MicroRNAs Expression Profile in MN1-Altered Astroblastoma.

Background/objectives: Astroblastoma is a rare glial neoplasm more frequent in young female patients, with unclear clinical behaviors and outcomes. The diagnostic molecular alteration is a rearrangement of the Meningioma 1 () gene. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important gene expression regulators with strong implications in biological processes.

Chemerin and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review of Its Role as a Biomarker and Therapeutic Target.

Chemerin, an adipokine implicated in inflammatory, metabolic, and adipogenic processes, has been detected in high serum concentration in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and seems to play a role in PCOS pathogenesis. Moreover, at present, no comprehensive and critical document is available in the literature on this topic. The aim of the current study was to comprehensively review the latest available data to confirm the evidence about the association between chemerin and PCOS, highlighting its potential role as an upcoming biomarker and therapeutic target.

Male osteoporosis: the impact of lifestyle, from nutrition to physical activity.

Male osteoporosis is an increasing worldwide pathological condition, characterized by an increased risk of fragility fractures, that is underestimated, underdiagnosed and undertreated. Prevention and treatment play a pivotal role in reducing fractures, and it is important to remember that therapeutic interventions include balanced nutrition and physical activity. Pharmacological treatments are the main and most effective tool to achieve numerous and decisive benefits in this population.

ICSI and PGT-A in PCOS phenotype-D patients: a matched case-control study versus idiopathic infertile women.

Purpose: To assess oocyte competence and embryo chromosomal constitution in phenotype-D PCOS women undergoing ICSI for PGT-A at the blastocyst stage.

Methods: Retrospective study at a private IVF center. In the period 2013-2021, 58 naïve phenotype-D PCOS women (i.

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for improving endometrial receptivity in infertile patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a comprehensive review of the available evidence.

Direct and indirect evidence suggests that endometrial receptivity may play a crucial role in the reduced fertility rate of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies with potential effects on endometrial receptivity in patients with PCOS have been proposed. The aim of this study was to summarize the rationale and the clinical and experimental evidence of interventions tested for improving endometrial receptivity in infertile patients with PCOS.

Nociception Coma Scale-Revised with Personalized Painful Stimulus Versus Standard Stimulation in Persons with Disorders of Consciousness: An International Multicenter Study.

Persons with disorders of consciousness (DoCs) may perceive pain without being able to communicate their discomfort. The Nociception Coma Scale (NCS) and its revised form (NCS-R) have been proposed to assess nociception in persons with DoCs. The main aim of this international multicenter study was to confirm (or not) our preliminary results and compare the NCS-R scores of standard stimulus (NCS-R-SS) to scores of personalized painful stimuli (NCS-R-PS).

Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Protocol Based on Art Therapy in Patients with Stroke: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Art therapy has a long history of applications in cognitive and motor rehabilitation. More recently, a growing body of scientific literature has highlighted the potential of virtual reality in neurorehabilitation, though it has focused more on the technology itself than on the principles adopted in digital scenarios.

Methods: This study is a single-blind randomized controlled trial conducted on 40 patients with stroke, comparing conventional therapy (physical therapy for the upper and lower limbs, for posture and balance, cognitive therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and specific therapy for swallowing, bowel, and bladder dysfunctions) to a protocol in which the upper limb physical therapy was substituted with art therapy administered by means of virtual reality exploiting the so-called Michelangelo effect.

Exploring different processes for starch extraction from microalgae and synthesis of starch-chitosan plastic films.

Microalgae could become a more sustainable starch source than conventional crops. However, available refinery processes are lacking. In this study, we develop different innovative processes to refine microalgal starch and obtaining starch-based bioplastics.

The Attentional Boost Effect in Older Adults: Examining the Vulnerable Boost Hypothesis.

Introduction: The Attentional Boost Effect (ABE) occurs whenever participants recognize stimuli paired earlier with to-be-responded targets better than stimuli earlier paired with to-be-ignored distractors or presented on their own (baseline). Previous studies showed that the ABE does not occur in older adults when the encoding time is too short (500 ms/word) or when encoding is incidental, likely due to aging-related reductions in cognitive resources or limitations of processing speed.

Method: In the present study, younger and older adults encoded words presented for 1000 ms under intentional instructions.

Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Therapy and Open Issues.

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and ischemic end-organ injury due to microvascular platelet-rich thrombi. iTTP pathophysiology is based on a severe ADAMTS13 deficiency, the specific von Willebrand factor (vWF)-cleaving protease, due to anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies. Early diagnosis and treatment reduce the mortality.

What Is a Disease for Doctors? A Realist Thematic Qualitative Analysis of the Interpretation of Clinical Vignettes.

Given the long-standing debate about the nature of the concept of disease, the objective of this study was to understand how doctors categorize a condition as a disease or not, and what the kind of information they use is. A survey with a set of eighteen clinical vignettes was designed, and nineteen physicians and senior students purposefully selected were asked to interpret those situations as diseases or not and to produce an anonymous short written piece of text providing the motivation of their choice. Realist thematic analysis was used to analyse the answers, and four themes emerged: the temporal dimension of a disease, reification of disease, disease as an existential condition, and disease as a motivation to action.

Nutrition, Vitamin D, and Calcium in Elderly Patients before and after a Hip Fracture and Their Impact on the Musculoskeletal System: A Narrative Review.

Hip fractures are a major health issue considerably impacting patients' quality of life and well-being. This is particularly evident in elderly subjects, in which the decline in bone and muscle mass coexists and predisposes individuals to fall and fracture. Among interventions to be implemented in hip fractured patients, the assessment and management of nutritional status is pivotal, particularly in subjects older than 65.

Effects of Fitlight training on cognitive-motor performance in élite judo athletes.

Aims: The aims of this study were to verify if a 5-week cognitive-motor training (CMT) using FitlightsTM induced changes in young adult judo athletes compared to a non-intervention group. Specifically, it was verified if CMT influenced executive functions (EFs), physical fitness and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Additionally, athletes' competitive results were compared between groups.

The Novel SSTR3 Agonist ITF2984 Exerts Antimitotic and Proapoptotic Effects in Human Non-Functioning Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor (NF-PitNET) Cells.

Somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) with high affinity for somatostatin receptors 2 and 5 (SSTR2 and SSTR5) are poorly efficacious in NF-PitNETs, expressing high levels of SSTR3. ITF2984 is a pan-SSTR ligand with high affinity for SSTR3, able to induce SSTR3 activation and to exert antitumoral activity in the MENX rat model. The aim of this study was to test ITF2984's antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in NF-PitNET primary cultured cells derived from surgically removed human tumors and to characterize their SSTR expression profile.

Predicting Male Infertility Using Artificial Neural Networks: A Review of the Literature.

Male infertility is a relevant public health problem, but there is no systematic review of the different machine learning (ML) models and their accuracy so far. The present review aims to comprehensively investigate the use of ML algorithms in predicting male infertility, thus reporting the accuracy of the used models in the prediction of male infertility as a primary outcome. Particular attention will be paid to the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs).

Sarcopenic obesity and the impact on bone health.

Purpose Of Review: Sarcopenic obesity is a newly identified pathological entity defined by an increase in body fat mass with an associated sarcopenia, characterized by loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. Recently, the concomitant presence of skeletal alteration with sarcopenic obesity has been described leading to a new clinical entity defined osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO). Many studies have tried to unravel the metabolic complex mechanism leading to this clinical entity in order to understand the pathophysiology of this complex condition with the aim of posing an early diagnosis to improve the therapeutic approaches.

Postpartum Oxytocin Treatment via the Mother Reprograms Long-Term Behavioral Disorders Induced by Early Life Stress on the Plasma and Brain Metabolome in the Rat.

The rat model of perinatal stress (PRS), in which exposure of pregnant dams to restraint stress reduces maternal behavior, is characterized by a metabolic profile that is reminiscent of the "metabolic syndrome". We aimed to identify plasma metabolomic signatures linked to long-term programming induced by PRS in aged male rats. This study was conducted in the plasma and frontal cortex.

The role of glial cells in mental illness: a systematic review on astroglia and microglia as potential players in schizophrenia and its cognitive and emotional aspects.

Schizophrenia is a complex and severe mental disorder that affects approximately 1% of the global population. It is characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and cognitive impairment. Recent research has suggested that the immune system dysregulation may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and glial cells, such as astroglia and microglia known to be involved in neuroinflammation and immune regulation, have emerged as potential players in this process.

Tamai zone -I and -II replantation versus reconstruction with local flaps: retrospective analysis for functional and cosmetic results.

A retrospective study were presented to compare functional and cosmetic outcomes in relation to local flap reconstruction or fingertip replantation in cases of zones I and II amputation. Outcomes were evaluated using Semmens Weinstein monofilament, Weber DiskCriminator, total active motion (TAM) assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire after a 1-year follow-up.

An Integrated Care Approach to Improve Well-Being in Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) treatment has recently been revolutionized by the introduction of newer targeted agents, that helped tailoring therapies around the single patient. Along with increased survival rates, a careful evaluation of diet, lifestyle habits, physical activity, emotional and psychological experiences linked to the treatment journey, is now mandatory. However, a true proposal for an omnicomprehensive and "integrative" approach is still lacking in literature.

Hybrid AuNPs-3MPS-MTX nanosystem and its evaluation for treating cervical cancer and melanoma.

This research presents an evaluation of a hybrid material based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), stabilized with the thiol 3-mercapto-propanesulfonate (3MPS) and loaded with the methotrexate drug (MTX). The AuNPs-3MPS-MTX nanosystem was tested for the treatment of cervical cancer and melanoma, using the B16-F10 melanoma and HeLa cell lines. The tests performed on cell cultures assessed the efficiency of the studied nanosystem on tumor cells, as well as its toxicology.