Multianalytical investigation reveals psychotropic substances in a ptolemaic Egyptian vase.

This study presents a comprehensive multimodal analytical study of an Egyptian ritual Bes-vase, of the 2nd century BCE employing cutting-edge proteomics, metabolomics, genetics techniques, and synchrotron radiation-based Fourier Transformed Infrared microSpectroscopy (SR µ-FTIR) to characterize organic residues of its content. We successfully identified the presence of various functional, bioactive, psychotropic, and medicinal substances, shedding light on the diverse components of a liquid concoction used for ritual practices in Ptolemaic Egypt. Using LC-MS/MS with a new methodological approach, we identified key proteins and metabolites, enabling the identification of botanical sources, confirmed by genetic sequences.

Emotional processing in binge drinking, tobacco use disorder and their comorbidity in youth: A preregistered PRISMA scoping review.

Background: Binge drinking (BD) and tobacco use disorder (TUD) are prevalent among youth, with significant social and health implications. However, research into the emotional impairments associated with BD and TUD during adolescence is sparse and lacks integration within a comprehensive model of emotional processes. Moreover, the impact of comorbid BD and TUD on emotional deficits remains largely unexplored.

AI-Enhanced Tools and Strategies for Airborne Disease Prevention in Cultural Heritage Sites.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the surveillance and safety measures of indoor Cultural Heritage sites have become a paramount concern due to the unique challenges posed by their enclosed environments and high visitor volumes. This communication explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing epidemiological surveillance and health safety protocols in these culturally significant spaces. AI technologies, including machine learning algorithms and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, have shown promising potential in monitoring air quality, detecting pathogens, and managing crowd dynamics to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.

Solar radiation explains litter degradation along alpine elevation gradients better than other climatic or edaphic parameters.

Organic matter (OM) decomposition has been shown to vary across ecosystems, suggesting that variation in local ecological conditions influences this process. A better understanding of the ecological factors driving OM decomposition rates will allow to better predict the effect of ecosystem changes on the carbon cycle. While temperature and humidity have been put forward as the main drivers of OM decomposition, the concomitant role of other ecosystem properties, such as soil physicochemical properties, and local microbial communities, remains to be investigated within large-scale ecological gradients.

Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Standardized methods for testing Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) of tissues and devices are lacking and few studies are available on aerosolizing, sampling and assessing infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in controlled laboratory settings. NanoAg-coated endonasal filters appear a promising aid for lowering viable virus inhalation in both adult and younger populations (e.g.

Polymer Conjugates of Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) with d-Amino Acids (d-aa): State of the Art and Future Opportunities.

In recent years, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have enjoyed a renaissance, as the world is currently facing an emergency in terms of severe infections that evade antibiotics' treatment. This is due to the increasing emergence and spread of resistance mechanisms. Covalent conjugation with polymers is an interesting strategy to modulate the pharmacokinetic profile of AMPs and enhance their biocompatibility profile.

Evaluation of Residual Infectivity after SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission in a Controlled Laboratory Setting.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets, aerosols, or direct contact with fomites from an infected subject. It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 is stable and viable in aerosol up to 16 h in controlled laboratory conditions. However, the aerosolization conditions varied a lot between the studies.

Molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 from indoor air samples in environmental monitoring needs adequate temporal coverage and infectivity assessment.

The relevance of airborne exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments is a matter of research and debate, with special importance for healthcare low-risk settings. Experimental approaches to the bioaerosol sampling are neither standardized nor optimized yet, leading in some cases to limited representativity of the temporal and spatial variability of viral presence in aerosols. Airborne viral viability moreover needs to be assessed.

Nanoscale Assembly of Functional Peptides with Divergent Programming Elements.

Self-assembling peptides are being applied both in the biomedical area and as building blocks in nanotechnology. Their applications are closely linked to their modes of self-assembly, which determine the functional nanostructures that they form. This work brings together two structural elements that direct nanoscale self-association in divergent directions: proline as a β-breaker and the β-structure-associated diphenylalanine motif, into a single tripeptide sequence.

Heterochirality and Halogenation Control Phe-Phe Hierarchical Assembly.

Diphenylalanine is an amyloidogenic building block that can form a versatile array of supramolecular materials. Its shortcomings, however, include the uncontrolled hierarchical assembly into microtubes of heterogeneous size distribution and well-known cytotoxicity. This study rationalized heterochirality as a successful strategy to address both of these pitfalls and it provided an unprotected heterochiral dipeptide that self-organized into a homogeneous and optically clear hydrogel with excellent ability to sustain fibroblast cell proliferation and viability.

()-10-Hydroxystearic Acid: Crystals vs. Organogel.

The chiral ()-10-hydroxystearic acid (()-10-HSA) is a positional homologue of both ()-12-HSA and ()-9-HSA with the OH group in an intermediate position. While ()-12-HSA is one of the best-known low-molecular-weight organogelators, ()-9-HSA is not, but it forms crystals in several solvents. With the aim to gain information on the structural role of hydrogen-bonding interactions of the carbinol OH groups, we investigated the behavior of ()-10-HSA in various solvents.

Simplified basic periodontal examination in adolescents before and after a tailored treatment dental program.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored treatment dental program in adolescents in combination with a professional oral hygiene.

Methods: Ninety-three adolescents (43 males and 50 females; mean age: 14±1.1 years) were included in this study and Plaque Index (PI) and simplified basic periodontal examination (BPE) were measured for each patient at T0 (screening) and at T1 (after 30 days).

Bioadhesive supramolecular hydrogel from unprotected, short d,l-peptides with Phe-Phe and Leu-Asp-Val motifs.

The uncapped tripeptide DPhe-Phe-Leu acts as self-assembly template to yield supramolecular hydrogel biomaterials. As an example, self-assembling DPhe-Phe-Leu-Asp-Val contains the LDV bioadhesive motif for β1 integrin activation. Hydrogels made of the two peptides successfully mimic fibronectin of the extracellular matrix and lead to high cell viability, adhesion, and spreading.

Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Thermal Ablation: Long-term Results of An Italian Retrospective Multicenter Study.

Despite resection being considered the treatment of choice for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), percutaneous thermal ablation can be an alternative treatment for patients unfit for surgery. Our aim was to compare long-term results of percutaneous sonographically-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with high-powered microwave ablation (MWSA) in treatment of ICC. Results of 71 ICC patients with 98 nodules treated with RFA (36 patients) or MWSA (35 patients) between January 2008 and June 2018 in 5 Interventional Ultrasound centers of Southern Italy were retrospectively reviewed.

Self-Assembly of an Amino Acid Derivative into an Antimicrobial Hydrogel Biomaterial.

N-(4-Nitrobenzoyl)-Phe self-assembled into a transparent supramolecular hydrogel, which displayed high fibroblast and keratinocyte cell viability. The compound showed a mild antimicrobial activity against E. coli both as a hydrogel and in solution.

Hepatocellular carcinoma tumor thrombus entering the inferior vena cava treated with percutaneous RF ablation: a case report.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer. In advanced cancer stages (metastatic disease and/or vascular invasion), the generally accepted standard of care is systemic therapy using sorafenib as first-line treatment and, recently, regorafenib and nivolumab as second-line treatment, but the quality of life and the prognosis of patients remain very poor. Our paper reports a case of US-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of both intraparenchymal HCC and inferior vena cava tumor thrombus.

Microwave Ablation in Intermediate Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhosis: An Italian Multicenter Prospective Study.

To report long-term results in treatment of intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotics using new high-powered microwaves (MWS) ablation alone. This multicenter study included 215 cirrhotics (age range: 67-84 years; 137 males; 149 Child A, 66 Child B) who underwent percutaneous ultrasound-guided high-powered MWS ablation instead of transarterial chemoembolization. Among the patient population, 109 had a single nodule (Ø 5.

Goals defining therapy for primary immune thrombocytopenia in adults.

: Discordances existing between the two most influential guidelines on the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia, the 2010 International Consensus Report and the 2011 America Society of Hematology guideline, continue to be reflected by the heterogeneity of clinical practice of the physicians who treat this disease. Aimed at overcoming these discordances, we hypothesized that they could be ascribed to nonshared treatment goals. We classify the indications for and goals of the various possible treatments available for adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia according to the line of treatment and the phase of disease.

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" of Chitosans.

The objective of this paper is to emphasize the fact that while consistent interest has been paid to the industrial use of chitosan, minor attention has been devoted to spread the knowledge of a good characterization of its physico-chemical properties. Therefore, the paper attempts to critically comment on the conflicting experimental results, highlighting the facts, the myths and the controversies. The goal is to indicate how to take advantage of chitosan versatility, to learn how to manage its variability and show how to properly tackle some unexpected undesirable features.

Exosomal doxorubicin reduces the cardiac toxicity of doxorubicin.

Aim: To test the efficacy and toxicity of exosomal doxorubicin (exoDOX) compared with free doxorubicin.

Materials & Methods: The cytotoxic effects of exoDOX were tested in vitro and in nude mice by measuring the tumor volume. The toxic effects were evaluated by measuring the bodyweight and through histopathologic analyses.

Chemical imaging of articular cartilage sections with Raman mapping, employing uni- and multi-variate methods for data analysis.

Raman mapping in combination with uni- and multi-variate methods of data analysis is applied to articular cartilage samples. Main differences in biochemical composition and collagen fibers orientation between superficial, middle and deep zone of the tissue are readily observed in the samples. Collagen, non-collagenous proteins, proteoglycans and nucleic acids can be distinguished on the basis of their different spectral characteristics, and their relative abundance can be mapped in the label-free tissue samples, at so high a resolution as to permit the analysis at the level of single cells.

Surface modification and polysaccharide deposition on BisGMA/TEGDMA thermoset.

Bisphenol A glycidylmethacrylate (BisGMA)/triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) thermosets and composites are well-known examples of biomaterials for dental applications that are receiving growing interest for orthopedic applications. While mechanical bulk properties are guaranteed by the presence of reinforcing fibers, in vitro and in vivo performances of these materials are ultimately driven by their ability to establish proper interactions between their surface and the surrounding tissues. Hence, the development of novel chemical processes enabling the introduction of bioactive molecules on the surface of these methacrylate-based thermosets is of particular interest.

Analysis of N-acetylaminosugars by CE: a comparative derivatization study.

N-linked or O-linked glycans derived from glycoprotein processing carry, an N-acetylglucosamine or an N-acetylgalactosamine respectively, at their reducing termini. The presence of the N-acetylamino group on C-2 of reducing sugar residues has been reported to hamper the derivatization reaction with a chromophore at the anomeric centre. In this paper N-acetyllactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and several other neutral monosaccharides are coupled to three different dyes (4-aminobenzonitrile, 2-aminopyridine, 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA)) by reductive amination and analysed by CE with UV detection.