The "Wear and Tear" of the Organism in Temporomandibular Disorders: A Pilot Study Investigating the Effects of Allostatic Load on Heart Rate Variability and Inhibitory Control.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are the most common cause of non-dental chronic pain in the orofacial region and can chronically increase the activity of the allostatic systems. The allostatic overload related to these conditions causes an autonomic dysregulation, reflected by a reduction in heart rate variability (HRV). Nevertheless, chronic pain in these patients could cause more severe health consequences, such as those related to cognitive functioning.

The role of nutraceuticals in the management of temporomandibular disorders.

Objectives: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are usually treated with occlusal appliances and supportive treatments such as physical therapy and drugs. Supplements can be included among potential supportive therapies, with the aim of reducing the use of drugs. To evaluate the efficacy of nutraceuticals' short-term treatment in subjects with temporomandibular disorders.

Implementation of the CREED approach for environmental assessments.

Environmental exposure data are a key component of chemical and ecological assessments, supporting and guiding environmental management decisions and regulations. Measures taken to protect the environment based on exposure data can have social and economic implications. Flawed information may lead to measures being taken in the wrong place or to important action not being taken.

Effects of feeding bergamot pulp and olive leaves on performance and meat quality in Apulo-Calabrese pigs.

To determine the effects of dietary inclusion of bergamot pulp and olive leaves on pork quality, thirty-six barrows (Apulo-Calabrese; 112.5 ± 7.40 kg initial bodyweight) were randomly assigned to four experimental treatments and fed for 100 days a control diet (control group) or a diet similar to the control diet in which part of the cereals were replaced with 20 % (DM on the diet fed) of ensiled bergamot pulp (dry matter on the diet fed, EBP group) or olive leaves (OLL group) or a 1:1 mixture of both by-products (BPOL group).

RA.DI.CA. Splint Therapy in the Management of Temporomandibular Joint Displacement without Reduction.

Background: The purpose of this study is to report clinical and instrumental changes after RA.DI.CA splint therapy for temporomandibular joint disc displacement without reduction.

Tips and Tricks to Avoid Complications With Scapula Tip-Free Flap.

Purpose: Create a practical step-by-step guide to harvesting this flap, highlighting the critical points that can create problems during surgery and the postoperative period.

Methods: The tips and tricks to harvesting the scapula tip-free flap are described in different points, describing the patient preparation and skin incision, identification of the anterior border of the latissimus dorsi, dissection of the pedicle, bone osteotomy, flap inset, and closure.

Results: As the scapula tip-free flap provides skin, muscle, and bone tissue, it is a valid option for the reconstruction of the defects maxillary and mandibular region for facial reconstruction.

Robot-Assisted Treatment of Symptomatic Lymphocele Postradical Prostatectomy and Lymphadenectomy in the Era or Robotic Surgery: .

Pelvic lymphnode dissection (PLND) is an integral part of surgical treatment for localized intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer. The most common complication of PLND is lymphocele formation. In the majority of cases the development of lymphoceles is clinically asymptomatic but in case of symptomatic/infected lymphocele an active treatment is required.

Abdominal Acupuncture for Non-Responding TMD Patients: a Retrospective Observational Study in General Practice.

Background: Pain related to Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) is severe, negatively affecting patients' quality of life, and often resistant to conventional treatments. Abdominal Acupuncture (AA) is known to be particularly effective for pain, especially chronic and musculoskeletal pain, but it is still poorly studied and never investigated in TMD patients.

Objectives: To analyze the efficacy of AA for the treatment of patients with subacute and chronic pain related to TMD and non-responding to previous conventional therapies (occlusal splint, medications, physical therapy).

Friedman Tongue Position and the Anthropometric Parameters in Adult Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Observational Study.

Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a relevant public health problem; dentists can play an important role in screening patients with sleep disorders by using validated tools and referring patients to a specialist, thereby promoting an interdisciplinary approach. The aim of the study is to identify if the OSAS severity, measured by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and some anthropometric measurements are associated with the Friedman Tongue Position (FTP) within a population with dysmetabolic comorbidities.

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire containing information about clinical data including height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference and FTP was administered.

Conservative Therapies for TMJ Closed Lock: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background. Acute anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDWoR) is characterized by permanent TMJ disc displacement, pain and functional limitations. Occlusal appliances (OA) are among the therapies of choice.

Trapped in the morphospace: The relationship between morphological integration and functional performance.

The evolution of complex morphological structures can be characterized by the interplay between different anatomical regions evolving under functional integration in response to shared selective pressures. Using the highly derived humeral morphology of talpid moles as a model, here we test whether functional performance is linked to increased levels of evolutionary integration between humerus subunits and, if so, what the strength is of the relationship. Combining two-dimensional geometric morphometrics, phylogenetic comparative methods, and functional landscape modeling, we demonstrate that the high biomechanical performance of subterranean moles' humeri is coupled with elevated levels of integration, whereas taxa with low-performance values show intermediate or low integration.

OSAS Severity and Occlusal Parameters: A Prospective Study among Adult Subjects with Comorbidities.

Introduction: OSAS is an emerging public health problem. Early diagnosis in adults with comorbidities is the gold standard to avoid complications caused by a late diagnosis. The aim of the study, part of the SLeeP@SA project, was to identify within a population with dysmetabolic comorbidities the association of occlusal clinical signs, defined by orthodontic parameters, and of the anthropometric phenotype, with the severity of OSAS.

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis.

Peanut allergy in Italy: A unique Italian perspective.

Background: Peanut allergy has not been well characterized in Italy.

Objective: Our aim was to better define the clinical features of peanut allergy in Italy and to detect the peanut proteins involved in allergic reactions.

Methods: A total of 22 centers participated in a prospective survey of peanut allergy over a 6-month period.

A methodological proposal to evaluate the health hazard scenario from COVID-19 in Italy.

2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a big impact in Italy, mainly concentrated in the northern part of the Country. All this was mainly due to similarities of this area with Wuhan in Hubei Province, according to geographical, environmental and socio-economic points of view. The basic hypothesis of this research was that the presence of atmospheric pollutants can generate stress on health conditions of the population and determine pre-conditions for the development of diseases of the respiratory system and complications related to them.

Clozapine modulation of zebrafish swimming behavior and gene expression as a case study to investigate effects of atypical drugs on aquatic organisms.

Mental illnesses affect more than 150 million people in Europe and lead to an increasing consumption of neuroactive drugs during the last twenty years. The antipsychotic compound, clozapine, is one of the most used psychotropic drugs worldwide, with potentially negative consequences for the aquatic environment. Hence, the objectives of the study presented here were the quantification of clozapine induced changes in swimming behavior of exposed Danio rerio embryos and the elucidation of the molecular effects on the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Different Acupuncture Methods for TMD-Related Pain: A Randomized Clinical Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of three acupuncture methods for temporomandibular disorders- (TMDs-) related pain.

Materials And Methods: Different locations of pain, according to DC/TMD clinical assessment, were considered: temporomandibular joint (TMJ), masticatory muscles, head, and neck. Sixty patients were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups (20 patients in each): group BA received body acupuncture, group EA received electroacupuncture, and group CA received acupuncture + cupping.

Bodybuilding, dietary supplements and hormones use: behaviour and determinant analysis in young bodybuilders.

Background: Among athletes, bodybuilders are more predisposed to the use of dietary supplements (DS) and hormones (H) to increase in adaptations to physical training and performance. The purpose of the study was to identify social, psychological, and organisational factors that are associated with the use of food supplements and hormones in young bodybuilders of the metropolitan area of Naples.

Methods: 107 athletes, practicing bodybuilding, were consecutively recruited in 30 gyms, randomly selected in the metropolitan area of Naples.

Minimum reporting standards based on a comprehensive review of the zebrafish embryo teratogenicity assay.

Reproductive toxicity chemical safety assessment involves extensive use of vertebrate animals for regulatory testing purposes. Although alternative methods such as the zebrafish embryo teratogenicity assay (identified in the present manuscript by the acronym ZETA) are promising for replacing tests with mammals, challenges to regulatory application involve lack of standardization and incomplete validation. To identify key protocol aspects and ultimately support improving this situation, a comprehensive review of the literature on the level of harmonization/standardization and validation status of the ZETA has been conducted.

Assessment of oil refinery wastewater and effluent integrating bioassays, mechanistic modelling and bioavailability evaluation.

Water is used in petroleum oil refineries in significant volumes for cooling, steam generation and processing of raw materials. Effective water management is required at refineries to ensure their efficient and responsible operation with respect to the water environment. However, ascertaining the potential environmental risks associated with discharge of refinery effluents to receiving waters is challenging because of their compositional complexity.

COVID-19 AND DENTAL DISTANCE-BASED EDUCATION: students' perceptions in an Italian University.

Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the perception of dental faculties students regarding the complete transition to distance-based education (DE) and the adaptation of this educational strategy, due to Covid-19 pandemic. A questionnaire to be completed anonymously was submitted online to students attending the faculties of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene at Sapienza, University of Rome, after the end of distance lessons. The collected data were processed statistically, providing descriptive data and analysis of correlation of the most significant parameters, using Chi-squared test, Cramér V and Pearson φ, Goodman and Kruskal's γ and λ and Kendall's τb.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on TMD subjects.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on subjects with temporomandibular disorders (TMD), as for symptomatology and presence of parafunctions and sleep disorders.

Patients And Methods: Two hundred fourteen subjects completed an online questionnaire, including Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), a temporomandibular screening and a specific item about the impact of such event on the psycho-physical side. Non-parametric tests - Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis - were performed to compare sex and age groups, as for PSS and "COVID-19 pandemic impact score (CpIS)", and the groups Improved/stationary and Worsened in symptomatology as for the "CpIS".

Hypersensitivity reactions to iodinate contrast media in Italy: a retrospective study. Characteristics of patients and risk factors.

The purpose of the study was to describe the characteristics of patients experiencing hypersensitivity reactions (HRs) to iodinated contrast media (ICM) in a large Italian population and to investigate potential risks factors in order to obtain a risk stratification, helpful in the management of these patients. Data of 407 patients investigated in 9 Italian Allergy Centers for suspected HRs to ICM were analyzed and compared with a control group of 152 subjects that tolerated one or more ICM-enhanced examinations. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate associated factors.