441 results match your criteria: "Catania University.[Affiliation]"

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on substance abuse patterns in recent times. Many people have experienced increased stress, anxiety, and social isolation, which has led to higher rates of substance abuse and addiction. It impacts on the orofacial region, particularly temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

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Objective: Fractures of the mandibular condyle are the most common jaw fractures. There are several treatment approaches. There is the non-surgical and surgical approach.

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Introduction: While Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are not typically considered a primary symptom of Parkinson disease (PD), recent studies have documented a correlation between ageing and TMDs, a cluster of conditions affecting the temporomandibular joint and surrounding musculature, thereby underscoring the potential for an increased frequency of TMDs in the ageing PD population.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to systematically evaluate the existing literature on the topic and provide a comprehensive overview of the prevalence of TMDs in patients with PD.

Methods: To determine eligibility, we utilised the Population (human subjects), Exposure (PD), Comparator (PD vs non-PD subjects), and Outcomes (TMD) (PECO) model.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dermatophytosis and dermatomycoses involve fungal infections of the skin, nails, and hair, commonly found in hot and humid regions like India, affecting 30-60% of the population.
  • The study focused on examining the prevalence, symptoms, and specific fungal species responsible for superficial mycoses (SM) in 250 patients over one year.
  • Findings revealed that the highest prevalence of SM occurred in the 11-20 age group (29%), with dermatophytes being the most common isolates, followed by non-dermatophytic moulds, highlighting their role in developing SM.
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Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a common and debilitating condition that affects millions of people globally. Despite extensive research on TMDs, the exact causes of these conditions remain unclear. However, various factors, including genetics, injury and stress, have been implicated in their development.

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Background: Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence of about 0.3-1% of the population. During the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, the impact on the mental health of children and adolescents was very important.

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Temporomandibular disorders and orofacial neuropathic pain in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

J Clin Pediatr Dent

May 2023

School of Dentistry Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.

Pediatric orofacial pain (OFP) is a blanket term referring to the pain of soft and hard tissue in the face, neck and headaches affecting subjects younger than 18. OFP encompasses pain due to various causes, , (i) Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), (ii) Headache, and (iii) Neuropathies. This review aims to provide an overview of these three causes of OFP.

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Background: Condylar hyperplasia (CH) is a rare condition characterised by excessive unilateral growth of the mandibular condyle after cessation of growth on the contralateral side causing facial asymmetry, being more prevalent in the second and third decades.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the utility of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) as a diagnostic and prognostic factor in condylar hyperplasia, and to determine its potential viability as a therapeutic target.

Methods: This is a case-control study, where 17 mandibular condyles specimens were collected from 17 patients treated for active mandibular condyle hyperplasia and three unaffected human mandibular condyles from cadavers will serve as the control group.

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Background: The management of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) requires a comprehensive approach that considers multiple factors, including the impact of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Through this investigation we aim to assess the impact of OHRQoL played in a TMD-afflicted individual.

Methods: Using keywords relevant to our research, such as "Oral health related quality of life," "Oral hygiene," "Temporomandibular joint" and "Temporomandibular disorders," a comprehensive search across multiple online databases was carried out, yielding a total of 632 studies at the preliminary stage of the review.

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Non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors are of great importance in biomedical applications, for the realization of portable diabetic testing kits and continuous glucose monitoring systems. Nanostructured materials show a number of advantages in the applications of analytical electrochemistry, compared to macroscopic electrodes, such as great sensitivity and little dependence on analyte diffusion close to the electrode-solution interface. Obtaining electrodes based on nanomaterials without using expensive lithographic techniques represents a great added value.

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Background: Biofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultural sector. Vegetables can be a vector of different minor elements that have beneficial effects on human health. Selenium (Se) is an important element for human nutrition and plays a significant role in defence mechanisms.

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Background: Over the past few years, researchers have investigated whether varying menstrual statuses and oestrogen levels could affect the likelihood of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), with conflicting results. While some studies suggest a potential link between increased oestrogen levels and higher TMD risk, others have found no correlation. It is worth noting that oestrogen levels can impact the structure and function of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in children and adolescents aged 8-19 due to a lack of diagnosis and inconsistent definitions of TMD.
  • - A systematic search across multiple databases identified 40 papers, but only three studies with a total of 1,914 participants (1,093 females and 821 males) were included, revealing that 38.4% had TMD.
  • - Results indicate that females have a significantly higher prevalence of TMD (44.7%) compared to males (30%), with a meta-analysis showing a relative risk of 2.10 for females.
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Copy Number Variations in Children with Tourette Syndrome: Systematic Investigation in a Clinical Setting.

Genes (Basel)

February 2023

Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatric Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Catania University, 95124 Catania, Italy.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disturbance with heterogeneous and not completely known etiology. Clinical and molecular appraisal of affected patients is mandatory for outcome amelioration. The current study aimed to understand the molecular bases underpinning TS in a vast cohort of pediatric patients with TS.

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Recently, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media has received a renewed interest both in the fundamental research as well as in practical applications. Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) has been demonstrated as a very useful technique for the unconventional preparation of nanomaterials with amazing electro-catalyst properties toward HER, compared to those of nanomaterials prepared by conventional methods. In this paper, we compared the electro-sorption properties of hydrogen in alkaline media by Pt, Pd, PtPd, and Cu(OH) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by PLAL.

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Functional tic-like behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: Follow-up over 12 months.

Front Pediatr

January 2023

Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatric Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Catania University, Catania, Italy.

Background: Functional tics are included in the wide spectrum of functional movement disorders (FMDs). Their distinction from organic tics is challenging because they both phenomenologically present common features. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in functional tic-like behaviours in vulnerable children and adolescents after social media exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • - From 2020, there has been a notable rise in young individuals referred for severe tic-like behaviors, prompting health professionals to create diagnostic criteria for Functional Tic-like Behaviors (FTLBs) to aid various specialists in accurate identification and treatment.
  • - A consensus was reached among experts through a Delphi survey process, resulting in three major diagnostic criteria and two minor criteria for diagnosing FTLBs, with a definite diagnosis requiring all major criteria, and a probable diagnosis needing two major and one minor criterion.
  • - It is crucial to differentiate FTLBs from primary tics because they require different treatment approaches, though the proposed diagnostic criteria from the ESSTS lack thorough testing to confirm their effectiveness.
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Zhu-Tokita-Tachenouchi-Kim syndrome (ZTTK) is a recently recognized malformation syndrome presenting with craniofacial dysmorphism, developmental delay/intellectual disability, seizures, anomalies involving brain white matter, and other body-organs. In humans, the disorder is linked to the loss-of-function variants in the gene (MIM# 617140). Herewith, a new case of this syndrome is reported in a 2-year-old Caucasian child who presented the classical clinical features of the ZTTK syndrome in association with hydrocephalus and Chiari malformations type 1 an anomaly previously unreported.

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Engineering of Nanostructured WO Powders for Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

Nanomaterials (Basel)

November 2022

Physics and Astronomy Department "Ettore Majorana", University of Study of Catania, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy.

Transition metal oxide nanostructures are promising materials for energy storage devices, exploiting electrochemical reactions at nanometer solid-liquid interface. Herein, WO nanorods and hierarchical urchin-like nanostructures were obtained by hydrothermal method and calcination processes. The morphology and crystal phase of WO nanostructures were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), while energy storage performances of WO nanostructures-based electrodes were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests.

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Antioxidant Activity of Cyanidin-3-O-Glucoside and Verbascoside in an Model of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)

November 2022

Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, Section of Medical Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Sicilia, Italy.

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation plays a pivotal role in the onset of cell damage induced by hyperglycemia and represents one of the major factors in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. In this study, we tested the antioxidants cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) and verbascoside (Verb) in the protection of retinal endothelium against glucose toxicity "".

Methods: Increasing amounts (5-50 μM) of C3G, Verb or the combination of both compounds were tested in Human Retinal Endothelial Cells (HREC) grown with normal glucose (5 mM, NG) or high glucose (25 mM, HG).

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The spectrum of functional tic-like behaviours: Data from an international registry.

Eur J Neurol

February 2023

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Article Synopsis
  • A significant increase in adolescents and young adults seeking help for functional tic-like behaviors (FTLBs) was observed from 2019 to 2022, prompting an international registry study to better understand this phenomenon.
  • Data was collected from 10 tertiary centers, involving 294 patients primarily aged 12-25, revealing high rates of complex movements and vocalizations, with a notable link to anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorders.
  • Treatment outcomes showed that most patients did not benefit from tic-suppressing medications, highlighting the need for further research on effective treatments and the impact of social media exposure on FTLBs.
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Introduction: Secondary alveolar cleft repair using autologous bone graft is currently the gold standard in treating residual alveolar clefts. Despite its effectiveness, this technique is still burdened by several withdrawals, mostly related to donor site morbidity. To decrease disadvantages for patients, numerous attempts in the literature regarding bone substitutes have been described.

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Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics, and high-comorbidity rates with other neuropsychiatric disorders. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety disorders (AXDs) are among the most prevalent TS comorbidities. To date, studies on TS brain structure and function have been limited in size with efforts mostly fragmented.

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Environmental microplastics (EMPs) exposure alter the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stromal cells.

Environ Res

November 2022

Laboratory of Agrobiodiversity and Ecotoxicology LR21AGR02, Sousse University, Chott-Mariem, 4042, Sousse, Tunisia; Higher Institute of Biotechnology, Monastir University, Tunisia. Electronic address:

Humans are exposed to environmental microplastic (MPs) that can be frequent in surrounding environment. The mesenchymal stromal cells are a heterogeneous population, which contain fibroblasts and stromal cells, progenitor cells and stem cells. They are part of the stromal component of most tissue and organs in our organisms.

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Molecular Fingerprinting of the Omicron Variant Genome of SARS-CoV-2 by SERS Spectroscopy.

Nanomaterials (Basel)

June 2022

Lab SENS CNR, Beyond NANO, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.

The continuing accumulation of mutations in the RNA genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus generates an endless succession of highly contagious variants that cause concern around the world due to their antibody resistance and the failure of current diagnostic techniques to detect them in a timely manner. Raman spectroscopy represents a promising alternative to variants detection and recognition techniques, thanks to its ability to provide a characteristic spectral fingerprint of the biological samples examined under all circumstances. In this work we exploit the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties of a silver dendrite layer to explore, for the first time to our knowledge, the distinctive features of the Omicron variant genome.

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