Dexamethasone Intravitreal Injection in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: an updated literature review.

Purpose: This literature review synthetizes current evidence on the timing and efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal injections for diabetic macular edema (DME) in patients undergoing cataract surgery, particularly phacoemulsification, to determine the optimal timing for improved outcome.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted across key databases to identify peer-reviewed studies, clinical trials, and meta-analyses addressing dexamethasone injections administered pre-, intra-, and post-operatively for DME in the context of cataract surgery. Studies were selected based on relevance to timing, visual outcomes, and inflammation control, with a focus on comparative efficacy.

The exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic-fields inhibits the growth and potentiates the sensitivity to chemotherapy of bidimensional and tridimensional human osteosarcoma models.

We previously established a thermodynamical model to calculate the specific frequencies of extremely low frequency-electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) able to arrest the growth of cancer cells. In the present study, for the first time, we investigated the efficacy of this technology on osteosarcoma, and we applied a precise frequency of the electromagnetic field on three human osteosarcoma cell lines, grown as adherent cells and spheroids. We evaluated the antitumour efficacy of irradiation in terms of response to chemotherapeutic treatments, which is usually poor in this type of cancer.

Editorial of Special Issue "The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 3.0".

After the successful collection of studies published in the past two Special Issues on the role of vitamin D in health and disease, this Special Issue, titled "The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 3 [...

Vitamin D and Sulforaphane Decrease Inflammatory Oxidative Stress and Restore the Markers of Epithelial Integrity in an In Vitro Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is strictly linked to chronic oxidative stress, inflammation, loss of epithelial barrier integrity, and often with abnormal new blood vessel development. In this study, the retinal epithelial cell line ARPE-19 was treated with pro-inflammatory transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) to investigate the activity of vitamin D (VD) and sulforaphane (SF) in abating the consequences of oxidative stress and inflammation. The administration of VD and SF lowered reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and abated the related expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 induced by TGF-β.

Iron Overload in Brain: Transport Mismatches, Microbleeding Events, and How Nanochelating Therapies May Counteract Their Effects.

Iron overload in many brain regions is a common feature of aging and most neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, the causes, mechanisms, mathematical models, and possible therapies are summarized. Indeed, physiological and pathological conditions can be investigated using compartmental models mimicking iron trafficking across the blood-brain barrier and the Cerebrospinal Fluid-Brain exchange membranes located in the choroid plexus.

Editorial of Special Issue "The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 2.0".

Vitamin D performs a differentiating, metabolic and anti-inflammatory function, through genomic, non-genomic and mitochondrial mechanisms of action [...

How the Competition for Cysteine May Promote Infection of SARS-CoV-2 by Triggering Oxidative Stress.

SARS-CoV-2 induces a broad range of clinical manifestations. Besides the main receptor, ACE2, other putative receptors and co-receptors have been described and could become genuinely relevant to explain the different tropism manifested by new variants. In this study, we propose a biochemical model envisaging the competition for cysteine as a key mechanism promoting the infection and the selection of host receptors.

Whey Derivatives and Galactooligosaccharides Stimulate the Wound Healing and the Function of Human Keratinocytes through the NF-kB and FOXO-1 Signaling Pathways.

Skin repair requires the activation of keratinocytes and is mediated by controlled inflammation and cell migration and proliferation, ending with the regeneration of well-differentiated cell layers. Whey derivatives contain galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which have potential beneficial effects on wound healing due to their activity as toll-like receptor ligands, although their direct nonprebiotic effects in the skin have not yet been described. In this study, we investigated the effects of different whey-derived products and purified GOS on a human keratinocyte cell line.

Thermomagnetic Resonance Effect of the Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field on Three-Dimensional Cancer Models.

In our recent studies, we have developed a thermodynamic biochemical model able to select the resonant frequency of an extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) specifically affecting different types of cancer, and we have demonstrated its effects in vitro. In this work, we investigate the cellular response to the ELF electromagnetic wave in three-dimensional (3D) culture models, which mimic the features of tumors in vivo. Cell membrane was modelled as a resistor-capacitor circuit and the specific thermal resonant frequency was calculated and tested on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures of human pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma and breast cancer.

Editorial of Special Issue "The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases".

Vitamin D has been described as a differentiative hormone, but this definition is reductive for a molecule targeting every tissue, produced in its active form by many kinds of cells and effective on the whole life of cells by different mechanisms, which lead to nuclear, non-genomic and mitochondrial effects [...

The Role of Vitamin D in Supporting Health in the COVID-19 Era.

The genomic activity of vitamin D is associated with metabolic effects, and the hormone has a strong impact on several physiological functions and, therefore, on health. Among its renowned functions, vitamin D is an immunomodulator and a molecule with an anti-inflammatory effect, and, recently, it has been much studied in relation to its response against viral infections, especially against COVID-19. This review aims to take stock of the correlation studies between vitamin D deficiency and increased risks of severe COVID-19 disease and, similarly, between vitamin D deficiency and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Combined Phycocyanin and Palmitoylethanolamide in Human Lung and Prostate Epithelial Cells.

Inflammation involving the innate and adaptive immune systems is a normal response to infection; however, when allowed to continue unchecked, inflammation may result in several pathologies. Natural molecules with antioxidant properties can target the key players of inflammation and exert beneficial health effects. In this study, human normal bronchial (Beas-2B) and prostate (HPrEpiC) epithelial cell lines were exposed to infectious stimulation and treated with phycocyanin (PC) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), with the aim of demonstrating the enhanced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the combination.

DNA repair protein DNA-PK protects PC12 cells from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis involving AKT phosphorylation.

Background: Emerging evidence suggest that DNA-PK complex plays a role in the cellular response to oxidative stress, in addition to its function of double strand break (DSB) repair. In this study we evaluated whether DNA-PK participates in oxidative stress response and whether this role is independent of its function in DNA repair.

Methods And Results: We used a model of HO-induced DNA damage in PC12 cells (rat pheochromocytoma), a well-known neuronal tumor cell line.

TGF Beta Induces Vitamin D Receptor and Modulates Mitochondrial Activity of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

The inflammatory cytokine TGFβ is both a tumor suppressor during cancer initiation and a promoter of metastasis along cancer progression. Inflammation and cancer are strictly linked, and cancer onset often correlates with the insufficiency of vitamin D, known for its anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the interplay between TGFβ and vitamin D in two models of human pancreatic cancer, and we analyzed the metabolic effects of a prolonged TGFβ treatment mimicking the inflammatory environment of pancreatic cancer in vivo.

Vitamin D and Beta-Glucans Synergically Stimulate Human Macrophage Activity.

Vitamin D and beta-glucans are both immunostimulants. Vitamin D exerts its beneficial effects on many components of the immune system. In macrophages, the hormone modulates both phagocytic activity and cytokine production; therefore, it plays an important role in mediating the innate immune response to infection.

The cold eye irrigation BSS solution used during phacoemulsification reduces post-surgery patients discomfort preventing the inflammation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess whether the intraoperative use of the cold eye irrigation balanced salt solution (BSS) could have a protective effect in preventing the anterior chamber flare and conjunctival hyperemia and, thus, in reducing patients discomfort after phacoemulsification.

Materials And Methods: About 214 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into: patients whose eye were irrigated with BSS at ~ 20°C (Group 1) and patients whose eye were irrigated with BSS at 2.7°C (Group 2).

Identification of Redox-Sensitive Transcription Factors as Markers of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Although asbestos has been banned in most countries around the world, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a current problem. MPM is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis, so it is crucial to identify new markers in the preventive field. Asbestos exposure induces oxidative stress and its carcinogenesis has been linked to a strong oxidative damage, event counteracted by antioxidant systems at the pulmonary level.

In vitro generation of primary cultures of human hyalocytes.

Purpose: A growing number of studies on animal models have demonstrated that some ocular diseases are the result of the interaction between hyalocytes and the ocular inflammatory setting. Endogenous and exogenous substances might alter the structure and behavior of hyalocytes that can contribute to the pathogenesis of some ocular diseases. Obtaining primary cultures of human hyalocytes could help understand the role of these cells in response to different treatments.

Calcitriol Inhibits Viability and Proliferation in Human Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Cells.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive tumor, often associated with exposure to asbestos and characterized by poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The biologically active form of vitamin D, calcitriol, exerts anticancer effects in many cell types, both alone and in combination with chemotherapy drugs, through binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR); however, the role of calcitriol in MPM is still unknown. This study aimed to determine the potential antitumor role of calcitriol in MPM.

Thermomagnetic resonance affects cancer growth and motility.

The fight against a multifaceted incurable disease such as cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach to overcome the multitude of molecular defects at its origin. Here, a new thermophysical biochemical approach has been suggested and associated with the use of electromagnetic fields to control the growth of cancer cells. In particular, thermodynamic analysis of the heat transfer is developed in correlation with cellular parameters such as the volume/area ratio.

The Role of Glutathione in Protecting against the Severe Inflammatory Response Triggered by COVID-19.

The novel COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the world's population differently: mostly in the presence of conditions such as aging, diabetes and hypertension the virus triggers a lethal cytokine storm and patients die from acute respiratory distress syndrome, whereas in many cases the disease has a mild or even asymptomatic progression. A common denominator in all conditions associated with COVID-19 appears to be the impaired redox homeostasis responsible for reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation; therefore, levels of glutathione (GSH), the key anti-oxidant guardian in all tissues, could be critical in extinguishing the exacerbated inflammation that triggers organ failure in COVID-19. The present review provides a biochemical investigation of the mechanisms leading to deadly inflammation in severe COVID-19, counterbalanced by GSH.

Human Recombinant FSH and Its Biosimilars: Clinical Efficacy, Safety, and Cost-Effectiveness in Controlled Ovarian Stimulation for In Vitro Fertilization.

Exogenous human follicle-stimulating hormone (hFSH), either derived from extraction and purification from the urine or obtained by recombinant technology in the form of follitropin , and (rFSH), has been used for decades in the treatment of infertility. The main applications of FSH treatment in the woman have been, and still are, ovulation induction in oligo-anovulatory subjects, and stimulation of the development of a cohort of follicles in patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for in vitro fertilization (IVF). In the last years, two biosimilars of follitropin alfa, rFSH compounds structurally and functionally similar to the originator, have been approved and marketed for clinical use in Europe.

Morphokinetic analysis of cleavage stage embryos and assessment of specific gene expression in cumulus cells independently predict human embryo development to expanded blastocyst: a preliminary study.

To assess whether morphokinetic features at the cleavage stage together with specific gene expression in cumulus cells (CCs) may be used to predict whether human embryos are able to achieve the expanded blastocyst stage on day 5. Eighty-one embryos were cultured using the Geri plus® time-lapse system. Twenty-seven embryos progressing to the expanded blastocyst stage (BL group) were compared with thirty-five embryos showing developmental arrest (AR group) and nineteen reaching the stage of early or not fully expanded blastocyst (nBL group).

Oral l-Cysteine Supplementation Enhances the Long Term-Effect of Topical Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) in Reducing the Corneal Haze after Photorefractive Keratectomy in Myopic Patients.

We aimed at evaluating the long-term effects of l-cysteine oral supplementation to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) eye-drops on corneal re-epithelization and transparency in myopic patients subjected to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Forty patients subjected to bilateral PRK for myopia were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups receiving an additional therapy together with the standard postoperative treatment consisting in local tobramycin 0.3%, dexamethasone 0.