Engineering Cell Fate with Adaptive Feedback Control.

Engineering cell fate is fundamental to optimizing therapies based on stem cells, which are aimed at replacing cells in patients suffering from trauma or disease. By timely administering molecular regulators (e.g.

Adherence to medical recommendations in high-risk pregnancy: dispositional and situational predictors with a focus on emotional reactivity.

Objective: Therapeutic adherence during pregnancy is critical for maternal and fetal health. This study examines personality traits, sensitivity to stimuli and socio-demographic factors influencing adherence among Italian women with high-risk pregnancies.

Methods: Ninety women from "Villa Sofia-V.

A novel GMMA-based gonococcal vaccine demonstrates functional immune responses in mice.

Gonorrhea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) represents a significant public health threat that may be mitigated by an effective vaccine. Vaccines containing N. meningitidis outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), such as 4CMenB, demonstrated moderate effectiveness in preventing GC infections.

Development and Validation of Quantile Regression Forests for Prediction of Reference Quantiles in Handgrip and Chair-Stand Test.

Background: Muscle strength is one of the key components in the diagnosis of sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to train a machine learning model to predict reference values and percentiles for handgrip strength and chair-stand test (CST), in a large cohort of community dwellers recruited in the Longevity check-up (Lookup) 8+ project.

Methods: The longevity checkup project is an ongoing initiative conducted in unconventional settings in Italy from 1 June 2015.

Current limitations in technology-based cognitive assessment for severe mental illnesses: a focus on feasibility, reliability, and ecological validity.

Cognitive impairments are frequently observed in subjects with severe mental illnesses (SMI), leading to a remarkable impact in their real-world functioning. Well-validated and gold standard instruments are available for the assessment of cognitive deficits, but different limitations should be considered, such as the need for specific training, lengthy administration times, practice effects, or reliance on subjective reports. Recent advances in digital technologies, such as ecological momentary assessments (EMA), virtual reality (VR), and passive digital phenotyping (DP), offer promising complementary approaches for capturing real-world cognitive functioning.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux and psychological distress: a vicious cycle worth investigating.

Objectives: To investigate the correlation between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and psychological distress in a sample of adult Italian patients.

Methods: LPR was assessed using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), and 24-hour impedance-pH monitoring. Psychological distress was evaluated with the following clinical tools: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10).

Temporal dose inversion properties of adaptive biomolecular circuits.

Cells have the capacity to encode and decode information in the temporal features of molecular signals. Many pathways, for example, generate either sustained or pulsatile responses depending on the context, and such diverse temporal behaviors have a profound impact on cell fate. Here we focus on how molecular pathways can convert the temporal features of dynamic signals, in particular how they can convert transient signals into persistent downstream events and vice versa.

Bottom-up robust modelling for the foraging behaviour of .

The true slime mould has the remarkable capability to perform self-organized activities such as network formation among food sources. Despite well reproducing the emergence of slime networks, existing models are limited in the investigation of the minimal mechanisms, at the microscopic scale, that ensure robust problem-solving capabilities at the macroscopic scale. To this end, we develop three progressively more complex multi-agent models to provide a flexible framework to understand the self-organized foraging and network formation behaviours of .

Accessible model predicts response in hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer (BC) is the most common subtype of BC and typically occurs as an early, operable disease. In patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), pathological complete response (pCR) is rare and multiple efforts have been made to predict disease recurrence. We developed a framework to predict pCR using clinicopathological characteristics widely available at diagnosis.

Assessment of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: From the Consensus Conference-Derived Scales to Remote Digital Phenotyping.

The assessment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia has advanced since the 2006 NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement, leading to the development of second-generation rating scales like the Brief Negative Symptom Scale and the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms. These scales address the limitations of first-generation tools, such as the inclusion of aspects that are not negative symptoms and the lack of assessment of the subject's internal experience. However, psychometric validation of these scales is still in progress, and they are not yet recommended by regulatory agencies, thus limiting their use in clinical trials and settings.

The public mental representations of deepfake technology: An in-depth qualitative exploration through Quora text data analysis.

The advent of deepfake technology has raised significant concerns regarding its impact on individuals' cognitive processes and beliefs, considering the pervasive relationships between technology and human cognition. This study delves into the psychological literature surrounding deepfakes, focusing on people's public representation of this emerging technology and highlighting prevailing themes, opinions, and emotions. Under the media framing, the theoretical framework is crucial in shaping individuals' cognitive schemas regarding technology.

Investigating the causal pathways among psychopathological variables, cognitive impairment, and real-life functioning in people with schizophrenia.

The present study aimed to investigate the causal relationships among cognitive impairment, psychopathology, and real-life functioning in a large sample of people with schizophrenia, using a data-driven causal discovery procedure based on partial ancestral graphs (PAGs). This method may provide additional insights for the identification of potential therapeutic targets to promote recovery in people with chronic schizophrenia. State-of-the-art instruments were used to assess the study variables.

Effectiveness of a social cognition remediation intervention for patients with schizophrenia: a randomized-controlled study.

This randomized-controlled study evaluates the effectiveness of a newly developed social cognition rehabilitation intervention, the modified Social Cognition Individualized Activity Lab (mSoCIAL), in improving social cognition and clinical and functional outcomes of persons with schizophrenia recruited in two Italian sites: University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" in Naples and ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan. mSoCIAL consists of a social cognitive training module focusing on different domains of social cognition and of a narrative enhancement module. We assessed changes in social cognition, clinical characteristics and functional variables in patients with schizophrenia who participated in 10 weekly sessions of mSoCIAL or received treatment as usual (TAU).

The role of Mediterranean diet in cancer incidence and mortality in the older adults.

The magnitude of benefit of Mediterranean diet in cancer prevention and mortality in older adults is still unclear, therefore we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Outcomes considered were cancer incidence and cancer mortality. In studies evaluating cancer incidence as a time-to-event endpoint and adherence as quantiles, HR was 0.

Personality Traits and Sociodemographic Variables' Effects on Parental Burnout During the Second and Fourth COVID-19 Waves in Italian Parents.

(1) Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic was a source of stress for families, this study aimed to investigate the influence of dispositional factors, such as personality traits and sociodemographic variables, on parental burnout among Italian parents during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the study assessed personality traits and sociodemographic variables as protective or risk factors for parental burnout levels. (2) Methods: The study consisted of two cross-sectional samples collected during the second and fourth waves of the Italian pandemic.

Comparison of first-line chemotherapy regimens in unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.

Background: In advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), first-line chemotherapy is the standard of care. Due to the absence of head-to-head comparisons in clinical trials, we performed this systematic review and network meta-analysis to compare treatment options for PDAC in terms of their efficacy and toxicity.

Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and oncological meetings websites were searched until Nov 15, 2023.

The dimensional structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders: an Exploratory Graph Analysis from the OPTiMiSE trial.

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is the most widely used rating scale to assess psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and other primary psychoses. However, a definitive consensus regarding its dimensional structure remains elusive. The present work aims to determine the number of dimensions of the scale through a network analysis approach in a sample of individuals experiencing first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder (FE-SSD) with minimal or no prior exposure to antipsychotic treatment.

Research evidence on the management of the cognitive impairment component of the post-COVID condition: a qualitative systematic review.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most prevalent and burdensome consequences of COVID-19 infection, which can persist up to months or even years after remission of the infection. Current guidelines on post-COVID CI are based on available knowledge on treatments used for improving CI in other conditions. The current review aims to provide an updated overview of the existing evidence on the efficacy of treatments for post-COVID CI.

The likelihood of being helped or harmed as a patient-centred tool to assess ALK-Inhibitors clinical impact and safety in ALK-addicted non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and sensitivity-analysis.

Background: In untreated ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are available directly comparing next-generation ALK-inhibitors. We conducted a sensitivity analysis using the likelihood of being helped or harmed (LHH).

Methods: Phase III trials comparing ALK-inhibitors to crizotinib were included.

Direct Losses and Media Exposure to Death: The Long-Term Effect of Mourning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

: The social distancing policies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to confront their mortality and worry about losing loved ones, making it impossible to say goodbye to them properly. Those not directly experiencing loss were inundated with information about COVID-19-related deaths throughout social media, leading to vicarious grief. This study delved into the long-term effects of direct and vicarious mourning on people's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fibromyalgia pathogenesis explained by a neuroendocrine multistable model.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a central disorder characterized by chronic pain, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and other minor symptoms. Knowledge about pathogenesis is lacking, diagnosis difficult, clinical approach puzzling, and patient management disappointing. We conducted a theoretical study based on literature data and computational analysis, aimed at developing a comprehensive model of FM pathogenesis and addressing suitable therapeutic targets.

Finding the Right Setting for the Right Treatment During the Acute Treatment of Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review and Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: Schizophrenia is most times a chronic and often debilitating illness associated with poor mental health outcomes. Early and effective treatment of schizophrenia in the most appropriate setting can make a significant difference in the long-term recovery. The aim of this narrative review was to provide suggestions and recommendations for effectively managing patients with schizophrenia during acute exacerbations and to enhance awareness and skills related to personalized medicine.