Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Youths Living in Rural and Semi-Urban Albania in the Ongoing Nutrition Transition: Preliminary Results.

Background: Albania is undergoing a demographic, epidemiological, and nutrition transition leading to an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among new generations. Comprehensive studies on the nutritional status and dietary patterns of youths in the country are still lacking.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of students (10-18 years) attending secondary schools in rural and semi-urban areas (October-November 2024).

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.

Epicardial Ablation for Arrhythmogenic Disorders in Patients with Brugada Syndrome.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited arrhythmogenic disorder characterized by distinct electrocardiographic patterns and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular arrhythmias. Effective management of BrS is essential, particularly for high-risk patients with recurrent arrhythmias. While implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is effective in terminating life-threatening arrhythmias, it does not prevent arrhythmia onset and can lead to complications such as inappropriate shocks.

Hypoxia-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species: Their Role in Cancer Resistance and Emerging Therapies to Overcome It.

Normal tissues typically maintain partial oxygen pressure within a range of 3-10% oxygen, ensuring homeostasis through a well-regulated oxygen supply and responsive vascular network. However, in solid tumors, rapid growth often outpaces angiogenesis, creating a hypoxic microenvironment that fosters tumor progression, altered metabolism and resistance to therapy. Hypoxic tumor regions experience uneven oxygen distribution with severe hypoxia in the core due to poor vascularization and high metabolic oxygen consumption.

Enlightening Nursing Care: A Protocol for a Multicenter Observational Study Measuring Nursing Work in Hospital Settings.

: Rising costs and demands for improved quality of care present complex challenges for existing healthcare systems. The strain on healthcare resources is exacerbated by the increasing complexity of patient conditions. The Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) system classifies inpatients according to clinical and treatment criteria, controls healthcare expenditures, and ensures the sustainability of procedures.

Advances in Cardiovascular Multimodality Imaging in Patients with Marfan Syndrome.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a genetic disorder affecting connective tissue, often leading to cardiovascular complications such as aortic aneurysms and mitral valve prolapse. Cardiovascular multimodality imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of MFS patients. This review explores the advancements in echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), cardiac computed tomography (CCT), and nuclear medicine techniques in MFS.

Sample Tracking Tool: A Comprehensive Approach Based on OpenArray Technology and R Scripting for Genomic Sample Monitoring.

: Centralizing genetic sequencing in specialized facilities is pivotal for reducing the costs associated with diagnostic testing. These centers must be able to verify data quality and ensure sample integrity. This study aims at developing a protocol for tracking NGS-analyzed samples to prevent errors and mix-ups, ensuring proper quality control, accuracy, and reliability in genetic testing procedures.

Laparoscopic approach for rectal cancer surgery: Triumph of reason or necessity of evolution?

The role of laparoscopy in rectal cancer surgery has evolved considerably since the early 2000s. Initial randomized trials, such as COLOR II and COREAN, indicated that laparoscopic approaches offered similar pathological outcomes with better postoperative recovery than open surgery. In contrast, trials like ACOSOG Z6051 and ALaCaRT suggested noninferiority could not be established.

Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity Against MPXV of the Intradermal Administration of Modified Vaccinia Ankara Compared to the Standard Subcutaneous Route.

Background: The recent resurgence of mpox in central Africa has been declared a new public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) requiring coordinated international responses. Vaccination is a priority to expand protection and enhance control strategies, but the vaccine's need exceeds the currently available doses. Intradermal (ID) administration of one-fifth of the standard modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA-BN) dose was temporarily authorized during the 2022 PHEIC.

Leaflet: Operative Steps for Interventional Studies in Neuroscience.

Background/objectives: Drug development involves multiple stages, spanning from initial discovery to clinical trials. This intricate process entails understanding disease mechanisms, identifying potential drug targets, and evaluating the efficacy and safety of candidate drugs. Clinical trials are designed to assess the effects of drugs on humans, focusing on determining safety profiles, appropriate modes of administration, and comparative efficacy against placebos.

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.

Debriefing Methodologies in Nursing Simulation: An Exploratory Study of the Italian Settings.

As part of simulation-based learning, it is well known that debriefing plays a crucial role; ineffective debriefing can lead to a reiteration of errors in decision-making and a poor understanding of one's limitations, compromising the learner's psychological safety and making future simulated learning experiences less effective. In Italy, although simulation has been used in nursing education for more than 20 years, there is a general lack of data regarding the elements of debriefing. An exploratory, cross-sectional, multicenter nationwide study was conducted to identify current debriefing practices in Italian simulation-based nursing education.

Arm Propulsion in Front Crawl Stroke.

: This study aims to determine the propulsive force and effective arm area contributed by the propulsion through the dynamic balance (power balance) between drag and propulsive power in swimming crawl performance. : Ten male swimmers participated in the study. The athletes conducted the crawl trials at a constant velocity using only the upper limbs.

Glycation of Nail Proteins as a Risk Factor for Onychomycosis. Comment on Gupta et al. Diabetic Foot and Fungal Infections: Etiology and Management from a Dermatologic Perspective. 2024, , 577.

We read the review by Gupta et al [...

Rate of Perceived Exertion Based on Repetitions in Reserve Versus Percentage of One-Repetition Maximum for Resistance Training Prescription in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study.

The aims of this study were to assess the efficacy of the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale based on the number of repetitions in reserve (RIR) before exhaustion for the prescription of resistance training in cardiac rehabilitation and to compare it to the percentage of estimated one-repetition maximum (1RM) prescription method. Sixteen male patients (age 60 ± 8) with history of coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to two resistance training rehabilitation protocols lasting nine weeks and consisting of three sessions per week, with the same exercise selection, number of sets and repetitions, and rest periods, but different load prescription method (RPE vs. %1RM).

Plant miRNAs for Improved Gene Regulation in a Wide Range of Human Cancers.

Determining the relationships between miRNA expression, target genes, and cancer development is critical to cancer research. The possibility of correlating miRNA expression with plant or artificial ones provides prerequisites for cancer treatment. Based on the broad database of human miRNA expression for all cancer types, we grade human miRNAs by their expression level.

Polydatin-Induced Shift of Redox Balance and Its Anti-Cancer Impact on Human Osteosarcoma Cells.

Cancer cells demonstrate remarkable resilience by adapting to oxidative stress and undergoing metabolic reprogramming, making oxidative stress a critical target for cancer therapy. This study explores, for the first time, the redox-dependent anticancer effects of Polydatin (PD), a glucoside derivative of resveratrol, on the human Osteosarcoma (OS) cells SAOS-2 and U2OS. Using cell-based biochemical assays, we found that cytotoxic doses of PD (100-200 µM) promote ROS production, deplete glutathione (GSH), and elevate levels of both total iron and intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA), which are key markers of ferroptosis.

A Survey of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of a Sample of Albanian Medical Students in Relation to Occupational Exposure to Biological Agents.

(1) Background: Exposure to blood carries the risk of transmission of many infectious diseases. Healthcare workers (HCWs), including hospital-based medical students, face high and often under-reported rates of exposure to needlestick and sharps injuries. Previous studies have shown that students' knowledge of infection control varies, highlighting the importance of pre-placement training.

Reliability of an Inertial Measurement System Applied to the Technical Assessment of Forehand and Serve in Amateur Tennis Players.

Traditional methods for evaluating tennis technique, such as visual observation and video analysis, are often subjective and time consuming. On the other hand, a quick and accurate assessment can provide immediate feedback to players and contribute to technical development, particularly in less experienced athletes. This study aims to validate the use of a single inertial measurement system to assess some relevant technical parameters of amateur players.

Distinct pro-inflammatory/pro-angiogenetic signatures distinguish children with Long COVID from controls.

Background: Recent proteomic studies have documented that Long COVID in adults is characterized by a pro-inflammatory signature with thromboinflammation. However, if similar events happen also in children with Long COVID has never been investigated.

Methods: We performed an extensive protein analysis of blood plasma from pediatric patients younger than 19 years of age Long COVID and a control group of children with acute COVID-19, MIS-C, and healthy controls resulted similar for sex distribution and age.

Design and experiments of a humanoid torso based on biological features.

Among the components of a humanoid robot, a humanoid torso plays a vital role in supporting a humanoid robot to complete the desired motions. In this paper, a new LARMbot torso is developed for obtaining better working performance based on biological features. Through analyzing the anatomy of a human torso and human spine, a parallel cable-driven is proposed to actuate the whole mechanism by using two servo motors and two pulleys.

Bone Adaptations to a Whole Body Vibration Protocol in Murine Models of Different Ages: A Preliminary Study on Structural Changes and Biomarker Evaluation.

: Whole body vibration (WBV) is a valuable tool to mitigate physiological adaptations related to age and inactivity. Although significant benefits have been found at the musculoskeletal level, including increased bone mass and reduced muscle atrophy, the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the effects of vibratory training on bone tissue in murine models of different age groups by investigating the structural and distribution changes in some crucial biomarkers involved in musculoskeletal homeostasis.

Complex and Non-sequential Current Signatures of a β-Hairpin Peptide Confined in a Nanopore.

Nanopore sensing is widely used for single-molecule detection, originally applied to nucleic acids and now extended to protein sensing. Our study focuses on the complex conformational changes of peptides in nanopores, which may have implications for peptide fingerprinting and protein identification. Specifically, we investigated the interaction of a β-hairpin peptide (SV28) within an α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopore.

Mixed atomistic-implicit quantum/classical approach to molecular nanoplasmonics.

A multiscale quantum mechanical (QM)/classical approach is presented that is able to model the optical properties of complex nanostructures composed of a molecular system adsorbed on metal nanoparticles. The latter is described by a combined atomistic-continuum model, where the core is described using the implicit boundary element method (BEM) and the surface retains a fully atomistic picture and is treated employing the frequency-dependent fluctuating charge and fluctuating dipole (ωFQFμ) approach. The integrated QM/ωFQFμ-BEM model is numerically compared with state-of-the-art fully atomistic approaches, and the quality of the continuum/core partition is evaluated.

Advanced UltraTech approach for distinguishing granulomatous from non-granulomatous corneal endothelial exudates in autoimmune rheumatic anterior uveitis.

Background: Anterior uveitis is a common manifestation in individuals with rheumatic conditions such as spondylarthritis, Behçet's syndrome, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and sarcoidosis. Clinical differentiation between granulomatous and non-granulomatous corneal endothelial exudates is crucial to subsequent diagnosis and treatment. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) can ensure an accurate differential diagnosis and appropriate follow-up after local and systemic therapy.