Mitochondrial microRNAs: Key Drivers in Unraveling Neurodegenerative Diseases.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) crucial for regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Recent evidence has shown that miRNAs are also found in mitochondria, organelles that produce energy in the cell. These mitochondrial miRNAs, also known as mitomiRs, are essential for regulating mitochondrial function and metabolism.

Identification of Four New Mutations in the GLA Gene Associated with Anderson-Fabry Disease.

Anderson-Fabry disease is a hereditary, progressive, multisystemic lysosomal storage disorder caused by a functional deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A (α-GalA). This defect is due to mutations in the gene, located in the long arm of the X chromosome (Xq21-22). Functional deficiency of the α-GalA enzyme leads to reduced degradation and accumulation of its substrates, predominantly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), which accumulate in the lysosomes of numerous cell types, giving rise to the symptomatology.

Beneficial Effects of Reconstructed Human Gut Microbiota by Ginseng Extract Fermentation on Intestinal Cell Lines.

Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) affects the aging process and increases the likelihood of several diseases. A new frontier in its prevention includes bioactive foods and natural extracts that can be introduced by the diet in combination with specific probiotics. Among the natural compounds that we can introduce by the diet, extract is one of the most utilized since it contains a vast number of bioactive molecules such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides that have been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-ageing, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory activity.

Anderson-Fabry Disease: An Overview of Current Diagnosis, Arrhythmic Risk Stratification, and Therapeutic Strategies.

Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder characterized by the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide, leading to multi-organ involvement and significant morbidity. Cardiovascular manifestations, particularly arrhythmias, are common and pose a considerable risk to affected individuals. This overview examines current approaches to arrhythmic risk stratification in AFD, focusing on the identification, assessment, and management of cardiac arrhythmias associated with the disease.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Proximal remote sensing: an essential tool for bridging the gap between high-resolution ecosystem monitoring and global ecology.

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or 'proximal' remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of a Surgical Neonatal Nursing Workload Tool for an Italian Context: The Italian Winnipeg Surgical Complex Assessment of Neonatal Nursing Needs Tool.

Complexity of care, adequate staffing levels, and workflow are key factors affecting nurses' workloads. There remain notable gaps in the current evidence regarding clinical complexity classification and related staffing adjustment, limiting the capacity for optimal staffing practices. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Winnipeg Surgical Complex Assessment of Neonatal Nursing Needs Tool (WANNNT-SC) for an Italian context to allow the assessment of newborns admitted to NICUs.

Association with Outcome of the Regurgitant-Volume Adjusted Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Secondary Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: In patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR), right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) may not accurately reflect the actual RV systolic performance since a considerable amount of the RV stroke volume (SV) is regurgitated back into the right atrium. To overcome this limitation, we explored the association with the outcome of the effective RVEF (eRVEF), which accounts for the tricuspid regurgitant volume (RegVol).

Methods: 513 patients with STR (mean age 75±13 years, 39% atrial STR, 58% severe) underwent complete two-, three-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography.

The Brussels consensus for non-invasive ICP monitoring when invasive systems are not available in the care of TBI patients (the B-ICONIC consensus, recommendations, and management algorithm).

Background: Invasive systems are commonly used for monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are considered the gold standard. The availability of invasive ICP monitoring is heterogeneous, and in low- and middle-income settings, these systems are not routinely employed due to high cost or limited accessibility. The aim of this consensus was to develop recommendations to guide monitoring and ICP-driven therapies in TBI using non-invasive ICP (nICP) systems.

Enhancing Biomedicine: Proteomics and Metabolomics in Action.

The rapid and substantial advancements in proteomic and metabolomic technologies have revolutionized our ability to investigate biological systems [...

Moebius syndrome and hypopituitarism: a case of multiple pituitary hormone deficiency and revision of the literature.

Objectives: Moebius syndrome (MS) is a rare congenital non-progressive rhombencephalic disorder mostly characterised by abducens and facial nerve palsy, but with a multifaceted clinical presentation. Isolated or multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies in the setting of MS have been occasionally reported, but the simultaneous involvement of three or more hypothalamic-pituitary axes has never been described. We hereby report the case of a girl with MS that showed a co-occurrence of GH-, TSH- and ACTH-deficiency.

Polysaccharide degradation in an Antarctic bacterium: Discovery of glycoside hydrolases from remote regions of the sequence space.

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are enzymes involved in the degradation of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. The sequence space of GHs is rapidly expanding due to the increasing number of available sequences. This expansion paves the way for the discovery of novel enzymes with peculiar structural and functional properties.

Exploring linguistic and narrative competence in Italian children with developmental language disorder: A comparative study with typically developing peers.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a clinical condition characterised by language difficulties without cognitive or neurological impairments, leading to communication and learning challenges. The study explores the narrative and linguistic abilities of children with DLD and Typically Developing (TD) peers by analysing both macrostructural and microstructural aspects of their narrative production elicited during a storytelling task and describing the types of grammatical and lexical errors. Participants included 19 children with expressive DLD aged 4-8 years and 19 TD children matched by age and gender.

Emotional Movement Kinematics Guide Twelve-Month-Olds' Visual, but Not Manual, Exploration.

The ability to recognize and act on others' emotions is crucial for navigating social interactions successfully and learning about the world. One way in which others' emotions are observable is through their movement kinematics. Movement information is available even at a distance or when an individual's face is not visible.

Magnitude and dynamics of the T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection at both individual and population levels.

Introduction: T cells are involved in the early identification and clearance of viral infections and also support the development of antibodies by B cells. This central role for T cells makes them a desirable target for assessing the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Here, we combined two high-throughput immune profiling methods to create a quantitative picture of the T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2.

Assessing the Fear of Covid-19 in Psychiatric Patients: Results from an Italian Multicentric Study.

Objective: Even though the COVID-19 emergency has concluded, its consequences are still relevant. Recent evidence suggests that a significant proportion of individuals experience persistent symptoms long after the initial infection has resolved, classified as "Long COVID" condition. Fear of COVID-19 increases anxiety and stress levels in healthy individuals and exacerbates the symptoms of those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders; therefore understanding the impact of the pandemic on psychiatric disorders remains of utmost importance.

Assessing the Impact of Distance Traveled and Birth Volumes of Hospital Maternity Units on Newborn Outcomes: Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: The centralization of childbirth and newborn care in large maternity units has become increasingly prevalent in Europe. While this trend offers potential benefits such as specialized care and improved outcomes, it can also lead to longer travel and waiting times, especially for women in rural areas.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between hospital maternity unit (HMU) volumes, road travel distance (RTD) to the hospital, and other neonatal outcomes.

Coexistence of cardiac sarcoidosis and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy-associated genetic variants: a multicentre case-control study.

Background: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by non-caseating granulomas, while arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a genetic condition mainly affecting desmosomal proteins. The coexistence of CS and genetic variants associated with ACM is not well understood, creating challenges in diagnosis and management. This study aimed to describe the clinical, imaging and genetic features of patients with both conditions.

Inhibition of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 in EML4-ALK cell models as a second proposed therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancer.

The anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) oncoprotein plays a crucial role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by activating signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival through constitutive phosphorylation. While first-line crizotinib can regulate phosphorylation, mutations in the ALK gene can lead to resistance against ALK inhibitors (ALKi) such as ceritinib and alectinib. On the other hand, overexpression of BCL2, a protein involved in cell death regulation, has been observed in NSCLC and is considered a potential therapeutic target.

Effectiveness of Additional or Standalone Corticosteroid Injections Compared to Physical Therapist Interventions in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Importance: Rotator cuff tendinopathy represents the most prevalent cause of shoulder pain, the third most common musculoskeletal disorder after low back pain and knee pain.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of corticosteroid injection(s), alone or in combination with anesthetic injection or any other physical therapist interventions, compared to physical therapist interventions alone in adults with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Design: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Exploring auxiliary liver transplantation in the era of transplant oncology - A proposal for a new liver splitting program (ALERT-50).

Total hepatectomy and liver transplantation has emerged as a game-changing strategy in the treatment of several liver-confined primary or metastatic tumors, opening the new era of transplant oncology. However, the expansion of indications is going to worsen the chronic scarcity of organs, and new strategies are needed to enlarge the donor pool. A possible source of organs could be developing split liver transplantation (SLT) programs.

Liver Transplantation in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. Benefits and Limitations of Psychosocial Selection and Support in Alcohol Relapse. The Experience of a Tertiary Center in Italy.

Patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis SAH may suffer of undiagnosed psychiatric illnesses, typically depression. Assessment of prevalence and potential impact of psychiatric disturbances on alcohol relapse after LT, were the main objectives of this study. One hundred consecutive patients with SAH from April 2016 to May 2023 were analyzed.

Early Recognition and Intervention in SIBlingS at High Risk for Neurodevelopment Disorders (ERI-SIBS): a controlled trial of an innovative and ecological intervention for siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: It has been widely demonstrated that siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased risk of abnormal developmental trajectories. In response to this, early recognition protocols have been developed worldwide, aiming to promote early interventions that can positively impact the neurodevelopment of this population. This paper presents the protocol of a controlled trial: ERI-SIBS (Early Recognition and Intervention in SIBlingS at High Risk for Neurodevelopment Disorders) is an innovative and ecological early recognition and intervention program designed specifically for siblings of children with ASD.

Biologics as well as inhaled anti-asthmatic therapy achieve clinical remission: Evidence from the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI).

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of severe asthma (SA) treatments after 12 months in achieving clinical remission (CR) within the context of the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) using the recent SANI definition of CR on treatment.

Methods: CR has been defined by SANI as complete, partial, and no CR. Complete CR is defined by the absence of oral corticosteroids (OCS), no symptoms, no exacerbations, and stable lung function, and partial CR requires the absence of OCS and the fulfillment of 2 out of the other 3 criteria.