Structural and Functional Remodeling for Elite Cyclists During Exercise; Pressure Volume Loops and Hemodynamic Forces Analysis.

The study was designed to investigate the pattern of intraventricular Hemo-Dynamic Forces (HDF) and myocardial performance during exercise in Elite Cyclists (EC). Transthoracic stress echocardiography was performed on nineteen EC and thirteen age-matched sedentary controls (SC) at three incremental exercise intensities based on Heart Rate Reserve (HRR). Left Ventricular (LV) HDF were computed from echocardiography long-axis data sets using a novel technique based on endocardial boundary tracking, both in apex-base and latero-septal directions.

The clinical assessment of lung involvement in patients with Still's disease, results from the multicentre international AIDA Network Still's Disease Registry.

Objectives: To assess the lung involvement in patients with Still's disease, an inflammatory disease assessing both children and adults. To exploit possible associated factors for parenchymal lung involvement in these patients.

Methods: A multicentre observational study was arranged assessing consecutive patients with Still's disease characterized by the lung involvement among those included in the AIDA (AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance) Network Still's Disease Registry.

Performance evaluation of the LIOFeron®TB/LTBI IGRA for screening of paediatric LTBI and tuberculosis.

Purpose: High-accuracy diagnostic screening tests for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection are required, primarily to detect patients with latent infections (LTBIs) in order to avoid their progression to active tuberculosis disease. The performance of the novel IGRA LIOFeron®TB/LTBI was evaluated in children. The originality of this test is the new MTB antigen contained (L-alanine dehydrogenase), identified as a tool to differentiate active TB from LTBI infection.

Transperitoneal versus low anterior access single-port pyeloplasty: surgical and functional outcomes from a tertiary referral center.

Background: Transperitoneal approach to robot-assisted pyeloplasty (RAP) have been preferred in the last decades because of the use of multi-port robotic platforms. However, this approach is linked to notable issues, such as pneumoperitoneum and lateral decubitus position, which is associated with potential soft tissues injuries, and it is a time-consuming procedure. Single-port (SP) platform was introduced to potentially address these issues.

Unmet needs in the management of patients with bilateral synchronous renal masses: the rationale for clinical decision-making.

Background: Bilateral synchronous renal masses (BSRMs) are a rare finding, and the optimal treatment strategy remains undetermined. This study depicts the management of BSRM at eight European high-volume centers.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospective institutional databases collecting all patients presenting with clinical T1-2 N0 M0 BSRMs between 1993 and 2020 at 8 tertiary referral high-volume centers for renal cancer treatment in Europe.

Liquid Crystalline Networks Hamper the Malignancy of Cancer Cells.

Mimicking compositions and structures of extracellular matrix is widely studied to create in vitro tumor models, to deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of the different types of cancer, and to identify new therapies. On the other hand, the use of synthetic materials to modulate cancer cell biology and, possibly, to reduce the malignancy of cancer cells through their exploitation is far less explored. Here, the study evaluates the effects of Liquid Crystalline Networks (LCNs) based scaffolds on the growth of A375 metastatic melanoma cells.

Tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer mortality and air pollution exposure in Tuscany, Italy: Bayesian Health Impact Assessment and Global Sensitivity Analysis on a sub-regional scale.

Outdoor air pollution is a significant risk factor for tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer. This study employs a Bayesian approach to evaluate TBL cancer mortality due to air pollution in Tuscany, Central Italy, in 2023. Using locally validated data, we assessed the impact of fine particulate matter (PM and PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) in terms of attributable deaths and years of life lost (YLL).

Recombinant expression systems for production of stabilised virus-like particles as next-generation polio vaccines.

Polioviruses have caused crippling disease in humans for centuries, prior to the successful development of vaccines in the mid-1900's, which dramatically reduced disease prevalence. Continued use of these vaccines, however, threatens ultimate disease eradication and achievement of a polio-free world. Virus-like particles (VLPs) that lack a viral genome represent a safer potential vaccine, although they require particle stabilization.

Nanocomposite gel containing usnic acid: Characterization and evaluation of the antibacterial efficacy on Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Usnic acid (UA) is one of the most abundant secondary metabolites of lichens. Its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antitumor properties make it one of the few commercially available lichens compounds. Owing to its low solubility it has limited application, for that reason encapsulation in polymeric micelles (UA-PM) has been used to solve this aspect.

Coding and non-coding transcripts modulated by transparent and blue PET micro-nanoplastics in Arabidopsis thaliana.

To get further insights on the micro-nanoplastic (MNP) effects on plants, the aim of this study was to evaluate the response of hydroponically cultivated Arabidopsis thaliana to the presence of differentially colored polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles. MNP impacts on the root organ were studied at a molecular level, with a special focus on the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAS) in the regulation of gene expression after PET exposure. MNPs of transparent (Tr-PET) and blue (Bl-PET) material at environmentally realistic concentration caused a significant reduction in root length, while only Bl-PET significantly reduced rosette area.

Evaluation of mental disorder related to colposcopy procedure during the COVID period: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on healthcare organizations, leading to a reduction in screening. The pandemic period has caused important psychological repercussions in the most fragile patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, peri-traumatic stress, and physical symptoms in patients undergoing colposcopy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare these data with the post-pandemic period.

Strategies for introducing and implementing vaccines for adults into national immunization programs in Europe: Good practices and key insights of the adult immunization board meeting.

In April 2024, the Adult Immunization Board convened a technical meeting to explore the latest strategies and identify exemplary approaches regarding the implementation of vaccines for adults into Europe's National Immunization Programs (NIPs). The meeting was built around three pillars: decision making for introducing a new vaccine, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The increasing number of new vaccines available in a context of competing health priorities warrants transparent and evidence-based decision-making processes for vaccine introduction.

Management Measures and Trends of Biological Invasions in Europe: A Survey-Based Assessment of Local Managers.

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and nature's contributions to people worldwide. However, the effectiveness of invasive alien species (IAS) management measures and the progress toward achieving biodiversity targets remain uncertain due to limited and nonuniform data availability. Management success is usually assessed at a local level and documented in technical reports, often written in languages other than English, which makes such data notoriously difficult to collect at large geographic scales.

Pharmacological differences and switching among anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies: A narrative review.

Antibodies targeting either the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), such as galcanezumab, fremanezumab, and eptinezumab, or the receptor (erenumab) have been approved for the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine. Although widely used and generally effective, a proportion of patients discontinue treatment due to lack of efficacy. In both randomized controlled trials and observational studies, all anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have consistently demonstrated comparable efficacy and tolerability, suggesting a pharmacological class effect.

Billing models for measuring nursing care in inpatient and outpatient settings: a scoping review.

Background: The rising cost of healthcare is a concerning issue for healthcare systems. The Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system lacks direct consideration for costs related to nursing care. Therefore, to date there is no clear picture of billing models that consider also nursing activity when evaluating healthcare service costs or what factors related to nursing care affect the costs of healthcare services and would therefore need to be considered in billing models.

DeepLabCut custom-trained model and the refinement function for gait analysis.

The current gold standard for the study of human movement is the marker-based motion capture system that offers high precision but constrained by costs and controlled environments. Markerless pose estimation systems emerge as ecological alternatives, allowing unobtrusive data acquisition in natural settings. This study compares the performance of two popular markerless systems, OpenPose (OP) and DeepLabCut (DLC), in assessing locomotion.

Microplastics levels in cultured or harvested mollusks non-depurated and commercially depurated at different times.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants found worldwide, not only in environmental matrices but also in the food web. The present study aimed to establish better removal rates of MPs in cultivated or harvested edible bivalves currently on the market. Samples of three species (mussels, oysters and wedge clams) were collected from a producer at three different depuration times.

Conformational Antibodies to Proteolipid Protein-1 and Its Peripheral Isoform DM20 in Patients With CNS Autoimmune Demyelinating Disorders.

Background And Objectives: Antibodies to proteolipid protein-1 (PLP1-IgG), a major central myelin protein also expressed in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as the isoform DM20, have been previously identified mostly in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with unclear clinical implications. However, most studies relied on nonconformational immunoassays and included few patients with non-MS CNS autoimmune demyelinating disorders (ADDs). We aimed to investigate conformational PLP1-IgG in the whole ADD spectrum.

Intravesical administration of highly concentrated hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate as add-on therapy for chemical cystitis induced by Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy.

Purpose: Intravesical (i) immunotherapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the recommended treatment for patients with intermediate- and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after complete tumor resection. Discontinuation or suspension of this therapy is often due to local side effects. Aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sequential intravesical instillations of combined hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) in reducing local BCG toxicity and urinary symptoms.

Automatic positioning of cutting planes for bone tumor resection surgery.

In bone tumor resection surgery, patient-specific cutting guides aid the surgeon in the resection of a precise part of the bone. Despite the use of automation methodologies in surgical guide modeling, to date, the placement of cutting planes is a manual task. This work presents an algorithm for the automatic positioning of cutting planes to reduce healthy bone resected and thus improve post-operative outcomes.

Clinical characteristics and predictive factors of thrombotic complications in children with acute mastoiditis: a single center retrospective study.

Among acute mastoiditis (AM) complications, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is particularly severe, leading to increased intracranial pressure and potential neurological sequelae. Predicting the development of such complications is challenging. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the incidence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for the development of CVST in AM.

Exploiting photopolymerization to modulate liquid crystalline network actuation.

Liquid Crystalline Networks (LCNs) are widely investigated to develop actuators, from soft robots to artificial muscles. Indeed, they can produce forces and movements in response to a plethora of external stimuli, showing kinetics up to the millisecond time-scale. One of the most explored preparation technique involves the photopolymerization of an aligned layer of reactive mesogens.