Development of a Transcultural Social Ethical and Integrated Care Model, for Dependent and Older People Populations at Risk of Exclusion in the Mediterranean Sea Basin (TEC-MED): A Research Protocol.

Background: Higher life expectancy has produced a higher older people porpulation, not necessarily with a consistent quality of life, showing a high rate of vulnerability and dependence. The current social and health crisis situation has highlighted the need to create new integrated models of care that could be translated into social and health policies.

Objective: The present study aims to develop, test, and validate an innovative integrated care model for older people with dependence and at risk of social exclusion and their caregivers.

Immigrants, Legal Status, and Illegal Trade.

Nearly $2 trillion of illegally trafficked goods flow across international borders every year, generating violence and other social costs along the way. Due to the absence of legal contracts and the challenge of finding trading partners in an illegal market, traffickers may rely on co-ethnic networks to facilitate trade. In this paper, I use novel microdata on the universe of large illegal drug confiscations in Spain to provide the first causal estimates of how immigrants and immigration policy affect the pattern and scale of illegal drug trafficking.

Chronic active lesions in multiple sclerosis: classification, terminology, and clinical significance.

In multiple sclerosis (MS), increasing disability is considered to occur due to persistent, chronic inflammation trapped within the central nervous system (CNS). This condition, known as smoldering neuroinflammation, is present across the clinical spectrum of MS and is currently understood to be relatively resistant to treatment with existing disease-modifying therapies. Chronic active white matter lesions represent a key component of smoldering neuroinflammation.

Corrigendum: CDK4/6 inhibitors improve the anti-tumor efficacy of lenvatinib in hepatocarcinoma cells.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.

The Efficacy and Safety of Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer (REAC) External Radio Electric Reprogramming for Atrial Fibrillation (EX-RER AF) Treatment: Results From a Post-market Clinical Follow-Up.

This post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) study evaluates the clinical effectiveness and safety of the external radio electric reprogramming for atrial fibrillation (EX-RER AF) protocol, a non-invasive regenerative medicine approach utilizing radio electric asymmetric conveyer (REAC) technology for managing paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Administered with the REAC BENE mod 110 device (ASMED, Scandicci, Italy), the treatment involves a standardized procedure, with the asymmetric conveyor probe (ACP) positioned in the precordial area and fixed, unmodifiable parameters ensuring consistency and reproducibility. During a 36-month post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF), 20 patients with prior diagnoses of PAF underwent the protocol.

Advancing therapeutic frontiers: a pipeline of novel drugs for luminal and perianal Crohn's disease management.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, complex inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that presents significant therapeutic challenges. Despite the availability of a wide range of treatments, many patients experience primary non-response, secondary loss of response, or adverse events, limiting the overall effectiveness of current therapies. Clinical trials often report response rates below 60%, partly due to stringent inclusion criteria.

Transtibial Pullout for Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Reconstruction With Split-Gracilis Autograft.

Meniscal root tears are recognized as an important pathology. Failure to recognize and to treat this pathology could lead to early-onset osteoarthritis, similar to a total meniscectomy. Surgical treatment is essential to restore meniscal function and to normalize compartment contact pressures, whenever there is joint overload and not severe cartilaginous damage.

A Surgical Technique for Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fractures Using Transpatellar Suture Tape Tension Band and De-tensioning Suture Anchors.

This article aims to present a comprehensive technical note detailing our preferred treatment approach for tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures in the adult and elderly populations, particularly in scenarios characterized by low tissue quality and limited bone stock. Existing literature on this fracture type is scarce, with many described techniques relying on optimal bone quality for effective screw fixation of the tibial tuberosity. Various methods for tibial tuberosity avulsion fixation include K-wires, cannulated screws, staples, tension bands, suture anchors, and in select cases, direct transosseous sutures.

Diagnosis and management of peripartum cardiomyopathy and recurrence risk.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare, but serious condition, with a non-negligible risk of adverse events. Several risk factors for PPCM have been individuated over the years, including Afro-American ethnicity, preeclampsia, advanced maternal age, genetic predisposition, multiparity, twin pregnancy, obesity, smoking and diabetes. However, PPCM pathophysiology is still poorly understood, thus making it challenging to develop disease specific therapies.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension with left to right shunts: When to treat and/or close?

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is defined as increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). It can be associated with congenital heart disease (CHD) with the following subtypes: 1) uncorrected left-to-right (L-R) intracardiac shunt leading to overload of the pulmonary circulation and a progressive increase of PVR; 2) Eisenmenger syndrome, appearing when a large post-tricuspid shunt is left uncorrected and pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) is severe, so the shunt becomes bidirectional or right-to-left, causing cyanosis; 3) PAH after shunt closure, when PVR arises after a defect correction; and 4) PAH associated with small or coincidental defects. While the treatment of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome is well established, the treatment of patients with PAH in whom there is a L-R shunt (with no cyanosis) remains unclear and requires expertise.

Exploring ways to improve knee osteoarthritis care: The role of mobile apps in enhancing therapeutic exercise-a systematic review.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA), particularly knee OA, is a leading cause of disability and poses significant challenges in healthcare management. Mobile applications (apps) have emerged as potential tools to support therapeutic exercise by providing tailored programs, instructional content, and progress tracking. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of mobile apps in enhancing therapeutic exercise for knee OA management.

Network Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials Comparing Robotic, Laparoscopic, and Open Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Background: The use of minimally invasive (laparoscopic and robotic) pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is being increasingly adopted despite the lack of hard evidence to support its utilisation. With recent randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) with robotic or laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy (RPD or LPD), we undertook a network meta-analysis (NMA) comparing all 3 approaches to evaluate comparative outcomes.

Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL was conducted up to May 2024 and relevant RCTs were identified.

Predictors of Recurrence After Curative Surgery for Stage I Colon Cancer: Retrospective Cohort Analysis of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology Colorectal Cancer Network Collaborative Group.

Objective: The aim of this study is to provide solid evidence to update the management of stage I colon cancer (CC) after surgery.

Background: Given the low risk of recurrence of stage I CC, some international guidelines do not recommend intensive follow-up after surgery. However, data on the actual incidence, risk factors, and site of recurrences are scarce.

Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Liver Resection: A Nationwide Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

Objective: To compare nationwide outcomes of robotic liver resection (RLR) with laparoscopic liver resection (LLR).

Background: Minimally invasive liver resection is increasingly performed using the robotic approach as this could help overcome inherent technical limitations of laparoscopy. It is unknown if this translates to improved patient outcomes.

Targeted NIR-triggered doxorubicin release using carbon dots-poly(ethylene glycol)-folate conjugates for breast cancer treatment.

Carbon dot (CD)-based theranostics offers a promising approach for breast cancer (BC) treatment, integrating ultra-localized chemo-photothermal effects to address chemoresistance and enhance therapeutic control. Herein, the development of a targeted theranostic nanosystem for the chemo-phototherapy of breast cancer is described. Fluorescent and biocompatible CDs were passivated with 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane (bAPAE) and decorated with the targeting agent folic acid (FA) through conjugation with a PEG spacer.

Chromosomal Mosaicism in the Placenta.

The clinical implications of placental chromosomal mosaicism can be challenging for patients and health care providers. Key considerations include the specific characteristics of the chromosomal abnormality (such as size, gene content, and copy number), the timing of the mosaicism's onset during embryogenesis or fetal development, the types of tissues involved, and the level of mosaicism (the ratio of normal to abnormal cells within those tissues). Genetic counseling can help inform patients about the chances of having a live-born child with a chromosomal abnormality.

Methylammonium Lead Iodide across Physical Space: Phase Boundaries and Structural Collapse.

Hybrid perovskites exhibit complex structures and phase behavior under different thermodynamic conditions and chemical environments, the understanding of which continues to be pivotally important for tailoring their properties toward improved operational stability. To this end, we present for the first time a comprehensive neutron and synchrotron diffraction investigation over the pressure-temperature phase diagram of the paradigmatic hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI). This ambitious experimental campaign down to cryogenic temperatures and tens of kilobars was supported by extensive molecular dynamics simulations validated by the experimental data, to track the structural evolution of MAPbI under external physical stimuli at the atomic and molecular levels.

Evaluation of the Biocompatibility of Poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline)(BBL) Polymer Films with Living Cells.

The integration of organic electronic materials with biological systems to monitor, interface with, and regulate physiological processes is a key area in the field of bioelectronics. Central to this advancement is the development of cell-chip coupling, where materials engineering plays a critical role in enhancing biointerfacing capabilities. Conductive polymers have proven particularly useful in cell interfacing applications due to their favorable biophysical and chemical properties.

An Automated Low-Cost Solution for Creating a Multiple-Step Thermal Gradient to Record Daily Fish Thermoregulatory Behavior.

Photoperiod and temperature are two of the most powerful environmental cues that entrain circadian clocks. Being ectothermic, fish must keep their body temperature within a physiological range to optimize biological processes mainly applying behavioral strategies. Here, we developed a low-cost, automated system that allows to create a horizontal multiple-step thermal gradient and video record fish behavior for long-term periods.

A Propolis-Based Protocol for Oral Health in Palliative Care: Results from a Phase II Trial.

Oral disorders (ODs) in palliative care (PC) are highly prevalent and significantly impact patients' quality of life (QoL). Nevertheless, evidence-based management recommendations are lacking. Several natural products are safe, well-accepted, and effective for mucosal conditions.