Publications by authors named "V Covelli"

Article Synopsis
  • Bone diseases result from an imbalance in bone remodeling due to increased activity of osteoclasts and decreased activity of osteoblasts, and the mevalonate pathway (MVA) is essential for maintaining this equilibrium through the action of the enzyme FPPS.
  • FDA-approved nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs) target FPPS, highlighting its importance in treating bone-related diseases, while recent research focuses on developing new FPPS inhibitors using a combination of computational modeling, biochemical assays, and biophysical techniques.
  • The study demonstrates that newly designed peptides and phosphopeptides effectively inhibit FPPS, showcasing potential as anti-cancer agents by impacting the MVA pathway in murine colorectal cancer cells.
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The electrospinning process is an effective technique for creating micro- and nanofibers from synthetic and natural polymers, with significant potential for biomedical applications and drug delivery systems due to their high drug-loading capacity, large surface area, and tunable release times. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) stands out for its excellent thermo-mechanical properties, biodegradability, and bioabsorbability. Electrospun PLLA nanofibrous structures have been extensively investigated as wound dressings, sutures, drug delivery carriers, and tissue engineering scaffolds.

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This narrative review aims to summarize the use of alternative treatments (e.g., relaxation training, meditation, written intervention) for emotional expression, processing, control, or management in patients with migraine and tension-type headaches, which the previous literature has shown to be related to migraine pain perception and headache symptoms.

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Antibodies are the macromolecules of choice to ensure specific recognition of biomarkers in biological assays. However, they present a range of shortfalls including a relatively high production cost and limited tissue penetration. Peptides are relatively small molecules able to reproduce sequences of highly specific paratopes and, although they have less biospecificity than antibodies, they offer advantages like ease of synthesis, modifications of their amino acid sequences and tagging with fluorophores and other molecules required for detection.

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Films and fibers of syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS), being amorphous or exhibiting nanoporous crystalline (NC) or dense crystalline phases, were loaded with salicylic acid (SA), a relevant non-volatile antimicrobial molecule. In the first section of the paper, sPS/SA co-crystalline (CC) δ form is characterized, mainly by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns and polarized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The formation of sPS/SA δ CC phases allows the preparation of sPS fibers even with a high content of the antibacterial guest, which is also retained after repeated washing procedures at 65 °C.

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