this case description and a comprehensive literature analysis.

Inductive Frequency-Coded Sensor for Non-Destructive Structural Strain Monitoring of Composite Materials.

Structural composite materials have gained significant appeal because of their ability to be customized for specific mechanical qualities for various applications, including avionics, wind turbines, transportation, and medical equipment. Therefore, there is a growing demand for effective and non-invasive structural health monitoring (SHM) devices to supervise the integrity of materials. This work introduces a novel sensor design, consisting of three spiral resonators optimized to operate at distinct frequencies and excited by a feeding strip line, capable of performing non-destructive structural strain monitoring via frequency coding.

Prenatal ethanol exposure impairs hippocampal plasticity and cognition in adolescent mice.

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) induces a wide range of neurodevelopmental disabilities that are grouped under the term 'fetal alcohol spectrum disorders' (FASD). The effects of PAE on brain development are dependent on complex neurochemical events, including modification of AMPA receptors (AMPARs). We have recently found that chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure decreases AMPA-mediated neurotransmission and expression through the overexpression of the specific microRNA (miR)137 and 501-3p, which target GluA1 AMPA subunit, in the developing hippocampus in vitro.

The Impact of Assessment of Nurses' Experiences in Thoracic Surgery in Onco-Hematological Patients.

Nowadays, Thoracic Surgery is technologically advanced; therefore, it also focuses its attention on nursing care. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of the assessment of a dedicated team of nurses (DTN) in all onco-hematological patients undergoing VATS lobectomy for lung cancer on the outcome of the patient, preventing pressure injuries, reducing perioperative stress, duration of operations, complications, and hospital stay times. We performed a single-center observational retrospective study, including 31 DTN and 760 onco-hematological patients who underwent thoracic surgery between 30 October 2018 and 30 June 2023 at "Vanvitelli" University of Naples.

Selective Interaction of Chiral Carbon Dots with Nucleic Acids: A Promising Nanosensing Platform.

Carbon dots (CDs) represent an emerging class of nanomaterials that combine outstanding photoluminescent properties with low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility. These unique features have garnered significant interest for potential applications in sensing as well as nanovectors for bioactive compounds. Within this context, the possibility of synthesizing chiral carbon dots (CCDs) has paved the way for a plethora of bioapplications in their interaction with chiral biomolecules.

Low public awareness opens up new opportunities for highlighting milk as an iodine dietary source.

This international survey provides insights into public awareness of the importance of iodine as an essential trace mineral in human health along with knowledge of iodine dietary sources. The online questionnaire included sociodemographic aspects and dietary iodine consumer awareness on 7-point Likert-type questions. A total of 4,704 questionnaires from 16 countries were considered.

Human milk microbiota, oligosaccharide profiles, and infant gut microbiome in preterm infants diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe intestinal disease of very preterm infants with mother's own milk (MOM) providing protection, but the contribution of the MOM microbiota to NEC risk has not been explored. Here, we analyze MOM of 110 preterm infants (48 NEC, 62 control) in a cross-sectional study. Breast milk contains viable bacteria, but there is no significant difference in MOM microbiota between NEC and controls.

Toward Laboratory Notification in Pediatric Emergency Departments.

This study explores how patient's laboratory result are accessed in pediatric emergency departments. The rapid turnaround of laboratory results and their timely access by the medical team are crucial for effective patient management and care decision-making. This study revealed a systematic access prioritization to the Electronic Health Record, led by physicians, followed by nurses, and then other healthcare staff Despite efforts to streamline access through computerized laboratory results, optimized laboratory turnaround time and integration of final results into the electronic health record remain key challenges.