Publications by authors named "Scortichini M"

Introduction: Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory condition that significantly impacts public health, with severe asthma subtypes, such as severe eosinophilic asthma, imposing substantial socioeconomic burdens.

Methods: Real-world data from the Italian Health Information System were analyzed to evaluate the economic consequences of asthma in Italy. An in-depth comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the economic implications of various asthma subtypes, focusing on severe eosinophilic asthma.

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Incorporating photoisomerizable moieties within drugs offers the possibility of rapid and reversible light-dependent switching between active and inactive configurations. Here, we developed a photoswitchable adenosine A receptor (AR) agonist that confers optical control on this G protein-coupled receptor through noninvasive topical skin irradiation in an animal model of psoriasis. This was achieved by covalently bonding an adenosine-5'-methyluronamide moiety to a diazocine photochrome, whose singular photoswitching properties facilitated repeated interconversion between a thermally stable, biologically inactive agonist form and a photoinduced, pharmacologically active configuration.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study in Italy found that a significant number of patients with metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) do not receive systemic therapy, with only 27.6% of identified patients treated while 72.4% went untreated.
  • The study used national hospital data from 2017-2018 to analyze factors influencing treatment rates, revealing that older age, female sex, and higher comorbidity scores reduced the likelihood of receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
  • The financial burden of untreated mUC patients was considerable, with projected national costs of approximately €34.3 million in the first year alone, highlighting the need for improved treatment access and healthcare resource allocation.
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Background: Breast cancer (BC) constitutes a significant public health challenge in Italy, with a considerable impact on healthcare resources and societal costs. Despite advancements in diagnostics and therapies, the economic burden of BC remains substantial, necessitating a comprehensive evaluation to inform healthcare policy and resource allocation. The aim of this study is to estimate both direct health costs and social security costs related to BC.

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Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases remain the primary cause of mortality in Italy. Individuals with a history of acute coronary syndrome, peripheral arterial disease, and ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack face an elevated risk of recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events, including mortality. The population aging, coupled with increasing risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and obesity, exacerbates the disease's economic impact.

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The fungi Botryosphaeriaceae are involved in olive declines in both the world hemispheres and in all continents where this species is cultivated. In Salento (Apulia, Italy), the Botryosphaeriaceae and have been reported as the agents of a branch and twig dieback that overlaps with olive quick decline syndrome caused by subsp. .

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subsp. ST53 (XFP), the causal agent of olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), was thoroughly investigated after a 2013 outbreak in the Salento region of Southern Italy. Some trees from Ogliarola Salentina and Cellina di Nardò, susceptible cultivars in the Gallipoli area, the first XFP infection hotspot in Italy, have resprouted crowns and are starting to flower and yield fruits.

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In 2013, an outbreak of (Xf) was identified for the first time in Europe, in the extreme south of Italy (Apulia, Salento territory). The locally identified subspecies turned out to be lethal for olive trees, starting an unprecedented phytosanitary emergency for one of the most iconic cultivations of the Mediterranean area. Xf (Xfp) is responsible for a severe disease, the olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), spreading epidemically and with dramatic impact on the agriculture, the landscape, the tourism and the cultural heritage of this region.

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Short-term exposure to ground-level ozone in cities is associated with increased mortality and is expected to worsen with climate and emission changes. However, no study has yet comprehensively assessed future ozone-related acute mortality across diverse geographic areas, various climate scenarios, and using CMIP6 multi-model ensembles, limiting our knowledge on future changes in global ozone-related acute mortality and our ability to design targeted health policies. Here, we combine CMIP6 simulations and epidemiological data from 406 cities in 20 countries or regions.

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subsp. (XFP), , and other fungi have been found in olive groves of Salento (Apulia, Italy) that show symptoms of severe decline. XFP is well known to be the cause of olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS).

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Background: The epidemiological evidence on the interaction between heat and ambient air pollution on mortality is still inconsistent.

Objectives: To investigate the interaction between heat and ambient air pollution on daily mortality in a large dataset of 620 cities from 36 countries.

Methods: We used daily data on all-cause mortality, air temperature, particulate matter ≤ 10 μm (PM), PM ≤ 2.

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Here we report the medium-term effects of foliar spray and endo-therapy treatments with different doses of a Cu/Zn citric acid biocomplex (Dentamet) in infected olive trees of Salento, Apulia region (South-east Italy). Leaf extract samples from field-treated 150 years old olive trees cvs Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò were studied by H NMR-based metabolomics. The result of different applications of Dentamet endo-therapy after 60, 120 and 180 days in comparison with traditional foliar spray treatment and water injection as a control have been investigated.

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The aim of this study was to establish a link between genetic diversity and the geographic origin of strains belonging to three species-, , and -isolated from cabbage in Serbia by comparing their sequences with those of strains sourced from different hosts and countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. Phylogeographic relatedness was reconstructed using the Templeton, Crandall, and Sing's (TCS) haplotype network based on concatenated sequences of the housekeeping genes , , , and , while pairwise genetic distances were computed by applying the p-distance model. The obtained TCS haplotype networks indicated the existence of high intra-species genetic diversity among strains of all three species, as reflected in the 0.

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Three novel cytosine-derived α,β-methylene diphosphonates designated MRS4598, MRS4552, and MRS4602 were tested in the range of 1 × 10 to 1 × 10 M for their efficacy and potency in inhibiting membrane-bound ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 activity in primary astrocytes in vitro. The compounds were also tested for their ability to attenuate the reactive astrocyte phenotype induced by proinflammatory cytokines. The main findings are as follows: A) The tested compounds induced concentration-dependent inhibition of CD73 activity, with maximal inhibition achieved at ∼1 × 10M; B) All compounds showed high inhibitory potency, as reflected by IC values in the submicromolar range; C) All compounds showed high binding capacity, as reflected by Ki values in the low nanomolar range; D) Among the tested compounds, MRS4598 showed the highest inhibitory efficacy and potency, as reflected by IC and Ki values of 0.

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Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp), has attacked the olive trees in Southern Italy with severe impacts on the olive agro-ecosystem. To reduce both the Xfp cell concentration and the disease symptom, a bio-fertilizer restoration technique has been used.

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For about a decade, olive groves in Apulia (Southern Italy) have been progressively destroyed by Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), a disease caused by the bacterium subsp. (Xfp). Recently, we described an additional wilting syndrome affecting olive trees in that area.

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Background: Evidence on the potential interactive effects of heat and ambient air pollution on cause-specific mortality is inconclusive and limited to selected locations.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of heat on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and its modification by air pollution during summer months (six consecutive hottest months) in 482 locations across 24 countries.

Methods: Location-specific daily death counts and exposure data (e.

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Interest has been focused in recent years on the analgesic effects exerted by adenosine and its receptors, A, A, A, and A adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes, in different in vivo models of chronic pain. In particular, it was demonstrated that selective AAR agonists reduced pro-nociceptive N-type Ca channels in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons isolated from rats and, by this mechanism, inhibit post inflammatory visceral hypersensitivity. In the present study, we investigate the effect of a previously reported irreversibly binding AAR agonist, ICBM, on Ca currents (I) in rat DRG neurons.

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This study focuses on interacting with insects and their ectosymbiont () microorganisms for environmentally safe plant production and protection. Some cases help compare ectosymbiont microorganisms that are insect-borne, -driven, or -spread relevant to endosymbionts' behaviour. Ectosymbiotic bacteria can interact with insects by allowing them to improve the value of their In addition, some bacteria are essential for creating ecological niches that can host the development of pests.

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Article Synopsis
  • The World Health Assembly highlights the significant economic and societal impact of neurological disorders, particularly epilepsy, which contributes to disability and mortality rates globally.
  • In Italy, from 2009 to 2015, disability pensions for epilepsy saw a 26% increase, revealing high long-term costs for social security and health services, as well as burden on caregivers.
  • A study of hospital data from 2015-2018 showed that most epilepsy admissions were acute, leading to substantial hospital expenses; implementing better organizational strategies and early treatment could reduce costs and enhance patients' quality of life.
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Lipids are central at various stages of host-pathogen interactions in determining virulence and modulating plant defense. Free fatty acids may act as substrates for oxidizing enzymes [e.g.

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Background: Epidemiological literature on the health risks associated with non-optimal temperature has mostly reported average estimates across large areas or specific population groups. However, the heterogeneous distribution of drivers of vulnerability can result in local differences in health risks associated with heat and cold. We aimed to analyse the association between ambient air temperature and all-cause mortality across England and Wales and characterise small scale patterns in temperature-related mortality risks and impacts.

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In 2013, was detected for the first time in Apulia and, subsequently, recognized as the causal agent of the olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS). To contain the disease, the olive germplasm was evaluated for resistance to , identifying cultivars with different susceptibility to the pathogen. Regarding this, the resistant cultivar Leccino has generally a lower bacterial titer compared with the susceptible cultivar Ogliarola salentina.

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Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited bacterium causing a range of economically important plant diseases in hundreds of crops. Over the last decade, a severe threat due to Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), caused by Xylella fastidiosa subspecies pauca, affected the Salento olive groves (Apulia, South-East Italy). Very few phyto-therapeutics, including a Zn/Cu citric acid biocomplex foliar treatment, were evaluated to mitigate this disease.

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