Publications by authors named "SERRA F"

Dental implants are commonly employed to address edentulism, while orthodontic treatments often incorporate mini-screws to enhance tooth movement and provide stable anchorage. Both procedures are integral to modern dental practice and frequently interact in comprehensive care scenarios. While oral health professionals routinely assess patients' medical histories before procedures, undiagnosed coagulopathies, such as Von Willebrand Disease (VWD), can present significant challenges when invasive procedures are carried out, such as the insertion of implants or mini-implants.

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Composite materials made of polymers and liquid crystals have been widely employed in smart windows, optical filters, and bistable displays. However, it is often difficult to decipher the role of the polymer network architecture on the alignment and the texture of liquid crystals. In this study, we use a simple model system where a small amount of polymerizable liquid crystalline monomer is mixed in a liquid crystal that exhibits both a smectic phase and a cholesteric phase with a large helical pitch.

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Background: The umbilicus holds significant aesthetic and symbolic importance in abdominal contouring. Its position, shape, and overall appearance are pivotal in determining the success and patient satisfaction after abdominoplasty, although the best way to archive it is discussed. We present our technique with our statistics and complication rate.

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The capacity to regenerate lost organs is widespread among animals, and yet the number of species in which regeneration has been experimentally probed using molecular and functional assays is very small. This is also the case for insects, for which we still lack a complete picture of their regeneration mechanisms and the extent of their conservation. Here, we contribute to filling this gap by investigating regeneration in the mayfly .

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  • Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex illness primarily influenced by infection, with recent evidence suggesting a connection to Epstein Bar Virus (EBV), which defines a unique subset called EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC).
  • An integrative analysis by The Cancer Genome Atlas has identified specific molecular markers in EBVaGC, including mutations, DNA hyper-methylation, and activated immune pathways, which could be used for targeted therapies.
  • The review discusses the epidemiology, genetic traits, and potential therapies for EBVaGC, emphasizing the role of EBV as both a predictive biomarker and a therapeutic target.
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Scientific research has often investigated the role of diet as a risk factor for cancer development. It is well known that cancer has a multifactorial origin in which several factors are involved: genetic predisposition, dietary factors, personal habits, and infectious and environmental factors. In this Commentary, the role of diet in cancer is discussed following the scientific evidence suggesting that excessive consumption of red meat and processed foods is correlated with a greater risk of contracting cancer.

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Background: Personalized nutrition (PN) has been proposed as a strategy to increase the effectiveness of dietary recommendations and ultimately improve health status.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether including omics-based PN in an e-commerce tool improves dietary behavior and metabolic profile in general population.

Methods: A 21-wk parallel, single-blinded, randomized intervention involved 193 adults assigned to a control group following Mediterranean diet recommendations (n = 57, completers = 36), PN (n = 70, completers = 45), or personalized plan (PP, n = 68, completers = 53) integrating a behavioral change program with PN recommendations.

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Aim: The urban population increases by about 60 million people/year. Urbanization, unhealthy lifestyle and aging of the population are reflected in a constant growth in the prevalence of diabetes. In 2014, Steno Diabetes Centre in Copenhagen, University College London and Novo Nordisk, launched the Cities Changing Diabetes® program with the aim of creating a unified movement that would stimulate policy-makers to prioritize urban diabetes.

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  • The study examined 91 exotic companion mammals from pet shops in southern Italy for the presence of eight potential zoonotic viruses using advanced PCR techniques.
  • Only one rat tested positive for aichivirus, which showed a close genetic relationship to a strain identified in China, indicating possible introduction from Asia.
  • Continuous monitoring of these animals is essential to prevent the spread of pathogens to humans and domestic animals, emphasizing the need for further research on zoonotic viruses.
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Background And Aims: The number of xylazine-involved overdose deaths tremendously increased from 2019 onwards in the US. This is due to the "tranq-dope" trend consisting in mixing opioids with the sedative to reduce drug manufacturing costs and enhance their effects. In this study, we report the first fatality involving xylazine-adulterated heroin in the EU.

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Hypoxia in preterm infants is a clinical condition that has been associated with cognitive and behavioral disturbances for which treatment strategies are strongly required. Melatonin administration following brain insults has been considered a promising therapeutic strategy due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Not surprisingly, it has been extensively studied for preventing disturbances following brain injury.

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Purpose: Data reported on comparing primary and revisional procedures in the elderly is still limited. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety between primary and revisional bariatric surgery in a cohort of older patients.

Materials And Methods: All patients ≥ 60 years old were divided into two cohorts, primary surgery cohort (PSC) and revisional surgery cohort (RSC).

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Previous studies have documented that FOLFOX and XELOX therapies negatively impact the metabolism of skeletal muscle and extra-muscle districts. This pilot study tested whether three-month FOLFOX or XELOX therapy produced changes in plasma amino acid levels (PAAL) (an estimation of whole-body amino acid metabolism) and in plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid hyper oxidation. Fourteen ambulatory, resected patients with colorectal cancer scheduled to receive FOLFOX (n = 9) or XELOX (n = 5) therapy, after overnight fasting, underwent peripheral venous blood sampling, to determine PAAL and MDA before, during, and at the end of three-month therapy.

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Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) represents a world public health relevant problem especially in children. Enteric viruses are the pathogens mainly involved in the episodes of AGE, causing about 70.00% of the cases.

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Activation of the p53 tumor suppressor triggers a transcriptional program to control cellular response to stress. However, the molecular mechanisms by which p53 controls gene transcription are not completely understood. Here, we uncover the critical role of spatio-temporal genome architecture in this process.

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Canine coronavirus (CCoV) can produce a self-limited enteric disease in dogs but, because of notable biological plasticity of coronaviruses (CoVs), numerous mutations as well as recombination events happen leading to the emergence of variants often more dangerous for both animals and humans. Indeed, the emergence of new canine-feline recombinant alphacoronaviruses, recently isolated from humans, highlight the cross-species transmission potential of CoVs. Consequently, new effective antiviral agents are required to treat CoV infections.

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The evidence suggests that diet can modulate endogenous microRNA (miRNA) expression. Changes in miRNA expression may affect metabolic processes and consequently be involved in health status and disease development. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence of the role of diet and specific food components in the regulation of miRNA expression and discuss its implications for human health and disease development.

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  • The study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on patients with beta-thalassemia major, revealing that while prevalence is slightly lower, mortality rates are higher compared to the general population.
  • Out of 68 enrolled patients, only 5 tested positive for COVID-19, with no significant complications or hospitalizations reported, indicating a relatively mild course of the disease in this patient group.
  • Vaccination resulted in a strong antibody response, particularly among those who were previously infected, suggesting that beta-thalassemia major patients may have a lower risk of severe COVID-19 than initially thought.
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Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the main causes of death from cancer globally. Long-term survival, especially in Western countries, remains dismal, with no significant improvements in recent years. Therefore, precise identification of clinical and pathological risk factors is crucial for prognosis, as it allows a better selection of patients suitable for oncologically radical treatments and contributes to longer survivals.

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Liquid crystals offer a dynamic platform for developing advanced photonics and soft actuation systems due to their unique and facile tunability and reconfigurability. Achieving precise spatial patterning of the liquid crystal alignment is critical to developing electro-optical devices, programmable origami, directed colloidal assembly, and controlling active matter. Here, a simple method is demonstrated to achieve continuous 3D control of the directions of liquid crystal mesogens using a two-step photo-exposure process.

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  • PENGUIN is a new method designed to study protein-protein interaction networks specifically related to enhancer-promoter interactions, using data from H3K27ac-HiChIP and tissue-specific interactions.
  • The method was validated with both cancer (LNCaP) and benign (LHSAR) prostate cell lines, revealing clusters enriched with CTCF, a protein that helps regulate these interactions.
  • The research found connections between CTCF, prostate cancer SNPs, and oncogenes, demonstrating PENGUIN's potential for uncovering important targets for cancer intervention, with a dedicated server for further exploration.
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Modern morphometric-based approaches provide valuable metrics to quantify and understand macroevolutionary and macroecological patterns and processes. Here we describe TriloMorph, an openly accessible database for morpho-geometric information of trilobites, together with a landmark acquisition protocol. In addition to morphological traits, the database contains contextual data on chronostratigraphic age, geographic location, taxonomic information and lithology of landmarked specimens.

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  • The INTEGRActiv study aims to identify new biomarkers that link physical activity (PA) to health outcomes specifically in children and adolescents, addressing the need for personalized health interventions.
  • The research involves two phases: the first involves analyzing a core group of 180 volunteers divided by age and weight status using various physical and molecular measures to identify potential biomarkers.
  • In the second phase, a subgroup of 60 participants will undergo an educational intervention to validate the biomarkers discovered, furthering the understanding of how PA affects health in youths.
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