Impact of intensive agriculture and pathogens on honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony strength in northwestern Italy.

Honeybee colony survival has significantly decreased in many countries over recent decades, which has been associated with multiple factors including pathogens, parasites, resource availability, and environmental stressors, with agricultural intensification playing a key role. This study assessed the effects of Varroa destructor mite infestation, viral prevalence and load, and agrochemical concentrations in the hive matrix on colony strength in two apiaries located in different agricultural contexts (intensive vs traditional) in Northwestern Italy from March to September 2021. The results revealed that colonies in the intensively managed area exhibited lower colony strength and higher mortality rates.

Symptomatic giant lipoma of the neck in an adolescent.

Lipomas are the most common soft tissue tumours in adults, but they represent less than 10% of paediatric mesenchymal tumours. In adults, they are typically slow growing and painless. We describe an adolescent with a rapidly enlarging neck mass causing dyspnoea and chest pain.

FIGO-GCH joint consensus statement on the current status and recommendations for the use of blind intrauterine procedures in the evaluation and management of women with suspected intrauterine pathologies.

Historically, blind intrauterine procedures such as dilation and curettage (D&C) and blind endometrial biopsies have been the primary approach for diagnosing and managing intrauterine pathologies. However, these techniques lack direct visualization, leading to diagnostic limitations, incomplete treatment, and increased complication rates. Despite substantial advances in hysteroscopic technology, including high-definition imaging and minimally invasive instruments, blind procedures remain widely used.

Using diatom chain length as a bioindicator of heavy-metals contamination in marine environments.

The increasing release of toxic heavy metals into marine environments poses significant risks due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. Diatoms are ideal bioindicators because of their sensitivity to environmental changes. Despite traditional methods for detecting these persistent pollutants effectively identify composition and concentration, they are time-consuming, they often require the use of harmful reagents, and do not allow a fast assessment of detrimental impacts on marine organisms.

The judicial response to rent controls in Europe: Protecting property rights against state's intervention?

This essay examines, from a legal and economic perspective, the judicial response to rent controls in the EU focusing on three courts that operate at the fundamental rights and constitutional level: the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the German Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfGE), and the Italian Constitutional Court. Based on an analysis of a sample of judicial decisions rendered over time, a convergent trend emerges: these Courts have recognized and effectively protected the landlord's property rights against rent controls that were disproportionate and could not ensure a reasonable return on investment. This trend is prominent in the jurisprudence of the ECtHR: the Strasbourg Court has contributed to reshaping the distribution of power between tenants and landlords, encouraging the transition of Eastern and Southern European Countries to the common European housing market.

Modulators of oral health-related quality of life of maxillary implant overdenture users, analysed with the QoLIP-10, QoLDAS-9, and QoLFAST-10 specific questionnaires.

Objectives: To identify potential modulators of OHRQoL in patients with maxillary implant-retained overdentures using specific implant-prosthesis questionnaires.

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 70 volunteers with maxillary implant overdentures were divided into two balanced groups (n=35 each) concerning gender and partnership status. The participants completed the QoLIP-10, QoLDAS-9, and QoLFAST-10 scales.

Antimicrobial Properties of Fennel By-Product Extracts and Their Potential Applications in Meat Products.

Beef burgers are perishable meat products, and to extend their shelf life, EU Regulation 1129/11 permits the use of certain additives. However, given the concerns of health-conscious consumers and the potential toxicity of synthetic substances, this study aimed to explore the use of fennel waste extracts as natural preservatives. This study characterized the bioactive compounds (phenolic content), the antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH assay), and the antimicrobial properties (against serotype Enteritidis, , , and ) of different fennel waste extracts (LF, liquid fraction; SF, solid fraction and PF, pellet fraction).

Establishment of an induced pluripotent cell line (ABCRIi001-A) from an elderly female for ageing research.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold promises to model and understand human diseases, including those associated with ageing. Here, we describe ABCRIi001-A, a hiPSC line generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a 79-year-old female enrolled in a study for development of an ageing score (ALFA Score). PBMCs were reprogrammed using three Sendai virus-based reprogramming vectors (hKOS, hc-Myc, and hKlf4).

Distribution and Level of Bioactive Monoacylglycerols in 12 Marine Microalgal Species.

Microalgae are currently considered an attractive source of highly valuable metabolites potentially exploitable as anticancer agents, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals and for bioenergy purposes. Their ease of culturing and their high growth rates further promote their use as raw material for the production of specialty products. In the present paper, we focused our attention on specific glycerol-based lipid compounds, monoacylglycerols (MAGs), which displayed in our previous studies a selective cytotoxic activity against the haematological U-937 and the colon HCT-116 cancer cell lines.

Multi-scale fractal Fourier Ptychographic microscopy to assess the dose-dependent impact of copper pollution on living diatoms.

Accumulation of bioavailable heavy metals in aquatic environment poses a serious threat to marine communities and human health due to possible trophic transfers through the food chain of toxic, non-degradable, exogenous pollutants. Copper (Cu) is one of the most spread heavy metals in water, and can severely affect primary producers at high doses. Here we show a novel imaging test to assay the dose-dependent effects of Cu on live microalgae identifying stress conditions when they are still capable of sustaining a positive growth.

Citizen science to improve patient and public involvement in GUideline Implementation in oral health and DEntistry (the GUIDE platform).

Background: Citizen science is a way to democratise science by involving groups of citizens in the research process. Clinical guidelines are used to improve practice, but their implementation can be limited. Involving patients and the public can enhance guideline implementation, but there is uncertainty about the best approaches to achieve this.

spp. as a Source of Antimicrobial, Antifungal, and Anticancer Compounds.

Dinoflagellates make up the second largest marine group of marine unicellular eukaryotes in the world ocean and comprise both heterotrophic and autotrophic species, encompassing a wide genetic and chemical diversity. They produce a plethora of secondary metabolites that can be toxic to other species and are mainly used against predators and competing species. Dinoflagellates are indeed often responsible for harmful algal bloom, where their toxic secondary metabolites can accumulate along the food chain, leading to significant damages to the ecosystem and human health.

Patient specific quality assurance in SBRT: a systematic review of measurement-based methods.

This topical review focuses on Patient-Specific Quality Assurance (PSQA) approaches to stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). SBRT requires stricter accuracy than standard radiation therapy due to the high dose per fraction and the limited number of fractions. The review considered various PSQA methods reported in 36 articles between 01/2010 and 07/2022 for SBRT treatment.

Helical tomotherapy and two types of volumetric modulated arc therapy: dosimetric and clinical comparison for several cancer sites.

Radiotherapy accelerators have undergone continuous technological developments. We investigated the differences between Radixact™ and VMAT treatment plans. Sixty patients were included in this study.

Identification of a Green Algal Strain Collected from the Sarno River Mouth (Gulf of Naples, Italy) and Its Exploitation for Heavy Metal Remediation.

Heavy metals (HMs) can induce both chronic and acute harmful effects on marine and freshwater biota. The environmental impact of HMs in freshwater, seawater, soil, and wastewater can be limited using microbes, including microalgae, that are able to remove metals from environmental matrices. Indeed, they can passively adsorb and actively accumulate these persistent pollutants within their organelles, limiting their detrimental effects on cellular metabolism.

Does Photobiomodulation Affects CK10 and CK14 in Oral Mucositis Radioinduced Repair?

The mechanisms of action of photobiomodulation (PBM) in oral mucositis (OM) are not completely elucidated. To enlighten the role of PBM in the evolution of epithelial maturity in OM ulcers, the present study evaluated the effect of PBM with red (λ) wavelength of 660 nanometers (nm) and infrared of 780 nm in radio-induced OM wounds on the tongue of rats, eight and twenty days after irradiation with single dose of 20 Gy. The percentage area corresponding to positive staining for cytokeratin 10 (CK10) and 14 (CK14) proteins was evaluated in the epithelial area of the lesions, using an immunohistochemical technique (IHC), 8 and 20 days after the induction of lesions, and compared with an untreated control group.

Rotavirus Quantification in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis.

Introduction: Most intractable diarrheas are treated with antibiotics, irrespective of the causative agent. This study aimed to quantify rotavirus (RV) with TaqMan real-time PCR in fecal samples of children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in accordance with the program of reduction of drug resistance and use of antibiotics.

Methods: A total of 190 fecal specimens were collected from under-5-year-old children with AGE in pediatric Hospital Regina Margherita of Turin in Italy in 2017.

Toxic Effect of Metal Doping on Diatoms as Probed by Broadband Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy.

The global marine environment is increasingly affected by human activities causing climate change, eutrophication, and pollution. These factors influence the metabolic mechanisms of phytoplankton species, such as diatoms. Among other pollutant agents, heavy metals can have dramatic effects on diatom viability.

Copper Effect on Microalgae: Toxicity and Bioremediation Strategies.

Microalgae are increasingly recognised as suitable microorganisms for heavy metal (HM) removal, since they are able to adsorb them onto their cell wall and, in some cases, compartmentalise them inside organelles. However, at relatively high HM concentrations, they could also show signs of stress, such as organelle impairments and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. The main aim of this review is to report on the mechanisms adopted by microalgae to counteract detrimental effects of high copper (Cu) concentrations, and on the microalgal potential for Cu bioremediation of aquatic environments.

Emergency department visit patterns in the recently discharged, violently injured patient: Retrospective cohort review.

Background: Analysis of the costs associated with emergency department (ED) visits after discharge for violent injury could highlight subgroups for the development of cost-effective interventions to support healing and prevent treatment failures in violently injured patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort review was conducted of all patients with return ED visits within 90 days of discharge after treatment for a violent injury occurring between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2018. Hospital costs were calculated for each incidence and analyzed against demographic and injury type variables to identify trends.

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation programming settings do not correlate with Parkinson's disease severity.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). While the success of DBS is dependent on careful patient selection and accurate lead placement, programming parameters play a pivotal role in tailoring therapy on the individual level. Various algorithms have been developed to streamline the initial programming process, but the relationship between pre-operative patient characteristics and post-operative device settings is unclear.

Effect of delayed versus immediate umbilical cord clamping in vaginal delivery at term: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To compare maternal blood loss with immediate cord clamping versus delayed cord clamping in women undergoing spontaneous vaginal delivery at term.

Methods: Parallel group non-blinded randomized trial conducted at a single center in Italy. Women with singleton gestations who underwent spontaneous vaginal delivery at term were eligible and were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either immediate or delayed cord clamping.

Bioinformatic prediction of putative metallothioneins in non-ciliate protists.

Intracellular ligands that bind heavy metals (HMs) and thereby minimize their detrimental effects to cellular metabolism are attracting great interest for a number of applications including bioremediation and development of HM-biosensors. Metallothioneins (MTs) are short, cysteine-rich, genetically encoded proteins involved in intracellular metal-binding and play a key role in detoxification of HMs. We searched approximately 700 genomes and transcriptomes of non-ciliate protists for novel putative MTs by similarity and structural analyses and found 21 unique proteins playing a potential role as MTs.